The Amulet

by Alison Pensy

  The fairies disappeared around a corner and they were alone in the corridor.

  “Well, goodnight,” Faedra said.

  “Goodnight, Ms. Faedra.”

  “Goodnight, Faedra.”

  Jocelyn and Faen exchanged their goodnights. They all entered their rooms in synchronization, as if the move had been choreographed. Faedra closed the door behind her, leaned back up against it and sucked in a sharp breath.

  “Oh, wow!” she breathed as she scanned the room that sprawled out in front of her.

  The room was easily the size of the entire ground floor of her house and was furnished with the finest ornate, elaborately detailed furniture that she had ever laid her eyes on. At one end of the room, an immense marble fireplace took center stage, filling nearly the entire wall, and was complete with a blazing fire crackling within it. A deep burgundy chaise trimmed with gold, sat in front of the fire just waiting to invite someone to sit there.

  Wood paneling stretched all the way around the room to about half way up the walls. Above the paneling, rich wallpaper lined the walls and elaborate gold sconces with opaque glass lampshades protruded, a soft glow emanating from each one. She looked above her as she now noticed she was drenched in a soft glow. A small chandelier bobbed above her head, showering her with soft sparkling light. She stepped to the side, it followed. She stepped forward, it followed.

  “No way,” she gasped, as she realized where she went the chandelier followed, lighting a path for her every step of the way.

  On the other side of the room was a four-poster bed that she imagined to be the size of her entire bedroom. It was made of rich mahogany and the posts were carved with intricate spirals. It had sumptuous, velvet burgundy drapes the same color as the chaise. A gold satin comforter covered the bed. Faedra wandered over to it and ran her fingers along the heavy velvet material, and then onto the soft satin comforter.

  A pair of cream silk pajamas had been laid out for her on the bed. She held them up to her to determine if they were the right size; they were. She smiled, why ever would she have thought otherwise? She wandered past the bed to a pair of glass doors that stood the height of the wall, at least ten feet tall. They were framed in gold with gold handles. She opened them and walked through onto the balcony where they led. She looked down to one side and saw the city below that was lit only by the silvery light of the moon, casting its eerie light on the buildings it watched over. She looked in the other direction and could see the valley stretch out until it met with a mountain range that loomed in the distance. She wondered in which direction they would travel tomorrow to reach the pine forest.

  A shiver ran through her and she walked back inside. There was a chill in the air and she was only wearing a t-shirt and jeans. The doorway next to the glass doors led to a lavish bathroom. Mirrors lined one entire wall. The rest of the room was made out of marble and accessorized with gold fittings. Steam rose from the water filling a sunken bath that had quite obviously been run for her. Fluffy towels were stacked in a neat pile next to the bath and a toothbrush had been placed next to one of the two basins. They weren’t kidding, they had certainly thought of everything to make her feel comfortable. She undressed and slid into the warm water. A sigh of epic proportions escaped as she submerged herself up to her neck.

  Once she had bathed she dried herself. With a towel wrapped around her torso, she wandered back to the bedroom and dressed into her pajamas, laying her clothing neatly over the back of a chair that was placed next to the bed. She had to wear them again the next day so she made an effort not to get them too crumpled. She lifted the covers and slid between the sheets that felt like pure silk. The sconces turned themselves off and the chandelier above her head dimmed to blackness.

  She sat up with a start. “No, please do not go out completely,” she said with an urgency that surprised even her. She’d never been scared of the dark before and cursed the redcap for making her feel this way. For a split second, she wondered who she was kidding. The lights weren’t intelligent; they wouldn’t respond to a spoken request. But all the lights came back on in an instant, then dimmed to a soft glow.

  “Thank you,” she spoke to the room as a whole and lay her head back down on the pillow.

  Unfortunately, instead of falling asleep as soon as her head touched it, she was wide-awake. She lay motionless for a few minutes with her eyes closed trying to will herself to sleep. She moved to one side then to the other. Nothing. She was still wide-awake. After about an hour of tossing and turning, she threw back the covers and sat up in exasperation.

  This is not fair, she thought, why can’t I sleep? I’m so tired. She went through a list of possibilities. The bed was comfortable, that wasn’t it. It wasn’t dark, that wasn’t it either, then it dawned on her and a light bulb came on above her head. And it wasn’t the chandelier. She had not slept on her own since she was six years old. Faen had always been right there sleeping on the rug beside her bed, every night, for more than eleven years.

  She turned, hung her legs over the edge of the mattress and slid her feet into the slippers that had been left for her beside the bed. She made her way through the door and wandered down the corridor. Faedra stopped in front of the next door down, put her hand up to knock, hesitated and pulled it back. She did this several times, until finally, she tapped lightly on Faen’s door and opened it. She poked her head through the opening and peeked around the door. It was dark inside, no sound of movement.

  “Faen?” she whispered as she entered the room and clicked the door shut behind her. “Faen?” she whispered again.

  She heard a rustle coming from her left and turned her head just as a soft light appeared over Faen’s head as he sat up in bed.

  She noticed he did not have a shirt on and there was a catch in her breath as she let her eyes scan his perfectly formed torso. He noticed her gaze and looked down at himself. Almost instantaneously, he materialized a soft cotton shirt from nowhere to cover his chest. He looked back up at Faedra who was standing over by the door looking rather uncomfortable.

  “Ms. Faedra? Is something the matter?” Faen asked in response to the look of sadness on her face. His features were soft, his expression welcoming, and his hair mussed. He ran a hand through it to try and smooth it down.

  He had such a presence here in his home, somehow different to when he was in her home. Faedra wondered if he felt as much of a fish out of water in her world, as she did in his. She took a hesitant step forward. She was eighteen now, an adult. Not to mention Custodian to a very powerful fae element. Faedra’s brain was telling her she should feel silly not being able to sleep without her dog, but the dreadfully lonely sensation welling within her was overwhelming. She swallowed hard and looked down at her feet. He’s going to think me stupid and childish.

  “Ms. Faedra, whatever is the matter?” he asked again.

  “I, um, I’m so tired, but I can’t sleep,” her voice cracked with emotion, “then I realized why.” She looked up at him, tears pricking behind her eyes.

  “Why?” he prompted.

  “Because for more than eleven years now, you have slept beside me and I… err… miss you.”

  His expression changed to one of compassion that Faedra had not seen on his face before, but had seen in the eyes of her dog many times. He patted the bed beside him.

  “Come,” he simply said.

  She breathed in with relief. She hadn’t realized until that point that she’d been holding her breath. She moved swiftly to his bed and climbed up to sit crossed legged to the side of him.

  “Would you like me or your dog?”

  The question took her by surprise. She thought about it for a second. “You, please,” she whispered and smiled at him sheepishly.

  Faen returned her smile with a warm one of his own that he didn’t hand out very often.

  “Very well then, I shall stay,” he said with an incline of his head.

  The soft glow of the light above illuminated just the two of them in the i
mmense bedroom. Everything else was shrouded in darkness. Faedra leaned forward and carefully picked up the talisman hanging around his neck. She noticed a catch in his breath as her fingers brushed against his skin, and brought her gaze up to meet his. His eyes were full of emotion. They locked onto hers, not letting them go.

  After a silent moment, she managed to tear her gaze from his and looked at the talisman she had laid in the palm of her hand, moving it under the light. She had noticed it before, but never really looked at it closely. It was round, and looked like it was made of ivory; although, it had an iridescent quality to it that she had not seen in ivory before. A leather thong threaded through a hole at the top, held it around Faen’s neck. The center of the talisman was carved with a beautiful Celtic design and a band around the outer edge had lots of symbols carved into it.

  “This is beautiful. What is it made of?”

  “The horn of a unicorn.”

  “Wow, really?” she shook her head in amazement as he nodded. “I recognize these symbols, but I can’t think where from.”

  “They are runes. You probably saw them when you were at the festival.”

  She nodded her head. That was where she had seen them before; when Rose had seen something of her destiny in them, but refused to tell her what. “Of course.” She lay the talisman gently back against his skin.

  “Can I ask you a question?” she said.

  “Of course,” he replied.

  “Are you immortal?”

  Faen chuckled at her question. “No, Ms. Faedra, I am not. Although, fae do live much longer than humans, so that is where the myth probably stems from. We die of old age just like you do. We can be killed, but not very easily, and not by human hands.” Then he thought about his last comment and rephrased it. “I should say, not by human hands, present company excluded.”

  Faedra’s eyebrows shot up. “You mean I can kill a fairy? Not that I would want to, of course,” she added hastily.

  “Well, there is no point having a power if it does not protect you and the amulet against the very creatures who are likely to come after you to get it.”

  “Good point,” she agreed. “So how old are you then?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “You said a question, Ms. Faedra.”

  “Oh, come on, Faen, you know me inside and out, and I hardly know anything about you. Apart from what dog food you prefer and that you like to be scratched behind your ears,” she gave him a wry smirk.

  He conceded. “Very well, you may ask me some more questions. What do you wish to know?”

  “Your age?”

  “Oh, yes, hmm let me see now. We age much slower than humans do, about ten times slower I believe, so that would make me about two hundred and three of your years.”

  “No way!” Faedra exclaimed. “You only look about twenty.”

  He smiled.

  “So how long do you live then, bearing in mind that you don’t get killed by a rogue Custodian?”

  “Oh, about a thousand of your years, give or take a few,” he smiled again.

  Faedra gaped at him in disbelief and he nodded his head to reiterate his statement. She shuffled up the bed and turned to lie down on top of the covers next to where he was sitting. She looked up at the soft glowing ball of light that was bobbing gracefully above them.

  “Tell me about my mother,” she shifted her attention from the light to Faen’s face.

  His smile faded and sadness filled his eyes. “What do you wish to know?”

  “Well, I was only six when she died. It was so long ago that I can’t remember too much about her; I get scared that, given a few more years, I will forget everything about her.”

  “I didn’t actually know your mother very well,” he started. “I was only assigned to her a few months before she was killed.” He dropped his eyes and Faedra could tell he still carried much regret over what had happened. “What I did know of her was that she was a very caring woman. She loved all living things and adored the ground you walked on. She would have gone to the ends of the earth for you, Faedra. She loved you that much.”

  “She was also very dedicated to her role as Custodian and took it very seriously. She had spent many years training in the sword skills, and, as I said, she was one of the best sword fighters I have ever seen. I know for a fact, she would have been very proud of how you have grown and matured. You have taken to being Custodian very much in your stride, a natural she would have said. She was a natural; very capable of looking after herself. As I said before, I was only assigned to her so that she could teach me, and I failed her.” He looked with determination into Faedra’s captivated eyes. “I will not make the same mistake twice.”

  Faedra gave him a knowing smile. “Thank you.”

  “You are very welcome.”

  “Faen?”

  “Yes.”

  “You have to stop blaming yourself for my mum’s death. It wasn’t your fault. I don’t blame you. I blame the redcaps, and one day I will have my revenge on them.”

  He gave her a weak smile. Faedra sensed that he wasn’t about to stop blaming himself for the death of her mother, but, in time, she would convince him that he was not to blame. A loud yawn escaped before she could stifle it, and her eyes grew so heavy she was fighting to keep them open.

  “Ms. Faedra, you are very tired, you need to sleep.”

  “I know, but I don’t want to go back into that big empty room…” She was asleep before she finished her sentence.

  Faen looked at her for a long moment and sighed a contented sigh. He brushed the back of his fingers over her cheek, then leaned over and grabbed some of the excess piece of comforter that hung over the edge of the bed, wrapping it around her. He lay down beside her watching her breathing steadily in and out for a few minutes as she slept soundly next to him. Then he couldn’t help himself; he wrapped a protective arm around her before he fell asleep with her safely tucked up against him. Making sure to leave the soft light glowing above them in case she woke up in the night. She didn’t.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Faedra opened her eyes and stretched. She couldn’t remember sleeping that well for a very long time. She turned her head to see Faen looking at her. He was lying on his side, propping his head up on his arm.

  “Good morning, Ms. Faedra,” he greeted her with a warm smile, “I trust you slept well.”

  “Morning, Faen. Yes, I did thank you,” she answered, returning his smile with one of her own.

  “Well, we better get moving. We have another long day ahead of us today,” he pushed his covers back and gracefully slid off the bed.

  Faedra was still lying on top of the covers. She looked down at the piece of comforter she had been cocooned in and peeled it back. She smiled; he had allowed her to fall asleep next to him and made sure she didn’t get cold. The sound of water running from the bathroom caught her attention. She better get a move on and go back to her room to wash her face and get dressed.

  “I’m going back to my room to get changed,” she called as she slid off the bed.

  Faen poked his head around the bathroom door, he was brushing his teeth. Faedra couldn’t help herself, she laughed. Faen frowned. He couldn’t speak, his mouth was full of toothbrush.

  “I’m sorry,” she chuckled. “I just never pictured that fairies brushed their teeth, or needed to do any of the mundane personal grooming that we humans have to, for that matter.”

  He smiled around his toothbrush and shrugged his shoulders.

  “Meet you out in the corridor in a few minutes?”

  He nodded and disappeared back into the bathroom.

  When she arrived back in her room, she noticed that the bed had been made and her clothes were neatly laid out on it. They had been cleaned and pressed, and her boots polished and set beside the bed. She quickly changed, then went into the bathroom to do the mundane personal grooming that humans do. Several minutes later, she headed out the door. Faen and Jocelyn were already waiting there for her.

  �
�Hi, Jocelyn. Did you sleep well?” she asked.

  “Yes, thank you, Faedra, and you?”

  Faedra glanced at Faen who was watching her intently. They exchanged a subtle smile. “Yes, thank you, I did,” she responded.

  “Come,” Faen said with a sweeping motion of his arm in the direction of the kitchen. “We must eat first, then begin our journey to the pine forest.”

  Luckily Faen seemed to know where he was going because, without a doubt, Faedra would have gotten herself hopelessly lost in the maze of corridors in this seemingly endless castle. After a while, they made it to the kitchen and Faedra was ravenous again. She had noticed her appetite had increased substantially since she acquired her power, but she hadn’t used it for more than a day now and was wondering if it was normal for her to be eating as much as she was. Maybe it was still residual energy conservation from when she had had to use her power to fight off a redcap.

  They ate a hearty breakfast and were each given a knapsack full of food, and an oilskin pouch full of water, which they slung across their bodies. They made their way through the castle to the main entrance. Faen rapped hard on the door again and it swung open gracefully. They walked through it and were greeted by a handsome fairy in uniform.

  “The king has given you these horses,” he told them, holding out his hand in the direction of where three beautiful horses stood. They were black as midnight with thick silver manes and tails that shimmered in the sunlight. Faedra was speechless, she had never seen such stunning creatures. Their immaculate coats shone with a luster not from her world. One of them snorted and pawed at the ground.

  “I’ll take him,” she said as she walked past Faen and Jocelyn. She had no doubt in her mind that she was about to have the ride of her life. Faen raised his eyebrows in surprise.

  “What? You think I can’t handle him, don’t you?”

  “On the contrary, Ms. Faedra. I have seen you ride. I have no doubt that you are perfectly capable of handling that stallion,” he replied.

  “What is it then?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.