Fairy Keeper (24 page)

Something tugged on Sierra’s sleeve, and she shouted, eyes wide, but she couldn’t see who had her.

What happened to her fairy? What about her friends? They came in here for her. Nell was attacked. What about Corbin? Micah? Were they dead?

The unbearable heat faded a little, but she began to fade with it. She didn’t know how much time had passed.

Queen,
she thought, drowsy.
Did you find me? Queen… we’ve got to save Phoebe…
Sierra needed to explain why they had come here, but her lips wouldn’t move, no matter how hard she tried.

Fury at her horrible failure pushed back the darkness long enough for her to notice when the ground began moving beneath her, pinching and ripping at her back. Someone dragged her roughly over the rocky trail until sunlight burst above her, visible even through the dark curtains that had slid over her eyes. Why couldn’t she see? Desperation bloomed as she thought,
If I die, what will happen to Phoebe
?

Sierra couldn’t move, but she refused to sleep, not yet. Ocean waves of exhaustion crashed over her as the pain receded further. She felt thin, like a shadow on the sand at sunset. Maybe a quick nap would help. A tiny one, that’s all.

A voice echoed in her head
.

Sierra
.

It wasn’t so much a sound as a word in her mind. The hairs on her arms stood up.

Sierra, Sierra
, the voice called again.

And she understood who was speaking. Sierra opened her eyes, and there on her chest sat Queen, legs crossed, utterly composed.

Hungry
… the thought floated into Sierra’s mind. Queen had not moved her lips, nor had Sierra, yet she knew somehow her fairy was hungry. Queen missed their mushrooms. Sierra still couldn’t move, but her eyes widened. This had never happened before, but it felt so right.

The mushrooms she’d saved for luring the fairy were in her bag in the lower left pocket, wrapped in a white cloth. She had refused to touch them even when they were hungry. The only goal for this trip had been to get a queen back to Jack in order to save Phoebe, and Sierra had hoped the mushrooms might help. No sooner had she thought this than Queen flew over to the bag. She dug in the backpack, her wings a blur of gold and red, and tugged out the mushrooms. How did she know?

Moans came from the cave, distracting Sierra from the question. A rush of fear gave her the energy to sit up. The world roiled around her and waves of blackness danced at the edge of her vision, but she didn’t fall over. Queen was busily eating. If Sierra checked on her friends, would Queen leave? Sierra couldn’t let them suffer without helping―she needed to go to them. But her legs were frozen as she stared at her fairy.

Need you, too
… the thought drifted to her, as slowly as a cloud crossing the sky on a summer’s day. And then an image floated in front of Sierra’s eyes, the way the cave superimposed over her sight yesterday. This time, Queen and Sierra were on the ground, clearly dead.

Need each other
… the words whispered through her mind. They were connected in a new way, a way far more permanent than Sierra ever thought possible. Did that image mean if one of them died, the other one would, too?

Yes, yes…

Sierra stared at the queen, who returned the gaze solemnly without blinking. Was Queen really talking to her somehow?

Together, forever…

Sierra’s fairy mark no longer burned. She tentatively touched it, afraid of what might happen. It was raised now, a tangible tattoo she could trace with her fingers. The delicate wings were lifted like an intricate piece of jewelry on her skin. When her fingers glided over it, she sensed Queen more than ever.

Shock and even fear at this new connection to Queen collided with the river of love and affection Sierra felt from her fairy now. And despite her long-time horror of being a keeper, her own love for Queen rose like a tide, growing larger with every breath, filling her heart. It was like an invisible door had been opened, and nothing stood between them now. Queen was a part of Sierra in a way she didn’t understand. Queen must never leave. Sierra loved her, even while she still resented a forced destiny of service to her.

A low voice said, “She’s bound you together now, in the Old Way.”

Sierra didn’t recognize this voice, deep and melodious, like the melted dark chocolate at Winter Harvest. Her heart sped up―who was this person? His voice sounded too perfect to be real.

She turned around to find the source. Micah stood behind her―on legs that were no longer hairy. Or deer-shaped. Human legs completed a now very human looking Micah, who wore only a piece of cloth from Sierra’s supplies, tied like a kilt around his waist that reached almost to his knees. Sierra goggled. Almost as astonishing and disconcerting, Micah was no longer scrawny and sick-looking. His chest was bronzed and strong, muscles curving smoothly. One shock after another had Sierra blinking her eyes.

She glanced around, but no one else was with them to confirm if she was hallucinating.

“They have generously healed me in the Old Way, too,” he explained, as if he had always spoken clearly. “I knew this spot when you described it. They came to drink deeply of the old magic, which has been terribly depleted across this land. This is the birthplace, the heart, an ancient well of magic that runs deep beneath the earth.”

He waited a moment for her to respond, but when she kept staring at him without saying a word, he continued, “It is why the plants always grow here. I could not access the magic before. It was far too buried, but a fairy queen’s gift is to draw it forth into the world and share with other magical creatures. Their magic does not affect me as it does humans. The fairy sting you received carried a large amount of magic and would be deadly to most humans. I am surprised, though thankful, that you reacted so differently.”

Sierra felt like she had been kicked in the chest, or perhaps more appropriately, shot with an arrow.

“Wait―you-you-you’re human now?” she managed to stammer.

He laughed. “No, not human. Still a faun, but the fairies have returned to me the ability to shift to all three of my forms. Human seemed most appropriate in this situation.”

All three of his…

Before she could ask anything about this most unexpected state of affairs, a loud scream echoed in the cave. The scream was long and hoarse.
Corbin
!

Sierra scrambled up, but her knees gave out. Micah offered his hand, and she hesitated only for a second. He pulled her to her feet, and they stumbled into the cave again. Her knees kept collapsing, and finally, he simply scooped her up in a stunning display of grace. She flushed, confused by the way he held her so carefully like she was a prized treasure. Affection surged through her, but there was no time to examine her feelings right now. She was just glad he’d survived. The question was, had Corbin and Nell?

Queen?
Sierra thought to herself, and a flutter brushed her cheek. Queen landed on her shoulder, as she used to, and instead of sullen resentment, Sierra felt relief. Queen would probably keep the others off her. Trust and comfort seemed to radiate from the fairy, softening Sierra’s heart. Queen had never responded that way before.

The queens had returned to the ceiling after the swarm. When they flew toward Sierra from their cave perches, Sierra’s queen zipped up and flashed back and forth in front of them so quickly she made Sierra dizzy. No queen tried to push past the flying barrier. Queen’s furious flight sent a steady, gentle breeze into Sierra’s face that cooled the sweat that had broken across her skin. Sierra’s eyes were huge as they followed her queen’s determined flight. Her fairy, the one who had actually stung her and was always so ready to pinch or bite, was defending her. The enormity of the change was almost too much to take in.

“Nell!” Corbin was crying. “Nell!”

Sierra and Micah moved deeper into the cave, and the shadowy forms in front of them resolved into recognizable shapes. Corbin leaned over the still body of Nell, whose arms were thrown wide, hand empty of her sword. Her hair spread across the ground like spilled paint, ghostly white in the darkness. Corbin held one limp hand and rocked back and forth on his knees as he knelt beside her. Tears dripped from his cheeks; his eyes were fastened to her face. Poignant was too weak a word. Sierra averted her eyes from his pain.

Micah gently set Sierra down and stood silently behind her. The force of Corbin’s grief demanded respect. She crawled to them and reached toward his shoulder to offer comfort.

“Don’t touch me!” he cried.

Tears stung Sierra’s eyes. Tiny streams of blood crisscrossed almost every exposed surface of Nell’s skin, dripping onto the cave floor. Tiny bite marks, tiny scratches… Nell had suffered while Sierra was dragged out of the worst of it. Her eyes flicked to Micah before returning to Nell. There was a sting mark on the side of her neck. The puncture was deep red, startling against the paleness of her skin. Even more startling, it was pulsing. Literally, her skin was jumping in time to a pulse.

Sierra shouted, “She’s alive!”

Corbin moaned, “No, she’s not breathing. She’s gone.”

Sierra pushed Corbin out of the way. Leaning forward, she pressed her lips to Nell’s. They were cold and dry, but Sierra cupped her hand around Nell’s jaw and pinched her nose. Sierra had seen Jack’s enforcers do that when they got too rough with someone. Healers believed that forcing life into someone was a desecration of a soul’s journey, but she didn’t care. Nell’s journey wasn’t over yet.

Sierra became Nell’s breath, blowing in and watching her chest rise. The air pushed back out when Sierra lifted her face for a moment.

Corbin started to object. “It’s too late,” he sobbed. “Leave her in peace!”

He grabbed Sierra’s shoulders, but she pushed him back. The rocky edges of pebbles pressed into her knees, but she ignored them and leaned forward again. She took a deep breath. The smell of honey filled her. She blew again into Nell’s mouth. Three times. Four. Sierra began to fear it wasn’t going to work, but then Nell gasped, a long inhalation that paused and then whooshed the air out. Nell drew the next breath on her own and continued to breathe, eyes closed, body still. But she was breathing.

Corbin heaved a sob of relief and gathered her in his arms.

“Thank you, Sierra,” he whispered as he gently carried Nell out of the cave. Sierra and Micah followed. A sense of triumph filled her. She felt powerful, unstoppable. She had her queen. They had all survived. Nell would live. Well, at least Sierra hoped so.

Corbin laid Nell on a bedroll outside, and they all knelt beside her in the snow on the far edge of the clearing, even though it meant leaving the green grass. Queen had gone back to her mushrooms without further thoughts intruding into Sierra’s.

Sierra held Nell’s right hand while Corbin held her left. Slowly, warmth seeped back to her fingers and blood returned to her cheeks, like a statue coming to life. Her eyes flashed open. The pale, icy blue was ringed by a blue deeper than the ocean. Sierra had never had a chance to notice before. Nell opened her mouth. Everyone smiled at her, encouragingly. Then she began to scream.

he fairy stings were still at work. Sierra’s ears practically bled from the force of Nell’s shrieks. Corbin’s chest heaved as he hyperventilated. His eyes were wild, hands hovering above the air.