Faire Eve

by Catherine Stovall

  “Clarisse has stripped the child of all belief in anything not created in the human world. I don’t know if she could even make the crossing into Evalon without being bound to one of us first.”

  To enter Evalon through one of the gates, a half-human would either need to know how to activate the portal or have a member of the fey willing to open it for them. On occasion, an unsuspecting halfling tumbled through. Their half-fey hearts pulled them unknowingly home.

  Pure humans, however, could not cross the boundaries between Upper World and Under World without being bound to someone with pure intention. The act took great care and the binding ceremony linked the human to the fey forever. Attempting to force a human through the gate could kill them or leave them a mind-shattered shell.

  The difficulty of the crossing was part of the original design to deter goblins, hobgoblins, and awd googies from kidnapping unsuspecting victims. The creatures fed on the bones, blood, flesh, and fear of their human captives. The Sidhe attempted to limit the instances as much as possible. If a human managed to crossover alone and foolishly stumble into the lairs of one of the beings, the Sidhe did not take action. They would not allow any of the fey to steal innocent people but to interfere with nature was out of the question. Eldon feared Eve would be unable to cross.

  The discussion turned heated when the council learned Eve's mind completely cut her off from her magic. Voices, normally quiet and lyrical, became raised and harsh. Bauchan of the Buggane, a powerful figure among the warlike fey such as the Valkyrie and the Muirs, interjected with a deep and solemn voice. “If the child cannot be awakened, we must try other means.”

  Everyone knew by other means Bauchan meant the fey should kidnap Eve and bring her back against her will. “She is no good to us in the human world. We are saved if she survives the crossover. These dangerous times call for necessary evils.”

  The room instantly divided. The council sat evenly matched. Felian of the Abatawa, Aine of the Dann O’Shee, Lochin of the Feeorin, Angst of the Ferrishyn, and Kubera of the Yakshans stood against Bauchan. Orid of the Rakshasas, Vena of the Valkyrie, Otrava of the Muirs, and Golem of the Ly Erg stood with Bauchan. As in most things of great importance, Corrigan would cast the final vote.

  Corrigan was gentle and a great supporter of the fey outreach program for helping disadvantage human youth, also known as the Seelie Court. However, one human life in comparison to the lives of every fairy in existence, did not weigh heavily. Eldon sat quietly in the ranks of the powerful beings but couldn’t hide his interest. Leaning forward in his chair, he awaited Corrigan’s answer.

  After a long moment, Corrigan stood from her chair at the head of the council table. The light shining through the window behind her enveloped her white blond hair in a purple halo. Eldon always loved the way Corrigan looked in the odd light of Trig Na nOg’s eternal dusk.

  The same forever twilight always hung in the sky of Evalon’s capital city. Each landscape of Evalon had its own design and atmosphere. Some of the lands were dark landscapes with constant night skies. Others were light landscapes in a permanent state of day. Still, others stayed in perpetual dawn, the sun always hovering just on the edge of the rise. Skies of fiery red, glaring pink, and effervescent green hung over the lands of Under World. In all of Evalon, only Trig Na nOg stayed the dusky color of twilight with the very first evening star hanging like a promise in the sky.

  Corrigan smiled, and when she gave her answer to their problems, the whole room fell into a hushed suspense. “We have till the last night of Beltane to bring the girl, a fairy child I might remind you, home to Evalon to take her throne in our great city of Trig Na nOg. I daresay, I want no ruler who is dragged to her place by sheer force in this house of magic and beauty. Her injured mind and soul would certainly twist the very fabric of Evalon. Though it may be the final action we must take to save ourselves, it is not one I shall agree upon lightly.”

  Only Bauchan was unwise enough to interrupt the great lady. “Corrigan, what will you have us do? Will you let more and more of our people fall into the cold sleep and let our worlds turn to dust before you act?” The anger in his voice echoed off the walls and fell on deafened ears.

  “Bauchan, you are no warrior here in this house. You shall not speak to me of having those I love laid to waste by the cold sleep.” Corrigan’s eyes turned to steel and even the mighty Bauchan saw his error and returned to his seat to glower at the rest of the council, daring one of them to laugh at his disgrace.

  “My council.” Corrigan emphasized her leadership of the group to remind them of her place. Without the King and Queen, she was the only person granted to make such decisions. The entire fate of Evalon rested upon her. She gathered the group of beings in front of her as a good will gesture. She chose the democratic way of solving the great catastrophe in order to comfort the people.

  “Faire Eve must acknowledge her magic or be bound to one of us in order to cross through the gates into Evalon. We have a soldier here who is sick with his failure. I am sure he would like a chance to redeem himself to his people, to himself, and to Evalon.”

  Corrigan’s eyes glinted with humor as she spoke of Eldon and he grew uncomfortable. The woman was a wise leader but he wasn’t too fond of the way she looked at him.

  “Corrigan, what is it that you have in mind? I’m weary from my travels and I do not mean to disrespect you, but I have no mind for your riddles right now.”

  Corrigan never moved but a loud clap and a red welt in the shape of a hand appeared on Eldon’s face.

  “Child, you take lessons from Bauchan in how to speak to me and you may not like the consequences.” Her voice was full of power and the mark on his cheek stung. Eldon understood most of the spectacle was a charade to show the others she was in control. Corrigan loved Eldon as a mother might love a son and she would never truly harm him.

  Knowing his place, Eldon bowed his head and murmured in a contrite tone, “I’m sorry, Corrigan. Forgive my brashness.”

  Continuing as if the entire incident had not occurred, Corrigan continued to explain her plan. “Eldon will take rest and sustenance tonight and return to the upper world tomorrow. He will find a way to either awaken Eve or bind her to him within the next six days. If he is unsuccessful, Bauchan and his people will travel to Upper World on the night of the sixth day and bring Faire Eve by force.”

  The council gasped and whispers of conversation began immediately. Eldon was too shocked to respond. The idea of being bound to some spoiled teenage halfling raised in the human world turned his stomach. Only his training as a soldier, and the smart reminder on his cheek that Corrigan was in no mood to argue, kept him silent in his chair.

  Corrigan raised her voice over the streams of conversation flooding through the room. “No one other than Eldon and his chosen quest mates may approach Eve until I give the final order. Bauchan let me remind you, if the time comes you must force Eve to come to Evalon, you will do it in the gentlest nature possible. Our lives depend on hers and if you are foolish, all will be lost. Please return to your homes and allow me time with Eldon.”

  4

  Eve watched, filled with anticipation, as the outline of the skyscrapers came into view in the early morning hours. She underwent a complete change of mind about her trip to New York. What started out as wicked refusal, tempered into grudging approval, and ended as absolute elation. Tucked into the backseat of the car with the windows up and the radio on, she never heard the cry of the water nymphs beckoning to her. The Bay was full of nymphs, Lady of the Lakes, and other water fairies. They all felt Eve’s entrance to their area keenly. The entire fairy race impatiently waited for the halfling child to take her place in Trig Na nOg.

  While her mother and father checked in at the front desk of the New Yorker Hotel, Eve plopped down into a chair and tilted her head back to admire the huge glistening chandelier. She felt exhaustion creep across her mind and body. The excitement had kept her up late and her father’s cheerful wake up greeting
had come at three am.

  Soft music played from hidden speakers and the warm glow of the chandelier lulled her into a hazy dreamlike state. Her eyes were still open, but the world inside the lobby took on a distant glimmering edge. Eve wanted nothing more than to drift off to sleep.

  In the distance, it seemed Eve could hear a woman walking heavily back and forth on the marble floors. The loud clapping of her heels echoed inside Eve’s suddenly aching head like gunshots. When she turned around to glare at the culprit, a sense of shock filled Eve.

  The lobby was the same as when they had entered into its warmth from the cool May morning moments before. Everything was normal, except there was no woman in high heels. To Eve’s utter amazement, in the center of the lobby, only four feet away from the chair where she sat, a female centaur stood. The centauress pawed restlessly at the marble beneath her hooves with a look of malice upon her face.

  Eve froze. Part of her wanted to scream out for her mother and another part of her wanted to laugh with joy. She had no idea what to do. Both choices seemed perfectly rational reactions. At last, the centauress crossed her right arm in front of her chest, making a fist over her heart, and bowed to Eve. Her voice was warm despite the anger, or was it determination, in her face. “Faire Eve you need to awaken.” Then she turned and walked out the automatic doors.

  Eve had enough time to note the female centaur’s hair was the exact white blonde as her tail before her mother’s voice shattered the glittery world she found herself lost in.

  “Eve, Eve, Eve. Come on. Are you okay?” Her mother sounded concerned.

  Eve blinked several times and looked around her. She couldn’t believe no one else in the lobby had seen the half-horse half-woman who had spoken to her. She rationalized with herself for a second. Of course, no one else would see the centaur. The creature couldn't possibly be real. Mythological creatures did not hang out in the lobby of New York hotels.

  Eve laughed until tears came to her eyes, all the while her parents stared at her as if she were crazy. Their peculiar expressions only made her laugh harder. Collapsing back into the chair and holding her sides, Eve finally gulped enough air to explain her hysteria.

  “I’m okay. I’m sorry. I fell asleep and I dreamed a woman centaur was standing right in the lobby telling me I need to wake up. When I did wake up for real, I didn’t realize right away that I was dreaming. It seemed real. I was trying to figure out why no one was freaking out over the centaur chick in the lobby of the New Yorker Hotel.” Eve fell into another fit of laughter.

  She giggled quite a bit until she realized neither of her parents seemed amused. “Oh, I was dreaming. I didn’t really believe I saw a centaur. I said that, right?”

  Clarisse tried to smile and gave a forced laugh. “Of course you did, honey. We don’t think you’re crazy. I’m a little concerned you may not have gotten enough rest. Are you sure you are okay?”

  As usual, her mother deflated the hilarity out of the moment with overprotective concern. Raking her hand through her hair, Eve ducked her head. “I’m okay, Mom. I thought it was funny.”

  Her father, king of the distraction, pointed out how drastically the interior of the lobby had changed. “Remember the green, gold, and red carpet Clarisse? Why they ever put carpet over the beautiful marble, I will never know.”

  “Oh Richard, I will never get you out of architect mode.” Clarisse said the words kindly. She loved the fact that her husband designed and oversaw the creation of such lovely homes and businesses. It always struck Eve as strange that her parents were compatible when they had many differences.

  Her father was calm by nature, artistic to his bones, and generally accepted everything with a quiet strength. Perhaps the most daring or outlandish thing he ever did was being thrown out of the hotel in an effort to gain her mother’s hand in marriage.

  Her mother, on the other hand, was a bit highstrung. Her taste was impeccable in almost everything but she could not create anything of her own. Her life was neither fun nor interesting and she preferred it not to change. The yearly excursion to New York was the only time she let go of the reins a bit.

  Together, they made the perfect couple. They rarely argued and when they did, it was only over important matters. Their voices became sharp during the discussions but never rose. The debates never lasted and their love always conquered whatever obstacles came their way.

  Their parenting styles were worlds apart. Eve’s father was of the school that children should learn from experience. Her mother believed children were precious and guarding them with a close eye and strict rules was necessary. Yet, they managed to work together to combine the two and Eve figured she was turning out okay.

  On the way to the room, her parents talked about the fateful day when Clarice’s parents had separated them. They talked about the staff, the color schemes, Eve’s grandparents, and all sorts of nonsense. Their eyes misted over and they stared at each other, love reflecting in their gazes.

  Eve kept mostly quiet, only chiming in occasionally with a silly remark to make her parents laugh. She loved the way their voices melded together when they laughed at some shared joke. Like everything else about them, their voices were polar opposites. Her mother’s was a soft alto and her father’s was a deep bass. Together, they reminded Eve of a flute playing gently over the beat of a bass drum.

  The room was beautiful. The New Yorker Hotel no longer had double suits and Eve expected to be sharing a room with her parents. Not her idea of wonderful, but the beds were sure to be sublimely comfortable. The extra luxury of Wi-Fi, breakfast in the Sky lounge, and a flat screen TV with HBO was enough to make hanging out in the room with her ‘rents completely bearable.

  While her mother freshened up and her dad checked out the sports channels, Eve decided to grab a nap. She knew they had a long day ahead of them. She wanted to rest for their outing later in the afternoon and after the strange dream, she was beginning to wonder if her mother was right to worry about her lack of sleep.

  In her dreams, Eve wandered through a beautiful forest filled with oversized plants of every kind. The moss on the forest floor was green and thick, resembling velvet carpet. It felt cold and spongy against Eve’s bare feet. The Guelder roses grew impossibly large and their stems shot a foot over Eve’s head. The wheel-like blooms hung down and the snowy white flowers brushed against her face. The flowers, typically small and delicate, were the size of grapefruit. As the wind shifted, the thin petals shivered as if coming to life.

  Near the base of a tree, at least eight feet in diameter, a Lady Fern grew. Each lace green leaf sloped down from its center and stretched out nearly as wide as the tree trunk. Eve had the most absurd desire to lie down upon one of the leaves and use it as a hammock. The warm sun, peeking through the vast foliage above, coaxed her closer to the fern and the idea of a nap upon its bowers.

  The canopy grew denser and the sunlight only hovered sporadically in bright patches, as it fought its way through the tangle of giant trees and enormous leaves. In front of her, Eve could see a gathering of gigantic orange mushrooms. The familiar memory of the day in her backyard flooded her mind. Eve pushed it away quickly. The mushrooms were not round, white, bulbous pretties.

  The fungi were strange in many ways. Their large russet-orange tops curved to form upside down canopies the size of real umbrellas. The large orange stalks stood three or four foot high and were as big around as Eve herself. They seemed both fragile and strong.

  The only similarity was the mushrooms grew in the same circle as the ones Eve had seen as a little girl. The mushrooms stood with enough space between them for her to walk through without touching. She felt no fear or hesitation. Her mother wasn’t worrying or hovering near enough to yank her from the center of their protective stance. Eve felt drawn into the nucleus of the circle by a power far beyond her.

  Standing within the circle, dappled in warm sun, she could see their underneath sides were as white as snow. She reached out to stroke the trunk of the
nearest fungus when a voice startled her.

  “I wouldn’t do that Faire Eve. The chichitake mushroom is a fragile thing. Each place you touch will scar and bruise the precious life within. The orange you see will turn brown and rot away.”

  Frightened by the voice, Eve jerked her hand away from the mushroom and she felt a stab of guilt for nearly destroying such fathomless beauty. Looking around her, Eve could not pinpoint where the voice came from. She called out in to the forest, “Who are you?” Then softer, “Where are you?” Her voice sounded small and helpless as it fell on her own ears.

  “I am Bakezōri of the Baku and I am only beyond what you will not let yourself see.” The deep voice spoke quietly and though Eve’s confusion thickened, her fear began to shrink. Surely, if she were in danger the voice wouldn’t sound benevolent.

  “I don’t understand. What do you mean when you say what I won’t let myself see?” Eve peered into the dim forest between the mushroom stems. What she thought of, at first, as magical and peaceful, quickly became frightening and solitary.

  The melodic voice seemed to be coming from everywhere, even inside her own head. “I mean, you are keeping yourself from seeing me, Faire Eve. Your mother taught you long ago to ignore the fey and the magic they bring to the world. Lift those blinders from your eyes and you shall see them for what they are.”

  “I don’t understand. What are the fey? There’s no such thing as real magic. Surely, you know this.” Eve chided the invisible voice. She was trying to keep the owner of the mysterious voice talking in order to pinpoint his location. If she were going to have to run for her life, she wanted to know in which direction she needed to flee beforehand.

  The eerie laughter echoed through the forest. The only other sound was the protest of some nearby Warblers as they took flight, startled by the booming sound. After a moment’s pause, the voice spoke again. “Magic is certainly real. As for the fey, you will know them soon enough. They are the protectors of the magic and it is in one of their places you stand.”