Uniquely Unwelcome (The Shadow World)

by Brandy Nacole

  I start to rise but Danika cuts me off. “Don’t even start, Racquel, I’m not in the mood.”

  I sit back down, not because of her wacked out attitude, but because of the tired ache creeping all over my body. “Well your PMS mood is not helping our search. If you cannot handle this anymore, just say the words and I’m gone.”

  Coy looks at me in dismay. “You would just leave,” he said, snapping his fingers, “Just like that?”

  “If that’s what I must do, then I will.” The wounded look that crosses over his face, twist something inside me. “That is not what I want, but I’m not going to force anyone’s hand.”

  “How noble of you, Racquel. Turn your nasty remarks back on us.” Danika’s face is tight with aggravation as she looks down on me.

  This time I do stand. “What is your problem? Feeling a little low? Must be hard realizing you’re not a strong enough Witch to find a whole freaking group of Shape-shifters. How pitiful is that?” She steps forward as if she’s going to hit me. Ethan puts his hand on her stomach, giving her a little push back.

  “We don’t have time for this nonsense,” he says. “Let’s just talk about what we’ve seen today and plan our next course of action.” Danika and I continue to glare at one another. If she thinks I’m backing down first, we’re going to be here awhile.

  Danika finally sighs and backs off. “He’s right.” Now who’s trying to be noble?

  Danika takes another deep breath and then fills me in on their day’s events. Which doesn’t lead to much of anything, other than the fact that there are few roads that go through the mountainside.

  “So what do we do now?” A sense of hopeless echoes in Ethan’s tone. Danika pulls out a map, looking it over. “I say we plan a course of action now. We know that they are located somewhere around this general area.” She makes a circle motion around the Mackenzie Mountains all the way up to the ocean. “Racquel, what do you think?”

  I take a glance over at the map. If I were a shifter living in the wild, I would stay near natural resources and away from open areas or cities. In this part of Canada, there are a lot of those places and I’m not sure where to turn but a decision has to be made.

  “Let’s head on up to Echo Bay. If we have no luck there, then we continue northward to Tukloyaktuk.”

  “Sounds good but what about this area? We haven’t even checked the Southeastern part of the territory.” Looking at the area Danika has pointed out, I find myself torn. What if we go in the wrong direction? We could spend more time than necessary searching the wrong areas.

  “Do you want to split up again? Part of us head north, the rest of us head east?”

  “I think that would be very unwise, strange one.” I jump as Jared’s breath warms my ear. When did he get out of the car?

  I turn, putting space between us as I give him a cold stare. “And why is that?”

  “Say we are attacked again. Would we be able to fight them off with just two of us?” Pointing his slim, dead-white finger at Coy he says, “And whoever takes him is for sure dead. Now do we really want to take those chances?”

  “He’s right, we can’t split up.” I look over at Ethan, his eyes closed as if admitting that Jared was right was like pouring acid over his body. “Looking at the map, though, I dare say it makes more sense going north rather than east.”

  Danika rolls up the map. “Well, I can only hope we’re right but what more can we do?” Turning to me she says, “Racquel do you feel like flying over the terrain to Echo Bay? Maybe you could see something along the way.”

  Even though my body is screaming in agony, wanting nothing more than to rest, I am about to agree. But Coy intercedes for me. “She needs to rest. She can ride with us up there and then take a look around.” His voice holds no room for argument, as he wraps me in his arms protectively.

  Danika raises her eyebrows as she takes in his protective hold on me. “Okay then, let’s go.”

  Ethan tries to get behind the driver’s seat but Danika stops him. They argue for a few minutes before Ethan complies and gets in on the passenger side. The rest of us pile up in the back. Jared smiles over at me as Coy glares at him. This is going to be fun. But after only a few minutes of driving, I’m taken under by a bone deep tiredness.

  ~

  The sky was thick with dark looming clouds. I had been flying all around the lake and through the forest around it for hours. Trying to make out objects far below was easier when the sun wasn’t out. The sun always made things too bright and hard to distinguish. A light cloud cover was the best.

  I had been lucky so far today. A light cast of cloud cover had hung over the Mackenzie Mountains. But it would seem my luck was running out. The clouds had slowly begun to thicken, with a heavy fog lying close to the ground.

  I had kept my search going, though not wanting to give up, hoping through sheer luck that the clouds would pass and the fog would lift. Now I’m faced with a heavy shear of rain falling from the dark expanse of clouds.

  I can tell the rain is set in for the day, the clouds covering over the territory like a blanket. With the fog and the rain I have no choice but to forget my search in the air. My only option is to join the others on land and hope our ground search is more successful.

  Finding the bright red SUV in these conditions is going to be difficult. I keep swooping and diving toward the ground hoping to catch a glimpse of my group. The rain is making even this small task difficult. My wings are getting heavy as every drop of rain soaks into my feathers. My muscles begin to ache from the heavy strain. I know if I don’t find them quick, I will have to land and find shelter. Naked.

  The rain starts to come down harder. I dive under the trees hoping they will block most of the rain. Stopping under a cedar bush, I shake my wings hoping to rid myself of as much water as possible.

  I continue searching under the cover of the trees, also keeping my eyes out for the Shape-shifters too. Just when my hope is at its end, I spot the SUV.

  But instead of joy and relief, my stomach knots. All the doors are open, the motor is still running, and wipers are still swooshing. Fear grips me. I fly closer to the car and land on the hood. There’s no trace of anyone, anywhere.

  The creatures. They must have attacked and took them all. But that doesn’t make sense. There’s no sign of a struggle, no broken glass, no blood, nothing! I would think there would be some blood shed from a fight. I don’t really see even Ethan going down without killing something first or at least injuring it.

  I look around and not seeing anything or anyone around, I shift. Completely naked, I hurry and get in the vehicle. My clothes are lying on the console. Danika must have kept them handy. I quickly put them on and begin looking for any clue as to what might have happened, but there’s nothing. It’s as if they simply got out of the car and walked off. I exit the car, and with the rain finally letting up, I make a large circle around it, hoping to find a trail of blood, foot prints, anything that might give me a clue.

  I walk back to the car, cutting the engine so I can hear better. Silence. There’s nothing but complete and utter silence. The only noises traveling through the wilderness are from the drops of rain plummeting from the sky that splatter on the surfaces below.

  As I slam the car door, I spot a small drop of purple liquid on the mirror. I notice more purple liquid trailing off into the woods. Not knowing what it is but not having any other clues to go on, I follow it. The drops are so small and with the rain quickly washing them away, I move as fast as I can.

  I walk through the forest, slipping on rocks and splashing through the wet earth. The purple liquid starts thinning due to the rain. Although the rain has all but stopped, the drainage is still causing a problem. Suddenly the liquid stops and at the end of its trail lays a small bug. No not a bug, a fairy.

  Well that explains the purple liquid. Or should I say blood. Why didn’t I think about that when I first saw it? I should have realized that the instant I saw the trail of purple. The one thin
g that made fairies unique from all other beings was their purple blood. But why would a fairy be here? And why was his blood on our car?

  I start to reach down to pick the fairy up but I’m met with an arrow pointed in my face. An angry fairy scowls at me from the other end of the arrow. “Don’t touch him.” The voice is small but full of fury.

  Humans can’t hear fairies at all. When a fairy is close to a human, all they might hear is a light humming noise that they shrug off. Shadows can hear them as if they were full grown people.

  The fairy flies closer to me, his arrow aimed and ready. Fear at an arrow being pointed at me, eludes me. How can I possible fear something as small as a toothpick? Then suddenly I’m surrounded by hundreds of these little arrows. The Fairies holding the arrows are all stern and soldier-like.

  “Come with us,” says the one who told me not to touch the lifeless fairy.

  I can’t help but sputter a laugh. “You may want to call on a few more of your buzzing friends because I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  The fairy jabs his arrow at me, “You will come with us or you will die.”

  “Oh yeah? And who is going to kill me, you and your twigs?” I laugh again. Does he honestly think he can take me? “Look little guy, I have some people to find. So unless you’re going to have a growth spurt within the next two seconds, I suggest you buzz off.”

  The fairy looks at me in confusion, his eyebrows draw together. “You’re Racquel are you not?”

  “Yes.” I say slowly. I’m a little shocked that he knows my name.

  “Then you do know that I am a Fae, correct?”

  “Well, if the purple blood oozing from your friend there wasn’t a clue, I would say the wings and angry gleam in your eye tipped the scale.”

  “Then why do you not fear me?” I bubble out another amused laugh. Do these little guys really think they can scare me? What are they going to do? Poke me to death?

  “Why would I be? With a swat of my hand you’ll be bug guts.”

  This enrages him more. He swoops up into my face, the arrow almost nicking my skin. “Take a close look, you naïve idiot. The arrows that are pointed at you are curare-tipped. If stabbed with one, you will not be able to utter another intolerant word, ever.”

  A notch of nervousness took up the space where a laugh was just a few moments before. Poison! Were these guys serious? I look at the arrow, which somehow seems to be gleaming a death red now. It’s probably just a trick of the mind but still effective.

  “What do you want?” Some part of my brain is wondering if I should hold my hands up in surrender.

  “The queen is waiting. Follow me.” The little bastard turns and starts flying off while the others swarm around me, arrows held high. I’m almost afraid to take a step. Worried if I walk too fast or trip and fall, one of their life-sucking arrows will drain me dead.

  Then a thought occurs. Would their arrows really kill me? I’ve never done much research or heard many stories about fairies and their poisonous arrows. I’m pretty sure they could take down a shifter or Witch but can they kill Vampires? And how about Lycans, who usually bounce back pretty quick?

  The angry fairy looks back over his shoulder. “Come along. We haven’t all day.”

  I decide against trying out my immune theory and take a tentative step in his direction. “Easy for you to say,” I mutter as I follow Mr. Pissy Pants through the forest.

  We don’t walk far before we come to an opening by a lake. The lake is rimmed with ice and snow. The funky weather Canada has been experiencing, like the rest of the world, has caused the lake to freeze, thaw, refreeze, and then unthaw yet again.

  In the distance is a mountain range with snowy peaks that disappear in the fog. In the middle of the lake sits an island covered in evergreen trees, their pointy tops reaching into the air. It’s truly an amazingly peaceful scene, one that leaves you speechless with peace. I’d probably feel that way if I wasn’t being held hostage. The death-threatening twigs being pointed at me is ruining the feel of calm and peace.

  Sitting close to the lake is a young woman. From her looks I would say she was around my age. She’s very beautiful with long, fire-red hair that stretches to the ground in beautiful waves. Her clothing is a bit on the unusual side. She has on-what appears to be-animal hide made into a suit, with white fur trimming along the cuffs. On her feet are old fashioned Indian moccasins. The cloak she has wrapped around her seems to be made of a thick moss. Good thing the rain let up. I figure the downpour earlier would have left her drenched, the cloak sopped and heavy.

  She’s looking across the lake, gazing out as if she is seeking something. Then her gaze falls upon me. Her bright emerald eyes are intense and enthralling. The closer I look at her beautiful green eyes, outlined with a beautiful purple, the more my mind becomes muddled. A slight dizziness overcomes me and I feel drawn to be near her.

  Shaking my head I look away from the girl and around the clearing. In the far corner of the tree line, I see my group, all huddled together. Although I can’t see for sure, I know fairies hold them at death’s point.

  The smartass fairy, who seems to be in charge of the others, flies over to the girl. I tune into the conversation as the fairy soldier tells the girl who I am. She inclines her head in acknowledgement, “Thank you Nolan.” Nolan then turns to his soldiers gesturing for them to bring me over.

  “Ah, Racquel, it’s so nice to meet you finally.” The girls’ voice is sweet and alluring. Like her eyes, her voice draws you in. I start to look at her but I avert my gaze and instead focus on her hair. Her head is buzzing with little girl fairies braiding, twisting, and unraveling her hair. “It’s amazing isn’t it? The way this lake is frozen almost year round, the animals beneath the ice, trapped underneath, a part of this world but separated all the same.” Although that is true in of itself, even if put in a weird cryptic way, the message really doesn’t hold enough importance for kidnapping and poisonous arrows to be used. I’m thinking we’re here for other reasons, so instead of indulging her unimportant nonsense, I get to the point.

  “Are you the fairy queen?”

  “Yes. Queen Kaya.” Her tone is soft and sweet like love song.

  “But…you’re human sized?” I had assumed that all Fairies were little with wings. I recall reading something about the queen being individually unique compared to all other Fairies. But when I read that, I was thinking about powers or influences, not about her size.

  “It is true then, what they say about you. That you have great power but little knowledge.” She looks away from me and back out over the lake. Without giving me a chance to answer, she finishes with, “What a shame.”

  Anger engulfs me at her comment of my ignorance. It doesn’t seem that fairies are as lovely as they are portrayed. They seep out nothing but insult and harm. “What do you want with me?”

  Queen Kaya looks back over to me. Her gaze is no longer lovely and sweet. Her eyes seem to be glowing now. Her mouth is drawn tight. If looks could kill, I would be dead a thousand times over. “I want what is mine.”

  Vines seep out of the ground wrapping themselves around my legs. They start working their way up around my torso and up to my neck. I try fighting them off but they quickly tighten around my body. “You will bring me back what is mine or it will be the death to all those who betray me, starting with you.”

  I try speaking. To argue against whatever she thinks I have. The vines make that impossible. They clench around my throat so tight I can barely gasp in tiny breaths.

  “You have until sunset tomorrow to bring those that were taken from me. If you do not, I will seek vengeance against every being on this wretched planet.”

  I see commotion in the background. Coy is trying to fight his way through the swarm of angry fairies holding them. I can hear him scream my name. Thankfully Ethan pulls him back and holds him still. Well as still as he can.

  I turn back to the queen, gesturing to my neck. The vines loosen enough for me to speak.
“I am trying to find them. My sister, who’s a Witch, was taken also. We have been looking for days.”

  “Then you’re not looking hard enough. Unlike you heartless creatures, the Fae stay true to their kind. We do not take the death of one of our own lightly.”

  “Look lady-” My words are cut off as the vines tighten once more around my neck.

  Nolan comes and gets in my face once more. His arrow is close and true to my neck, “You will address thy majesty as Queen Kaya.” I nod my head in understanding as the vines loosen once more.

  Grasping in another breath, while keeping my wits from speaking out like I normally would, I try again. “Queen Kaya, we’ve been seeking out the originals trying to find information on the missing. We are currently trying to find the shifters so we might learn where their members went missing.”

  “I know. I have been watching you. However, you are not thinking clearly. You are too concerned with what others perceive you as instead of finding those in need. I have heard rumors in the vines about your meeting with the Shadow leaders. You do seek information on those missing but the conversation always comes back to you and your abilities. Now how is that helping?”

  “I don’t seek answers with them about me. They are the ones who are curious. It was the first time any of them met with me.”

  “Could such meetings about who you are not been held another time?” The queen’s anger seems to be slipping a bit as her tone slightly dims.

  “Yes. Trust me; finding my sister and the others is the most important thing in this world for me.” Taking a breath and hoping I don’t offend her or the vines, I take a chance. “You say you care for the ones who were taken? Correct?”

  “Yes, of course.” Her luminous eyes are back to their awe-inspiring beautiful draw. I avert my eyes once again as I forge on. “You want them back safely, right?” The queen nods her head. “Then how much are you willing to help me?”

  “What is it that you need?” It would seem that I have drawn the queen’s attention.