Chapter 4
four
. . .
Isyss
“Come on,” Isyss says frantically, pulling Fermena’s hand. “We gotta move quick! We don’t have much time!”
“What’s happening to me?!” she says as tears stream down her face.
“I just want to go home!” Everything was happening so fast that she hadn't yet had a chance to process it all. Just when she thought she was going to sleep, she ended up in an unknown world and found true love, but now she’s fading—it was all too much.
“It’s gonna be okay, Fermena,” Isyss says. “My father is going to help get you home.”
They run down a cobblestone path that leads them to the hall where Isyss’s father’s lair is.
The walls are made of stone with sigils carved into them.
In between each sigil are trails of green moss surrounding them.
As they get closer, they can see a bright door up ahead that has the words Lord of the Veil engraved into it.
“Stay behind me,” Isyss says quietly as they approach the door.
Her iridescent wings expand, transforming into a solid, shimmering gold.
Fermena tucks herself behind Isyss’s wings before entering.
Her wings flutter as she senses Fermena’s nerves and hears her rapid heartbeat echo in her ears.
She reaches behind her for Fermena’s hand and gives it a soft squeeze, placing a calming kiss on the top of it.
“No matter what happens, I’ll protect you. ”
Fermena’s heart rate slows as Isyss’s softening kiss eases her stress. She smirks behind her tears, and Isyss turns around, using her thumb to wipe them away. She senses her fear, but wants to ensure she is okay before meeting her father.
Her father, Titus, Lord of the Veil, is the gatekeeper of the dream realm.
He isn’t an easy man to talk to, so Isyss doesn’t want to alarm him with Fermena’s presence.
Isyss tucks Fermena behind her and turns towards the glowing door, taking a deep breath before they step through.
The color changes to lavender before they reach the other side. She can feel her father’s presence.
“Isyss,” a deep voice says.
As they come through the door, it disappears behind them.
“Hello, father,” Isyss says.
“To what do I have the pleasure of this visit?” Titus asks.
Isyss walks closer to her father, with Fermena close behind and out of sight.
He wears a white robe covered in glowing gold symbols.
A gold crown sits upon his head, as his grey locs cascade down his shoulders and onto the floor.
He sits on a throne of moss and stone, with green vines wrapped around its arms, and colorful flowers stemming from each vine.
With a golden staff in one hand wrapped with the same vines as the throne, Titus raises an eyebrow as his eyes sharpen on Isyss.
“I need your help,” Isyss says as she takes a deep breath.
“I knew you’d come,” he says
“H-How?” Isyss stammers.
Her father knows everything. He tends to see things before they happen and can sense when something is amiss. It’s hard for her to get anything past him, but this time she is hoping he won’t sense what is happening. He won’t be too thrilled to find out what is going on.
“Why is she here?!” Titus roars as he bangs his staff on the cobblestone floor.
Fermena trembles in fear behind Isyss. Looking down at her feet, she sees cracks appear on the floor beneath them from the impact of the bang.
“Father, I–”
“Step aside, Isyss,” he barks.
Isyss grabs Fermena’s hand, squeezing it tight as she steps aside to reveal her. She feels Fermena’s body shivering.
“It’s okay,” she whispers. “I’m here.” Isyss hums a soft melody low enough for Fermena to hear, calming her nerves, and her shivers come to a halt.
“Mortals are not to be in this world,” he begins. “How did she get here?”
“Don’t you already know, Mr. I Know Every Damn Thing,” she thinks.
Isyss is over her father’s rudeness. She doesn’t like coming to him for anything because there is never a moment when he allows her to speak or listen.
Her interactions with him consist of him asking questions, rather than allowing her to answer.
She hopes that behind this incident there isn’t a lecture.
At this point, she regrets coming to him for help, but he is the only one who can get Fermena home.
“I don’t know, Father,” Isyss says. “She fell asleep and woke up here. But she’s starting to fade. We have to get her home.”
“Why should I help?” he asks. “I told you to stay away from her, and your essence has brought her here.”
Isyss scrunches up her face in confusion because she has no idea what he is talking about.
Fermena looks at Isyss for answers. “What is he talking about?”
“She can’t answer your question because she never listens,” Titus says. “If she had listened to me the first time, you wouldn’t be here.”
Isyss stepped through a glowing blue portal that led her near Fermena’s home.
As she entered the earth realm, the fresh air hit her senses like a ton of bricks.
Earth’s air was different from her realm, and although it was overwhelming, it was a euphoric feeling she experienced when she came to visit.
She took in the environment around her, surrounded by trees.
Shrinking down to the size of a firefly, she made her way through the forest until Fermena’s cottage came into view.
Fermena has been having nightmares for the past few months, and Isyss was determined to figure out the root cause.
Many of the dream walkers she watched over had nightmares, but never back-to-back in every dream cycle.
She wanted to protect Fermena, but the more she had the same dreams, the stronger the shadows got.
To truly defeat them and remove them completely, she had to uncover what was happening in Fermena's waking life that might take root in her dreams. She has spent days watching her every move.
Coming closer to the cottage, she stumbled upon an open window, and Fermena came into view. She was humming a sweet melody as she leaned over and pulled her cookies out of the oven.
“Is she humming my lullaby?” Isyss asked herself.
Fermena continued to hum Isyss’s familiar tune as she placed the cookies on the top of the stove. The sweet aroma of chocolate chips filtered through the air and out of the window, hitting Isyss’s nose.
“Mmmmm,” Isyss said, inhaling the unfamiliar scent. “I don’t know what that scent is, but I like it.” She smirked as she continued to watch her.
Pulling her large lavender curls up into a bun, Fermena continued to move her way around the kitchen effortlessly, as if it were made for her. Isyss got lost in the trance of her as she plated the cookies and enjoyed every bite of her creation.
“She’s so beautiful,” Isyss smiled. “I can’t take my eyes off her.”
Isyss spent the rest of the time watching Fermena move through her home as she cleaned, tended to her nighttime rituals, and continued until it was time for her to sleep.
“I don’t see anything out of the ordinary that would cause her to have dark dreams,” she said. “I have to be missing something.”
Isyss flew into the open window that sat next to Fermena’s bed. She sat on the edge of the windowsill taking in her sleeping beauty. It was almost time for Isyss to get back, but she wanted to spend a little more time admiring her as she slept.
“Isyss! Isyss!”
Isyss’s wings twitched as she heard her name being called. “Oh shit!”
She turned around to see two small fae coming her way. Isyss wasted no time as she slipped out the window and into the night sky.
“How did they find me here?!” she shrieked.
As she flew over the trees and into the sky, she pulled out her wand to enchant a portal to return home, but before she could, her wings began to tingle, feeling the two fae getting closer. She turned around to see both of her sisters floating behind her.
“Uh uh!” a loud voice shouted as Isyss’s wand disappeared from her hand.
“Hey!” Isyss shouted.
“Father is gonna be pissed when he finds out you’re here,” her oldest sister, Isabella, shouted.
“Come on, Isyss,” Ivy said. “We gotta get back before all hell breaks loose.”
Isyss was in shock to see her sisters, as she knew for sure that no one would catch her in the Earth realm. “How did ya’ll even find me?” Isyss asked.
“Don’t worry about all that,” Isabella said, placing her hands on her hips. “Come on before Father has our wings.”
Isabella grabbed Isyss’s hand as a wand appeared in the other. The three sisters stood hand in hand as she welded a portal that transported them to their father’s lair. Isyss fell to the floor as they landed. Before she could even process where she was, she heard her father’s voice echo around her.
“Why would you disobey me?!” he shouted, as his staff cracked the ground beneath them.
Green moss and flowers filled a small spot of the floor beneath Isyss, as her nerves filled her body. Her magic glitched because she was too anxious to face the wrath of her father.
“I-I..” she stuttered. “One of the dreamers has been having nightmares, and I needed to find the root cause to help.”
Titus got up from his throne, as Isyss remained on the floor. She looked up as her gaze met her father's, who took a knee before her.
“I told you never to enter the earth realm…” he said. “Why?”
“Because it could thin the veil,” Isyss said, dropping her head in defeat.
“And I would hate for that to happen on your account,” he said.
He stood to his feet and brought his attention to all of his daughters.
“Anyone who travels to the earth realm at any time moving forward will be banished from the kingdom, leaving you without your magic and wings. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, Father,” they all said in unison.
Isyss’s cheeks grew warm with embarrassment as she dropped her head.
“Isyss,” Fermena says, yanking her from her daze. “What is he talking about?” she repeats.
“I’ve been watching over you not only in your dreams, but on earth as well. If a fae gets close enough to a mortal, their essence is left behind,” Isyss says. “The essence leaves a trail for both beings to meet.”
Fermena’s eyebrows raise in awe. She was learning an incredible amount all at once.
Titus clears his throat, interrupting their side conversation.
“Isyss,” he says. “For her to return safely, you must capture your essence in a charm for her to wear around her neck at all times. This will keep her tethered to the earth realm, and she will no longer be able to return here. After this, you will no longer be assigned to her.”
Isyss’s brows furrow. She doesn’t like hearing a single word of what her father says.
Sure, she didn’t obey his orders, and sure, she was reaping the consequences, but now that she knows Fermena is her fated mate, she doesn’t want to let her go.
She can’t fathom not being able to ever see her again.