Fae Magic trilogy : (Alexandra Everest series)

by Jen Pretty

  Things just got even weirder. I think we all recognized it because we stood in silence until the ding of the elevator broke it. The doors opened, and I immediately pushed past the giant hunters and took a right. At my door, I realized I didn’t have keys.

  Luke held out my keys, jingling them for a second before putting them in the lock and opening the door. “You left them with me, so I could help with the contractors while you were away,” he added.

  I smiled and walked in. It looked nothing like my old apartment, but it was charming. It was like something out of a magazine V had once sent me and I wondered if that is where the inspiration came from. The sadness of losing her crept up on me again and a sneaky tear crept out.

  “You don’t like it?” Luke asked.

  “No, I love it, it’s just that it reminds me of V and I can’t believe she’s gone. She would have loved this.”

  Luke wrapped me in a hug and whispered “You wanted it to be a memory of her. I’m sorry, Lex.”

  I let the tears fall for a few minutes. The hunters who had stayed with us backed off and gave us some privacy.

  When my tears finally stopped, I let go of Luke and wandered around the condo. It was beautiful. It screamed V, in every room. My new bathroom was stunning too, with a giant whirlpool tub.

  When I had seen everything there was to see, I found my laptop and popped it open. I had emails from my father’s corporation, just updates on various things including the new expense and income statement from the private security business I had started but didn’t remember. According to the memo, Armond, of all people, was the manager of the division. I’d have to ask him about that.

  I flicked it off and we trailed back to the elevators and down to the main floor. Not only was Clive there, but my old boxing coach, Snazzy, had come by, too. They both bowed their heads as I walked off the elevator.

  “Seems you have a lot of elves around here,” Puck snickered.

  “Lord Puck, thank you for guiding our queen home,” Snazzy said in a formal tone I had never heard from the gruff, ex-marine before. He seemed nervous, though I couldn’t imagine why.

  “Yes, well, she can’t stay. We are heading for a vacation in the fae homeland. Apparently, there is an old fae who will grant me entrance. It should be an interesting trip.”

  The two elf-men shared a look and then Snazzy spoke up again. “We would like to take her to our new home.” I looked back at Puck as he narrowed his eyes. There was some serious tension in the room. There was some history between the elves and Puck

  “She has much to do before that. I will keep her safe in her travels. However, she has some unsettled business in the new land. Some things must be done to protect all of us from the same fate that fell on some of us all those years ago.”

  “I understand.” Looking back at me, Snazzy said: “Thank you, queen, for saving us.”

  “Uhm, no problem, Snazzy. I better go.” It was all too weird. My whole life had changed in such a short time. Hopefully, something will trigger my memories and the pieces will fit nicely together. They bowed again and I awkwardly waved goodbye.

  The next mansion we pulled up to, back in a secluded forest, was slightly less ornate than the elder's palace, though this one was teaming with hunters. Armond led a large group of hunters out to greet me. They all bowed down onto one knee. I pretended I couldn’t see them and walked into the building.

  The scent of stew and cookies greeted me. It was almost overwhelming, but a nice change after travelling with big, burly hunters and a duck.

  I followed Daisy, figuring the duck could probably find the kitchen before I could. His radar for baked goods was far superior.

  “Oh my god, Lex!” I didn’t recognize the woman rushing towards me, but I let her hug me anyway. Her blond hair and small stature made her look vaguely like me, but she had a motherly air to her. She released me but kept ahold of my shoulders inspecting me at arm’s length.

  “You have lost way too much weight,” she declared. “Let’s go. I made your favourite and Darla has baked you a ton of cookies. That will put the weight back on you.”

  This woman brought back memories of my mother. I swallowed the sadness that thought brought with it and followed her to the kitchen where I found Daisy already eating some toast.

  “What’s your name?” I asked her as I sat beside Daisy on the small counter. I felt deja-vu sitting up here. I strained to try and remember, but the memory wasn’t there.

  “Oh dear, I almost forgot, Victor said you had lost your memory. My name is Margot. You know it’s strange I never saw this coming. I have been watching you in my foresight. You have been on quite the adventure.”

  Wow, that was weird. Knowing someone had been watching me in their mind. It was one of the magical talents that Armond had told me about.

  “Ok, well, uhm thanks anyway, I think.”

  “This is Darla,” she said introducing an older plump woman who just waved a mixing spoon at me and went back to work. Not big on words, I guess. “She makes the best cookies,” Margot whispered to me. I put the pieces together and assumed it was her cookies I ate in the forest.

  “I think I’ve had some. They are amazing,” I whispered back.

  Margot went across the room and ladled some stew into a bowl and set it down on a small table near where I was sitting on the counter. I hopped down and sat properly. It didn’t have the same feeling of familiarity that sitting on that counter did, but that was ok. I was starving. I gobbled up the fantastic stew, and when she set a second bowl in front of me, I was able to appreciate the delicious flavour a little more. I scraped the bowl clean and was so full I could hardly move.

  Armond walked in and laughed at me, leaning back in my chair rubbing my swollen stomach.

  “I see you have found your favourite place in the whole house,” he chuckled.

  “Whatever, have you had Margot's stew? It’s the best stew I have ever eaten.”

  “Yes, I have, and you have too. Margot is well known for her cooking. And Darla is well known for her baking, although you only referred to her as your favourite kitchen lady.”

  “Whoa, that’s a bit rude,” I scolded myself.

  Darla walked over and set down a mug of coffee and a plate of cookies, and I found a tiny space for them in my stomach.

  “I don’t mind,” Darla said before turning back to her baking.

  “I might have to change your name to cookie God,” I said, stuffing a third cookie in my mouth.

  Armond just laughed and wandered back out into the dining room where everyone else was eating. Except for Daisy, who had found a warm spot on top of the refrigerator and was napping.

  When I waddled out of the kitchen, fifteen pounds heavier, Armond led me to my room, where I collapsed on the bed. I wasn’t tired anymore though. My nap on the plane had revived me and more than anything I had pent up energy to spare. I wanted to explore, but my overfull stomach objected to that plan, so I settled on a hot bath.

  Hands thoroughly pruned, and food mostly digested an hour later, I wandered back down to the central part of the house and followed the voices to a set of stairs going down even further. In the basement of the giant house is where I found everyone. In a large gym, surrounding a fight that pinned unicorn against vampire. Idiots.

  “What are they fighting about now?” I asked a tall hunter with arms thicker than my waist.

  “Your Highness, I’m sorry I didn’t see you there.” He pushed through the crowd, clearing me a path and saying, “Out of the way for Her Majesty,” every three seconds which only served to make me angrier.

  When I finally got to the front, I could see both Unicorn and Vampire were bloody.

  “What the fuck?” I said, putting my hands on my hips and narrowing my gaze at them.

  Roman had the good sense to stop fighting, but Puck took it as an opportunity and drove his horn through Romans stomach, pinning him to the ground. He bore down on him like a wild mustang set on killing his competitor.
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br />   “STOP!” I yelled, and the unicorn flew across the room, smacking into the far wall of the gym.

  Everyone in the room froze, but I wasn’t using my magic to keep them still. One by one, the idiots who had been watching the disgusting, bloody display dropped to their knee and bowed their heads.

  Roman got up and dropped to his knee, too. Puck didn’t get up, but I could see his chest rising and falling, so I figured he would be ok.

  “I have to go,” I muttered, before turning and high tailing it out of the room and then out of the house. I ran into the woods a little way and sat down against a tree.

  The tears fell. I was terrified by what I had just done. The power was way out of control. My whole life was out of control. I had nothing to cling to in this world of magic except one memory of Luke in a fucking tree. I hit myself in the head with my hands a couple of times trying to dislodge some memories, but that didn’t work at all.

  “You know, one day I found you out here,” Armond said as he walked up in front of me and crouched down. “You had beat the shit out of a tree, your hands and feet were a bloody mess, and I had to take you to homeland and have a healer fix you.”

  “Why would I beat the shit out of a tree?” I asked wiping my face on my sleeve.

  “You felt like you do right now; Out of control and scared. The story of you assaulting a tree was pretty good for a long time. I hope you remember it, so I can get back to teasing you about it.”

  I snorted. “That’s not very nice. It does sound like a pretty low moment in my life though.”

  He nodded and then sobered, “What you did to Puck, you’ve never done that before Lex. That is your new power. I hope we can help you in homeland. I spoke with your doorman on the phone, and he thinks you will need the help of the elves. They want you to go to their hidden world.”

  “I still can’t believe Clive is an elf. He seems so normal.” I shook my head. “I want to go see the tree. Luke’s tree. Then we can go do whatever you guys think is best.”

  Armond didn’t look like he believed the words I said.

  “What?” I questioned.

  “It’s just, you seem a bit defeated. That’s not the Lex I know.”

  I scoffed, “Maybe that Lex is gone for good.”

  He brushed my hair back from my face, and I felt some peace seep back into my tattered soul. “I hope not.”

  We sat there for a minute, his intense eye contact seeming to try and will me to remember.

  “Let’s get back. I’m sure your boys have learned their lesson about fighting and want to grovel for your forgiveness.”

  “I hope they learned their lesson. That was gross.”

  He chuckled. “Vampires and Unicorns are immortal. You can’t blame them for wanting to have a little fun now and then.”

  “That didn’t look like fun,” I muttered, tripping over a root.

  “When you live as long as those two have, I think fun takes on a new meaning.”

  “Oh, God. When am I going to stop finding out such bizarre facts about the weird people around me? Don’t tell me how old they are. I’m just going to pretend they’re in their late twenties and leave it at that,

  Armond laughed again and opened the back door of the house for me. “Ok, Lex, no more late-breaking news for a while. Why don’t you get some sleep, and we’ll get out of here tomorrow? Hopefully seeing Luke’s tree,” – he laughed- “will get you your memories back.

  “OK, night, Armond.” He waved, and I took the stairs up to my room.

  When I opened the door, Roman was sitting on the end of the bed. His hair wet and his clothes changed.

  “I’m sorry, Lex. We weren’t fighting, just goofing around. Well, until Puck saw you and then decided to make a point.”

  I sighed, “And what point was that?”

  “He is better able to protect you. Better than me or anyone, except maybe Daisy.”

  “Well I don’t know about that, he seems pretty hot-headed,” I said before going into the bathroom and shutting the door. I changed into the oversized t-shirt I was using as pyjamas. It was long, but still showed an awful lot of my legs. When I came back out to find Roman still sitting in the same place, his eyes trailed down my body and flashed bright red for a moment. I gasped, remembering V in my nightmare.

  He closed his eyes, turned his head away and said, “I’m sorry, I just miss you, Lex.”

  I walked over and stopped in front of him, touching his cheek so he would look back at me. “Why did your eyes do that?”

  “Any strong emotion will turn my eyes red.”

  “So, you don’t want to drink my blood and leave me in a dark alley or something?”

  He smiled, “No, Lex. I would never hurt you.”

  I bit my lip for a minute.

  “Will you stay here with me? I don’t want to be alone, in case I have the nightmare again.”

  “Absolutely. Of course, I will.” He pulled a chair out of the corner of the room closer to the bed and sat in it.

  “That won’t be very comfortable,” I said.

  “I’ve sat on worse all night, just to be close to you.”

  Whoa, that was an awful lot of honesty. I let it go. I was tired and had enough on my plate right now. I just smiled and said goodnight.

  The next morning was another hustle and bustle. Hunters were packing up and loading vehicles. Someone had brought me a bunch of fancy clothes and left them hanging in my closet. I wasn’t sure I needed fancy clothes, but I picked a nice pair of dress pants and a frilly long sleeve top that was loose and almost whimsical. Walking down the stairs, I could smell the coffee and followed it to the kitchen. The nice kitchen lady whose name I had already forgotten, handed me a large mug of motivation and two cookies. She pushed me in the direction of a room with lots of voices and when I entered all the voices stopped.

  I had just taken a bite of my cookie, so I chewed quickly as everyone watched me then gave up my awkward race and covered my half-full mouth so I could speak.

  "Carry on. I’m just going to drink my coffee.” I collapsed in a chair to finish eating my breakfast of champions.

  Armond stood at the front of the room smiling at my discomfort. “Now that her highness has joined us let’s go over the plan. We will be taking all the vehicles but spread over three routes to the portal. Check the list by the front door to see what team you are on. Team one will arrive at the site first and secure the area. Team two will have the queen and her entourage as well as three groups of hunters. Team three will arrive at about the same time as team two, giving us the best possible cover.”

  “Is all that necessary?” I asked, making every head in the room turn to look at me. “I don’t think there is much danger here,” I finished, wishing I hadn’t said anything at all.

  “We are using this as a drill, Lex. Don’t worry.”

  “Oh, ok, carry on,” I said stuffing my last cookie in my mouth. God, these were good cookies.

  The hunters nattered on for a while longer about protocol and whatnot, but I just sipped my coffee until Armond touched my shoulder and told me it was time to go. I dropped my mug off in the kitchen, and my delightful kitchen lady gave me a care package of cookies and sandwiches for the road. I could see why she was my favourite.

  Armond met me in the hall and handed me a sword in a leather sheath.

  “What’s this for?” I asked.

  “It’s yours, Lex. I’ve been holding onto it for you, but you should have it. Roman said you could swing a sword again.”

  I took the blade out of the sheath and nearly dropped it. It was the sword I saw in my dream of killing V.

  I quickly put it back in the sheath and handed it back to him. “I can swing a short sword, but not that one, Armond. Ok?”

  “What did you say?”

  “I said not that one.”

  “No, before that. You said you could use a short sword. How did you know that?”

  My dark thoughts of killing my best friend were shoved out of t
he way while I tried to trace the thought.

  “I could swing a short sword,” I mumbled, my mind trying to figure out where that had come from.

  Then it flooded in.

  Roman was standing in a courtyard with tall walls. He put a sword in my hand, but it was too heavy. He told me to use my magic. I pulled magic from the ground, but then everything fell apart. I crumpled like a used paper coffee cup. Then he was holding me, we were racing through the forest, I was laughing, and when he stopped, I spun around and kissed him. Oh God. I remembered.

  I had to find him.

  “Where is Roman? I shouted.

  Armond pointed to the front door, so I went sprinting out it and straight at the vampire, who caught me. I kissed him hard, and after a moment, he kissed me back.

  “I remember,” I whispered in his ear, still clinging to him.

  The smile on his face was huge. He spun me around on the driveway and kissed me again, making the hunters hoot, but I didn’t care. I had a real solid memory of Roman. I laughed as he spun me.

  Those memories opened the door to many others

  Sitting in a rundown shack with him, dining in a great hall, getting totally drunk in a small pub, fighting the witch.

  The floodgates crashed open.

  I turned my head to look at Daisy. That duck was scary as fuck as a dragon. I knew that now. I remembered it.

  I remembered it all.

  I remembered poor Aldridge. I covered my mouth as Roman set my feet on the ground. The king was dead. Collin’s crumpled form discarded along the side of the road. Sorrow took over for a moment, but it was quickly replaced by rage that threatened to burn me from the inside out like a fire. Roman cupped my face in his big hands. His warmth calmed me enough that I could take a deep breath and cool the fire. There was no target for my rage here.

  I took a few more deep breaths.

  “Where is the fox? Marick?” I asked.

  “Wow, it’s all come back. Marick came back to camp and said that her work was done and then she disappeared. We went looking for you. I’d probably strangle her if I saw her again. Puck would probably do worse. He never trusted that fox.”

  “No,” I shook my head, “She saved me. She told me to accept the gift. I was burning up. I would have died if I hadn’t. It was so hot, the water boiled around me.”