by Debbie Long
“I think you will find that it was your kind that turned on us. If you think for one minute that kidnapping me would resolve this issue, then you are mistaken.”
We both stare at each other, neither of us wanting to back down.
“Look, if you cooperate, this will go a lot smoother,” she says.
“You have already attacked my lands, what makes you think I am willing to cooperate? People are dying, people are missing and now I know why. All this time we have been guarding, watching the dark veil. You don’t even need it, you’ve been using another means to get in, with that vortex thing. If you have this way of entering my lands, then why haven’t you attacked? What are you waiting for to start this war?”
“We don’t want a war, we want peace.”
“Lies,” I hiss.
“We do, my father told me so.”
“Your father is lying, there will be no peace only destruction and you’re being blind to it. The queen of my lands wants this war so she can take over the throne and my people.”
“My father and your queen want peace. They want to rule together.”
“More lies.” I stand, moving away from her. “Maybe you should ask him again, you are clearly being fooled.”
She scowls at me, but I see the realisation flicker in her gaze. The door opens and her eyes move to the man who has entered. The presence of this male is suffocating, his dark aura emanating around the room. I move away, my back against the wall.
“Father, you said I can handle this. You know she can’t be around you; she’s already gone pale.” She folds her arms as he stares her down, but she holds her own not breaking eye contact.
He scowls, his eyes moving to me. “I will do as I please child, you may leave us.” He doesn’t look her way, just waves his hand dismissively. When she doesn’t move, his dark gaze locks on her. “I said now.”
“No, I am not leaving you alone with her.” She holds her head high, but I can see she is starting to crack.
She breaths a sigh of relief when his gaze lands back on me once more. “Stubborn child, just like your blasted mother.” He sneers when she winces.
“It’s nice to know that I killed your mother, she was hard to kill,” he says to me.
I don’t move, I don’t even blink. I just stare at him, waiting for him to say more. He cocks his head to the side, assessing me.
“So much power, just like her. That power will be mine to wield, you will either bow down to me, or I’ll take it by force. Your mother didn’t have much power left after closing the veil, but the little she did have gave me the power to open the vortex I created. Took me years to master, years of sacrifices of my people. But I got there in the end, now I can open a vortex, but it isn’t big enough for my plan.”
“And what is your plan?” I ask.
“To kill you all of course,” he smiles. I shiver at the calmness of his words.
Ava gasps, her hand over her mouth. “You said we will live in harmony, like the old days.”
“I lied.”
I give her a look, a look of I told you so.
“But you said...”
“Enough!!” he snaps, “I don’t want to live in peace with these pixies that shut us away in the dark. My ancestors made a mistake, my father made a mistake in letting them take over and rule us.”
“We have never tried to rule you, your people have started these wars.”
“True, my father started the last war and your mother saw to us never seeing the light of day again. But that all will change, I am the king and I will not fail like my kin before me. I will reign over both lands, though your queen thinks otherwise.” He smirks. “I will end her of course, just like I did with your father.”
I keep my face still; my eyes widen slightly, and I force tears from my eyes. I hang my head, so he doesn’t see my eyes further. I hear his evil laugh and Ava’s gasp.
“Yes, he was easy to kill. I did it slowly of course, after all, it was his wife that almost put us into extinction.”
I don’t say a word, just keep my head low.
“You may already be feeling the effects of your magic draining, but it won’t fully disappear from you. I need you alive to extract my plan, after all.” He pats my head and it takes everything in me not to recoil. “Good girl.”
I see his feet move, and I don’t look up until I know he has left the room. I wipe my face, my eyes landing on Ava.
“He’s not dead, is he?”
“Nope, I saved him. If I didn’t go to my home when I did, I would have lost him.”
“I thought my father wanted peace.”
“Your family has never wanted peace, only destruction. Maybe my family went about it the wrong way, locking you in your lands. But the thing is, there is always a balance. We can’t have light without dark.”
“My people don’t want a war. My father has lied to them all.”
“How did he take my mothers magic? She died when she closed that veil.”
“No, according to him, she was sucked into our lands. When he took what he needed, he killed her. Same as he killed my mother.”
“Your mother was a light pixie?”
“She was. He dragged her here, same as countless light pixies, for their magic. When your mother closed the veil, all of the magic died in our lands. He’s been syphoning the magic from your people to build his army. I thought it was for peace, not war.” Ava hangs her head.
“You don’t want another war?”
“No, my grandfather told me he made a mistake. He said that the war didn’t solve the problem, just created a rift. He tried to talk my father out of this war, but he had him killed, said he was weak.” I watch as tears fall.
“Maybe we can come to some agreement? Form an alliance?”
“You would do that?” she wipes her eyes, blinking her brown eyes that remind me so much of my own.
“I would, but if you betray me, I will end you.” Maybe I didn’t need to say that, but the resolve in her eyes tells me she would do the same.
“I just want to save my people and my land’s; I don’t want war.”
“Help me get my magic back, help me escape this place.”
“I don’t have magic; I can’t get us out of here.”
“Get me my magic, I will do the rest.”
“There’s a bracelet on your wrist, my father has cast a glamour so you can’t see it. Break it, and your magic will be free. But do it quick and get us out of here, he will know, and we won’t have much time to escape.”
I nod, my hand going to my wrist to feel, as she says, a bracelet there. “Ready?” I ask, she nods, and I pull hard. It breaks in two and once off my wrist, my magic roars to life. I breathe a sigh of relief as it consumes me. My wings pop out, the beautiful glittery wings fluttering behind me.
I hear a roar, taking Ava’s hand I open my own vortex, my eyes widen in surprise and we jump into it just as the door crashes open and we leave an angry dark pixie king in our wake.
Lost Pixies
We land with a thump in my mate’s room. I didn’t even know I envisioned that particular place, but I’m glad I did. I am only there mere seconds before hands grab me, pulling me into their strong chest.
Zane. I breath in his woodsy scent, he smells like a meadow. Then other arms encircle me, the crisp clean water smell of Oran. Lastly the air whips around me, the soft breeze blowing my hair, Felix. I smile through my tears, taking them all in.
“Love, we have been worried sick.” Felix’s strained voice fills my ears.
“Where were you?” a voice booms, startling us all.
I look through the arms of my mates to see Mobsy standing in the doorway along with a very pale looking Maxell. I peel away from my mates, much to the disgruntled males’ annoyance.
“In the dark pixie lands,” I say calmly. I look towards Ava who is watching us all with great interest. “Ava helped me escape.”
“A dark pixie helped you. They only help themselves.” Mobsy advances
on her, she shrinks back into the wall.
I move in front of her. “Touch her and you’ll lose your balls,” I snarl.
Mobsy looks shocked, the others males smirk. “Nice one Velour, way to get on her good side,” Felix chuckles.
“I am trying to protect her,” he grinds out.
“I don’t need protecting,” I say, “especially not from you.” I address the others. “Like I was saying. Ava helped me, she told me that her people don’t want a war, it’s her father that wants one. He killed his own father because he realised his mistake, he knew he did wrong and it is killing them, slowly.”
“Then we have less of them to worry about,” Mobsy gripes.
“If they die, we die,” I snap, “there always needs to be a balance, you fucking moron.”
“You swore,” Felix says, jokily, “you never swear.”
“Well she did that one time when we were…”
“OK, enough,” I say, “we don’t have time to joke around. We need to go see my father and my grandfather, now.”
I march past them, out the door and in the direction of my grandfather’s office, dragging a bewildered Ava with me. I hurry to my grandfather; I can feel the gazes from my mates and bonded brother as they keep pace with me.
I turn the corner, smacking into Silvia. Her face is drawn, her skin pale. Her eyes widen, she launches herself into my arms, crying into my shoulder.
“I thought I lost you,” she sobs.
I am a bit stunned by her greeting, but my arms circle her and our wings glow. Another brightness draws my attention, I break away from Silvia to look at Ava. Her dark wings are glowing, her own eyes widen as magic pours form her, a white magic that makes me blink.
“What’s happening?”
“You have magic.”
“How? I mean, I have never had magic.”
“It’s because you have stepped on the light lands,” a tinkly voice says behind me. My head turns to see Honey stood in the doorway, her honey eyes land on me and a tentative smile forms on her lips. “Hi Pixie.”
I pull her to me, hugging her tightly. “I’ve missed you,” I whisper.
“Pixie, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what I was doing. He had me under his control, I didn’t know how to break away until Max helped me.” She blushes, her eyes wandering to the muscular male behind me.
I smile as he takes her hand, kissing her knuckles. She blushes harder, a little giggle escaping her.
She pulls her gaze away from Maxell, addressing us all. “Your grandfather is waiting.” She walks back into the room.
I follow close behind, gasping when I see my father stood behind the desk. His eyes tear up, and in a few strides he has me in his arms.
“Father,” I choke through my own tears, “you’re ok.”
“Thanks to you, my sweet Pixie.” He holds me at arm’s length, looking me over. “And you, you’re well?”
“I am. I thought my magic was lost to me for a while there, but Ava, she helped me.” I gesture to Ava who is still admiring her hands that are glowing.
She looks up when Felix nudges her. “Sorry,” she says sheepishly.
My father walks to her, lifting her chin so her eyes meet his. “What is your mothers name?” he asks.
“Savannah. My father told me that much about her before he killed her.”
He gasps, same as my grandfather. He too stands with my father, looking at Ava in wonder.
“How is this possible? She didn’t die. She went to the dark lands,” my grandfather says.
My chest goes tight, I stare at Ava realising why I recognised her eyes. They are like my own, like my mother’s, our mother.
“You’re my sister,” I say.
Ava turns to me, eyes wide. “How is that possible?”
“I don’t know, but I have a feeling she isn’t dead.”
“He told me she is.”
“He also told you that he doesn’t want to start a war, that he wants peace.”
“Touché,” she replies, “he did tell me that when he has taken the light pixies, he sends them to the wasteland.”
“She might be there,” I say excitedly.
“Don’t get your hopes up Pixie, he may have killed her,” my father says sadly.
“But she might be there though, so are our people.”
“I know, and we will get them back. We need to form a plan; we have just got you back.” He hugs me again. “I won’t lose you Pixie.”
“But I have to go, they need me, they need us. We don’t know how many he has taken over the years, or for what reason.”
“I know,” Ava says. “He didn’t know I was listening, but he said that the magic he stole will help strengthen his army. He gave them all the magic, he said that with the pixies still alive, it will keep the magic alive in his men.”
“Like the bracelet I had on?”
“Yes, makes sense. He has one, maybe that’s what enhancing him. I never thought about it before, until now.”
“You never thought that he wanted to take over with an army he was building with stolen magic from light pixies?” Oran says, “How can you not see that?”
“He told me many lies. I had no reason to doubt him,” Ava snaps. “He didn’t kill them.”
He scoffs. “And that makes it better? Who wouldn’t see what a psychopath your father is?”
“I didn’t obviously,” Ava looks on the verge of tears, “I wanted to believe him; he is my father,” she says angrily.
“Enough, both of you,” I say frustrated, “this isn’t helping. I believed my father when he said Sofia wasn’t involved, then I followed my own instincts,” I say looking at my father. He goes to say something, but I hold my hand up, silencing hm. “We need to plan. I can get us into the dark lands, I got us out,” pointing to Ava and myself. “I just don’t know where I’m going; I don’t think I can open a pass way to somewhere I’ve never been.”
“Out of the question,” my father says, “you are not going back there. I will go along with my most trusted guards.”
“And how do you plan on getting back if you find them?” I snap.
My father goes silent. “That’s what I thought. We need to make a plan. If we can get to them, bring them back, then we have a chance at stopping his army.”
“What about the magic they are taking? How do we stop that?” Ava asks.
“I don’t know, I managed to break mine easy enough. It just snapped in half.”
“I think he planned on you escaping Pixie, that sounds far too easy,” Oran says, “but maybe you can break them with your magic, it sounds like you did anyway.”
“It was muted, I couldn’t feel my magic.”
“Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t there. Your magic can’t be taken away fully, plus you’re the most powerful pixie in our lands. If this king has resorted to stealing magic from us, then he can’t be as powerful as he sounds. That’s why he needs an army, they will be fighting for him.” Oran frowns.
“If he gets hold of Pixie’s magic, then he will be powerful. He let her go for a reason, and he can come and go as he pleases. Why hasn’t he attacked?” Felix says.
“Did he take anything from Pixie while she slept?” Zane asks Ava.
“He took her blood.”
“Shit!”
“What? Is that a bad thing?” I ask.
“Yes, he can control your magic. He doesn’t need you to stay. He must have a witch working with him, helping him syphon the magic from the pixies and using your blood for something.”
“To open the veil fully,” my grandfather says from behind his desk. “Your mother closed that veil, cost her more than just her magic. She needed to bleed to close it fully. You’re connected to your mother’s magic, your blood can open the veil once more.”
“How do we fight him? How do we defeat his army?” I ask panicked.
“Are you forgetting something?” Mobsy says, “Ava has magic. It returned to her the moment she stepped foot on our l
ands. Her father isn’t using other pixies for their magic, he’s using them to feed his lands. The dark lands have no magic being closed off from us. If that veil opens, his army will have all the magic they were denied.”
“You’re right. This makes matters worse. If they cross that veil we’re doomed. We’re not prepared for another war,” I say.
