They were at Sean's house, waiting for Ashley. At first, she had refused when Sean asked her to come over. But as soon as he mentioned Jade, she told him she was on her way, and she hung up before he could tell her anything else.
While they waited, Shemeya sat on Sean's white plastic covered couch watching television.
"When did you get that?" Sean pointed to Shemeya's belly. She'd changed into a pair of jeans and a short t-shirt that revealed a loop-piercing hanging from her belly. The jewelry complemented her dark skin and flat stomach.
"I got it a couple of days ago." She scooted closer to him. "Do you like it?"
Sean licked his lips and swallowed. "Do I like what?"
"My belly ring," she whispered, her breath hot on his ear. He pulled away but found himself staring at her lips. He remembered the night at the party and how soft they felt. He wanted to taste them again. He reached towards her, but then he saw the snakes hovering above his head, and he jumped off the couch.
"It looks nice," he said, remembering the question.
She frowned like she'd just had a piece of candy taken from her. "Whatever." She moved back to the other side of the couch and began flipping through the television stations.
Sean walked to the kitchen to stop himself from thinking about Shemeya and her belly ring. Since he found out about the snakes, he had found himself both repelled and attracted to her.
He entered his kitchen to see roaches scurrying over his trash can, and Andre munching on a discarded apple. "What are you doing?" Sean asked, repulsed.
At the sound of Sean's voice, the roaches scattered and ran under Andre's pants. "I'm sorry. I can't control it. Regular food doesn't taste good anymore."
"Man, get out of my kitchen," Sean said, not bothering to hide his disgust.
Something clung to Ashley. It smelled of magic, and it wavered back and forth in and out of Sean's sight. He made sure to look away from it, focusing instead on Ashley. The thing was wispy, immaterial, and when it decided to focus on something, its eyes grew completely black.
Ashley's hazel eyes had always been the most intriguing thing about her. Now, they no longer held color. Instead, they were murky, as if she had severe cataracts.
Sean didn't expect Ashley to believe anything he said. He had expected to have to show her Shemeya's snakes and Andre's bugs, but when he'd told her about Jade, she cried with relief.
"She cursed me, too," Ashley said, sitting next to Sean, looking weaker by the second. "I knew it. I started getting sick right after she did my hair."
"How sick?" Shemeya asked. She sat near Ashley on the arm of the couch. From the lack of fear on her face, she didn't see the thing clinging to Ashley. If she knew about it, Sean didn't think she would be sitting so close.
"My nose started bleeding," Ashley began. "My head hurts. I pass out at least once a day, and I have no energy. I can't keep any food down."
"Have you talked to her?" Sean asked.
"No, I'm scared. But I have something that might help." She pulled the purse from her lap and took out a book that used a brown paper bag as a cover.
He had no idea if it was a ghost, but spook was the only word he could think of. It left Ashley and floated towards the book. The spook looked from the book to Sean expectantly, like it wanted Sean to take it from her.
Shemeya reached for it, and Sean hit her hand away. "If you got it from her, it can't be any good. You need to get rid of it," he told Ashley.
"Oh, Gawd!" Ashley wailed. Her voice so shrill it sounded like a banshee's death cry. "I tried to get rid of it. I've tried. It keeps coming back. I've thrown it in Lake Hefner, Lake Overholser, and in a landfill. It won't leave me." Her voice climbed in panic, "My baby has been staying with my mom because she's scared of me. And her dad went out for beer a few days ago and hasn't returned since. Please, help me."
"That's why we're here." Shemeya patted Ashley on the back, still oblivious to the monster she was a few inches away from touching.
"How are we going to fight a witch, though?" Ashley whined.
"She's not a witch," Sean corrected.
"Fey. Witch. It makes no difference. How can we fight her? We don't have magic," Shemeya said.
"Jade can't go against all of us. All we have to do is tell her she has to make you better, or we'll call the police," Sean said.
"The police would never believe us," Andre leaned against the wall. "And if anyone saw me or Shemeya like this, they'd lock us up."
"She's an unlicensed beautician working out of her home," Ashley said. "And she's always leaving that little boy of hers outside playing by himself."
"I babysit for Coal and letting kids play outside is not a crime," Shemeya said defensively.
"It doesn't matter," Ashley said. "Social services will still take him. They did it to my cousins last year."
"That's not a bad idea," Sean said. "We can threaten to report her to the state."
"But how do we know she won't just kill us?" Ashley asked.
"There's power in numbers, and I don't think she is strong enough to take us all out," Sean said.
Jade beamed when she answered the door and saw Shemeya standing on the other side. "How is it going? I've been wondering why I haven't heard from you."
"Shemeya!" Coal appeared beside his mother. "Are you here to play with me?"
Shemeya gave Coal a hesitant smile. "No, I'm sorry. I have to talk to your mom."
That was the signal. Sean stepped away from the side of the door. Ashley and Andre followed.
When Jade saw them, her smile disappeared. "What's going on?"
"We need to talk to you." Shemeya tried and failed to keep the guilt from her voice.
"Why?" Jade asked, ignoring Shemeya and looking directly at Sean.
"Can we come in, please?" Shemeya asked. "It's important."
"Go outside and play, Coal. This'll only take a few minutes."
Coal slumped his shoulders and walked past the four of them. Once outside, he began kicking a red ball that had been lying in the grass.
When Sean stepped into the apartment, the intense feeling of otherness overpowered his senses. The earthy smells brought the memory of his mother's death crashing back.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and gathered his courage. He was in charge. And Jade was nothing compared to the monster who had killed his mother.
He could do this.
"What's going on?" Jade asked, her sharp voice pulling Sean out of his thoughts.
"You need to fix us," Ashley demanded. She looked stronger than she had at Sean's apartment, the hope of a remedy giving her strength.
Jade glared at them all in turn before she asked. "Fix what?"
Ashley pulled a gun out of her purse. "Take this damn curse off me, or I'll kill you."
Sean stepped back, surprised. "Ashley, we never talked about bringing a gun."
Jade never moved. She stared at the weapon as if Ashley were holding a stick. "There is no curse on you," Jade said. "The book you took is warded. All you have to do is return it, and the curse on your back will be gone."
All confidence left Ashley, and her hands shook.
"Did you bring the book?" Sean asked Ashley, anxiously eying the gun. He feared it would go off, and they would all be charged with murder. He didn't think Jade was human, but the police wouldn't know that.
Tears sprung from Ashley's eyes, and she plopped on Jade's couch, looking exhausted. The phantom on her back grinned with triumph. "No, I left it in your house."
Sean took the gun from Ashley, deciding he liked the confidence of having something dangerous between them and Jade, just in case she was more powerful than she appeared. "What about Shemeya?"
Jade furrowed her brow. "What about her?"
Shemeya spoke up. "I have snakes as dreads." Her voice shook as if she was betraying her best friend.
"Really?" Jade glanced upwards, disbelief in her voice. "You look normal to me."
Shemeya shook her head, and the snake
s rose, hissing.
"Wow!" Jade said with amusement and awe. "How did that happen?" She lifted her hand towards the snakes. They hissed and moved away. After a moment, they relaxed and leaned into her hand.
Angered by Jade's feigned ignorance, Sean stepped closer.
"What do you mean 'how did this happen'? You did this to her."
"I didn't do this." Jade caressed the snakes once more before she turned to Sean. "I have never seen someone's hair turn into snakes. Besides, Shemeya has never done anything to me. I thought we were friends." She turned from Sean to Shemeya. "Child, you must have some type of magic all your own. I used your essence, a power you already possessed, to give you confidence. Your snakes have nothing to do with me."
"You're lying," Sean gripped the gun tighter. "You're Fey. You're doing all of this. What about Andre?" Sean walked over to Andre, and with his free hand he pulled back Andre's hood. The roaches covering his head scattered.
"Hey," Andre said with a weak voice, unable to muster any anger.
A smile touched Jade's lips. "Okay. That is my fault, but I was going to call the roaches off tonight." The tips of her fingers moved across Andre's face as the roaches scurried away. "Damn. I didn't know the spell would take so well." Andre stared at her, his jaw clenched, but he did not pull away. "Do you still believe black women look like cockroaches?"
"No, I told you I was just joking." Andre seethed.
"It was not funny." Her voice held an edge of condemnation, and Andre looked away from Jade as if he'd been burned.
"You." She turned her attention to Sean. "You know what I am?"
"Yes." The gun was heavy in his hands, but fear made him hold it tighter.
"How? I am not using glamour. This is true skin."
"You reek of magic."
"Really? Magic has a smell." She tapped a finger on her lips. "I'll have to fix that."
Jade pointed to Ashley, who sat slumped on the couch as if the last bit of strength had left her. "Get up and get my book. And I'll fix you and bug boy."
"Wait," Sean said. "What about Latreece? What did you give her?"
"You have it in your head that I'm a horrible, evil monster. I'm almost sorry to disappoint you. I gave the girl a harmless human root. It's no worse than any other vegetable. It'll help her gain a few pounds, regulate her cycle, and boost her self-esteem. And it'll do all of this naturally because she believes it will."
The relief Sean felt knowing Latreece would be okay vanished as Jade's front door swung open, and five figures stepped into the apartment. His hands shaking, Sean lowered the gun, his fear overwhelming his earlier confidence.
GALENA
Living is Easy with Eyes Closed. - John Lennon
Queen Galena phased into the forest of the human realm while birds chirped incessantly, begging to be loved. The late morning sun, which both the human and fey realms shared, beamed weakly through the dense canopy of maple and oak trees. The smell of fresh rain was quickly dissipating with the rising heat. She couldn't hear the footsteps of her two personal guards walking behind her, but she knew they were there. After decades of training and fighting together, they were linked like shadows. Usually, they walked beside her, but today that honor went to her daughter. "Welcome to the human realm, Chalcedony," Queen Galena said.
Chalcedony beamed as she turned in a circle, her red eyes probing the forest. Queen Galena had been hesitant to bring the child, but the girl had begged and pleaded until Galena caved. Madoc, her closest advisor, had counseled against it. He believed Chalcedony was too immature, impulsive, and stubborn. He wanted her left in the fey realm until she'd outgrown those traits. Those habits could get her killed here. But he didn't see that she was also relentlessly determined. After months of questions about humans, human technology, and ceaseless begging, Galena had given in.
"Where are all of the humans, cars, and concrete?" Chalcedony asked as they walked through the trees.
Galena sighed. Perhaps Madoc had been right. "To make sure no human will see us, we phase into a forest. Usually, that means no humans and no human technology."
"Oh. I remember. Sorry." Hearing the agitation in her mother's voice, Chalcedony straightened and her smile disappeared. But wonder, excitement, and anticipation still emanated from her in waves. For all of Galena's training, she couldn't help but share the girl's excitement. If she were honest, she'd been looking forward to her daughter's first trip to the human realm. As a child, Gelena had been just as excited as Chalcedony to visit.
As they left the forest, they saw a short, dark-skinned man fidgeting beside a tan car. From the fear and nervousness Galena smelled radiating from him, she knew he was waiting for her.
"Are you the Fey Queen?" he asked once they were face to face. He glanced at Chalcedony and then to her shadows Mahal and Zanete.
"Who else would I be?" Galena had never been to Oklahoma. She only knew it was in the middle of the United States. The place was far from any portal, but rogue fey often traveled great distances, hoping to remain undetected.
But there was no place safe from her, or the other two queens.
The human bowed, showing her the top of his bald head. "I'm sorry. I had to make sure. My name is William."
"William," Queen Galena drew out his name, wrapping it in magic to compel him to tell her the truth, "if you cannot see us in our true form, why did you call?"
"I can't see past glamour, but I know the signs of," he hesitated, "fey. I have relatives who have suffered from the curse."
The man had just saved his own life. Queen Galena motioned towards the human's car. "Take me to this rogue fey."
The spaciousness of these apartments surprised her. The cities on the east coast of the United States where fey usually tried to hide were filled with humans stacked on top of each other. There was always someone in sight, which made the hunts cumbersome. She always had to plan meticulously. If there were rogue fey in this place, it would be easy to track them down without too many humans getting in the way.
William stopped at a building where a boy kicked a blood red ball against a wall. He was a year or two younger than Chalcedony. He stopped as soon as he saw them. "Wow," he said to their group. "Your ears look funny. You must be here for my momma."
"Is this it?" Queen Galena whispered to William.
"Yeah. Jade. She's his mother," William said. He had been confident on the way here, but when he saw the boy, his hand began to shake.
Queen Galena stared at the boy's ears. His ears were perfectly rounded. There were no scars or nubs to show that they'd been cut to appear human. And he didn't smell of fey. He must have been stolen. She'd encountered lots of fey who had taken human children to help fit in. "What's your name?"
"Coal. Are you looking for my mom?" he asked eagerly. "She already has company right now."
"I'm sure she won't mind some extra visitors. We've traveled far to see her," Queen Galena said. She killed humans who saw through glamour, but he'd have to wait. Right now, she was more curious about his so-called mother.
"This way," William said, leading them towards an apartment door with the number 180 on the front.
"Wait." Coal stared at Chalcedony. "Do you want to play with me? My mom says I have to stay outside when your kind is here. And since you're a kid maybe you should wait out here, too."
Chalcedony stared at the boy with her mouth agape, and Galena knew the last thing Chalcedony wanted was to stay outside. But maybe he had a point. "Stay here, Chalcedony," Queen Galena whispered in her ear. "Make sure he doesn't leave."
Chalcedony frowned, disappointment written in her downturned lips, but she did as she was told and turned towards the boy.
Queen Galena, William, and her shadows continued the few steps to the apartment.
Before they entered, she cast a spell. The words of intense magic would keep anyone from seeing or hearing anything in the apartment. The words didn't matter. It was the power and magic behind them that made most of her spells work.
&nb
sp; For the next thirty minutes, any human nearby would see an empty yard and feel an intense desire to be anywhere but here.
Zanete took the lead. She turned the knob and nodded when it turned, unlocked.
They entered the house.
Queen Galena drank in the scene. Magic was everywhere. There must have been some type of barrier protecting the small apartment from the outside because the house was breathing powerful magic from its core. How did her waifs, who were supposed to feel any magic in the human realm, not know about this? How did she not feel it from outside?
There were five people in the room. Two appeared to be human, and she did not know what the other three were. Her senses said they were human, but their appearances told a different story.
"Who lives here?" she asked.
They all pointed to a woman with tightly coiled red hair and freckles. Galena looked to the human who had brought her.
"Yes, that's her. Jade." William's gaze darted back and forth between her and the others in the apartment, his nervousness growing.
"Who are these other people?" she asked William.
"They're just neighborhood kids. I think she's cursed them," he said, with a shaky, expectant voice, staring at the girl with snakes in her hair.
The woman they pointed to was the one who looked the most human. Galena probably would have thought they were liars, only trying to draw attention away from themselves, but Jade grabbed the gun that one of the others had. She pointed it at Galena and pulled the trigger.
Stupid humans and their guns.
If she'd been a typical elf, a gun would have been enough to kill her, but she was a queen. She wielded the magic of a hundred generations of fey. Queen Galena focused her power on the bullet. Using her will, she propelled the flying metal backwards. The redhead dropped to the ground, and the bullet lodged into the wall. Queen Galena phased beside the woman and placed her foot on the woman's neck, instantly cutting off her air supply.
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