by Anthea Sharp
“And you’re a prime healer,” Jennet said. “I know you got us through that fight, against the odds.”
He nodded, his bearded face thoughtful. “I wonder what kind of battle the others faced.”
“Whatever it was, I’m sure they dealt with it just fine. Tam’s a great player.”
Spark was too, probably. No doubt they made a good team. Jennet shook her shoulders, trying to make the jealousy fall off.
“I see the city,” Roy called from up ahead, where the trees thinned.
Jennet increased her strides, though her leg pinged with discomfort at every step. The forest ended, and the party paused at the edge of a steep hill. Below them, the road zigzagged to the city of Stronghold.
Immense stone walls surrounded the city, and she could see guards patrolling the ramparts. Brightly colored pennants flew from tall towers at the four corners of the city. From their vantage point, Jennet glimpsed whitewashed buildings with red slate roofs, a few green open spaces bounded by trees, and at one end of the city, a small lake, shining in the sun.
At the very center stood a castle built of gleaming white stone.
“Bet we end up talking to the king,” Zeg said.
Roy made a strangled sound, and Jennet glanced at him. The last time Roy had dealt with a king in Feyland, he’d gotten in severe trouble. Unwilling sympathy moved through her.
“Relax,” she said, looking into his pale face. “It’s just a game, remember.”
He swallowed and gave a jerky nod. “Right.”
Zeg raised his bushy brows, and Coranne glanced between Jennet and Roy, but neither of them could possibly guess the truth—that Roy had stumbled into the Court of the Bright King, and found himself enticed and bound by fey magic.
“Who knows,” Zeg said, “maybe it’s a queen instead.”
Now Jennet was the one pushing back fear, as memories of her own battles with the Dark Queen washed over her. Her hands tightened on the smooth wood of her mage staff, but she forced herself to breathe normally.
They were safe. This Feyland wasn’t connected to the Realm of Faerie. That castle down there didn’t hold dangerous, slippery magic that would ensorcel them all. It was just a game. Just a game.
“Come on,” Coranne said, starting down the hill. “We’re wasting time.”
Jennet made herself follow Zeg toward the huge oaken gate set in the city walls. King or queen or something else in the castle, at least Tam was in there somewhere, waiting for her.
Tam leaned against the stone wall outside the Lucky Tavern and watched the artificial bustle in Stronghold’s streets. Eventually the city would be populated with real people’s avatars running around, but for now it was just NPCs: a pie vendor wandering back and forth, a soldier on a brown horse who circled past every five minutes, a troupe of jugglers performing the same moves over and over in the square fronting the tavern.
Where were Jennet and the rest of her party? He folded his arms and tried not to acknowledge the anxiety crawling up his spine. Damn, he’d known she was heading into trouble, and it was all Lassiter’s fault. The guy still hadn’t learned, despite everything that had happened to him in-game.
At least Jennet had Zeg with her—but if they didn’t show up soon, Tam was going out to find them.
A burst of laughter floated from the open door of the tavern, where Spark and Jennet’s dad were sitting at a table. Tam was too restless to stay inside, plus the music loop was way short. If he heard that same sprightly flute tune one more time, he’d scream.
At the end of the wide cobbled street, he caught movement—more purposeful than the random wanderings of the NPCs. He jumped onto a nearby watering trough to scan the crowd. Yes, there was Jennet in her blue mage robes, Zeg’s big form next to her, and Lassiter, his bronze armor gleaming and a tight expression on his face. Coranne was harder to spot, slinking along like a shadow, but she was there, too. Everybody accounted for.
Tam leaped down and strode to meet them.
“There you are,” he said. “We’ve been waiting a while.”
Since Jennet’s dad wasn’t there, he pulled her into a quick, relieved hug.
“Sorry,” she said. “We were detained by some spiders. Did you guys come through all right?”
“Yeah. Your dad and Spark are in the tavern.” He gestured. “We can catch up in there.”
When they stepped through the door into the rustic main room of the Lucky Tavern, Jennet’s dad jumped up.
“Is everyone here?” he asked, craning his neck.
“Yes,” Coranne said in a dry voice. “Every pixel intact.”
“I just wanted to make sure.” Mr. Carter gave Jennet a close look.
Even though Jennet’s dad hadn’t directly experienced the dangers of Feyland, he’d seen the effects. Even if he still didn’t believe. Tam was glad to know he wasn’t the only one who’d had dire thoughts about the rest of the party lying mangled and perma-dead on the side of the road.
Roy strode over to the hearth, where a large fire burned cheerfully without giving off any heat.
“We had a fierce battle,” he said. “Not one of those simple fights. What did your party encounter?” He narrowed his eyes at Tam.
“A few bogles,” Tam said. “Pretty easy to dispatch.”
“I even took one on myself.” Jennet’s dad sounded proud.
Spark nodded, her magenta hair catching the light. “Four of them sprang up out of the ground, but it wasn’t a hard fight. Five minutes, and we were on our way.”
Jennet glanced at Roy. “Next time, maybe pay better attention to your options,” she said.
“Whatever.” He moved to the scuffed wooden bar. “Do they have ale here?”
“Yeah,” Spark said. “It tastes like bananas. So do the oat cakes.”
“Still?” Mr. Carter shook his head. “I thought they’d fixed that part of the interface.”
“Other issues have taken priority,” Coranne said. “I assure you, resolving the taste component is on the debug list. Speaking of which, it’s time to log out. It’s crucial that everyone note down their impressions of the journey to Stronghold.”
“Great,” Spark said. “I’d like some lunch that doesn’t taste like banana.”
“The company has provided sandwiches and other items,” Coranne said. “We still have an afternoon session to complete.”
Tam met Jennet’s eyes. Another session where the two of them would be able to split off from the main group. And hopefully find the Realm and get some answers.
After lunch, the beta team assembled in-game at the Lucky Tavern. Tam stayed beside Jennet, impatience tickling his ribcage. This was their chance to get back into the Realm of Faerie, where they could do something. This version of Feyland seemed fine, but it was tame. Too tame, like a tiger pretending to be a domesticated kitty. He didn’t trust it one bit.
“Have fun, everybody,” Zeg said, then nodded at Jennet’s dad. “We’re going to grab our quests.”
Lassiter made a face. “Pretty sweet deal, Mr. Chon just sending you upstairs at the inn.”
“Age has its privileges.” Zeg smiled.
“More like being noobs has its privileges,” Lassiter mumbled under his breath, so the adults wouldn’t hear.
Spark gave him a sharp glance. “I checked out the city map, and our quests aren’t far. We pick them up just inside the castle.”
Lassiter swallowed. Like Tam and Jennet, he knew any court in Feyland could be dangerous beyond imagining. Still, fear was never an excuse for acting like an ass.
Jennet set her hand on her dad’s arm. “Be careful, all right?”
“You, too.” His blue eyes, so much like his daughter’s, went from Jennet to Tam.
“We have the rest of the afternoon to explore our questlines,” Coranne said. “Mr. Chon will send a game-wide message twenty minutes before logout. That should give you time to finish up what you’re doing. Good luck, everyone.”
The group murmured farewells and good wishe
s. Once outside the tavern, Spark, Lassiter, and Coranne strode up the wide main street leading to the castle. Spark turned and gave them a wave before the buildings blocked them from sight.
Finally, Tam and Jennet were alone. He hoped their fey allies were paying attention.
“Mr. Chon said we pick up our quests at the lake,” Jennet said.
“This way,” Tam said, leading her down a small passageway between the tavern and the shop next door. She gave him a curious look, but didn’t argue.
Spark wasn’t the only one who’d taken a quick glance at the city map. Navigating the streets and alleys of Stronghold was cake compared to the routes he had to take in and out of the Exe.
A few minutes later they stood at the lake’s edge. Short grass led to the wind-ruffled water, which lapped calmly at the shore. Scattered trees gave the area a park-like feeling, despite the massive stone walls of the city rising along the lake’s other side.
“Over there.” Jennet pointed to a cluster of NPCs gathered at the far end of the water.
As they got closer, Tam saw that they were two men and a woman, dressed in the quasi-medieval clothes most residents of Stronghold wore. Behind the trio, though, was a smaller figure—one who wasn’t standing still with computer-generated patience. Tam squinted, making out tattered garments like windblown leaves, bright eyes, and a mischievous, ageless grin.
“Is that…”
“Puck!” Jennet hurried forward.
The sprite nodded up at them, then laid a long, crooked finger across his lips. With his other hand he gestured to the NPCs. Clearly Puck didn’t want his presence revealed to whatever tracking devices the VirtuMax people were using to watch the game-play.
“Right.” Tam cleared his throat. “Sorry you stepped in the muck, Jennet. But here are our quest givers.”
She nodded, and turned to the quest givers. “Greetings.”
“Greetings, travelers,” the woman said. “Do you yearn for adventure, and to serve the crown?”
Jennet glanced at Tam.
“We do,” he said, hoping they hadn’t just made a promise to the fey folk.
Surely Puck would keep them out of that kind of trouble.
“The princess lies ill in the castle,” the shorter of the two men said. “To save her, the healers require special herbs not found near our city.”
“Rue, Sweetmeadow, and Briarblossom,” the woman said. “They can be found only in the meadows of Tir. We require adventurers who will go forth and collect these herbs, braving the dangers that lie beyond our walls. Are you bold enough?”
“Yes,” Jennet said. “Which way do we go?”
“Yonder,” the taller man said, pointing toward the stone wall. “Beyond Stronghold, to the west, lie the meadows of Tir. Go there, and fulfill your quest.”
As he spoke, the wall shimmered and an arched wooden door appeared, just tall enough for Jennet and Tam to pass through.
“The princess’s life depends upon your success,” the woman said. “Good luck, and make haste.”
Tam glanced at Puck, who nodded to the doorway. Whatever the sprite was up to, it lay outside the city walls.
Jennet strode to the door, which swung open at her approach. Puck darted in front of them, slipping through the archway like a blown leaf. When Jennet stepped through, she let out a strangled gasp, and Tam hurried after her, hand on his sword.
A second later, he understood why. As he passed through the arched doorway, the world tilted. Golden light swirled across his vision, and queasy dizziness settled in his stomach. He blinked and stumbled, trying to regain his bearings.
The city was gone. The simple meadows and forests surrounding it, gone. He and Jennet stood on a narrow path winding through a grove of white-barked trees. The sky above them was full of pearlescent light, like the edge of dawn. Or twilight. He shivered.
Now they were truly in the Realm of Faerie.
CHAPTER NINE - THE TWILIGHT KINGDOM
Jennet took a breath, exhaling the vertigo out of her system. To her relief, Tam appeared beside her a heartbeat later. She expected to be standing in the middle of a faerie ring, but instead pale-barked trees surrounded them, glowing faintly in the half light.
“Puck,” she said “Are you here?”
“Where else would I be?” The sprite appeared before them, floating cross-legged in the air.
“We’re back in the Realm now, aren’t we?” Tam said. “How did you do that?”
“Doorways exist to be passed through.”
The sprite grinned and snapped his fingers. A ball of white light bloomed above his palm. It illuminated the trees, making odd shadows twist and dance at the corners of her vision.
“Yes, but where in the Realm?” Jennet peered between the white-barked trunks, the back of her neck prickling.
“At the edges,” Puck said. “A place where winning or losing carries a high cost indeed.”
“What are we supposed to do now?” Worry gave her words a sharp edge. “Is the FullD interface unsafe? Are the Courts really giving up trying to break into the human world? What about—”
“Cease,” Puck said. “I cannot answer your questions. I can only show you the way you must take in order to discover the answers.”
Tam folded his arms. “So, we’re not there yet?”
“Not yet,” Puck said. “The Twilight Kingdom lies deeper than you know.”
The sprite wasn’t nearly as full of mischief and merriment as usual, and she tasted fear, metal on her tongue. It took a lot to subdue Puck, who had stood unflinching against the wrath of both the Dark Queen and the Bright King.
“Listen, and listen well,” he said, his voice hushed. “I shall reveal to you one of the Great Secrets of the Realm. Few mortals know of it. Aye, even few of the fey folk themselves. But just as the Realm of Faerie lies across the veil from your world, so the Twilight Kingdom lies hidden beyond the Realm, a dark jewel at the heart of all our fey magics.”
“If it’s a kingdom,” Jennet said, the words sticking in her throat, “who rules it?”
She couldn’t imagine what could be worse than the Dark Queen and Bright King.
“The Elder Fey.” Puck’s words shivered ominously through the grove, making the leaves on the white-barked trees tremble. The ball of light in his hand dimmed.
Okay, maybe that was worse.
“I’ve never heard of them,” Tam said.
“You hadn’t heard of the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, either,” Jennet said. “Not until you entered Feyland.”
“The Elder Fey hold the oldest power,” Puck said. “Little do they concern themselves with the Realm, and less yet with the mortal world. But they are keepers of the balance. Your task is to wake them from their deep dreamings so that they may set things to rights.”
“Their deep dreamings?” Tam asked.
Puck shook his head. “I have told you enough—more than enough. Now is the time for action, not words. Are you ready?”
“Do we have a choice?” Jennet asked
The sprite folded his hand closed, extinguishing the hovering sphere of light, then opened it again to reveal a smooth white stone.
“Take this,” he said, holding it out to her. “It may be of use to you in a time of despair.”
She took it, the stone warm between her fingers, and slipped it into the pocket of her robes.
“Follow the pathway,” Puck said. “A ring awaits to take you beyond the Realm. Bard Thomas and I have done what we can to transport you close to the Elder Fey—but you will have to make your own way further into the Twilight Kingdom.”
“Puck,” Tam said, “how dangerous are these Elder Fey?”
The sprite regarded him a moment, bright eyes unblinking. “There are no mortal words to describe them. Take care, Bold Tamlin and Fair Jennet. Take every care you can, and even then it may not be enough. And now, I must bid you farewell, ‘ere our presence here is felt.”
“But…” Jennet stretched out her hand.
Too
late. Puck was gone, and all his hints and knowledge gone with him.
“Is he going to just abandon us in there?” Tam said.
It was a bad sign, if Tam was complaining about the sprite leaving. Usually he objected to Puck’s help.
“He won’t.” She tried to keep her voice confident. “asnHasn’t Puck always shown up at the last minute to lend a hand?”
Tam just shook his head and started up the pathway. A few moments’ walking brought them to a clearing, where a circle of thin-stalked mushrooms shed an eerie, purplish glow. A low humming emanated from the circle—a sound that made her nerves tremble.
“The portal to the Twilight Kingdom.” She moved forward a hesitant step.
“Wait,” Tam said.
He strode over to her and folded her into his arms. She lifted her face and their lips met in a kiss that felt as real as anything. Sparks flew through her, burying the fear. For a moment, nothing else mattered. Only Tam, only the sound of their breathing, the taste of his mouth. Only the small, still world captured in their kiss.
He gave her one last squeeze, then let go.
“Ready?” he asked, holding out his hand.
She took it, his fingers warm around hers. “Ready.”
Together, they leaped over the boundary of glowing mushrooms. Landed in the center of the ring.
And fell into darkness.
CHAPTER TEN - THE TWILIGHT KINGDOM
Tam gripped Jennet’s hand, though he couldn’t feel it. An icy wind rushed around him, chilling him to the bone, and his heart pounded with the panicky sensation of falling.
He forced the frigid air in and out of his lungs. They’d be all right. Puck wouldn’t let them die on the way to the Twilight Kingdom—that would defeat the purpose.
The sense of falling stopped, though it didn’t seem he had landed anywhere. A pale glow seeped into the air, and he felt Jennet’s fingers clasped in his once more. He looked over at her, shocked to find they were lying on the ground. Eerie purple mushrooms surrounded them, and the grass beneath them was black and silver, smooth as silk.
