Awake: A Fairytale

by Jessica Grey

  “Someone who is part fae but not fully half, second and third generations usually. With hundreds of demi-fae marrying full humans you can imagine there were a lot of people in Arraine who could claim to be petite-fae. There would have been families turning on themselves. It just seems so quick.”

  “It wasn’t just the fae,” Alex said slowly as another fragment from her dream fit itself into the puzzle. “It was the magic itself. The twins were in trouble for using their powers. Maybe the people rejected magic altogether, so if you were a demi-fae like the twins you were fine unless you started actually doing magic.”

  Becca sighed. “So, I guess we will never know exactly how or why the kingdom just sort of disappeared off the map? Just that it was no longer protected by the fae.”

  “Even if we knew that, would it really be helpful to us?” Alex ran her hands through her hair in frustration. “I admit I was kind of hoping it would be. There’s nothing like researching a problem before trying to solve it, but what practical information does any of this give us?”

  Becca chewed on her lip as she set down the large book she had been flipping through. “I was hoping it would give us more info about the spell itself. Lilia said she expected to be asleep a long time, but not for multiple centuries. I kind of had a vague theory that whatever happened to the rest of the kingdom possibly affected the length of the spell.”

  “And if it could affect the spell,” Lilia added, staring intently at Becca, “then maybe it affected Briar Rose as well?”

  “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. And if something the people did or didn’t do could somehow weaken her, then it’s something I want to know about.”

  “Well, one thing we know is that after Arraine, it doesn’t look like the fae got cozy with other human kingdoms. It’s not like France or England has any modern stories of magical assistance,” Alex pointed out.

  “Yeah, not really a lot of magic floating around, although the Irish certainly have enough fairy stories to make up for the rest of Europe,” said Becca. “Maybe they got Arraine’s share.”

  “But in the modern world there is no magic,” Lilia said thoughtfully. “Or at least none that anyone is aware of or utilizing. It is here of course; I can feel it in the storm, you can feel it in the stones and metals, but it is quiet.”

  Becca leaned forward, crossing her arms on the table and regarded her in fascination. “What do you mean quiet?”

  “Where I am from, when I am from, the power in the earth is palpable. If you are sensitive to magic at all, you would feel it vibrating around you—speaking to you, if you will, but here it is almost silent.” She frowned. “I do not know if the magic has grown softer, or if everything else—your buses, and airplanes, and cars, if they are just louder.”

  “So, you could hear it all of the time? Wasn’t that distracting?” Becca asked. Alex began to share Becca’s fascination. She remembered the energy of the stones beneath her hands and wondered what it would be like to always be so hyper-aware.

  “Distracting? No. It is just something you live with—lived with.” Lilia smiled sadly. “Honestly, I have found the silence a little distracting, especially because my power lies along the lines of plant magic, and there is not all that much nature in this large city. I am used to being able to feel the hum of the earth, the whisper of the plants and flowers.”

  Alex recalled the alyssum in her dream, softly telling her their name. At the time it hadn’t felt odd at all, perfectly natural for the fragrant blossoms to be whispering to her and doing her bidding.

  “Even though my magic does not follow the lines of metal and stone, I can feel their power. But here, even where there are large stones, and things made with metal, I cannot feel the same hum. It is so muted I could walk right by it without recognizing it.”

  “But the magic is still there? In something metal for example, like um, I don’t know, a light pole, or a stop sign, it still has magic in it?” Becca asked.

  “Why yes. You cannot make the metal deny what it is; the magic is inherent in it.” Lilia frowned again. “At least that is what I was always taught; the magic is intrinsically a part of the earth. So, I suppose you can pave it over or cover it up, and that may quiet it, but it does not silence it entirely.”

  “So when we do our magic experiments would it make more sense to go out farther away from the city, where there’s less stuff to interfere with the magic?” Becca’s excitement was clearly growing. She chose to ignore Alex’s groan at the mention of their upcoming magic experimentation.

  Lilia leaned forward towards Becca, mirroring her arms on the table. “Hmm, I had not thought of that. If we want to test whether you have magic powers of your own the first thing is to get away from the spells in the bed and the crown. But it also makes sense to give you as much access to natural magic as possible and see how much of it you have an ability to use.”

  “Or maybe it’s a bad idea giving two people who have no idea what they are doing access to more magic than strictly necessary.” Alex attempted to be a voice of reason, but the others acted as if she hadn’t spoken at all.

  “How far out do you think we would need to go?” Becca asked. “We could maybe go up into the foothills if you think that would be far enough away.”

  “Yes, let’s go up into the foothills after days of rain,” Alex interjected sardonically, “because we have a death wish.”

  “I think it would be far enough, especially if we can go up a bit, get above the city,” Lilia answered, completely ignoring her.

  “They’re probably running PSAs on radio and TV right now telling people not to do exactly what we are talking about doing,” Alex tried again.

  “Alex,” Becca finally turned and looked at her. “I know you’re nervous about this magic thing, although I honestly don’t know if you are more scared about finding out that you have magical abilities or that you don’t, but it’s something we have to try.”

  Alex wasn’t sure if she should be offended by what Becca said or not. If she were truthful with herself she had to admit she was scared to death of going up into the foothills to try to wrestle with magic. Whether that was fear of the magic or what it would mean about herself, she had no idea. Becca must have seen the war of emotions on her face, because she reached across the table and grabbed her hand.

  “We have to do it for Luke,” Becca reminded her. “If there’s a chance that we can help him in any way…” she trailed off and Alex nodded.

  There was a suspicious pricking behind her eyes, although Alex refused to admit even to herself that she might be tearing up. She thought of the dream Luke, standing in the clearing in the wood, looking braver and more noble than she had ever seen him, and she had a sudden desire to be that brave. If he could remain calm while Briar Rose tightened her evil vines around him, then she could certainly face slogging up into the foothills…and whatever came after that.

  “I might know a place,” she said finally, and in response Becca squeezed her hand quickly before letting it go.

  “Where?” smiling encouragingly.

  “It’s up behind the street that Luke lives on. His street dead ends into a hill. There’s a big pile of rocks, but if you jump the fence and head to the left around the rocks you can walk for several miles up into the hills. We used to play up there all the time when we were kids.”

  Becca smiled even more broadly. “That totally sounds like it would work, it’s much better if one of us at least knows where we are going and how to get back.” She turned back to Lilia. “What do we need to take?”

  “Well, we will be able to use the plants and things.” Lilia suddenly looked unsure. “There are plants, right? Your hills look rather brown.”

  “Yeah, we have a reverse growing season. Our spring comes during the winter months, but everything—at least most of the native plants, are dormant in the summer. Is that going to be a problem?”

  “No, it should be fine; if they are just dormant, they can still be awakened with magic. My fl
owers…I wonder if they will come when I call them if they do not naturally grow here? My emblem is the lily, just like it was my mother’s, but I have never done nature spells outside of Arraine. I do not know if they will be able to answer me.”

  “Does it matter what kind of lilies?” Becca asked. “We could pick some up at a florist; sometimes even the grocery stores have them.”

  Lilia’s face brightened. “That is a wonderful idea.”

  “Okay, that’s settled then. What else?” Becca continued pulling her notepad out of her backpack and beginning a numbered list on an empty page.

  “We do not know, if you can access magic, where your talents lie. Most fae can use the three main magical elements, plants, metals and gems, so we need to take a gem and some metal—preferably gold, silver if that is all we have, but I’d prefer gold.”

  “A gem?” Becca’s pen hovered over the page. “Are we talking like a precious stone, here?”

  Alex remembered the cool fire of Lyssia’s gold necklace with its diamond pendent against her palm as she buried her hand in the soft dirt of the forest floor. “Precious,” she confirmed before Lilia could answer. Lilia nodded in agreement and she continued, “preferably a diamond.”

  “A diamond?!” Becca’s jaw dropped open slightly. “Where are we going to get a diamond? My mom has one, but I think she’d notice if I took the ring right off of her finger.”

  “It does not have to be a diamond, necessarily.” Lilia looked closely at Alex, considering. “It is up to whoever is doing the spells what gems they think would work best, but if Alex feels like we should use a diamond, I would not discount that.”

  Alex shifted uncomfortably at the thought that she might have some instinct about making magic. But she couldn’t deny the fact that she wanted to take a diamond, felt somehow, inexplicably, that it would make her safer.

  “Back to my question,” Becca continued, “are we planning to hijack one from the museum? I realize it’s convenient and all, being right here and us having access to it, but taking a diamond kind of freaks me out.”

  “Another felony to add to our list?” Alex said with a half-hearted smile.

  Becca grimaced. “Our ever-growing list,” she agreed. “If anyone ever found out, we could kiss college goodbye. What if something happens to the damn thing?”

  “Somehow I think there might be just as big a fuss over us knocking out our advisor and then stuffing him in a storage room,” Alex pointed out. “Stealing a few samples is just sort of the frosting on that college-career ending cake.”

  “A few? What happened to one?” Becca looked slightly green.

  “Well, there’s the diamond—incidentally there’s a pretty decent one in the display we just took down and catalogued last week, and the bonus there is that no one will notice it’s missing for a long time. Also, we need gold.” Alex looked at Lilia. “And as far as I am understanding this whole thing, it would be better to have gold that hasn’t been worked, right, that hasn’t been smelted or refined?”

  “Yes, if we can get gold that has not already been bent to the will of another it would be extremely powerful, and easier to command.”

  Alex arched an eyebrow at Becca. “See, we have to take them.”

  Becca swallowed visibly. “I so hope you don’t mean the nuggets in the Arizona display.”

  “Yup.”

  “Oh lord, those have to be worth as much as that book you were so worried about.”

  Alex grinned. “Quite possibly; but what is it you said to me? Don’t ruin it and no one will know?”

  “I take it back. You were totally right to be concerned about the book,” Becca leaned forward, her voice urgent. “I am not walking out of that museum and driving through the streets of Los Angeles with several thousands of dollars of stolen gold in my pocket.”

  Alex reached out and patted her hand. “I’m sure we can put them in your backpack.” At Becca’s sharp glare she amended. “Or mine, we we’ll put them in my backpack with the diamond and if we get pulled over you can just say you had no idea they were there.”

  Becca rubbed her forehead. “I suppose I shouldn’t be worried about it. We are heading up into the hills to try to play around with magic, so getting caught with purloined gems somehow fades in comparison. It’s just…I love the museum, and stealing from it… ”

  “Borrowing,” Alex corrected.

  “Borrowing from it just rubs me the wrong way.”

  “Me too, but we have to do what we have to do, right? I think I heard you say something along those lines recently. I notice you didn’t have the same tender feelings toward Nicholas and his credit cards that you do for the museum.”

  “Nicholas doesn’t really inspire tender feelings in me, no,” Becca said acidly. “How are we going to do this? Just walk in, take the samples, and walk out?”

  “The simplest plans are the least likely to go awry,” Alex pointed out. “There’s hardly anyone at GeMMLA at the moment. I doubt any of the staff is going to notice us, but if we wait another two hours, it will close anyway.”

  ~ Chapter Sixteen ~

  “MAN, I’M GETTING tired of getting wet,” Becca grumbled as they trudged toward the employee entrance of GeMMLA two hours later. “How do people who live in Seattle do this every day? It’s depressing.”

  “We’re just spoiled, I guess,” answered Alex as she slid Nicholas’s key card through the reader, letting out a sigh of relief when the light blinked green. “We don’t even notice the sun until it’s gone.”

  “You did say the rain is very unusual for this time of year?” Lilia asked as Alex swung the door open and they all ducked through.

  Becca shook her head. “This rain is unusual for any time of year. We get huge rains in January and February sometimes, but this is crazy.”

  “And during El Nino years, there’s lots of flooding like this,” Alex pointed out. “But I don’t think I’ve ever seen it happen this fast before.”

  The easiest part was getting the diamond. Alex had been the one to catalog the samples from the older display only a few days before, so she knew right where to look. Even though the storage room was one of the few where the external lock was actually being utilized, it just required Nicholas’s key card to open. They were already in deep enough trouble, the thought that swipes from her keycard wouldn’t be showing up after hours made her feel a little bit better.

  The boxes were stacked neatly in the corner where she had left them. Just a few days had passed and yet it seemed like a lifetime. Alex remembered with a touch of chagrin that her biggest concern had been not looking like an idiot in front of Nicholas. Not magic spells, or bad fae, or stealing diamonds. She thought briefly about Nicholas, lying in the other storage room, and realized that she probably wouldn’t go back even if she could.

  Alex examined the numbers on the sides of the boxes and located the right one. It really was a little scary that she could remember which box contained what stone. Becca was probably right; she spent way too much time here. Alex pulled the box out of the stack and slid the lid off, staring at the gem inside.

  The diamond was uncut, its dull fire hinting at the brilliance within. Alex knew it weighed slightly less than three carats, but it felt as if it weighed about four times that as she tipped it into her hand. For some reason Becca and Lilia had hung back by the door as she had moved toward the boxes, so they didn’t see how the diamond’s banked internal fires flared for a moment as the stone came into contact with her skin. She felt the warmth radiating out from the stone, into her hand and throughout her whole body. As she stared into its depths, the cold white brilliance filled her mind. It was as if the stone had recognized her, and she it.

  “Elanthe,” she whispered and the stone flared once again. And Alex knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she had picked the right stone to take with her up into the hills.

  “What did you say?” Lilia’s voice came sharply from the doorway.

  Alex looked up from the diamond in her hands,
her eyes still slightly dazzled. “I’m not sure,” she admitted.

  “It sounded like elanthe, which is the Fae word for diamond.” Lilia studied her, a strange look on her face. “Did the stone tell you what to call it?”

  “Um…” Alex was at a loss. She looked back down at the diamond. The fire had faded and it once again looked like a normal stone. “Maybe,” she admitted. “When I touched it, I kind of just knew what to call it.”

  “Well, that’s kind of freaky,” Becca said. The other two girls turned to look at her, Alex feeling a little wounded and self-conscious. “I meant in a good way!” Becca said defensively. “Like freaky cool. That pretty much answers, for me at least, the question of whether Alex has magic, right?”

  “I don’t know,” Alex said. “Maybe it’s just the stone.”

  “Yes, every random gem that you manage to touch just happens to have a deep, dark, magical past.” Becca walked over to Alex and took the diamond from her hand.

  “See. Nothing,” she said, holding it up and staring into it. There was no answering fire from the diamond. “I feel a little hum—maybe like you were saying Lilia—how everything has a little magic in it?”

  Lilia nodded and walked over to touch the diamond as Becca held it. “Yes, I can feel the vibration from a stone that size, even with all the other distractions,” Lilia confirmed as she gestured to the neatly stacked boxes of samples, “but nothing more than that.”

  “So, yeah,” Becca said, “I can tell this gem’s got some sort of potential. But if I didn’t know what I was looking for, if I’d never heard Lilia talking about its inherent magic, I would have thought my hand was falling asleep or something. It certainly isn’t speaking any Fae words into my brain.” She handed the stone back to Alex. The fiery response was much more muted than it had been the first time it came in contact with her skin but both Becca and Lilia noticed it and looked back up at her in triumph.

  “Perhaps the gems have always wanted to talk to you, but you were too distracted to listen,” Lilia suggested.