Test of Fae

by S L Mason

  CHAPTER 16

  I leave Nick behind. I added an extra note, one octave higher, to the locking song. I left it in the background as if it is part of the reverberation, making it barely perceptible. No one can unlock the door. The only person present is Janice. If he noticed, he certainly doesn’t let on. I had to do it. If they start looking for me, the first place they’ll check is my old room. So long as no one realizes I’m here, Nick is safe there. And as long as no one can get in the room, Nick is safe.

  I hope.

  Janice leads me to the elevator.

  “Is this the way to Olive?” My eyes dart either way down the halls.

  Why didn’t we take the elevator in the first place?

  “We have to go see Deston. We can’t run the risk of anyone looking for us. Kar-ol is on Deston’s campaign. The likelihood of him mentioning my return with a recruit is high. Deston will want to meet you. We can’t get around this. Hopefully, he won’t recognize you. I don’t think anyone who has met you before will recognize you.” Janice doesn’t sound convicted.

  “I don’t have to look into a mirror to realize I look nothing like my former self. Everything about me has become a stranger. I’m taller than before. My eyes aren’t even the same color. Deston will recognize me, or he won’t. There’s nothing we can do about that. We get Olive and Nick and go.” I

  “No matter what, we must go to Deston. It’s the only way to get Olive.” Janice slowly says.

  “I don’t understand. When I talk with you face-to-face, you seem normal, like you have a conscience. As if you really do want to help me and humanity. But the moment I’m not standing in front of you, confronting you, I hear you repeating nursery rhymes; incorrectly I might add. You stole Olive on purpose. Now you’re willing to get her back with me, for me. I just don’t understand. It’s like there are two people living inside of you.”

  “There are two people living inside me, and I don’t have time to explain. Standing in the hallway like this to have a discussion isn’t normal for Fae. We don’t explain ourselves to each other. I took Olive; Deston ordered me to. I say the rhymes because Deston makes me. He was my liege lord. Now you are. Only you can force me to do anything, but we mustn’t allow Deston to learn of this.” He explains.

  My mouth goes dry. What if Deston can force me to do something? If he can enchant me, then we are nowhere. Deston is obviously stronger than Janice or anyone else around here.

  “What makes Deston so powerful?” I’m playing toddler again, asking a million questions.

  The doors to the elevator slide open. “He is a prince.” Janice shrugs.

  “Yes, but even princes are beholden to a queen or king. Very few princes rule in their own name and answer to no one,” I reply.

  “You’re right, but here without a queen present to rein him in, he is ruled by wild. Wild is the power. What he requires is fulfilled. When you swear allegiance, you swear to do what your liege lord demands of you. They tell you to go, you are compelled to go. Like humans are compelled by fairy song, we are compelled by our vassal ties.” Janice has an unnerving ability to stare into me.

  I shift from one foot to the other. And now he’s sworn to me. If I say go, he must go. “It’s not just a feudal system or a caste system?” I inquire.

  “Every living thing answers to someone. There is always someone above you unless you’re queen. No one is above the queen.” His words ring with finality.

  “What about the king?” I inquire.

  “No one is above the queen. The king is merely there to amuse the queen. He’s not there for any other reason.” That doesn’t make sense. Humanity has always placed a king above a queen.

  “Is he her lover or just a political alliance?” There has to be a reason.

  “He can be both. He helps enforce the queen’s dictates, usually leading her armies. But she could also decide to relegate those jobs to a prince or even lower nobility, depending upon who she feels is most capable of handling her requirements. It’s a typical feudal society. Humanity adopted our version of rulership a long time ago. Why do you not know these things?” He side-glances at me with a raised eyebrow.

  I cross my arms, cocking a hip to the side. My eyebrows pull together. “Humanity has not been ruled by high feudal society in hundreds of years. Most of those fell away with the advent of democracy and the republic. Everyone having a vote, rights, and free speech. Have you ever heard of free speech?”

  The doors to the elevator slide closed. Janice’s lips tighten. “The ability to speak freely is not new. It is a dangerous practice freely speaking one’s mind.” He retorts.

  Every time we speak, it rakes over the last nerve in my body, irritating me. I refocus on our surroundings, the elevator. It’s a box, a beautifully decorated box. Don’t get me wrong, but it’s still a box. It makes me feel trapped by beauty. Listening to Janice describe Fae society’s interworking’s, I honestly believe it’s an inconceivable idea to me. Humanity has moved on from this form of rule, but the Fae are still stuck. Feudal states still exist, but most of the monarchies had already moved on to constitutional monarchy with a crowned figurehead or dictatorships, because who wants to rule if you don’t have control of the Army to back you up? Those were in places like Africa and South America. That kind of rule doesn’t exist in the Western world. Now I’m standing face-to-face with someone who just told me he expects me to know all about it because they gave it to humanity. And that makes it all okay?

  “This idea of freedom the Greeks postulated, how did that work out for them?” Janice’s voice is laced with smug satisfaction in his knowledge.

  “Not very well, they did end up destroying themselves. Humanity does that to itself. We don’t need the Fae.” I curl my nose up at his all-knowing bullshit.

  “Fae are not like humans. Without the feudal society and our queen’s control, we are ruled by wild. We would destroy all of Earth. I’m quite surprised humanity hasn’t done it already. But then again, you always were an interesting creature. From the moment your kind were created, you fascinated us.” Janice smiles.

  I almost choked. Created us? “From the moment you created us, we fascinated you? What, as if you were there at the moment of creation?” I sputter.

  “My lady, you don’t have to like the words I say, but when I speak them to you, believe me, they are true. Humanity was created by Fae. One of our earliest queen’s wanted workers for her mines to dig gold. When the Fae still ruled the surface, enjoying the daylight with all bending to our will, Lilith took a mammal and sang out its animalistic features—most of them anyway. Slowly, she worked in features of Fae. She attempted to make humanity beautiful, but it didn’t take. I’m not implying humans aren’t beautiful. Please do not be offended. You are simply not Fae. When I look at most humans, all I see is the mammal they originally were created from. Many of them are still heavily covered in hair, with the large ridged eyebrows. They do not strike me as one of beauty. You, on the other hand, were already beautiful before we took you. By human standards, you are an unbelievable specimen. Since you have embraced your Fae side, you’ve only become more so.” His eyes shine with admiration while his face remains blank.

  “Are you kidding me? Do you realize what a bigot you sound like? Now that I look more Fae, I’m beautiful. I was human, but somehow your weird magic is changing me. I didn’t do this to myself. Do you really think I want to be a Fae? All I want to do is get the hell away from you and all of your crazy pointy-eared friends. You did this to me.” I poke him in the chest with a pointy finger. “I didn’t do this to myself. It’s not like I want to stay here. I don’t want to be one of you. I want to go home. I want to see my parents,” Crap, backpedal. No one can know they’re alive. “Wherever they are, if they’re still live. You were there that night—did you kill them?” I demand, with my finger still presses into his chest, gaslighting is a great way to cover your own ass.

  “No, I did not. I don’t know where your parents are. Do you?” The truth rings
in his words.

  I close my eyes. I don’t want him to see me rolling them in my head. I also didn’t want him to see the lies pouring off my lips. “No, I don’t know where they are. I didn’t find their bodies in my house.” Stick as close to the truth as possible. “They’re gone, just gone.” I force my shoulders to slump.

  The elevator jolts, coming to a stop. It pulls me out of my angry bubble. I’d barely noticed the elevator moving.

  Janice turns to me, his eyes searching my face. His hand removes my finger from indenting his chest. “He will ask you for fealty. Tell him you’ve switched courts, but you haven’t decided which prince you wish to follow. Show him deference. Bow your head, slightly crossing your fingers as you did before. Fae are proud. We do not give our loyalty easily. He will understand you wish to weigh your choices and choose wisely. Tell him ‘this is the first court you’ve been to and you still wish to compare it to Jacques’.” Janice’s eyes take in my face.

  I demand, “And if he recognizes me?” The doors slide open.

  “If he recognizes you, all Cernunnos can and will break loose. Unless of course, you came back on your own. Tell him you wanted to be with your own kind.” His body stills. The box holds its breath. The wakes freeze in midair.

  I turn to him. “I don’t want to be with you. I want to be with my own kind, i.e. humanity.” Whatever words he’s about to say, they die on his lips as the doors fully seat themselves in the open position. I school my face into bland indifference. The other side of that door doesn’t need to see my irritation or my disagreeing demeanor with Janice. I don’t trust him. I don’t trust any of the Fae, but he’s my only ally. The first rule of secret infiltration is don’t get caught and don’t give yourself away.

  Once again, the entry is completely vacant. I guess when you feel you’re the all-powerful Oz in your domain, you don’t need to watch the doors.

  CHAPTER 17

  Deston’s chamber has all the same boring browns and greens—typical Fae. The hum is different here. I hadn’t noticed the singing before. Last time I hadn’t listened. I didn’t know how. Sound wakes roll off everything, not just the ivy on the walls or the honeysuckle’s around the doorways, but from the hyacinths, hollyhocks, morning glory—they all wake to me. Even the spiky leaves of daffodils do as well with their tongues’ lolling out. In Fae, I expect there are flowers and leaves curling everywhere. Most plants are completely innocuous, normal everyday flowers. There’s always poison among all that pretty; that’s how Fae works. It isn’t all going to be pretty. There has to be something to hurt you; something you wouldn’t notice. The pretty blinds you right up to the moment it strikes and kills you. Fae draw people in with their pretty faces. You’ll get just a little too close, and once they have you where they want you, they strike.

  My trailing eyes linger over the individual wakes, but taken as a whole, the reason I don’t like this room compared to the rest of the castle reveals itself. It’s a prison, meant to draw you in to bring you closer to your own demise before it locks itself on you. The tips of fanged thorns hidden by green leaves wait to suck you dry of every last drop of your life’s blood. I can almost feel the walls closing in on me. The flowers scream at me to be wary. The deeper we go into Deston’s private domain, the heavier my feet grow. The magic wakes press me to leave. I want to escape the oppressive waking of the wall’s magic; it batters at me. I glance at Janice, but he never wavers.

  What if everything he told me about fairies is wrong? What if he’d been trying to deceive me the entire time to get me here to this room? Cold fear runs up my back. My heart beats frantically. This is a mistake. My instinct for fight-or-flight kicks in, and I’m inclined to try to run away. I might dive out the window and float down. Maybe call something to me or force a plant to grow. I’m not sure, anything. I swallow dried spittle. I run my tongue along my lips, hoping to calm myself. Both of Janice’s friends are bowing to Deston with crossed fingers. As Deston lounges in his chair, it resembles a throne in front of the fireplace.

  Everything here is made of wood. I can’t understand why you’d have a fireplace. What if it burns the building to the ground? His fingers snap, and green fire leaps in the hearth. The temperature in Fae is comfortable. Why would you want a fire? I can’t imagine. Janice lowers his head, crossing his fingers. He bends over in an honest to god bow. I’d never seen anyone in real life ease into a position of supplication with such grace.

  “I see you have returned, bringing me my heart’s desire, the human child, and who is this with you?” Deston’s words scrape at me.

  “I have returned, my lord. I’m afraid I was unable to locate the girl as you instructed. I’ve kidnapped her friend as you requested. Even now, she is here in the castle. The girl, Sarah, will come to us if she’s capable, and if not, she will die amongst the humans.” Janice’s words trail a cold line down my back.

  “Good! I would have liked it if you could’ve brought the resistor here. Who is this? Kar-ol tells me it’s a new recruit.”

  “She’s chosen to switch courts, my lord. She wishes to join our side.” Janice repeats the story from before.

  “Do you also wish to swear fealty now?” The query bumps me out of my alternate reality as I realize he is speaking directly to me.

  “No, I wish to visit all the courts and decide which suits me best!” Too afraid to say anything more, I press my lips closed. The flash of Janice’s eyes gives me the feeling he approves of my answer. The wakes coming off both of them are of satisfaction, smooth and clean.

  “By all means, show her around my court. Make sure she fully understands that if she chooses us what she’d be gaining on the winning side. I intend to win.” Deston’s ease at announcing his ability to win grates on me. I hate that level of arrogance.

  “Of course, my lord. Is there any doubt?” Janice’s suck up, adds to my desire to smack them both.

  “There’s never any doubt. I’m always on the winning side. Are you sure that human girl will come for the child?” Deston asks again. The doubt, it always creeps in to gnaw away at you.

  “Quite sure, my lord.” Janice’s reassurance is quick and practiced.

  “Jacques has been tracking her.” From my side angle, his eyes shift back and forth. He thinks he has an advantage. “I want you to go back to the human world and keep tracking this girl before the others get a hold of her. The entire fate of Fae may be up to her. They’ll try to kill her just to stop her.” The whole room has been cold and tilting the entire conversation.

  It doesn’t make any sense, the idea of Fae avidly searching for me in the human world and willing to kill whoever they came across just to find me. I’m just human or so they think. Janice knows I’m not or no longer appear to be. I can’t understand why they’d be looking for me. I mean, if I could figure out how their magic worked, I’m sure any of the human girls can. It’s not like I have special training in singing or know much about music. Everything I know is rudimentary. My mother is the songbird.

  “Gather forces! Take them back to the surface with you after you’ve rested and eaten,” Deston commands. “Be there as soon as twilight begins. If you must, hide out in the human world. Don’t let this girl get away.” Deston’s hand clenches, and he pounds his fist into his chair.

  “Of course, my lord.” Janice regains his stance with both hands crossed before him.

  Deston turns in his chair to take me in. Words die on his lips. His eyes widen as a slow smile curls his face. Both his hands come together, fingers steepling in the center. “I see perhaps there are somethings you do not see, Janice, but I most certainly do. Where did you find this Fae?” The cold of the room turns frigid.

  “I found her near Puca’s barn. She was examining the new stock.” The lie rolls off his tongue so easily I could’ve believed it myself if I didn’t know it wasn’t true.

  Deston turns full force on me. “So, Sarah, how long have you been in Fae?”

  I recoil from his question. Is this the part where all
Cernunnos is supposed to break loose?

  My instant reaction is to turn and run, but there’s only one way out. Unless I jump out a window, but I’d already established that might not be very smart.

  I don’t want to be a caged animal, but turning my head every which way, I resemble one. I call my powers of self-control to stare directly at him. Whatever is going to happen in the next few minutes will determine my fate. It sounds fatalistic and crazy, but the beating of my heart and the adrenaline pumping through my body tells me I’m not insane.

  “Okay, you know who I am. What’s the big deal? I’ve come to choose sides.” It’s an easy lie. I echo the words from before, releasing the breath I’d held.

  He closes his eyes, tilting his head back and absorbing the moment. He enjoys it with a smile. “Those are the words I’ve waited to hear. Will you swear fealty to me?” His eyes are still closed, but I know in a second that if I don’t answer him, they will be open.

  Janice waves his pinky back and forth. I guess it’s the universal symbol for ‘don’t do it.’

  “No, like I said, I want to see which court is best before I decide what I’m going to do or where I want to be.”

  Deston’s chin moves to rest on his chest, allowing his green hawk-like eyes to bore into me, down the bridge of his nose. “Have I not been kind? I have housed you, fed you, and taken care of you?” His words drip sticky sweet, but his body wakes with orange irritation.

  Now the wakes have color? “Yeah, generally when you’re being someone’s friend, you don’t kidnap their friends, like Olive, in an effort to force them back to you. That’s a stalker ex-boyfriend move. I’m giving you a nine on the Creep-o-meter.” I cross my arms, cocking my hip to one side.

  “Oh, you’re offended? This child, she’s a human; she’s just a thing,” Deston replies. “Clearly, you’re not any longer. You’ve changed and become something more. Why should this young human, Olive, matter to you at all? Soon you will have no humanity left. Humans will become irrelevant in your world.” Deston waves his hand in dismissal.