by Paige Orr
Marked by Lies
Book One of The Marked Series
Paige Orr
Dedication
I'm dedicating this to my wonderfully amazing gran, who unfortunately passed away during the writing of this book. I will forever cherish the memories we have together, and I will strive to be someone I know you would be proud of.
Table Of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Note From Author
My Other Works
Published by Paige Orr
©2020 Glasgow
All rights reserved. No part of this book or parts thereof may be reproduced or modified in any form, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means - electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise - without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Marked by Lies is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Cover Design by Paige Orr
Glossary
Autumn Court - The Autumn Court is seen as the equally malevolent side of Fae in comparison to Winter, but much more middling. The Fae of this court are generally the ones doing the "dirty work" and "trooping". However, these Fae can have much nicer sides than any of the Fae and return great favors. The Autumn Court is strongest during the ends of summer and throughout the autumn season. These Fae are strong, mystique, eerie, ravishing all the same, and devious. The epitome of autumn.
Courtless - Some Fae prefer to go about their own business and not get involved in the politics of the Courts. These Fae are known as Courtless. While they may be found in small numbers among either the Seelie or Unseelie, for the most part they go their own ways. Goblins are the most common Courtless Fae, though Treants, Wilden, Hags, Dryads, Satyrs, Nymphs, and many other Lower Caste Fae are Courtless as well.
Coven - A group of Witches and Mages who band together, usually for protection. These groups can be anywhere from twelve members to thirty. Not all Witches belong to a coven.
Covenless - Covenless is a faction of Witches or Mages who prefer to go their own way from the coven instead of being under their protection. Those that don’t fall under that classification and yet aren’t Covenless are usually Orphans who fall through the cracks.
Covenstead - The covenstead is where most of the main meetings for the coven are held. This is a safe place for any Witch or Mage who feels like they are in danger. This is also where the young Witches and Mages who have lost their parents who were already part of the coven are brought up, and where young Witches and Mages are taught to use their magic.
Cult - A cult is a group of people who do not conform to most of the usual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs, or by its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal.
Danu - Danu is the Mother Goddess, from where all Irish gods descend; she was also the namesake of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Little is known about her, though it is theorized that she may have represented the Danube River.
Draegloth - Draegloth are half-demon, half-drow monstrosities. They are created by the "unholy union" of a glabrezu and a newly ordained high priestess of the drow goddess Lolth. These drow house pets are as graceful and nimble as Fae stage dancers.
Drow - Drow are a classification of dark elves. They are hated and feared due to their cruelty, though some non-evil and an even smaller number of good drow exist. They fall under the title of Unseelie, even if most of their creations belong to the shadow courts. They also worship the Goddess of the Shadow Courts.
Fae - The Fae are a race of supernatural beings that precede humanity. They have a strong presence in myths and folklore, where they are often viewed as beings of light and goodness, though sometimes as tricksters. However, the Fae in general have little interest in human affairs. Due to their beauty and brightness, they have been mistaken for Angels on several occasions.
Fae Courts - After many centuries of war between the different courts of Fairie, the fighting finally stopped, leaving four main courts. These courts are Autumn, Summer, Spring and winter. The Seelie and Unseelie, are the nobles of these courts and Fae kind. These courts make up the laws of Fairie, and enforce them on the lower castes.
Glabrezu - Ferocious and bestial in form, the glabrezu is in fact a master of trickery and lies. A glabrezu stands 18 feet tall and weighs just over 6,000 pounds. These treacherous demons form from the souls of the treasonous, the false, and the subversive—souls of mortals who, in life, bore false witness or used treachery and deceit to ruin the lives of others.
Harpy - A harpy is a half-human, half-bird creature. They belong to the Shadow Courts and haven’t been seen in many years. The tips of their deadly talons are filled with a poison that only select magic users can cure.
High Priest/Priestess - The High Priest/Priestess is the leader of a Coven. They are usually the most powerful in their coven, which makes them more able to protect those Witches and Mages who are weaker.
Lolth - is the Demon Queen of Spiders and is the Goddess that the Drow and other Dark Fae worship.
Lower Castes - The lower Castes are the Non-nobles of Fae kind. They are usually the servants of nobles or royals, and their lives are more difficult than the Seelie and Unseelie. The Lower Castes are a wide range of different kinds of Fae.
Mage - A Mage is a Male human who is born with magical abilities. Although most Mages class themselves as Supernaturals, due to their difficult past with other humans. Most Mages belong to a Coven, but not all.
Necromancer - A Necromancer is someone who has magic that involves communication with the dead – either by summoning their spirits as apparitions, visions or raising them bodily – for the purpose of divination, imparting the means to foretell future events, discover hidden knowledge, to bring someone back from the dead, or to use the dead as a weapon. Sometimes this can be referred to as black magic.
Seelie - Ruled by the Summer Court, and, to a lesser extent, the Spring Court, the Fae of the Seelie Court are those who are of a generally amicable predisposition. Despite this, they are prone to mischief and are known to overreact (by non-faerie standards) to situations. The Court is primarily populated by the Lower Castes of Eladrin, Elves, Gnomes, and Hobgoblins.
Seer - A human who can see into the future. Usually they kee
p themselves to themselves. They can get premonitions from many things, and about many people, even ones they don’t know.
Shadow Courts - There are things in Faerie that not even the Fae of the Unseelie courts deign to dabble in. The realm is home to both dreams and nightmares and none more personify the latter than the Shadow Courts. Nebulous and not well understood, existing on the fringes of Faerie are creatures of darkness and gloom. It is said that Lolth reigns over these enigmatic lands and creatures. Rumors claim that some of the other Fae gods may have some influence in this aspect of Faerie, too, however. Although the shadow realm exists within the context of Faerie, most things that come from it are not considered to be Fae in nature.
Shapeshifter - Shapeshifters are supernatural beings who can transform into an animal. The animal they can shift into depends on if they were changed or born. Most born shapeshifters take on the same animal as their parents. Changed shapeshifters shift into the same animal as those that infected them, they also have a harder time when it comes to their bodies getting used to shifting.
Skinwalker - A type of Shapeshifter who can shift into any form of their choosing. They find it easier to shift into more humanoid figures, like other people that they have met, although they can still shift into their chosen animal. Unlike the average shapeshifter, their shifts do not become less painful as time goes on.
Spring Court - The Spring Court is seen as the much "calmer" ones to the benevolence of the Fae compared to Summer. The Fae of this court are generally polite and bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. These Fae are more apt to lure humans in with sweet dew. They also have blossoming curiosity. The Spring Court is strongest during the ends of winter and throughout the spring season, despite the Summer Court having reigned. These Fae are peppy, quiet, seductive, emotional, and vernal obviously. The epitome of spring.
Summer Court - The Summer Court represents what people see as the benevolent side of the Fae. The Fae of this court are generally considered more polite or mannered, albeit they are still very capable of cruelty (but will be more hush-hush, or subtle about it). The Summer Court has free reign over summer solstice and spring equinox months, and are strongest during that time. Needless to say, the Fae of this court are frivolous, venereal, hot-headed and what have you. They are the epitome of summer.
Unseelie - The Fae of the Unseelie Court tend towards malevolence, and are guided by the lords of the Winter and Autumn Courts. The Unseelie Fae are often merciless and are likely to be aggressive without provocation. Most people in Faerie know to avoid involvement with the Unseelie, though doing so can prove difficult when such Fae are extremely skilled at misleading those they interact with. Eladrin, Changelings, Drow, and Spriggans are the most populous Fae among the Lower Castes.
Winter Court - The Winter Court represents what people see as the malevolent side of the Fae. The Fae of this court frown upon humans. They're more inclined to talk about their open cruelty. This makes them look none other than evil, however one chooses to define evil. The Winter Court has free reign over winter solstice and autumn equinox months, and are strongest during that time. By and by, the Fae of this court are sensible, chilled, dark, baleful, and what have you. They are the epitome of winter. They are Unseelie.
Witch - A Witch is a Female human who is born with magical abilities. Although most Witches class themselves as Supernaturals, due to their difficult past with other humans. Most Witches belong to a Coven, but not all.
Chapter One
Melissa
"You realize that it’s really fucking rude to ignore one of the few people that acknowledges your existence, right? Come on Mel, you know that nobody else can talk to me. I’m so bloody lonely and I’m only asking for you to talk to me. What's so bad about that? It’s just plain cruel to snub me when you know I don’t have anyone else."
I try my best to ignore the strange man waving his hands in front of my face, trying to catch my attention, but it gets harder and harder to do so as the days draw on. Don’t get me wrong, I'm not an uncivil person, but when the person trying to speak to you isn’t even alive anymore, starting a conversation in public isn’t the smartest idea. With my luck, the rest of the passengers would call the men in white coats to get me committed. Not that I could blame them, since it looks like I’m talking to myself, and it wouldn’t be the first time someone thought I was crazy.
I’ve dealt with the judging looks and the sneers my entire life, so by now, I know what I can get away with in public. I’m not imagining the apparitions that have appeared to me for as long as I can remember because some things they tell me are impossible for me to know without talking to the actual person. None of that makes being a “freak” any easier though.
The dead always carry a certain air around them and I can’t blame them, being alone and having no one to interact with for so long would make me bratty too. I can’t help but feel bad for them, but I’ve learned my lesson when it comes to speaking with them.
After being starved for human interaction for so long, they tend to hang around like a bad smell, desperate not to be left alone again. If people weren’t so cruel, I wouldn’t have an issue with speaking to them. No matter how bad I feel for them though I can’t afford for people to look at me like I’m losing my marbles, my job requires people to trust me and there are already too many people who look down their noses at me.
When I was younger, life was tough for me, with talking to my “imaginary friends” all the time. Kids can be fucking cruel, believe me, I know from experience and my little quirk meant I was a prime target for their bullying. Thankfully, I had a mom to go home to who loved me, even if she didn’t always understand me. That’s a lot more than what some other kids had.
My mom was petrified the first time that I told her what I could see, and that ruined me, but I know it couldn’t have been easy for her. My mother was such a kind person, so seeing so much fear and veiled disgust coming from her, made me feel ashamed. I didn’t want to let her down since being as young as I was, made it all the more painful, so from that day on I refused to speak about the dead with her.
I'm in the garden with mum today, while she hangs the washing to dry and does some gardening. It's a beautiful day in the middle of summer, and I've been sitting with my best friend Lucy for most of it. I can see my mom’s eyes keep flicking towards me with fear filling them and it breaks my heart. She tells me I shouldn’t be talking to Lucy, but she’s my best friend and the only friend I have. So it's not like I don't want to talk to her, even if she is being cruel today.
Maybe if mommy knew more about Lucy, then she wouldn’t be so scared. I wish that she could understand; I have to be there for Lucy because she doesn't have anyone else. She’s just like me. Mommy might even tell me how to cheer Lucy up! She’s always crying and I just want her to smile.
"Mommy, Lucy is here again today! She’s sad though, she’s been crying all day and I don’t know how to cheer her up. Maybe she doesn't have a mummy who loves her like you love me! She is being mean to me today though. She keeps saying you're not my real mummy, even when I tell her that's not a funny joke!"
My mum looks up at me with wild eyes, flicking them around the garden, looking for where Lucy might be hiding. I've never understood why she can't see the people that talk to me, but when I bring them up, it's almost like she fears me.
She grabs my little arm in her much bigger hands, abandoning the garden to drag me indoors. "Melissa, what have I told you about your imaginary friends! You're getting too old to still have them, and it's about time you stop talking about people who don't exist. What would make you do such a nasty thing to say that I'm not your real mummy hurts me!"
I squeeze my tiny hands together, looking at the floor when I feel my eyes stinging with the telltale signs of tears. "I'm sorry, mommy! I didn't mean to hurt you, I promise. I-I don't know h-how to make them go away, and you always tell me to be kind to people. I’m not making Lucy up and I know you’re my mommy. It was Lucy who said that you're not."
She strokes her warm hand through my hair, and the feeling is the most comforting thing in the world. It’s like safety and warmth wrap around me and I hope I always have mommy to make me feel better. After a moment she pulls her hand away, pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger, letting out a deep sigh before turning back to me.
"Just ignore them, my little Mel bell, I don't want people to pick on you because of this. You're a good girl, so please do what mummy asks. I know that it’s hard and I’ve told you to always be nice to others, but your imaginary friends aren’t very nice and they keep getting you into trouble. Please, Mel, you have to be careful who you choose to speak to, especially if they make such horrible things up."
I’m snapped out of my memories with the sound of my latest visitor's voice close to my ear and I have to clench my jaw in my effort to ignore him. Looking at them or showing them any sign that you can see them just makes things worse. It would surprise you how little it takes for a ghost to become obsessed with you, and once they know for sure that you can see them, they’ll never leave you alone!
I can't afford any distractions right now. My latest job is one of the biggest ones I’ve had since I started my private investigation business and I need to get it right to get my name out there. I really can’t mess this shit up or it'll be; goodbye lovely apartment in a prime location, and hello to a cardboard box down some pissy alleyway.
