by C. J. Abedi
And then her body fell over into a dark, irreversible slumber. Had she kept her eyes open only for another second, she would have seen a glimpse of the pure happiness that came over Alderon’s waning face.
A sight that no Fae, Light or Dark, had ever beheld.
C
I had experienced so many visions in the past few months. Flashing by, at different times in the day and night.
But especially at night.
But now, as I sat before the campfire, none of those images were as remarkable as the one before me. Watching the flames dance across the contours of his face reminded me of the first day I met him. It was like I had come full circle.
And nothing made me happier. Even if at the end we had nothing more than friendship.
I took a deep breath, making room in my belly from the meal I had devoured. Dinner had been surprisingly tasty and now, after we had cleaned up, everyone seemed to relax against the warmth of the fire. I glanced around at the students, some quietly watching the wood burning in the flames while others toasted marshmallows with long wooden sticks, laughing about something that had happened during the day. And then my eyes landed on Tatiana.
She ended up skipping dinner, finally coming out from the seclusion of her tent, and was now sitting with us around the fire and doing all she could to snuggle up next to Teddy. I wasn’t sure what would come out of it, but it was surprisingly cute to watch. It made me long for the same kind of companionship, even if theirs was a “no strings attached” kind of situation.
As I listened to the happy chatter around me, I took another look in Devilyn’s direction, watching him participate in another rare moment of normalcy. They were so few and far between that to see him act like a teenager was always a shock to the system. The conversation was about Halloween, which was next week, and everybody was excited to share what they’d be dressing up as.
“What about you?” Teddy asked, breaking my train of thought.
“Me what?”
Teddy rolled his eyes. “Do you ever pay attention?”
“I do!”
“Then why is it I’m always having to redirect you back to the conversation at hand?” He gave me a teasing look.
I shrugged my shoulders.
“She must have an active imagination,” Rowan chimed in with some amusement.
He and Devilyn were sitting side by side on the other side of the fire, directly across from me.
“I guess,” I said a bit uncomfortably as all eyes focused on me.
“So?” Teddy prompted.
Teddy was always relentless.
“So, what?”
“What are you dressing up as?”
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe a fairy or something,” I said with a smirk as I looked directly at Devilyn.
He had been busy staring at me across the fire since we sat down.
“A fairy?” Teddy was clearly appalled. “You?”
Tatiana gave him a friendly tap on the shoulder as she chastised him. “I think Caroline would make a beautiful fairy queen. What a great idea for a costume.”
I could tell Teddy wasn’t convinced, but I couldn’t blame him. Just a week ago that answer would have shocked me as well.
Thankfully, Mr. Copeland interrupted.
“I love fairies! I especially loved the ones in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Such a wonderful play. Puck was always my favorite character.”
I didn’t miss the meaningful look that Tatiana and Devilyn gave each other.
“He was a troublemaker,” Devilyn reminded Mr. Copeland.
“But a delicious character to behold,” Mr. Copeland insisted. “And speaking of devilishly fun stories, let’s finish up the evening with a playful little game that involves some scary campfire stories. Everyone in?”
We all nodded our heads in laughter as Mr. Copeland showed us a baseball hat filled with folded slips of paper.
“I put everyone’s name in the cap so no one has to volunteer to go first, because I know how you kids like doing that. It will be completely random, and we’ll do only one or two a night. I’ll just go ahead and draw the first lucky name out.”
My heart thudded in dread. The last thing I wanted to do was be the first one up. I sent a silent prayer, begging whoever was listening up above to save me just this once.
Just this once.
“And looks like Rowan’s up!” Mr. Copeland announced as he unfolded the paper and turned to smile at him.
Poor Rowan, I thought as I watched him grimace.
“We’re ready whenever you are, Rowan. If you need a few minutes, let me know.”
“I think I can manage, but I’d like to do something a bit different. I was thinking of telling a dark fairy tale.”
Mr. Copeland leaned in eagerly. “That’s very creative! I like that. If that’s what you want, I’m all for it. No judgment here.”
Rowan took a minute before he began. Everyone was silent and the only noise that could be heard was the distant chatter of other students coupled with wood burning and crackling in the fire.
“All right, so here goes,” Rowan began as everyone listened in. “Once upon a time in a land far, far away, there was a Dark King, and his name was Alderon.”
My heart stopped.
Did he just say what I think he said?
I immediately looked over at Devilyn, who didn’t seem too fazed. He had his head down in perfect indifference, but I knew there was no way he was happy about this. And to be honest, I didn’t blame him.
Rowan looked around the campfire and continued.
“Alderon was the king of a dark fairy court that lived within the human world. Hidden from the mortal eye. He was evil embodied.” Rowan’s voice was slow and controlled. “And what he hated above all things was the Light Court, the fairy beings that were innocent and pure.”
Rowan looked directly at me.
“All this changed one day when he was in the meadow of a forest and his eyes found the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.”
The fire continued to crackle and my gaze shifted from Rowan to Devilyn. Sensing the move, Devilyn captured my attention, his gaze intense but unreadable.
“And she was everything Alderon had sworn to despise for eternity. A light fairy, elegant and pure. But he couldn’t hide from the truth; he was in love. Plain and simple. That day in the meadow, guarded from judgment, he met his soul mate, a sick, twisted joke from the Gods. Instantaneous desire. Defying all reason. All for the love of a light fairy named Tara.
“Tara too felt the power between them. She described it as electric, roaring through the depths of her soul. A feeling unlike any other she had ever seen. For this love she defied her people and married Alderon, believing that her love would conquer his darkness. That her love would change him.
“But when evil is the very fiber of someone’s soul, it cannot be altered. It never goes away. It’s always there, hidden back in the dark recesses, waiting for the opportunity to be unleashed. Not even the birth of a son, the heir to the Dark throne, a living, breathing testament of two different laws of the universe, could bend him.
“So Tara made the choice to leave Alderon. Taking her son and a stepdaughter she had embraced as her own, she fled.”
Devilyn and I continued to stare at one another. His eyes turned a deeper shade of black. I knew he was fighting his emotions. An inner battle was erupting, one that was very difficult for him to control.
“Alderon was on a warpath. Furious. Her betrayal ignited an anger in him that was uncontrollable. He no longer saw that beauty in the meadow. He didn’t think of love; he was fueled instead by destruction. Unleashing his violence on anything that reminded him of Tara, on every light fairy he could get his hands on. Torturing them, using his powers to withdraw their light from their souls, banishing them into his own private prison filled with beasts from every realm. His brutality was staggering.”
The flames began to sway rhythmically to the tale.
“And every day, a
t the same exact time he had first set eyes on Tara, he went deep into the forest. It was said that he hoped to find her at that spot, waiting for him, but she was never there. And each day when he found nothing, he would exact his revenge upon another light fairy. And because his fury and power were so great, his rage echoed for eternity.
“And if you walk into any forest to this day and listen closely to the wind, you can still hear the screams of every light fairy he killed in revenge,” Rowan finished dramatically.
We were all silent.
Mr. Copeland was the first to speak. “Bravo, Rowan! What a tragic but beautiful story. I will definitely listen for the sounds of the fairies when we go into the forest tomorrow. Let’s give Rowan a round of applause for being the first up and for telling such a great story!” Mr. Copeland clapped enthusiastically and everyone slowly joined in.
Everyone but Devilyn and Tatiana.
“That was great, Rowan,” Teddy admitted. “Not your typical campfire story, but still good. I’m definitely impressed.”
“Thanks, Teddy,” Rowan said, smiling. “Means a lot, coming from you.”
Mr. Copeland stood up and stretched. “Well then, I think it’s time for everyone to retire. You all need to get a good night’s rest since we’re going river rafting tomorrow. Don’t forget to throw out any leftover trash you might have lingering around. Remember, there are bears out here! And you don’t want any of them crawling into your tent tonight! Mrs. Henner will be around if you have any questions.”
Devilyn immediately walked away and disappeared down the path toward the restrooms. The story affected him more than he was letting on. It certainly moved me, so I couldn’t imagine what was going through his mind.
“What did you think of my story?” Rowan asked.
I looked up at him, trying to choose my words carefully.
“Well, I think it’s definitely sad. To be honest, I’m not sure if it’s one you should have shared with everyone, even if they think it’s made up. I also don’t know if it was fair to Tatiana and Devilyn. They probably didn’t want to relive the horrors of their father’s past tonight.”
“But it’s the truth,” Rowan insisted. “And Devilyn needed a reminder of his bloodline.”
I looked sharply at him.
“Did he really, Rowan?” I asked. “You don’t think he knows already? He lives it. He wakes up every day to that truth. Every single day. You don’t think it tortures him enough as it is?”
Rowan walked me back in silence to my tent. I could tell he felt guilty, but I couldn’t let it go.
“It just seemed cold,” I continued.
“Look, I understand your allegiances, Caroline. But my perspective is different than yours. I have lived with the bloodshed. What his father has done to my people, your people—that’s cold,” Rowan replied in frustration. “And to be honest, what he’s doing now is cold, Caroline. Your life is in danger because of him.”
“Not him. His father.”
“Caroline, they are one in the same. Don’t you forget that. Ever. I’m not going to be upset over hurting Devilyn’s feelings. And neither should you,” he urged. “Remember that he’s the one that pushed you away. You have to stop caring about what he feels.”
We had reached my tent and stopped at the entrance. I turned to face him.
“I won’t ever stop,” I said bluntly. “I can’t. It’s impossible for me. And you need to understand that.”
His eyes widened over the truth of my words and what they meant for him. If he harbored any feelings for me, I was pretty sure I crushed them at that moment. But at the end of the day, no matter how many compliments or beautiful smiles he gave me, his proximity, his warmth, none of it ever made me feel the way Devilyn did.
“I want you to be my friend,” I told Rowan truthfully. The last thing I ever wanted to do was lead him on or hurt him.
“I am your friend,” Rowan whispered back. “Nothing will ever change that.”
“Thank you,” I replied softly. “It means the world to me. And I don’t ever want to lose that.”
Rowan closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them he had a smile for me. He reached out and caressed my hair then leaned over and gave me a soft kiss on my cheek.
“Sweet dreams.”
D
It seemed that no matter how much I tried, the truth, my reality, was always staring me in the face.
Yet again, there I stood hidden in the shadows like a creepy spectator, watching Rowan and Caroline share an intimate moment. The darkness concealed the light that glowed from my eyes, the pain I felt from seeing him take such a liberty. When all I wanted to do was tell the world that she was mine. And mine alone.
But how could I?
He was right. I was my father’s son. His blood ran through my veins, owning me from within. And now she stared her fate straight in the face. If she were smart she would run, just like my mother did years ago. She would hide forever because around me she would never be safe. I could never make her whole; she would always know that something in her life was missing, and no amount of passion could ever replace that doubt.
I hated him for revealing my father’s story. My story. Hearing it again, even though Odin had told me the same one a thousand times, shattered me. Perhaps the pain was worse because Caroline was now listening. Now she knew every abominable deed my father had done. Was there any punishment that could be worse?
This was my legacy.
I could never hide from it.
Because every time I looked in the mirror, it would stare right back at me.
Sleep would definitely evade me tonight. I would be up wondering what kind of monster Caroline thought I was because of my father.
And then I found myself doing something I never did. I prayed for mercy from the Fates, for just one reprieve from the never-ending darkness that faced me.
• • •
The sunlight made its way into my tent, flooding it completely. I was relieved that it was finally morning and I didn’t have to keep pretending that I was sleeping, when that was the only thing I didn’t do last night. I replayed every minute of Rowan’s story and obsessed over their moment at the tent over and over again in my head. I wondered all night what that kiss meant. It would plague me until I found out.
Perhaps Caroline was slowly seeing how much better Rowan was for her than I was. I tried to convince myself that it was the right thing for her.
But I didn’t have a choice in the matter. Just like I didn’t have the choice but to go river rafting this morning on less than ten minutes’ sleep.
We made our way down by the banks of the Nantahala River and got in line to be outfitted with helmets and life jackets. Considering that all of us had ski jackets on to ward off the cold temperatures, putting on a life jacket wasn’t the most comfortable of experiences. In fact, the idea of river rafting in this weather seemed ridiculous.
Thankfully, the route down the river that we were scheduled to take was called a Class II, which meant it was not a dangerous one and was more suited for kids and families. The guides did warn everyone that at one point in the river we would have to go through a Class III section. They said it would be brief and would conclude as soon as we passed Nantahala Falls.
Each boat would carry either five or six students plus two guides. Rowan, Caroline, Teddy, Tatiana, and I would take one boat together, and the rest of our group, including Mr. Copeland, would be in the other raft. All the other groups had taken off down the river and we were last up.
“Why do we have to go rafting in October?” Tatiana asked as she crossed her arms to ward off the cold. “It’s freezing!”
“How are you even able to get through the day?” Rowan asked with a smirk.
My sister glared at him.
“All right now, kids. Let’s get in the raft,” the river guide called out to us.
I stepped forward and surprised Caroline by taking her arm.
“Let me help you in,” I said.
&
nbsp; “Thanks,” she mumbled as she leaned into my touch.
I reveled in the feeling of her body pressed against mine.
She stepped into the raft as it swayed from the weight. I ignored the guide’s outstretched hand and helped her get to the seat on the right side. I took the seat in front of her, knowing that Rowan would take the one behind her, and turned to look at her.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Fine,” she smiled enthusiastically. “I’m kind of excited.”
Her smile was infectious.
“Yeah, it should be fun.”
“Or at least an adventure,” she said.
Once everyone got into the raft, the two guides handed out the oars and gave us brief instructions on how they would steer the boat using the front and back sides.
“Are you ready, team?!” Robert, the Native American instructor with a pleasant smile, called out as he took the front seat next to me. He turned to look at our group.
“Ready!” everyone shouted on cue.
“Here we go!” he said enthusiastically.
They guided us out quickly and we were racing down the stream in no time. Nantahala Forest was beautiful. Large, thick trees lined the river way. The colors of fall peppered throughout the leaves as they stood majestically against the sky. From this vantage point the sight was incredible.
“Steer to the right!”
We easily steered toward the small rapids, and I had to admit that it was exhilarating, even though I had been in far more dangerous waters in my life. The feeling of excitement everyone had was infectious. I turned around in my seat to look at Caroline, who I was happy to see had a giant smile on her face.
“This is awesome!” She beamed at me.
“It’s great!” I agreed with a laugh. “Hold on tight!” We went over more Class II rapids and everyone was having fun. The water was cold, and we were definitely wet, but it felt surprisingly refreshing. In this brief moment I was allowed to let go of all the stress I carried in my life and just be Devilyn Reilly the high school student.
Envy wasn’t an emotion I had ever known, but today I was envious of the word normal. I shook the thoughts out of my head, not wanting anything to ruin this.
