The Brave One

Chapter 32

Chapter 32

The next morning, William untangled himself from the forest-eyed beauty. The woman shivered without him there heating her against the bitter morning. But she kept to her sleep, a first for the young Fae.

When they had both awakened --William stirring her with a kiss-- they set off once more. In less than three days time, they would reach Ceilidh.

It took the pair long, hard days to reach the bottom of the straight standing mountain. William took to riding Taipa, his human legs not used to the forest hiking that has been demanded by them.

The young man remembered seeing these mountains for a few days in the distance but the closer they neared, the more immense they became. When Evera could see through the trees to the bottom of the cliff with her finer vision, she ran.

Taipa seemed to have gotten excited as well. Familiar ground sent the mare into a happy and speeding canter. William tried to keep steady but lost his grip. He bounced uncomfortably as the horse rode on in delight, forgetting her rider.

“Taipa? Slow down! Argh!” The mare let her rider sway around on her back, neighing with delight. He regained his grip and held her mane. He could not get over how much personality this horse had.

The forest began to spread wider and the amount of trees lessened. They had reached the opposite side of the ancient woodland yet William had never felt closer to home.

The humidity began to lift, lightening the pressure of the summer air. Bare feet ran across the long grass. It felt so soft and inviting, a perfect welcoming scene for both Sealy and Unseelie alike. A tall willow tree stood out under the tremendous cliff. Even a Human could tell this was no ordinary tree.

As he was catching up riding clumsily on Taipa, William looked up in awe as Evera searched the trunk of the tree. She placed a hand on the crackled bark and spoke soft words William could not hear nor would he have understood. Much to the young man’s surprise, the tree breathed into life, whipping its vine-like branches.

A scream erupted from him for though he had seen much of the Fae world, he was not prepared for this. Evera smiled in fulfilled longing and watched the tree heighten. Some of the thinner roots slid from their resting places in the ground and began coiling themselves around the tree. Its branches grabbed the top of its trunk and pulled. Magically, the tree ripped a hole in its center and slowed to a stop. As if nothing happened, the willow branches stopped but swayed in the breeze.

“William, welcome to Ceilidh,” Evera yelled over his surprise.

The Fae climbed the roots like a ladder and stopped for William at the top. Still stunned with the newness of it all, William kept to Taipa’s back, afraid of the unknown. The mare lifted onto her rear legs and whinnied loudly into the air, heaving the young man from her back to the ground with a thump.

“Arbar migar, urebs.” Listening to her old stable hand’s command, Taipa left behind the tree and disappeared from sight.

Evera held a hand to help William up. Together, they slid down the tunnel and into the High Assembly’s haven.

The two kept to the vacant tunnel as they made their way to the center of Ceilidh. The Fae girl had to pull William most of the way, dragging him out of his fascinated stupors. As much as he had become accustomed to the miraculous events of the Faerie lives, there was no stopping the magical spell of such a spiritual place.

Vines hung from decaying branches which curled and reached for the mysteriously lit ceiling. William couldn’t see what cast the light, only that it was constantly moving. He felt as if he were looking up to the top of a river. The trees that bordered the cave’s walls were a bleak blue but somehow looked lively and fresh. Their trunks were striped with dark greys and greens. They seemed moldy but animated, like statues swathed in energy.

As they reached the opening to the inhabited area, Evera breathed in deep. William had no indication on how hard this was for the Fae. The four Assembly members were to see her with the necklace, using its powers. She could be condemned or banished for treachery, the latter being the more favorable. In one last breath before facing the unknown, the young woman sent a prayer to the Angels, hid the Raven Necklace beneath her dress and stepped out from behind the tree. Upon the sight, her breathing quickened.

Evera could not remember Ceilidh being so carefree and jovial. Children danced and swung from vines. This underground jungle took the best from both Sealy and Unseelie territories. Platforms were built on large branches and from giant knotholes. In the distance of the city, she could see children reading and studying with good-natured teachers. Classes held smiles and through the damp soil-streets, the older youth held hands and walked in pairs. The blue shades had darkened the environment but everything here was alive.

The young woman rubbed her shoulders in expectancy. There was a sensation beneath her skin, twitching in her bones. Her wings were calling her to be freed. She felt the desperation to be used in such a magnificent place but forced herself to keep them at bay.

Evera motioned William to the carved stairs. There was no hiding on their descent and soon the two had all the gazes in the haven on them.

Blue eyed youth from all over Ceilidh stopped and stared at the odd couple walking with bowed heads. For most of the young Fae, they had never seen a human. William felt the icy glare of every child. Each one had their eyes wide and curious yet fearful and knowing. They knew whatever news the pair had come to herald, it would bring woe and change.

It wasn’t long until the one of the Four had found them.

Orlaith, the court leader of the Solitary Fae, flew down from a distant tower and stood before them, her angelic wings majestically spread behind her. William fell to his knees at the sight of the High Assembly member. The woman contrasted all the dimness surrounding her, making her presence even more dazzling. Her utterly white skin shimmered with gold and her yellowed hair fell past her corseted waist, flowing as if it were underwater. The necklace she wore was strung with the most stunning of pearls and decorated with a gold pendant, etched with a simple flower. Her paled lips smiled warmly at the Human.

Evera felt the heat in her cheeks to see her lover bowed so low to the ground. Nevertheless, she curtseyed low to the ground and raised her eyes cautiously to the grand leader.

“And what,” Orlaith began, “Is the significance of your untimely arrival?” Her midnight blue eyes looked the pair over, severely but not condemningly. The only green-eyed Fae could hear goading in her words. Still, Evera bent over to help William up. Upon doing so, the necklace came free from her dress and swung out for all to see. Breaths and murmurs of surprise came from those who watched.

“I…” Evera could feel her body start to shake. William noticed her state and took her hand in his. He could feel the ice of her fingers and see the red in her inhuman ears. He thought her truly brave to look a woman so revered in the eye. His own brown eyes weighed down to the dark soil at Orlaith’s bare feet.

“I do believe we have much to discuss, little Evera.” The golden Faerie gestured the girl forward, swaying her ivory skirt with its fabric attached to her floral bracelet. “You would do wise to follow, William. I’m sure she would not want you left alone here.”

It was too hard for the young Fae to take. Her breathing worsened and became loud enough for the woman to hear. The wings she kept inside her skin were clawing her back. There was little she could do to stop them from budding slightly from her shoulders.

“Please, let your wings free. It will soothe your soul.” The woman breathed in sorrow and turned to lead them away from the marveling children.