The entire pub was silent, staring at the pool of ale floating above me on the invisible shield.
Finally Bob broke the silence, ‘Well ain’t that something,’ he said. ‘If you don’t mind though Izzy, I’d prefer you to hand-deliver my drinks.’
The band struck up again, everybody turned back to their conversations, and just like that, it was over.
I kept my hands in the air till Mum came to rescue me.
‘I thought you had it covered,’ I whispered.
‘So did we,’ she muttered as she banished the mess to a bin in the corner of the room.
‘What happened?’ I lowered my hands, watching as the shield disappeared.
‘Our spell had no effect on yours. We didn’t even feel your magic.’
‘How can that be?’ All spells have a weave and a flow about them that another witch can detect. It’s what makes spell duelling possible. If you are fast enough you can feel a spell and counteract it.
‘I don’t know. But the sooner we find out about it the better.’
‘Yeah, I’m getting sick of throwing things at the ceiling.’
‘Why do you keep trying to levitate things?’
‘I’m too scared to try anything else.’
‘Don’t. Not until we get professional help.’
Professional help?
Deciding it was a good time to take my break, I slid into the booth beside Mum. Grindella leaned over the table towards me and asked, ‘So Izzy, are you looking forward to next Saturday?’
‘Sort of,’ I said, squirming at the thought. It was customary for the whole village to turn out for a witch or warlock’s eighteenth birthday. Mum had organised a marquee for the field behind the house.
Sabby’s party had been the month before. She had looked amazing in a red, velvet dress that’d clung to her like Gladwrap on a glass. At the rate I was going I was going to be wearing jeans and a tank top.
All too quickly my break was over and I was back to work. The others left not long after that. Scruffy curled up in a corner near the kitchen and fell asleep. When my shift was finally over I stood and watched him for a while before waking him. He looked so cute.
I had been relieved at the lack of fuss the pub’s patrons had made over the fact that my familiar was a dog. I had expected shock but instead had been met with curiosity. It let me hope that things would work out after all.
The floating chariot was hovering outside the house when I got home. As I tiptoed underneath it I could hear Grams giggling. I put my hands over my ears and bumped the front door with my knee, urging Eric to let me in before they heard me.
‘Izzy, is that you?’ Grandma Bella called from above.
‘Yes Grams,’ I said, turning to face them whilst trying not to see anything. ‘How was your night?’
‘Just wonderful,’ Grams sighed. ‘The whole evening has been wonderful.’
‘It’s not over yet,’ Lionel rumbled.
Grams laughed wickedly in response.
The door popped open behind me and I rushed inside before I heard anything that would render me unable to sleep.
I placed Scruffy’s new bed on the floor. Once I was sure he was comfortable, I climbed wearily into mine. My head had just touched the pillow when I felt him jump up beside me. He turned around a few times, scraping the covers up underneath himself, and then snuggled into my back. I had one last sleepy thought that I should move him back onto his own bed, and then my mind slipped away from my body and into a deep, dark sleep.
4
Who’s Your Daddy?
The front doorbell woke me early the next morning. Either someone had their finger jammed on it, or it was stuck. I was hoping it was the latter. A finger jammed on a doorbell never boded good news.
Scruffy jumped from the bed and ran down the stairs, barking as he went. I peered blurrily at the bedside clock. It was just past seven. Who would be ringing our bell at this time?
‘Hang on,’ I could hear Mum yell from her quarters.
I yawned as I pictured her pulling on her fluffy, pink bathrobe and running her hands through her hair to make herself presentable, and then I fell asleep again.
‘Izzy.’ Mum was standing in the door to my bedroom. ‘There’s someone here to see you.’
‘What?’ I mean really, I was on holidays. No-one should have to get out of bed this early on holidays.
‘Didn’t you hear the doorbell?’
‘Who is it?’
‘If I told you, you wouldn’t believe it,’ she said, shaking her head.
I pulled a robe over my nightie and headed down the stairs after her. I could hear her muttering, ‘And me in my nightgown and bathrobe.’
There was a tall, regal woman outside the open front door. She tapped her foot as she looked around with an unimpressed look on her face. Mum and I moved onto the front porch to stand opposite her.
‘Please your Majesty, won’t you come in and have a cup of tea?’ Mum asked.
Your Majesty?
The lady bent a little at the waist and peered into the depths of our house before sniffing. ‘I really don’t think so.’ Her face darkened as she turned her attention to me. ‘So young lady, what have you got to say for yourself?’
‘Ummm, hi,’ I said.
Both her eyebrows went up and the look in her eyes hardened. She turned and spoke over her shoulder, ‘You didn’t tell me she was a smart-arse.’
Trying not to take offence at the smart-arse comment I peered past her. No-one was there.
Mum looked as confused as I was as she swept a hand in my direction and said, ‘Your Majesty, may I present to you my daughter Isadora.’
I wasn’t sure what the correct etiquette for meeting royalty was. In a panic, I made a clumsy half-bow, half-curtsy, while hoping my robe didn’t reveal too much excess skin.
‘Isadora,’ continued Mum, ‘may I present Her Majesty, Queen Eloise of the Faeries.’
Queen of the Faeries?
Queen Eloise studied my stunned expression. ‘You didn’t know who I was?’
‘I had a bit of an idea,’ I mumbled, not wanting to look totally stupid. I waved a hand in the general direction of my head. ‘Your ears gave it away.’
‘Hummphh.’ Queen Eloise didn’t seem very happy with my answer. She looked at Mum and said, ‘Your daughter has been courting my son without our Royal consent.’
‘What?’ Mum and I both exclaimed at the same time.
‘That’s ludicrous,’ I added.
‘Yes, well,’ the Queen continued, ‘it seems you have been doing it without your knowledge, but it will stop from this moment on.’
I noticed Scruffy sniffing around the bottom of her robes.
‘Isadora?’ Mum looked at me.
‘I have no idea what she’s talking about.’ It really wasn’t going to go down well if he peed on her.
Queen Eloise let out a snort of derision. Scruffy looked up and grasped the soft material of her skirts with his teeth, letting out a grumbly growl whilst pulling on them. She tugged at her clothing trying to dislodge him.
‘I don’t.’ I tried not to laugh at the bizarre spectacle unfolding between the Queen and Scruffy; she tug-o-warred with him for possession of her clothing whilst he tried to drag her away from me.
I rushed forwards and picked him up, placing him at my feet. ‘Stay,’ I whispered. He let out one more little ruffing growl before settling down to investigate the intricacy of his testicles.
‘I don’t see how what you are suggesting is even possible,’ Mum said.
‘Dream-walkers are rare these days. My son is one and it would appear that your daughter is as well.’
‘So you’re saying I’m dating him while I’m asleep?’ The thought was preposterous.
She nodded her head.
‘If what you say is true, and I have been dating your son without my own knowledge, then how am I meant to stop it?’
‘I know you’re listening,’ she said after a heartbeat’s pause, �
��come here this instant.’
Just as I was starting to think that maybe the Queen was a bit wacko, a head appeared, floating in mid-air.
‘Whizbang,’ I yelped in fright. I could hear the Queen tisking at my use of bad language.
The face gave me a devastating smile and said, ‘Hello Izzy.’
‘Izzy?’ Mum asked me.
For one prickly second I knew him. But then it was gone and I was looking at a stranger.
‘All the way please Aethan,’ commanded the Queen.
The face sighed, then a hand appeared beside it and moved as if pushing an invisible curtain aside. His other hand pushed in the opposite direction and all of a sudden the head had a body. I could feel myself blush as my eyes roamed over him. Leather pants encased his legs, and a fur vest, cinched at the waist with more leather, covered his chest. Well, it sort of covered his chest.
I gulped as I stared at his pectoral and abdominal muscles. This was no mere boy – this was a man; a hard, muscular man. Way too much man for me.
I licked my suddenly-dry lips as I met his eyes. ‘Hi,’ I said.
‘So you do remember,’ Queen Eloise said.
I shook my head. ‘Maybe it will help if you tell me where we met.’
‘In a field by a river.’ The look in his eyes was so intense that I blushed and looked away.
‘Surely,’ Mum said to Queen Eloise, ‘you cannot hold Isadora responsible for something that is happening while she is asleep.’
‘I hold her totally responsible. She is grasping beyond her means, seducing my son so that he will have to marry her. As if an heir to the Faery Throne would marry a witch!’
‘Whoa,’ I said, putting my hand in the air, ‘who said anything about marriage?’
‘I can assure you,’ Mum’s voice was angry, ‘that Isadora is not that kind of girl. She’s never even had a boyfriend before.’
I groaned and closed my eyes. Mum was making me sound like a right loser. I didn’t want to look like a loser in front of this man.
‘Mother,’ Aethan said, ‘how many times do I have to tell you that it’s not like that?’
‘Well, what is it like.’
‘It’s…’ He stopped talking and gasped as a spasm roiled over his body. His back arched and his hands clenched into fists as he bit his bottom lip. It was over within a few seconds, but his face was covered in a fine sheen of sweat. He took a deep breath, rolled his eyes to the sky and straightened his shoulders. ‘Okay, it is like that,’ he said.
What in the Dark Sky had just happened? Was he epileptic?
Queen Eloise’s cheeks coloured. ‘I’ve always been softer on you than your elder siblings. But your behaviour has become intolerable. Spurning suitable suitors for this.’ She spat out the last word and flung an angry arm in my direction.
I threw mine up in defence and the air in front of me hardened till it resembled a piece of Perspex. I was so shocked I let my arms fall back to my side. The air shimmered and returned to normal.
Queen Eloise’s eyes widened. ‘What did you just do?’
‘Nothing.’ It was just like in the Lodge the night before. But this time I didn’t have a wand in my hand.
She moved gracefully toward me. ‘May I?’ she asked, holding a hand up towards my head.
I wasn’t sure what she was about to do but I doubted she meant to harm me. I nodded my assent. She brushed back my hair and looked at my ears, then stared intently into my eyes. She picked up my arm and examined my fingers and nails, then placed her hands on either side of my head and, closing her eyes, appeared to go into some kind of trance. Just when I was getting really freaked out, she opened her eyes.
‘Someone has not been entirely truthful,’ she said in an ominous voice.
‘I don’t remember anything.’ I backed away from her.
‘I’m not talking to you. I’m talking to your mother.’ She stepped away from me towards Mum. ‘I knew for her to be a dream-walker there must be faery blood in her, but this I did not expect. Tell me, how is it that Royal blood runs in her veins?’
Mum’s face took on a look of horror. She stared at Queen Eloise, two spots of colour spreading over her cheeks, and then she dropped her eyes to the ground. ‘He said he loved me.’
‘Mother? Who are you talking about?’
‘Your father.’
‘My father was Sidney Mesmerer, a warlock you met at a Full Moon Party. You were to be married but he died in an unfortunate cauldron accident.’ I parroted the words she had told me many, many times. Even as they left my mouth I heard how silly they sounded. ‘Ahhhhh,’ I said, in sudden understanding.
‘May I request the name of Isadora’s real father?’ Queen Eloise seemed unmoved by Mum’s remorse. I decided I didn’t like her very much.
Mum pushed back her shoulders and looked up. ‘Alexus Gabrielle,’ she said.
‘Great Uncle Alex?’ Aethan asked, amusement playing around the edges of his mouth.
‘He always has been a bit of a ladies’ man,’ Queen Eloise said with a nod of her head. Then turning to me she said, ‘Well, cousin.’
‘Cousin?’
‘It would appear so. I still blame you for this mess. You need to gain control of your powers. And I mean all your powers. You cannot go dream-walking with a blatant lack of knowledge of what you are doing.’
She turned her gaze to Mum. ‘Prunella, I apologise on behalf of my Uncle, his behaviour towards you was callous. This, however, changes things. Any female of Royal blood may court an heir to the throne. Even though I don’t like it,’ she stopped and sniffed loudly, ‘I must give my permission for your daughter to court my son.’
I tried to hide my panic. It was fine to ogle a man like Aethan from afar, but I was sure my mouth would disconnect from my brain if I tried to have a conversation with him. Let alone court him. That word put a whole new level of pressure on the situation.
‘We will leave you to your daily preparations.’ She looked up and down at our bathrobes. ‘Come Aethan.’ She made the same sideways movement with her hands we had seen him do, took a step forward, and disappeared. Her voice echoed back to us, ‘We will be in touch.’
‘Umm, goodbye,’ I said to Aethan.
I felt my heartbeat accelerate as his stare pierced me. He took a few steps forward till we were close enough to touch. ‘Remember,’ he commanded, touching me on the end of my nose with a finger. ‘It will make things much easier.’ Then he turned and disappeared.
‘Holy moley,’ I said when I had regained control of my voice box.
‘So,’ Mum said, ‘what would you like for breakfast?’
‘What do I want for breakfast?’ I turned to stare at her.
‘Aren’t you hungry?’
‘Well yes. But what I would like for breakfast is a big plate of the truth, served up with a side dish of apology.’
‘So you’re not going to just forget about this?’ The look I gave her must have spoken volumes because she said, ‘I guess not. Well come on, you may as well have a shower while I make some pancakes, and then I’ll tell you the whole sordid story.’
She was obviously sucking up to me. Pancakes were my absolute favourite.
‘Good enough for me,’ I said, looking around for Scruffy. ‘Mum’s cooking pancakes,’ I informed him as he snuffled around a bush. He let out an enthusiastic bark and followed me inside and up the stairs to my room where I stripped off my nightie and jumped in the shower.
I was pissed at Mum and not quite sure what to make of the whole situation. But two days ago I had feared I was to be left powerless, a total reject in the witch society, and today I found myself with both witch and faery powers, and a cousin to the Fae Queen. When I compared the two situations I found that, for once, I was on the side with the greener grass.
***
Grandma Bella had emerged from her rooms when I finally arrived in the kitchen. She was sipping a coffee with a dreamy look on her face and pink feathered slippers on her feet. Cyril was lying on the
table, coiled up in a patch of sun.
‘Pancakes?’ she asked, nodding her head at Mum spooning batter into the frying pan. ‘What’s the special occasion?’
‘It’s not every day that a girl finds out she’s half-Fae.’
Grandma Bella’s face went pale.
‘I guess it explains my dark hair though,’ I said. Most witches had red hair, and if it wasn’t exactly red, it was a variant of it.
Grams started coughing on her sip of tea.
‘And how tall I am.’ I leant over and whacked her on the back a couple of times.
‘We’re talking about you?’ she said when she could breathe again.
I watched Mum flip a couple of pancakes onto a plate. I could feel saliva pooling. ‘Who did you think I was talking about?’
‘Oh nobody dear, I’m a bit fuzzy this morning. Drank a bit too much Fizzy Lizard last night.’
‘Ughhhh. That’s disgusting.’
‘It’s not really made from lizards.’
Mum approached the table with a platter piled high with pancakes. I jumped up and grabbed the cutlery and the maple syrup.
‘Where’s Scruffy’s?’ I asked, counting the pancakes. He was sitting patiently in the kitchen watching Mum with his big, brown eyes.
‘He had his while you were in the shower.’
‘But he was lying in the bathroom while I was in the shower,’ I said.
‘No, he was down here scoffing pancakes.’
I looked at Scruffy with narrowed eyes and then shrugged my shoulders. I had more important questions to ask this morning than why my familiar seemed to be in two places at once. But I wasn’t quite sure which question to ask first so I started with the obvious one. ‘Why don’t you tell me about my father?’
‘Yes,’ Grams leant forward, her blue eyes bright with merriment. ‘Someone was a naughty girl.’
‘Where do you want me to start?’ Mum asked, ignoring Grams.
‘Well,’ I stopped and swallowed my mouthful of pancake, ‘how did you meet him?’
‘I met him at the annual Tri-Race Convention. He was standing in as head of the faeries, and I was there as a reporter. I managed to get a one-on-one interview with him.’
Faery Born (Book One in the War Faery Trilogy) Page 4
