Stone and Crow (Veiled Kingdoms: The Lost Fae Book 1)

by Stella Snow

  She felt a little out of place, but Joy seemed to like her now that she had had a chance to question her about her near-death experience. She kept dragging Melodie into the conversation and handing her things.

  A few minutes after the timer had gone off for the rolls to be taken out of the oven, the doorbell rang, and Joy ran to the front door before Ethan had time to even twitch. She slung the door open and squealed in delight.

  A tall, broad-shouldered man with red hair and a bushy beard walked in, taking up the entire entryway with his bulk. He picked Joy up and wrapped her in a hug that she gleefully returned. He was followed by a girl around Melodie’s age with long red hair who looked tiny next to the man. After her, a woman with blonde hair entered carrying two wriggling toddlers.

  The parents looked over at Melodie and the wife leaned in to whisper something to her husband, and then the girl. The girl nodded, then walked directly over to Ethan and Melodie. The people Melodie assumed were her parents went to the dining room with the dishes they were carrying. The little ones were set free and ran squealing into the kitchen to cling to their sister’s leg.

  “Sierra, this is Melodie,” Ethan said, introducing the red-headed girl. “And the hooligans attached to her leg are Denver and Cole.”

  Sierra was a vision in her white shirt and denim shorts. Her hair curled just so at the ends and she had a slight, but curvy figure. Her eyes were strikingly blue. They might even be as bright as her own without the glamour. Her hair covered her ears so Melodie couldn’t tell if she was wearing a glamour or not.

  Melodie extended her hand and smiled. Sierra smiled back, though perhaps a touch coldly, and shook it. The twins ran off into the living room when they saw Joy.

  “Nice to meet you,” Sierra said to Melodie before turning back to Ethan. “Have you heard anything else about the gate? Is it happening again?”

  “They’ve been locked away all day, I haven’t heard anything other than what Ms. Nancy told me.” Ethan tossed the still steaming hot rolls into a basket, hissing as one of them burned his fingers.

  “Hopefully they tell us more at dinner. This is seriously crazy, I never thought it would happen again,” Sierra said, eyes going to Melodie’s ears before she caught herself and turned back to Ethan. “You’re actually living with a real elf from the Sidhe too. I still can’t believe one of them came over here. And now he’s trapped.”

  “I never thought we’d see something like the gate closing in our lifetime either,” Ethan said, shaking his head once in disbelief.

  “Is Gavriel going to be at dinner?” Sierra asked.

  “Yeah.” Ethan nodded. “Basically, everyone is going to be. Even Ms. Nancy is supposed to be coming out for it.”

  The toddlers began shrieking and Melodie turned to watch Joy chase them around the couch.

  “So, did you actually see them? The mercenaries?” Sierra asked. It took Melodie a moment to realize that Sierra had directed that question at her.

  “Uh, yeah,” she said, hesitantly. Red hair, yellow eyes, and a dangerous smile flashed through her mind. She reached up and grabbed her necklace.

  “Did they just look like Gavriel? Were they elves or were they one of the other races?” Sierra asked.

  “I don’t know, they just looked like people. One of them had red hair, I wasn’t really paying attention to how they looked at the time.”

  “Do you remember anything about the Sidhe? Or were you a baby when you were brought here?”

  “I was a baby I think,” Melodie said with a shrug.

  A look passed between Ethan and Sierra and an uncomfortable silence fell over the trio. Melodie could tell that Sierra had more questions from the way her eyes kept flicking over.

  The doorbell rang again, and Joy raced to the door, flinging it wide open. Another family trailed in followed by Dale, who looked even larger than she remembered. His eyes found Melodie immediately and he nodded to her with a smile. Melodie’s cheeks heated, but she smiled and nodded back.

  The lanky, black-haired boy standing next to him started walking toward Ethan and Sierra. Melodie let out a small sigh of relief when Dale turned and headed for the study. The embarrassment of having her guardian beg for a job for her was probably never going to wear off.

  “Hey, Tate, this is Melodie,” Ethan said, offering another introduction. He shook her hand and nodded his head in welcome. “Tate is Dale’s son.”

  Tate would likely grow to be as tall as his father, but currently he was a bean pole compared to the burly man. His floppy black hair brushed the tops of his eyes and he brushed it aside. He wore a shirt that proudly displayed two lacrosse sticks over a shield with the words Shield Academy above the emblem and lacrosse below it. His eyes went to Melodie’s ears, and he was less subtle about his staring than Sierra had been. He wasn’t wearing glamour either, but his ears were barely pointed, and his eyes were a completely normal brown.

  “Can’t believe they are actually having to call an emergency meeting,” Tate said in a surprisingly deep voice. “Wasn’t the last one over twenty years ago?”

  “Guess we were overdue for some drama,” Sierra added.

  “When was the last time?” Melodie asked. Three pairs of eyes focused on her, but it was Ethan who answered.

  “I guess it must have been when you showed up. Hardly anyone comes through the gate, much less someone running from something in the Sidhe.”

  The doorbell rang again, and another family walked in. Their eyes found Melodie immediately, the wife frowned and whispered something to her husband who directed their children in the opposite direction of Melodie.

  The next person that walked was a woman in her late twenties carrying a box of cupcakes she had bought from the local grocery store. Her eyes landed on Melodie and she walked over with a smile. The woman was tall and lean with black hair cut in a sharp bob and piercing gray eyes that made her look like she could be related to Gavriel. Her high cheekbones and delicate features made her painfully beautiful.

  “I don’t recognize you, so you must be Esther’s little refugee.” She held out her hand. “I’m Rachel.”

  Melodie shook her hand. “Melodie, the refugee, as you deduced. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “So, tell me, is Gavriel as hot as the rumors have suggested?” Rachel leaned in and spoke in a stage whisper.

  Melodie flushed and Sierra giggled behind her. “I’m not sure what the rumors are exactly but he’s not um—ugly,” she said as diplomatically as she could.

  “Mmm,” Rachel said. “I guess I’ll just have to see for myself.” She went around the circle and gave Ethan, Sierra, and Tate each a tight hug. “Alright, kiddos, I’m off to start some trouble.” Rachel winked before sashaying toward the couple that had avoided Melodie when they came in. She greeted them exuberantly and got not much more than a glare in return. It didn’t seem to faze her at all.

  As more visitors arrived Melodie started keeping a tally in her head of the ones that came over for an introduction, and the ones that acted as though she had the plague. Despite Ethan’s reassurances earlier in the day that no one would start a mutiny and get Melodie and Salathia kicked out, the Forgotten seemed split evenly between accepting her and shunning her. The Forgotten that came over to introduce themselves also seemed to be the only ones not wearing a glamour. The glamour being used as a statement explained Ethan’s discomfort when Melodie had asked about his lack of glamour today. No matter which side they were on, they stared, and they whispered. It was like she was on display.

  Ethan stared at Sierra with a look on his face that could only be described as adoration. Sierra was talking to Tate about some plan to go to the beach and oblivious to the look that was currently being directed at her.

  The first genuine smile of the evening formed on Melodie’s face. Ethan realized she was staring at him and blushed, looking anywhere but Sierra after that.

  “Do you guys mind helping me set all this out on the table?” Ethan gestured to the dishes on the count
er behind him.

  Everyone grabbed something and carried it into the dining room. There were two tables set end to end, with room for about ten people on each side. The table was already covered with casseroles and platters and baskets filled with rolls, but they managed to wedge the food in remaining space. There was barely room for the plates and drinks in the midst of it all.

  Esther walked into the dining room and nodded at Ethan. He let out a sharp whistle and everyone else made their way toward the dining room. The kids were sent off to the living room where card tables had been set up. The chairs filled quickly as everyone sat in their usual seats.

  Melodie was surprised to see that Salathia was wearing her old glamour. Melodie felt her heart drop into her stomach, maybe she shouldn’t be surprised. Salathia wanted Melodie to be human, she wanted to leave magic behind. Melodie hesitated at the edge of the room before walking over to Salathia and taking the empty chair to her left.

  “Have you had any issues since you stormed off?” Salathia asked quietly.

  “I’ve been fine,” she said, immediately regretting sitting next to her.

  The conversation in the room quieted and all heads turned to the head of the table. Melodie’s jaw dropped as she took in the striking figure that commanded the attention of the entire room. Gavriel looked straight at Melodie and Salathia, ignoring the stares and whispers as he walked toward them.

  His pants were pitch black except for the silver embroidery that ran down the side of his legs. He wore a deep blue jacket that fell to his knees. It had a high collar that buttoned at his neck, then opened mid-chest, allowing the jacket to billow around him like a cape as he walked. A silver chain that was pinned at each shoulder draped down and displayed a pendant embossed with two crossed swords in the center, a flower above, and three six-pointed stars below.

  His hair was pulled back in a series of tight braids and he wore silver and black metal cuffs on his ears that accentuated the point. He looked every inch the Elven nobility that he was. In comparison, the dining room looked shabby and everyone else underdressed.

  He pulled out the chair to Melodie’s left and sat down. She kept her eyes on Gavriel to avoid having to see how many people were staring at them. He nodded in greeting.

  “Nice outfit,” she said.

  Gavriel smirked. “Thank you. I hope everyone else appreciates it as well.”

  Salathia leaned around behind Melodie’s chair.

  “Was this really necessary, Gavriel?”

  “Absolutely,” he replied, not bothering to whisper like Salathia had.

  The dining room got quiet very quickly as soon as everyone was seated. John stood from his place next to the head of the table and held up his glass of water. Melodie copied the others as they did the same.

  “May Gaea bless us with sun and with rain, with plenty so that we may be generous, with selflessness so that we may be humble, with joy so that we may sing, with trials so that we may grow strong. From Gaea, unto Gaea,” he said, raising his glass in a salute. Everyone followed suit, then drank as he drank. He sat down and the chatter resumed. Dishes and plates were passed from one end of the table to the other amidst loud demands for another scoop and ringing laughter when a drink was tipped over. Eventually, Melodie’s plate was filled with a mishmash of the different dishes everyone had contributed. Her stomach rumbled at the smell.

  Most of the food was familiar, but there were a few dishes that seemed different. She poked at a strange reddish something that was a bit crunchy. She had no idea what it was.

  “It’s a cardif. It can grow here, so they still use it to cook some traditional elvish dishes,” Gavriel offered.

  “Is it good?” Melodie asked in a whisper, not wanting whoever had made the dish to see her skepticism. Gavriel shrugged.

  “I think so, but it’s about as normal to me as a potato is to you.”

  Melodie stared the strange food down, then stabbed a piece with her fork and took a decisive bite. There was a spicy, almost nutty aftertaste and the crunchiness was unusual, but actually tasty. She glanced over at Gavriel and realized he was watching her reaction with some amusement.

  “It’s not bad,” she said with a smile as she took another bite and tried to process it.

  “You make interesting facial expressions,” he said as he turned back to his own food.

  Melodie swallowed and glanced at the others, hoping no one else had seen her making weird faces when she tasted it.

  “Is this all of the Forgotten?” There were at least twenty people here, not counting the kids who had been sent off to eat by themselves in the living room.

  “No, not quite. Some of them have given up magic entirely, and while they stay in contact with Esther, they don’t take part in these sorts of things.”

  “I don’t know how anyone can pretend all of this doesn’t exist,” Melodie said picking at her food.

  “Neither do I, it’s a waste,” Gavriel said somewhat quietly, as though he didn’t want anyone else to hear him.

  She nodded in agreement and took another bite of the cardif. “Salathia said the Forgotten got trapped over here a long time ago. How many were there then?”

  “I’m not sure exactly. There are five that are considered the Founders, but they were not the only ones that were here when the Great Unsettling left the gate closed the first time.”

  “I see.”

  The person next to Gavriel asked him a question and Melodie glanced around the table as she took a long drink of water. Rachel caught her eye, pointed at Gavriel, then fanned herself dramatically. Melodie laughed and choked on her water, her face flushing.

  “Are you alright?” Gavriel patted her back firmly.

  “I’m fine,” she said as she wiped a dribble of water off her chin, mentally cursing Rachel for being hilarious.

  Esther stood from her seat at the head of the table. The conversation quieted and everyone’s attention turned to her.

  “As everyone knows, the gate to the Sidhe is closed. We are not sure how yet, but we will find out, and we will reopen it to allow Gavriel to return home.”

  There was a ripple through the crowd and Mark looked back at Melodie, a frown on his face. If he was irritated that Esther hadn’t included Melodie and Salathia in that statement, then that was something they could agree on.

  “Reopening the gate will require us to sift through records dating back to the last time the gate was closed. Please come see me after dinner if you will have time to help with that over the next couple of days.”

  Melodie clenched her fists under the table. She wanted to be a part of the research, and not just to help look for a way to open the gate. She wanted to know about the history of the Sidhe and the Forgotten. Most importantly, she wanted to know about the Stone.

  “Now, I know the topic on everyone’s mind is the attack that happened yesterday. Three mercenaries and two barghest came to this side of the Veil without using the gate and attacked someone under our protection. While we do not know how this was done, we do know how to tell if it happens again. In fact, we should know as it is happening. Ms. Nancy, do you mind explaining?”

  Ms. Nancy stood from her seat on Esther’s right and cleared her throat. She about Melodie’s height, with a stocky stature better suited to a man and a face with well-worn laugh lines.

  “The Veil is, at its core, a ward. Since it was created by the gods themselves, it is far more powerful than anything we could manage. Gaea, in her wisdom, was able to give the Founders the ability to monitor the Veil. There has never, in recorded history, been a time when the Veil has been breached.”

  She paused, as if for dramatic effect, her eyes scanning the gathering. “Yesterday, the reason that I didn’t notice that the gate had been closed immediately was because the magic woven into the Veil sounded an alarm. We know the mercenaries did not come through the gate. Somehow, they breached the Veil itself to pass over.”

  Murmurs erupted around the table. The man across from Melodie wrappe
d his arm around his wife’s shoulders and pulled her in close. Even Rachel seemed shaken.

  Ms. Nancy sat down while Esther waited for everyone to calm down.

  “Ms. Nancy was able to determine the general area of the breach. She will continue to monitor this, and if there is another breach, we will send a group to defend our world from these intruders. We will try to capture at least one of them alive to determine how they are doing this.”

  “Perhaps we should attempt to offer them a deal before we risk the lives of any Forgotten,” Mark said, his jaw clenched tight. “It may be that we have something they want, and we could end this tomorrow by giving it back. No one has said it, but I think we all know that Pareth is the one that has sent the mercenaries.”

  A few people nodded in agreement, but the table remained silent for a beat. Melodie’s heart fell into her stomach.

  “You want to cut off their heads and hand them over on a silver platter too, Mark? Or would that make it seem too much like you were killing them?” Rachel asked, her voice carrying over all the quiet conversations.

  Mark looked back at her; his lips curled in a sneer. “I’m only suggesting that we don’t risk anyone in our community to protect outsiders that shouldn’t even be here.”

  “Enough,” Esther said, slamming her hand down on the table. “We will never, ever turn our backs on someone that we have promised to protect. We will never run from a threat to this world like cowards. The group that will investigate the breaches in the Veil will be volunteer only. No one who is unwilling will be expected to risk anything.”

  “I’ll be glad to volunteer,” Rachel said.

  “As will I,” Gavriel said, nodding in her direction.

  “You know I gotta be there too,” Dale said, straightening his already broad shoulders.

  Another six people volunteered, including Salathia and Sierra’s parents.

  “If anyone is willing to help with meals, babysitting, or research but would rather not be part of the patrols, please see me after this. You do not have to explain anything to me, I will accept whatever help you are willing to give.”