Door in the Garden of Shadows

by April Canavan

  Of course, it would start raining.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” The words were spoken into the onslaught of crappy weather that had decided to unleash hell on top of her head. At least she had a waterproof phone case. She deserved the rain, thinking that one of her attackers was sexy. Although technically he had saved her, so maybe it was okay to be thinking about him naked.

  When she made it back to her apartment, she was thoroughly soaked, and the cold was starting to set in. She got into a warm shower, but by the time she got out she knew that she was going to be sick. She called into work to make sure they knew she was going to be out sick for a few days. She needed a break anyways, and she settled into her lazy clothes and got ready to binge watch shows on the internet.

  By midnight, her throat was raw, her nose was running, and she felt like a freight train had run over her lungs. The show was playing in the background as she was turned away from the screen and started coughing into the pillows. She coughed until there was nothing but a gagging sound coming from her throat, and even then she still felt like acid was being poured into her mouth. Her eyes were heavy, and she could feel her heartbeat in her throat. Her arms and legs were freezing, and she curled into a ball trying to get warm. The blanket covering her was doing nothing to keep her warm, and for a minute she started to hallucinate that her marshmallow was there.

  Tyler was a giant of a man, a throwback to the ancient warriors that she had read about. His eyes were deep and full of unspoken words. She had been held against his chest like she weighed nothing more than a sack of potatoes. Still, he was a vampire, so it had to be easy for him. What she really found impressive was the fact that they hadn’t eaten her, and left her corpse rotting in an alley somewhere. It was also remarkable that he had held her in his arms and hadn’t realized what she was.

  Dante had taken her by surprise, using her weakened state to get the upper hand. However, there’s no way that he should have been able to get into her apartment in the first place. The other vampires hadn’t recognized her. She had never been introduced to them, but she should have been familiar to them, like the feeling of déjà vu. They hadn’t even placed her supernatural lineage. Something to mention to her sister next time she popped in.

  Speaking of which, she crawled off the couch and retrieved her phone from where the sofa had eaten it sometime in the hours she was hibernating in the warmth. She unlocked her phone and stared at the screen. Nothing, no missed calls or unread messages. Her life was pitiful. Opening the message application, she sent her sister a text asking her to call as soon as possible. After the swooshing sound let her know that her message had gone through, she tossed the phone onto the coffee table and curled herself back into the couch and fell asleep.

  She woke up a half a second before a pillow slammed into the si6gde of her face. Spitting, she tried to jump up, but something was sitting on her. “Oof, get off me you lard ass.” She pushed the invading person off her legs and turned on a light.

  “Why’d you go and do that? I was just trying to have a pillow fight. I’ve heard that it’s the norm for human sleepovers.” Her sister was staring up at her with humor in her eyes.

  “Do you even know what time it is? Jesus, I was trying to sleep. I feel like crap, Jess.” She hoped using her sister’s nickname would earn her some brownie points. Sniffing, she felt a cough rise up in her throat.

  “I don’t know why you’re even sick. The curse can’t have made you that human. I mean yeah, you look like shit but shouldn’t your magic keep you from dying?” The other woman stuck her nose in the air like she was a genius, although she didn’t understand a bit of what it meant to be human. She hadn’t been cursed to this ridiculous existence.

  “I didn’t text you because I have a cold, which won’t kill me by the way. I texted you because something happened I think you’ll be interested in.” Standing in front of her sister, the differences couldn’t be more evident. Jessica was taller, by more than 7 inches. Plus, she was naturally thin and waif–like, with eyes that were soft mint in color. They were exact opposites.

  With a huff, her sister sat down and pulled her onto the couch as well. She laid her head in Jessica’s lap and let her sister play with her hair just like they had done a thousand times while growing up. Jessica did that for a few minutes, and Mykah felt the illness retreat from her body. Her sister’s magic always did have a soothing effect on those it touched. The fae queen didn’t know any other way besides caring for her own. “Okay, love. Tell me what you know, and we’ll figure out how it is relevant.”

  “Well, I want you to just listen to everything before you react. It’s a pretty long story, and I know you’re going to freak out when I start telling you.” Her voice was softer than usual, knowing that Jessica did have a temper especially where vampires were concerned.

  Jessica paused for a second, her hands no longer moving while she contemplated the promise she was about to make. “Of course, you have my undivided attention while you tell me everything you know.”

  “It’s not just about what I know, but what happened to me last night. I was asleep when someone broke into my apartment. Which I didn’t even think was possible since you placed some pretty substantial protection runes. He was a vampire, and he took me to the Blood Court. They didn’t even know me, let alone recognize me as fae.” Again, Jessica stopped what she was doing. Her hand flexed letting her fingers twitched a couple of times, and she knew that her sister was struggling for composure.

  “What happened, exactly? I want every single detail.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, and the tension reflected in the energy pouring out of the queen.

  She started the story over again, going into minute detail about how Dante had taken her, how the castle was as welcoming as their own would have been, but not mentioning the fact that she had called Tyler a marshmallow. Nor did she suggest the suspicion that the royal ladies had as she was leaving. Mykah didn’t want to worry her sister. As she told her story, Jessica started to rub her head again, and the tension was almost gone by the time the story finished.

  “At least Winter had some sense in sending you home, rather than trying to keep you there.” Jessica’s words after a few minutes of silence jarred her. “But I don’t know why they wouldn’t recognize you as fae. I know you didn’t spend any time at the Blood Court with me, so that’s almost inexcusable. I see nature in you clear as day, it hasn’t abandoned you. No matter what, you’re a fae princess.”

  “That’s not all, Jess,” She said, using her sister’s nickname. “I may have flirted with one of them when I was there. Oh, and as I was leaving, I think that one of them tried to mark me so they could track me. I’m not sure though, and I know they didn’t succeed. The end is sort of fuzzy. I don’t think they know what I am, but something felt strange as I was transported back to the apartment.” She was worried, about what the future could hold, about the curse that had come to rule her life, and about the very human possibility that she could die one day. Although it should worry her that she was going to die, it didn’t. That upset her even more than anything else, the fact that she was okay with her life ending.

  “Who did you flirt with? They’re all taken.” Jessica chose to ignore the critical piece of information and go for the idle gossip, as usual. “Don’t get me wrong, I want to know about the mark as well, but I also think that it’s important that you know you can’t have any of them. Period. You’re my heir, and that means that we need to restore your bloodline and get you out of this horrid plane of existence. Every time I see you, your essence grows dimmer. Are you sure you haven’t had any luck with the puzzle?” She slung questions at Mykah quicker than anyone could possibly answer them, and she knew that her sister was just worried.

  If Jessica could ignore the relevant information in the discussion, then she could ignore the gossip. “The puzzle grows stronger every day. I feel it like a weight in my chest. I meditate for hours when I can, trying to unravel the music that holds it
in place. Every single fiber I’m able to move brings two more to its place. I’ve tried everything I can think of, and nothing works. What I really need is access to a magical library or someone with experience with this sort of power–if anyone like that exists. I don’t know what I can do until I have that access. I just know that every day it drains a little more of who I am, and what it leaves behind is unrecognizable.” She was exhausted, and so very tired of trying to keep the curse at bay.

  “Your mortality does not define who you are. It does not erase the good that you’ve done, the people that you’ve helped. It just makes the fact that you’ve done so many good things what is precious about you. You have given everything to help others, and it will pay off. You shouldn’t be punished now because you want to be selfish. Your entire life has been dedicated to our people, this curse will be lifted.” The look of determination in her sister’s eyes almost made her cry. “Have faith little sister.” Jessica grabbed her hands and squeezed them, forcing Mykah to look at her, “I love you, more than anything. We will find a way to lift the curse.”

  “I don’t care if it is lifted, Jess. I just want to live. If I’m not going to have any power, then that is what’s meant to be. I just can’t live my life half in and half out. It’s either in the magical world or in the human realm.” If her life were in the human world, then she would need to start taking care of herself as a human and eliminate the reliance on her sister’s magic.

  “Come back with me. Just for a little while.” She could practically see the wheels in her sister’s mind spinning as she spoke. “We can ask Winter for access to her tomes. She’ll want to pay her respects to my becoming queen regardless. I can ask it as a favor. She doesn’t need to know the details about the curse at all, we will call it idle curiosity. You’ve spent too much time in the human realm as it is, and I think it’s starting to change you.” Jessica stopped caressing her hair and moved Mykah into her arms. A remarkable feat, considering she was heavier than Jessica. Yet, her sister held her like she was an infant; rocking back and forth like she was afraid to let go. As she thought about what was being asked of her, she had to admit that she didn’t want her older sister to ever let go.

  Mykah missed being home, she missed the way the gardens would bloom with her mood, and how the springs would bubble when she walked by. It was her home, and if it weren’t for the curse, she would be there now. Anger and heartbreak filled her veins at the thought that someone had taken her comfort and replaced it with fear. If a human spent time in the fae land, they could never leave. If she were at home when she turned entirely human, she would never be able to return to the human realm. She would be trapped like so many mortals that the ancient ones had kidnapped and brought to the court for amusement, only to abandon them in the human realm to turn to dust after their fun had faded. She would be trapped forever, an onlooker in a court that she should preside over at her sister’s right hand. Humans could not hold a position of power contained within the fae realm. They had no control over nature, they were just there, taking up space. She would become a joke to her people, trapped forever. That is all that would become of the once mighty fae princess.

  “I can’t, Jess. I can’t be there when the change is complete. If I am…” her voice broken, she couldn’t finish the thought. Instead, she cried in the comfort of her sister’s arms. A sister who held her loved her and had always protected her. If she were in the fae realm when she lost all of her power, she would be trapped like one of the helpless souls who got caught in the Wild Hunt. She’d never be able to leave, and she’d slowly lose her mind.

  “Aren’t you listening to me? Winter has the largest collection of witchcraft knowledge and lore in the known universe. They will owe me a pledge as becoming queen. I will ask this. They cannot refuse.” Jessica was so sure, confident that she would get what she wanted. She was queen, after all.

  “I can’t let you waste that pledge on me. I’m nothing next to the power of the fae.” It hurt to say the words aloud, but they were the truth. A pledge from the Blood Court could mean life in a time of war.

  “It is my pledge to take however I will. I need you to trust me, little goddess, you are the true power of the fae. If we are not truth and love, we are nothing. It doesn’t matter if we feed on chaos and destruction. Your purity keeps our land green, our mines full, and our waters pure. Do not doubt my words, for they are that of your queen. Now prepare to leave for court. We haven’t much time. Especially if the wards have failed, it will mean that we are needed at home. While you pack, you can tell me about your flirting with the enemy.” Jessica deposited her onto the floor like she would a child. She was left feeling bereft; the touch of a loved one was a drug to the fae. Just touching one another would bring joined power, and it was the reason she had enjoyed being handled by the marshmallow.

  “It was the tall one with tattoos.” She didn’t want to say anymore, but the look on her sister’s face told her that there was no way to avoid the conversation.

  Jessica grunted, “They all have tattoos. I don’t know why they ink their skin so.” With that, she looked down at her own skin. Jessica had the dew colored skin that was common with the fae. Mykah, however, was sun–kissed from spending so much time out of court, playing with the animals when they were children.

  “He had golden eyes, and he smelled like pine. He reminded me of home, Jess.” She paused while remembering the sensation of being in his arms. “Tyler, that’s what his name is.” She was packing a chest with her belongings, tossing them into it while she spoke. Everything that she was taking was durable, and most of it was the clothes she had accumulated in the human realm. If she had been looking at her sister, she would have seen the look of horror that came to her face.

  “Oh little goddess, you’re talking about the warrior. He’s the worst of them all. You cannot search him out. Promise me.” The fae queen looked frightened or scared that Mykah’s marshmallow was going to cause her pain.

  “Don’t fret–he’s not going to hurt me. He thinks I’m human and doesn’t want to waste his time with me. You don’t understand how scared I was Jessica. I acted no better than a mortal. I thought I was going to die, and he’s the one that saved me. All I am is thankful.” She was lying to her sister, that much was true. “Leave it at that.” She didn’t care what Jessica thought, he was her marshmallow.

  “I wish that I could believe you…but I know that look. I haven’t seen it in a long time and never on your face. Yet, I know exactly what it means. Don’t you dare go all Romeo and Juliet on me because I won’t refuse a love match if it comes to it. You don’t love him, you don’t even know him. Nor do you know anything about the evil he has done and is capable of. Promise me you will not search him out.”

  “I promise. I give you my word as a fading fae princess that I will not seek him out. I will not have anyone endure the pain of being with me while I lose my immortal being.” She really wanted nothing more than to get over the cold that was making her sniffle and to get rid of nausea she felt rising up in her throat. She threw the last of her clothes into the trunk lying on the floor in her room. Made of solid oak and enchanted, its twin was placed in her chambers at home. She touched her palm to the surface of the chest, and it immediately heated up and then folded in on itself until it disappeared. Only one trunk was able to be used at a time, and she just wanted to have it available at home. Everything else here was expendable. Electronics would be useless at court, and she had no need of appliances or furniture.

  “Okay then, let’s go home.” With a smile, Jess took her hand, and the space around them began to shimmer.

  “No better way to travel than with a fae.” Lacing her fingers with her sisters, she prepared for the misty journey.

  Traveling with and by fae magic would be remarkable for any being, but especially those who could feel the power enough to know what was happening. Nature itself was moving and transporting them. Wind and water combined to soak up their bodies, their essence traveling an
d being kept warm by the fire all around. The earth itself would swallow any excess energy left behind. Moving as fae through the realms let them be one with nature, and it had been so long since Mykah had felt connected to nature in any way. Becoming human was destroying the magical essence that made her unique, and she couldn’t even bring herself to want to fight it.

  As they rematerialized, the water slid from their skin and the air filling their lungs was sweet with the hint of honeysuckle. The earth parted for their feet, holding them steady as the process completed itself. Finally, the fire within their bodies warmed their cold joints giving them the ability to move again.

  Mykah felt the pain tug at her heartstrings, her inability to ask the trees or the water in the valley they had materialized in for a favor. They were reaching toward her, asking for the release of magic that would breathe life into their veins. She wanted to, more than anything, but there was no magic to give them. She silently apologized and hoped that they would understand. She felt the tears start to fall, but she held her head high and walked through the valley. If she had looked back, she would have seen a bloom with every tear that fell. If she had looked again, she would have seen the magic in the air. But she didn’t. Jessica did, though and with a smile, she turned to follow her sister.

  The valley was actually more of an entryway to their court, which could be found by only magical beings. A fae mound, familiar in mythology, was necessary to move from the human realm to the magical ones. It wasn’t that they lived in holes, just that they wanted to have extra security like that provided by the doors that were fae mounds. Mortals could only travel to the land of the fae during certain times of the year. Since she was technically a fae princess for a little while longer though, she could travel freely through them. Jessica caught up with her and grasped her hand.