Fire and Ice (10 page)

“Lorelei Kaylen Alundra. And how are you this fine daybreak? Hawthrin — Sorcerer of the first order, at your service…” A voice filtered into my awareness, forcing me to open my eyes.

I felt much better… stronger. And the pain in my head and limbs had diminished although they were still there. The past few days had me stuck in bed, still too weak to go anywhere. Either that or they had me drugged the whole time.

“You mean aside from being trapped in a Tolkien novel? I'm peachy,” I answered, pushing myself upright. Sunlight streamed through the perpetually open windows. It looked like morning… but which morning? How long had I been asleep?

He laughed quietly, puffing on an elongated, carved pipe. “Trapped. Now that's an interesting choice of words. ‘Here we are, trapped in the amber of the moment. There is no why.'
”
He grinned. “Kurt Vonnegut.”

I stared at the man quoting obscure literature at me. It was the wizard Adrius had spoken with in my room. He was old, too old to even guess at his age. Dark mocha skin held a million tiny wrinkles that came alive when he grinned and he flashed brilliantly white teeth, considering the pipe he was puffing on. Despite his years, he was distinguished, with kind, grey-tinged eyes which seemed to see far more than what was visible.

“Well, I'm still trying to figure out how I got here… and where exactly here is.”

“It is a time that is not a time, in a place that is not a place, on a day that is not a day."

“I really have to find my way home.” I squinted, waiting for him to say something that made sense.

The old man's head was lowered, his face partially hidden in shadow. He puffed rhythmically on his long carved pipe, and lifted his head to study me closely. Finally, exhaling a cloud of bluish grey smoke, he smiled; crinkling the skin next to his dark eyes.

“My dear, you have returned home,” he replied calmly. “You are the Chosen One, and it is your destiny to become the Mythlandria's Faerie Queen.”

He kept his gaze trained on mine, waiting for my reaction.

I frowned and gently eased myself out of bed, walking towards the gilded mirror on the bedside stand. It was encrusted with crystal and diamonds, which glistened in the soft sunlight. I stared into my reflection as if searching inside myself for answers.

“I've been mistaken for someone… some
thing
I'm not. I went into the forest looking for Vervain, we got lost, and now I'm here. And first an
elven
prince
, and then a
wizard
are telling me it's my destiny to be a faerie queen? Surely you can see how crazy that sounds… I mean, explain to me how that could be possible?”

Hawthrin nodded patiently. “The elf council elders have all agreed that you should only be made aware of this revelation once you were ready to accept it. However, I sense that in your near future you will have a change of heart due to news from an icy source.”

He was hurting my head. “I'm just about as human as it gets. My mother was born in Drearyton Cove, and so was my father. I might have seen them but that doesn't make me one of them. I'm not a mythical being. It's insane. Wouldn't a person know something like that… if it were even possible?”

Hawthrin continued his silent puffing which was becoming a little annoying.

I wanted answers. It was like the plot of some graphic novel.
Half-girl, half-faery with super powers saves the world from the perils of an evil ice witch
. Don't you have to be bitten by some rare poisonous insect to develop those kinds of powers? And what about my family? Why hadn't they mentioned any of this to me growing up? I felt cheated, lied to, betrayed. It was as though everyone in my life was a stranger to me. I had no idea who they really were — who I really was.

My mother lying to me was one thing; when Gran was alive it always seemed as though there was something she wanted to hide from me. But Gran… she was my kindred spirit. The only one who understood me in a world I didn't fit in to. Hundreds of questions circled my head with dizzying speed. My whole life had shifted once more and I felt shaken and alone. If it was true, then their lies and deception had somehow led to an entire village counting on
me
to prevent their demise. Something I was utterly and completely incapable of doing.

“You are here for a purpose, Lorelei. Nothing ever happens by coincidence, and nothing is ever in vain. Your coming is fortuitous.”

“Fortuitous for
whom
exactly? Not for me. Not for my mother.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because she's dying,” I said, shoving back my frustration, “and I'm the only one who can help her.” I struggled to get the words out. “And for reasons I don't even pretend to comprehend, I'm here. So really,
not
so fortuitous…”

He peered deeply in to my eyes, like reading something written within them. “You do know why… and how long.”

“Well, if that's true then there's something wrong with me because I don't know I know.”

The wizard leaned back. “Ahh, ‘The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.' Socrates. All will unfold in due time. Not that time is of any importance… or real.” A periwinkle smoke ring floated above his head forming a gauzy halo before dissipating.

I frowned. He seemed coherent when he first started speaking. Perhaps senility was a condition here too.

“'The distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.' Albert Einstein.”

“So are you saying time doesn't exist here?” I replied, rubbing my temples.

“Not that it doesn't exist, dear child, but that it exists differently everywhere for everyone in every moment.”

A sudden prickle of fear ran through me. “When I get back to… my world, could years have gone by? I might be too late?”

“Yes.” He watched as I started to hyperventilate. “And no. Bear in mind, it can never truly be too late.”

“What does that
mean
? And please don't give me another quote.” My head throbbed, and I was mentally drained.

“It's not a question of time speeding up or slowing down, Lorelei. It is perception, illusion.”

I waited for him to finish but he fell silent, his attention devoted to blowing smoke rings once more.

Shaking my head, I inhaled. I had no idea what he was talking about. It was like having a conversation with Yoda. Sounds cool in theory, but in truth… totally frustrating. “Look, could you just tell me how to get out of here? Preferably without all of the riddles.”

Hawthrin rose, nodded a warm smile and without another word, he disappeared. Not left.
Vanished
, as in here one second, gone the next. With nothing but the faint scent of tobacco and a wisp of lavender smoke left behind. A short time ago, I would have been sure I'd imagined the whole encounter. But today… not so much.

I chewed on my thumbnail for so long, I was nibbling skin.
Gotta get out of here. One way or another.
If no one would help me, then I'd find a way out on my own.

The nurse showed up once more as the sky streaked with crimson and orange swirls. Sunset or sunrise. I had no idea which. I pretended to snooze, to avoid another sleep-inducing green cocktail injection. She placed a tray of food on the table and left.

When it was all clear, I threw off the blankets and climbed out of bed. A balcony overlooked uneven winding stairs leading to different platforms that looked as though they were built into the trees. Leaning over the veranda railing sculpted with Celtic knots, I surveyed this strange beautiful place.

The paths below were lined with gnarled willows. Their coiled branches meeting in the middle intertwined to form a luminescent canopy draped with mossy tendrils. Skirting down the stairs, I ducked and dodged vines and shrubs, trying to avoid making contact with any of them. When I reached a landing, the path became a labyrinth, branching in multiple directions. I followed one stone covered passageway, arriving in a courtyard which led to another path.

Okay
.
This has to lead somewhere
, I silently prayed and slipped through the iron-gate. It did. That's when I realized how far from ground level I was, surrounded by a treetop city, yet farther from civilization than I'd ever been.

I could see everything. Up ahead, a well of water, crystal clear and bluer than the midnight sky ran over the precipice of a rocky cliff, plunging in a rainbow of spray and foam in a river below. The river ran gurgling and glistening in the pure white sunlight, before disappearing into the valley, getting lost in the lands. There were no trees back home like the ones growing here. For one thing they were beyond huge. Statuesque and massive in width, their feathery boughs seemed to sweep the sky, effortlessly holding an ethereal city up to the clouds. With smooth grey bark, their limbs were laden with tiny white blooms. A soft blanket of grass and leaves coated the forest floor. It was as breathtaking as it was mind-boggling.

Sunlight filtered through the branches but the warmth only intensified the prickly heat of my uneasiness. Droplets of perspiration rolled down the nape of my neck and I piled my hair on top of my head then let it fall. The quick breeze was nice, but short lived. I couldn't shake the feeling I was being followed, and soon enough I discovered why.

From the shadows of the trees, four beings stalked toward me, with skin that looked burnt by fire, eyes that glowed orange, and a maroon cap resting between two large pointed ears . Their hands were deformed into claws, black talons protruding from each finger. I stopped then stepped back.

They slunk toward me with razor-like teeth glinting in the sun. One let out a feral growl and lunged at me, striking my arm. I screamed, as the pain shot through me. Stumbling backward, I willed myself to ignore the blood dripping down my arm. I retreated until the scratch of bark pressed against my back. There was nowhere to go, but deeper into the forest, out of view from any help.

I forced air into my lungs, terrified of being ripped apart by the ravenous creatures. Then did the only thing I could do. I ran. Faster than I'd ever run before. Bad idea. The whoops and cries behind me were a sign I'd only excited them as they sprang after me. I whipped down paths, tripping over branches and roots, dodging the snaking vines as they reached for my legs. After taking countless turns which led me deeper into the forests and further from any signs of life, I lost them. Breathless, I finally stopped, and leaned against a tree. It was quiet. Were they really gone? My heart pounded against my ribs with such force it hurt. If it had been any louder, I wouldn't have heard the soft giggle of a child.

A green-skinned creature peered down at me from a tree branch. She wrinkled her tiny nose with a curious yet wary stare.

“You know, if you run, they chase. Redcaps always chase. And when they catch you, which they will, you'll either meet with death or wish for it.”

She laughed as if there was something hysterical about the scarier-than-anything picture she'd just painted.

Sucking in a breath of air I gaped at her. “I remember you — outside the window. Are you one of the fey?”

She giggled again, dangling her thin green legs back and forth. “I'm Fauna.” She said, nodding her head to convince me. Her long thin finger pointed in the direction of the Redcaps. “They can smell fear. Want to know what keeps their caps red? It's blood,” she added before I could answer. “They need fresh blood to live, and now they've had a taste of yours. It looks like they want more.” She beamed.

This was way more information than I needed, yet she seemed to know a lot about them. “You know how to get rid of them?”

Green girl nodded, her round eyes growing impossibly wide.

“Well,” I panted impatiently. “I'd appreciate the help.” I heard leaves shuffling in the distance.

With cat-like grace she sprang to the ground, landing in a crouched position. Straightening, she circled me as she spoke.

“Sounds like the human girl is asking for a favor,” she sang in a childlike melody.

Her skin resembled a snake — scaled, yet perfectly smooth.

“I guess I am,” I answered without thinking. Had I not been so terrified, I might have remembered hearing something about Faerie bargains. But I was ready to offer anything to get out of this alive.

“Ooooh!” she squealed, clapping her hands together. “What will you offer me, human, to get rid of those nasties?” She inclined her head in the direction of the Redcaps, whose growls were getting closer.

I frowned. What would be a fair price for protection… and what currency? Surely money wouldn't be of much use here.

She circled me once more, scratching her coppery mane of hair. “Hmm. The color of your eyes… or perhaps all of your childhood memories before you were two… or—” She paused, looking particularly eager. “Or maybe — your firstborn child!”

I blinked. Was she serious?

“I — I can't give you any of those things.” She was making me dizzy with her circling, between that and the blood coagulating on my rapidly healing arm, my stomach was churning.

She pouted at first but then suddenly stopped moving.

“I know…” she said with a wide grin that made my skin crawl, “…your voice.”

“My what?”

“Yes.
Yes
, your voice. Why was not I this clever before?”

I must have looked as horrified as I felt, because she shook her head with a confused frown.

“Not all of it, silly. Only the part that sings.”

“How do you know I can sing?” I was still too stunned to realize what she was asking.

“…Doesn't matter. Have we a bargain then?” she said, her eyes widening.

I was about to tell her to forget it, mentally calculating the chances of outrunning four psychotic Redcaps plus a sadistic Faerie, when the rustling of branches made me rethink. My pulse was soaring, and if they could in fact smell fear, I'd given them an easy target.