by WB McKay
"Phoebe, Ava!" I shouted, pulling with all my might against the weight of earth pinning my legs. "Wake up! We've gotta go!"
They were completely unresponsive. I doubted they could hear me with their ears covered in muck. Only their faces and a bit of their chests remained uncovered. They looked happy. Perfectly, stupidly, happy. I had to do something. Panic filled my chest, threatening to overwhelm me. My body longed to push the fear away from myself and out through my aura. It was a defense mechanism that I'd trained hard to get under control.
Then I realized it was exactly what I needed.
The reason we had fallen prey to whatever monster lurked in this field was because we'd lost our fear. I took a deep breath and mentally grabbed my fear magic. All my life, it had been a blunt instrument at best, beating everyone within the magic's radius with terror, evenly spread out around me. It had always been a particularly risky magic to use because I couldn't control the reactions people had. Everybody responded somewhere on the spectrum of fight or flight. I could control, in limited capacity, how much fear I pushed out. The Fleece changed things. I realized that I could understand how much fear was the right amount to trigger a flight response in my two companions. It was different for both of them.
With a supreme effort, I directed the exact amount of fear I needed to both Phoebe and Ava in two different, controlled funnels. It took all of my concentration, but their eyes popped open and they began to struggle. I even directed a little of my own fear toward myself to give me a boost of adrenaline that helped me pull my legs free. I jumped up to help the others.
Whatever beast lurked below the earth must have noticed its meal was escaping because the ground lurched like there had been a powerful earthquake. My legs sank back in up to the knees while I struggled to pull Ava and Phoebe to their feet.
"Phoebe, vines!" I shouted.
Her eyes, wild with the terror I'd directed at her, focused on me for a beat before she nodded.
Vines slithered from the forest and wrapped around our bodies. Rather than crushing, they gripped us firmly and pulled us in the direction of safety. It took all the concentration I had not to completely lose it when wrapped in Phoebe's vines. My claustrophobia was not something rational. My brain didn't care that the vines were controlled by Phoebe who was trying to save my life. It didn't care that the vines had been my own suggestion. It just told me that something was wrapped around my body, poised to crush the air from my lungs.
My feet were finally pulled free from the muck and I was deposited on solid ground. The earth holding Phoebe and Ava wasn't letting go so easily. The creature must have focused its earth magic on the ground holding them.
I paced, watching them being torn between the gripping earth and Phoebe's vines. Their faces were contorted in pain. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing, but I didn't have a target. This thing was hiding somewhere underground.
"Damn it," I growled. "Hold on."
I pulled Epic from the sheath on my back. With one foot out in front of me, I edged closer to the writhing ground holding my friends captive. The earth began to suck at my leading foot. I leaned forward and plunged my sword into the ground. It sunk to the hilt like a hot knife through butter. It never hit anything, and absolutely nothing happened. I pulled my sword from the ground and let loose a howl of frustration.
The area that was affected by the magic turning the soil into quicksand muck wasn't large. I took a step back and studied it. There was a defined dip in the center where the magic was strongest.
"Hold on," I called. "I have a really terrible idea."
It took me longer than I would have liked to clean the mud from my wings. It was something I was used to in crow form, but felt awkward with human limbs. Finally, I had to settle for spreading them and shaking like a dog.
When I took to the air, the remaining mud made my flight awkward, but I didn't need it to be pretty. I only needed to make it over the center of the sloppy ground. I circled a few times in order to get into the right position. After a couple of practice dives, I was as ready as I was going to be.
I floated about forty feet above my struggling friends, wishing I could send something positive to them the way that I could send fear. I clutched Epic in both hands, angling him in a way that I hoped would keep me from cutting myself open. No more preparation was going to make this operation any prettier or more likely to succeed, so I tucked my wings and dived.
There was nothing magical in the scream that poured from my mouth during my forty foot plummet. It was a shriek born of rage, frustration, and fear.
At the last second, I unfurled my wings, cutting my velocity to something I hoped wouldn't leave me in a broken heap when I hit the ground. I barely avoided colliding with Ava's flailing body and landed sword first with a wet splat on the magically softened ground. My arms pushed into the loose soil past my elbows.
I thought for sure I was about to become the creature's first meal when I heard a distant shriek and the ground gave a last shudder before it went still and solidified around my arms, leaving me trapped on my knees, my ass stuck in the air.
"Phoebe? Ava?"
Then their arms were around me, prying me gently free from the mundane dirt. I barely kept hold of Epic. He came out covered in a disgusting green ichor that smelled of rotting meat. Whatever was down there, I was glad I didn't have to see it. I wiped the blade on a patch of tall grass and returned it to the scabbard on my back.
"Are you all right?" asked Ava, her hand pressing gently into my back.
"Yeah. The claustrophobia thing is a pain in the ass, but I wasn't hurt." I turned to face her. She'd been trapped in a dark pixie pocket for a long time. "Are you doing okay?"
Ava let out a shuddering sigh. "Yes. It was hard, feeling helpless to fight, but the fear you sent my way helped. It made it easier, having the fear to clear my head." Ava jerked her head to the right, to look at nothing I could see. "Yes, I remember that, thank you."
"You remember what?"
"Patricia wants us to all know that she told us to get out of here. She attempted to gain the attention of each one of us, and none of us were paying any attention."
"Oh," I said. "I remember that." Ghosts could get your attention by passing through you. The feeling was difficult to describe, but the thing I usually remembered most was the cold. "It wasn't enough to pull me out of whatever enchantment that was. Good try, though, Patricia. I appreciate that."
"Manners, Patricia!" Ava looked scandalized. She turned to tell me what had transpired.
"That's okay," I said. "I don't need to know."
Ava gave the empty air an admonishing look and said to me, "That's probably for the best. As I was saying, it's lucky for us your fear magic is so potent."
I snorted. "Well, that's a first. Somebody saying that my fear magic actually helped them."
"That doesn't surprise me," replied Ava. "Magical application is all about the user and intent. Who's to say what the potential of any magic may be?" She looked dreamy, absolutely fascinated. That sounded about right for Ava. Leave it up to her to be fascinated by fear magic. "Don't hesitate to use it around me when you need to. I think you've really figured it out."
If only it were me. I gave her a noncommittal nod and looked myself over. This trip had barely started, and I was already caked in grime. At least it wasn't blood. Yet. I had no illusions that my luck would hold out on that account.
CHAPTER EIGHT
"We should get going," I said. "Who knows what else is lurking in this darkness."
We found our way back to the path, hands ready to put our weapons to use, but nothing else tried to devour us. We stepped back out into the daylight with sighs of relief. It probably wasn't much safer there, but the warm sunshine on my shoulders made it feel that way.
"Who the hell puts a path through that?" I asked.
"Fae who live in Faerie," replied Ava. "There's more than one reason not every fae is welcome on Earth."
"I just don't understand why
people wouldn't stop going that way once they knew of the danger."
"Once the danger is known, it can be avoided." Ava made things sound so simple. "Then it's a problem for the next person, who is likely to be your competition in one way or another."
"No wonder there are so few fae here compared to humans on Earth." I shook my head. "You'd think with all the inherent dangers, they could overcome the urge to fight for another scrap of power." I coveted many things, but power wasn't one of them.
Ava wasn't looking me in the face, which gave me the impression she was tired of the conversation. "One of the original reasons for the creation of Volarus and the fae council was to provide a place for those who felt as you claim to. They believed it would make the constant fight for power less necessary, at least for those who chose to leave Faerie."
"Makes sense," I replied. Ava's nose was twitching. "What's funny?"
"You wear the Fleece and speak of the uselessness of others' struggles for power. That is funny."
"I don't want power."
"Perhaps that is because you have it."
"You know, I frequently come away from talking to you feeling like I understand nothing about life or the world or anything."
"You're welcome." Her nose twitched again. I'm pretty sure she was laughing at me.
We continued our walk, each of us picking clumps of dirt off our skin and lost in our thoughts. When we came to intersections, we each weighed in on the best path to take. Most of it was based on intuition, I think, but it worked; we made it to the clearing that held Siobhan's house without another fight.
Siobhan's home was a cute cottage on the edge of a small village I'd never visited. Beside the structure was a garden. To my untrained eye, it seemed far too much for one person to care for. It made my mouth water just looking at it.
The door opened before I could knock and a blond woman with piercing blue eyes glared out at us. "You look a proper mess," she stated flatly before giving me a warm smile. "Up to trouble again, no doubt." I opened my mouth to explain, but she cut me off. "Don't bother to deny it, the truth of it coats every bit of you. Before you tell me what you're up to, you'll all have to shower."
Just the mention of a shower made my skin itch. It sounded like the best thing in the world, even better than the food. We'd spent most of the day trudging through forest. We'd rinsed off a bit in a stream, but none of us were brave enough to take the complete dip we needed. "You're the hero of the day, Siobhan. We would appreciate a shower and a meal more than I can say."
"Well, come on then. Get in here before you let the pixies in."
The door was low enough that only Ava could step through without ducking her head. The entire house was built on the scale of its gnome owner, so things were always a bit too small, but I didn't mind because it exuded the same friendly charm as its owner as well.
Siobhan directed Phoebe and Ava to the two bathrooms and sat me down at the dining table, but not before covering the chair with an old sheet. I tried to talk to her while she clattered around the kitchen, pulling out pots and pans, but she cut me off with a glare.
"Manners. I'm cooking for you and yours. You will not interrupt my flow by dumping your emotional mess all over me." She turned back to her kitchen and the mounting pile of food and spices. "Besides, stories are always better told on a full stomach."
It was an effective dismissal, but I had to explain my urgency. "But, Owen--"
"Is in trouble again. Aye. I picked that up. You wouldn't be here without him otherwise, now would you? Still, you have to eat." With that she fired up her stove and ignored me completely.
When Phoebe returned from her shower, I headed to the bathroom and left the two women together in the kitchen. I hadn't even closed the bathroom door before I heard Siobhan snap at Phoebe to get out of her kitchen.
The bathroom I used was through Siobhan's bedroom. I couldn't help looking at the bedstand that I knew hid a safe. Owen had burned a hole through it to steal the enchanted necklace on our first trip through Faerie. He'd been in a very bad place then. He wanted the necklace to take away his powers. He hadn't even cared that he was likely to end up dead. I hadn't asked him about that yet. The time never seemed right. Now I didn't know if I would ever get the chance.
"No," I said out loud, as if I could command it away the way I'd commanded so many things today.
I turned on the water and hesitated before stepping under the stream. It was a small shower and my wings wouldn't really fit. Besides, drying my feathers afterward would be a pain in the ass. I knew I should have doubted I'd be able to shift back to my new form again, but I had no concerns. No matter what direction I came at the thought, my confidence was a hundred percent that I'd be able to do it again. I was pleasantly surprised that I still had my clothes when I returned to my human shape.
I stripped and stepped into the warm water with a sigh. It was amazing, but I couldn't afford to luxuriate in it. We had to get out of there and back on the road to Owen. A couple of short minutes later I was out and dried off.
Practicality kept me in my human shape when I made my way back to the dining table, but I wasn't comfortable. In the back of my mind I was always aware that I wasn't in my new body. The slightest provocation would have me shift. I tried to look natural as I sat next to Ava.
"Either they'll be good friends or they'll kill each other." Ava tipped her head toward the kitchen. "I think it all comes down to the asparagus."
It wasn't hard to see what Ava was talking about. Siobhan and Phoebe bickered like an old married couple.
"This is my home," said Siobhan, snatching the asparagus from Phoebe's hand. "You're my guest. Go sit down."
Phoebe stole the asparagus back. "Shouldn't the guest be allowed to do what they want?"
"Not if the guest wants to put the asparagus in the oven," said Siobhan, a growl in her voice.
Eventually, the war over the asparagus subsided. I never figured out exactly who won. It came out delicious, either way, and by the time they were finished cooking the food, Phoebe and Siobhan were talking so quickly that it appeared they'd known each other for years. I had no idea what they were laughing about, but the sound was infectious and soon Ava and I joined in.
The delicious meal and fun conversation reminded me of a fantasy I'd had when I first met Siobhan. I'd imagined what it would be like to have her and Phoebe in my kitchen at the treehouse making delicious foods. The image felt so far away it might have been forever ago that I'd imagined it, but through the fog of my adrenaline, I knew it must have looked something like this.
It hadn't seemed like a life defining trip when I'd been in the middle of it, but my first trip into Faerie had been just that. When I got Owen back I'd have to make sure I told him how much those memories meant to me now.
Siobhan pushed her plate away and smiled at me, looking more toward the top of my head than my eyes. "Fancy hat you've got there. Goes well with the wings you were sporting when you came in."
I sighed. "Yeah, it's the--"
"I know what it is. The question is, do you?"
It was a fair question given the way I'd come to her house the first time. Showing up unconscious and under the thrall of a malicious enchantment doesn't make a good first impression. "It's the Golden Fleece."
"Aye." She made a vague gesture in the air. "So, what is it you're planning to rule?"
"I'm only using it to get Owen back," I replied, my brow furrowing.
Siobhan cackled. "That's how you think it works, do you?"
"I'm not here to talk about my choice of headwear. I'm here about Owen." I crossed my arms and waited for her to nod. "What do you know about Oscura? It looks like the people that have Owen took him there."
"The green mist? That's bad," said Siobhan simply.
I coughed out a laugh. "Well, I didn't think it was going to be a trip to Disneyland."
"What's Disneyland?"
"It's an amusement park on Earth," I said. "It's run by a magical mouse."
"You should visit Earth more."
"I suppose so," she said.
"I answered your completely irrelevant question. You tell me about Oscura."
Siobhan shook her head and gave me that look people liked to point at me, but she got to business answering my question. "Faerie is full of diverse lands and people. I can't tell you everything about half of them. Least of all, can I tell you about the green mists. They keep their secrets. I let them have them. Most you meet will have taken a similar position on the matter. All I know is that fae born in Faerie avoid them and know little to nothing. In case you're too stubborn to pick up the hint, that is enough for me to advise you not to go."
I shrugged. "Owen's there. It's simple."
"That's some predicament," she said flatly,staring me down as if that would make me change my mind on the matter. Like that was going to happen. I returned her stare for several seconds, and she softened. "You know I care for Owen. If I had any idea how you could go into Oscura and come out with him alive, I'd tell you."
"That's not what I wanted to hear, but it's what I thought you'd say." I rose from the table, not able to tolerate sitting a moment longer. Appearing calm while the blood raced through my veins was just about killing me. I walked over and parted the thin curtains. Darkness had fallen while we ate. Without a plan to rescue Owen, I couldn't ask the others to run around Faerie in the night. It likely wouldn't help me much either. Plus, I'd promised Ava and Phoebe rest and food. "Can we stay here tonight?"
"Aye, you can stay." She got up and joined me at the window, peering into the darkness. "Are you leaving for the green mist in the morning?"
"Of course I am. I just told you, they have Owen."
