by Devyn Dawson
“Respectful? Me?” I point to myself, attempting to be funny. The three of them turn to me with the look on their face. “Okay, maybe you have a point.”
The chaperone is running across the field to the back door. His blonde hair is plastered to his head from the rain. Thorne opens the door just as he approaches the back porch.
“Hey man, come on in,” Thorne’s voice is cool as he sizes up our chaperone. “I’m Thorne,” he holds his hand out to shake hands.
“Hi, I’m Jack. Some weather you have out there.” Jack’s accent is really twangy, totally unexpected. I don’t know how I expected him to sound, but I sure didn’t expect him to sound like he does.
Jessie and I steal a glance and hide the fact we’re about to die laughing.
“Hi Jack, I’m Jessie, and this is Amber.”
Jack glances at both of us as though we’re zoo animals who’ve escaped. He’s obviously amused with our outfits. At least we’re colorful and not dressed for a funeral like him.
Caleb finishes off the introductions and offers Jack something to drink. He doesn’t even live here and he’s offering up things to drink.
“No, thank you. Do you or the queen need to change for the travels?”
If Jessie could crawl under a rock, she would. Her cheeks are flushed from embarrassment.
“Well, you see, we didn’t have time to prepare for travels. Has something happened? We weren’t supposed to go for another day.” Jessie’s more confident after telling him we wouldn’t normally wear these clothes. We also wouldn’t have Thorne shopping at a discount store on a free-for-all buying whatever he thinks we’d wear.
“No, my mother thought it would be safer for you to travel without everyone in the Woodlands knowing you’re coming. Of course, me traveling with four empty horses probably tipped off a fae or two. Actually, I did have a companion and he’ll be joining us on the ride back. With that in mind, we should leave.”
“You’re the Prince?” Thorne eyes him suspiciously. “The Queen would send her son to do a commoner’s job?”
“Yes, my mother sent me to escort you back. I like the human world, so I volunteer any time there’s an errand on this side of the Shimmer.”
What kind of errands would they possibly have in the human world? Jack’s accent is fake, I know it. I’ve lived in the country all my life and I don’t even have that much twang.
Jack gave Thorne and Caleb jackets like his to wear and Jessie and I long black capes. He suggests we wear our hoods to blend in with the woods. When we were here last time, there were tons of faeries with wild colored hair and crazy hairdos. Jessie probably sticks out since she’s an American beauty. Her flowing blonde hair and bright green eyes are a dead giveaway.
The horses are bigger in person than they looked from the trailer. Jack explains they are a part of the Queen’s military horses. On closer inspection their irises are rimmed in glowing red. Each one lowers down as we mount them. Jack walks up to each horse and they lower down to accept the sugar cube he holds out for them. Finally, he gives a little square to his own horse before he takes a flying leap, landing directly on his horses back. Damn faerie has skills.
“I want you to ride behind me as we go into the Shimmer, lower down on your horse and hold on tight. Once we get into a clearing, Caleb will ride next to me, the Queen and Miss Amber will ride next to each other. Thorne will ride directly behind the girls. We’re not sightseeing, so keep your eyes straight ahead. Don’t make eye contact with anyone or anything. Attached to each saddle is a sword, a pouch of coins, a pouch of diamonds, and a pouch of cubic zirconia jewels in many colors. The CZ is a very coveted item. They are great for paying off fae for information.” Jack and his horse are turned to face us.
We all look down at our saddle and then at everyone else’s saddle. “Excuse me, but I don’t see a pouch of anything,” I say.
“Oh right, you wouldn’t. There’s a compartment on the saddle by the horn. That’s the piece in front of you that you can hold to keep from falling off. Under the horn is a sensor for you to scan your fingerprint, which is the only thing that will open the hiding place.”
Without waiting for him to say anything else, I find the spot and scan my finger. Directly behind my butt, a drawer opens up. Just as promised the pouches are there. I open each velvet pouch and peer inside.
“Go ahead and take the one with coins and tie it to the loop on the front of your saddle. It’s easier to have it ready to pay for things along our ride. It will take a large coin to cross over the bridge. The bridge-keeper demands a toll and a joke. I will tell the joke, so don’t talk if possible. I’ll do all the talking. I want to get to the castle before it gets too dark. You don’t want to be in the woods after nightfall. Oh, before I forget, your horn has a number on it, the number is your name. We don’t call our soldiers by their name, we use numbers instead. No matter what you do, don’t tell anyone your middle name. Remember, I will do the talking,” Jack demands.
Why can’t anyone know my middle name, I wonder to myself. This sounds like a complicated day filled with more rules than school.
“We can’t tell our middle name because they will know our true name. It gives them power over us. The way my mom has shouted it out at me growing up, everyone in the Bronx has power over me,” Jessie whispers.
“No shit, same goes for me.” I look down to see what my number is. “I’m seventy-two.”
“I’m sixteen,” Jessie says.
Caleb is forty-four and Thorne is sixty. Apparently Jack is still Jack. It reminds me of a rerun of some show with a character who’s name is Jack. He would dramatically throw his arms out and say he was Just Jack. Somehow, I don’t figure Jack would be amused. I wonder if they watch television. Do they have faerie shows or possibly cable?
The rain has subsided so we get in line and follow Jack to the Shimmer. My heart is racing with fear as we head into the woods. We have our hoods up and clipped so they don’t fall backwards. I’m behind Jessie so I can see how her cape is flowing in the wind behind her. If I weren’t so worried, I’d think it looks pretty cool. The only sound I hear is the cracking of twigs beneath my horse’s hooves and the beating of my heart.
Jack speeds up and is now running his horse at full speed. Our horses follow him and I hold on for dear life. I lower my body down along the length of my horse’s neck, it eases the pulling of the cape along my throat. For a moment, it felt like I was going to be decapitated.
Suddenly, everyone in front of me has disappeared and for a split second I thought something was wrong. My horse lets out a grunt and we warp through the Shimmer into the Woodlands. Just on the other side the rain is gone and instead, we’re in the woods. The trees aren’t thick so the sun is breaking through the trees. A hint of lavender is in the air along with the smell of a garden in the spring. Colors are exaggerated as though it were all colored in with crayons. I wonder why I didn’t notice when we came through when Jessie got married.
Jack has slowed down and now we’re at a comfortable speed. I’ll be damned if I smell like a horse when we get there.
“Jeez, this horse was not made for someone under five foot three. Look at me, I’m practically doing the splits,” I complain.
Jessie can’t help herself, she starts laughing.
“Oh shut-up!” I say to her. We giggle at the absurdity of our clothes.
Jack turns around and shoots us the stink-eye. “Shhhh, we’re trying to get through the woods without drawing attention to us.”
I knew his accent was fake. He doesn’t have one single hint of a southern drawl. I guess he thinks that we sound like that and he’s trying to blend in.
Everyone is quiet with the exception of the horse’s hooves. Silence always makes me get lost in my head. I hope the school doesn’t call my parents and tell them we ditched. I don’t know how in the hell they’re going to explain me not going home tonight. They’ll think I ran away, especially when they can’t reach Jessie either. Knowing my dad, he’ll th
ink I ran off with Thorne.
At the thought of him, I turn around to see what he’s doing. He looks at me and for a second, we’re both lost in our own world that consists only of the two of us.
As if Jack has eyes on the back of his head, he turns and looks at me.
“What?” I ask.
“You need to stay looking straight ahead.”
I roll my eyes. What the hell? I can’t talk. I can’t flirt. I can’t laugh. I can sit in the splits on this giant beast and think. Does he have any idea what happens when I think?
“Can I listen to my IPod?” I whisper loud enough for Dictator Jack to hear.
“No.”
I turn to look at Jessie and I hear D.J. clear his throat.
I stick my tongue out at him. I’ve never stuck my tongue out at a prince before, but I have a feeling it won’t be the last time. This is craptastic. I’m really going to piss him off when my body decides to have a potty break.
We finally come to a clearing without any trees and a big open field. The grass is perfectly green and cut close to the ground. Encircling the field are tall sunflowers. I’ve never seen so many sunflowers in one place. They must be taller than I thought because they tower above my head as I sit on my giant horse. There are tons of butterflies flitting around the flowers, from one to another.
It occurs to me that there aren’t any bees or bugs of any sort other than butterflies. Come to think of it, there’s not a single bird or any sounds at all. If there’s anything living in the woods or this field, they’re hiding.
Up ahead, I see a big wooden bridge that’s arched high above the water.
Dictator Jack turns around and reminds us to keep our mouths shut while he obtains permission to cross the bridge.
A miniature man with short legs and arms is standing in middle of the entrance with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. This guy wants a joke? Seriously?
Jack jumps off his horse and goes to the bridge-keeper. Without any other noises, we’re able to hear everything they say.
“Play a fiddle, swirl around in a diddle, if you didn’t wake today to croak, you must pay the toll with your money and a joke.” The man says gruffly.
“We’re on our way to the Seelie Court, we ran an errand for the Queen.” Jack looks like a giant compared to the other guy.
“Are you prepared to pay the toll or would you like to meet my troll?”
“I am prepared.”
“Twirl around and tap your toe, wiggle your hinny to and fro, stop and face your right, say it loud with all your might.”
Jack twirls and taps his toe as he shakes his butt back and forth. Good thing the guy didn’t ask him to do it well, because he did it like a robot.
“What do you call a bear with no teeth,” Jack says straight-faced. “A gummy bear.”
Ha! Prince Jack has a funny bone. I’m not sure if the little troll threatening faerie liked it though, he’s still standing with his I just ate a lemon face.
“TOLL!” He shouts. I guess that means we are free to go.
Jack drops his coin in the bucket and Caleb went next.
Where does he keep that damn troll? If it’s hiding under the bridge, I’m going to pee my pants. Oh yeah, potty break. Maybe there’s a port-a-john around here somewhere.
Oh goodness, I’m doing everything in my power not to look him in the eye. I catch a glimpse of him and he bugs his eyes out and smiles at me with his teeth showing. His very sharp, pointy teeth. Scary pointy teeth. I turn away, not before seeing him one last time. I’m having nightmares tonight! Thankfully, the sound of the rushing water in the river below and the hooves on the wooden bridge are almost hypnotizing as we cross. It’s at least another half hour before we enter into the woods again. The trees are taller, towering above us and blocking out the light. Without warning we come to a stop about a hundred feet into the forest. The ground is rumbling and the trees vibrate slightly. I can’t see anything except this little bead of light that’s racing along the edge of our saddles.
A lantern is suddenly lit and handed to Jack. Hold up, who’s handing out lanterns?
Us three tamers all hold our palm out and balance a small ball of light in front of us. Mrs. Ward brought in some of the most advanced tamers to teach us a few tricks. One of the new little talents we have is to harness our light and hold it in the palm of our hand. Personally, I think it’s the coolest thing we’ve learned. Another tamer showed us how to hover the light directly in front of us, it can’t be any farther than a few inches away. I use it for my potty breaks in the middle of the night. Oh yeah, potty breaks. I’m not copping a squat in the woods with giants running around.
“I told you we’d be joined on our ride. This is Zohr, he’s the giant that watches this part of the woods,” Jack says and holds his lantern up.
My eyes follow the lantern and sure enough, there’s a damn giant. He’s really not that tall. He’s tall for a human, but he looks to be between ten to twelve feet tall. He’s skinnier than what I’d expect from a giant. I figured giants would be huge and thick with grotesque looking hands and a huge nose.
“Zohr will guide us through the woods and if necessary, he’ll help us make it to the Seelie Court. I want Caleb to ride next to Jessie, and Amber, you need to ride next to Thorne. Absolutely no talking.” He glances in my direction.
“NO TALKING,” Zohr’s voice booms in the silence of the woods. He holds his lantern up with his hairy, sausage fat, hands. His fingernails are long and in the darkness they look dirty. Not that I’d expect a giant to have a mani-pedi before escorting royalty to their dinner date. In the light I see his features are all enormous, especially his bottom lip. I can’t help myself, my eyes are drawn to his mouth and his brown square teeth. I take a mental note to bring extra toothbrushes and toothpaste to pass out, when I come back.
“Okay, I won’t talk, but this better not be the trend at your house, because it’s kinda rude making us sit in silence,” I blabber.
“Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,” everyone says in unison.
I hold my light up to my face so they can all see me roll my eyes.
“You don’t have to worry about the Dark Ones, they wouldn’t survive in this forest. You’ll draw too much attention to yourselves if you keep your lights on. So you blend in better, just light your lantern,” Jack says and turns to Zohr. “Zohr, we’re ready. We should zig zag so it won’t be a straight line, in case someone is following or planning on attacking. Thank you,” Jack holds his hand out and drops something sparkly into Zohr’s hand.
I guess giants like cubic zirconia. What’s the point to carry diamonds if they like the cheaper version? I wonder if it’s because the CZ is human made and diamonds are natural.
My butt is officially numb. I’ve memorized the back of Caleb and Jessie’s head and everything about how horses swish their tail. My horse’s ears have been straight up and alert for our entire ride. Periodically, they rotate like a radar absorbing our surroundings. Jack’s horse will snort and like a domino effect, each horse snorts, one after the other. Horse roll call is what I think they’re doing.
Zohr the giant, is jogging ahead of Jack, he falls back and says something to Jack every five minutes or so. I wonder where he finds jeans and t-shirts big enough to fit him. Obviously, they don’t make shoes his size, either that, or his ragged toenails rub holes through the toes.
I wish there was a breeze, this damn cape is hot as hell.
The next second, a breeze rustled through the trees. The sound of leaves as they fall from the trees makes a tinking noise. I should have wished that we got there quicker, maybe that would have morphed us there.
Jack and Zohr come to a complete stop. “Who is the element-worker?”
What the hell is he talking about?
“Is it you, Queen Jessie?” Jack’s tone is harsh and unlike one he’s used since we started our ride.
Jessie looks up and says no.
“Again, who was it that called upon the wind? You can’t
use such magic in the Woodlands. Storm-walkers are fae who travel on gusts of wind and cause mayhem among the forest fae. If that isn’t bad enough, there’s fae who will want to steal your magic. They make your Dark Ones, look like angels. Do NOT use your magic. Understood?” Jack annunciates every words and spittle spews from his mouth.
Who has magic? It was probably that giant or one of the horses. Maybe we’re being followed by a band of witches. No, these are faeries, they don’t have witches do they? Oh hell, I’m a freakin’ faerie.
Jessie and Caleb are lucky, at least they can talk in their heads. Thorne would crap if he knew what I’m thinking when he’s around. Or what I’m thinking about when I’m driving, or the moment right before I fall asleep. Or what I’m thinking while riding a giant black horse. On the other hand, I don’t think mind talking would be good for either of us.
Zohr comes to a stop and yells out, “PREPARE FOR WAR!”
Jack leaps from his horse with his sword held out. “Arm yourselves,” he instructs.
“Jessie, Amber, stay on your horses. They’re fae too and will protect you. If for any reason, we get separated, stay on your horse and hold tight. He’ll take you to the Queen and you’ll be safe,” Thorne yells.
A dilapidated wagon with a flat tire approaches. The horses pulling it are miniature ponies compared to ours. On the back of the trailer and from the wagon a troop of fae emerge. None of them are taller than four feet tall. They look a lot like the bridge guy we saw earlier today.
They’re talking to each other in a harsh sounding foreign language and flailing their swords back and forth.
We haven’t been taking fencing lessons and martial arts for nothing. Jessie has mad skills with weapons.
Both of us jump down from our horses and stand behind the guys. Thorne shoots me his mean eyes and points to the horse. I return the favor with an added finger to enhance my no.
Zohr is standing with his arms out in front of him and drool oozing from his mouth.
I have to give it to the gang of mini-fae, they have balls for standing up to us. They out number us five to one. All at once they’re attacking us and we’re fighting back as best we can. Jessie and I are somehow protected under the weight of our capes. An invisible barrier rejects every stab of a sword or stick. One of them is flailing his arms and screaming like a banshee as he tries to whack Jessie with his stick. It bounced off and sent him flying backwards, falling on his ass. Curious to verify the protection, I take my sword and swing it at Jessie. Thorne, who must have gone to Cirque du Soleil school, came flipping in the air and skids to a halt between us.
