Fable, page 17
Shaylee was now standing upright, like Serena, watching the events unfold in horror. Vyyuna had whispered into Shaylee’s mind before she died, which added to the emotion for the queen. Serena was crying so hard, she passed out from shock.
Shaylee screamed to the woodland elves, “The horn, we must save the Alicorn!”
The events had startled the rest of the tribes and forest folk too, yet there was still a job to be done. Darphanin ran to Vyyuna’s remaining carcass and slaughtered several goblins, as did Shaylee and Nimaalah, clearing the way to the sight of a once beautiful creature decimated. There was nothing left but some of her beautiful white coat, some back leg bones, and part of the top of her snout.
The Alicorn had been ripped off, stem and root, and was now in the hands of one of the leader goblins, who was retreating from the battle, back to the safety of its trolls. While it escaped, Shaylee took back her sword from Serena, and demanded a warrior stay with her sister, before she turned into a sprite and disappeared into the sky. The woodland elves were in hot pursuit of the goblin, but it was still far from their reach when two trolls came between them and started stamping their feet, trying to crush them.
The goblin seemed pleased as it moved closer to a safe zone. All had heard the leader of the dark Elvenfae warriors blow a horn to retreat, so there was chaos, with stampedes everywhere. The focus for a small group was the Alicorn. If any dark creature were to possess such a thing and wielded it with the knowledge of its worth, they would have unstoppable power.
The goblin stopped, thinking it was out of danger. It was still on its own and took a moment to look at its new prize, thinking what it would mean to the necro-mage—that’s if it gave it to him. It cackled a dark, wailing laugh as it held the Alicorn high up in the air. As the goblin lowered it back down to hide it, it felt an almighty blow to the back of its head. The creature fell to the ground as the Alicorn was flung out of his scaly fingered hand. Looking up, he saw Shaylee in full form ready for another strike.
The goblin reached for its sword, rising to its feet and clashing metal on metal. Shaylee parried, swinging Howling Tooth hard, strike after strike. The goblin was no hack; it seemed well versed in the art as they both continued. Sparks flew from the impact of the blows, Shaylee slicing her wings at the beast as she flipped and attacked some more.
The goblin would not lose its prize, and as they continued for an exhausting while, the goblin struck Shaylee’s shoulder slightly with the blade. She didn’t even blink as she flipped once more, swung her wings in a spin, and at the same time with her right hand moved across and sliced the dark beast in two.
Its body writhed as the two pieces convulsed and twitched. The scream was like that of three goblins screeching at once, horrendous to the ears. The creature continued to cough and splutter, and the last words that came out of its mouth would resonate with Shaylee for some time to come.
“Dark is coming, fall you will,
safe, you think, but dread will fill.
Look for the moon, high and red,
Varzunnos rises as ye be dead!”
As it finished its last words, the exhale ceased, and it was left in a motionless mess of tar-colored blood.
Shaylee didn’t have time right then to reflect on the goblin’s words. She raced over and picked up the last piece of her old friend. The Alicorn was placed into her satchel as she gathered her bearings and went to get Serena. There seemed to be only a few dark elves and goblins still fighting at the battle scene. The rest had absconded or disappeared up the hills.
Darphanin finally reached Shaylee. “Are you alright? You gave me such a scare. Your shoulder … You are injured.”
Shaylee didn’t even care. She was so puzzled by what had just taken place. Looking across the bloodied fields, she noticed Serena with Van Coinan, sitting, looking very distraught.
“What have I done?” Shaylee whispered.
“You have saved all of us, that is what you have done,” Darphanin responded. He put his arms around her as Nimaalah gathered the remaining warriors and helped the forest folk with the injured. It was going to be a long day.
Three parties went in search of the whereabouts of the dark hordes, including Stexinzar, while the heroes spent the rest of the day healing wounded, preparing the dead, and counting the high toll.
GHOSTS AND VISIONS
A FULL CYCLE PASSED SINCE THE BLOODY DAY in Maelenflitt. The toll had been high and there were no celebrations to be had with the woodland elves. The dryad had disappeared after the dark events, and there were multiple casualties from all groups on the day.
Serena had taken it hard for the first half cycle, slowly coming around as the fill-in queen spoiled and reassured her it was not her fault what had happened to Vyyuna. She couldn’t tell her at that stage what the unicorn had said before the end, as she was not ready for that. But she could tell her some other truths.
“A unicorn has free will and a love that is matched by no other. She would do anything for those she trusted. Saving you was worth it. She saw something in you, Serena. I know she mind-blended with you; that is why she did what she did. She saw your future. I cannot say any more than that right now,” Shaylee said to ease Serena’s mind.
The pain would be there for a good while and as much as Shaylee wanted to take Serena back to her home, she needed to fulfill some faery training with her first. The more she learned now, the easier it would be if she ever came back and for her own future. Shaylee had given her time away from her world to stay, although she wouldn’t be able to push it for a long period. Time did not work the same in the two realms, but eventually it caught up with everyone.
Two cycles after the dark day, Shaylee was lying in her bed. She was asleep and dreaming, tossing and turning as her wings fluttered and sweat started beading down her face. Before long she awoke in a fright to be greeted by a misty white humanoid figure dressed completely in white staring at her.
The image of a ghostly pale woman who had a large dark scar on her forehead haunted Shaylee as she rubbed her eyes and realized she wasn’t dreaming any longer. Shaylee gradually moved out of bed and toward the specter. There was a strange familiarity that was drawing her closer. Shaylee reached the ghostly woman in white, seeing through her body, while the dress she was wearing seemed to move with a breeze that wasn’t there.
Shaylee could only stare before she finally gained the courage to talk to her. “Who … no, what are you? I feel I know you, yet I have never seen you before. Are you a dryad or a ghost from the old world?”
Shaylee felt silly asking, but the truths would soon reveal themselves as the specter spoke, “You do not recognize me, my love, but I have not been gone that long.”
The ghostly woman’s dress was still moving in slow motion, while she was as still as a stone. Shaylee walked all around her before returning to the same place she was at when the conversation started.
“I am sorry, how do you know me?” she said to the misty being.
Shaylee felt silly. She had no idea who this apparition was. The clue that was staring her in the face had not made an impression yet, so the woman continued, “Shaylee, close your eyes and hear my voice.” So she did. Shaylee felt she could trust her at this stage.
The apparition continued, “Look after Serena for me, she is very special as I know you know. Keep her well and—”
Before the ghost could finish, Shaylee opened her eyes and quickly said, “Vyyuna? Is that really you?”
Shaylee was shaking as the woman in white replied, “Yes, my dear, I have come to help you both. Something dark is heading our way soon. Faelynn is in grave danger and I have returned from my rest to help you as much as I can. You need to hide the Alicorn, for a start. Hide it close to Serena but do not tell her about it, not just yet. She saved your life, Shay, right before they attacked me. She slayed a dark Elvenfae with your sword.”
Shaylee was in shock. For one, she was still trying to come to grips with the news that Vyyuna was there; second, that Serena risked her life to save hers; and last, that they were not out of danger from the dark ones.
“Serena did that? I knew she was strong. I have just the idea for how I will hide the Alicorn near her, and it will serve as part of her training. What more can you tell me of the dark ones?”
Vyyuna’s spirit was fading as she finished her conversation, “I cannot say too much at this stage. Keep in mind the four treasures and make sure you protect them well. I will appear again when I can, but I cannot interfere. The nature spirits will only allow me to help three times and I have used up one. Goodbye, my love, I will see you again.”
As soon as Vyyuna finished speaking, she dissipated into the dark of the night, leaving Shaylee wondering what had just happened. For the rest of the night her sleep was restless as she contemplated it all, wondering by morning whether it was all a dream.
A crack of lightning pierced the sky. There had not been a thunderstorm in a long time. Shaylee awoke with a start. Looking over to the end of the bed where she had last witnessed the rare spirit of a unicorn, she now saw a worried Serena. She was just standing there, staring past Shaylee as if she were in a trance.
The queen composed herself, putting aside thoughts of her hard night, and spoke to her half-sister, “What is it, my dear? You look terrified.”
Serena just continued to stand there, not moving or looking at Shaylee. She still seemed to be in a trance that she could not snap out of. Beads of sweat were rushing down her youthful face as her large brown eyes just stared past Shaylee at the dark red patterns on her bedhead.
Shaylee fluttered up out of bed, her perfect wings folding straight down into place like a human moving a limb, easily and without thought. She rushed over to Serena, put her hands on her sister’s shoulders, and with a slight shiver repeated, “What is it, Serena? Please tell me.”
Serena snapped back to reality. Her eyes blinked as she composed herself, then they seemed to focus and pierced Shaylee’s beautiful blue eyes before she answered, “They will come, and they will destroy, Shay.”
As soon as she’d finished her comment, Serena passed out onto the soft throw rug next to the bed. Shaylee swiftly kneeled down and clutched Serena, wiping her face of sweat and tears while gently fanning her with her wings to give her some air.
Serena opened her eyes slowly, gained her composure. She jumped out of Shaylee’s arms and stood in front of her crouching sister for a moment before she spoke, “How did I get here, Shay? The last thing I remember is that I was having the most horrendous dreams about a dark warlord with huge horns like that of a stag tearing through the city and reaching for me. As it tried, it told me they are coming, all with mists of green flurrying around the monster.”
Serena fell to her knees. The vision was all too real for her, and after the recent events, Shaylee realized that it had all affected her more than she expected. What Serena just relayed to her, though, was quite disturbing, as without prior knowledge of the appearance of the dark lord, Shaylee could only put it down to a vision of the future. A council meeting would need to be called for the Seelie Court as soon as possible.
Shaylee did not want to upset Serena with any news of dark times ahead, evident from Vyyuna’s prophecy and now this. The thunder was a sign something was not quite right in the magic realms.
Serena was sobbing quietly as Shaylee tickled her chin with her wing, hugging the young child. “Do not dwell on such things, child. It was merely a dream, most likely from the trauma you felt at the battle. Worry yourself not. Now tomorrow we are having a ceremony and you are the guest of honor, so run along down to my silk maiden and she will fix you a beautiful gown to wear. Go now.”
Serena smiled, wiping the tears away and forgetting the awful images in her mind’s eye for a moment as she scampered out of Shaylee’s room and down the stairs to the silk maiden.
Shaylee stood up, and rang the Seelie Court blue bell, which had not rung in a thousand cycles. Then she transformed into a sprite and zoomed out of the room. She went straight to the council elders to inform them why the bell had been rung and why a Seelie Court was required.
Shaylee wished her mother, or father, was still around for this. She had always been a princess of the Fae as well as a warrior, so the big decisions were always left to the queen, especially when the king was out fighting the wars in the past. She had no idea who would be summoned to the Seelie Court.
All she knew about such things was that if there was ever a serious threat to Faelynn from Xarkynan, they would summon all representatives from all over the realms of good and peace to prepare themselves for the upcoming events. Unlike the council, whose representatives were all palace city Fae, the Seelie Court had as representatives oaken nochkz, woodland elves, dryads, pixies, gnomes, benevolent pookas, wisps, queens of the sprites and small folk, far darrigs, sylphs, along with other benevolent creatures of the bright realms. The Unseelie would already be planning attacks, being of the evil folk from Xarkynan and other stray creatures that had made their homes in hiding throughout the realms of Faelynn.
Shaylee stood before the council leaders and explained what she had been witness to, without giving away anything about Vyyuna. She concentrated on Serena’s vision and added some of what she was told by the ethereal white visitor, keeping to herself the secret of the Alicorn and the fact that a unicorn had appeared in humanoid form.
The council leaders looked frightened. They couldn’t debate or deny the information for it had been told that if evil were to lift its ugly head it would start with skirmishes of goblins, thunderstorms that lasted half cycles, and altered magic that might fade from the realms or show in greater power at certain places. So they were not angry that the Seelie Court blue bell had been rung, and the processes to gather as many representatives to the Seelie Court as possible in a couple of days were in place. The council knew it to be the right course of action.
Elvenfae guards scurried on horseback, tearing off in all different directions. The leaders of smaller Fae groups in the council sent sparrows, owls, and ravens to message as many as they could. The palace was in a commotion as Shaylee went on a search for Stexinzar, whom she had not seen for a quarter cycle. She needed him more than ever now, as he was the leader of the warrior Fae and the Elvenfae warrior guards. After an exhaustive amount of searching, Shaylee gave up. She went to find Serena, who had missed out on all the meetings and commotions. She was with the silk maiden who was working on the last stages of her brand-new gown that she was promised to wear the next day.
Shaylee entered the silk maiden’s room where Serena was standing with her back to the doorway as the maiden placed some pins into the bottom of the long garment. It was dark red with tinges of gothic black flowing through the outer fabrics, giving it a very olden Celtic look. Shaylee slowed right down and forgot about the chaos for a moment. A couple of tears fell from her eyes as she took in the innocence of her sister’s happiness. It was all worth it, she thought as she entered the room.
“Oh my, who is the loveliest, most elegant half blood in all of Faelynn, then?”
Shaylee smiled as Serena turned ever so slowly to face her, trying not to upset the silk maiden. Shaylee had informed her most trusted maidens of Serena’s secret, including her silk maiden.
“Now, are you trying to upstage the queen of Faelynn, young one, as your beauty is by far the greatest I have seen in the land.”
Serena blushed, lowered her head for a moment, and then looked up at Shaylee to respond, “Isn’t it the most beautiful gown you have ever seen, Shay? I absolutely love it, thank you so much.”
Shaylee was glad to see her smile. She continued, “You are welcome, my dear, but it is Miss Jestica Hornmyst you must thank, as she is making it and she is the best in the land. Only royals get to have gowns made by her.”
Jestica nodded but didn’t say a word while she continued working on the bottom stitching to the dress. Serena looked down and thanked her, and the silk maiden stood up, saying, “It is my pleasure, Your Highness. Now I need the gown to finish it in time for tomorrow, if that pleases you?” Jestica curtsied to Shaylee and respectfully lowered her head.
“Of course, my dear. Serena, carefully get changed and meet me outside. I would like to go over some protocols for tomorrow.”
Serena smiled excitedly as Shaylee walked out, helping Jestica remove the half-finished gown. She put on her training garb, which she had thrown on for her morning session with the master Elvenfae instructor but had missed because of her visions. After she dressed, she ran outside to meet with Shaylee, and they went somewhere quiet to talk.
After a small discussion about protocols with Serena, Shaylee asked if she had seen Stexinzar while she had been training with the master instructor. Upon receiving a reply in the negative, Shaylee left Serena in a happy state of excitement to attend a private meeting with her particularly good friend, the blacksmith Darlygah Frostdrop.
There was no rest for the new queen and the stress was showing on her. Her experiences with the Zeytars, even though that was many moons ago, still lingered. She was feeling the strain of loss, the absence of her mother’s support, and anxiety that she would not be able to protect her people from an enormous threat if something evil from Xarkynan were to rise. There had been recruitment of guards and warriors since the attacks by the Zeytars, but would she have enough to fight a plague of the dark ones all at once? She hoped the Seelie Court would fulfill a commitment to her as this threat would affect their lands as well.
Shaylee shook off those feelings for the moment. She needed to fulfill another promise, and the Seelie Court would not begin until the day after tomorrow. Shaylee made her way down to the lower sections of the palace, not normally set aside for royal visits. But she hadn’t always been a royal of the highest order, and she spent a lot of time with the masters, Elvenfae guards, warriors, and trainers in her youth. She had trained more than any other princess ever had. She never trained for potential threats; it was more the love of the recreational side of keeping her skills up, and she loved her sword Howling Tooth. And besides, she’d use any excuse she could to get out of regal duties.
