Tales & Darkness

by G. Bailey

  “Rueben, Declan’s son, told me you loved Declan and gave him the raven stone,” I say, remembering that moment.

  “No, I gave it to Horace, and Declan hated me for it. He felt like I was choosing Horace over him,” grandmother quietly says, a touch of sorrow in her eyes as she stares at the peaceful running water for a long moment. I wonder how Declan managed to get the stone from Horace and why he lied to his son, but that train of thought leads nowhere good.

  “You knew him for a long time then?” Warren asks, walking around the rock and sitting down on a smaller, wider one near hers. I sit next to him, pressing my body against his side as there isn’t that much room on the rock.

  “Horace saved my life when I was a teenager, and we became very good friends afterwards. I loved him dearly,” she explains to me, her voice tinted with sadness.

  “You loved someone other than grandad?” I ask.

  “Your grandfather was the third love of my life, and I never regretted a day with him, but Horace always...” she drifts off, clearing her throat. “You have to understand, dark and good tales are not allowed to be together. Horace and I could have run away and risked it, but we both knew we wouldn’t have gotten far. He needed to be king, and he did find happiness and had a child. Your father, Warren.”

  “I’m sorry the rules didn’t let you be together,” Warren gently says.

  “Our families are linked together by far more than just love; we are linked by destiny. By a prophecy,” grandmother explains. I look at Warren, and we both seem to know the same thing. We always felt this connection, way before we knew about any prophecy.

  “We know the first half, but—”

  “The Masters hid the other. I am well aware,” grandmother replies.

  “Why would they hide the other half?” I ask.

  “It means our families, our love for each other, could destroy them and their world. Would you like to know it?” grandmother asks us.

  “Yes,” Warren says.

  “Yes, I would like to hear it,” I say after Warren.

  “When the ravens come,

  The ancient tales will succumb.

  The raven crows, the raven knows.

  When the raven dies, sleep will arise,

  For sleep and war are destined for only ruin.

  The raven will fall, the world will sleep.

  For only a beauty can survive the deep sleep.

  Dark and good are destined to fall when time is lost.

  The council will be replaced,

  and there will be Masters no more.

  For there can only be one leader of them all.

  Words will be spoken in the great war,

  Only the sleeping raven can save them all.”

  Grandmother tells us the entire prophecy, and we are both just speechless for a long time. The Masters are going to be destroyed, and it makes it sound like I am going to do that. Maybe even Warren if he is the dark the prophecy talks of.

  “We have to get into the council building and get weapons, magical ones, before going to Greece,” I say, not knowing how else to respond to that. “And talk to the magical book and see if anything is in the library there that can help.”

  “I know, dear,” grandmother says. “But there is time for love, is there not? For why would anyone fight death if it were not for love?” She stands up and smiles at us both before walking away, leaving us alone on the rock, the sound of the river filling our ears.

  “I’ve fallen for you, Madi,” Warren randomly says, and I turn to him, placing my hand over his on his lap and linking our hands. “I knew you were going to be trouble from the second I saw you, but I didn’t know I would love you so instantly. It was instant, and you made me into a better person. I was lost, and I was clueless how much until you showed me.”

  “You’ve always been strong, Warren,” I whisper, and before I can blink, he leans down and kisses me. The kiss is sweet with a touch of desire built up between us for so long. I sharply pull away before we take this any further, and stand up.

  “I like you, maybe even love you. Okay, I do love you, but I love them as well. I need to talk to them about us. I owe them that,” I whisper back.

  “I understand, and after you do, I want a date,” he tells me with a grin.

  “What kinda date?” I ask with my own smile.

  “It will be a surprise,” he replies with a grin, standing up. “Come on, Madi, let’s go back to our family.”

  “They really are our crazy little family, aren’t they?” I mutter. Crazy might be an understatement.

  “Yes,” he replies. “A family worth fighting for. I’ve never had that before.”

  “You do now,” I reply, leaning my head on his shoulder and linking our hands for just a little bit longer as we walk back.

  Somehow I have to tell the Tale brothers I’m in love with one more guy, and he happens to be a dark tale.

  Chapter 8

  I lie so very still on the warm sand, feeling water brush across my feet before slipping away once again. The waves brush against my feet again and again, and it’s almost soothing enough to make me close my eyes and drift off to sleep.

  But something is wrong.

  I stare up at the dark sky, the threatening looking clouds hanging over me. They are daunting as they swirl around each other, and everything just feels so…wrong. I sit up on the beach I’m on as something slams onto the ground next to me. I look at the sand to see a dead raven, just as three more drop onto the sand around me. Then more fall and more and more until I start to scream, surrounded by only their deaths.

  “Madi!” someone shakes my shoulder, waking me up from the nightmare as I look up at Knox hovering over me on the bed, his worried expression watching me closely. I lean up and wrap my arms around his neck, and he holds me back as I calm my breathing down. “Are you alright? What happened?” My whole body is shaking as I clutch my hand around Knox’s arm, using his warmth to remind me that nothing is dead and gone. I’m not alone and lost.

  “I had a bad dream. The ravens were all dead, everything was so wrong and dark and—” My words come out frantically fast, even to the point they don’t make much sense.

  “Shhh,” Knox comforts me, laying us back down on the bed and wrapping his arms tightly around me as I place my hand on his bare chest. He holds me so close, reminding me that I’m safe. Knox always makes me feel safe because he is my home. We didn’t go to bed together, but I know he was close by. I think they all are.

  “Dreams aren’t real,” Knox gently whispers to me. I stare at the wooden ceiling, the dim light shining through the cracked open door to the bathroom. Everything is so silent here; nothing makes a single noise, and I rather like it. I just can focus on Knox’s heartbeat, his deep breaths.

  “With my powers, I suspect they are more genuine than real life,” I admit, looking up into his eyes. Though they are dark silver in colour, at night I swear they almost shine. They come to life in the darkness, which is ironic as Knox can’t sleep at night.

  “I will always be here for you, and I will wake you up if it gets too bad,” Knox promises me.

  I know.

  He stays very still as I push him onto his back and swing my leg across his hips. I run my hands down his chest as his hands grip my hips tightly, his eyes widening ever so slightly. I lean down and kiss his chest, pressing my lips repeatedly on his warm skin, enjoying the way he lets me take some control. I kiss up his chest and to his neck, where I pause, feeling his pulse under my lips and the scruff of his facial hair against my lips as I move to his jawline. He turns his head to mine, and we kiss. The kiss deepens almost instantly as desire burns through me, making me desperate for everything we have pushed to the side for so long. Knox pulls my shirt off me, and I push down my shorts as he undoes his own. Knox pushes me onto my back and looks down at me for just a second before kissing me once more.

  “Protection,” he mutters against my lips, and I chuckle with a nod as he climbs off the bed, walking to
the bathroom. I watch him walk back to me, protection now on, and I enjoy just how beautiful his rippled muscles are, a slight tan on his skin, a gentle brush of hair on his stomach and everything else about him that makes Knox Tale just so perfect.

  “What are you thinking?” Knox asks as he climbs onto the bed, parting my legs and resting himself over me.

  “That I’m lucky. I really love you, Knox,” I tell him. “You’re my safe place.”

  “I love you too. I always have, and I will fight forever for us all to be together,” Knox tells me, and I smile as he kisses me. He gently kisses his way down my body until he finds my core. I moan as his tongue expertly explores my core, and I crash into an orgasm within a few minutes. He smirks at me as he moves up my body, and his lips find mine as he easily slides inside me. Knox is big, making me feel so full as he moves, and I gasp against his lips as he draws out his thrusts. His lips devour my own, both of us desperately taking everything we can from each other until he groans as he finishes. We both breathlessly stare at each other, and we don’t have to speak to understand each other right now.

  Sometimes love doesn’t need words...it just is.

  “Ready, grandmother?” I ask her as I pull my hoodie closer around me and do up the zip. Knox, Sin and Warren are coming with us this time to the council, and if we get in, then Knox will come back for the others. My cheeks burn with the memory of last night and Knox. I feel like everyone knows what we did last night, and I almost don’t care. I’m not hiding my love for them. We all agreed last night over the meal that it’s not safe for us to all leave this place together in case the goddess comes after any of us. After all, she is far more powerful than any of us, so there is a good chance she could get in this place. The tales town isn’t any safer, but at least we can escape quickly if need be.

  “Yes,” she replies, placing her hand on my back for a moment before moving it away. “I just hope I can be of use.”

  “If you can’t get in, we will figure out another way,” I tell her as Knox, Tobias, Noah, Sin and Warren walk over to us. I wave at my parents in the distance as dad holds mum back, telling her to be calm. I know she isn’t okay with any of this and the risk, but she can’t help me. Tobias gets to me first and kisses me, not in a gentle way either.

  And in front of my grandmother. I pull back with red cheeks, and grandmother laughs as Tobias winks at me.

  “Tobias,” I scold him, and he only grins.

  “Yes, Sleepy?” he asks with a raised eyebrow that somehow makes him so damn attractive.

  “Seeing kisses like that is going to give this old girl a heart attack,” grandmother says, and I swear my cheeks go brighter as Tobias and the others just laugh. Noah comes up to me and very sweetly kisses my cheek before resting his hand on my arm.

  “Be careful and don’t take any risks,” he says.

  “I promise,” I tell him.

  “We trust you, Sleepy. Plus, you won’t be alone,” Tobias says, squeezing my hand before stepping away with Noah. Knox nods at me as Sin comes to my other side, linking his hand with mine. Warren stays near my grandmother as Knox opens the portal. I walk through first this time, pulling Sin with me and coming out in the middle of town rather than the outskirts like last time. We aren’t far away from the building here, and the streets are silent, empty and just plain creepy like this. The others come through next, with Knox last, and he closes the portal after him.

  “I’ve never heard the town so silent,” grandmother says.

  “Madi put everyone, including animals, to sleep,” Knox says.

  “It’s one thing to hear about it, but an entirely other thing to see this,” grandmother says in wonder, looking at me for a moment before shaking her head and walking off. We all follow close, my hand staying firmly in Sin’s, enjoying the warmth as we head through the town and to the gates. Grandmother goes through the gap Knox made, and I follow next, with Sin, Warren and Knox coming through after me. We all stop when grandmother pauses, looking at the door and then to the plain wall next to it. She goes to the wall and places her hand on it, closing her eyes. Her wings flicker out for a second as she says something, and then the wall shakes. A part of the brick slides across, revealing a gap, and grandmother reaches in, pulling out a key that looks similar to the keys we used to get to Lost Time Academy.

  “The only issue is that the key opens the top floor, and we will have to travel down to open the bottom door from the inside,” grandmother explains, though she could have told us that little bit of information earlier.

  “We can’t fly like you,” I point out.

  “I can’t fly like I used to be able to. My wings are as old as me, and my powers are long rested,” grandmother says with a sigh. “So none of you hunky men have wings?” I chuckle as the guys look annoyed as none of them do. It’s not like they aren’t powerful though. I’m sure Knox and Sin could make a tornado, but there is no guarantee it will land us on the building.

  “Madi, you flew once and had wings. I bet you could do it again,” Warren says, and Sin nods as I look around at them.

  “I think you can do it as well,” Knox comments, reminding me of last night and how much he believes in me. “You can do anything you put your mind to.”

  “I wasn’t myself with the wings...I just don’t know,” I nervously say.

  “Look at me,” Sin says, taking my hands in his as I turn to him. “You are Madilynn Dormiens, and there isn’t anything you cannot do. Believe in yourself as we believe in you.” I lean closer and gently kiss him, pulling strength from Sin as I step away, looking up at the high building. It’s very, very high.

  “Here is the key. There is a locked door on the top level; you can’t miss it,” grandmother says, pressing the key into my hand, and I put it in my pocket that has a zip for safe keeping. “Flying is easy; it’s the landing that is difficult. You can do this. You are my granddaughter and that means flying is in your blood.”

  “You guys better be ready to catch me if this goes wrong,” I say, seeing Knox and Warren looking less than happy about this, but we all know we need to get into this building. It has all the answers we need before going to Greece. I don’t want to go to Greece empty-handed and without a clue how to stop the goddess. I blow out a long breath and close my eyes, pulling on my power to the full strength that I can find, remembering the feeling in the field, the power I needed to do the right thing, and this moment is no different. I need my powers now.

  The sudden burst of power takes me by surprise nonetheless, and it pushes into my body like a wave as my feet leave the ground. Air whips past my ears as I fly straight up into the sky, the white building flying past like a wave of white until I’m above it. I look behind me as the wind whips my hair around my shoulders and see the wings I was told about. They are made of blue dust, not really attached to me at all, more hovering nearby. They flutter in the wind, dropping dust into the air around me. I’m a god damn fairy.

  I float in the air for a long moment, looking around at the island below me as I try not to be scared. The houses look like little dots and so do my guys and grandmother below. I can see the whole island from here, and the academy in the far distance on the other side. The academy and this town are the only clearings, the rest of the island is nothing more than trees and rocks, with the mountain behind me being the tallest part of the island. My body shakes as I look at the top of the building and zoom towards it, only to not have a clue how to stop myself. I scream as I slam into the door, and my head hits it with a thump that sends me spiralling into darkness.

  Chapter 9

  The once warm sand is now cold as I lie on it, and the water freezes my feet as the waves brush it across me. I jump up, walking away from the cold water as I look around at the tall palm trees that are dead, looking like nothing more than burnt sticks in the sand that I cower under. The dark clouds are still here, and there are no ravens. Not even dead ones.

  “Time,” a voice says in a strange accent, a voice that makes all the hairs
on my neck stick up and my palms feel sweaty. I slowly turn around, feeling bile in the back of my throat as I see the outline of a figure at the other end of the beach. Shadows swirl around the figure, making it impossible to actually see her, but it’s a woman.

  I know who it is without seeing her anyway.

  “Time. Time. Time. Time is death. Time. Time.” A wave as big as a building crashes into the side of me, making me close my eyes as the sea pushes me away with it. Her voice never leaves my ears.

  I scream as I open my eyes, gasping for air as I feel like my lungs are full of water, and even though I’m awake, I swear I hear the echo of the goddess’s voice in my ears. I cough, sputtering on nothing as I roll on my side. I wake up slowly to the reality around me, thinking I hear ravens squawking in the distance, but it’s nothing but my imagination as I look up at the cloudy sky as snow falls onto me. I groan as I place my hand to my head, feeling the dry sticky blood where I knocked into the door, and I look up to see a bloody mark on the door. I wonder how long I’ve been knocked out. Hopefully not long enough to have everyone worrying. I shakily stand up as the rooftop blurs a little, and I know I likely have a concussion or something from that hit. What the hell is up with my dreams at the moment? Can I really be seeing the goddess?

  Who knew I would miss the ravens in my dreams? I pull the key out of my zipped-up pocket and go to the door, sliding the key in. The key burns red, and I let go, only for the door to swing itself open on its own. That isn’t creepy at all. Walking into the building is strange, only because I expect to see and hear something inside, when I don’t. This area is just a big staircase with lifts on either side of the room. I press the lift calling button and wait until the lift comes up to the top and the doors slide open, where a man is in the corner, sleeping soundly. I ignore him as I find the buttons and glance around. The lift’s other three walls are made of glass, and I press the button for the lobby, which I’m assuming is the right floor for me.