‘But how? I lost the ability, this wasn’t possible?’
They both look like they are asking themselves the same questions.
‘It must have worked, because I was able to reach you.’ says Gabriel looking broken.
Rose is staring at me with madness and disbelief in her eyes.
‘They are coming,’ she whispers.
‘Who is coming?’ I ask disorientated feeling as the bucket of ice cascades into my stomach. The cold bitter winds start howling and I am shivering, my clothes are wet sticking to my body.
I look at Gabriel for an explanation; he leans down and whispers in my ear.
‘Don't do anything stupid, go home. I broke the rules and now I will be punished. There is nothing that you can do now. I will love you forever,’ he says.
He can’t be serious. He just saved my life – surely he can't be punished for that? Then the other Sprites begin to appear out of nowhere, surrounding us. I count at least five, each tall and beautiful; most of them look older with white silver hair and old-fashioned clothes.
‘Gabriel,’ says the Sprite standing opposite him. He has similarly untidy dark hair; more grey on both sides.
Next to him is a woman. She looks horrified and disappointed as she stares at me. Her hair is also snow-white, and her eyes are so similar to Gabriel’s, hypnotising blue. The woman steps out towards us, gazing sharply at Gabriel. I shake my head but I am unable to find my own voice.
‘I love this woman,’ he says.
‘You don’t know what love is. How can you even name it?’ she asks, approaching him, ‘You have ruined this family’
She doesn’t let him explain, she touches his hand. He eyes part backwards and then he drops on the ground within seconds, unconscious.
I let out a terrifying scream and storm towards him.
‘Human, this isn't your business,’ says the woman that just spoke to Gabriel. ‘My son let you in and he will die because of it.’
I look at her, disoriented, but someone else holds me, I jerk but I can’t get away.
‘He saved my life; please do something if you love him!’ I roar, but she seems to be unconvinced. Rose doesn't do anything; she is just staring at me with pure hate and anger, tensing her jaw. It’s my fault that he is going to die.
‘It's too late now,’ says someone else, ‘Love is just an emotion which we don’t understand.’
The voice fade away and they all vanish with Gabriel before I can react. I stand on the top of the cliff staring at the disturbed sea, the rain starts drizzling. The tears are streaming down my cheeks. The sky has gone grey; thick, gloomy, dark clouds are hanging above me. Gabriel saved my life but now he is going to be executed for betraying his people. I know that this time, I won’t be able to do anything; they will kill him.
Then I remember that Herne is still somewhere on the beach lying in the pull of blood; and I am the one that can be blamed for her death. It’s still early, maybe close to six but I am not sure how long I was unconscious. I can’t bear to look at her body right now, but I need to call the police; sooner or later someone will find her. My hands are shaking when I dial the number, but then I change my mind. I can't call them from my phone. It’s my fault; Richard killed an innocent woman just because she was with me.
I walk to my car sobbing quietly feeling guilty that I have to leave Herne here without notifying anyone. My body is completely healed, Rose saved my life. She has got an extraordinary talent. By the time I get to the car the sun rages through the dark clouds and sooner or later people will start to appear on the beach, so I need to pray that no one noticed me. I get into the car and hide my faces between my hands unable to decide what to do.
‘I suggest you get out of here as soon as possible.’
I jump, on the edge of fainting; a woman is sitting in the back seat of my car. I wipe the tears off my face and turn around to look at her.
‘How did you get in here?’
I instantly recognise her. She followed me around London; it’s the elderly lady who spoke to me in the restaurant warning me about iron.
‘I suggest you start the car, otherwise you will end up in the police station answering questions,’ she says firmly.
I hesitate wondering if I should listen to her. After a moment I start the engine, trying to gather my thoughts. She looks exactly the same; her silver hair styled in a tight bun, gazing at me intensely.
‘So... why you are in my car?’ I start speaking, my voice trembles.
‘Herne shouldn't have died; she had nothing to do with this. I am supposed to keep an eye on you but I got here too late,’ she says. ‘Keep your eyes on the road.’
I obey, swallowing large lump in my throat. How does she know about Herne?
‘Who are you?’
‘I will explain everything when you get home. I’d rather not risk getting stuck here – we need to get home in one piece.’
I keep glancing at her and try to concentrate on driving at the same time. Millions of questions are going through my head; I know that I have to go back to the Oxwich Bay. Gabriel is somewhere out there, hopefully still alive. My ability has come back. I can clearly see every Sprite in this world. This woman in the car, however, she is a human. I stop the car in front of my house and wait until she will start explaining why she is here. She has long face, her deep dark eyes.
‘I am your grandmother.’
‘What!’
The words rumble from my mouth before I can stop them. She can’t be serious.
‘Grandmother?’
‘Yes, your biological grandmother from your mother's side,’ she says padding her hair.
‘I was adopted, so I don't know who my mother really was.’
‘You knew that you were adopted?’
‘I found the adoption papers when I was looking for vodka,’ I say with evident sarcasm. She rolls her eyes and then I realise that she must be telling the truth; her expression is so similar to mine when she is annoyed. ‘Can we talk about this another time? Gabriel is in trouble, I need to find him.’
‘You don’t need to find him,’ she cuts in.
‘You don’t understand. I have to stop then before it’s too late!’ I roar, losing control
‘Don't be ridiculous. He is not dead yet and he won't be dead until the decision is reached,’ she says, narrowing her dark eyes.
‘How do you know all this?’
‘Because I am a changeling and I am part Sprite. It's a long story and we haven't got much time to explain it all from the beginning. The bottom line is that you have a gift, which has only reached a few other humans in the past. I told Herne that she shouldn’t come here today. Richard is still alive, he is dangerous.’
‘Why would Richard want to kill me?’ I ask, feeling as if someone splashed a bucket of cold water over me.
‘He is under the influence of someone else who wants you dead.’
‘That doesn't make sense. Who wants me dead?’
‘That's a good question.’
‘So you don't know?’ I ask with disbelief.
‘Not yet.’
‘Wait a minute, if you are my grandmother and you are part Sprite then that means that I am part Sprite myself?’
She doesn't answer, but she looks more irritated. It all makes sense. If she is part-changeling, then that's why I am able to see the Sprites.
‘It's more complicated than you think; you have a gift that involves seeing people of peace. It's a blessing, but it's a curse as well. The old legends talk about many Sprites who would like to become immortal humans. Gabriel saved your life today, but he broke the rules and as a consequence, he will die tomorrow.’
‘But why?’
‘Because he touched you and revealed himself to you behind the council’s back. Sprites see their laws from a different perspective; they can be very dangerous, especially if it comes to keeping their existence a secret. They don’t know that you are partly a Sprite, that’s why you have this ability. They used to l
ove creating changelings and mixing their children with humans. It allowed them to feel mortal and powerful, but it went too far in the eighteenth century and the council banned changelings. Their lives are sad and uninteresting, so when you started seeing Gabriel, you influence him that why he fallen in love with you. Old forgotten emotion has emerged and invaded his soul.’
‘So that's why someone is trying to kill me – because they think I am the last changeling?’ I ask, still trying to put all the information together. I am a part-changeling if my grandmother was one. This all sounds so surreal.
‘Until the day that you were attacked on the beach, no one was ever able to make contact with humans apart from another incident from the past. They have different set of rules in their world; Gabriel will pay the price for his weakness unless you help him.’
‘OK, I understand, but how do you know all this if they are so secretive? How do you propose that I stop them?’ I ask. I might have some fairy blood in me, but I have no idea what to do.
‘What's your name?’ I add.
‘If you do what I say, you have a chance to save his life. Call me Abella if you want,’ she explains.
My brain is buzzing with information, I don’t know if I should trust her, this does sound right but she is still a complete stranger. If Richard was involved with this Sprite business, how is he a murderer? She clearly said that he was under some kind of spell; he can’t be a Sprite. If I understood all of this right, someone wants me dead just because I have this ability and I am part-changeling.
‘OK, just explain what I have to do,’ I say and Abella smiles.
‘Good girl.’
***
When I finally get into the shower, the warm water washes all the blood and mud off my body. Abella explained that soon a new guard would be assigned to me, and he will never let me get close to Gabriel. Her plans are unclear, but I don’t know what other choice I have. She is trying to help me because I am her granddaughter. I have so many questions about my parents but she isn’t going to explain anything until Gabriel is safe. All these ideas and plans sound simple, but I still don't know what's going to happen after we are reunited.
Abella leaves my house. She doesn't want to say where she is going leaving me even more frustrated than I ever been. I think about poor Herne and about her family. Everything has gone so horribly wrong; she is the second person who has died because of me.
I put the bloodstained clothes in the bin. My whole life seems to be falling apart. The new Sprite is already guarding my door. He is probably prohibited from talking to me and walking into the house, as he knows that I can see him. I bring up the memories from the beach; now I am in Rose’s debt. She saved my life, along with Gabriel.
As the evening approaches I keep looking out the window wondering if Abella is going to come back. She might just lie to me; maybe she wasn’t related to me at all. An hour later I hear the faint knock in the front door.
‘Cold iron should do the job,’ she says walking inside smiling widely. I exhale with the relief. Maybe I am lucky after all.
‘I remember you told me to use iron when we met in the restaurant,’ I say.
‘Restaurant?’ she asks, confused. Her expression shifts and her eyes darken.
‘Yes, you remember, it was a few months ago. You stopped me on the stairs and warned me to use iron,’ I explain. She is silent for a long moment.
‘Yes, I remember. Iron will always protect you.’
Then she goes through what I have to do with the knife that she has brought. I always thought that iron’s power was just a legend, but she assures that it works well with any fairy creature, disabling them for at least twenty-four hours. She also mentioned that there is another, more powerful iron that can kill a Sprite instantly. Humans used whatever they had to keep Sprites away from newborns.
Her plan is exceptionally straightforward: I have to get rid of my new Sprite that is going to influence me from now on and head to the Mumbles where Gabriel is being kept. My iron knife is in my pocket and I can’t hesitate; I have only one chance.
I leave the house around 8 pm, feeling the soaring pain in my stomach. I don’t know what to expect but at the same time I am petrified, biting my lips nervously. I start walking moving slowly towards Singleton Park. I just have to make sure that he will keep following me. I only caught a glimpse of him. He is blond and probably handsome but I have to focus on the task ahead of me.
Within a few hours, it will be completely dark, so I have to move fast. I walk for around twenty minutes, passing the roundabout opposite the student accommodation, a few cars drive through. I reach the gate to the park. The timing is perfect as it is the day after exams so all students have vanished, and the University is deserted. There are only the resident that are enjoying the pleasant walk in this humid summer day.
My heart is hammering in my chest and I keep going over the over the plan in my mind, determined not to mess up this time. My Sprite guard is just by me, the adrenaline start pumping through my body. I have to do this for Herne and Amy; Richard is going to pay for what he’s done.
I pass a few people with dogs on the way and the Sprites that are following them. For the first time, I don’t have to force myself not to look at them; it is official, the news has spread quite quickly, they know that I can see them. They are glancing at me, whispering amongst themselves.
I pass the entrance to the University and look ahead to avoid seeing how far behind me my other Sprite guard is. He doesn’t want to walk too close to me, which is all right with me. After another ten minutes, I turn sharp right and start running as fast as I can. I hide behind the large bushes breathing heavily. The beads of sweat roll down my back, he is going to look for me. He can probably feel me near. Abella mentioned that he is inexperienced, but he is aware of my ability.
I stop breathing and listen, squeezing the small knife in my hand. I spot the sight of his tall posture. He is following the main path ahead looking for me anxiously. He has long blond hair and wide shoulders. I wait until he passes, hoping that he won’t see me. I creep out around the tree to get as close to him; I have to act fast otherwise he will sense that I am near. A metre away I freeze. Before he can turn around I jump out of my spot and slash his bare arm with the knife. He grabs my wrist and the knife falls on the ground. The colour drains from my face and my stomach contracts when in a split second our eyes met. But before he can reacts he falls on the ground unconscious. My heart is thumping in my chest when I stare at his still body. I have managed to knock him off. My mind is blank but I force myself to move. The path is empty when I drag him away.
My heart is beating like crazy, but I feel that there is still hope. Gabriel is going live if I hurry up.
20
‘How did it go?’
‘He is unconscious,’ I answer.
‘I told you; iron certainly works well,’ she says, looking satisfied.
I pack a few more clothes in my backpack and a few minutes later we get to the car. She starts the engine and I sit back in the passenger seat and let her take control. The streets are relatively quiet.
‘Aren't you supposed to go down to Mumbles?’ I ask as we head towards the city centre.
‘They changed the meeting; he will be sentenced in the Guildhall building instead,’ she answers confidently. I have no idea where the Guildhall building is but she obviously knows where she is going. I don't know anything about her, yet I trusted her straight away. My intuition never lets me down. We stop opposite the beach in a small car park; the centre is only few minutes' walk.
‘Let's go,’ she says.
I try to relax, but I can't feel my body and my hands are shaking.
I lock the car and look at my watch; it is close to 10pm. We cross the road and follow the side road; it takes us no more than ten minutes to get to Guildhall Place, the building that’s the centre of the cultural life of Swansea. I read in the University paper that most of the graduation ceremonies take place there.
‘So how are you proposing to get inside?’ I ask, staring at my grandmother while she is looking for something in her notepad. The building is impressive.
‘They are not expecting any humans to enter this place today; they will be waiting a few more hours until midnight. It's tradition to sentence someone at midnight,’ she explains. Her reassurance doesn't make me feel any less nervous.
‘Are you sure that they don’t know that I am here?’
‘Not necessarily,’ she says. ‘Let me work.’
I look at her with hesitation. She starts whispering in Latin; the words don't seem to make much sense. After a few minutes, she looks at me and smiles.
The Whispers of the Sprite (The Whispers Series #1) Page 22
