Sword of Light (The Four Keys Book 1)

by J. C. Lucas

  “Andie, I’ll go talk to him,” Teagan said, putting his hand on my arm and turning me around to look at him. “He’ll be fine. I promise.”

  There was second-hand embarrassment for me in Teagan’s eyes, and Killian sat with Emric and Charlie, trying to appear as if he wasn’t paying us any attention.

  “Dang it, Teagan! Don't try to make this better for me! I did this. I was so stupid. Just when I thought I was making headway with him, I do this and screw it all up!” I vibrated with anger at myself, and all I could think about was getting away to be alone.

  I did just that.

  Stalking off into the jungle on the opposite side that Hunter had, Teagan yelled at me to wait. But I wasn’t waiting. I needed time to think, and I couldn’t while surrounded by all of them.

  I wandered aimlessly for a while, not really paying attention to my surroundings or where I was going. I was so lost in my own thoughts and replaying what had happened in my head that at first, I didn’t notice what crept up behind me.

  Looking over my shoulder, a pure white fox with bright blue eyes flashing watched me. Its eyes reminded me of something, but I couldn't quite think of what it was. Determining that the animal was just traveling through the forest, I continued walking, keeping it in my vision.

  “So what are you doing out here, foxy? Did you tick someone off too? Misery loves company,” I prattled aloud. Who knew? Maybe it was like Emric and could understand me. After a while of mindless chatter to the fox, the snow-white animal grew bored, cutting away from my path, running into the surrounding vines.

  “Well, bye to you too!” I shouted, stopping to lean down with my hands on my knees to rest. I had been walking forever.

  Checking out my surroundings, shock rolled through me. Strange objects hung in the trees around me. They looked to be made of a strange gossamer material, twine running around the bases, holding them onto the tree limbs. There were holes in the front that could only be doorways, and small bridges made from twigs and twine spanned the distance between each dwelling. All around me, I heard the soft hum of wings. Looking higher, fairies darted in and out of a large Alder tree carrying tiny wooden buckets. As one fairy flew overhead, a small drop of something splashed out of the bucket it carried, landing in front of me on a leaf, staining it red as it slid down.

  I leaned down and ran my finger over the red substance, studying it. The fairies must harvest the red sap from the Alder tree. I wondered if they were using it as a dye, or for something else?

  Watching the fairies work, I noticed that they resembled Aines fairies, but these were not as elegant as hers. They reminded me of worker bees, zipping in and out, working ceaselessly with their buckets, and I swear I heard one of them shouting orders to the others.

  Right then, the white fox appeared on the other side of the Alder tree, peeking out at me with a look of amusement and satisfaction in its intelligent eyes. Moving closer to the tree, I trampled a bunch of small branches that littered the jungle floor, keeping my eye on the fox as I walked. There was a cracking noise, and then I was falling before being plunged into darkness.

  Shock coursed through my body as I splashed into cold water. My body rocketed down with the momentum, and I had an errant thought about how lucky I was that I hadn’t taken a mouth or nose full of water when I hit. My descent through the water slowed while my lungs burned, aching for air.

  Kicking hard with my feet, I pushed my way up, or well, I hoped I was going up, anyway. It was forever before I finally burst through the surface, gulping air greedily. Something scaly brushed against my calf and I panicked, turning circles in the water, searching for what it was. I couldn’t see anything but bright blue water glistening, and I realized that I was in an underground cave. Vegetation grew around the side of the pool, thick like a jungle. How was that possible when the only light I saw was what filtered from the hole that I fell through?

  Staring up at it, the white fox peered down at me, and a woman’s gentle laugh rippled through the air before it turned and ran off. It was then that I knew the fox had been leading me here for a purpose, and it couldn’t be a good one.

  Knowing that something was in the water with me, I swam over to the shoreline as fast as I could. Pulling myself out onto dry land, I was happy that the air was warm and humid. My body was cold all the way down to my bones. After wringing the moisture from my hair and clothes as best I could, I decided to see if I could find a way out of this strange place.

  Large mushrooms of every color grew amidst the tropical plants, some spongy growths glowed like lanterns. It felt like I was in some alternate Alice in Wonderland story, where I didn’t fall down the rabbit hole, but a fairy hole. As I gazed around, there was a faint splash, and glancing back at the water I saw a creature resembling a horse. Its backside had a tail covered in multi-colored scales, and its mane was a spiked fin.

  A Kelpie!

  Stunned, I stared as it languidly moved in circles through the water before plunging deep and disappearing. Tales about Kelpies always said that they drowned mortals, and I felt fortunate if that was true.

  All righty then.

  Sighing, I turned back around to start my exploration and hoped that I would find a magical doorway that would lead me out of this quiet, fantastical cave. As I walked deeper into the jungle, there were more of the cocoon homes suspended throughout the trees. They seemed to be unoccupied for now.

  A huge white flower caught my attention below the base of the trees, and the smell from it drew me in. The velvet white flower was the size of a platter, and its aroma reminded me of cotton candy. As I stood before it, leaning down, I breathed in the heady fragrance. Within a second, the flower moved, its stamen shooting bright pink pollen into my face and up my nose.

  Stumbling back, I wiped at my nose with both hands.

  What the heck?

  I tried to clean the sticky substance off my face when I became woozy, my vision blurry and my legs swaying beneath me. That was when the buzzing behind me grew, and I fell.

  Chapter Thirteen

  A tinkling of voices awakened me, and shifting, I rolled onto my side. Whatever I lay upon was soft and squishy. My head pounded and my eyes were sticky and out of focus. The buzzing of voices around me became clearer as my hearing and vision sharpened to normal. I was surrounded by fairies, their wings fluttering as they hovered around, all eyes focused on me.

  They had dirty faces and clothes made from brown leaves smudged with dirt and sticky red sap. They went silent once they realized that I was awake. I studied them as they peered down at me, realizing that they were no longer tiny. How had they grown to be the same size as me? How was that possible?

  Sitting up, I immediately realized that had been a bad idea as my stomach rolled, and its meager contents rushed up.

  Groaning, I leaned over, vomiting. Hands held my hair back gently, and I could sense a soft breeze on my hot neck. Once my stomach stopped cramping, and I felt as if I had purged a week’s worth of food, I opened my eyes, and instant vertigo hit me as I looked down from the platform to see the jungle at least fifty feet below me. How did this happen? The inside of the cave hadn't been that tall before.

  “Don’t move too fast. The pollen from the candlewig flower is strong and may take time to purge from your system.”

  To my left, a slight fairy hovered, her dirty hands clasped together in front of her. Brown hair stuck out in haphazard disarray from under a cap fashioned from a leaf. The end curled up above her right eyebrow, giving it a jaunty look. Bright green eyes stood out amongst all the brown, and her stare was concerned.

  My mouth worked to form words, but nothing came out. The green-eyed fairy girl was elbowed aside by a short male fairy who sneered down at me. His dull brown eyes flashed hatred, and his lips curled up in an ugly smile.

  “Don’t coddle this one, Lunafae! You can’t keep her. You know the plan! We will never be free if we don’t follow through with this, so keep your bleeding heart out of it!” He ground out as h
e looked at the kind girl.

  Lunafae scowled at him, her eyes flashing fire, contempt for the sleazy male fairy oozing from her pores. He didn’t seem to notice or didn’t care if he did. Pushing her way back over to me, she swept one hand out to keep him from getting closer while reaching down with the other to help me up.

  I gained my footing only to sway on the smooshy landing. It looked like a giant mushroom, red with white spots. Lunafae grasped my shoulders to steady me, and leaning forward, she whispered in my ear.

  “Do not worry. I will get you out of here, but for now, you have to go along with this.”

  I schooled my features so as not to give her away. The ugly little mean fairy stared at the two of us, his hands on his hips while his wings fluttered erratically behind him.

  “Right. Well, let’s take her to a room and get her ready then!” He clapped his meaty little hands and then flew up into the air toward a group of trees with lights twinkling through them.

  Grabbing me around the waist, Lunafae propelled us both into the air. As we soared, fright at my predicament was replaced temporarily with exhilaration at the sensation of flying. Even if I didn’t have wings, it was a magical feeling that I sure could get used to!

  As we got closer to the large copse of dark trees, I saw more of the hive-like homes hanging all throughout. Lantern light illuminated them in the dark and created a cozy scene. The last few minutes had been a whirlwind, and my mind hadn’t caught up with the fact that the fairies and I were now the same size. Everything in this cave seemed to be twenty times the size it had been before. Something weird had happened.

  Clearing my throat, I whispered over my shoulder to the fairy. “What happened to me?” I glanced around at the other fairies who flew around us, making sure they hadn’t overheard. I didn’t want to get Lunafae in trouble.

  “It was a candlewig flower. Its pollen changes your body make-up to that the size of one of us,” she stated quietly. Her words caused a shock to pour through my body like ice, making it first hot and then burning with the knowledge. A million questions flew through my mind, but we were swiftly approaching a home. I would have to wait for a better opportunity.

  The soft landing surprised me. I wasn’t jostled at all as I had expected. Lunafae led me inside, pushing the fabric hung in the doorway aside as we entered a room at the back of the home. I wasn’t afforded a chance to look around.

  An older fairy stood beside a table waiting patiently. She was significantly cleaner than the others I had seen in the cave. Her leaf dress was long, and her short hair was a fiery red, her eyes a sparkling emerald just like Lunafaes. I decided she must be her mother; they looked so similar.

  Both women sat me down and explained they needed to prepare me for a meeting. Their eyes pleaded with me to not ask questions, and I knew they were trying to keep others from hearing our conversation. The walls on these homes seemed fragile, not constructed with privacy in mind.

  A large tub steamed with water, and they directed me to undress and get in. I was hesitant because I really wasn’t fond of taking a bath in front of anyone. Sensing my embarrassment, the older woman spoke up.

  “Dear, you have nothing to be embarrassed about, but if it makes you feel better, Luna and I will leave the room and give you some space to wash up.”

  Luna, huh? That seemed infinitely easier to say than Lunafae.

  “Thank you, ma’am. Um, what’s your name if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “I am Sola, and this is my daughter Luna. We need to hurry before Jasper returns,” she whispered to me.

  “Okay, I promise I’ll hurry. But I am curious why that mean little fairy was calling your daughter ‘Lunafae.’” Sola had a look of distaste on her face when I mentioned what the little jerk had called Luna, and I could tell there was no love lost at the thought of him.

  “Jasper calls her that because she isn’t like him, and he detests it. She and I are not the same as Jasper, but that is a discussion for another time. Come. Get in the bath, and then we’ll get you dressed when you have finished.”

  She and Luna walked through the fabric covering the door, leaving me to clean up and get ready for whatever was to happen. After taking off my suit, I placed it on a small table by the side of the tub. I tried to take off my bracelet, but it wouldn’t budge. As if it had fused directly to my skin. Shrugging, I dipped my foot into the water, and bliss ran through me at the feel of the warmth. I hadn’t been able to wash since we began this journey, and it felt so good. Sliding down into water up to my chin, I closed my eyes for a moment, breathing deep to calm my thoughts.

  I wondered if the guys were out searching for me and if they worried about me. I knew Hunter had been mad, but I could only hope they would find me soon. We still had a job to accomplish, and I couldn’t make sure that happened if I didn’t get out of here.

  Reaching for a bar of soap that sat on the side of the tub, I washed my hair. The soap smelled like apples and was pleasant. Although I’d never used bar soap on my hair before, it looked to be all they had.

  Once I was done, I quickly got out and found a fluffy towel hung over the back of a chair. It wasn’t really a towel, but made of some odd green material woven together. It smelled like the woods, fresh and clean, and soaked up the moisture better than any towel I’d ever used. Studying it as I dried my hair, I realized it resembled moss.

  It was strange, but hey, whatever worked, right?

  “Andie, are you done washing?” I heard Luna tentatively call out from behind the fabric door.

  Weird. I didn’t remember telling her my name.

  “Yes, you can come in now.” I wrapped the moss towel around myself and watched as she and her mother entered the room. Luna had clothes folded in her hands, and her mother had a strange-looking bag, which she used to put my suit into.

  “For later.” She motioned toward it but wouldn’t say more.

  Luna laid out a white tunic and brown belt on the bed for me to change into and handed me a comb made of twigs to brush out my hair. The two of them left the room again, and I changed into the long shirt, putting the belt at my waist. There were no mirrors, so there was no telling how I looked after combing out my wet hair, but honestly, it was the least of my worries.

  Grabbing the pack Sola had put my suit into, I pulled the cloth back and peeked into the other room. Luna and Sola stood on either side of the doorway, facing the front of the home. At that same moment, two young fairy boys whizzed in through the central door carrying trays laden with food. They set the large trays on a low table surrounded by floor pillows. Backing away, they stood on either side of the main door facing us, with arms behind their backs and their eyes staring straight forward.

  I was getting a serious “army” vibe from some of these fairies. What was going on with them?

  Jasper chose that moment to land inside the home, his ugly troll face clean and his dirty clothes gone. But the sneer and evil beady eyes were the same.

  “I see you’re all ready to go!” He clapped his hands together in glee. I knew he had plans for me, and it worried me. I struggled to stay in place and not approach him. My hands itched to strangle his scrawny neck. I had a sense that if I did, I would ruin whatever Luna and Sola had planned.

  “First, before we go, you must eat a good meal.” He gestured toward the food, and I moved around the table to seat myself on one of the pillows farthest from him. The food before me was strange, and I had no idea what any of it was. I was hesitant to try any of it.

  In front of me, there was a plate with small purple things that resembled biscuits. Green slabs of something resembling meat lined another plate, and various other strange colored foods graced other trays. The only thing that looked vaguely familiar was white button mushrooms lying atop a green lettuce-like leaf.

  Luna, who had sat down beside me, leaned over while Jasper turned to confer with one of the fairy boys. “Berry biscuits, toad steak, mushroom salad, sugar snaps, and rose nectar,” she said, gesturing to
each one.

  Toad steak was out of the question. I didn’t care how hungry I was—that was not and nor would never be appealing to me. Sola handed me a small plate, and I placed a berry biscuit, mushroom salad, and some sugar snaps on it. Luna passed me a glass of rose nectar. I nibbled on the biscuit and found it to be surprisingly good. Sweet and tart with the buttery flavor of a biscuit. The mushroom salad was okay, but not flavorful. It had more of an earthy flavor, and I didn’t take another bite. The sugar snaps reminded me of sugar cookies, but much lighter and airier. I tried a sip of the rose nectar and found it tasted like flavored flower water. Big surprise, right? I’d rather just drink plain water.

  I ate fast, even though I wasn’t very hungry. I just wanted to get the meal over with so that we could get on with whatever was to happen. I knew my body needed sustenance, though. Luna and Sola ate calmly beside me while Jasper finished talking with the young fairies. They promptly took flight after he dismissed them.

  Turning back to us, he grinned and hurried over, the look in his eyes diabolical. “I see you’ve finished up, so now it is time to go. Luna will accompany us.”

  He walked behind me, reaching down, his hands grabbing me under my arms as he pulled me up from the pillow. I couldn’t help myself and had to swat his vile hands away, jumping to face him.

  “Don’t touch me!” I yelled. The words exploding from me in anger before I caught myself. His face turned a mottled red, and his eyes bulged. Biting my lip, I knew I’d made a terrible mistake.

  “Well, we could have done this the easy way, little girl, but you’ve just made it a lot more difficult for yourself—and a lot more enjoyable for me! Luna, get the ties!”

  “But Jasper, do we truly need to use it? She can’t fly, and she doesn’t know where we are going,” Luna said.