Blessed by Sapphires (A Dance with Destiny Book 2) (23 page)

Chapter 31

Shaemon

(SHAY-mun)

The cool water flowing between my wiggling toes as they dangled in the lipid pool was refreshing and peaceful. I lay on the soft grass, slowly moving my feet back and forth, listening to the ripples softly lapping against the other bank. The warm sun on my face, my hands behind my head, eyes closed… this was paradise in its truest form.

I thought at first perhaps clouds had moved in, shading my resting spot. Carefully opening one eye just a tiny bit, I held my hand up to block the light. But it was no cloud, only a little man. I didn’t jump nor did I sit up. I simply closed my eye and remained blissfully at ease.

I smiled lazily. “Hello there, stranger. Nice day, isn’t it?”

“What are you doing in this place, Lady?”

“Well, this is
my
place. And as for what I’m doing here, I’m relaxing. Want to join me? It feels divine.”

“Your
place? How can this place be yours? You don’t even look like you belong on Lyra.”

“Yes, this is
my
place. It can be mine because a great warrior Angel gave it to me. And if I don’t look as if I’m from Lyra, pray tell. Where do I look like I hail from?”

“Well, you look like perhaps you sprang from the ground like the rest of these colored stones around here,” he quipped.

I chuckled. “Sprang from the ground? Are you saying I’m a troll?”

“I don’t know what a troll looks like where you come from, but you don’t look like any troll I’ve ever seen.”

“Oh really? And exactly how many trolls have you seen?” I couldn’t help the pure enjoyment I was getting from teasing this tiny man.

“That doesn’t matter,” he huffed.

“No, I suppose it doesn’t. What
does
matter is that you’re blocking my sun.”

“Your
sun? Did the Angel give
that
to you as well?”

“What if he did? It’s not like I could hide it away and not share it with anyone. So if you want to believe I own the sun, tell me. Does it shine any less bright upon your back since this little revelation?”

“No, I guess not.”

“Then what harm can come from that being
my
sun, or from this being
my
place? Can you not enjoy the beauty all around you now that you know it belongs to me?”

“You talk funny.”

“Do I?”

“Yeah. All your words go around in circles.”

I had to chuckle. “Smart boy.”

“I’m not a boy. I’m a full grown Fairy.”

“You don’t say, a real Fairy, huh? Where are your wings?”

“Hmpft. I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

I smiled. “We hardly know each other well enough for
that
, now, do we?”

He only grunted.

“Very well, how about names? You have one, do you not? Would you like to share it with me?”

“What would it matter? You haven’t even
truly
looked upon me,” he pouted. “My name could be this or that. A fat lot of good it’d do. You wouldn’t know the difference if ever we ran into each other again.”

“Hmm… Well, now I’m puzzled. Which is it? This, or That?”

“Wha… what are you talking about?”

“Your name. Which is it? You said it could be This or it could be That. Is it a riddle?”

“Pssht. Now you’re just being silly.”

“But isn’t it much more fun than being so terribly serious?”

“You’re a strange lady,” he grumbled. “You look funny, too.”

“Well, now. First I talk funny and now I
look
funny. Are we playing a game of swapping compliments? I’m afraid you’ll lose at this rate.” I smiled again, I couldn’t help myself. This little Fairy was turning into too much fun.

“It wasn’t a compliment and it wasn’t derogatory, either. You just look and talk different than anyone I’ve ever met before.”

“Ah now, that’s much better.
Different
I can live with.
Funny
sort of hurt my feelings. But different is good. I’ve always been called different.”

“Is it because of your hair? Or how you’re all… strange and glowy?”

I laughed. “Now I’m strange? This just keeps getting better and better. Am I such an oddity? Will you cage me and require coin for a viewing?”

“Umm, I can’t understand you anymore.”

I smiled again. “Apologies.”

It didn’t seem as if my little visitor was going to be leaving any time soon. So I sat up and stretched my arms, leaned forward slightly, and dove into the pristine pool. Scooping up a few pearls, I resurfaced right in front of him.

“Would you like one? They’re quite beautiful and perfectly round. Here. This one seems to change colors depending on how you turn it. Would you like this one?”

He cautiously took the lovely pearl but kept his keen eyes focused on me. “So, you’re a Mermaid. I’ve never seen one lying in the sun before.”

“I’ve been called a Mermaid many times before. But, no. I’m not a Mermaid,” I said teasingly. “What do you mean? Have you truly seen a Mermaid before? I mean, well, one not lying out in the sun.”

“Of course,” he huffed haughtily. “The fact you obviously haven’t only proves what I said before. You’re not
from
here.”

“I never claimed to be.” I flew up out of the water and gently landed behind him.

He gasped. “You… you
do
have wings.”

“Ahh, now you’ve seen mine. It’s only fair you show me yours.” I winked at him, mischievously.

“But I-I d-don’t…”

I laughed. “Calm yourself. I was only playing around. But I would like to know your name. Mine is Jenevier Olesia Embarr. I am very pleased to meet you, good sir.”

I bowed low before him and he took a trembling step back.

I grabbed his tiny forearm. “Careful now. I don’t wish you to fall into my pond, unawares.”

He gasped. “Are you going to eat me?”

“
Eat
you? Eww, now why would I want to go and do a thing like that?” I squeezed his arm. “Besides, there’s not enough meat on you for even a snack. Where did you come from?”

“I-I came fr-from Lycini.”

“Lycini? Never heard of it.”

“It’s just on the other side of the west mountain, across the green expanse.”

“Hmm, so you’ve traveled quite a long way. What did you come here for?”

My question was met with only silence.

“Oooh, it’s a secret then. Well now, if what you’re seeking is here in
my
place, then you shall have to ask me for it. You’re not a thief, are you?”

“No, Ma’am.”

“Well, if you plan on asking something from me, you’ll have to tell me what it is. And if you tell me what it is, then it won’t be a secret anymore.”

“I guess not,” he mumbled.

“And if it will no longer be a secret
then
, why should it be a secret
now
?”

“Umm…”

“Besides, if I knew what you wanted from me, I could help you look for it.”

“True…” He drummed his fingers across his pointed little chin.

“Suit yourself. I’m going for a swim. But know this. Your welcome here isn’t indefinite. I’ll only abide you snooping around for so long before I get cross with you.”

“Ack, it’s a green stone. About yea big,” he explained, using his thumb and forefinger. “And it has tiny purple veins running all through it,” he said quickly, nervously. “It’s shaped like a triangle and the top point is almost the same color as your skin.”

“See there? That wasn’t so hard, now, was it?”

“Umm… The Queen will be dreadfully angry with me,” he fretted, wringing his little hands. “I’ll tell her you were going to season a stew with me.”

“Season a stew?” I raised a single eyebrow. “So you’re a would-be thief and a premeditated liar.”

“No, no. I’m just a messenger on an errand.” He began fidgeting; cutting his beady little eyes this way and that. “I told her to send one of her guards. But she refused. Said she didn’t want everyone to know about this place. Since I was the only one who’d already been here before—”

“You mean
my
place?” I cut short his rambling. “You’ve been to
my
place before?”

“Y-yes.”

“How did you come to find it?”

“It was purely by accident, I swear. I was running from…” He paused.

“Running from what? A giant Angel, perhaps. With long silver hair and billowy wings?”

He gasped, his eyes went wide. “You know him?”

“Ahh, I know him well. Tell me this, little Fairy. Why was he chasing you?”

“I don’t know. I did nothing wrong.” He crossed his skinny arms over his tiny chest.

“Hmm, it’s not right to say a summons came down for you when you’d done nothing wrong.”

“A summons?”

“He caught you. There’s no way around that.” My eyes narrowed, threateningly. “What was your punishment, little one? What did Vittorio have to do to you?”

“He… he removed my wings.”

“Ahh, now I see. You must’ve done something quite terrible indeed. A Fairy, having lost his wings? It must be a great shame to you.”

Silence again.

“Then did your crime have anything to do with this peculiar stone your Queen sent you here to retrieve?”

“Y-yes. I took it from the Mermaids. But I lost it here when the Angel snatched me.”

“You were severely punished and lost your wings. Yet you would take the stone again? What do you think your punishment will be this time? I should think Vittorio wouldn’t be so easy with you a second time. I know him well. He’s vicious and deadly.” I gave him an evil little smile.

“Ack…” He started fidgeting nervously again, wringing his hands.

“What is it you could possibly fear
more
than angering a giant Death Angel?”

“D-D-Death Angel?”

“Yes, if need be,” I said. “What did he tell you before? Why did you lose your wings?”

The strange little man snubbed his pointy nose up at me. “He didn’t tell me why. He just chased me in here and tore them off.”

“You lie.” Without another word, Vashti stood before the terrified Fairy. Complete with wings, claws, and glowing ruby eyes. “Would you like to change your answer? Or shall you stick with the disgustingly perverse version you just spit out?”

“Aiyee! Don’t harm me. I’ll tell! I’ll tell!”

“Start with your name,” I hissed.

“It’s Shaemon, Shaemon Green. Everyone just calls me Shae. Our Queen sent me on a quest to obtain a piece of the trilogy stone. She already has the earth stone. I was sent for the water stone. And my friend Raymon, he was sent to retrieve the sky stone.”

“Then, wherein did your quest turn sour, little man? Or was the intent soiled from the beginning?”

“Huh?”

“Ugh…” I rolled my eyes. “I have been in many places, among many races. My speech has become a spackled deed to them all. Let me ask you a different way.” I sighed. “Okay, so you were sent to get this stone. What did you do to warrant punishment from a Death Angel? Or was it the mission itself, and not your actions, that was deemed to be wrong?”

“Oh, well… I had to
steal
the stone.” He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s not like I could just buy one.”

“No. Stealing alone wouldn’t have cost you your wings. Stop dancing around my question and tell me. I will find out sooner or later,” I warned. “I’m certain you’d do well for yourself to make it sooner.”

“The three stones together, placed within the scepter, shifts all the magic of Lyra to the wand and the one who wields it,” he said.

I started laughing then. Not just regular laughter, belly-holding laughter. “Are you serious? Or are you mad?”

“What do you find so humorous?” he huffed.

“Tell me this, little one. Are Fairies the guardians of the earth stone, Mermaids guardians of the water stone, and some mountain dwellers guardians of the sky stone?”

“Why, yes. That’s it, precisely!” His eyes grew impossibly wide.

“And the Queen of the Fairies, she wants to rule over the Mermaids and the mountain dwellers?”

“Why, yes. How did you know?”

“You have
got
to be kidding me.” I rolled my eyes again. “Tell me one thing more… Why?”

“Why? Why what?”

“Why does your Queen want to rule them all?”

“Well… because… because…”

“Because she wants all other races to bow down only to her? Because she wants to steal all magic and keep it in her own greedy little hands? Because she feels that fairness and equality are unjust and evil things?”