The Honoured Guest (5 page)

Chelsea nodded and said nothing, but she kept looking behind her to where the Sluagh had disappeared into the trees. The forest about them was making her increasingly nervous and she could still feel dozens of eyes on her, creatures with unknown intentions. She moved closer to the handsome Fae lord and hoped that they would reach the feast soon.

A creeping darkness appeared to envelop the forest, as if the very night itself was swallowing everything whole. She quickened her pace to keep up with her companion, not wanting to be left alone in this new world that she had found herself in. Many things were beautiful, but others were quite frightening and played on her fears.

“Now that you are properly garbed and bathed, it is time to meet the Fae court and our Queen, Mab.”

Green eyes went wide in panic and Chelsea stopped abruptly, grabbing at Nuallán’s arm. “Nuallán, a
Queen
? What do I say? How do I act?”

He laughed in amusement, as his mercurial eyes gazed down at her. “Do not be concerned, Maiden.”

“Chelsea,” she broke in awkwardly. No one had even asked her name this whole time, which she found very unusual, being this honoured guest and all. She had attempted to ask the names of the women who had taken her to the waterfall, but they had quickly changed the subject, as if they didn’t want her to know.

His brows rose and he gave her a faintly cool look, his lips pursed together. But then Nuallán resumed his smiling.

How odd a reaction.
Does he also not want to know my name?

“Very well…Chelsea. Our Queen will be most pleased at your presence. You are our honoured guest, after all. Without you, there is no feast.”

She stared at him for a few seconds, searching his face. Was that the truth? Would the queen be truly happy at her being there? Or had she ordered that Chelsea be kidnapped by that giant? She shivered in fear of the memory and clenched the fist of her free hand, hiding it in the folds of her dress.

They all
did seem quite happy for her to be there, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was just so off about it all. So many people had been taken from their beds to be brought to this great feast each year and their memories wiped afterwards, but what happened at this event exactly?

Why was she being honoured?

It was not clear at all.

Chapter 5

It took about ten minutes to walk to the other clearing where they were holding the feast. Nuallán spoke to her about her life and family as they walked slowly, but she had a feeling that he was keeping her distracted from the creatures and Fae, who stared at her intently, wherever they went. It was rather disconcerting to see and feel eyes upon her, to look around, and see glowing orbs of silver, red or green in the darkness of the bushes and trees.

The soft glow of torches on thick staves of wood lined the dirt path, and she often lost sight of the moon when she looked upwards, and saw nothing but dark birch branches and leaves softly swaying in the breeze.

Chelsea did not see all the creatures that she sensed around her. It seemed as if every mythical being of Irish origin—and other nationalities—were gathered there. She could not put a name to many; some walked and some flew. Some were as tiny as a firefly and others, she sensed, were a monstrous size (and she often mistook them for a tree).

One of these creatures that resembled a tree and was made entirely of wood, shifted slightly, and her heart nearly jumped out of her throat, as her eyes jerked upwards in horror, meeting his glowing green orbs.

As they approached a break in the path, her attention was caught. Chelsea could already hear the sound of many voices raised in conversation and the scent of absolutely mouth-watering food. She discovered, to her surprise, that she was quite ravenous. Something about the smell of the feast made her eager to eat, though she had had dinner with her family only a few hours before.

And then the tree-line abruptly ended, spilling out onto a large clearing. She briefly glanced at the many Fae and creatures gathered about a huge long table, and the flash of firelight, but her green eyes were immediately drawn to something else.

In the centre of the glade was the most massive tree she had ever seen in her life. She could not even see the top of it as it vanished into the night sky. At the base were two large doors made of light coloured oak, inlaid with jewels, golden leaves and branches were carved into the surface.

It lay open to reveal…

Daylight.

The sparkling clear water of a large lake, a crystal blue sky with puffy white clouds, trees, beds of flowers, and beyond, a city of white marble. “What…where is that?” Chelsea gasped in awe, taking a shaky step forward, as if helpless to control her own feet.

That place is so beautiful!

Nuallán’s hand clamped over hers, which was still laying on his arm; his fingers crushed hers in a vice-like grip and a feeling akin to icicles seeped into her skin, and held such hostility, it made Chelsea shrink behind him, all his warmth vanished.

“It is not for you!” he snarled, ripping her hand, still holding it tightly in his grasp. He glared down at her till she cowered back in fear.

His head turned, and he called out something in his language, his voice deep and guttural.

Six armoured warriors, who stood by the doors, stepped forward. They set their hands against the wood, laboriously swinging the doors shut. The two halves of the golden and jewelled edging of the doors came together almost seamlessly, with a huge boom.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t going to go in there!” Chelsea cried out, trying to wrest her hand from his cruel grip. Till now Nuallán had been gentle and kind to her, but now she saw a different man; cold, and angry, and
dangerous
.

She was suddenly terrified of him and shrank back
Please don’t hurt me.
She pleaded silently.

His silver eyes narrowed angrily on her face for a long, tense moment, his golden eyes penetrating as if into her very soul, and then he very slowly relaxed.

Ignoring her instinctive shudder, and the manner in which the mortal flinched in fear, his hand went to her face, and cupped it gently.

“Forgive me, Maiden. The land through that portal is the home of the Seelie Court. They are a very cruel and dangerous race, especially to a mortal. They will have no mercy upon you, were you to be captured,” he explained in a low voice.

Chelsea blinked back moisture from her eyes and swallowed. She didn’t understand this man at all! One minute he was nice and the next he was dreadful! “Okay,” she whispered back shakily.

Nuallán nodded, leading her slowly into the meadow, ignoring the many creatures that came up to peer curiously at Chelsea. She stared back at them in the same manner, barely able to recognise the Fae, and other beings, some were easy enough and she had seen them in books of mythology. Others…well, they were scary enough that her gaze quickly flitted away from them.

A tiny creature whizzed right by her nose, so close, that she took a startled step back, staring after it in wonder.

As Chelsea took a step into the clearing, she felt something odd, like she had just passed through some sort of...barrier. Something unseen, and yet, a very tangible force. She blinked uncertainly and looked behind her, her brows scrunching up together in a perplexed manner.
What on earth was that?!

Her hand slipped from the Fae lord's arm when he kept walking, but he halted when he realised that she was not still beside him.

“Is something wrong?” Nuallán asked slowly, his expression rather arrested as he stared at her closely. His silver eyes flicked from her face to the forest behind her and she saw one of his hands tighten into a fist.

Chelsea had the distinct feeling that something momentous had just occurred and the expression on the Fae lord’s face fairly screamed that he had not expected her to notice something was amiss. She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it.
Something just happened, but I’d better not tell him.
After Nuallán’s overreaction with the door in the huge tree, she wasn’t inclined to question him over something that made her uneasy.

Had she just crossed some invisible, magic barrier that they all didn’t want her to know about?

Something about the silver-haired Fae’s body language was off and Chelsea’s brain was shouting at her to act unconcerned.

“Ah, no. No, it's nothing. I just felt a cold breeze.” she replied easily, with a smile. She ran a distracted hand through her fiery hair, not quite meeting his golden eyes.

It was probably nothing. Right, Chelsea?

And maybe she had been mistaken and it
had
been just a breeze.

Nuallán did not look entirely convinced, his posture still stiff, but he said nothing, merely offering his arm again politely. “Come, I must escort you to our Queen.” He murmured, stroking his index finger back the back of her hand as it rested on his arm.

As Chelsea laid her hand over his arm, again noting the coolness of the flesh beneath the silky cloth of his robes, she looked around curiously.

The clearing was huge and fairly flat, the birch trees surrounding it in an almost perfect circle. The grass beneath their feet was deep and green, with scattered white flowers here and there.

The bright orange of the torches that lined around the circumference of the meadow gave off a glow that was warm and inviting and Chelsea felt the tension and fear of the night seep out of her.

The handsome lord noticed the relaxed expression on her youthful face and he smiled warmly. “Are you feeling much improved, little one?’ he questioned. “You are our guest and this celebration is for you and our Goddess. We do not want you to be fearful of us. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to make this night more…pleasurable for you.” He finished in a low tone that felt like a caress.

Chelsea flushed red and ducked her head.
Why did he have to say it like that?
She groaned in embarrassment. The red-head was certain that Nuallán knew she had a crush on him. It was blindingly obvious in the way she found herself looking back at him through her lashes, a shy smile curving her lips.

Nuallán smiled back at her and seemed about to speak, but then his head abruptly jerked to the side and he looked towards the long table in the centre of the clearing, around which the Fae Court was seated.

She looked that way also with a frown. “Did someone call you, Nuallán?” she asked hesitantly, scanning faces to see if anyone was looking their way.

Her heart skipped a beat when she realised that
everyone was watching them
.

He turned his face back towards her just as swiftly. “Yes,” he replied after a moment, nodding his head. “Prince Finvara requests our presence.”

Chelsea blinked at him in surprise, looking back and forth between her companion and the crowded table. “You heard that?” she questioned in disbelief. They were metres away and she hadn’t heard anyone call out. The Fae lord’s hearing must be incredible!

“Most assuredly.” Nuallán drawled sardonically, his silver eyes darkly amused by her incredulity. “We Fae have enhanced senses, far superior to that of humans.”

“Amazing!”

She went back to scrutinizing the party - no, the feast. It became even clearer that the tree, in the very centre of the field of grass and flowers, was incredibly ancient and even huger than she had thought at first glance. It fairly towered over everyone and the forest itself. She wasn’t sure how she had not seen it from the other smaller clearing where she had awoken, or even from the waterfall where she had bathed.
It must be hundreds of years old! Maybe a thousand.

That thought boggled her mind.

On the right side of the huge tree, there were two bonfires, set about two metres apart. The fire-pits both had what looked like a thick spear of wood that served as a spit for a roast, but nothing was rotating there yet. She wondered if it was for a boar, (or deer) or some other kind of woodland animal.

They fire-pits were sunk into the ground inside a circle of grey stones that looked as if they had been used for this purpose many times. For decades or more. The stone was covered in grey and black ash from the extreme heat of the fire that had seared into its surface over time.

Lying around the circumference of the stone were flowers of yellow and white, perhaps marigold and primrose, interwoven with twigs were deep purple grapes, and what appeared to actually be gold and silver apples.

Chelsea peered closer, overcome with a deep need to eat that fruit. Her mouth was practically salivating until Nuallán noticed her preoccupation and gently turned her face away with a hand to her chin.

“No,” he said firmly. “Mortals may not eat those apples.”

“What are they?”

“Do not ask, Maiden.” His tone was icy and forbidding, which shut the red-haired girl up immediately.

Chelsea sighed and looked away from him, carefully not turning her eyes back towards the fires. There were many torches around the edge of the clearing, spaced evenly on wooden poles, but they were not truly needed, because the bright fullness of the moon that was almost right above them, was illuminating the forest with a silvery, ethereal glow. She could see everything.