Poppy (The Deadly Flowers Series)

by Riana Lucas

  The figure, which I now realize is a man, tries to struggle out of my grip but soon realizes that I am stronger. He gives up and falls back to the ground looking up at me. My eyes have adjusted fully to the dark and I am now able to see him clearly. His eyes are locked with mine and he too can see clearly.

  The Halfling is practically sneering at me. “Get. Off. Me.” He demands slowly and threateningly, which I find rather funny considering I am the one with a dagger at his throat.

  “What are you doing back here?” I demand instead, giving him a small shove to show that I am the one with the advantage here, not him.

  He ignores my question and not so subtle warning, “I said get off me!” He surges his upper body up which catches me off balance and I stumble backwards, falling on my butt.

  I quickly recover and jump back to my feet. I automatically crouch back into my battle stance, both daggers drawn, breath labored, awaiting an attack. It does not come. The Halfling is just standing there staring at me, with a look of disgust on his face. His eyes are narrowed and his lip is pulled up on one side in a sneer, his feet are braced apart and his hands are fisted resting at his sides. He is breathing heavily as well.

  After a few seconds of looking at each other he finally demands, “What is wrong with you? Why did you attack me?”

  “Why are you here in this alley, sneaking up on me?” I fire back at him.

  “I wasn’t sneaking up on you. I was looking for you. You took off so fast I couldn’t keep up. I’ve been looking for you for over an hour. I thought something was wrong,” he spits out quickly, looking more angry than concerned.

  “I do not need you to look for me and I most definitely would not need your help if something was wrong. You are a Halfling. You can be of no help to me. You just proved that by almost getting yourself killed.” I spit back at him just as quickly. I have never needed help and the idea of a Halfling trying to help is simply ridiculous.

  “You have some major problems lady, you know that?” He takes a deep breath and finally relaxes his posture. Seeing him loosen up, I allow myself to let my guard down as well. He looks around, seeming to take note of his surroundings for the first time. He lets out a self conscious laugh and I slowly see him returning to his carefree personality.

  “My only problem is you,” I answer him. I tilt my head and study him for a moment while he is looking around. I am a little thrown by his sudden change in personality.

  “Oh, yeah? Well then why did you take off like a bullet earlier? It looked to me like you may have some sort of other problem now.” He replies smugly and then winks at me again.

  I am still confused as to how he can shift from such anger to playfulness so quickly. I take a breath. Great. Now, not only do I have the problem of figuring out how to get both of us back to Faery Land, but now I have to deal with a mentally unstable Halfling.

  As I open my mouth to tell him that my problems are of no concern to him, I hear another noise. Both of us turn our heads at the same time, peering into the alley. It is completely dark now, but my eyes and ears are well adjusted. I can make out another figure at the other end of the alley. It is standing there staring at both of us. I see its left hand move back over its right shoulder and pull something back to its front. This is when I notice the bow in its right hand. As the figure places the arrow in the bow I grip my dagger and get ready to throw it.

  Before I can make my move, the Halfling slams me to the ground and covers my body with his own. I see the arrow fly over our bodies. It was typical human behavior, over-reacting like that but it does not help the new anger that swells inside of me. I could have had the intruder if he would not have interfered. I shove the Halfling off of me and we both quickly get to our feet. I look down the alley, but the figure is gone now. I turn my body so my back is to the wall and I can see both ends of the alley at the same time. I spot the arrow sticking out of the dumpster that is against the other wall. I take note that the arrow appears to be Faery made.

  Before I can do anything more, the Halfling grabs my hand and pulls me toward the street. I yank his hand back toward me, forcing him to stumble back into the alley. “What do you think you are doing?” I demand, seething mad at this point. I struggle to keep my composure, but I can feel my fingernails sharpening. My body is preparing for a fight.

  I know he can see my anger but for some reason it does not faze him. He tugs on my hand once again, but speaks at the same time. “Come on. We need to get out of here. I don’t know what’s going on, but being in this alley is probably not a good idea right now. We need to get some place safe and figure out who that was and what’s going on. Then you can be mad at me and yell if you want. I don’t really care as long as we aren’t dead.”

  Admitting that he is right is not something I wish to do so I shake my hand loose but continue to follow after him. As I follow after the Halfling, running at a slower pace than I would like but understanding the need to keep attention from us, I begin to think of what to do next. I need to find a way to contact Damien and a way to open a portal to Faery Land. I need to get home and get rid of the Halfling. As if that was not enough, now it seemed I would also need to figure out who was trying to kill me and keep them from succeeding.

  When we finally stop running, we are standing outside of a small beach front home. The house looks more like a cottage. It is a small white house with light blue trim. There is a porch that spans the entire front of the house and has two aged rocking chairs, both angled toward each other with a small wooden table in between. The windows have storm shutters on either side that are the same light blue as the rest of the trim. There is a cobblestone walkway that leads from the sidewalk up to the steps of the porch. The walkway along with the porch is lined with a variety of colorful flowers. Even though the house is located on the beach, it has luscious green grass and it looks truly inviting. It is the first time I have noticed anything green all day and I have the sudden urge to take my shoes off and feel the silky blades between my toes.

  The Halfling glances back at me quickly then turns to start walking up the pathway. “Come on.” He says gruffly over his shoulder.

  I follow him up the steps and into the house. “Is this your house?” I ask, knowing it is but wanting confirmation.

  “Yeah, I live here with my mom. She’s at work right now so we have some time to talk.” He pushes the door closed behind us and I take a second to look around. The air smells nice and clean with a hint of citrus. There is a small sitting room to the right with worn but nice furniture and to the left is a rather large open kitchen. Straight ahead is a hall that I assume leads to the bedrooms and bathroom. The rooms are clean and organized. There are pictures of the Halfling and, whom I assume is his mother, all over the walls and on tables and stands. They appear to span from birth to present day.

  The Halfling makes his way into the kitchen and I follow. He gestures to the kitchen table, “Have a seat. Do you want anything to eat or drink?”

  “No I am fine. Thank you.” I answer, still taking in my new surroundings. He does not offer any information and I do not ask any questions. Being aware of my surroundings is vital to my survival, but personal information is unnecessary and unwanted.

  “Okay. Let me know if you change your mind.” He pulls out a glass from the top cabinet and places it on the counter. Then he pulls out a green water pitcher from the refrigerator and pours clear liquid into his glass.

  “What are you drinking?” I ask suspiciously. I am almost sure I know what he is drinking, but I am still surprised when he confirms.

  “Sugar water.” He replies while putting the water pitcher away. The easy way he states this lets me know that it is a common beverage for him. This fact raises my curiosity about the Halfling. I know what I told him about his parents and that his mom would know this day was coming, but that was just a guess. The truth is, most Fae have no interaction with their Halfling children. They are raised completely by their human parents and do not usually maintain Fae h
abits in their daily lives.

  “Do you not find that odd? That you drink sugar water?” I try to ask nonchalantly, not wanting him aware of how odd this really is. The Fae drink sugar water. “Most humans do not drink things like that, am I correct?”

  He shrugs and takes a drink before answering, “I guess so, but I don’t really care much about what other people think. I like it, so I drink it. My mom has made it for me as long as I can remember. I never really thought that it was that odd.” He smiles and says “Besides, it’s really good.”

  As he drinks from his glass, my mind begins to work. It is very odd that his mother makes sugar water for him. I cannot imagine any human thinking that would be healthy for their child to consume daily. As much as I hate to admit it, this mission is proving to be different from the others and this Halfling is proving to be more interesting than any of the others.

  I am pulled from my thoughts when the Halfling finishes his drink and places the empty glass into the sink. He turns back to me with a grin, slaps his hands together, and gives me a sly look. “So… who do you think just tried to kill you?” He asks this almost excitedly and again I find myself curious at his easy going attitude.

  He seems to show a lack of anger or fear toward me, but he clearly does not believe all that I have told him either. He seems almost cheerful most of the time. This Halfling is rather strange.

  Right now that is not important, his question, however is. I do not like problems and now I have not one, but two. Getting this Halfling back to Faery Land is going to be a big enough problem as it is, but doing this while running from what appears to be an assassin will definitely complicate my problems.

  “I am not sure. I need to send a message to Damien. He may be able to find out from the King. I also need to let him know about the portals, if he is not already aware. I should probably check to see if all portals are closed or if only the ones between worlds are. If someone is hunting me, I will need to be able to move quickly.” I rise from my seat at the table and begin to pace when I answer, although I am speaking more to myself than to the Halfling.

  “Who is Damien? Your boyfriend?” his voice is teasing like a small child when he asks. It is rather annoying.

  “No, Halfling. Damien is my guardian and trainer. He is also second in command to the King.” I stop my pacing to stare at him. The absurdity of the question has caught me off guard but I still manage to answer smoothly.

  “Oh…so how do we contact this Damien guy?” He asks. I notice a small crease that forms above the bridge of his nose, as if he is already thinking of ways to accomplish this. I believe he actually would like to help but I do not have time for a question and answer session with this Halfling. I am only here to return him to Faery Land.

  “We do not contact him. I will send him a message using a blue chalcedony amulet. Once I send it, there should only be a few minutes before I receive a response.” I feel confident that Damien will be able to get a message back to me with at least some idea of who this assassin is and a way to try and get home, before the night is over. My suspicions lead me to believe it is someone sent from the Seelie Court. Because the Queen has gained control of the portals, she would be able to open and close them at will. Allowing her to send in her hunters after me. Why she would do this though, is another question all together.

  “What is that and why can’t you just call him? I do have a phone you know.” He tips his head toward the telephone on the counter beside where I am standing.

  “Do you really think a human phone line would span across worlds? A blue chalcedony amulet allows the Fae to transmit messages through the worlds. It is actually not used very often because we can usually just open a portal and go to the one we are attempting to reach. However, due to the circumstances, I will need to use it.” I am glad that I placed it in my satchel, even though I had hoped it would not be needed.

  “And what exactly would the circumstances be? Why can’t you just open up the portal or whatever?” He crosses his arms over his chest waiting patiently for an answer.

  I let out a sigh of frustration. “I am afraid I do not know the answer to that question. This has never happened before. The Seelie Queen has found a way to keep the portals between worlds closed. This also means she has gained more power over our Court than should be allowed. I did not think she would be able to do this. Neither did Damien.” I did not dare mention that Damien may be worried about me, because that would be completely false. He knows my capabilities and knows I would be able to survive until the end of time in the Human World if need be, I just would not want to. Rho, on the other hand, may have her pink hair twisted in knots if I am not back by the time I said I would be.

  “I still don’t understand. Is that why you took off the way you did? Why you kicked the crap out of me when I found you?” he is smiling, even though he just remembered the pain I inflicted on him. Humans are usually carefree beings, but he is acting like he almost does not even understand the seriousness of the situation and finds it all entertaining.

  “I was ordered here by the King to bring you home. With the portals closed, I am unable to complete my mission, therefore breaking my vow to the King.” I tell him.

  Shrugging off the comment the Halfling counters, “Yeah, but I’m sure the King would understand. There isn’t really any way around it. It’s not like you did it on purpose.”

  “First of all, when a Fae agrees to something, it is binding. Failure to complete that vow is punishable by death. There are no explanations or excuses accepted. You either honor your vow or you do not. I do not wish to break my vow. Second, the portal being closed means I am stuck in this horrid place. And third, I seem to have someone or something trying to kill me.” I look him in the eyes hoping he will see the severity of the situation I am in.

  Another kind of realization flashes in his eye. “Wait a minute. Am I bound to those same rules, even though I am half human?”

  “Yes” I tell him bluntly.

  He seems to be thinking about something and his smile fades a little. I find myself enjoying the puzzlement on his face, not for its beauty, but for the fact that he seems to be grasping a clue about our situation. “Earlier today, when you threw my name out there with all that Faery mojo, d-did I make a vow then?”

  “Yes, you did.” I tell him.

  “So now I have no choice but to go with you or to die?” His earlier carefree demeanor is starting to slip and I see anger starting to set in.

  “Yes, it is true. But even if you did not make a vow, you would have ended up in Faery anyway. It is what the King desires.” I do not know why I just tried to soften the blow for him, but so help me I did.

  He throws his hands in the air and turns his back to me. “But that’s not fair. I didn’t know. I was just trying to shut you up so you could answer more of my questions.” He turns to face me again shooting an accusatory look at me, “You tricked me.”

  “It is not my problem that you were raised by humans and are not familiar with the ways of the Fae. It is my job to see to it that you follow me to the Unseelie Court. However, I will use whatever means possible to see that you do, even if that means tricking you. I am bound by my vow to the King and my life is more important than your feelings.”

  I can see that what I said is really getting to him and his earlier smile is now nonexistent. I am surprised when he comes close to my face to speak. “Who says, huh? Tell me why you are so important and I am not? As far as I can tell, your King sent you on a suicide mission that you couldn’t return from through your precious portals and left you out in the open for an assassin attack. All for what? To get ME. So who says I’m not important?” He does not raise his voice and somehow he manages to return that small smile to his face, seeming as if the conversation is not as serious as it is. But his point is clear and admittedly, it stings a little. It also raises another question. Why is he so important? Now is not the time to try and figure this out.

  “Clearly, we are finished having a reas
onable conversation here,” I say as I turn toward the back of the house. “Now, I need to prepare to contact Damien. Could you please show me the way to your backyard so that I may have privacy?”

  The Halfling lets out a deep breath but does not say anything further and maintains his smiling face. It is almost as if he would rather people think he is happy than to allow his true feelings to be revealed. This is rather odd behavior for an Unseelie Fae, even if he is half human.

  I follow the Halfling down the hall to another large room that is at the back of the house. There is more furniture and framed photos along with a television. This room looks more casual and used. There are glass doors at the back of the room that lead out to the small backyard which overlooks the beach.

  The view is beautiful. The yard is lush with grass, flowers, and small fruit trees. It does not exactly fit into the beach scene, but somehow looks natural and very inviting. I walk around the yard, closing my eyes and concentrating on what I feel. I want to find a spot where my magic feels strongest. This will help the amulet work best and hopefully carry my message to Damien quicker.

  I find a place next to an orange tree and sit with my legs crossed. I reach into my satchel and retrieve the amulet. I sit with my hands relaxed in my lap, the blue chalcedony amulet resting loosely in my fingers. I sit quietly, becoming one with nature. I imagine a pure white light surrounding me and breathe deeply, becoming aware of the sensory pleasures around me; the sound of the ocean, the scent of wildflowers, the touch of bark against my back. I close my eyes, and let thoughts and images of Damien come to me. I think about the message I want to send him and the questions that I need answered. I place the amulet close to my lips and blow softly, sending my message to Damien.

  When I am finished I slowly come back to reality. Becoming aware once again of the sounds and smells that surround me. I imagine the light fading and my magic along with it. I place the amulet back in my satchel and bury my hands in the grass on either side of me. I stretch my legs out and turn my face up to the sky. I breathe softly until all of my magic has receded and I am able to focus again on the reality around me.