I took the path from the palace buildings toward the forest, reveled in the feel of the grass sprouting around me, the tall Oak trees that protected the perimeter of the property stood proud.
'Come to us Aedihrn' A whisper on the breeze caught my ear.
I stared into the depths of the forest, seeing dark shadows flitting between the trees. I narrowed my eyes and took a tentative step toward the dense wood. A warm breeze fluttered about me, coaxing me towards the trees. I stepped forward. As I walked further into the path, I noticed the foliage became darker, denser. I noticed some tree roots mangled and twisted with rot, a few trees blackened and died. The grass was yellow in patches, and no flowers grew. I placed my hand over my mouth at the sight of the dying land. The trees were rotting. If the forest died, then the barriers between man and Fae would fall!
"So, you see the problem." A melodic voice chimed from behind me, I spun around looking for the source. A small figure fluttered between me and a nearby tree, merely three inches tall. Its wings were of the finest gossamer, they fluttered like a hummingbird's wings. I squinted my eyes slightly in the bad light, I could make out wavy long black hair, that went down to the small woman's waist. She wore a sheer lilac gown. As she saw me squinting, she snapped her fingers, her figure glowed brightly, then grew. A woman my own size then stood before me.
"Who are you?" I asked, examining her for weapons. I couldn't see any, but the deadliest weapon might be her magic. She approached me palms up, signifying she meant no harm.
"I am Tatianna. I am Queen of the Lesser Fae." Her voice lilted, it sounded as if she was singing as she spoke. She stood with regal grace. The Lesser Fae held their own court, separate from the Sidhe or Seelie Fae. The Unseelie also had their own court, led by a Queen.
"I am Wren—" I started but was cut off.
"We know who you are, Lyra Wren Argyris. Aedihrn." She nodded. I raised a brow
"What does that mean, Aedihrn?" The word felt foreign on my tongue. She smiled.
"It means 'one who was prophesied'. My people helped you escape, and we have awaited your return." She turned towards the forest and gestured her hands wide.
"The forest is dying. This is a problem that threatens all Fae. If the walls fall there will be war between man and Fae. The Unseelie would provide a bloodbath." She said in a grave tone.
"How can we stop this? Will the annual ritual help?" I asked, panic in my tone. That was the point of the annual ritual, was it not? Tatianna shook her head and looked forlorn.
"The annual ritual was originally done by the royal family. This new ritual is a placeholder, it takes the lives of Fae and puts their lifeforce on the line to hold the barriers in place. It is not as simple as that; something is poisoning the land. Systematically." She stated, she gripped a tree root, that disintegrated into ash in her fingertips.
"Can I renew the land?" I asked in wonder, placing my hand against the warm trunk of a tree. I felt the faint glimmer of a heartbeat from deep within.
"You have not been awakened yet. Your power will be more after the ceremony." She stated.
I kneeled before the trunk I touched, placing both hands against the blackened wood. I concentrated, closed my eyes and breathed deeply. I felt the dirt around me, the breeze, I smelled the acidity of the soil. I felt the bugs crawl through the Earth. I was one with the world. I leaned forward and breathed onto the wood, a faint fog left my mouth and travelled around the tree. I felt the bark softening, smoothing out, the tree grew taller. Green leaves sprouted from long branches; fresh roots plunged into the ground. The surrounding foliage burst forth, flowers lined the base of the tree, a bush rose behind the tree. I opened my eyes and gasped. Within a fifty-metre radius, everything had bloomed into life. Tears rolled down my cheeks and I smiled. I felt alive. The magic coursed through my veins, I felt like my body was buzzing.
"Congratulations, young one. Impressive display. I am eager to see what you are capable of. While I have you hear, I know that there are many rooms in the palace that were sealed magically to only allow members of the royal family to enter. The real royal family." She winked conspiratorially and turned to leave.
"Wait! I need to learn more about this, and about my own powers. How can I get in touch with you in the future?" I asked her. The wind blew around us, lifting both of our hair. She glowed brightly and shrunk back into a miniature figure.
"Call my name, I will come." The breeze carried to me. And then I was alone in the forest. I sunk back on my heels in exhaustion. I stared in amazement at the forest around me, suddenly brimming with life. I hoped the animals would return to this area. I reeled from the information the queen of the lesser Fae had provided – someone is poisoning the land. What were they doing? I trailed my fingers through the dirt.
"Wren!" A voice called and the bushes rustled around me. I gasped and looked up to see Kellen crashing through the trees of the forest.
"Kellen?" I asked, my tone shocked.
"Are you okay?" He asked, he knelt in front of me, he was gasping for breath, he must have been barrelling through the trees. He placed his hands on my arms and stared into my eyes. I stared up at him, and the sunlight filtered through the trees struck his face at an angle, his brilliant golden eyes shone with worry. A sudden bubble of laughter came up from my gut and I laughed, I leaned forward and placed my hands on his broad chest. He smiled and tucked a stray hair behind my ear.
"You look like a true Fairy Queen, in a mound of dirt amongst the forest." He laughed and I smiled, gesturing at the forest around us. He looked around and his eyes widened, and lips parted in awe.
"You did this?" He asked and I nodded.
"The land was dying." I shrugged. "Something is poisoning the land." I placed his hand on my cheek, and I leaned into his touch. I couldn't hide the worry from my voice.
"I saw you sitting in the dirt and thought something had happened." He explained. He placed a soft kiss on my brow. Heat rose in my cheeks. In my skirts I palmed the dagger I'd strapped to my thigh beneath my dress, to feel it was still there. I had come prepared.
"I'm alright. I just wanted to see." My head buzzed, I felt drunk on the euphoria of the release of magic. I saw the sunshine off his raven locks, and I reached forward running my fingers through his hair. He closed his eyes and I swear I heard a purr from deep within his chest. He leaned forward and feathered a gentle kiss to my lips. A small gasp escaped me, and as he pulled away, he stared directly into my eyes.
"Wren... another Fae has been found. Dead." His voice sank into a somber whisper. I sat up straight and gripped his arms.
"Who? When? How?" I sputtered and stood quickly, brushing the dirt and mud off the skirt of my once pristine gown. He stood and held his hand out for me to take, I placed my small palm in his large calloused hand.
"Rhea Christakos was found in the West Garden near the woods this morning, she had been staked with a silver stake." His voice was grave. I covered my mouth with my hand. Rhea was a young girl, around my age. It was her first year at the Gathering. She had blood ruby red hair, and shimmering sapphire eyes. She was always smiling and giggling with the girls around her.
"Who found her?" I asked. Kellen flinched, and his eyes took on a haunted look. I knew it had been him to find her.
"I found her during morning patrol...Wren, I thought she was you." His voice cracked slightly at the end of the sentence. His hand squeezed mine. I squeezed in return but frowned.
"Part of me wishes they had attacked me. If it would save anyone else." I whispered. Kellen looked up and shook his head.
"Don't say that! What happened to Rhea was horrible, but the thought of something happening to you is terrifying. What would they accomplish by targeting you?" He finished. My cheeks heated and I faced forward, as we started to make our way through the shrubs and bushes back toward the palace. I didn't answer his last question. I wanted to trust Kellen, but what if him knowing who I really am, put him in danger? He is sworn to the king.
"I just hope we can catch whomever is doing this." I said. I saw him biting at his cheek. "What is it?" I asked.
"The king is not reacting to the news well. He is suggesting we use force and coercion to gain answers from the public." He trailed off. I gasped and fury boiled in my veins.
"You mean torture people for information?" My voice rose, it shook with anger. Kellen nodded solemnly.
"I serve the royal family, it's an oath I swore a long time ago, but torturing innocent Fae in the hopes of gaining information doesn't sit well with me." He ran his fingers through his hair. I itched to tell him the truth, I yearned to be honest about who I was, and what I wanted to accomplish, but as he said, he serves the royal family. He is loyal to them.
"Kellen, when I was out here in the woods today, I discovered someone is poisoning the land. It is dying, rotting away from the inside." I stared at him, his eyes widened, and he raised a brow.
"What if they're connected?" Kellen mused. I shrugged; it was a possibility. Someone was murdering innocent Fae and poisoning the land. Did they want the barriers between man and Fae to fall? What was their motivation? Kellen put his hand lightly on my hip and stared at me seriously.
"I need you to be careful, Wren." He said. "Someone is killing Fae." He brushed my lower lip with his thumb, leaning incredibly close. His scent invaded my senses, the heat from his chest warmed me to my core. I smirked and stared up at him through my lashes.
"I think you'll find, Kellen, that I'm not so easily killed." I couldn't promise him I would be careful. I couldn't promise him I would stay out of the way. This was my land; it was my fight. And I intended to fight it. My hips pressed dangerously close to his, I dragged the tips of my nails down his chest. He growled low in his throat.
"Gods, you'll be the death of me, woman." He ruffed and placed a soft kiss to my lips, before grabbing my hand and starting to pull us back in the direction of the palace. A small giggle escaped me. Men.