Power of the Fae (10 page)

“
L
ina
, open your eyes!” A familiar voice is pleading with me. My eyes don’t want to open. I shake my head.

“Baby, open your eyes for me!“ Finally, my eyes flutter open. Colin is hovering over me with his blue eye and brown eye staring down at me, searching my face with a worried look.

“What happened?” I try to sit up but fall back on the soft grassy ground. I pause and look around taking in our surroundings. We are no longer in the witch’s basement. Colin assists me to a sitting position.

“Where are we?” Looking around I begin to panic a little. We’re in a beautiful rich dense green forest. The sounds and smells of the woods surround us.

“I have no idea. One moment we were in the witch’s basement, and then you picked up the amulet. You started screaming, I tried to get you to drop it but it wouldn’t leave your hand. Then the bright light came and the next thing I know, I’m lying on a forest floor and you’re lying next to me unconscious.”

He looks me over for any injuries. His eyes show his concern. “You scared the shit out of me! Are you okay?”

“I think so.” I take a deep breath and wiggle my toes in my boots. “I just feel really weak. How long have I been out?” He helps me stand up. I wobble a little. I’m like a newborn calf standing for the first time. He holds onto me until I have my bearings.

“Maybe five minutes, but I’m not sure. You still have the amulet in your hand.” He points to the hand that I didn’t realize was holding the amulet still. I look down at the amulet. There is no more electrical current or pain. I’m getting the feeling that I need to keep it on me. I untie the leather straps and place the amulet on my chest and tie the straps behind my neck. The amulet stops in between my breasts.

“We need to get moving. I think the amulet sent us here to find something.” I run my hands around my body feeling for all the weapons that I had placed on myself. I confirm that they are all still there and Dawn is still on my back. Looking up, I notice the sun is at its highest point, letting me know it’s around noon wherever we are.

“I’m not detecting any predator scents in the wind. Any idea where we are?” Colin says sniffing the wind and looking around. He’s pacing, assessing the woods with his steady gaze, body tense, coiled, ready to attack.

“There’s no telling. I don’t know if we are even in the same time period or realm. Someone wanted me to touch the amulet and must need me to do something. We need to move. I don’t want to give something, or someone, who could harm us the chance to find us. For some reason, I feel we need to go north.” I’m not sure how I know this but the amulet warms slightly. I just feel that this is the right decision.

We hike for about twenty minutes. The dense forest finally gives away into a small clearing with a small stream flowing past us. It can’t be more than a couple feet deep. There is ample foliage and flowers of all colors growing along the stream. I grab Colin’s arm and point towards up-stream.

“We need to follow the stream until it ends.” I can feel the amulet directing me which way to go.

“Are you sure?” He looks up and down the stream with hands on his hips.

“No, but I’m going with this strong feeling I’m having.” I’m not sure how I know for certain, but I just have a solid feeling in my chest of where we need to go. I am almost certain I have never been here before.

I look over at Colin and he nods his head. He grabs my hand and leads the way. We continue to follow the stream for about an hour. We finally come to a beautiful natural spring where the stream originates. Across the spring, there is a pathway that leads away from the spring, deeper into the forest.

“We need to follow that pathway.” I point to the pathway across the stream. We walk around the spring and follow the pathway. It leads us into a beautiful old grotto. It is picturesque. It reminds me of a picture I had seen once of a sixteenth century Italian stone garden. The garden has a few different pathways that go off into different directions. The landscaping is immaculate; the bushes are trimmed into perfect round orbs. There are multiple flowerbeds located throughout the garden that are perfectly weeded and look as if it belongs on the cover of a magazine. The stone pathways and water fountains do not have any chips or marks in them as if they are freshly laid stone.

We follow the path that leads up into a stone one-story building. Even though someone has paid perfect attention to the grounds that are attached to this building, no one has touched the building in a century at least. The stone of the building is worn, crumbling and just decimated. There is no door where one should be. Vines have grown all over the building and have almost completely covered the entire exterior of the building.

We pause at the entrance glancing into the building. The outside is worse than the inside of the building. Even with no doors or windows, the air smells stale. Goosebumps form on my arms as a chill runs down my spine.

“We need to go in here?” Colin asks, tightening his hold on my hand. I nod my head.

He walks through the door first, not letting go of my hand. The building is a one-room building with stone walls; the ceilings are high with exposed aged wooden beams. We walk into the room and stop in the middle, turning to look around the room. There are old chairs and tables that look like they will crumble any moment.

Dust and cobwebs cover every inch of the room. I let go of Colin’s hand to walk towards one of the walls, brushing cobwebs out of the way. The coat of dust and dirt had to be about an inch thick. I try to wipe a little bit away with my fingers but I am only able to remove a little.

Use your Earth magic
. A voice whispers in my mind.

That is weird. I’m not blessed by the Supreme Being to have Earth magic. My Fae elemental magic is air.

“What’s under the dirt?” Colin asks, trying to wipe some of it away himself.

“I’m not sure, but I have the feeling that I need to see whatever is under it.” I pause and back away from the walls. “Back up.”

Spreading my feet and closing my eyes, I feel Colin move to stand right behind me. He places his hands on my hips. The tips of my fingers tingle as power flows through my arms. I open my eyes and wave my right hand from left to right. The air remains still as the dirt moves to the right and fell on the floor. I look at my fingertips as if I have never seen them before.

“You’re part Fae, haven’t you done this before? “ Colin asks in my ear. I shake my head.

“My elemental magic has always been air, manipulating the wind. As thick as that dirt is on the wall, I would have needed to use a lot more wind to get the dirt off. That was Earth magic, which I’ve never had. It is extremely rare for the Supreme Being to bless the Fae with more than one elemental magic.” I’m not sure how I was able to do that. We both move over to the wall to look at what was hidden by the dirt.

“So if you were not able to do it before, how are you able to do it now?” he asks.

The temperature in the room drops quickly and a soft light brightens the room behind us. We quickly turn and a gasp escapes me. Standing in front of us is a beautiful Fae woman. She is almost transparent. Ethereal. She stands about six feet tall, with long blond hair flowing past her waist and the signature pointy ears. She is dressed in a long flowing short sleeve white empire dress. She’s angelic in appearance with a soft light shining around her. All she is missing is a halo over her head.

“Please don’t be frightened!” She quietly exclaims. Colin steps in front of me. I snatch my blade from my waist.

“I mean you no harm!” she says, holding her hands up, palms facing us as the universal sign of no threat.

“Who are you?” I ask wearily, still gripping my blade. She smiles softly, her eyes assessing Colin and me.

“My name is Freya, I am the Goddess of...”

“Love, war and magic,” I cut her off. She smiles again, nodding her head.

“Don’t forget fertility. Sounds like someone knows her Goddess history. ” She walks over to us. Colin growls softly. I put up my hand on his arm.

“I have been waiting for the two of you,” she says as she walks around us and studies the wall where the dirt has been cleared.

“Why?” Colin asks her, standing in between the Goddess and me.

“Stand down wolf.” She looks over her shoulder with her blond eyebrow raised at Colin then returns to study the hieroglyphs.

“If I wanted to hurt Arlina or you, there would be nothing you could do about it.” She faces us and walks in our direction to stand in front of us.

“Where are we?” he asks her.

“Welcome to what was once called Agslyae,” she says sweeping her arms around and slightly bowing. “There is a lot of information that I must inform you about and we don’t have much time before that amulet your wearing takes you back to your time. How much do you know about the Ancients, Melomouzor and the prophecy?” She gets right to business with a serious look on her face, turning back to the hieroglyphs.

“We know about how Melomouzor was trying to take over the world and how the Ancients went to the Goddess Durga to banish him to the Underworld. We believe that he needs the blood of the descendants of the Ancients to do a ritual so that he can come back to the human realm.” I stand next to Freya and study the hieroglyphs with her. She turns to look at me while Colin moves to the other side of me.

“Melomouzor was experimenting on humans and the supernatural trying to find a way to make a stronger demon. He captured scientists and engineers from the human realm and brought some that had been sent to Hell, to come work on his dream of building a stronger demon. There was a reason why he wanted a stronger demon. He knew about the prophecy.” She pauses and looks back at the wall.

“What prophecy?” Colin and I ask at the same time. She ignores our question.

“Look at the wall and tell me what you see,” she says looking at the two of us. We both study the wall.

“I’m assuming those ten figures represent the Ancients and that one is the Goddess Durga who helped them,” I say pointing to another portion of the hieroglyphs depicting a dark figure being sent to what I assume to be the Underworld. “That black monster with the red eyes must be Melomouzor being banished.”

“Who does that represent?” Colin asks pointing to the pictures. A tiny black haired woman with a wolf at her side is pointing a sword at a monster. The next scene beneath it shows the dark haired woman holding a tiny wolf in her arms with the large wolf next to her. There are people drawn around them as if they are cheering.

“Who do you think they are?” She turns her blue eyes to Colin.

“That’s me with Colin fighting Melomouzor, isn’t it?” I ask, not able to take my eyes off of the wall. Next to this picture, there is a vertical line drawn with the dark haired woman holding a dark baby with Melomouzor next to them and dead people surrounding them.

“Why is it depicting two stories?” Colin asks.

I turn my eyes towards Freya with a shiver running down my spine. I have an unsettling feeling in my stomach and I dread the answer to Colin’s question.

“The human realm is in danger. Melomouzor is coming and there is nothing you can do to stop it. He has been collecting the descendants of the Ancients for years. There is going to be a war. Many will die. The supernaturals must rise up against him. He is more powerful than ever, his demons will be as strong as ever. The realm will need all the help she can get. The future lies in your hands, Arlina.”

I look quickly to Colin. His face has darkened, he’s breathing hard and his hands have shifted to his wolf claws. I move to stand in front of him with a small smile. Without hesitation I accept the fate that I will play a part in saving a realm that I love. I rub my hands on his chest, pushing calming energy into him.

“It’s okay, Colin. I can do this. I have to do this. The future of the human realm depends on me. You know I will do whatever I have to do to save the realm.” I’m not sure who I’m trying to convince, him or me.
Shit, shit, shit!
I wasn’t expecting this type of bomb.

“Why am I holding a baby in the pictures?” I ask, my sight zeroing in on the young ones that are being held in the hieroglyphs.

“This is known as the Mirrored Prophecies. You are part of the solution but yet you might be part of the demise of the human realm, Arlina. That’s why there are two stories depicted on the wall. Your first-born child will decide the future of the realm,” Freya says softly.

I slowly turn to her, eyes wide. I’m not sure I heard her right. Did she say my first-born child would decide the future of the realm?

“Did you say my
first born child
and I might be part of the demise of the human realm? I could never harm the realm! I’m a Guardian! I have pledged my life to protect the people of the Fae and I would give my life for the people in the human realm! Half of my life was spent in the human realm! My mother was from the human realm; it is all I have left of her! I have to save the human realm!” I yell, the anger coursing through my body so hard that it’s shaking. I’m breathing hard, there is no way I will betray the human realm. I shake my head in disbelief walking away from Freya.

There is no way
my
child will harm the world! My child will be the love of my life. He or she will be a Prince or Princess of the Fae, who will be loved and adored by all of the Fae. He or she will not have to worry about a war, but just growing up feeling loved and spoiled. I begin pacing back and forth. Freya stands in front of me placing her hands on my shoulders, with a concerned look on her face.

“I cannot tell you much more about the future. You have to make your own pathway in life, just know that your actions will affect the future. I’m sorry, that’s all I can tell you. But there is one more thing.” She hesitates and looks deep in my eyes.

I look to Colin, I’m scared of finding out what her one more thing is. She has already laid enough on my shoulders, I don’t think that they can hold any more. He stands next to me and grips my hand. I squeeze it while waiting for what Freya has to say next.