“Welcome to Fairyland,” he said aloud with a sigh of resignation.
The transformation was immediate. Silvery forms and winged creatures appeared where moments ago all was darkness. The usual red cap and green cap fairies scampered about, tending to their business. A few pixies fluttered amongst shrubbery and trees, flying back and forth. You had to look closer to discover the faces etched in the oak trees lining the sidewalk. Knots and twisted bark morphed and formed features resembling long-suffering old men.
An odd twittering noise drew his eyes to the brown, dead grass below. The blades danced with the movements of insect sized mugwumps, tiny furry fairies with pointed ears and teeny tails.
A red cap, about four feet tall, almost bumped into him before realizing Kheelan stood there.
“Ach. See me now, do ye?” His voice was scratchy and high-pitched, with a distinct Scottish accent. His deeply slanted eyes twinkled in mild amusement and he stroked his long, fiery red beard with fingers twice as long as that of any human.
Kheelan nodded and the red cap went on his way, leaving behind the clean smell of rain and damp earth.
Kheelan cast a quick look in all directions to make sure there were no cu sith, fairy dogs, about. He’d never forget his first encounter with one at age eleven when the large green beast had seen Kheelan watching him and began its death howl, ready to attack. Only the swift action of his guardian, Annwynn, had saved him. Ever since, Kheelan wore an iron medallion that at least gave the Fae creatures pause before they regarded him as easy prey. Iron had the ability to painfully burn the Fae.
Back to the business at hand. Finvorra, his current guardian, would expect some kind of report. Kheelan studied the fairies around him. The only thing different tonight was that there weren’t as many pixies as usual. No surprise there, he was sent to find out why so many were missing. A small group of them flew near the hedges, looking like giant fireflies. You had to be really close to see their tiny, delicate faces lit in the dark.
This evening was like the previous, as far as Kheelan could tell. He knew from his wanderings that if he returned to The Green Fairy there would be a large cluster of them flying around the shop. Something about that store made it mighty attractive to pixies. The key to their disappearances had to be connected with that shop, and possibly the red-headed human girl who worked there.
“Tacharan! Changeling!”
The squeaky taunts came from the edge of the woods, but Kheelan couldn’t see the fairy creatures.
“He can’t even see us,” one of them said. A chorus of laughter followed.
“Are ye simple-minded human one?” called out another.
Finally, Kheelan made out the forms. A group of about a dozen ghillie dhus, wearing moss and leaves, ran in and out of the woods.
Stupid Fae. And those were the good ones, the members of the Seelie Court.
He walked on, ignoring the fairies as they, for the most part, ignored him. He picked up snippets of conversation, eavesdropping to see if he could learn anything about the upcoming Samhain battle.
“If only The One of legend would come, we could defeat the evil Unseelie without firing nary a weapon,” a voice warbled.
Kheelan slowed his steps.
“Ach, bairn, don’t waste yer hope on that. Many’s the Samhain come and gone, and she hasn’t appeared yet.”
“Mayhap because she’s to be escorted by a mortal.” The word was filled with disdain.
“If we wait on humans, the entire Fae Kingdom will be wiped out and they’ll never even notice we’re gone,” said another.
Their voices drifted away in a chilly breeze.
He had to find out more about this legend. All he knew so far, from reading a forbidden book of Finvorra’s, was that The One had a spectacular rainbow-colored aura not many could see. Maybe if he learned more about it, he could find this legend. If so, it could help ensure his scheme’s success. Finvorra had been surprisingly tight-lipped about any fairy legend, even when tipsy from whiskey. No matter. He would find a way, he always did.
Kheelan pulled his jacket closer and unexpectedly the image of the human girl arose in his mind. In the morning, he would go to The Green Fairy and arrange to meet her, see if she could be of any help.
As a human, he had no special abilities without the assistance of a special fairy’s cross crystal, and the Fae were stingy in letting him use one. But he’d steal or beg for one, being careful not to arouse suspicion, for although the fairies largely did not speak to him, Kheelan knew they watched his every move.
That was going to change. He’d had enough of them, was sick to death of them. He would win his freedom – or die trying.
Chapter 3
The One