The WishKeeper (The Paragonia Chronicles)

by Timm, Maximilian

  Limping over piles of drifted snow, her foot stepped on something solid, but it wasn’t a branch. Kicking the object out from under its snowy grave, it took a moment to recognize what she was holding in her hands. Goggles.

  She gasped, trying to catch her sudden bursts of breath, and a rush of tears overcame her. Her full-body pain vanished and adrenaline took over as she pushed further through the thick wind, rushing to find any other sign of her daughter. A brown leather sack was a few feet away. She fell to her knees to pick it up, terrified to imagine what separated her daughter from her pack.

  The soft crunching of snow, footsteps that were barely audible, broke her from her search. Someone was approaching. Not now. Not when Shea is so close. She whipped out her wand and pointed it at the dark surrounding woods.

  “Who’s there?” she called out. “If you want a fight, it will be a short one, I can assure…”

  Elanor didn’t recognize Avery as she crept out from behind a mangled set of thorny bushes. Her dark cloak and black hair, deep bottomless eyes that stored a decade of pain. She very easily could have been a Lost Fairy, but Elanor remembered those eyes.

  At the site of her, Avery wanted to weep. A broken WishKeeper whose once perfect face that was always so alight with ambition and intent was now scarred, tired and begging for help. Her Elanor was still there though. No, not her Elanor. She wasn’t foolish enough to believe Elanor could be hers like she did years ago, but the Elanor she fell secretly in love with was still there. Behind the blackened eyes was a mother, a wife, her friend.

  “Avery?” Elanor whispered, unsure.

  Avery nodded quickly through tears, happy she even remembered, and ran to her. Elanor tried to stand, but Avery knelt next to her, lightly grabbing her shoulders. “Are you alright? Just sit. Sit,” she said, and examined her like a doctor does a patient.

  Elanor couldn’t stop staring at her, not just because she was surprised to see her, but because the sight of her was slowly casting away the fog that covered up her memories. Seeing her was like drawing a curtain and slowly revealing a forgotten past. She touched her cheek and they smiled, but the panic quickly returned. Elanor felt Shea’s leather pack in her hands and remembered.

  “Shea. Oh, Avery, she’s here somewhere!” desperation pulsed through her. “Please, help me find her. Please!”

  It frightened Avery to see Elanor so panic-stricken, but what could she do other than help? They stood, Avery guiding the pained back of her friend, and leaned her against the bark of a small birch.

  Avery didn’t want to tell Elanor that she saw Erebus retreat from the woods, True Love Wish cupped in his palms. How she was, for years, merely a coward and all that she ever wanted was for Elanor to be proud of her. It wasn’t the time or place to explain anything. She only tried to help, as futile as that help may seem.

  The wind had covered any remnants of tracks in the snow as Avery searched the ground for any sign of Shea. “She has to be close. Erebus wouldn’t have let her get very…” she said, but was cut off by Elanor’s scream.

  “Shea!” Elanor yelled.

  Clutching her wand and lying limp against the thick base of a maple, Elanor saw her daughter motionless, unconscious, across the floor of the woods a few yards behind them.

  The pain didn’t matter anymore as Elanor ran to her. Snow was drifted, almost completely covering Shea, and Elanor quickly wrapped her arms around her, pulling her out from under the icy blanket. “No, no, honey please! Beren. Beren!” she yelled and fired a red flare high above the forest ceiling.

  Rocking her limp little fairy in her arms, Elanor mumbled pleas of hope. Though, thankfully, Shea still felt warm, she noticed her daughter’s wings. They were perfect, beautiful and this only made Elanor cry harder knowing Erebus had tricked her. Avery stood over them, stoic, and too pained to cry.

  Pulling her wand from its sheath, Elanor quickly arched a half-circle red dome over their heads. It glowed with warmth and melted the snow around them and all Elanor could do was hug her daughter and beg her to wake up. Avery stood outside the warm dome, crossing her arms and taking a step back. She felt quick resentment that she wasn’t included, but the look on Elanor’s face - a look of complete and utter gratitude - was enough to erase the sudden selfishness, for now.

  Elanor’s shaking hands took the goggles and carefully placed them around Shea’s forehead. She just wanted to see her baby again - the hopeful, energetic little fairy that was always so full of life.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Elanor gasped, choking through tears and rocking her close.

  When Shea opened her eyes, a blurred image of the forest came into view and she could feel someone holding her. The warmth was strange as it juxtaposed the frozen landscape that blinked in her eyes. It hurt to turn her head and look at whatever was wrapping itself around her, but when she noticed long, thick red hair, she panicked.

  Elanor pulled her head back and looked at Shea. Her crying quickly halted.

  Quickly frantic, Shea pushed away from her mother’s grip and though the physical pain from Erebus’ blast was still powerful, her fear of her cursed mother was even more so. Crawling away and trying to stay out of reach, Shea looked at her. Her mother’s eyes were clear and for the first time in years, Shea saw her mom. Flashes of memories poured through windows into a past that had all been closed. Her fear was still there, though, and forced her to doubt what she was seeing.

  Elanor imagined reuniting with her wouldn’t be easy, but she wasn’t ready for fear to pour from her daughter’s eyes. She was willing to accept resentment and anger, but there couldn’t be a more hurtful cut then the one that dug into her - Shea’s petrified gaze. Trembling, Elanor slowly reached out her hand and though Shea flinched, she took her goggles and pulled them over her eyes.

  “Goggles goggled?” Elanor asked with a quivering voice.

  Shea was frozen, unsure of whether or not this was another trick, but she wanted to believe. She so badly wanted to believe this really was her mom kneeling in front of her.

  “Check,” she replied, hesitant. “Wishes made?”

  “Wishes granted,” Elanor continued, trying desperately not to cry.

  They rushed to each other and held on to one another as if at any moment the other could disappear. The red dome wasn’t necessary anymore; the hug was more than enough. Avery gasped with a tearful laugh.

  Pulling away, Elanor cupped her daughter’s face in her hands and smiled. Eyeing Shea’s wings, a continued feeling of sorrow and regret pulsed through her.

  Shea removed the goggles, noticing where her mother was looking, and remembered her fixed wings. “I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t…” but her mom stopped her.

  “No. You’re not the one who needs to apologize.”

  “Your eyes,” Shea said, staring. A shadow of a shadow loomed within the corners of Elanor’s eyes. Shea wanted to search. She wanted to look so deeply, to remember every moment she ever shared with her mother before she lost her, before her little world was flipped, before her wings were broken. Before…

  Elanor looked away, self-conscious of what her daughter might see. “I am so sorry, Shea. There is so much to explain, but - I have missed you so much.” She took her hand and though it wasn’t enough to erase everything that had happened over the past ten years, it was enough for now.

  Shea touched her mom’s face and lightly turned it toward her. The corners of Elanor’s eyes swirled with the smoky fog and though Shea’s curiosity buzzed, the twinkle of familiarity was there.

  “I don’t have much time, honey,” Elanor said, knowing Shea must have so many questions.

  “Erebus?” Shea asked.

  Elanor nodded, wanting to say more.

  “But the wish. It’s over. He has it. I just - just gave it to him.”

  Avery cut in, wiping the tears from her cheek. “It’s not over yet.” Shea looked up, noticing another fairy was there.

  “Avery?”

  Avery nodded a pleasant, but paine
d smile at the little fairy.

  Taking her daughter’s hand, “Avery’s right. It’s not over yet. Can you stand?” Elanor asked, as she helped Shea up. Shea’s knees buckled, but they eventually stood.

  “You OK?” Avery asked with a nod.

  Shea nodded back, though not entirely sure if she was OK. “I did something awful, Mom,” Shea said. “Erebus. He…I didn’t know what…” Shea pushed her head against Elanor’s chest, and hugged her, hoping it would make all of this go away. Hoping that the hug she had dreamed about for a decade would solve all of her problems like it once did.

  Elanor held her daughter and met eyes with Avery. They shared a knowing glance. They knew that Shea was no different than they were now. Another fairy that Erebus had tricked.

  “We have more in common than you know, Shea. It’s not your fault. None of this is,” Avery said.

  Pulling her face out of her mother’s arms, “But what now? He has the wish.”

  “Even if the wish itself is gone, true love never goes away,” Elanor said. She looked at Avery when she said this and though Avery knew it wasn’t a sudden admission, she felt the burning again. The flame that blistered inside of her every time she looked at Elanor.

  “We may still have a chance,” Avery said as they limped through the wind. “We have to find a gate, and fast.

  “We have to find Beren first,” Elanor said.

  “There isn’t time, Ellie. We don’t know how long he’ll be and the gates are closing faster than…” Elanor quickly cut her off. She couldn’t believe what Avery was saying.

  “We’re not going anywhere without Beren. Nothing could make me leave him,” she said, darting a frustrated glare at Avery.

  Avery forced an understanding nod and held her tongue. In a way, Elanor knew she was right. The Gates were closing and by now, for all they knew, they could all be closed, but there was no way she would lose Beren all over again.

  “It’s time to show your father just how good of a flyer you are,” Elanor smiled as she continued, reading Shea’s thoughts. Shea felt a pain of regret. What will he say about her wings?

  They smiled and Shea took her mother’s hand. As they pushed through the wind, Elanor reached out and held Avery’s hand too. Whether it was for simple support to help her walk, or not, the rush of adrenaline flooded Avery. Nothing was going to stop her from getting Elanor back safely.

  It wasn’t how Shea always planned such a reuniting would occur, but then again, plans that fork off in new directions tend to be alight with better possibility. And now that she had her Mom back, even just for a moment, the possibilities felt endless.

  34

  Return Of The WishingKing

  It wasn’t long before Beren was lost. The blizzard made the world twist and turn and he was sure he had seen this particular oak tree not moments ago. He pushed off the ground and sped toward the top of the tree to get a better look at his surroundings. His slashed wing didn’t make flying easy, to say the least, and faster then expected, his understanding and acceptance of Shea’s disability swept in. There was no sign of her, none whatsoever, and panic was starting to build. All of his life’s training hadn’t prepared him for such a rescue mission, but mustering the courage to remain composed and together was a necessity, not only in order to save his daughter from whatever evil had befallen her, but to simply stay sane.

  So many thoughts ran through his dizzy mind as he gripped the icy branch and looked out over the park. He could see the water tower from where he was as well as the cul-du-sac barely a mile away. The fog had lifted and no evidence of a Lost Fairy onslaught was visible, but he also couldn’t find his Keeper troops. Part of his hope of breaking off from Elanor was to find his team. There was an obvious strength in numbers during a search and rescue attempt, but the lack of support, or much of any kind of hope, was weighing on his mind. The town was silent but for the creaking of the branches bending in the winter wind. Any time a thought surfaced of his daughter alone in this storm, lying unconscious, or worse, he pushed it away like a horrible memory.

  He’d been away from Elanor for too long, he thought, but he needed one last attempt at finding Shea. Seeing the cottage sitting along the snow-covered cul-du-sac, his last ditch effort was to check if, possibly, Shea had returned to the house. If nothing else, he would retrieve Thane and do the unthinkable, ask the Makers for help. He began this mission adamant about retrieving the dangerous wish and destroying it, but in a flash everything had changed. His daughter was all that mattered now.

  Zooming through the wind, Beren sent red sparks into the sky hoping any remaining member of The Hope would notice. He was too far from Elanor for her to see the flare, but some of his team had to be close by. Landing along the sill of the kitchen window, he zapped a spell and lifted it open with a grunt and hurried in.

  The house was almost as dark as Erebus’ fog and it immediately sent shivers of worry through him. The Makers wouldn’t have blown out the candles, they needed some kind of light and Thane, being Thane, would have begged for the same.

  “Shea! Thane?” he called out, searching the living room. The house was empty, but how? It was barely an hour since he left them. As he flew through, it quickly dawned on him as he noticed the furniture pushed aside, toppled over and askew as if a tornado had swept through. Erebus.

  * * * *

  Stars twinkled in a crystal clear night sky as the bright full moon lit up the Paragonian valley. A slight, warm breeze rustled the thick green grass as fireflies danced and blinked along the edges of the forest. Warm, golden lights from thousands of fairy homes rimmed the trees of the north end of the valley. Keepers throughout Paragonia were preparing for a restless sleep, knowing family and friends were on The Other Side fighting a war that could be their last, for better or worse.

  A young mother was tucking her little fairy daughter into a plush, straw bed. She kissed her on the forehead and helped adjust her whisper thin wings as she rolled on her side. They exchanged loving smiles and though the tiny fairy girl closed her eyes and gripped a small, round little doll resembling a wish, her mother didn’t leave her side. A deep worried sigh left her lungs as she watched her daughter fall asleep.

  Glistening in the moonlight, Castle Paragonia rested at the far end of the valley. It was unnaturally quiet as the old weathered castle sat amidst its weeds and overgrowth, haunted not by whispers of a troubled past, but by something more presently pressing. A light flickered from a large window in the middle of the castle, just above the closed gates. A large veranda stretched out with two double doors flung wide open. This was Erebus’ potions room and though the rest of the stone behemoth looked cold and dormant, a flutter of life glimmered from the center of it once again.

  The room hadn’t been touched in years. Dust and debris from years of neglect cluttered the corners and covered wooden tables.

  Positioned atop a gyro sphere, stuck in a spell, was the True Love Wish. Its red glow was diminishing as its breathing was labored. There was no sign of Thane or the Makers as a breeze blew in through the opened veranda doors. It rustled the pages of an ancient book browned and faded from years of use as black fog curled away from it, sweeping toward the veranda.

  Erebus stood along the aged stone railing, looking out over the starlit valley. The twinkling lights of the fairy homes were to his right and though the Keepers were climbing into their beds with heavy thoughts of worry, little did they know the danger was at their doorstep. The wizard leaned against the railing and softly released a deep, low breath.

  Fog crept out of him like a disease, seeping out over the valley in every direction. Spreading, it doused the bright stars and glow of the moon. It inched up and around the tree homes of every fairy with the fingers of the fog clawing at the doors and windows, bleeding in through thin cracks and down skinny chimneys.

  Creeping over the still pond of the Nursery, the fog devoured the thatched roof barn, making its way along the base of the mountain. The few wishes that were in their pens
cowered and huddled within the corners of the wooden fences while some pushed away from the fog and tried escaping. One by one, the shadow devoured them, rushing through the stables like a slow, demented tidal wave.

  The light of the fulfillment pool at Exclamation Point was the only thing that repelled the fog. The darkness swirled around it like a whirlpool, spinning and spinning, lashing angry fingers at the stoic fairy statue. Erebus had covered the entire valley with his shadow and all that was left to control was Exclamation Point. In his mind, it was only a matter of time and he was going to enjoy every second of it.

  The young fairy mother ran her fingers through her sleeping daughter’s pink hair and gave her one last kiss goodnight. About to stand and leave her little fairy to hopefully pleasant dreams, fingers of a black shadow hand gripped the wooden door and slowly pushed it open. It oozed into the small bedroom, clinging to the walls like thick black smoke. The young mother quickly covered her daughter as the fog collapsed over her.

  Breathing in deeply, Erebus stood upright along the veranda, looking at his masterpiece. A black leathered smiled stretched across his withered white face.

  “It’s good to be home.”

  35

  Like Father, Like Daughter

  Shea’s strength was slowly returning, though she knew Elanor’s strenuous breathing wasn’t a good sign. She didn’t know how much pain her mother was in, however, and Elanor intended to keep it that way. The blizzard wasn’t helping matters either as Avery helped Elanor step by step, supporting her as she limped.

  Shea risked running ahead with the hope of getting a clearer view, but there was no sign of the end of the forest or the cul-du-sac. They needed an aerial view, but the guilt that she felt over using her new wings kept her from mentioning it.