Celtic Magic

by Amber LaShell

  Chapter 17

  She let out her breath in relief as she stepped onto the bridge, and not into cold water, as she had imagined happening. She looked down in surprise as the silver bridge actually felt warm under her bare feet and noticed that it was disappearing behind her after they walked across it.

  She hurried to catch up with her mother and Jasmine, ready to be off of a bridge that could appear out of thin air. She looked up as the castle was suddenly right in front of them and noticed that it was not as white as it appeared from so far away, but was actually a very light iridescent pink.

  Her mother pushed open the large doors and they walked inside, their footsteps echoing in the enormous room. She turned in circles and looked around at the walls; they were bright and colorful with pictures of all different creatures painted right on them. There was only one problem; the only door in the room was the one they had just come in.

  She looked over at her mother, “Why are there no doors in here?” she asked her.

  Her mother smiled, “You have to get around the house by magic” she said.

  Abby rolled her eyes, “Why do you have to do everything with magic here? That’s not easy for someone who just realized that she has powers you know” she said to her.

  Both her mother and Jasmine laughed, “It’s not really as hard as you think it is” Jasmine said, “Go over to that wall” she told her pointing to the wall opposite of the one door.

  Abby walked over to it and noticed for the first time what looked like a blue print of the castle painted onto the wall. She could see that there was the main foyer, which is where they were, a library, a few bedrooms, bathrooms, the throne room, many different balconies, and even a space that said Main Garden. She looked back over to Jasmine.

  “So let me guess, it’s a simple as thinking of which room you want to go to and wishing you were there” She said, a little sarcastically.

  Jasmine laughed, “You meant that as a joke, but you are actually completely right.”

  Abby’s mouth fell open, “Are you serious?” she asked both of them.

  Jasmine nodded, “Magic is simple, it is just wishing something to be, and it happens. There are more complicated things involved of course, but those will be taught to you in time, for now, we are going to the throne room, join us there” she said.

  Her mother and Jasmine looked at each other and then they were gone, leaving those little lights around them she had noticed before.

  Abby took a deep breath and said to herself out loud, “Okay Abby, you can do this.”

  She turned back to the painting of the house and put her hand onto the square that said, Throne Room and as she stared at it, she thought in her head, I wish I was in this room now.

  Suddenly there was what seemed like thousands of tiny lights all around her, completely blocking her vision of the wall, as they were all that she could see. She watched as they swirled around her making light patterns that were moving so fast they made her a little dizzy. Then suddenly they all flew off and she was standing in a large room that was surrounded in windows, with one single throne sitting in the middle.

  Her mother and Jasmine were standing on either side of the throne smiling.

  “Very good sweetheart, you are doing great so far. This is the throne room, and from here you can see all around the castle” her mother said pointing to the windows in front of the throne.

  Abby turned and walked to the largest window and looked out. She saw people right outside of the castle, doing what she would call normal things. There were women sitting on benches and talking to one another, men jogging around a large garden, and there were even children playing games with one another. She turned back to her mother.

  “Are these other gods?” she asked her.

  Her mother shook her head, “No, at least not all of them. Most of them are actually elves. They look like Gods, or even humans, from up here, but as you get closer they have pointed ears, much like how Jasmine’s are” she explained.

  “There are five gardens around the castle. That one is the North Gardens, which is mostly for the elves. Then there are the Western Gardens” she said, pointing to her left.

  Abby turned and looked out of the large window she was pointing at.

  “There are mostly fairies in that one, and the occasional pixie, though they are too small to see from up here. Then you have the Eastern Gardens” She continued, pointing back to her right.

  “There you will find the unicorns. They are very shy creatures, but they know those gardens are safe for them. Only those deemed worthy by the unicorns are even allowed into that garden. I think there are about three people right now that can get in, me being one of them” she told her.

  Abby looked over at Jasmine, “Can you go in there?” she asked her.

  Jasmine shook her head, “They don’t seem to like wings very much, and they have never let in any creature that has them” she told her.

  Abby walked over to the window and looked down at the unicorns, they were exactly like the ones she had seen in mythology books, pure white, with golden horns. They were the most beautiful creatures she had ever seen, and she had an incredible urge to go to their garden, just to touch their white skin. Her mother brought her out of her daydream.

  “Over here is the Southern Gardens” she said, walking to the window directly behind the throne, putting her hand on the glass.

  “This is the garden that all of the creatures used to come to together, it is deserted now, as Elysia has banished so many from the Other World, just for simply talking to each other there. They are all scared now, but hopefully that will all change soon” she said with a sad look in her eyes.

  Abby looked down at the empty gardens and felt a deep sadness, and somewhere deep inside of her it felt as though she could actually feel the garden weeping, missing the creatures that used to walk upon it. This garden looked different than the others, all of the flowers were orange, where the other gardens had flowers of all different colors, and the grass was unlike anything she had ever seen before.

  It was green, like all of the other grass, but this grass looked as though there were tiny diamonds attached to ever strand, glittering in the sunlight. The effect was really quite breathtaking.

  Abby turned around and looked back at her mother, “What is the fifth garden?” she asked her. Her mother walked over to the throne and touched the back of it, closing her eyes.

  “It is the Main Garden, reserved for the queen herself. I have never actually been in it, and nobody but the queen can actually get in there. It has been deserted for so long, I’m not even sure it’s still there” she told her.

  “I do remember my mother telling me about it when I was a little girl though. She told me that it was more beautiful than any other garden in this world or any other. She also told me that it is the only place where you can be completely connected to nature” she said wistfully.

  Abby looked back out the window of the Southern Gardens, “Do you think I can get in there now?” she asked, hoping that since it was her birthright, she would be able to.

  Her mother shook her head, “Not until you are crowned, until then you cannot get in, even if you are destined to be queen” she said.

  Jasmine walked over to her, “We are going to the tallest balcony, so use your magic and meet us there” she said.

  Abby touched the window one last time and tried to tell the grass that feet would one day touch it again, but didn’t know if it helped, or if she was just crazy. She then turned and closed her eyes and wished she was in the tallest balcony, and when she opened her eyes she was standing on a large balcony alone.

  She looked around wondering if she had the wrong tower, but the view made her forget about everything else. She walked to the edge and looked down at the ground, and noticed for the first time, just how tall the castle really was. It seemed as though the balcony was actually on the very top of the castle because she could turn completely around and see all the way around her.
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br />   Suddenly there were the little orbs of light, then her mother and Jasmine appeared next to her, but they were not smiling, they stood looking at her with their mouths gaped open.

  “What’s the matter?” she asked them.

  Jasmine stepped forward and grabbed the rail, “We have never been here before, how did you get here?” she asked her in a hushed voice.

  “What do you mean? I just wished that I was in the tallest tower and this is where I landed” she told them, a little confused.

  “Did I do it wrong?” she asked.

  Her mother grabbed her hand and pointed down to the left, “Do you see that large balcony jutting out from the side of the castle there?” she asked her. Abby nodded.

  “Was that where I was supposed to go? That doesn’t make sense though because this one is taller than that one, so why would I go there?” she asked, still feeling confused.

  “No you don’t get it, this balcony didn’t exist before, at least, not that we knew of, so you must have created it” Jasmine told her.

  Abby shook her head, “How could I create something? That doesn’t make any sense to me”

  Her mother sighed, “You are the true queen, and this proves it. Only a queen could create a new part of the castle, you must be more powerful than even I realized” she said.

  Jasmine suddenly turned her head, as though listening to the wind.

  “Aine, Elysia is in the Southern Gardens, she knows that Abby is here, and she is angry” she said, with her eyes wide in fright.

  Her mother answered her right away, “Maybe we should go inside, I’m not sure if she can see us from up here or not, but I would feel safer back in the castle” she said.

  Abby nodded and watched as her mother and Jasmine disappeared. She closed her eyes, and instead of wishing to go back into the castle, she wished she was down in the Southern Gardens; she wanted to meet Elysia, once and for all.

  Chapter 18

  When she opened her eyes, she was standing in the middle of the gardens facing the castle, and standing right in front of her was Elysia. She had her back turned toward her, looking up at the castle, no doubt looking for them. She was taller than she had expected, with her ears poking out through her jet black hair that was so long it nearly reached her feet.

  She was wearing a black dress, and her wings were unlike any she had seen so far. They were just as large as Jasmine’s wings, only instead of being a bright color, or even pastel like the others, they were a dark purple, so dark they were almost black.

  She turned suddenly, as though hearing her behind her, and the first thing that struck Abby was her eyes. They were bright yellow, contrasting so perfectly with the darkness of the rest of her, that they almost took her breath away. Elysia walked up to her and sniffed the air next to her.

  “You reek of human filth, so you must be Aine’s bastard child” she said.

  “You must be Elysia, I have heard such great things about you already, and I’ve only been here for an hour” she said sarcastically.

  Elysia’s eyes narrowed and she could tell she had made her even angrier than she was before. That was when she felt it, the grass was happy she was here, and wanted Elysia gone. She thought in her head, I wish I had all the power of the garden at my fingers. Then she felt the air stir around her and she felt like there were millions of tiny ants crawling up her legs, but when she looked down, there were none. She knew then that the grass was giving her extra power. She looked back to Elysia and walked forward until she was practically nose to nose with her, not knowing where the sudden burst of courage was coming from.

  “You are not welcome in this or any garden connected with this castle. Creatures are supposed to feel safe here, not terrified because of the likes of you. Leave now, while you still can” she said in a voice that was much deeper than her own.

  She felt the air stir again, and she knew that her mother and Jasmine were standing behind her, but it didn’t matter, she wanted Elysia gone and she intended to make it happen. She stepped back to her spot in the middle of the garden.

  “So, are you going to leave on your own, or am I going to have to make you?” she asked her.

  Elysia narrowed her eyes, “I would love to see you try to make me, you bastard human” she said.

  “You have some nerve speaking to me this way. I am the queen!” she yelled.

  “Not for long” Abby said quietly.

  Abby felt something in her hands, and she looked at them, gasping at the sparks flying out of her palms. She thought in her head that she wished she could just blast her, and a bolt of light came out of her palms and hit Elysia in the middle of her chest, sending her flying backwards against the wall of the castle. Abby watched as Elysia quickly stood back up.

  “You will regret this” she said as she flew up into the air and disappeared.

  Abby turned and looked back at her mother and Jasmine, and was surprised to see them standing there with their mouths hanging open. Her mother was the first to speak to her.

  “I have never seen anyone do that before” she said.

  Abby looked down at her hands, “I didn’t even know I had that kind of power” she said, mostly to herself.

  She heard Jasmine gasp and turned to look over at her and saw that she was looking behind her, with her hand over her mouth in shock. She turned around and nearly gasped herself as she saw a large unicorn walking toward her. It was larger than she expected, standing much taller than a horse in the human world would, with the top of its back being much taller than she was. She watched as it walked straight up to her, then stopped, lowering its beautiful head until it was eye level with her.

  She was afraid to move, scared that she would do something to make this majestic animal leave the garden. Suddenly she had this strange feeling run through her body, much like she had felt when she knew the grass was sad, but this feeling was one of complete love and trust, and it was coming from the unicorn.

  She then somehow knew, deep inside of her, that he wanted her to touch him, so she lifted her arm and slowly put her hand onto the side of his large head, rubbing her hands along his neck. The fur felt like velvet under her hand, and as she continued to rub him, he lowered his head even more until his large golden horn was close enough for her to reach out and touch it, and so she did.

  At first all she felt was the warmth, which surprised her for some reason. She had expected it to be hard and cold, due to the golden color, but it was actually warm and soft, feeling almost exactly like his fur had. Suddenly it grew very hot, so hot she almost let it go, out of fear it was burn her, but it didn’t.

  Instead, it was as though the heat was slowly spreading through her entire body, making her feel almost as warm as when her powers had first been unlocked. Then, just as suddenly as the heat had started, it was gone, leaving her feeling as though she had just stepped out of a hot tub with goose bumps running up and down her arm as the heat left her.

  She let go of his horn and lowered her other hand off of his neck and watched as he turned and walked back toward the entrance to his garden.

  Once he had left, she turned back to her mother and Jasmine.

  “That was incredible, has anything like that ever happened to you?” she asked them.

  They both shook their heads, “No, they let me pet them often, but never have I been allowed to touch one of their horns, and their king no less” her mother said.

  “I have never even been that close to one before, with me having wings and all” Jasmine told her. She was suddenly looking at her oddly as though she had grown two heads overnight. She shrugged her shoulders.

  “I don’t know for sure, but I think he was thanking me for getting Elysia to leave the garden. Everything became very hot when I was touching his horn” she told them.

  Jasmine sniffed the air around me and finally said, “He has given you more powers, and I think he may have given you the ability to fly” she said.

  Abby gasped, “Fly? I don’t think so” she said
seriously.

  Her mother nodded, “You may be right Jasmine. Abby I need you to see if you can fly, if not we can try other things later to see if he gave you anything extra” she said to her.

  Abby nodded and looked at the sky, noticing for the first time that it had become darker, the sky turning a beautiful shade of lavender, and thought to herself, fly. No sooner had she thought that one word, she felt as though she had millions of tiny little bugs buzzing around her, even though she couldn’t see any.

  She looked over to her mother and noticed that she was quite a bit taller than her suddenly and looked down at herself and saw that she was floating a few feet above the ground, her feet not actually touching anymore.

  Her heart started to pound and she became scared that she would just lift away and never be able to touch the ground again when she fell. When her body hit the ground, the wind was knocked out of her lungs and she lay there not wanting to move, scared that she had broken something.

  Her mother and Jasmine came rushing to her side where they helped her back into a standing position. She sighed, suddenly feeling very tired.

  “Is there a place to sleep? I am really sleepy all of a sudden” she told them.

  Her mother nodded, “Meet me in the queen’s bedroom” she said before her and Jasmine disappeared.

  She looked up at the sky one last time and wished she was in the queen’s bedroom.

  When the lights went away, she was in what she assumed was supposed to be a bedroom, but looked bigger than her father’s entire house. There was a large queen sized bed with a sheer white canopy covering every inch of it on one side of the room.

  On the other there was a setup that looked like a living room, with a large white couch and coffee table. She then noticed the walls; they were painted much like the first room they had been in, with all of the different creatures lining the walls. She turned in circles admiring all of the paintings when she noticed one that was larger than all of the rest, on a wall entirely by itself.