Suddenly I didn’t feel so grown up. I stupidly wished that I could go home again, to my mother. But that was not possible anymore. My parents were dead, my real ones and my adoptive ones. I looked down at my feet as tears welled up in my eyes. A few stray droplets ran down my cheek, but I wiped them away, sniffing a little.
Penelope must have felt sorry for me because she leaned over and gave me a hug. I hugged her back, eager for a little maternal warmth.
“If you want to find out more, then you must travel to Eldoren with Rafe. He is right, Silverthorne will know what to do,” said Penelope finally.
“But can you please tell me a little more about my family before I go?” I asked. “I’m still confused how I am related to the duke.”
Penelope nodded and proceeded to tell me what she knew.
“You are part of one of the most powerful families in the whole of Avalonia. King Ereneth, your grandfather, is a descendant of the Firedrake dynasty, the first and longest reigning dynasty, which began with the first king of these lands, Auraken Firedrake. Ereneth married Fiona Silverthorne, your father’s mother, who was the sister of the Duke of Silverthorne, one of the most formidable families in Eldoren.”
“So who was my mother?” I asked, wide-eyed.
“Elayna was a daughter of the royal house of Gwenfar-ith-Aran of the fae,” said Penelope, slowly.
“Fae,” I whispered. “My mother was fae?”
Now I was really shocked. I had presumed that my mother was a mage like my father or just an ordinary person. But fae! Who’d have thought?
Penelope nodded. “And not just any ordinary fae, your mother was one of the Immortals.”
“Immortals,” I squeaked. “If she was immortal, how could she have died?”
Penelope smiled. “Most of the fae have very long lives, spanning centuries, and those of the royal house of Gwenfar-ith-Aran are immortal. But even immortal fae can be killed using the right weapon.”
I nodded, thinking back to my dream where Morgana stabbed my mother with the dagger.
“So, if a child is born of a fae and a mage, what do they become?” I asked, intrigued.
“Well,” said Penelope thoughtfully. “They take on either trait or power, or the magic can skip the generation completely. If you do have the potential for fae magic, I should be able to sense it.”
My eyes widened. “So,” I said, “can you sense anything?”
Penelope held my hand in hers and closed her eyes. I could feel a sort of tingling sensation in my hands when she touched them.
Finally she looked at me and shook her head. “No, nothing,” she said, hesitating. “But do not be distressed, Aurora dear, you’ve probably taken on your father’s magic. The magic of the mages is different from that of the fae. The Duke of Silverthorne is a very powerful and experienced mage, and he will be able to sense that.”
Kalen nodded. “Yes, the duke is very influential in Eldoren and is chief advisor to the king. Silverthorne Castle is the only place where you will be safe.”
“This is true,” said Penelope. “If Oblek tells Morgana you have escaped, it is only a matter of time before she sends the Shadow Guard to hunt you down.”
“Who are the Shadow Guard?” I asked. A twinge of fear ran down my spine. I didn’t like the sound of anything hunting me, especially something with a name that began with
shadow
.
“They are the scourge of Illiador; Morgana’s personal guard, loyal only to the queen and the archmage. They are not only mages, but also hardened warriors, enhanced by a powerful magic. They’re trained by Lucian himself. We need to get you over the border to Eldoren as soon as possible,” said Kalen.
“But I want to see the night market.” I knew I was being childish, but I really wanted to visit the magical fairy market. I didn’t think I would ever get a chance like this again.
“Please,” I pleaded, looking at Penelope, and back at Kalen.
Kalen must have felt sorry for me, since he seemed to agree. He turned to his mother. “Yes, Mother, maybe we can see the market tonight and tomorrow morning we can head off to Eldoren.”
“Is it far?” I asked. I was not too keen on riding for hours, to who knew where.
“No, not really, it’s just on the other side of the Cascade Mountains,” said Kalen. As if popping over the mountains was a simple feat.
I was horrified.
“You want me to travel over a mountain? On what, horseback?” I squeaked.
Kalen grinned. “Not used to riding, eh?”
“I know how to ride, but how many days will it take?” I asked, hesitantly.
“It’s not too far. We are right on the border,” said Kalen. “About five to seven nights, depending on the weather.”
“What! Seven days? Where will we sleep?” I asked, horrified at the prospect of traveling over mountains on horseback for a week.
Kalen looked confused. “We sleep outside. We will have to make camp. Don’t worry, I know how to light a fire to keep away the wild creatures.”
“Wild creatures,” I repeated. “Camping outside!” This was not my idea of safe at all.
“And we must get you some suitable clothes,” said Mrs. Plumpleberry, eyeing me up and down. “I think I have something that may fit you. My eldest daughter, Dewdrop, left some of her things here when she moved away after her marriage.”
Kalen grinned again. “Try and get some rest, Aurora, tonight we will go to the night market.”
7
The Midnight Market
Later that night, after I had eaten well and rested, we set out for the midnight market. I followed Kalen along the small path, from Pixie Bush into the very heart of Goldleaf Forest. The full moon shone brightly through the rustling leaves, and the forest path was dappled with dancing specks of silver that flitted ahead of us, guiding the way. It was strange how the whole forest seemed to be awake for the market. Birds chirped high above us, and little forest animals poked their heads out of the bushes just in time for me to see them before they disappeared again into the dense undergrowth.
Mrs. Plumpleberry had healed my hands and my feet with a magical ointment she made herself. I had changed into a pretty linen dress, dyed a lovely emerald green, with wide bell sleeves. It was bound at the waist with a green-and-gold-trimmed sash and flowed down to my ankles. My feet were wrapped in soft muslin bandages, and I wore supple leather boots, which belonged to Kalen’s older sister. When I looked in the mirror after getting dressed, I was stunned at the transformation. In my normal jeans or tracks I looked like a gawky teenager, but in this dress I felt like a grown-up.
The night air was chilly in the forest, and Penelope had very generously given me a brown woolen cloak to keep myself warm. I was grateful for her kindness and sound advice, and I hoped I would be able to pay her back someday.
“Your mom is very sweet,” I said to Kalen, as we walked quickly down the forest path. “She seems to know a lot.”
“Oh, Mother knows everything,” said Kalen, picking up a pebble. “She is a very old fae, after all.”
“Is she? She doesn’t look very old to me,” I said, confused.
“Mother is three hundred and ninety-three summers old,” said Kalen.
“Three hundred and ninety-three years old,” I repeated, aghast. Penelope didn’t look a day over forty.
Kalen nodded. “Our race ages very slowly. She will only start looking old when she has completed a thousand summers,” he said. “She is one of the elders of the village—but her magic is still strong and she is a gifted healer. Many have come to her for help over the years. Once she even helped your granduncle, when he was injured in the woods not far from here.”
It seemed to me that we had been walking for quite a while when I could suddenly hear voices and noises quite clearly in the quiet forest. We came to a large clearing, and the delightful sight left me spellbound. The forest was alive, radiant and subtly lit by pretty, different-colored lanterns hanging from the towering trees. Beautifully decorated stalls and multicolored tents had sprung up all over the place. Some were nestled between the tall trees, and some were haphazardly placed around the edge of the clearing, forming a slightly wonky circle. Fae of all sizes, shapes and colors wandered around, having a marvelous time. There were dryads, naiads, brownies, and little pixies with wings who flitted about the place in groups, laughing and eating at the food stalls.
We came to a stall, which was manned by a small, funny-looking fae with a pointy nose and long ears. Kalen identified him as a gnome. He was selling some strangely colored liquid in glass bottles and was haggling unashamedly about prices with two old ladies, whom I thought were very sweet.
As we walked through the market, Kalen chattered on.
“Although some of the larger towns have shops that sell magical ingredients for potions,” Kalen was saying, “this is the only place you can find some of the really rare items.”
I followed Kalen, who was entering a green tent, where the sign outside read: “Buy a plant for your home and garden.” That sounded quite interesting. Maybe I could buy a plant for Kalen’s mom—she had really helped me, after all—but I remembered I didn’t have any money.
The tent was not what I expected at all. The inside was bewitched to look like a large greenhouse; like the forest, it was much larger inside than it appeared from the outside. The moonlight shone through the glass ceiling, and rows of plants and flowers lined the sides of the tent. We decided to explore.
I walked through the rows of plants, looking at the labels that were written next to them. There were strawberry plants in a small tray, growing wonderful, juicy strawberries, each one of which had a dollop of cream on the top. The sign near it said: “Grow your own strawberries and cream.”
“Try one,” said Kalen. “No one is watching.”
I couldn’t resist; I loved strawberries and cream. I popped the whole strawberry into my mouth. It was delicious and the cream was thick, fresh, and sweet. It was wonderful.
“Lovely, yes?” said Kalen.
I nodded, since my mouth was full.
“Ms. Herbchild is wonderful at growing things. These strawberry plants with cream are one of her new inventions, but you can only grow them on trays inside the house, or the gnomes lick off all the cream.”
I made a face at the thought of eating a strawberry that had been licked by a gnome.
A small lady with mousy brown hair and fae ears came over. “I see you like my new plants,” she said, giving Kalen a pat on his back. “Kalen, it’s marvelous to see you again.”
Kalen grinned at the fae lady. “Good to see you too, Ms. Herbchild.”
I was impressed; he seemed to know everybody here in the market.
“Feel free to sample some of the new fruits,” Ms. Herbchild said, as she walked off to attend to another customer.
We thanked Ms. Herbchild, since she didn’t take any money from us, and walked out of the tent and over to another stall. It was all so exciting. I hoped we would have enough time to see everything before we had to go back.
A small, colorful stall, draped in light green and yellow muslin, was selling charm bracelets. I went over to have a better look. The lady selling the bracelets was thin and tall, with olive skin and glossy black hair. She wore a plain white cotton dress and had covered her shoulders with a brown shawl. Her skin was heavily tattooed with strange symbols that ran down her arm and the side of her neck. I wondered what they were as I inspected all the things she was selling.
“Would you like a charm, my little one?” said the lady, after I had a chance to look around.
I shook my head. I knew I had no money, but still I was very intrigued. They sounded quite fascinating.
“Come, come, my dear, you will never find something like this in this part of Avalonia. I can give you a wonderful five-charm bracelet for only one gold damarin and two silver trilts,” said the lady, picking it up and showing me the bracelet more closely.
It was an intricate piece of work. The bracelet was finely crafted, and the tiny charms that hung from it were made in different colors and shaped in curious-looking designs.
I was fascinated; maybe Kalen could lend me the money to buy it and explain how to use it. I looked around for him and waved him over. When he saw me he came over quickly and pulled me away from the stall.
“Stay away from her,” he said seriously.
The lady made a face as she turned to her next customer, her multiple bracelets jingling as she moved.
“You never know what these witches put in those charm bracelets. Many things can go wrong. They are not really safe,” said Kalen quietly to me.
“She was a witch?” I asked, looking back at her.
Kalen nodded, pulling me towards another red-and-white tent. “Come in here, I want to show you something.”
Outside the tent was a sign: “Magical Creatures, Familiars, and Companions.” I wondered what he wanted me to see. I couldn’t handle a pet right now; I was having a hard enough time looking after myself as it was.
The inside of the tent was built like a stable, and, like the plant tent, it was larger inside than it looked on the outside. Kalen had tried to explain to me about fae glamour, but it was very different actually seeing it work.
This was not a place for puppies and kittens; the tent was filled with strange-looking creatures. Most of them were in cages, and some of the others were tied up. There were birds, mice, snakes, and other beasts that I could not identify. A lizard with the head of a frog peered at me from a small cage, and a birdlike creature with the face of a cat hissed as I walked past. I tried to keep as far away from the cages as I could—the animals didn’t look very friendly.
At the back of the tent in the last stall was a white horse, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off it. As we got closer, I could see what it was that had gotten Kalen so excited. The strange white horse had beautiful, iridescent wings. It stood in its stall watching me, head held high and stamping one massive hoof. Its coat was the color of fresh snow, and its magnificent mane fell in thick cascades down its powerful neck.
I stared at the mythical winged horse in wonder. Avalonia was truly an amazing place.
“That’s a pegasus,” said Kalen, now whispering. “They are very rare outside of Elfi. I wonder how it even got here?”