She took the hand, finding it soft and surprisingly warm. “Um, hello, I’m Shade, Jack brought me here because I…”
“I know who you are and why you are here, Shade. I have been waiting for you a long time. I was hoping that you might run into someone like Jack a little sooner, but this will do. I am Ilarial, Lady Oracle of the tribe Guildrin.” She smiled. Shade felt warm and suddenly very calm. The woman was full of magic and it irradiated around the room like a warm fire on an icy night.
“I know you are confused. I have known of your existence for some time. You say you can hear what you call voices in your head from time to time?” The oracle asked kindly.
Shade nodded, she was in awe of Ilarial. She could not shake the weirdness of the room’s atmosphere. Was she under a spell? Being in Ilarial’s presence was like being drugged or sedated, it filled her with a warm and fuzzy feeling.
Ilarial smiled deeply, her eyes crinkled, exposing some age to this woman, but it was impossible to tell just how old she was. Her long hair draped around her shoulders and down her back like a thick rippled curtain, shining in the dim candlelight.
“The voices in your head, they are spirit guides, your ancestors trying to help you on your way. It’s difficult to tune into them because you are not trained, but they mean only to help you. You must not fear them, but let them fill you with their power and knowledge. They have led you to find us. You must know now that you are not all human. You are one of us, part faery and part human. This is why you can sense magic around you and it’s called you here.”
Shade concentrated on Ilarial’s words.
What the heck?
Impossible.
Shade shook her head.
“What? No. My parents aren’t faeries! What do you mean by that? That would mean my father or mother is a faery, right? That makes no sense. My mother is not magical. She is a modern soccer mom with 4 kids to feed and a single mom at that! My father is dead, he died two years ago, and there is no way he was a faery!”
Shade was growing agitated, her father a faery? No it couldn’t be because he had been so normal. She could still remember his calm voice reading to her at night before bed and the wrinkles that hugged his eyes and his smile. Faeries aren’t parents; they don’t die in car accidents like her father had. It was making sense to her, not at all.
“I know this may sound impossible. I knew that it would be difficult for you to accept. You are the oldest in your family, right?” Shade nodded. “Your mother was with a faery once; he charmed her into loving him instantly. She had no choice really. That’s how she became pregnant with you. Of course, this faery enchanted (the one you call father) almost as soon as he knew there would be a child, to make sure you would be taken care of in ways he could not provide. So your adoptive father fell in love with your mother, married her right away and then you were born. Both were none the wiser.” Ilarial paused, watching Shade’s reaction. She was careful in not enhancing the details.
“My dad was not my real father? How would you even know that? Who was this ‘faery’ then? Did he tell you himself? What if you’re lying?” Shade stood up suddenly looking down at Ilarial, her heart beating hard within her chest. Her breath caught in her throat, causing it to feel tight and it soon burned.
“Shade, please, sit down, you must listen to her, she knows more than you think.” Jack was suddenly standing behind her, taking hold of her shoulders and pressing softly down.
She took a breath, eyeing Ilarial with suspicion. She sighed, deciding it would be better to sit down and listen to whatever was thrown her way. Slowly, she sank down into the sea of pillows.
Ilarial was calm and still as a lake. She was not stirred up so easily but smiled again. The same warm feeling flooded over Shade once more.
Calm,
it said
, so calm
.
“I must tell you, faeries cannot lie. Unless of course you are not a full faery like yourself. We can enchant, stretch the truth or work a way around it, but never a straight out lie. I do hope you believe me. I mean no harm to you my child. I only wish to find truth for you.” She nodded and looked down onto the table before them. She picked up only the stones and warmed them in her hands. She then dropped them on the table and watched them roll to their places.
“These stones are quite powerful; they are mined from the heart of the earth, deep within crevices never seen by man. They are called seeing stones and the runes on them foretell futures or sing of the past. I see a great journey you must undertake, a misshapen love with a broken heart, confusion…” She pointed to each stone, first a blue stone, then a pink red one, and then blackened quartz. The last three were turquoise, purple, and yellow and they were wedged in a group together. She paused before them, turning her head slightly, as if waiting for them to speak. “Ah, yes, a most special task has fallen to you where your true self shall be revealed.”
Shade stared at Ilarial. Nothing made sense to her, absolutely nothing. The stones glistened and vibrated on the table, almost glowing. Shade felt power radiating from them like a nauseating heat that was making her slightly dizzy. “What does that all mean?”
“It means that you have come here in a time of war within our kind. Our Queen demands a force to be assembled. Now as we speak, we must prepare to take a great journey that has not been traveled in a thousand years by our tribe to retrieve the Santiran magic. It is a pool of water; this water holds the powers of the origins of earth. All elements and creatures were born of this spring. It holds life and death. It can be used to summon the powers of earth, it helps the balance between good and evil in our land, and evil will wither against it.
‘It is said only the one that belongs to both man and faery can hold this liquid and return it to the great city of Aturine here in Guildrin; where the queen resides. Only then will we be safe from the Lonares attacks and vicious battles.” She paused, studying Shade’s face. “The stones tell me that someone must be you, Shade.”
Shade tried to close her mouth, as if the words would taste bad if they reached her lips. Why was she so special? She was just a senior, in high school, she wasn’t even sure if she was going to college. She was also quite unsure of what to eat for lunch most days. Why would she be so useful? “No way, no, um, sorry but you got the wrong girl or something. This is nuts. I gotta go, it’s getting late.” She nervously chuckled, shaking her head. She turned to Jack as she stood up. He was silent and looking just a bit glum.
“Has the Queen called assembly yet?” He asked Ilarial.
“She is as we sit here, right now. We must go now and listen. This will be legendary to hear the assemblage of the task force. Shade, we must take you there now,” the oracle said.
Ilarial stood, and her movement was light and airy, almost as if she were floating. She waved to Shade, as Jack opened the wooden door to the hallway once more. Shade was in too much shock to object; she followed them both down the tunnels, returning to the main room, were Renny had attempted to arrest her. She stood wide-eyed at the scene; it had swelled up with more people or faeries, or whatever the heck everyone was down here. Ilarial pushed through the crowd, or rather it seemed to part just for her, until they reached a great platform. Here stood several guards and another woman in a great, long, red velvet gown. A tall crystal tiara flashing with diamonds and blood red rubies rose from her long dark black hair. She watched them as they approached the raised platform, passing her eyes from Ilarial to Shade. Gleaming green irises bore into her like fire burning in pale skin. This woman was not to be messed with, the air of command and power swirled around her like a cloud. Shade’s suddenly felt quite tiny.
Most Seelie queens were fair-haired, but Zinara had been born with the dark hair of an Unseelie queen. Nonetheless, she had won her crown and had paid dearly of flesh and blood for it. Shade listened to Ilarial’s small history lessons as she watched the room turn to give the queen its full attention.
“Your majesty,” Ilarial bowed to the queen deeply and kissed her hand. “I must present to you Shade, a halfling who has joined us today. I have read the stones and she is the one I have been telling you about. She has finally returned to us; she is the one that I have foreseen for this journey, you assembled here today and the magic of Faerie brings her to us.”
The queen listened intently. Her eyes adverted from both of them to view the crowd. She seemed to be thinking about something faraway. Nothing anyone seemed to think strange. Shade felt sick. She was homesick already. The pressure of all the things she was being told bore down on her. She felt as if she were sinking into the depths of a deep dark well. Her chest ached and she felt like someone or something was holding her down with heavy rocks. She watched the crowd and wanted to fade into it. She wanted to run down the tunnels and out of the forest, as fast as she could.
“A pleasure to finally meet you, Shade,” the queen said as she turned her gaze back to her and offered her hand.
Unsure of what to do, she copied Ilarial’s gestures and kissed the queen’s hand. She noted Ilarial’s approval and returned her gaze to the amazing queen as she let her go. The queen then turned back to the crowd and the room fell silent.
“Dear ones, I find it difficult to address you today. The evil that surrounds us has threatened our peaceful lives, many times, as of late. My heart breaks with the death that reeks onto our precious earth. I am forced to ask of you the most dangerous of requests. We must obtain the magic of the Santiran fountains once more. Our ancestors used this when the earth was once out of balance and evil lurked around every corner. We have attempted to fight the Lonare’s, but have failed to hold them back with terrible losses. I fear our only savior and chance against the vast Unseelie armies is this magic; but we must now take a perilous journey to get it.”
She paused and sighed, seemingly upset by what she was saying. “Unfortunately, I cannot go myself because being near the fountain would prove fatal for me. The magic of the Santiran Fountains can only be bequeathed unto a halfling, one of both worlds, human and faery. We have finally found her, thankfully, on this night of all nights. I am most pleased to introduce our most precious treasure, Shade.” Her hand outstretched toward Shade and the crowd cheered thunderously.
Shade was sweating with anxiety, how much longer could she stand here? She felt lightheaded and the room was shrinking in her vision.
“She will take this journey, for it is her destiny. I must request though, an entourage to help her get there safely. I must ask for volunteers for this most dangerous task. Can anyone selflessly swear loyalty to her? Can anyone be such a guide and guard for our precious jewel?”
Silence seemed to engulf the room. Whispers echoed in the great room, as everyone shuffled and shifted about. The excitement was electric and it reminded her of Jack’s unglamoured figure.
Speaking of Jack, where did he go?
Shade thought to herself.
“I’ll go, I found her, and she is my responsibility.” Jack bowed to the queen and then stepped back. The queen nodded and smiled at him and approval was evident in her eyes.
Another man, tall and muscular stepped from behind Jack, his long brown hair tied back loosely with some loose wisps framing his face. He wore form fitting armor and leather, with a sword strapped to his back. He seemed younger than Jack but older than Shade. He also bowed before the Queen. “Your Majesty, Soap, at your service. It would be my duty to serve you. I swear loyalty to this young lady and take on the dangers of her quest as my own.” He stepped back and received the same approving look and a nod from the queen.
Another figure stood out in the crowd lifting his arm into the air. “Your majesty, Ewan here, I will also swear my loyalty and take on this perilous journey for you, my queen. I have experience traveling to the Santiran land. I hope I can be of use.” He also bowed.
Another and another and another stepped out from the crowd. The band of noblemen, were named: Than, a specialist in the oriental knife throwing arts, a lady warrior named Sary and another man named Stephen. The queen approved all these volunteers swiftly.
“Now, only magic can fight magic. I also need one brave volunteer who is practiced in sorcery to join the others. Is there anyone of such skill that would accept such a feat?” The room was once again quiet. Shade was definitely feeling lightheaded now. Her stomach lurched and soon the room began to spin, Ilarial stepped over to her and smiled, placing her hand on Shade’s arm, she seemed to sense she needed some aide and steadied her with one hand; her other hand retrieved a small stone from her gown.
“Shade, suck on this stone, it will make you feel better.” She reached over and placed it into Shade’s mouth. It tasted sweet as honey. The spinning ceased and her stomach calmed and felt better, instantly. .
Wow.
“I, Braelynn, will take this task at hand,” the voice echoed across the crowd. A woman stepped forward, shoving the throng of people around her to part. She wore a light brown dress and had honey colored hair, it was draped about her shoulders. She also had freckles sprayed across her nose and cheeks. Her bright hazel eyes glowed with fire and ice.
“Dear Braelynn, yes please, I would be honored if you would accompany Shade on this quest. I just heard you have become a great sorceress from apprentice. I am pleased that you have passed your trials with exceptional grace.” She nodded in approval and turned to face Ilarial and Shade. “Dearest Shade, I am indebted to you now. Please, get some rest and some food, you will need it, tomorrow the quest begins.” She then bowed and turned to leave, moving to the right and leaving the great room to walk down a corridor, without any further instructions for Shade.
Now what?
Shade felt panic rise in her throat. How could she get out of this? What would her mother say? Her mother, she must be so worried. She turned and stared at Ilarial and Jack, both softly discussing something to each other. It all felt so surreal.