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THE MOMENT I WALKED to the edge of my homeland, I began to feel nerves. So much time had passed since that fateful day, and yet here I stood once more on the opposite side of the barrier, still feeling like an outsider. I didn’t know what horrors awaited me beyond the veil, if I could find a way around the protective charms, but if the screams I’d heard through the portal were anything to go by, I doubt I wasn’t in for a pleasant time.
The Sorcerer, Raexius, hinted the archfey might be on her way to terrorise my people. I only hoped his assumption was wrong. The layers of protected charms the Elder had placed on our realm had kept the archfey and her minions out for centuries, there’s no way they could’ve broken through. Unless something or someone had weakened it over time.
I thought back to the fateful night I’d be tempted by the Darkling’s sugar-coated lies, how he’d used me to find his way into the Wynduff Woodlands. What if that incident, and the lack of a Seer within the tribe had weakened the Elder’s control on the barrier. I couldn’t spend any longer pondering, I had to get inside somehow.
A chorus of faint voices called out to me, words softly spoken in the ancient tongue. They warned me, dark creatures roamed our realm destroying the land we called home. The earth was crying for mercy, for a saviour to aid their plight and here I was.
I touched the barrier, a watery veil chilled my fingertips as I spoke my plea in their language, ‘Lig dom pas a fháil.’ I sought passage into my homeland, I’d seen the Elder evoke the charms many times and I’d memorised their words.
To my surprise, the barrier allowed me to pass through and as I entered the woodland I felt the anger of the earth beneath my hooves. The Wynduff Woodlands, my homeland, was dying. The archfey had indeed come, bringing with her an entire army to eradicate us from this land.
As I stepped through a litter of broken branches, I noticed the flora withered beneath, crashed and stamped into the ground with little mercy. Tiny critter carcasses lie dismembered amongst the rumble. The stench of decay hit the back of my throat, causing bile to rise and my stomach to sink, but still I carried on walking.
I followed the voices of the earth, guiding me home, until my eyes fell upon a horrific scene. I stood in the centre of my village, where our huts were built from the land, now burnt to the ground. Dark creatures in a medley of shapes and forms were scattered around the village, pulling fawns from their beds, and pillaging through their belongings. I watched as my tribe were tormented by these creatures, shackled at the wrists and yanked by their horns through smoke portals. The minions showed my people no mercy, but my fight was not with them, but with the archfey herself. As much as it pained me, I turned my back on my tribe, knowing there was little I could do until the archfey was slain. No matter how many of her minions I’d cut down, she’d summon them back, rendering my efforts useless.
Clinging to the shadows, I searched for my family, yet the chieftain and my brother were nowhere to be found amongst the rubble nor the piles of bodies chained together ready for transporting into portals. Smaller flower-like minions patrolled the village, searching for any fawn not yet accounted for. I moved through the village, knowing every hidden corner to avoid their detection, however some fawns noticed my movements and chose to keep quiet. For that I was thankful, and while there was little I could do to aid them, I placed my hand on the earth and willed it to assist in my stead. Little vines sprouted beside the imprisoned fawns, picking the locks of their cuffs.
I pressed on, leaving my village behind to continue their fight. I was hoping to find my old home, the one I’d shared with my master. She was the only one I knew who might’ve known the whereabouts of my family. I stepped deeper into the woodlands and there hidden amongst the foliage was my home, still standing like the day I left, no doubt from the layers of protection my master had placed on the hut.
A strong gust of wind almost sent me tumbling onto my bottom, the door of the hut slammed open and my surrogate mother stood before me. Elder Sheatu hadn’t aged a day since I last saw her, her wild tresses were crudely tamed by thin vine, wrapped in a braid.
‘You finally dared to show your face, girl,’ she bellowed, taking a step towards me. ‘You’ve got a lot of nerve coming back here. You know what the Elders will do when they find you.’
‘If they find me,’ I remarked, using her wind to scoop me up on my hooves.
But my master didn’t seem phased by my counter magic, ‘I see you’ve actually learnt something whilst you’ve been away,’ she said, her tone flat as ever.
‘Something like that,’ I replied but I wasn’t here for her approval, I had bigger problems. ‘Where is the Chieftain? And what of my brother?’
Elder Sheatu took a drag on her long pipe, puffing smoke in my direction, ‘Now she chooses to ask the right questions.’ Then her gaze drifted over my head, I could only assume she noticed the presence of fey approaching, as her tone shifted. ‘Get yourself inside girl, now.’
I heeded her words and entered the hut, not bothering to check what was going on behind me. I stepped into my old home, the interior the same organised chaos as I remembered. A small fire lit in the pit and a clay kettle rested on the embers.
‘Sit and rest until they pass,’ the Elder said bluntly as she returned to her armchair, taking another drag of her pipe.
I set myself down by the fire, placing my crook at my side. ‘What happened here?’ I asked.
Sheatu shot me a glance, ‘What happened?’ she repeated the words back to me in a harsh tone. ‘It was you who set these events in motion. The day you allowed the Darkling to enter our realm, you bought terror here. The rift between realms you opened, could not be contained as well as we Elders hoped. Even I proved powerless to prevent its expansion.’
‘Your banishment was the worst thing your father has done for our tribe. Sending away our only Seer weakened our magic. Our protective charms meant nothing the second you disappeared,’ Elder Sheatu continued her tale. ‘Not even we Elders have the ability to replicate the Seer’s magic. You, girl, are indeed special and that’s what has drawn the Queen of the Summer Court to our homeland.’
‘What could she possibly want with me?’ I wondered aloud.
‘Ask her yourself,’ my master said abruptly. ‘She has split the Mother Tree in two, inside hides a portal to her Court, where she holds the Chieftain and your brother hostage. I won’t pretend to know what fate might have in store for you, girl, I just pray to the mother for your safe return.’
I stood, running over to the Elder and enveloped her into my arms, ‘Thank you for everything,’ I replied, trying to stop my tears from falling. ‘I will restore the balance to our realm.’
‘Best you hurry, the archfey awaits.’
I needed no motivation to start running once I exited the Elder’s hut. My mind was set on heading to a single location, the Mother Tree. The Heart of the Wynduff Woodlands, a sacred site left by our deity Melora when she first blessed the land.
When I arrived I almost collapsed when I witnessed the horrifying damage the archfey and her minions had caused to the willow. A deep wound split the trunk in two halves and an eerie presence washed over me. The tiny flora I’d bloomed many moons ago were now withered, and the bark’s colour blackened like charcoal. This was a heinous crime against my tribe, our sacred land destroyed beyond repair. Even I couldn’t feel Melora’s presence in the woodland and without her guidance the tribe would be nothing.
As I moved closer to the tree, I ran my fingers over the bark. It crumpled away at my touch, and when I looked, even the wood of the trunk was thick with rot. No critters made the tree their home. I turned my attention to the centre of the tree, the v-shaped opening pulsed with a smokey portal, similar to the ones used by the fey creatures. I had no choice but to venture forward if I’d any hope of finding my family and rescuing my tribe from the archfey’s wrath.
I readied myself, gripping onto my crook for luck and felt the soul jewels in my satchel at my hip. If I had my friends with me, I believed I could conquer this evil, just as we’d done together in our trials. They might not be beside me in my hour of need, but they were still in my heart. I took a deep breath and on my exhale I walked into the portal, to face my own fears.
When I entered, I was greeted by beautiful sunlight, hiding behind intricately painted stained-glass windows. The flora patterns traced onto the white marble flooring my hooves stood upon. It was hard to believe that I was standing inside the Summer Court, its beauty was alluring, what reason could the archfey have for turning out as she did. She had everything she could possibly desire, judging by the craftsmanship that’d tailored this realm to her every need.
Not all is as it seems. This realm is nothing more than an elaborate glamour to lure victims to their death. It’s built on lies and deceit.
A voice I’d heard so many times in my dreams spoke to me, that which I recognised as the All Mother’s voice. Melora. I gave a silent prayer in thanks to her words, snapping me out of an ethereal state. When I opened my eyes, I saw the realm for what it truly was and my mind focused on my true purpose venturing here. I glanced ahead and saw the archfey I’d come for.
Titania, Queen of the Summer Court, was poised in her throne with a silver filigree cane resting in her lap. Her silvery-white dress draped off her curves, the layers of train creating a pool at her feet. A thin veil covered her pale complexion, pinned in place with a simple crown of silver leaves. Her golden tresses framed her face and curls tumbled over one shoulder. One look at her and any man would be captivated by her beauty.
Yet I stood before her, feeling only rage and empathy for my tribe. She was the one who’d tempted Ser Raexius to do her bidding that led to the death of my friends, just so he could have a slice of freedom and control his own realm as he saw fit. I spared him no pity, he played his part like the perfect pawn, and orchestrated the elaborate scheme that led me here.
‘Ah,’ Titania spoke, her voice softer than silk. ‘The Child of Destiny comes as foretold.’
I didn’t answer her straight away, instead I glanced around, looking for any obvious signs of her guards, but I couldn’t find anything. My eyes fell upon a curious sight, a middle-aged fawn imprisoned in ivy bonds caught my attention. The Chieftain looked weary, hiss body slumped against his bonds. His veins were invisible beneath his tanned skin, the work of her poison I’d no doubt. I walked closer to the throne, making out I was about to pledge my allegiance to the archfey until I saw my brother, Nolas, at her feet.
Titania’s hand was draped against his cheek, his eyes glazed over and his mind not truly his own. ‘Ser Raexius de Lovras kept you longer than I’d anticipated. That firbolg has no shame in his games,’ she tutted. ‘But he delivered you to me as promised, for that I must praise him.’
‘You offer only your praise?’ I scoffed. ‘What of your apologies for those you have harmed, for those who have died for your selfish cause?’
The archfey glared daggers at me, ‘You dare speak to me about the harm I’ve caused,’ she bellowed. ‘If it was not for your selfishness child, I would have never found those who’d wronged me centuries ago. It is you who has brought this devastation to your homeland. Their deaths are on your conscience, not mine.’
My legs buckled from under my weight, but I drove my crook into the earth to prevent myself from falling. I refused to show her weakness. ‘You’re wrong,’ I retorted back, begging the tears clustering in the corner of my eyes not to fall. ‘I admit my part was selfish, but it was nothing more than an act of a child that you extorted.’ I held onto my crook, willing the earth to answer my silent prayers. A dozen colour pebbles rose and fired themselves like bullets towards the Queen.
Nolas stood up from his master’s side, a decorated shield held before him. My pebbles made purchase with his shield, ricocheting off in every direction. ‘You will bring no harm to her majesty.’
Titania grinned beneath her veil, as my brother knelt before her. She patted him on the head like a pet. ‘How do you like my new toy?’ She spoke with venom laced on her tongue. She was commanding him somehow, I needed to find a way to sever their connection.
Nolas stood before me, with sword in hand.
‘You don’t have to do this brother, please.’ I begged him, but my words couldn’t reach him.
Nolas launched himself towards me, choosing to strike me with his blade, but the earth was on my side, protecting me with a marble wall moulded from the tiles. His boot crashed into the wall, rendering my shield useless. His next strike caught me in the stomach, sending me tumbling across the ground, bruising my entire body.
I spat the mix of bile and blood from my mouth and picked myself up off the ground. My body weakened by his attack, my crook providing little support in keeping me balanced. I called to the earth, pleading for its aid once more. Vines sprouted and curled around my foe’s ankles, rooting him in place while I figured out my next move. I placed my hand to the ground, coloured pebbles were at my side again, poised to strike. But when I glanced up, my foe had already cut himself loose from the vines and was before me in a blink of an eye. Nolas threw another blow into my stomach, taking the wind out of me. I was left hurtling into a nearby stone column, the crack of my bones echoed through the Summer Court. I couldn’t move. I’d been defeated by my own brother.
‘I expected more from the prophesied Seer of the Windcallers. To think your ancestors had the power to stand against me and cast themselves into a realm, but you cannot even stand against a foe. Pathetic child.’ She bellowed, with a flick of her wrist she tore a portal in reality and cast me out of her Summer Court.
‘This is not the last you’ll see of me, I promise you.’
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