The WishKeeper (The Paragonia Chronicles)

by Timm, Maximilian

  Grayson was asleep on the couch. Elanor stared through the window and watched another loved one roll over in pain. The fog suddenly turned unnatural and crept around Elanor. She caught her breath, knowing what was approaching.

  “There was once a WishMaker who sent powerful wishes to the fairies of Paragonia. So powerful he was thought to be a candidate for WishingKing. But what did the two most talented Keepers do?” Erebus taunted as he swirled around her. His shadowy form grew into shape, towering over Elanor. She didn’t bother to look at him, but kept staring at Grayson. “They destroyed him. Destroyed his love. And now look at him. Look at what you’ve done.”

  Elanor whirled around, drew her wand, stomped it hard at her feet, and filled the front porch with a blast of bright white light. Erebus shaded his eyes and shrunk in form. The light faded and Erebus regrouped, unfazed.

  “It looks like I may need to up your dosage, my Elanor. Years ago, that might have ruined me, but thanks to you and your lost ones, it’s not so terrible.” He flashed his evil smile as if to beg her to do it again.

  “We did what we had to do!” Elanor yelled, trying to convince herself more than Erebus.

  “But look at us now,” Erebus said. “So many magical years of promise-keeping we’ve had. How fitting it comes full circle with the famous WishMaker. We made a deal, Ellie, my dear.”

  “This wasn’t part of the deal.”

  “Oh but it was. I allow a certain number of wishes to transcend and you bring me the rest. And out of the kindness of my heart, one in particular would allow you and your friends to go home.”

  Watching through the window, Elanor noticed Grayson wake, rub his sore, red eyes and walk to the window. Looking out, he didn’t notice the drama unfolding mere feet from him.

  “And you can return to your precious, handicapped daughter.”

  With a quick, enraged move, Elanor gripped her wand, but Erebus was ready this time. He whipped his darkness around her neck and raised her up, eye level with Grayson. “I win, Elanor! Accept it! Bring me the wish or our deal is off!”

  He dropped her and she fell hard to the edge of the window, desperate for breath. Erebus morphed quickly into a thick black fog and revolved around Elanor. She suddenly stood upright, controlled by the curse. It whirled and whirled, waving Elanor’s red hair across her pained face and finally, her eyes swirled with blackness. The fog retreated, leaving a stiff Elanor at the base of the window. She turned her head, looked up at Grayson and reached out her palm. It touched the cold, frosty glass as her eyes were swept up completely by the curse, overcoming her. The Captain had returned. She dashed off the front porch and left Grayson staring out the window.

  About to walk away, Grayson looked down at the window’s base. The warmth of a small handprint against the glass was slowly retreating and though he was sure he saw it, he rubbed his eyes and walked into the kitchen.

  22

  No Pixie

  CLINK CLINK! Sweat dripped from Shea’s brow as she opened her eyes reacting to what sounded like copper falling on pavement. She looked at her cell door and through the barred window. A guard rushed away toward the source of the sound as a skinny shaft of light beamed in through the opened door. The opened door? Searching the darkness, Shea didn’t know where she was and the idea of an opened door wasn’t making sense.

  “Thane?” Shea whispered. “Hello?”

  She stood up and a wave of vertigo swept over her. She sat back down and held her head. A headache pounded at her temples and quickly, the memory of the night before rolled in. Searching for her wand in the darkness, she couldn’t find it and ran to the door. About to call out, she grabbed the handle and it creaked open at the slightest tug. An open door. The guards were going to get an earful, or worse, for leaving it open, but Shea didn’t have time or the care to worry about what might happen to her kidnappers. She crept out of her cell and into the open hall.

  Four separate hallways broke off in opposing directions, torches lighting their way. She looked to her right and saw a large, open, circular cement-lined room. A mound of silver and copper coins covered every inch of the floor. Shea was at the bottom of the Lost Fairy’s hide out - a well.

  Two guards, wands ready, were standing at the bottom of the well on top of the pile of coins looking up. With their backs to her and the sunlight beaming down, reflecting off the frozen coins, Shea noticed a small wooden table a few steps away and next to it, a wrangled wish tied by a spell to a metal hook. It was huddling against the base of the wall, eyes closed and crying. Lying untouched on top of the table was her wand and she knew that if she could just get her hands on it, she might be able to - CLINK CLINK!

  A coin fell and crashed to the floor startling Shea, but as quickly as she was startled, a bright blue Athletic Wish popped out of the coin and buzzed, bounced and zoomed around the bottom of the well. Shea took a chance to lunge for her wand and as the Lost Fairies launched themselves up toward the retreating wish, Shea snatched it. Desperate to free the trapped wish, she started toward it, but quickly hid behind the table as the Lost Fairy wrestled the new Athlete to the ground. Being far from gentle and borderline abusive, he had a wrangling spell squeezed tight around the little wish. It squeaked as the guard pulled it to the wall and tied the spell around a different hook.

  Shea looked at the struggling wish and how the Lost Fairies had no regard for the amount of pain it was in. They simply stepped to the center of the well again, ready and waiting for more.

  “Took you long enough,” said one of the guards.

  “Didn’t know I was being timed,” returned the other. “Ready yourself for the next.”

  Staring at the Athlete, Shea couldn’t stand it. It was writhing in pain, trying to bounce out of the wrangling spell and escape. Finally it gave up and closed its eyes. It was as sad as Shea had ever seen a wish and anger flooded every inch of her. She wasn’t worried about being seen anymore. No, she wanted a fight and was ready for it.

  CLINK CLINK!

  Another coin crashed to the pile and just as a Money Wish exploded out of it, Shea yelled, “Hey!” The guards jumped at the scream, momentarily taking their eyes off the newly formed wish.

  Shea exploded a wrangling spell around the wild Money Wish and attached to it. Using the momentum of the speedy wish, she swung herself up along the side of the well and ran sideways along the wall. The guards blasted spell after spell trying to knock Shea down, but she was too fast. Jumping out of the way of a close call, she tugged hard on the Money Wish, pulling it toward her. The guards continued blasting spells at her, missing by inches.

  She released the wrangling spell and in a free fall, dove to the wish and wrapped her arms around it. Freeing her wand hand, she pointed it up and cast a grappling spell at an old wooden bucket dangling near the open mouth of the well. With a burst and grunting with all her strength, Shea pulled herself up toward the exit.

  The guards looked at each other in momentary awe, and launched themselves up. They chased her up the well, climbing the well walls with expertise, gaining on her. Lunging for her feet, one of the guards grabbed Shea by the ankle and pulled. She screamed as she and the wish started to fall, but with a final blast of energy, the Money Wish hurled them forward, pulling Shea and the Lost Fairy along for the ride.

  Zipping up and out of the well, the wish carried Shea and her assailant into the cold winter sunlight. Running out of energy, the wish crashed to the snowy ground causing Shea to lose her grip. It bounced away, exhausted only to be caught once again in the Lost Fairy’s wrangling spell. He yanked it hard and whipped the wish into his arms.

  “Stop! You’re hurting it!” Shea yelled as she quickly stood.

  Treating her like just another rebellious wish, the other guard wrapped a wrangling spell around Shea, constraining her. “These wishes are for him, not your hopeless Keepers! Stop being a hero!”

  “What do you mean, for him?” Shea said as she struggled to break free.

  Barking through panting breat
h, the guard ordered his fellow soldier, “Get that wish underground. I’m right behind you.”

  “Him. You don’t mean…”

  “Captain ordered you to stay at base, so you’re staying at base!”

  He pulled her toward the well and though her arms were wrapped in the spell, her legs were free. She powered a kick right between the legs of the guard - he went down hard and fast. The wrangling spell disappeared and she pointed her wand at his face as he writhed in pain.

  “Tell me what you’re doing with those wishes.”

  “It’s a fallow wish! A waste. And yes, him,” he said, cringing.

  “You’re stealing them before they can cross over?”

  “Welcome to the real world, pixie,” the guard said through a clenched jaw.

  This enraged Shea almost as much as their theft and betrayal. She whipped another kick into the guards’ stomach, knocking the breath out of him.

  “I’m no pixie.”

  She hurried to the edge of the well, jumped onto the ledge and looked down. The other guard who was carrying the little Money Wish had vanished. She desperately wanted to help those little wishes, but she knew there wasn’t time. She knew that as important as they were, there was an even more important task at hand. She whispered in a rush, “I’m sorry,” and dashed off toward the nearby park.

  23

  The Lost Fairy

  As Shea ran through the pine needles, evergreens stretching over her, she tried to tie all of this together - all of what had happened over such a short period of time. She knew that there would be Lost Fairies and Erebus to deal with once she and Thane crossed over, but…

  “Thane. If he’s been turned into one of those things, I’ll never forgive myself.”

  On top of that, did she really see her Mom the night before? Was it just a figment of her imagination or an effect of the spell that knocked her out?

  “Somebody took me to the Lost Fairy’s hideout. It couldn’t have been Mom. Stop it, Shea. Thane is in trouble and we have a wish to grant.”

  Her mind was made up about one thing. She was going to retrieve the True Love Wish, no matter what.

  She pulled herself up into an evergreen to get a better look around. The woods were thick and crowded with trees, and the snow that covered them made it seem like she was climbing through a sea of white. In the near distance, she noticed the trees had changed to oaks and maples and just through them was what she assumed was a clearing of some kind. Her destination was at least confirmed, but then what? It was so quiet in the forest, the stillness made her uncomfortable. It was the kind of discomfort that was unique to a prolonged silence, as if a truth would be revealed that she didn’t want to know. She continued on, climbing branch after branch and firing off grappling spells making her way toward the clearing.

  * * * *

  At the edge of the forest was a large park. Swing sets, playgrounds, and teeter-totters were covered in snow and not even a footstep had been made in weeks, leaving the snow untouched throughout. A circle of a couple dozen Lost Fairies surrounded Elanor in the middle of the park. She stood tall, lean and confident in the center as she calmly spouted orders - The Captain was dominating her again thanks to the recharged spell from Erebus.

  “We split up in the three groups. Even though the wish abandoned its Makers, it will find its way back to one of them. Two groups will monitor each Maker, the other will…” She paused, halting her orders. The Lost Fairies looked up in the nearby trees as Elanor did the same. She sensed something, or someone, was watching and slowly reached for her wand. “Wands,” she ordered, quietly.

  WishKeepers dashed out of the trees and surrounded Elanor and her soldiers from above. Spells cascaded down upon them, but Elanor’s defense was quick. Deflecting spell after spell, she and her troops dived, rolled, and grappled for cover.

  Raising her wand straight up, Elanor sent a wide deflecting wall of energy over her troops. The WishKeepers’ spells bounced off the wall, but bursting out of the chaos was Beren, wand outstretched. He blasted a counter spell at the wall, destroying it and knocking Elanor to the ground.

  “Hold your fire!” yelled Beren.

  Pulling herself onto a branch, Shea grunted and gained her footing. Just as she was about to send another grappling spell at a neighboring tree, a bright explosion shined a couple hundred feet from where she was. She rushed to the source of the explosion.

  Letting go of a grappling spell, Shea swung to the base of a scrawny, leafless bush and looked out into the park. Beren was walking, wand pointed, toward Elanor who was on her knees. Her hood was down and Shea got a complete look at what she had wondered was real or not. There she was - her mom, staring up into her dad’s eyes. This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be real. A few feet away, the branches of the bush snapped. Thane was sneaking toward the scene. He didn’t notice Shea, but she was too stunned to call for him. Then she heard her mom’s voice.

  “Lower you wands. Get in rank among your groups. This is a waste of time.”

  “Elanor!” Avery tried rushing to her, but Beren grabbed her. She was in near panic at the site of Elanor, on her knees, wearing all black. Those black eyes.

  Shea watched, confused, as WishKeepers floated a few feet above Elanor and her troops. It was a standoff as Lost Fairies pointed their wands, ready for a fight. They finally lowered them at their Captain’s order as Beren left Avery’s side and walked to Elanor, standing over her.

  He looked into his wife’s eyes and knew that the explosion hadn’t done the trick. Her eyes were swirling with the cursed fog, though a slight hope arose inside Beren when he looked closer. The whites of her eyes were noticeable and the blackness wasn’t as thick as he remembered. He knew right away the curse was weakening, but he kept his mouth shut. She snarled at him when he reached out a hand to help her up. She stood on her own, grabbed her wand and walked away from Beren.

  “Elanor, please.”

  Quickly extending her wand, like a whip she cracked a powerful blast at Beren, knocking him back. The spell’s light was so bright it melted the snow around them and the anger in Elanor’s darkened eyes flashed with a ripple.

  The Hope rushed Elanor, avenging the attack on their General, but she exploded a spell at her feet and launched straight into the air. Weightless and hovering, Elanor sent wrangling spells at each incoming Keeper. Her retaliation was so quick the Keepers didn’t have time to react. One by one, they fell hard to the ground, struggling to free themselves.

  Reversing her launching spell and pointing it at the ground, Elanor slowly hovered back down. Beren was the only Keeper not tangled in one of her spells. He stood through the pain and watched his wife raise Avery up into the air, a thick spell wrapped around her neck.

  “So foolish to leave your king behind,” she said, as she squeezed the spell tighter. It was crushing her. “He needed a new Regent, little Avery. Guess who he chose?” She crashed Avery to the ground and released the spell. Avery cried out as a bone cracked in her left arm.

  Elanor shook her head, fighting a sudden retreat of the curse as the fog swirled in her angry eyes. Elanor was in there somewhere, but The Captain wasn’t letting her leave.

  “Go home, Beren,” she said, as she watched him rush to help Avery.

  “Home? We won’t have a home if -,” Beren yelled.

  “I don’t care about the consequences!” she screamed, wild.

  “You know what has to be done and yet you listen to him,” Beren continued.

  “You’re holding on to a hope that doesn’t exist. I told you not to come back. That wish is his. We’re done here.” She turned away from Beren and Avery, snapped her fingers and ordered her troops to get in rank.

  Shea watched, breathless, failing to take it all in. Told you not to come back? The wish is his? Suddenly a hand touched her shoulder and Shea flinched, falling back.

  “Shea, thank goodness! You’re alive! But, uh -,” Thane said, excited, but nervous all at once. He knew this had to have been a
shock to her. Shea stood and backed away from Thane. She looked at him as if he was a stranger, suddenly unable to trust anyone, even him. Turning toward the park, she moved a branch out of her way, paused and stared at her mom and dad, then bolted into a sprint.

  She had never felt more exposed as she stood in the middle of the park. It was like a nightmare. A bad dream where your parents are suddenly monsters, unrecognizable, foreign, and though they looked familiar they were nothing more than strangers. Even worse, the feeling of belonging and a sense of self that feels so natural when in your parents’ company had vanished. It was one thing to feel alone, but to be alone with so many unanswered questions - questions these strangers wouldn’t answer - fueled Shea’s longing to just run away and forget it all.

  “Mom?” Shea said with barely enough air in her lungs. She trembled as she stood. Her body wasn’t ready for this.

  “Shea!” Beren said as he took a few quick steps toward her.

  “You’ve known all along. Haven’t you?” Shea said quickly to her dad. This stopped Beren’s approach. He was so relieved to see her that for a moment he had forgotten that this was all new to her. Unable to reply, he brushed his hands through his graying hair, muted.

  Elanor turned to her daughter and looked at her with only a vague familiarity. The darkness in her eyes flickered, but she blinked through it. The curse was still strong enough to keep her cold and distant and focused on the task at hand.

  “You shouldn’t be here.” Something within Elanor forced her to approach her daughter. Shea was frozen to the ground. For so long she had wished for her mom to come home, to see her again, but who was walking toward her? Who was looking at her with dark, foggy eyes?

  Shea tried to maintain her composure, but her chest heaved, searching for any amount of air it could find. She noticed her mother’s eyes and the deep, emptiness that consumed them. Reaching her hand out, Elanor ran her fingers through Shea’s thick red hair, but when her eyes flickered and swirled with blackness, Shea flinched and pulled back, appalled and confused.