Chapter 3
THE FAIRY QUEEN
The Fairy Queen sits on her throne of flowers and tries not to fall asleep.
She has always been receptive to Fren's counsel. He advised her parents and has seen over her reign from the moment she was crowned. However, the old fairy tends to drone on.
It’s not his fault that news about dying crops and displaced sprites isn’t as alarming as it once was.
The despair is routine. Each day brings forth increased rot and destruction. More of her subjects suffer and die in Meadowmist. The Deadland's reach has been creeping into her realm for decades. How long before it reaches them at Glimmerveil Castle?
Reports of it polluting the Everspring have spread. Fairies and sprites have fled with alarm, but where are they to go? Nowhere is safe from it.
The Fairy Queen nods as each devastating update is read.
Fleeting tendrils of power coil in her palm. Once her magic was strong enough to sprout an unending forest filled with life and heal thousands with the flick of her wrist.
Today, she was lucky her immortality hadn't waned. It was a feat to take flight. The wings at her back hung limply, only able to carry her for short distances. The magic in her veins has grown cold.
Soon there will be none left.
The Fairy Queen glances at a tightly closed rosebud at the arm of her throne. Fren's words fade to the background as she locks onto it. She can feel its life, taste the metal of magic against her tongue. Her magic sings, desperate to be made whole again.
By the time she is able to make the rose bloom, she has a pounding headache. Such a trivial bit of magic would've required half a thought a century ago. If the darkness spreads here, she won't be enough to stop it.
None of them will be.
Before her parents had been claimed by the Void, magic was ripe throughout the land. It flowed freely, strengthening every creature that called Meadowmist home. The other realms had been just as fruitful.
Everything had changed the moment the darkness found them.
The Void must be stopped. There has to be a way to kill it before it lays claim to them all.
Golden sunlight slips between the open windows in the throne room. Glimmerveil Castle is made up of glass and glittering stones. It is a modest structure with only a few towers reaching the upper branches of the guildtrees.
She has lived alone inside these walls since she was sixteen. Over the centuries, the silence has nearly driven her mad. If not for her realm, she would've left the castle long ago in search of companionship.
The Void stole that from her as well. She shakes herself from the unpleasant memories.
Verdant meadow grass blows gently from outside the window. The sweetness of fresh flowers teases her nose. There is another scent on the wind. Not one of decay, which she is grateful for, but one that is masculine. It skitters over her skin and into her stomach.
Elwood must be returning. If the Spirits are merciful, he will bring good news with him.
He is one of the few scouts she has left. Most scouts have already perished. It won't be long until she is forced to send Elwood into the Deadlands. The thought makes bile race up her throat.
It is she who should be out there. Fighting back against the darkness as her parents had done, despite Fren's warnings that she is needed here. How is it fair to ask others to risk their lives if she is not willing to do the same?
A soft rustling tickles her ears.
A pale body covered in velvet-soft wings lands on her shoulder. Its white feet stand in sharp contrast to her green skin. The mistbird blinks its blue eyes. Tickling under its delicate chin, she feels its rapid heartbeat against her shoulder.
The effort such a small creature makes to live is overwhelming. Every pounding heartbeat is a gift from the Spirits.
To think there is something out there that wants to see them all snuffed out.
The creature leans against her finger. Its fierceness steals her breath. The Fairy Queen will give everything she has to protect those in her realm.
Fren's counsel be damned.
Opening her mouth to end the meeting, a loud bang echoes through the throne room.
The heavy oak doors wrench back as Elwood and three other royal scouts walk forward into the room.
His dark hair hangs in a black waterfall down to his waist. Dark eyes miss nothing as he looks her over, then nods towards father.
Fren's relief at his son's safe return is evident.
The Fairy Queen goes to inquire when her eyes snag on a figure draped between the other two scouts. He is a creature she has never seen before. There is a familiar quality about him. The scent wafting from him fills the room.
As he approaches, she gets a better look at him.
Leather conceals his feet as he is dragged against the wood floor. Forced onto his knees, his head snaps upward. The Fairy Queen swallows as she takes in his face. He is handsome with his tan skin and pink cheeks.
Old, faded scars adorn the sharp bridge of his nose and the harsh line of his stubbled jaw. Golden hair falls to his shoulders. Sparkling blue eyes, a few shades lighter than the mistbird's, are framed by honey colored lashes.
His jaw is strong, and his lips are full. Even on his knees, she can tell he is a tall male of impressive build. Beneath his tattered shirt are ridges of hard muscles. His tan ears are round, and the teeth that grit against his captors' hold are blunt. How strange.
The Fairy Queen's eyes lift to Elwood for explanation.
"My Queen, pardon the interruption. We found this thing prowling the meadow."
"Prowling?" the strange being chokes. "That makes me sound creepy."
Besides the scout's tight grip and the grass stains marring his clothes, he seems to be unharmed.
"He came through a portal. Traces of starlight were found on his clothes. We do not know how he came to possess one," Elwood says through clenched teeth.
The Fairy Queen inclines her head.
"I see you gave him the language."
Elwood pales, looking at his bare feet atop the flooring.
"It wouldn't stop talking. I thought it best we understood its trivial ramblings."
"Ramblings? Do you creatures only speak in insults?"
"Fairies," the Fairy Queen says, locking eyes with the being. "We are fairies. What are you?"
The creature's eyes widen. Just as Elwood had, the stranger looks her over completely. The marked difference between the two stares is the strange fluttering in her stomach. Parts of her warm under his appraisal. The hostility in his gaze dissipates the longer he focuses on her.
Elwood notes it with disdain. The creature's lips part, revealing two sets of dazzling white teeth.
"A human."
Human.
The word clangs in her mind, bringing up long-buried memories of myths and legends about such creatures. They were reported to be weak. Frail beings who would perish in the meadow. This human doesn't seem to be of a sickly constitution. He ripples with vitality.
His presence teases her magic. Encourages it to rise.
"There are only stories about your kind. We've never had reports of one coming through," the Fairy Queen shares.
"A pity. Any you meet after me will be a let down."
"He will be sent back, your majesty," snaps Elwood, coming to stand between the Fairy Queen and the human. "If we cannot find the portal he left behind, at the very least, he will be remanded to the cells."
The dungeon is no place for a human. Elwood's concerns are valid, but he is behaving too rashly. This human does not possess magic. While the blades along his hips present a challenge, it is one her three royal scouts should be able to overcome.
A human has never stepped foot in Meadowmist, not even during her parents' reign.
It must be a sign from the Spirits. This human could very well be the answer they've been searching for. To throw him away out of fear would be unwise.
"Calm yourself, Elwood. He could prove useful." The Fairy Queen and the human's eyes connect again. "What is your name?"
His grin rises again, and once more there is a fluttering in her stomach as if she has swallowed a bird. Perhaps she ate something bad at breakfast. It would help explain the fever spreading along her skin.
"Finn. The premier treasure hunter in all of Ulst. Captain of the Silver Shard, most feared sailor of the High Sea, expert lovemaker, deadly swordsman, competent pistol master, and renowned—"
"That's quite enough, thank you," the Fairy Queen interjects, cutting his tirade of accolades short.
Stars dance in his blue eyes.
"What's your name?"
The human—Finn—breaks off in a groan as Elwood delivers a decisive blow to his ribs.
"You will refer to her as your majesty. Speak when spoken to, human!"
Pain tightens the human's muscles. Indignation sparks in the Fairy Queen's chest as she levels a glare at her scout. Elwood has the good sense to look contrite, turning as green as his scaled armor.
"Show some restraint."
Her magic reaches for the human, ensuring that Elwood has not injured him. The fairy male simmers with quiet fury. The reaction is strange, but she pays it no mind.
"Arden. Queen of Meadowmist."
Finn's smile etches itself into her heart.
"I've never met a Queen before."
"Pity. The ones you meet next will be a let down."
Laughter rips from his lips, and it is the sweetest sound she's ever heard. It skitters down her bones and sinks into her blood. She's never felt like this before. It is unsettling and intriguing. Too bad it will be short-lived if she has her say in the matter.
"I like you, Queenie."
Humans must have poor hearing.
"No, Arden," she repeats, lengthening every letter with her tongue.
Finn's grin only widens.
"I've come all this way, Queen Arden. If you would be so kind as to hear my request, I would be in your debt."
The thought intrigues her. It is a selfish idea, but one that must happen regardless. If he is as skilled as he says, that must be the reason the Spirits guided him here. He is their answer. The least she can do is listen to his plight.
"Go on," she encourages.
"In exchange for any services requiring my various talents"—he cuts her a knowing look—"or my body if you should deem it necessary, I only ask for one thing."
Biting her lip, his eyes snag at her sharp teeth. Instead of fear marring his heady scent of pine wood and dew-soaked grass, it turns sweeter. He is brave. She'll give him that.
He'll need to be for what she has in mind.
"And that is?"
Swallowing thickly, earnestness burns in his eyes.
"A fairy wish."