by Tara Maya, Elle Casey, J L Bryan, Anthea Sharp, Jenna Elizabeth Johnson, Alexia Purdy (epub)
Shade was sweating with anxiety. How much longer could she stand here? She felt lightheaded, and the room was growing dim.
“She will take this journey, for it’s her destiny. She needs an entourage to escort her and help get her there safely. I must ask for volunteers for this most dangerous task. Can anyone selflessly swear loyalty and guide Shade, our only hope?”
Silence engulfed the room. After a moment, soft whispers echoed throughout the great chamber as everyone shuffled and shifted about. The excitement was electric, and it reminded her of Jack’s unglamoured figure, crackling and static.
Speaking of Jack, where did he go? Shade thought.
Shade caught sight of him as he stepped before the Queen. “I’ll go. I found her, and she’s my responsibility.” Jack bowed to the Queen and then stepped back. Zinara nodded and smiled at him, approval evident in her eyes.
Others stepped out from the crowd, one after the other. The fey each introduced themselves as they bowed before the Queen and she quickly approved of all of the volunteers.
“Now, only magic can fight magic. I also need one brave volunteer who is proficient in sorcery to join the others. Is there anyone of such skill that would accept such a feat?” The room was once again quiet. Shade was definitely feeling lightheaded now. Her stomach lurched, and soon the room began to spin. Ilarial stepped over to her and placed her hand on Shade’s arm. Ilarial seemed to sense that Shade needed some aide and steadied her with one hand; her other hand retrieved a small stone from her gown.
“Shade, suck on this stone. It’ll make you feel better.” She reached over and placed it into Shade’s mouth. Shade did as told and let the flavor coat her tongue. It tasted sweet, like honey. The spinning ceased and her stomach calmed instantly.
Wow.
“I, Braelynn, will take this task at hand,” a young woman’s voice echoed across the crowd. She stepped forward, causing the throng of people around her to part. She wore a light brown dress, and honey-colored hair draped about her shoulders. Her bright hazel eyes glowed with fire and ice, and freckles splashed across her nose and cheeks. Her eyes glowed with a fire and appeared as hard as stones.
“Dear Braelynn, yes, I would be honored if you would accompany Shade on this quest. I’ve heard how quickly you’ve moved from apprentice to great sorceress. I’m pleased that you have passed your trials with exceptional grace.” Zinara nodded in approval and turned to face Ilarial and Shade. “Dearest Shade, I am indebted to you now. Please, get some rest and some food. You will need it, as tomorrow the quest begins.” Without any further instructions for Shade, she bowed and turned to leave the great room, moving to the right as she walked down the corridor.
Now what? Shade felt panic rise in her throat. How could she get out of this? What would her mother say? Mom! She must be so worried. Shade turned and searched for Ilarial and Jack, who were both softly discussing something. It all felt so surreal.
Ilarial motioned for Shade to follow as they left the platform. “I know this is very overwhelming for you. I can’t make you feel more at ease, but I do hope that I can answer any questions you have. First, of course, we must eat; it’s late, and the journey will be long and tedious. We should join your entourage and get to know them. They will be vital to your safety.”
“My safety?” Shade widened her eyes but followed along.
Ilarial ushered Shade down another corridor that opened onto yet another large area, where many people were already sitting at wooden tables. They were eating a variety of vegetables, fruits, breads and meats. Shade’s stomach grumbled with desire. She’d already forgotten how sick she had felt not a moment ago. All she could think about was food.
She followed Ilarial to one of the great banquet tables. It looked extravagant and overfilled. Ilarial pulled a plate from a stack and handed it to Shade. Her new entourage of friends were following close behind, piling berries, meats and vegetables high on their plates.
When Shade was done filling her plate to the brim and accepting a drink from a friendly lady who was handing out stone cups of fruit juice, she followed the group to an area far to the left of the banquet hall. They all sat down and began gorging themselves as though they hadn’t eaten in ages. Shade joined in and inhaled most her food as she glanced at everyone, evaluating them with an inquisitive eye and noting how different they all were.
She had already forgotten most of their names it had been too stressful to concentrate during the assembly and being hungry had not helped. She listened to all of them chatting. Murmurs of conversations and laughs rang through her ears and filled the great hall.
One of the warriors caught her eye. Long, honey-brown hair lay across his eyes before he swept the strands from his face, catching her staring. He smiled deeply and started laughing at whatever joke Jack had been telling him. Lean muscles rippled under his snug shirt and form-fitting armor made of flexible leather. A sword lay strapped to his back, reflecting the torchlight of the room. He seemed younger than Jack did, but older than Shade. She watched him talk while he chewed his food, which seemed to add to his charm. He had stopped chewing once he had noticed her watching him, and she flicked her gaze away, back toward her plate. Her cheeks flushed, and she swiftly lowered her head to take another bite of food. Chancing another look, she caught him winking at her.
“Ilarial?” Shade spoke softly to the Oracle beside her, avoiding the man’s stare.
“Yes, Shade?”
“I was just wondering. Does everyone here have secret powers like Jack? He showed me what he looks like under the glamour. I was wondering if everyone here wears glamour too.” Shade glanced at the group once more as she spoke. They were still engaged in their conversations.
Ilarial paused thoughtfully and glanced at the crew. She seemed to hesitate but not for long. Her small mouth slowly chewed her last bite of food and she fixed her gleaming grey eyes upon Shade. A warm smile slowly spread across her face, and she now appeared less hesitant.
“Shade, I’m surprised that Jack has already let you know what he is. He’s usually wary of strangers. Some refuse to use any kind glamour and do not venture into the human world, such as Renny. I believe you’ve met him; he’s one of the guards of this underground city. He never leaves; he thinks humans are inferior and powerless.
“But, you’ve also seen Jack and how he mixes among mortals easily when he’s glamoured. He’s so easy to get along with too. You’ll often find him on errands in the human world, since he can remain within the iron of the cities for much longer periods of time. We do try to keep any incidents to a minimum; Jack has a stellar track record. I, on the other hand, don’t get out much, and I’m most sensitive to iron sickness if I tread through the cities for too long. Though, that’s quite common in faeries.” She then turned her eyes toward everyone else at the table. Some were partially listening, and some had yet to notice their conversation.
“You need to understand what and who everyone is, Shade. These are your guardians, and you must have complete trust in them, even if that means their identities must be revealed to you. Let’s see,” Ilarial waved her hand toward Braelynn, seated on the other side of her. “You already know that Braelynn is a great sorceress. She needs no glamour because all witches and warlocks look quite human. Then, there’s Than. He glamours his pointy nose and pointy ears to blend with humans of the Orient. He’s a skilled hunter and warrior, excellent with knives, and has lived here in Aturine all his life.”
As she said this, Than gave them a curt nod, melting his glamour away with a quiver. Shade held in her breath in surprise, and stared at a more beautiful version of Than. He now had pointy ears, larger eyes, and a thinner nose. He looked the same, but all his features were more exaggerated.
The oracle continued in one fluent breath. “Sary is a warrior princess,” the fiery redhead waved at them with a sweet smile, “and she’s human but immortal. She’s also set to be queen of the immortal Vyn people of the south when her mother passes the crown to her. It’s a l
esser kingdom, but powerful. They’re very strong, and most are rather efficient archers, though Sary prefers to work in the medical arts.” The princess nodded toward Shade and then continued to eat.
“Stephen is a full faery.” A tattooed man grinned at her, his smile reached up to his eyes, which twinkled in the torchlight. “He glamours himself to look less startling; his marks and vibrant skin would be unnatural to humans. He’s an expert at tracking and can find almost anything and anyone, anywhere.” She smiled at Stephen, who also bowed his head while melting his glamour away.
This Stephen was stunning; he would definitely stand out in a crowd. He kept his brown hair shoulder length, but his strong beautiful eyes glowed grayish white, and sharp, swirling Celtic tattoos framed one side of his face in brilliant blue, quivering under his skin. He had a scar, probably earned in battle, which ran down the other side of his neck. It reminded her that she hoped she wouldn’t have to engage in any type of fighting on the upcoming journey.
“And then, there’s Rylan. He’s quite extraordinary,” Ilarial continued. “He’s part Teleen, like Jack, but he has a skill for shape-shifting since he’s part changeling too, and can become anyone you can think of. There are not too many of his kind left. We don’t know what else his heritage holds; he came to us as a young child, lost in the forest. But he’s loyal and handy in a pinch.”
“Who’s Rylan, Ilarial? I don’t remember him being introduced.” Shade’s eyes landed on the handsome man sitting next to Jack, whom she’d stared at earlier and who was now studying her right back intensely. She couldn’t recall his name. His brilliant green eyes flashed to a honey-brown color as they gleamed at her. This man had winked at her across the table earlier. Meeting his eyes again, Shade felt her cheeks flush once more.
“People call me Soap, M’lady,” he said. “But, my real name is Rylan. Nasty little nickname I caught when they first found me, dirty and lost.” His chuckle sent a shiver through her, like someone tickling her with a feather. She let her eyes wander back to him as he continued. “Not a flattering story.” His face grew serious. “But, I’m thankful for Ilarial and my Queen’s most gracious hospitality ever since. It would be an honor to defend you on this quest, Shade.”
He bowed his head as her name rolled off his tongue, making her heart flip. His presence was intoxicating. He didn’t seem to drop any glamour at all. She ripped her gaze away from his, certain her face was an unfavorable shade of scarlet red. Traitor blushing cheeks! Shade kept wondering if he had any glamour on, but it didn’t seem like it.
“And, last but not least, Ewan,” Ilarial said, waving her hand at the husky quiet man who sat at the other end of the table. He happened to be sitting next to Sary. Ewan was a large man with big hands and burly hair all over. His squared jaw was busy chomping hard on each bite of food. His thick, black, hair was slicked back and played just past his shoulders. He was gigantic and didn’t seem like someone you would want to fight with in a bar. “He’s part giant, part human and very strong. He’d be the one you would want next to you in a fight, and he’s been almost everywhere. Ewan will be your guide to the land of the Santirans. I believe he’s the only one who has even been there.”
The husky man gave a slight nod to Shade and continued shoveling food into his mouth. He had polished off two plates already. He wasn’t bad looking, Shade thought, just rough around the edges and enormous.
Shade sipped her juice, realizing how exhausted she was. She wished to see her family. What would they be doing? And Brisa−what would she think when Shade didn’t show up at school in the morning? She slipped her cell phone out of her pocket and looked at the time. It was eleven pm, and she had ten missed calls from her mother and three from Brisa. She began dialing her mother’s cell when Ilarial placed her hand on the phone and shook her head.
“No calls will work from here, Shade. We’re too far underground. I know you fear for your mother, but I’ll take care of it. She will be okay, and I can weave a spell to help her believe you will not be gone long. I can make her believe you have been at a friend’s house, perhaps? And the rest of your family too. They won’t notice you’re gone; there will be no pain for them, I promise. Time works differently here in the faerie lands than it does in the mundane human world. You will not be missed; I say that in a good way, though.”
Shade swallowed hard with a nod. She obviously had to trust these people and saw no other way but to do what they asked of her. “Ilarial, about the voices in my head… what do I do with them? Can you make them go away or learn to control them? I feel like banging my head against the wall sometimes when they won’t stop. They make me go where they want, and if I don’t listen to them, they become intolerable. They’re the ones who led me to Jack and then to you and this strange world. I can’t live like that.” Tears pricked at her eyes as she swallowed the growing lump in her throat. “It’s distracting. I feel like a slave to it and I’m powerless to ignore them. What if they drive me insane?”
Ilarial nodded, thinking hard about Shade’s words. She seemed to come to a decision and smiled back at her. “Follow me; you will sleep in my quarters tonight. I will give you a potion that will help you control the voices. It will aide in blocking them out when you want to; it will also help you listen to them when you’re ready. Having more control over the voices will help you develop your own powers. You’ll be able to decide your own fate while you’re still so young and untrained. If you practice, in time you can learn to use them for your own benefits. This is a difficult task, but I will help you. Will you agree to this?” Shade nodded and felt a weight lift off her shoulders. Finally, someone could help her after all these years. She just prayed that it would work.
Ilarial guided her back through the branches of tunnels that led to her own chambers. She made up a bed in the second room and then motioned for Shade enter. She handed her a bottle filled with a silvery liquid.
“Take this, Shade; it will last until you return here, probably a couple weeks. It will help you remain calm, too. Don’t worry, I’m not drugging you. It’s just a pleasant side effect of the potion, and it will quiet the voices in your head,” she reassured her. “I’ll be in the other room if you need anything at all.”
She gave a warm smile, and Shade felt the familiar calm flood her insides. She nodded and poured the liquid down her throat. It was sweet but left a metallic aftertaste. Licking her lips, her eyes followed Ilarial as she exited the room. Shade pulled the thick soft blankets over her body and squeezed her pillow under her head. Closing her eyes, she drifted off to sleep in the soothing silence.
Chapter Four
SHADE STIRRED AWAKE while it was still dark. The door was open, and there was only a sliver of light shining around the corner from the adjacent room. A queasy feeling overwhelmed her and for a moment, it felt like she had temporary amnesia. Sitting up, she dangled her legs over the side of the bed. She was beginning to wake up a bit more and remembering why she wasn’t home. As she looked around at her surroundings, the events of the previous day rushed back to her.
Her cell phone was still working, and she grabbed it from atop her backpack on the floor beside the bed. Flipping it open, the bright screen hurt her eyes, and she squinted at the little digital clock. 5:15am. No wonder she felt tired. She was not used to waking up so early and had always been a late bird, rarely making it to school with more than a minute to spare.
Shade slipped to the edge of the bed until both her feet touched the cool stone floor. Bending down, she felt around in the dark for her socks and shoes. She wondered what she’d take for clothes on this journey. I couldn’t very well ask to stop by home to pick up some stuff. Well, maybe. Maybe her mother would be gone most of the day. Shade would have to ask Ilarial if it was possible, or she’d be faced with an endless stench from not changing her clothes.
She slipped on her shoes and stood up, shaking her head and stretching her sore limbs. Nope, definitely must get some stuff from home. She walked into the main room of Ilarial�
��s chamber, where she’d first met the great oracle.
She was unsure of the coming events of the day, but she had her backpack and she decided to examine her “supplies.” I doubt there’s anything useful in here for a perilous journey. Shade sighed. She unzipped the bag and observed the contents: her schoolbooks, along with some snacks, an mp3 player, as well as a dozen pens, pencils, erasers, a stapler and a tube of lip balm. Other than her books and snacks, there was her notebook full of poems and stories she wrote when bored.
Emergency preparedness at its best.
Shade shook her head disapprovingly. She had to stop by her house, dump her textbooks and fill her bag with badly needed essentials. Running her hand through her matted hair, it caught in the frizzy knots from sleeping on it. She groaned, it was a frazzled mess. Hearing a swish behind her, she whirled around to see Ilarial standing at the doorway of the suite.
“I tried to be quiet; I did not want to scare you. Here, take these clothes. I know you need things from your house. I have already cast a spell on your mother. She will leave at seven am to run errands and shop with your siblings. She’s just fine and very happy; I will make sure of it.” She handed Shade a pile of light but luxuriously soft tunics and trousers; the material was smooth and felt like pajamas. Ilarial handed her a belt and leather strings to tie the tunics with. She also furnished some hard-soled leather shoes; these were also soft but surprisingly sturdy.
“Soap can take you to your house. He’s on his way. Do come back by ten am, as that is when they will be about ready to leave. Can I see your backpack?” She held her hand out for the pack. “I can help lighten the load with a shrinking spell; anything you place in your bag will shrink hundreds of times its normal size and return to normal when you take it back out. Whatever you want, just summon it, and it will come straight to you. You can bring anything you wish.” Shade nodded in awe as she handed the pack to Ilarial. Ilarial whispered the spell softly and ran her hand over the pack, closing her eyes. When she was through, she returned it to Shade.
