Faery Tales: Six Novellas of Magic and Adventure (Faery Worlds Book 3)

by Phaedra Weldon

  I watched as he approached with his head dropped down, so very unlike the confident boy I knew. Usually he was the life of the party and always made everyone smile. My heart squeezed knowing he was as upset as I was.

  In one smooth motion I was on my feet and moving toward him. I expected him to reach out and embrace me but instead he shoved his hands in his pocket and wouldn’t meet my eyes. Bristling, I watched him in confusion. It wasn’t my fault that I had to go. If I had my way, I’d never leave our realm or my friends.

  “You know I have no control over this. It’s my mother’s will.” I took another step forward, and reached out and touched his arm. “You’re mad at me?” I asked quietly.

  Finally his gaze met mine. He shook his head. “I’m not mad at you. I knew this was coming, but I just don’t want us to pretend like we have something to wait for. Once you leave here, we’re finished. Forever. I will find a new mate and start a life with her. What we had is meaningless now.”

  Jolted by his words I took a step backwards as if I’d been slapped. “How can you say such hurtful things?”

  “Tulupea, we both knew nothing could come out of this. Sure we had fun but that’s that.” He shrugged. “Now I have bragging rights, I dated the princess. But you’re going to be tainted. What your mother is asking of you… honestly, I can’t stand to look at you. You’ll be the laughing stock of the land. A fairy with a human. It’s absurd.”

  Speechless, I stared at the one person I thought I knew better than myself. I’d thought his feelings for me were real. And now to find out he was using me for bragging rights?

  Jutting my chin out, I rose to my full height and took a step forward. My eyes met his, and fear flashed briefly in his. “Get out of my sight. If I see you again I will make you wish you were never born.” This was not an idle threat. My powers were deadly and I was not afraid to use them when needed.

  Aiston backed away holding up his hands. “Have a nice life Tulupea.” He turned on his heels, quickly fading into the forest.

  Shaking, I sank back to the ground against the tree. The energy wrapped around me like a warm hug. Tears streamed down my face. I was unable to stop them even though I tried. What just happened? How had I not seen that coming? I was embarrassed and shocked. Had he been laughing at me behind my back this whole time? Belittling our relationship? I could feel my power stirring, wanting to be released, but he wasn’t worth it.

  I sat there for a long time mentally going over the last several months of our time together. I finally came to the realization that he’d been true, because if he hadn’t, I would have known he was lying. Some think faeries can’t lie. Well that’s not exactly true. We can certainly lie, but faeries have an internal lie detector. So I would have known if he’d been deceptive during our time together. Even though I was somewhat relieved by that knowledge, it also informed me what he’d just said, no matter how hurtful, was true. He was over our relationship. It shocked me that he could turn off his feelings so easily.

  The thought of being with me now disgusted him.

  It was almost comical. Here I was, the princess of all the lands and he didn’t want me because of my duty to the Queen. Obviously he never was worth my time to begin with. Aiston did not have the making of a king. I was better off without him. A large weight was lifted off my shoulders with this realization.

  Once I felt composed enough, I struggled to my feet and trudged my way back toward the castle. Thank goodness I didn’t run into anyone. I don’t think I could have handled pretending like everything was okay. Not even with my friends.

  Chapter 2

  As soon as I walked through the gated entry and padded up the cobblestone walkway, I saw two guards shaking their heads at me. “Tulupea, you know we must tell your mother when you sneak out.” I gave them an impish smile and a half-shrug. “Don’t concern yourself with it. Tonight I’ll be joining my mother and she will be able to keep tabs on me herself.”

  They exchanged a glance. Apparently this was the first they’d heard of my departure. Strange, but perhaps mother had acquired new guards for me on Earth.

  Both of them bowed lower than necessary. “You will be missed Princess.”

  “Thank you, and I will miss you as well. Hopefully I won’t be gone for too long.” I forced a smile before continuing up the long walkway. As soon as I opened the front door, my friends jumped up and screamed, “surprise,” scaring the crap out of me. Unable to help myself, I grinned from ear to ear. Screw Aiston. I wasn’t about to sulk away my last day in the realm.

  The little pixie landed on my shoulder, and her wings tickled my neck. “I hope you don’t mind. But you know we like any excuse for a party.”

  I smiled in return. “A party is exactly what I need. Thank you Twix.”

  With that she fluttered off to find some sort of mischief to get into.

  Music flooded the room. Quickly, the party was pushed outside. As fey, we didn’t like to be confined too long inside; it made us antsy and we chose to spend most of our time in nature.

  Izzy and Puddle, my two best friends, grabbed my arms and pulled me into the middle of the field. We laughed and danced for hours. The only thing missing was the Queen, my mother, on her throne clapping. It was strange to celebrate without her. I wondered if she missed our ways while on earth or if she had found a way to bring our happiness to earth.

  As soon as the sun began to set, the panic rose within me as I said goodbye to my friends. I wasn’t ready for this. I didn’t want to leave my home and my friends. The worst part was, I had no idea how long I would be gone. Decades in human time I would imagine. It didn’t seem fair. All because of my bloodline. I understood that we had to help repair earth seeing as magick was what caused its ruin, but still… why did I have to be the one? I really didn’t see how I could make much of an impact but my mother claimed I was vital to the repopulation. Hybrids. The idea made me ill. Not that I had anything against humans. But it just seemed wrong to blend our kind with theirs. Unnatural. What would my children look like? Would they even have wings? Magick? Would they be welcomed into our realm?

  After everyone was gone, the help fluttered in, cleaning up the mess.

  Slowly, I walked up the long spiral staircase to my room and glanced around one more time.

  Tears streamed down my face as I glanced around my bedroom. Even the plants drooped as if they knew I was leaving and they were sad. Before long, my mother’s words were once again in my head.

  Tulupea it is time.

  With a sad smile I reached for my pillow and held it up to my nose. It smelled of lavender and lemon. I debated briefly on bringing it with me, but instead dropped it back on the bed. I’d decided not to bring anything with me.

  I know. I’m coming.

  My life was starting over and I wanted to go with a clean slate. I’d already said good-bye to all of my friends. Some of them promised to visit me, but their words were hollow. Even though our kind and other creatures fought to restore magick to earth, now that it was done, no one wanted to leave their homes. Only those forced or paid highly were uprooting. Maybe once the land was stabilized there would be more integration. If not, all of the years of fighting were for nothing. Like my mother, I couldn’t bare for that to be true. So I would hold my head high, plaster a smile on my face, and take my place in this new world whether I liked it or not.

  With a long sigh, I sent a burst of energy to the plants in my room before I trudged down the steps, soaking in the beauty of our home. The house was much too big for just the two of us but I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

  The only family I had left was my mother. My father died years ago and I was an only child. Today I was on my way to start a new family. And it scared the daylights out of me.

  The guards waited for me at the doorway. I wanted to tell them to stay, but I knew it would be useless to argue with them. We walked in silence to the edge of our property. I could hear the spring’s water trickling. Normally it soothed me but tonigh
t I was so sad, I barely acknowledged my surroundings.

  I turned to the guards and offered them my thanks for their service to me and my mother and bid them farewell.

  Squaring off my shoulders, head held high, I walked toward the location of the portal. Every step I took filled me with dread. By the time I made it almost to the portal, it took all of my willpower not to turn around and run back home.

  As if my mother knew my thoughts, she whispered in my ear, This is your destiny child. You were born for this.

  That’s what I keep hearing, I muttered.

  Closing my eyes, I called forth the portal.

  Taking a deep breath I squeezed my eyes shut before I stepped into the wavering air. My stomach lurched as I traveled through dimensions. Even though it was mere seconds, it felt like a lifetime. A rush of air pushed me through, causing me to fall onto my knees. I waited a moment for my head to stop spinning before rising to my feet.

  My mother stood there alone to great me. Where are her guards?

  “Daughter, I’ve missed you so much.”

  She embraced me, her energy mingled with mine. I could sense her distress and also her pleasure at having me with her. Her thoughts were one big contradiction, but I didn’t bring that to light. Soon enough I would know everything I needed to.

  Glancing around, I sucked in a breath. Her mother had not exaggerated. The bright moonlight spilled onto her surroundings, casting light and shadows around her. It was in complete ruins. Buildings were torn down, or burned out, and the air was heavy, making it hard to breathe.

  “Mother …”

  She placed her arm around my shoulder and started moving us forward. “Hush, we are here to make a change, to bring mother earth back to her former glory.”

  I nodded my head and blinked back tears. The last time I’d visited this area, many moons ago, it had been alive with beauty. Now it was a mere shell of its former self.

  Coming to an abrupt stop, I dropped to my knees and placed my hands on the ground. What I felt startled me. Mother earth’s heart beat was very faint. I knew the planet was on the verge of collapsing. Closing my eyes, I sent a wave of healing energy to the center of the planet. My energy pulsed and I received a clear thank you in my head. I knew it wouldn’t last long, but at least I gave the mother a short reprieve. She was working so hard to hold the planet together.

  Rising to my feet, I wiped off my dress and gave my mother a curt nod. She was correct. This is where we needed to be. I would do everything in my power to restore this beautiful planet.

  “Mother, we did this. They didn’t want magick. Why did we have to force ourselves on them?”

  She laced her arm through mine. “You know that’s not true. We only came when called on, long after the process was set in motion. It hurts my heart but if they had just allowed magick to return instead of fighting it…” She paused lost in her own thoughts, before speaking in a hushed tone. “So many lives lost. Senseless. But it was not by our hand; we were called to repair. Faeries did not fight in the wars. It was the other creatures. They meant well, but…”

  Even though we might not have fought in the wars, we’d believed in them. We supported the take over. “I’ll do whatever I can to help. You’ll hear no more complaints from me.”

  My mother patted my hand. “I knew I could count on you. Now tell me how is our realm? What have I missed?”

  We chatted as we walked through the debris. My heart lurched at the devastation, but I kept my head held high and I kept my face impassive. I knew without a doubt we would make a difference, but I also knew it would take a lot of time and energy. I was already drained from passing through dimensions, and I’d given what was left of my energy to mother earth. I would need to sleep to replenish my reserves.

  “Mother, how many healers do we have on hand?” I asked. My mind was working overtime trying to figure out the exact time span until I could return home.

  I glanced up and saw a troubled look cross her face. “We have over a hundred but the land is just so vast. We haven’t made a lot of progress, I’m afraid.”

  Her words left me feeling bleak, but I put on a brave face and said, “Together we’ll be able to progress faster.”

  She nodded, but kept quiet the rest of the way. We walked quite a ways before my mother stopped in front of a large building. It was several stories tall and the outside was crumbling in some parts. It certainly didn’t look like anyone was living there.

  “Why are we stopping here?” I asked, unable to keep the shock from my voice.

  She didn’t bother to respond. Instead she pushed the front door open and I followed after her.

  Chapter 3

  Once we passed through the doorway I glanced around startled. The large building was not fit for a queen by a long shot. The walls were falling in, and it was filthy. I couldn’t contain my gasp. “Mother, you could’t have been living here?”

  She smiled slightly. “It’s not so bad. You get used to it quickly.”

  It was a far cry from the luxurious living arrangements I’d been used to. Unable to stop myself, I asked, “Why haven’t you had it cleaned up or built something new? With your magick it would be easy.”

  She sighed. “Because it wouldn’t be fair. I am not here as queen, I am here to help repair the planet. I’m sorry daughter, but while we are here, your linage is of no importance. We must humble ourselves, just like everyone else that is left. We are equals— it’s the only way to rebuild. I won’t have a tyranny. Magick has done enough damage.” She paused. “Now we must use our powers to restore. And once the planet is restored we will hand it back over to the humans and return to our realm.”

  Shocked, I just stared at her blankly. All my life I’d been raised as royalty, proud of our history; it would be strange to put aside my heritage. “I’m a little confused as to what you are expecting from me.”

  “As I explained to you, I’ve found a human specimen that I wish you to breed with. It’s all very experimental but the humans have very advanced technology. We were able to secure equipment from one of the government facilities. A brilliant scientist survived the wars. He’s here with us and we’ve come up with a course of action to speed up the mating process. It’s really our only hope at this point.”

  I wrapped my arms around myself and spoke in a low tone. “Mother, you really expect me to breed with someone I’ve never met?”

  Shaking her head she smiled slightly. “No my dear, I would never ask that of you. Everything will be done with DNA splicing. You will not have to be intimate with the human boy. I know it sounds strange but it’s truly miraculous. A sort of magick by science.”

  None of what she was saying made any sense, but I felt a huge sense of relief that she didn’t expect me to truly mate with another. Maybe my reputation wouldn’t be ruined after all. “Okay, well when am I going to meet this boy?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know if that is a good idea. A part of me thinks I should keep you separated. It would make it easier for you. You can be very sensitive at times.”

  I gave her a give me a break look. “What’s his name?”

  “His name is Michael.”

  “Michael? Humans have such strange names.”

  “They say the same about us.” She paused as if she was debating telling me something. “We’ll talk more later, after you’ve rested. For now, let me show you your living quarters.”

  I should have pressed her for more but I was exhausted and we’d have time to talk after I got a good night’s sleep.

  She lead me down the dark hallway to a small room; it was empty other than a narrow bed with gray covers. A candle flickered in the corner giving off an eerie glow. I could have kicked myself for leaving all of my belongings back home, especially my plants. I never dreamed the realm would look like this. “Sit down and I’ll bring you some tea.”

  My eyebrow rose. In all my years I’d never seen my mother serve tea. This new lifestyle was going to take some getting used to. She
floated out the door and I sat in stunned silence glancing around at my bleak surroundings. I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting, but it sure wasn’t this dump.

  Within moments she returned carrying a tray with a teapot I recognized from home and some kind of square biscuits. We sat down on the floor, legs crossed, and drank our tea and ate the sweet hard bread that she called a cookie.

  “When will I be able to get to work?” I asked, taking another sip of tea.

  She set her cup down, and flashed me a warm smile. “You already have as soon as you arrived. I felt the energy shift with your healing of the earth. I’m very proud of you. You were smart; you went right to the source instead of focusing on individual issues. I should have thought of that myself. Every night we will send healing energy to the great mother and during the day we will visit the humans that are left, heal them, and also work on the gardens.”

  The idea of a garden perked me up. Thank goodness. I needed to be surrounded by greenery or my soul would feel depleted. I don’t know how my mother could stand being in this drab building for so long. The first thing I was going to do was bring a few plants inside to make it easier to breathe. The air was so dense, you could practically cut it with a knife.

  I took a long hard look at my mother. Even in the candlelight I could tell she’d aged since she’d been on earth. When she’d left she was young and vibrant. Of course she was still breathtaking, but I could see lines that weren’t there before. This realm was not good for us. I really hoped we could do our work as quickly as possible and return to our homeland. I didn’t want to age quickly and I sure didn’t want to lose my mother earlier than expected.

  “Mother is it like this everywhere? Please tell me some areas are showing signs of rebirth?”

  Her gaze met mine and a slow smile spread across her face. “We have some havens were the grass grows wild and birds still sing. They are just few and far in-between.”

  A rush of relief flooded my soul. So all hope was not lost. “That’s good, I was worried.”