The Amulet

by Alison Pensy

  They sat at the table and tucked into the breakfast that her father had lovingly prepared for her birthday. Today was going to be a very unusual day, of that she had no doubt.

  “Open your present,” her dad said, passing her the colorfully wrapped gift.

  She took it and opened the wrapping with care. She always hated to tear the paper and wondered why; it wasn’t as if she was likely to use it again. Inside was a square velvet box. She opened it and gasped.

  “Oh, Dad, it’s beautiful. You shouldn’t have.” She picked up the bracelet and gave it a closer look. It was a silver bangle, which had a Celtic design that ran the whole circumference of it. “Thank you. I’ll wear it always.” Along with the Battle ring and the Amulet of Azran. She was getting quite a collection of Celtic jewelry given to her that day.

  “You’re welcome, sweetheart. I’m glad you like it. So what are your plans for today?” her dad asked.

  She finished her mouthful before she answered. Her mum had always taught her it was rude to talk with your mouth full of food.

  Well, I was going to go shopping with Amy and Zoë and buy an outfit for going out this evening, like any normal eighteen year old on her birthday. But I found out I’m the Custodian to an ancient fae amulet, and my dog turned into a fairy, so I have a feeling those plans are going to be cancelled. She was relieved her dad couldn’t read minds.

  “Haven’t really thought about it, I’ll probably go and take Gypsy out for a ride,” she answered him with a smile. She needed more time alone with Faen. She hadn’t anywhere near had all her questions answered yet. They were piling up so fast she thought her head might explode if she didn’t get them out soon.

  “Well, as long as you’ve got something planned and you’re not going to be spending the day alone.”

  How ironic, she thought, I’m never going to be spending the day alone again.

  “Your Uncle Leo asked me to go and help him with something. I hope you don’t mind, but I’ll be gone most of the day,” Henry continued, pulling Faedra from deep inside her thoughts.

  “Huh? Oh, no problem, Dad, that’s fine, I’ll have plenty to do.”

  “Good. Well, I’ll just go and let your uncle know I’ll be there in a little while.” Henry got up from the table to go and use the phone.

  “You have got a lot more explaining to do,” she told Faen as soon as her dad was out of earshot. Faen’s ears drooped and he raised a furry eyebrow.

  When her dad returned to the table, they finished their breakfast. Faedra helped him clear up and load the dishwasher.

  “I’m off now then, darling,” Henry announced and leaned down to kiss his daughter on the forehead. “I’ll see you later.”

  “Okay, Dad. Have fun with Uncle Leo. Tell him hello from me, and I’ll see him and Nicki soon.”

  “Will do. Bye then.” Henry disappeared around the corner; she heard the door close behind him.

  She looked at Faen who was still in his dog form and shook her head. Maybe it was all a daydream. She got up, padded through the dining room and went up the stairs to her bedroom, followed by her faithful companion. When she reached the top of the stairs, she opened her door and turned to look at him.

  “Oh, no you don’t. You’re staying right here; I’m going to get dressed.” And closed the door behind her, leaving him sitting on the top stair.

  She rested back against the closed door for a moment, looked at the messy covers strewn all over her bed, and blew out a long breath.

  “I have a feeling my world has just been turned upside down,” she mumbled to herself as she wandered over to the bed to straighten it out. She picked up Arianne and the horse and slotted them back together, taking care not to break them, and replaced the reassembled figurine in the cabinet. She picked up the letter, folded it, and placed it back in its envelope, then slid it under some other papers that were inside her nightstand. She would figure out what to do with that later. She was sure she would have to read it over several times more before everything sunk in.

  There was a scratch at the door.

  “You’re not coming in, Faen, and that’s final. I’ll be out in a minute.”

  She wandered over to her closet and turned to look out the window. It looked like it was going to be a warm, sunny summer’s day, and she chose a t-shirt and shorts, throwing them on quickly. She had to admit to herself, she could not bear to be parted from her dog for very long, and was itching to have some more questions answered.

  When she opened her door, she was startled and took a step back. She was expecting to see furry Faen sitting there waiting, but it was Faen in his true form. He was standing, waiting for her in the doorway, and had a very imposing presence that took her by surprise.

  “This is going to take a bit of getting used to,” she told him.

  “I apologize, Ms. Faedra, I startled you. That was not my intention.”

  “No worries. So what now?” she asked. She was not quite sure how to continue from here.

  “Our priority is to find out what your power is and how to control it,” he said very matter-of-factly, as if it was the most normal thing in the world to inherit a power on your eighteenth birthday. “And I believe that would be better done outside. Things have a tendency to get broken upon initial attempts.”

  He stood to the side and gestured for her to pass. She did, and walked down the stairs, and they headed outside.

  It was a beautiful day; the sun was shining and it was pleasantly balmy.

  Faen sat down in the shade of an impressive oak tree that still had a swing hanging from a large bough. The same swing Faedra had sat on when they first met eleven years ago. She took the same spot now, letting her legs dangle freely in the warm breeze. Faen leaned his back up against the gnarly trunk and focused his attention on her.

  She was looking at him a little differently now. She was not so dumbstruck by his beauty, but was more contemplating the fact that he was even there at all. She couldn’t help but keep looking around expecting her dog to be right next to her. A strange feeling of loss crept like tendrils around her heart. She would never be able to have the same relationship with her dog again. He would now, and forever, be this incredible man that was sitting before her, even when he was in his dog form.

  Faen could see that she was trying to digest the information she had received so far this morning; he wasn’t sure how much more she could handle in one day. He knew she was strong. He’d spent eleven years watching her grow from strength to strength, but he had also seen her vulnerable side, and he didn’t want to push her too far. So they sat in silence for a while; he would let her talk first when she was ready. He would be patient. He had all the patience in the world for the precious young girl he had watched grow up into a beautiful young lady.

  It sounded like Henry was going to be out for most of the day, so there was plenty of time before she was due to go out with her friends this evening.

  Faedra drew in a breath, as though she were getting ready to say something, thought better of it, and exhaled again. A few moments passed and she did the same thing. She was itching to know what those eyes had belonged to in the woods and at the graveyard, but knew she would not like the answer, and was putting off the inevitable.

  Finally she bit the bullet. “What were those things in the woods and at the graveyard?” she asked.

  “Redcaps,” he replied.

  “What are redcaps?”

  “They are Unseelie, evil and murderous. There are not many Unseelie left. The few that remain usually wreak havoc in realms other than Azran since the king has tried to wipe them out. They can be mercenary and will hire themselves out if the prize is right. Do not worry, you were warded, and they could not have hurt you. Jocelyn and I just did not want them to get anywhere near you. Their features would certainly have frightened you.”

  “But I’m not warded anymore,” she stated as she started scanning the perimeter of her garden with growing concern.

  “You are safe here, Ms. F
aedra. Your house and grounds have been warded for centuries, nothing can get past the property boundaries if it has evil intent,” he continued.

  “But I can’t stay in here forever, I’m going out with my friends tonight to celebrate my birthday. What do they want with me anyway and how did they find me? It said in Mum’s letter that only three people know the whereabouts of the amulet, and only two of them know about me.”

  Faen’s face mirrored the look of concern that Faedra was feeling. “I do not know what they want or how they found you. You, the king of Azran, and I are the only ones who are supposed to have knowledge of the amulet. The king, and I are the only ones who know about you.”

  “Forgive me for not sounding very confident in that, when some murderous evil fairies have been coming after me, before I even know who I am.”

  “I will teach you to defend yourself, Ms. Faedra. I will not leave your side again,” he said, trying to reassure her.

  She hung her head, not wanting to ask the next question, but needing to know. “My mum didn’t die of a mysterious illness did she?” She looked over and studied his features. Her heart ached when she saw the sorrow and regret on his face.

  “No,” he replied, “she did not.” His eyes reflected his sadness as he remembered lifting Lillith’s battered body from the hard cold gravel pathway behind the church. She had put up a good fight but had been overpowered. Instead of killing her swiftly, the redcaps poisoned her. Leaving her to die a slow painful death. He didn’t understand why. They were usually so swift with their killings, which only led him to believe that they were doing someone else’s bidding. As yet, he had not discovered for whom that was. Because of the speed with which she healed, Lillith’s bruises had almost disappeared by the time he got her home. So her husband and daughter were left wondering what had made her so sick, and why it happened so suddenly.

  “Were you her Guardian, too? Weren’t you supposed to protect her?” Faedra’s voice took on a demanding tone.

  “Yes, Ms. Faedra, on both counts.”

  “Well, you didn’t do a very good job, did you?” Faedra snapped. Her voice laced with the bitterness she had carried for so long because of losing her mother at such an early age.

  Faen’s face fell, and he hung his head. “Your mother sent me to run an errand. I should not have left her, but she insisted. I will be eternally remorseful for my actions that day,” he looked up and shot a determined glare at Faedra. “You can be sure, Ms. Faedra, I will not make the same mistake twice.”

  Faedra averted her eyes from his. She felt a little ashamed of her outburst. Being mean was not a natural occurrence for her, but she never had anyone or anything to blame for her mother’s death before. The feeling of needing to place blame was suddenly overwhelming.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound, well, you know,” she spoke softly again.

  “Do not concern yourself; it was no more than I deserved. Your mother was a wonderful, caring person. She was a very talented Custodian and could fight like no human I had ever seen before. Her sword skills were beyond measure.”

  Faedra shook her head. “My mum knew how to fight? With a sword?”

  “Yes, the best I have ever seen in a human.”

  “Whoa,” she breathed.

  “She should have been the one to teach you, but she had found out something, and was on her way to tell the King. She was intercepted before she got to the portal.”

  “So you’re telling me my mum was… murdered?”

  Faen hung his head again, averting his gaze. “Yes, Ms. Faedra, she was.”

  In an instant, the need to blame someone was fiercely overshadowed with a need for revenge. A feeling that shook Faedra to the core. She had never felt such a strong emotion before and it scared her. She slid down from the swing and stood in front of Faen with her hands, that were balled into fists, resting on her hips.

  “Show me!” she demanded. “You tell me I have a power. Show me how to find it and use it!”

  Faen looked up at the determined young lady who was standing over him. Her eyes flashed with a passion he had never witnessed in her before, a passion for revenge. He rose in one fluid movement. In the blink of an eye, he was standing right in front of her, inches from her face. She blinked back her surprise at the swiftness with which he could move, but held her position and did not flinch or step back.

  That’s a promising start, he thought, she stood her ground. Moving like that would make most humans jump out of their skin. He held her gaze steady with his. In another blink of an eye he was behind her, but somehow she anticipated the move, had turned immediately, and was facing him again. Her eyes flashed with anger this time.

  He rubbed his chin. Lightning reflexes, another good sign.

  He wanted to try something else, just to test his theory on her reflexes, and made to grab her by the throat. Instantaneously, she ducked, avoiding his grip and kicked his legs out from under him. Instead of falling to the ground, he just hovered on his side in mid-air as if he were relaxing on an invisible platform. Propping himself up on his elbow, he gave her a wry smile.

  She scowled at him. “What are you doing?” she snapped. “Stop messing about and start teaching me how to defend myself.” Then she thought for a moment about what she had just done.

  “Ms. Faedra, I think you are going to be a natural at this, just like your mother.” He smiled as he lowered his feet to the ground and stood up again.

  She considered her reaction for a moment. It had all happened so fast she hadn’t even thought about it. “How did I do that?” she asked.

  “As I said, you are going to be a natural at this,” he repeated. “Now, let us begin trying to discover what power you hold. I have observed you blowing on your hands repeatedly over the past few weeks. Your power could be connected with them.”

  “Of course, that would make sense. Thank Goodness I’m not going mad, although I have to wonder if this is all a dream, and I’m going to wake up any second.”

  “Be assured, Ms. Faedra, it is not a dream. Now, concentrate on your hands and see if you can feel anything unusual,” he instructed.

  She looked at her hands and channeled all her thoughts to them. Nothing happened, not even the slightest tingle.“Nothing happened,” she said in dismay.

  “Try again,” he instructed, circling her now.

  She closed her eyes this time and concentrated hard. Still nothing.

  “Try again,” Faen repeated.

  She did, and again, and again for about an hour, but still nothing.

  “I need to take a break,” she whispered.

  “Try again,” Faen insisted.

  “No. I need a break.”

  “The redcaps will not give you a break, Ms. Faedra. Try again.”

  She squared her shoulders at him and held her hands out for him to see. “Well, I must be broken then because it’s not working. I obviously don’t have this so called power.”

  “Yes, you do. Try again,” he was incessant.

  Frustration was starting to get the better of her.

  “Faen, I do not have any powers!” she shouted as she flicked her hands out in defeat. Her eyes widened in utter disbelief as she watched two balls of light shoot from her palms. The two balls were on a collision course with Faen’s head. He twisted his torso and the balls flew past him, narrowly missing his ear. They exploded against the tree trunk leaving scorch marks in the bark. She closed her hands and held them to her chest.

  “Careful, Ms. Faedra, you nearly took off my ear,” he said with a smile. He looked at her with the proud admiration of a parent whose child had just received an ‘A’ in math.

  “Sorry,” she squeaked.

  “Oh, do not be. That was very impressive for your first time,” he praised. “This is very advantageous. You can control energy; electrical energy it would seem. Humans are made up of electrical impulses, and your power gives you the ability to mold that energy and send it outside of your body. When you have had more practice
, you will be able to mold outside sources of energy too.”

  She gawped at him; it was all she could do. She hadn’t woken up from any dream yet, so she had to try and accept the fact that she had just flung two balls of light across the yard and nearly blown up the tree.

  “Can you remember what you were feeling when your power materialized?” he asked. “Could you try and reenact that again, but with a little more control this time?”

  She could remember, she felt anger and frustration.

  “I’ll Try.” She closed her eyes holding her palms up. Faedra imagined her mum being attacked by the redcaps. Anger seared through her. She opened her eyes in shock when she realized it wasn’t the anger that seared her, it was the energy she was sending from all over her body into the palms of her hands. She stared at the balls of light she had created that were now bobbing above each of her palms.

  “Very good, Ms. Faedra,” Faen smiled.

  She looked up at him and smiled back. The balls of light fizzled out and disappeared. This power seemed to be connected to negative emotion, and that wasn’t something she was used to feeling. She didn’t like the idea that she would have to make herself angry or frustrated to be able to use it.

  “Faen?” she asked. “I don’t want to have to be angry to conjure my power. I don’t like feeling that way.”

  “Do not worry, this is just the beginning. You will learn to control your power much more easily as time progresses. At present, heightened emotion enables you to pull your power forward. In time, you will learn to control it without negative emotion. Although, it will always be strongest when your feelings are running high. That is just the natural order of things. Not much different to the ‘fight or flight’ response humans have to danger. It will be most powerful when the need for it is greatest.”

  They decided to take a break for a while. Faedra lifted herself back up onto the swing and watched as Faen lowered himself to the ground to lean against the oak tree.