Fairy Keeper (27 page)

Morning…
Queen whispered. The word was accompanied by a cheery feeling of welcome.

Sierra tried not to show a response in front of the others, but mentally replied,
To you as well.

Warm happiness flowed from Queen to Sierra. The strength of the emotion pushed back the chill of the morning. Okay, maybe this kind of communication wouldn’t be so bad after all. Maybe she’d ask the others about it when they were on the road. She felt strangely shy about discussing it.

A light snow had fallen during the night, hiding all the signs of struggle, covering over the red that stained the ground around Nell. Their journey home thus began on an optimistic note. Even more hopeful was the cloud of fairies flying above them, dipping and swirling like playful butterflies. Gone were the angry, dangerous fairies from before. They now seemed sated and pleased, in a cheery mood. Sierra didn’t know why they were with them, and Queen didn’t seem interested in sharing, if she knew. It was just as well that Nell hadn’t gained consciousness yet. Sierra doubted Nell would find the sight of the fairies so uplifting.

Corbin’s queen sat on his shoulder with a smile, though his mark hadn’t changed as Sierra’s had. Gazing at them, a sudden thought left Sierra thunderstruck
.
She wanted to groan. She couldn’t tell anyone she thought she heard Queen speak, at least not for now! Corbin was sad enough that he didn’t experience the visions and taste of nectar that guided them to the cave. If he knew Queen was actually
talking
to her, sharing emotions, and his queen Grace wasn’t… well. It would crush him, even if Queen had to bite, scratch, and sting her way into Sierra’s heart. Maybe that was the only way Queen could get in, she admitted. Still, she didn’t mind waiting to share. She didn’t really want to think too deeply about why it was she could hear and even feel Queen now.

Nell’s neck and hands were covered in scratches, and some bites had even torn through her shirt and jacket. The violence of the wounds was shocking. Still, her breath was slow and steady and her cheeks were pink in the cold morning air. Corbin and Micah carried her. Sierra brought Nell’s knives and bows and arrows, and Corbin wore the sword. Sierra hoped he didn’t fall on it.

They half-slid down the steep paths, sending gravel skittering down the trail. The snow thinned out to mere patches here and there as they returned to the denser forest. Sierra breathed a little easier now. The trees offered cover if they had to hide.

Micah had been very quiet. She wondered what he was thinking about, if he was mad at her for not wanting him to come with them. The last thing she had intended was to hurt his feelings. She sighed.

“So… I’ve heard there are griffins here,” Sierra said to him, in an awkward attempt at conversation.

He nodded. Corbin’s breath puffed from carrying Nell, but Micah looked as if he’d been reclining on a bed somewhere. He seemed completely comfortable hiking with bare feet and legs.

“Yes, and also nagas, manticores, trolls, and dragons, along with other creatures.”

“Dragons?” Sierra stumbled.

Corbin did, too, and Nell nearly hit the ground.

Micah waited while they both regained their footing and then continued, “Yes, though they are no longer as they were.”

Sierra narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you being vague on purpose?”

“They are quite rare now. I haven’t seen one since I was a child,” he offered.

She swore his eyes twinkled. They walked in silence before Sierra asked another question.

“How long were you… like that? Unable to talk?” Discomfort nipped at her, but she had wondered this in the back of her mind since he first spoke.

He lifted his haunted gaze to hers. “It was eight winters of silence for me, though I had grown weak and ill as a very young faun.” He shook his head. “I have forgotten many things, I think, but I am grateful to be healed from the loss of magic.”

“It sounds really horrible.”

“It was. I believe…” Here he paused, but then his voice gained in strength. “I believe many creatures are still suffering as I was. And I am sorry to say that keepers who hoard the nectar of their hatches contributed to this dilemma, in addition to those who came to these mountains to take the wild fairies captive.”

For a moment, Sierra almost couldn’t hear what he was trying to say. His voice was so musical, so lulling with such carefully chosen words. Then what he said came clear, and she recoiled as if he had struck her.

“I didn’t do this to you! I mean, I shot you, but I didn’t starve you.”

Corbin also protested, “I’ve loved my hatch from the beginning! Not all keepers abuse their charges.”

The phrase,
Unlike Sierra,
hovered unvoiced. He didn’t look at her as he spoke, but his statement hurt, so sharp it left numbness behind. She stared straight ahead, down the icy path.

“Not all keepers, no, I imagine not. But don’t humans take nectar from the fairies for many reasons, some even seen as noble?”

Corbin fell silent. Sierra didn’t answer, either. Too many things were flashing through her mind, first and foremost, Flight. But beyond that, medicines made from nectar were used throughout the continent as well. Guilt made anger spring up.

“What was I supposed to do? Let Jack beat me to death? Kill Phoebe? You don’t understand.” Her chest hurt. Her fairy flew down and brushed her cheek, sensing her distress, breathing peace into her.

Micah’s dark eyes were steady. “As I said, you are loyal. And the fairies are drawn to you―both of you”―his gaze moved to include Corbin―“because you were born able to share a special bond with them. They desire your companionship, not just your protection. They are such social creatures.”

As Micah said this, he waved at Sierra’s queen, who was fluttering above her head, doing silly dive bombs now and then. It was the kind of behavior that used to irritate Sierra but now seemed as charming as a toddler wanting to play chase. Queen meant no harm. She only wanted to cheer Sierra up. In fact, Queen loved her, through and through. Sierra felt it, steady as a heartbeat.

Queen sent love to her wordlessly, and it was delicious, like being offered cake. The depth of that love was almost tangible, a gift that could be held onto like a life-line. Queen had fought Sierra to stop the loss of the hatch’s nectar but had chosen her out of love in the first place. Wild fairies had chosen to be with humans from the beginning of humanity’s existence for this same reason.

This rich love hummed in the back of Sierra’s mind all the time now, impossible to ignore. She was coming to accept their new relationship, though it meant changing her entire view of fairies. But she still quietly resented the theft of her choice. Her whole life changed again. Queen didn’t ask. She had just bonded them, like the first time, only stronger. But that didn’t make taking her nectar okay.

Honesty was painful but necessary. “Corbin’s right. I stole from her and let Jack use her magic for evil. I stole from them for him, taking too much, and they kept making more. If that makes me a horrible person, so be it.” The words hurt to say out loud. What she said next was worse, but she had to be truthful. “I’d do it again, too. I’m sorry, but I’ve got to protect my sister.”

Queen became agitated at this statement, motions becoming faster and erratic. Her thoughts were a jumble, and Sierra couldn’t decide if Queen was upset about Phoebe’s possible fate or that Sierra valued her sister over the fairies. Sierra tried to send a thought to her queen. The fumbling attempt felt odd and embarrassing, like eating a meal with her feet. Thankfully no one knew but her.
I’m sorry, Queen
. And truly, she was. She didn’t sense anything in return, so she guessed she failed to communicate. Not surprising.

Sierra picked up her pace to build distance between her and the faun and Corbin. She decided she’d start referring to Micah as such in her head:
The faun
. It didn’t matter that he looked human―he was still a magical creature. He wasn’t Micah. He was only a barely-known faun who happened to look like a young god and act like a hero.

hen they stopped for lunch,
the faun
went foraging and returned with light pink berries. They tasted like the spun sugar they used to get once a year when the fair travelled down the coast, stopping at each port. He also had used Sierra’s fairy nets to carry back piles of dark green leaves, which didn’t look edible. But the two of them mixed together and baked over a small fire tasted delicious, the sourness of the greens balanced nicely by the sweet berries.

They had few slices of bread left, but Sierra passed them around. They needed strength to keep going. The cold sapped everyone’s energy, though she imagined the boys were kept warm by carrying Nell’s tall frame. They had icy water in their canteens, and Corbin dripped a few drops into Nell’s mouth. He mashed some of the berries in his palm and spread some along the inside of her lips. She licked the fruit and swallowed, all on her own. Corbin gave a hoot and offered her more. Her eyes fluttered open, and Nell finally looked around.

“What in the great green forest happened to you?” she said, taking in the scabs from bites and scratches covering Sierra and Corbin. Her voice sounded scratchy and rough from all the screams, but it was definitely Nell’s voice.

“You don’t remember?” Corbin’s voice was higher than usual.

Sierra let him take lead.

Nell slowly shook her head and raised her hand to her head. “Ooh,” she moaned. “I feel like I got kicked in the head.” She aimed a steely glare at Sierra. “Did you do this?”

Ah, she was back. Sierra had to smile, making Nell glower even harder.

“No, a bunch of fairies kicked your butt from here to the ocean.”

Her brow furrowed. She examined her hands, frowning at the visible scratches and bites.

“Was there… a cave?” Her voice dropped, as hesitant as it had ever been.

Corbin scooted closer and pillowed Nell’s head on his legs. Interestingly, Sierra wasn’t bothered at all.

“Yes, there was,” he answered.

When Nell’s gaze found
the faun
, she sputtered, “Whoa! What happened to
him
?”

Sierra knew exactly what she meant, but didn’t even know how she could explain and still ignore him. She accidentally met his eyes and felt a blush burn her cheeks. She had to be beet red. He smiled and raised his eyebrow at her reaction, clearly amused. Sierra was mortified.

Fortunately, Nell saw the queen sitting on Sierra’s shoulder and was immediately distracted. Nell tried to lurch to her feet. “It’s a fairy! You did it!”

She sounded shocked but genuinely pleased. Warmth that had nothing to do with the weak sunlight filtering through the pines filled Sierra’s heart.

“Yep, so we’re on our way home. Think you can walk?”

Corbin glanced at Sierra. She figured he wanted to know if they should tell Nell what she said, how she said it. Sierra gave a slight shake of her head. One thing at a time. Doubtful Nell would believe anything like that, especially coming from Sierra.

Nell gasped and shrank back when she saw the small army of fairies making lazy loops around them.

“I remember now!” she whispered. She froze, eyes wide.