The Faerie Slayer

Abby’s Pov

It was night time now. I could not help the rush of thoughts that kept me awake. I wondered over and over again if the queens guards had caught up to Kade yet. I wondered if Elie had done as I instructed her to, and opened a portal for him? I wondered if Kate was dead, or if he was as good as dead, rotting somewhere in the dungeon below the castle.

I heard the sounds of a swooping bird before I seen it. It nestled on the frame of my open window. A small fawn coloured creature and I was brought a wave of comfort at how much this bird resembled the ones on earth.

It didn’t seem to mind when I rubbed the feathers on its head back. It even purred at my touched and shut its eyes. At the movement, a small folded leaf fell out from between its beak and I felt my chest drop to my knees.

I practically tore the leaf trying to unfold it.

A letter from Elie.

We are almost half-way there. Everything is alright.

Kade and Elie

I felt relief like a wall of brick smacking me across my face. I didn’t realize that I hadn’t been breathing properly until the words in the letter finally caved in.

They’re alright, I thought, the queen hadn’t found them, they are just fine.

I did not let the creeping thoughts in that it was still not too late for them to be captured. I could not afford it. At the risk of having a heart attack, I think I would rather stay naive, as Fay had said.

I quickly grabbed a pen from the night stand and scribbled a reply.

The wedding has been changed to two days from today. You won’t make it back in time. Elie, please do what I told you.

A

I placed the content carefully back into the beak of the bird. With one last pet, as if entranced to follow instructions, the bird flew out into the air and disappeared. Perfectly on time, Fay appeared with the usual silence he bore announcing his presence with words.

“That’s an adorable bird you’ve got there.”

I leaped around, face already flushed and caught sight of the creature holding a tray of tea and crackers.

“I didn’t hear you come in.”

“You should be sleeping. Tomorrow is a big day,” he set the tray down on the nightstand right of my bed.

“What’s tomorrow?” I slowly approached.

“Tomorrow marks one day from your crowning, and wedding. There will be a ball in the hall of courts.”

“I’m far too exhausted,” I lay on the bed and pulled the covers over my chest. Fay took his place on the side. He stroked my hair and smiled.

“It pains me that you are not so happy for your fate. If only I could paint you a picture of how wonderful your future will be.”

“But it’s not home,” I felt the tears immediately flood my sockets,” I miss my family.”

“You’re false family, they were pretend. They were greedy, kept you all to themselves all those years but it was destiny that you return home.”

“They were not pretend to me. I miss my best friend Ben.”

“Who’s Ben?”

“We’ve known each other forever. He’s the closest person in my life.”

Fay seemed lost in thought for a moment,” and I suppose you also miss the wolf.”

I felt my chest tighten,” I’ve never missed anyone like this. It’s like a horrible combination of love, worry and pain. Its like I could never mentally rest if he’s not with me. It physically hurts to even think about it.”

“Would you rather be hopeless? Fore hope is liking holding on to the pain. You can eliminate it , simply by losing all hope.”

“That’s called being numb.”

“Emotions can hold you back from a million things. Hope is an emotion and so is pain. We have a spell for that, you know.”

I didn’t respond. Instead, I wondered how long until the bird reaches Elie and Kade.

“Have some tea,” Fay offered me with yieldinghands a cup that held the contents of a steaming dark green liquid,” it’s for a peaceful sleep.”

I sipped on the tea, mind still at an unease. I did not know when I passed out, but I was grateful to have stopped thinking.

I was awakened by the blinding lights that sabred through the separating curtains. Fay had been the culprit, stirring them away forcefully. I sat up and realized that for the first night in a long time, I had slept peacefully with no sudden awakens or even nightmares.

“How was your sleep, princess?”

“It was amazing. What was in that tea?”

“Oh that? Just a personal recipe, lemonfish scales, raw everapple, some muggle berries.”

I sat up and realized that the dresses Edmund had ordered have arrived. They rested on the armchair front of me. Attached I could see a letter.

“My dresses came.”

“Yes. I see you went to Izibba. How was that encounter?” Fay fiddled with the wrap around the gowns and released them. He inspectedeach one carefully before laying it back down.

“She’s...” I could not think of a word for the breathtaking faerie girl.

“Stunning,” Fay seemed to read my subconscious,“but if you ask me, she does not hold a candle to you.”

I blushed at the compliment. Although I knew that he was just being nice, it remained kind to say.

“Doubtful. Did her and Edmund, er-did they used to date?”

“Are you jealous? I suppose that’s a good thing.”

He set out a dress different from the others and held it to present to me.

“This shall be the one you wear to the ball tonight.”

I studied the dress. It was more complicated then the others. It had a high to low pattern with a slightly fringed slit that would ride all the way above my thighs. Just like the one from yesterday, it hugged at the waist but this was homed a beautiful heart- shaped hemline. When the light shun, the material revealed little pearly lines of patterns.

“It’s beautiful,” I said, nervous that a thing so marvellous would be touching my skin.

He pulled out a pair of white stiletto boots that would sit just under my knees,” these were a gift from Izibba, they go well with the dress.”

I stood up and grabbed hold of the strange but gorgeous boots,” she got me a gift?”

“I already inspected it for poisonberry and mugwort.”

Would she try to poison me? I thought.

I grabbed the letter from atop the table.

You will look immortally stunning in these,

Izibba

“I guess that’s polite of her,” I mumbled.

“Yes, she has always been quite levelled.”

Fay shoved me towards the shower,” bath time for you. Please use the emory scented soap!”

An hour later, my dress rested comfortably on my body. The boots I wore were a perfect fit and it made me wonder how Izibba was able to get my sizing so accurate without even measuring me. Fay had dolled me up,rolling my long hair into an elegant bun and decorating it with jewels and sunflowers. On my face was makeup and on my skin was glistening perfume that smelt like something floral and extraordinary. My mouth watered at the scent of my own skin.

When I get back to earth, I will make sure to take the body wash with me, I thought to myself.

I felt my chest ache at the thought of Ben. I missed him more then I could have ever imagined. I cannot recall a time when we had been separated for this long. I could not let myself thing of Kade. I was sure I would drop.

Fay lay down the final touches of jewels across my neck and when I stood up, it felt as if I was dragging on an extra ten pounds of weight.

“This thing is massive,” I complained.

“It’s priceless,” he responded and helped me down the stairs of my room, and out into the corridor.

I heard the soft jazz music that suddenly sounded like the most marvellous thing that my ears had ever heard.

I could not help a smile begin to bestow itself upon my face.

“The music is lovely,” I said.

“I thought you might like it.”

At the top of the grand stairs, I could see down into the court of halls. The giant crimson curtains were tied to the sides of the ceiling-high windows flooding the room with astonishing natural light. The floor was different from before, it was checkered black and white like a chess board. A band of hobs strummed upon instruments that gave the room the marvellous music. The room was brimmed with the swaying bodies of hundreds of faeries.

They hadn’t seen me yet, I was at the every top of the grand staircase cowering behind the railing.

“You shouldn’t be so afraid, you’re royalty,” I heard Fay’s soft comforting voice but I did not respond,” you’ll have a blast after some food and wine and perhaps some dancing.”

Again, I said nothing but stared out into the flooded floor.

Fay intertwined his arms with mine,” come dear, today I can escort you down, but tomorrow is your crowning. You will have to do it alone.”

I let the small hob help me down the wooden stairs and would not dare lift my eyes from my feet. I could feel that the room had stopped to stare at me. My heart alongside my guts where somewhere near my ankles. I could hear my own nervous huffs of breathing. I would have rathered turning back and running up the stairs then to let my gaze meet the predators that sulked below, cursing their fate that the next heir to the crown was a half mortal girl.

We’d reached the last step and Fay had to let go of me. I raised my eyes to meet with the crowds but instead, Edmund was there offering a comforting hand,” would you like to come have a drink with me, princess.”

I let out a breath of relief,” yes.”

As if noticing my discomfort, he held me firmly by the arm and proceeded through the crowd that slowly began to get back to whatever it was they were doing. Eyes lifted off of me one by one, and I couldn’t be more thankful. I could not help but gaze at the sorts of people. All kinds of folk creatures lingering the room and I was beginning to learn what type of faerie they were.

Trows....those are fobs, fat ones, but definitely fobs...the guards by each door were ogres, big and ugly monsters like the ones that brought us here.

We stopped at a bar that was run by a pretty faerie girl with yellow transparent wings. They batted against surfaces and sent a bottle of wine flying down. It was saved by a smaller faerie man, a spirit like Elie who caught the bottle and returned it back on the shelf. She placed her hands atop the dark red marble surface of the countertops and smirked,” that’s Eli, he’s my partner. When things go flying he catches them.”

“Eli is a spirit right?” I said to Edmund.

“Yes.”

“You met my sister, Elie. She won’t stop raving about being your spirit,” Eli said with a high pitched voice much like his sisters.

“Have you heard from her recently?” I enquired.

“You haven’t?” Edmund suddenly demanded,” she’s your spirit, she should always be by your side. Perhaps you need a new one-”

“No!” I was quick to respond,” I just seen her an hour ago. I was just asking to be polite.”

“I hadn’t heard from her in days. Figured you were keeping her busy,” Eli’s brother caught another flying object swatted by the faeries wings.

“You would have thought that she would have picked a more suitable career,” mumbled Edmund quietly to just me and then proceeded to address the bartender with,” two poison-berry wines please.”

I recalled yesterdays incident with the foul wine and decided it would be better to not interject.

We grabbed our glasses of lavender wine and turned to face the dance floor.

“What was she, the bartender?”

“She’s what we call a grig, mostly faerie, part bird.”

I nodded and thought, a grig is a faerie with wings.

I pushed away the haunting thought that crept to suggest that I was only forcing myself to learn their terms because a majority of me had already given up and accepted my fate to forever be entrapped in the land of the folk.

I felt a shiver and then Edmunds hands on my shoulders.

“Are you cold?”

I shook my head no and let my eyes graze towards the band of hobs that played the perfectly harmonic music. The crowed of faeries linked in arms and danced as if they were drunk and today was the happiest that they ever been. Something told me that the people of the folk loved to celebrate, no matter the reason. I closed my eyes and could not fight the natural sway of my head in tune with the music. It was as if true bliss was a musical note and they strummed it over and over again.

I’d love to dance right now, I thought, I usually hate dancing.

Edmund tightened his grip on me,” be careful,” he suddenly said.

“Of what?”

“You bear mortal blood which does not make you immune to our music.”

“What’s wrong with the music?”

“It will intrigue you beyond your wildest imagination if you let it. There’s no bringing you back, once your lost.”

I recalled a fairytale my mother used to read me as a child. Something alongside a human, dancing amongst faeries, unable to stop themselves out of sheer content until they’ve reached the point of death.

I recalled Fays words from earlier.

‘you’ll have a blast after some food and wine and perhaps some dancing.’

Why hadn’t he mentioned the dancing to me? Perhaps he’d assumed that because I bore blood of the folk that I was safe?