by Twyla Turner
Chapter 9
Imogen
Everyone in the room turned to stare at me with varying expressions on their faces. The main expression, though, appeared to be shock. Especially from Rafe. I was shocked myself.
“I’m just a human. What could I possibly do to help you?” I asked the Oracle.
“More than you know, sweet Imogen. You’re the bridge between two worlds.” The Oracle said cryptically.
“That still doesn’t make any sense. I’m no one special. And I didn’t even know this world existed until about a week ago. I didn’t know that unicorns, mermaids, and faeries were real. I’m still expecting to wake up from a dream.” I said in denial.
“We are the whisper on the wind through the trees and against your skin. The sparkling surface of the water. The winking flicker in the stars. The purple shadows that fall on the mountains at eventide. The fiery pink, red, and orange of the sky at dusk. The murmur of a legend told for centuries. How could you not believe that we are real?” The Oracle asked thoughtfully.
“But why? Why are there two worlds?” I asked.
“We keep the balance. Where would Earth be without the belief in fairy tales? The belief that anything is possible?” The Oracle questioned me.
“I guess it would be a pretty dark place,” I answered.
“Exactly.” She nodded. “Centuries ago, when the folklore about mythical creatures began, humans were more inclined to believe. They saw glimpses of us and wove incredible stories that taught generations of other human beings about how to treat each other. As the years passed, humans have gotten further and further away from believing in us.”
“How is it that all of you here know about us on Earth, but no one on Earth knows about you and this world?” I asked earnestly, wanting to know everything.
“Because we were created for you. In the beginning, we were sent so that humans could catch glimpses of us, to go back and tell magical stories about creatures that gave you hope during dark times. But we were never allowed to actually bring a human here or to show ourselves to any group larger than a few people. We are only meant to be legends to you.” The Oracle answered, remaining patient even after all of my questions.
“But what about the dark side of Empyrean, Myrkur? Why does it exist?”
“There has to be a balance of good and evil. Light and dark. Even the Dark Ones were sent to Earth. For them, it was to teach the dangers of the world. Without darkness, it’s hard to appreciate the light. But therein lies our problem.” The Oracle began, and I knew I wasn’t going to want to hear what was coming. “We have become off balance. Darkness is beginning to grow throughout this land. It’s a sickness that’s moving through Hikari, turning the vibrant side of Empyrean dark and cold. And as the sickness infects this land, it also infects Earth with hatred and vice versa.” The Oracle came to sit next to me and took my damp hands. “You see, we are connected. When the hatred spreads through Earth, it accelerates the sickness here. And the more the sickness spreads and this land is cast into darkness, taken over by the dark creatures, the more your land will be filled with hate. There is one particular evil being that has fed off of the hate and becomes more powerful as the hatred grows. His name is Hafgrim, and he is leading the dark rebellion. He must be stopped.”
I took a deep, shaky breath. Shit!
“Disguised as humans, we’ve sent our own to Earth over the years at great cost. We had hoped to change the pattern of hatred and evil in your realm, but it has not worked and is only developing more rapidly, making Hafgrim more powerful. So this time, we thought it would be best to bring someone from Earth here. Maybe we can stop the sickness in this realm. Which in turn, will bring back the love in yours.” The wise old woman finished.
“But how? What would I have to do?” I asked nervously.
“There are four virtues of mankind that you must learn. As you learn these virtues, you will receive the gift of a weapon you must use to fight your way through the four elements. Each element has the power to give life, but also to take it away. Currently, the four elements are being used to destroy life and protect the sickness that’s spreading.” The Oracle listed off.
“What are the four virtues, elements, and weapons?” I asked.
“The four virtues, you must learn on your own. The elements are Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. And the weapons are Armor and Shield, Sword, Chalice, and your secret weapon that is deep within yourself.” The golden faery educated me. “The armor and shield will protect your body. The sword will help you fight. The chalice once drank from, will give you incredible strength. And you’re secret weapon? Well, that you’ll have to just find out.”
I dropped my head in frustration. “Isn’t there someone else you can find to do this? I’m no one special. There has to be someone else,” I pleaded.
“No, it must be you. You’re the key to our survival. But you will need assistance. Daegan was born to help and protect you. It was not a coincidence that he was there when the mermaids brought you here. You will also need three faeries who are skilled in three of the elements. Earth, Air, and Water. They will help you battle the evil sent from Myrkur. Along your journey, you will also encounter others that will help you accomplish your quest. Seek help from the elves in the north. They will be of great help to you.” The Oracle advised me.
“Rafe, you are the most skilled in water.” The queen’s voice startled me.
I had completely forgotten they were there, I had been so wrapped up in the scary knowledge I’d just learned.
“So you must go with Imogen.” Yaron volunteered his son.
“But father…” Rafe began, but his voice trailed off at the look Yaron gave him. “Yes, father,” he answered resolutely.
“We will have a messenger send for Saffi and Wakeley. They are the most skilled at earth and air.” Yaron said as he walked to the door to speak to the guard.
“You must also send out the heralds to announce an impromptu festival tonight. We should have a proper sendoff to honor those fighting for us.” The Oracle suggested. She continued after noticing my confused expression. “Tomorrow the battle for good will begin, but tonight…we must celebrate.”
~~~
A couple hours later, I stared at myself in an ornate full-length mirror in the personal palace chambers I’d been given for the night. After the Oracle announced the festivities, Aviana had quickly guided me to my temporary rooms and chattered happily about the party. I wasn’t given time to even think about what was to come the next day. I had been rushed into the bathroom, where a steaming tub of hot water awaited me. It was nice to soak my aching body and wash away the last several days’ worth of filth off of my body, rinsing in ponds and streams throughout the week weren’t enough. But it hadn’t been long before a palace maid flew in, literally, with clothes for me to wear to the party.
Now, I was primped, dressed, and ready. I gave myself the once-over in the mirror, pretty surprised at the image that stared back at me. My flaming red hair was contained in a pretty braided bun on top of my head with wispy, curling tendrils at my temples and nape. My eyes were lined dramatically in black that drew attention to their amber color. My full lips were a deep red and the natural flush in my round cheeks made my freckles stand out in sharp relief.
The clothing that had been chosen for me was something I’d never chose for myself. In fact, I was a little freaked out by them. I always made sure that certain parts of my body were covered up. I was not accustomed to showing off my feminine assets. My nerves were already frazzled, and the clothing that had been picked for me only added to it.
My upper half was stuffed into a red satin corset that accentuated the inward curve of my thick waist, the flare of my wide hips, and pushed up my boobs. A skirt was attached to the corset, in shimmery black taffeta that faded to red in the ombre fashion on Earth. In the front, the skirt stopped mid-thigh in a gathered and draped fashion, and then cascaded down to the floor behind me. Over my arms and shoulders, I had on a black, ti
ght-fitted cropped shirt that stopped just above my breasts, giving just a peek of skin and cleavage in the front and the soft skin of my upper back in the back. Over my legs, I wore black stockings and black lace-up knee-high wedge boots.
Everything was covered. My boobs weren’t spilling over the top, my butt wasn’t hanging out, and my legs were adequately covered. But it did nothing to hide my curvy body. And I wasn’t so sure I had the confidence to pull off sexy. I preferred dark, loose clothes, in an attempt to tone down my shocking hair and freckles and helped me blend into the background where I belonged.
“Whose life did I switch with, cause this sure the hell ain’t mine?” I said with a confused shake of my head.
“Is there a problem, Miss?” The maid asked from behind me.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “No, it’s nothing.”
We both turned when we heard a knock at the door. The maid walked over and opened it, and Aviana stood on the other side. She wore a deep purple gown that matched her purple coloring, and her hair was pulled back in an elegant chignon at the nape of her neck. Tendrils of purple framed her face. She looked beautiful, and I felt the slightest relief that I wasn’t dressed completely out of the norm.
“You look lovely, Imogen!” The Queen complimented as she swept into the room. “I have a feeling that the young faery men are going to be quite taken with you.”
“I doubt that. I’m too outspoken and too unusual looking. Besides, I can’t even think about boys when I apparently have to save the world in the morning.” I sighed and flopped down on my temporary bed.
“I know this can’t be easy for you, which is the whole reason for this party.” Aviana sat next to me on the bed. “It’s a time to celebrate life and forget about your worries for just a little while. Tomorrow will come soon enough, but for now, just have fun.” The faery queen advised.
“Thanks. I know you’re right.” I puffed out my cheeks and blew out a calming but shaky breath.
“Come. Let’s go down, everyone is waiting for the guest of honor.” Aviana smiled brightly.
The calm that I had felt only seconds before drained away and was replaced with a new bundle of nerves at hearing I was to be the center of attention. But it was too late, Aviana was already guiding me towards the bedroom door. There was nowhere left to hide.
Chapter 10
Rafe
I stood outside in the town square, where the festivities were being held. I was talking to the other two faeries that would accompany our journey, Saffi and Wakeley. As well as some of my other friends when a hush fell over the gathering. I looked up to see everyone’s attention was focused on the entrance to the palace. Standing at the top of the front steps was my mother and Imogen.
I blinked a couple of times to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. Gone were all of Imogen’s dark loose, tomboyish clothing and in their place was a dress that made my heart stutter, stop, and then start again with a frantic beat. Her soft hourglass curves that were on display were mesmerizing. It wasn’t long before I realized that I wasn’t the only one who noticed. All of my friends gaped at her in amazement. Something I couldn’t explain chafed at me, deep in my gut. And as she walked down the steps with my mother, Imogen was engulfed by the crowd of curious admirers. I looked up to say something to my friends and saw that they were all making their way through the crowd towards the human girl as well. I turned angrily on my heel and walked away from the crowd surrounding Imogen, and towards the refreshment table.
“Don’t worry, I don’t think she’s forgotten about you.” Daegan teased me.
The ebony unicorn stood near the table of goodies, on the end where apples and sugar cubes had been put out just for him, in his honor.
“What are you talking about, unicorn?” I scowled at him.
“I’m talking about Imogen. And how you looked like you could murder all the males, including your friends. All of whom are currently seeking her attentions.” Daegan said straightforward.
“Don’t be ridiculous!” I growled as I poured myself a drink of punch.
“Oh and you know you owe her an apology too,” Daegan said, and then continued at the confused look on my face. “For blaming the fall of Empyrean on her.”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll get right on it.” I retorted sarcastically.
“Go ahead and continue to deny your feelings. I’m sure any number of young faery men would be happy to have her affections. And you can stand off to the side and watch with that sourpuss face of yours. The choice is yours.” The unicorn finished before snatching up a shiny red apple with his giant white teeth and clopping off to God only knew where munching away arrogantly.
I knew I needed to apologize, but admitting I was wrong and saying sorry wasn’t that easy. I’d been floored when the Oracle said Imogen had the ability to save both our worlds. I had wanted to be wrong about her, but not that wrong. It was no use, though, I knew I was going to have to eat crow and beg for her forgiveness.
I had a feeling that life would’ve been much simpler if we could’ve continued our animosity towards each other. But with nothing to stand in the way of a possible attraction, things were about to get a lot more complicated.
Chapter 11
Imogen
The massive feast had been magically prepared within a few hours for the celebration. Everything seemed to pass in a whirl of constant conversation and activity around me. Long tables were set up in a large rectangle around the perimeter of the city square. The middle was for dancing later and entertainers throughout the dinner. Colorful lanterns hung from above and lit up the festivities with a soft romantic glow. The food was not unlike the food on Earth. Meats that looked pretty familiar graced giant platters. Bread overflowed the table. Side dishes looked colorful and smelled delicious as steam rose from them. And decadent desserts taunted me with the promise of a guaranteed sugar high.
I sat at the head table with Aviana, Yaron, and the Oracle. For whatever reason, Rafe opted to sit with his friends at another table. And of course, he looked amazing. Like most of the faeries in attendance, he wore colors that matched his markings and wings. On top, he wore a cobalt blue double-breasted short waistcoat with tails. Under it was a white shirt and a cream white vest with a cobalt, navy, and white patterned cravat to match. On the bottom, he had on navy blue leather pants and black masculine knee-high boots. The look was kind of a modern and cleaned up version of Capt. Jack Sparrow.
Rafe had even gotten his hair cut for the occasion. He’d left the top a little long and tapered the sides. Instead of slicking his hair back like many of the men had done, Rafe wore his messy with a few pieces falling boyishly on his forehead. He was gorgeous, and I completely resented it.
Every now and again, I would look up to find him watching me, only for him to quickly glance away when our eyes met. The distance he put between us was for the best anyway, considering he still hadn’t apologized for being such a jerk to me the first several hours of knowing me. And I hadn’t forgiven him for it yet, either.
I didn’t have much time to dwell on it before I was drawn into more conversation. The faeries had tons of question about my life on Earth, though I had even more questions about Empyrean, but never got the chance to ask them.
Soon dinner ended and the music began. Many of the young men asked me for a dance, but I deflected their offers by telling them I wanted to watch first to get the hang of their types of dances. I was glad that I did. The first dance nearly brought me to tears as I watched from the sidelines with Daegan.
The men and women faeries took their places across from each other in two lines. Similar to the ballroom dances on Earth centuries ago. When the song began, they all released their wings and then stepped towards each other. They hopped and twirled and suddenly lifted off of the floor. Their colorful wings fluttered as they continued to dance and spin several feet above the onlookers and dance floor. I had to pick my jaw up off the ground after it dropped open in awe. Towards the end of the song, the dancers
twirled apart and floated back to the earth. The women curtsied and the men bowed to the fading music. And once more, they tucked their wings away, against their clothes and skin to blend in with their markings as they left the dance floor to make room for the next set of dancers.
“That was amazing!” I clapped my hands together happily.
“That was pretty impressive,” Daegan nodded his agreement.
The palace guard from earlier in the day walked towards us. I could tell by his change of clothes that he was off duty. His pink markings shimmered brightly as he made his way towards me. Once he stopped in front of me, he took my hand, bowed deeply at the waist and kissed my hand.
“Miss Imogen, my name is Ugo, and I’d be honored if I could have the next dance.” He said politely.
“Uh…I really don’t know how to dance like that, and I certainly can’t fly.” I shook my head as I gently pulled my hand out of his.
“Oh don’t worry. You don’t have to fly, and the next song is just a simple waltz,” he coaxed.
I looked over at Daegan. He is kinda cute, I thought.
Just dance with him. It’s not gonna hurt you. And you might have fun. Daegan thought just before he nudged me with his nose.
“Uh…sure. I mean, I don’t know how to waltz either, but I’d be happy to try.” I smiled shyly at Ugo as I took his hand.
“Don’t worry. Just follow my lead.” He grinned at me, his pink jewel-like eyes sparkling with mischief.
Ugo led me out onto the dance floor. He placed my right hand on his shoulder and gently gripped my left hand as he wrapped his arm around my waist.
I had never danced like this before, so I had no idea where to look or what to do, so I just looked down at our feet. Ugo released my waist for a moment, placed a finger under my chin to lift my face up to his.
“Don’t be nervous.” He reassured me. “Just look at me and I’ll guide you. The count is one-two-three, one-two-three and we’ll start on your left, my right. Okay?”
