The Amulet
(Custodian Novel #1)
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2009 by Alison Pensy
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the author.
Published by Laxsaro Publishing, Publishing on Smashwords / September 2009
ISBN:978-0-9825438-1-8
I would like to say a big thank you to the following people:
First and foremost to my soul mate, your unfailing love and support are beyond measure.
Andi and Mary Jo, who listened to my hare-brained ideas for stories, and still read the book.
To Marisa Wagner who edited this version for me. Thank you.
To all of my beta-readers, your feedback and support was invaluable.
Jen, your library of books helped tremendously. And last but not least to Jocelyn, who may just show me her wings one day.
CHAPTER ONE
This is no ordinary fairy-tale, but I shall start it just the same…
Once upon a time, eleven years ago to be precise, in a land, oh, just around the corner, lived a young girl called Faedra. Her mother and father doted on her, and at the tender age of just six years old, she considered herself to be the luckiest little girl alive. That was until her world, suddenly and without warning, came crashing down around her…
University Hospital, Norwich, England
Faedra sat in the cushioned hospital chair that was positioned in the hallway just outside the room her mother occupied. She could hear the voices inside the room behind the closed door. One of them she recognized. It was the voice of her father, sounding much more anxious than usual, talking with growing concern to whom she assumed was the doctor. The other voice sounded like it was trying to remain calm, but she could sense bewilderment was bubbling just below the surface.
Her father, Henry, had told her to sit for a moment while he talked to the doctor. She was trying hard to block out the voices by concentrating on her feet that were swinging nonchalantly below her, but try as she might, she could still hear every word they said.
“There must be something you can do?” Henry pleaded.
“I’m so terribly sorry, Mr. Bennett, but we have never seen anything like this before,” replied the doctor.
“Is there a cure?”
The doctor’s voice rang heavily with disappointment. “I wish I could tell you there was, but we have tried everything we know and her organs are still shutting down.”
“Well, try something else!” Henry raised his voice in frustration. “I can’t lose my wife, I just… can’t.” His voice cracked.
“Henry?” Faedra’s mother, Lillith whispered.
“I woke you sweetheart, I’m sorry. What do you need?”
“Don’t be angry with the doctors, Henry. It’s not their fault.”
“But there has to be something more they can do…” he broke off.
“Henry,” she paused. “I need to see Faedra.”
Faedra’s head snapped to attention at the mention of her name and her feet grew still. She wanted to jump off the chair and run to her mother’s side that instant, but knew that she should not have been listening to them in the first place. So she waited patiently until she was called. After what seemed like an eternity in Faedra’s undeveloped mind, the door clicked open and her father stood in front of her and forced a smile.
She looked up at her father and examined his features. The kind brown eyes that she loved so much looked back at her in agony. She could read the pain on his face even though she knew he was trying so very hard to hide it from her. At that moment she realized, with much sadness, that her mother was not going to be with them for very much longer.
Her father was tall, standing before her and he looked tired, exhausted, in fact. His dark blonde hair looked unkempt, and his usually clean-shaven profile was half covered in a dark fuzzy overgrowth. Henry hadn’t thought shaving was important since Lillith had fallen ill. He held out his hand for her.
“Mummy is asking for you, Princess.”
Faedra took hold of her father’s offered hand and slid herself down off the chair. His hand felt shaky, something she had not experienced whilst holding her daddy’s hand before. It was always so strong, so sure. A sinking feeling grew in Faedra’s stomach, and her heart started to quicken. She stuck closely to her father’s side as he walked her into her mother’s hospital room.
Lillith lay motionless in the big mechanical bed that was tilted up at the back enabling her to sit up. Faedra glanced at all the different kinds of monitors, wires, and tubes that were hooked up to her mother. She then focused on her mother’s face to try and escape the fear those things were instilling in her. As she reached the bed, Lillith held out her hand and Faedra took it as her father simultaneously dropped the hand he was holding.
“Faedra, my darling girl,” Lillith cooed. “Now you need to be strong for Mummy and Daddy, okay?”
“Okay, Mummy,” Faedra whispered.
“I have something for you,” she looked up at her husband. “Henry, could you please pass me that bag?” She pointed to a small gift bag sitting on the table across the room.
“Now, this is a very special gift and you must promise me that you will treasure it always,” she told Faedra as she handed her the bag.
Faedra’s little hands could not open the box inside the bag quick enough, but after a few moments, she had pulled the wrapper off and lifted the gift from its box with care. Her eyes grew wide with wonder as she stared at her present.
It was a figurine, standing about eight inches tall. A beautiful fairy was sitting atop a majestic black horse. The fairy had long, red hair and silver wings flecked with emerald green that stretched proudly out behind her. She was wearing a blue skirt from which tiny bells hung. The horse was black as midnight and regal in stature. It had a long thick mane and tail both adorned with silver stars.
“Oh, Mummy, she’s so pretty. What is her name?”
“Her name is Arianne. I know how much you love horses and you know how much I love fairies, so I thought this gift was perfect. It will always remind you of me. You’ll keep her safe for me, won’t you?”
“I promise, Mummy. I will look after her always.”
Lillith bent forward to kiss her daughter on the forehead. Tears welled up in her eyes. She looked up at her husband and mouthed for him to take Faedra away. At that moment, Henry knew he was losing his wife. He swallowed hard, biting back the tears that were searing behind his eyes as he took hold of his daughter’s hand once more.
“Mummy needs to sleep now, darling,” Lillith whispered, knowing it would be the last time she saw her daughter.
“Okay, Mummy. I love you.”
“I love you, too, darling. Forever and ever.”
Court of the Light Fae, The Land of Azran
The Guardian strode with purpose through the magnificent double oak doors that led him into the Great Hall of the king who reigned over the Light Fae in the Land of Azran. The sword that hung from his waist swung with grace from side to side with the momentum of his footsteps. He ran a hand through his sleek blonde hair and looked around.
This hall never ceases to make me feel humble, he thought.
The ceiling towered many stories above him, held up on either side by imposing stone pillars. The pillars were intricately carved with the figures of various royalty and nobility that had ruled this land throughout the ages. Stained glass windows that stretched from half way up the walls to high above depicted many scenes of nature from several different realms, including The World of Men. The reason for those scenes was because the fae controlled nature. In fact, it was their responsibility to make sure that nature in all realms continued to thrive and to sustain the inhabitants within them.
His eyes were diverted to the floating chandeliers that lit the hall from above. The chandeliers followed the movements of whoever occupied the cavernous room, lighting the way for that person, or persons, wherever they should be within its walls. The candles flickering behind the crystals, created dancing sparkles along the walls and the floor.
The Guardian smiled at the fae magic of the light that showered him from above and then brought his focus back to the unpleasant task at hand. He stepped up his pace for the remainder of the way down the long stone floor leading up to the throne where the king was seated.
The king, usually so stoic in his demeanor, sat fidgeting with his robes as he waited impatiently for the Guardian to reach him. Coming to a halt at the foot of the steps upon which the thrones sat, the Guardian got down on one knee and bowed his head.
“Is it true?” the king questioned abruptly.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the Guardian replied, rising when the king requested he do so with a gesture of his hand. He watched as the king’s eyes filled with sadness.
“When?”
“Not more than one hour prior, Your Majesty.”
“And the amulet?”
“Lillith passed the amulet to Faedra before she died, Your Majesty.”
“The child is but six years of age,” the king stated with concern.
The Guardian could see the king’s face tense with worry and attempted to calm him.
“Sire, she is the next legitimate Custodian. Lillith hid it within the figurine of a fairy.”
“Did she, indeed?” the king smiled. “I did always admire her resourcefulness.”
“Yes, Sire.”
“Do you have any further information regarding why Lillith was on her way to see me when she was intercepted?”
The Guardian hung his head. He was assigned as Lillith’s guardian, but she had sent him on an errand. The next thing he knew, redcaps had attacked her on her way to the portal, and he had reached her too late.
“No, Your Majesty. Nothing new has presented itself thus far.”
“You know what you must do now.” It was more of a statement than a question.
The Guardian’s eyes shone with confusion as he looked at the king.
“But, Your Majesty, I have failed both you and Lillith.”
“Guardian, you are young. This was your first assignment in the World of Men. I paired you with Lillith because she had much to teach you, not the other way around. I have confidence that you have learned from this unfortunate turn of events and will not let it happen again. Make sure you do not fail little Faedra; she has much to learn. It will be a while before we have to cross that bridge. Her mother should have been the one to teach her. That task, young Guardian, now lies in your hands. Do not let me down.”
“No, Sire. Thank you, Sire.” He bowed his head and the king nodded his acknowledgment.
The Bennett Cottage, Spixworth, England
Faedra sat on the swing in the back garden, watching everyone coming and going from her vantage point. Friends and relatives she recognized, and others she didn’t. It seemed like an endless stream to her. They were all dressed in similar clothing. Everyone wore black, and they looked like flies buzzing in and out of her home.
It was the afternoon, and her father was holding a wake for everyone who had attended the funeral earlier that day. She had watched in tears as her mother was buried that very morning at the local village church. Then the procession made its way back to her house, where people had been milling about ever since. Some of them were crying. Others looked saddened. To Faedra, the whole thing seemed like a blur. She couldn’t quite understand why her mother wasn’t coming back. Her father had told her she’d gone up to heaven to be with the angels, but that didn’t make sense to her either. Why would Mummy rather be in heaven with the angels instead of here with the people she loved?
She watched, almost hypnotically, as a well-meaning relative wandered over to where she was sitting on her swing. It was a warm summer’s day and the sun shone in a cloudless blue sky. Birds were taking a bath in the little birdbath her mother had lovingly erected at some point in the past. She stared at the birds for a moment remembering all the times she had sat with her mother and watched as they splashed around in the water. Her mother loved the birds. In fact, her mother loved all of nature and had passed that love down to Faedra.
“Hi, Faedra,” Uncle Leo announced as he approached the swing.
She turned her attention to him for a moment. Uncle Leo was her father’s brother and her favorite uncle. He didn’t look that dissimilar from her father, especially, as they were both wearing a black suit that day, although he was a couple of years younger. He also had kind eyes, a warm hazel-brown, and tousled dark blonde hair. He was not quite as tall as her father, but about the same build. He kneeled down in front of her and took hold of her hands.
“Hey, Uncle Leo,” she said quietly.
“What are you doing out here all by yourself?”
“I’m watching the birds in Mummy’s birdbath, see,” she pointed towards the birds still splashing water over their backs with their wings. “They love Mummy’s birdbath. Mummy and I used to sit and watch the birds for ages.” Her voice cracked as the truth was starting to sink in that she would never again sit with her mother to watch the birds.
“She’s not ever coming back, is she?”
“No, darling, I’m afraid she’s not.”
Big fat tears started to escape from Faedra’s eyes and rolled down her cheeks to splash on her dress.
“Why not? Why does she want to be in heaven with the angels? Doesn’t Mummy know we love her more?”
Leo wrapped his arms around his little niece, using all his self-control to fight the tears that were welling up in his eyes, also. He had loved Lillith like his very own sister and was desperately sad to have lost her, too, but even more so, to see the pain that his brother and niece were now suffering at their loss.
“It’s not fair, Uncle Leo,” Faedra cried. “I want her back.”
“I know, sweetheart. We all do, but we have to be strong now.”
Leo held onto his sobbing niece, smoothing her hair with his hand.
I would never have imagined in a million years how hard this moment would be, he thought.
He had no words to take Faedra’s pain away. Nothing he could say would comfort the little girl he loved so much, so he just held her for several minutes and let her sob into his shoulder.
“Leo,” Henry called from the back door, “I need your help in here for a moment.”
“I’ll be there in a minute, Henry,” Leo called back.
Leo pulled back from Faedra, gently loosening her grip, and looked into the reddened, tear soaked eyes of his little niece.
“Your daddy needs me, Faedra, I’ll be back in just a minute, okay?”
“Okay,” she sniffed. “Uncle Leo?”
“Yes.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too, darling.”
Leo planted a kiss on her forehead and straightened himself up. Faedra watched as he turned and headed towards the house before she returned her attention to the birdbath once again. A moment passed, and the birdbath became blurry behind the tears that began to well up in her eyes and roll down her cheeks. She wasn’t sure at this point if she would ever be able to stop them. Something cold and wet touching her hand distracted her. It made her jump and she pulled her hand away sharply. She wiped the tears from her eyes with the heel of her hands so she could see with more clarity what she had just felt.
When Faedra looked down, two molten amber eyes greeted her. This time their owner was not human. In fact, they belonged to a big white dog that was sitting in front of her. She looked around perplexed to see if she could see to whom the dog belonged. There was no one around, other than the people in the house, and she doubted that any of them would have brought a dog to a funeral.
Her home was a very old English country cottage located in the heart of Norfolk. You had to drive down a tiny country lane and then onto an even narrower long, dirt driveway to get to it. It wasn’t the type of place you went without a purpose. Fields on three sides and a thick stand of trees at the back with a little stream meandering its way through it, surrounded the cottage. No wonder her mother loved it here. You couldn’t be much closer to nature if you tried. Maybe the dog had come from the woods at the back, she was certain she hadn’t seen him coming from any other direction, not that she had been paying that much attention.
“Hey, boy,” she said, stroking the dog on the top of its head. “Where did you come from?”
The dog whimpered and laid his head on her knee, not once taking his eyes from hers. She was overcome by an overwhelming sense of comfort as she stared into its soft amber eyes. It was almost as if he could sense that she was in pain and wanted very much to take that pain away from her. Even as the thought entered her mind, the dog sat upright again and licked the tears from her face. She responded by throwing her arms around him and burying her face in his soft white fur. She wasn’t quite sure how long she’d been hugging the dog until she heard a familiar voice.
“Faedra?”
She reluctantly pulled away from the dog and looked up into the worried eyes of her father.
“Yes, Daddy?”
Her father ran his hand through his hair and looked at his daughter. He was overwhelmed by how she looked like a miniature version of her mother. Every time he looked at her, he could see Lillith. The same beautiful, bright blue eyes with dark lashes that went on forever, and thick curly red hair that tumbled half way down her back. He felt blessed to have the two most beautiful women in his life. He missed Faedra’s mother with an ache so fierce he thought his heart would shrivel up and die. But was thankful he still had his beautiful daughter and vowed to do his very best to keep her safe.
“Where did he come from?” he asked, looking at the great white dog standing next to his daughter in a way Henry could swear was protective.
“I don’t know, Daddy. He just turned up. Isn’t he beautiful?”
“Yes, he certainly is. He looks like a Great White Pyrenees.”
Henry checked his thoughts. Usually he would have been very unnerved seeing a dog the same size as his daughter in such a close proximity to her, but, like Faedra, all he felt was a sense of comfort.
“Can I keep him, Daddy?”
Henry’s eyebrows shot up. He wasn’t expecting that question.
“Well…” he paused.
“Please, Daddy.”
Henry knew the moment he looked into his daughter’s pleading eyes that he was defeated. He also knew the dog could not replace her mother, but, if this dog could give her just one ounce of comfort, then it would be a welcome addition to their family. Right at that moment, gazing deep into his little girl’s eyes that were so full of pain, he would have given her anything to ease it.
“Okay, you can keep him.”
“Oh, thank you, Daddy! Do you hear that boy? You can stay with me!”
Henry watched the dog wag its tail as Faedra threw her arms around him and, again, bury her face in his fur.
“What are you going to call him?” Henry asked.
“Faen,” she declared without missing a beat. The dog’s ear pricked up. He pulled away to look at her, and Faedra thought she saw the dog smile, if it were possible for dogs to smile. She didn’t know, but she didn’t linger on the thought, and wrapped her arms around the giant dog’s neck once more.
“That’s an unusual name.”
“I know, but it suits him, doesn’t it?” she said looking proud of herself.
“Whatever you say, darling. But if you keep him, then you are responsible for taking him for walks and cleaning up after him.”
“I will, Daddy. I promise.” She released Faen from her grip. “Come on, Faen, I’ll show you my room. That’s where you’re going to sleep from now on.”
Henry watched as Faedra lowered herself off the swing and wandered towards the house, followed closely by Faen wagging his enormous shaggy tail. Henry scratched his head at the sight.
Present Day
Faedra pulled down the indicator lever on the steering wheel to signal she was turning left. The soft tick-tick noise it made instilled a sense of relief in her as she turned onto the driveway that led to the cottage. She was home, and tomorrow was Saturday. She only made it half way down the driveway before her shaggy white dog came bounding up towards the car to greet her.
She stopped her car and she smiled at him, rolling her window down as he placed his giant front paws on the car door and leaned his head in to plant a lolloping wet kiss on her cheek. She laughed as she grabbed a thick handful of fur on either side of his head and leaned her cheek against the side of his face. This had become their daily ritual since Faedra had started driving and gotten herself a job. She’d taken a year off before she started college so she could get a job and save some money. College didn’t come cheap these days. Her father had offered to pay, but she didn’t want him to shoulder all of the cost on his own.
“Hey, boy. Yes, I love you, too,” she responded to another sloppy kiss.
She leaned over to the back door and pushed it open from the inside.
“In you get,” she told him.
Faen wagged his tail voraciously and did as Faedra asked. She pulled the door closed and carried on down the driveway towards the cottage while Faen panted his hot breath in her ear. Upon turning a sharp bend in the driveway, the cottage came into view. She never tired of its beauty, or the warm feeling it gave her just to look at it. The cottage was many hundreds of years old and had been handed down through the family for generations. Her dad had completed many restorative projects on it since her mother inherited it before Faedra was born. This, in itself, was a sad thing because that meant she had never known her grandparents. They both died in a car accident before she was born. After living with the pain of loosing her own mother, Faedra felt full sympathy for what her mother must have gone through, losing both her parents in one fell swoop. Although, her mother had been much older than Faedra when it happened to her. She was already married to her father, Henry, and pregnant with Faedra.
The cottage had cream walls with an array of black oak beams that were exposed both on the outside and on the inside. A beautiful climbing rose crept up the wall on a trellis and was in full bloom, exhibiting an abundance of bright sunny yellow petals. Her mother had planted it the year Faedra was born. She had watched her father carefully tend the plant ever since.
Her father had also added a few more rooms on the back of the cottage, making it twice the size of the original dwelling. The living room, dining room, and two of the upstairs bedrooms were original and they were Faedra’s favorite rooms. You almost had to duck when you walked into the living room, the ceilings were so low. People had been much smaller in stature when the cottage was first built. But the living room was a complete contrast to the dining room that Faedra had lovingly named ‘The Great Hall’.
The dining room was a cavernous room with an imposing brick fireplace at one end. A ceiling that towered two stories high was handsomely finished with exposed black oak beams running parallel to each other for the length of it. A staircase ran up one side of the room to a door at the top that led to her bedroom. She made sure she kept the front bedroom for herself, even after her father had finished a beautiful new room for her towards the back of the house. She had resisted, and with sensitivity, declined. There was something about the history in the old section of the house that she didn’t want to be parted from.
Faedra pulled her car in beside her father’s. He worked from home; he had ever since her mother died. For that, she felt blessed. His job enabled him to stay at home so she did not have to be shipped off to a childcare provider every day. This turn of events had also made them very close. She loved her father with all her heart, and he felt the same about her. She smiled when she saw the other car parked next to her father’s. It belonged to her uncle Leo. He’d been an integral part of her upbringing, too, and she always enjoyed seeing him when he came around to visit.
She opened the door to let Faen out and reached in to grab her bag that had been thrown precariously on the back seat when she left work earlier. Faen waited by her side until she closed the door. He looked up at her and wagged his tail.
“Thank God that week is finished with,” she told him. “I’m not sure I could’ve taken much more of Mr. Thompson. I honestly don’t know why he’s got it in for me.”
Faen barked, as if agreeing with her.
“You know, boy, sometimes I could swear you understand every word I say.”
She walked the few steps it took to reach the front door, kicked off her shoes inside the front porch, and lifted up the old-fashioned, black wrought iron latch on the door that led into the living room. The latch made its familiar chinking sound, a sound full of history and memories. It must have been lifted many thousands of times over its history, sometimes to welcome people in, and sometimes to bid them farewell. The memories it held seemingly endless. The quickening of a heartbeat when someone, patiently awaiting a loved one to return home, heard the latch chink. The relief, when an unwelcome or irritating visitor exited. Faedra’s memories of walking through this door had always been happy ones, except for one solitary entrance, the day her mother died. She knew it would never welcome her mum home again. She let out a sigh.
As she swung the door open, she felt the need to duck, even though the ceiling was at least a foot taller than she was. She looked around the cozy living room. There was a fireplace, also. Actually, there was a fireplace in all the original rooms of the cottage, as back in the day, that was the only way to heat the house. She listened for signs of life and could hear voices coming from the kitchen.
“Come on, boy. They’re in the kitchen.”
She closed the living room door and wandered through to the contrastingly spacious dining room. The kitchen was located on the other side. Faen followed at her heels. He very rarely let her out of his sight when she was home.
“Hi, guys,” she called as she reached the kitchen.
Her dad, uncle, and her uncle’s wife, Nicki, were all seated around the kitchen table, situated in the center of the room. They had their hands wrapped around cups of tea, and a plate of cookies sat in the center of the table. Faedra strode over to where her dad was sitting, and planted a kiss on his forehead then leaned past him to grab a cookie.
“Hey, Dad.”
“Hello, darling. How was your day?”
“Oh, you know, the usual.”
“Mr. Thompson still treating you badly?”
“I don’t know why you put up with his crap, Faedra,” Uncle Leo chimed in, “I would have told him where to stick his job a long time ago.”
“Thanks, Uncle Leo, but I need the money and it’s not for much longer, I’ll be starting college soon.” Faedra made her way around the table to where her uncle sat, and leaned over to wrap her arms around his neck. “I’ll survive, I promise,” she smiled her cheeky grin at him and planted a kiss on his cheek.
“Well, you have the patience of a saint, that’s all I can say,” Leo continued.
“Hey, Nicki, what are you doing this weekend?” Faedra asked, quickly changing the subject of her dire working arrangements.
Her uncle had met Nicki not long after her mother had died and Faedra had taken to her straight away. Although Nicki was a good ten years older than herself, she had treated Faedra like a sister and taken her under her wing. She was happy that her uncle had found such a wonderful person and wished that her Dad would do the same. It had been nearly twelve years since that fateful day, and her Dad had never been interested in meeting anyone else even after all these years. She worried all the time that he would be so alone when eventually the inevitable happened and she moved out.
“We are attempting to take your Dad out on the boat tomorrow, get him out of this house for a change,” Nicki replied.
Faedra watched as her father raised his eyes heavenward. She knew her uncle had been trying to get him out to meet new people, mainly of the female variety, for a while. She sympathized with her dad after he had confided in her that he felt like a prize bull being paraded around a judging ring.
“That sounds like fun, Dad. I’d go with you if I didn’t already have plans. I was going to invite Nicki to come with us to Strawberry Fair tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Fae, but you’re already taking Amy and Zoë, and Faen, no doubt. It would have been just a little squashed in the back of your car.”
She had a point, Faen let out a little whine.
“Don’t worry, you’re still coming,” Faedra told him, and he wagged his tail.
Since he had turned up that day of the funeral, they were virtually inseparable apart from when social decorum dictated. He could not go with her to school or to work, but waited patiently each day until she came home, and then didn’t leave her side until the next morning.
“It’s a good thing Zoë loves you almost as much as I do,” she told him kneeling down to rub his velvety soft ears. “You can ride in the back with her, she’ll love that.” She turned to her family. “Well, excuse me, everyone, I’m going to get changed and run out to the barn. It’s a beautiful evening for a ride.”
“Hey, young lady,” her dad called as she was headed in the direction of her bedroom. “You still haven’t told me what you want to do for your eighteenth birthday. It’s just around the corner, or have you forgotten?” There was a hint of sarcasm in his tone.
Faedra raised her eyes at Faen, who was looking at her excitedly.
“Dad, I’ve already told you, I would like a small dinner here with you guys, Amy and Zoë, and I will be in seventh heaven. So don’t go planning anything big for me, will you, I don’t want any fuss. Promise?”
Her father let out a sigh. He would love to give his little girl a big birthday bash, but knew she wouldn’t enjoy it. He had to be satisfied with a small, family and friends get together instead.
“Okay, Darling, I promise.” his voice was laced with disappointment.
CHAPTER TWO
Faedra sprinted up the stairs to her bedroom, followed, as usual, by her faithful friend. She drew up the latch on the door, which was also of the original old wrought iron variety, and entered her room. Throwing her bag clumsily on the bed, its contents fanned themselves out all over the comforter because the clasp was not closed securely enough. She gave the mess a look of nonchalance and shrugged her shoulders. It was the weekend and she didn’t care, it could be tidied up later.
Her room was spacious and located above the living room, but unlike the room below hers, this one had tall vaulted ceilings. Another fireplace stood on the same wall as the door. She assumed it connected to the imposing fireplace in the dining room below. The walls were painted in a muted yellow and the windows were dressed with floral drapes that looked completely at home in the old cottage. On the opposite wall to the fireplace, stood her dresser with a beautiful antique vanity mirror and an array of toiletries and cosmetics. The type that adorned most of the dressers owned by seventeen year old girls. On the other side of the window was a desk. It was more modern and looked very out of place in her quaint bedroom. A beautiful heirloom doll’s house stood on its own platform opposite her bed. Her mother had given it to her when she was a child and had told her the story behind it. She had treasured it ever since. Her grandfather had built it with love for her grandmother, who passed it to her mother when she was a child. Her grandfather also made all of the furniture inside the house. She often stared in awe at the intricate detail of the tiny pieces, wondering how two big human hands could have created such delicate objects. There was an old wicker chair next to the doll’s house with a fleecy pale green bathrobe draped over it.
On the wall next to the fireplace there was a small built-in closet that she had renovated, adding a glass door and shelving, to be a showcase for her spectacular collections of fairies. Her favorite, Arianne, taking center stage. She’d been collecting them ever since her mother had given her the beautiful figurine of a fairy on a stunning black horse, the day she died.
“You don’t think I’m being mean, not letting Dad throw me a big birthday bash do you, boy?” she asked Faen as she opened the door to her collection, reaching in and carefully picking up the figurine of Arianne. “But it’s just too close to Mum’s anniversary and I can’t bring myself to celebrate when it’s that close.”
Faedra never felt compelled to celebrate her birthday at all, as it fell just a few days after the anniversary of her mother’s death. Faen leaned up against her leg and let out a small whine. She admired the figurine for a moment with sadness. It was the most beautiful fairy she possessed, but it was linked to the saddest memory she possessed, also.
“Ouch, here it goes again,” she winced, and replaced the fairy in her showcase and looked at her palms. “I wish I knew why they did that,” she stated, blowing on the palms of her hands in an effort to cool them.
For the past few weeks the palms of Faedra’s hands had intermittently seared with a burning sensation, but there was never a rash or any redness. She couldn’t understand what was causing it. She was starting to get concerned about it as the intensity and frequency was increasing. She made a mental note to go and see a doctor; though, she wasn’t sure what he would say when there was no visible sign that anything was amiss.
“He’d probably just think I was crazy,” she thought out loud.
Faen barked, distracting Faedra from her reverie.
“Okay, okay, I’ll get ready, just hold your horses.” She smiled at him. She knew he loved going to the horse barn with her and jogging alongside when she took her horse out on a trail ride.
She opened up her clothing closet on the other side of the fireplace, and pulled out her jodhpurs and a t-shirt, then discarded her work clothes to join the disarray already building on her bed. She wiggled into her jodhpurs - it was a good thing she was slim, as they didn’t leave any room for expansion - pulled on her t-shirt, and wandered over to the dresser. She scooped up the mass of curly red hair that was tumbling down her back and tied it in a ponytail at the nape of her neck then turned and headed for the door.
“Come on, boy. Let’s go.”
She popped her head in the kitchen doorway on her way out.
“Be back later, Dad. Bye, Uncle Leo. Bye, Nicki, see you soon.”
Choruses of have fun and ride carefully resonated from the table, but she had already turned and was heading for the front door.
“Love you guys.” she called over her shoulder as she exited into the living room.
Once inside the porch, she pulled on her riding boots and marched out the front door. Faedra wandered round to the right where the climbing rose bush was blooming in all its glory against the front wall of the cottage. She carefully picked one stem with a bud that was just about to open, then strode over to the car, opening the back door for Faen first, who jumped in wagging his tail. She got in and laid the rose with care on the passenger seat as if it was the most delicate thing she had ever handled.
Her horse was stabled at a barn just a short drive away on the other side of the village. It only took a few minutes to get there by car; before she could drive, she had ridden her bicycle there come rain or shine. The boarding stables were another of her favorite places, not only because it was home to her horse, but because it, too, was a historic building. It used to be an old farm and the section that housed the stables dated back to when they had to pull the plough by draft horses. The stables lay abandoned for the longest time until the owner decided to retire from the farming business and renovated them to rent out. The buildings were full of character. Faedra often found herself imagining what it must have been like to see the heads of all those big draft horses leaning over the stall doors, before the advent of tractors had made them all redundant.
She pulled into the small car park that was set aside for the boarders, picked up the rose from the passenger seat and hopped out of the car, opening the door for Faen so he could join her. She took a deep breath and looked across the road to where the village church stood proudly amongst the headstones that were dotted about all over the church grounds. The vicar once told her that the original part of the church was built in 1160. That was old by anyone’s standards, and the two bells that hung in the square bell tower were thought to be the oldest in England. One of them was from 1350 and the other from the fifteenth century. It never ceased to amaze her that something that old could still be standing.
“Come on, let’s go say hi to Mum,” she said to Faen and looked both ways down the narrow country lane before crossing.
She wandered up the little path that led to the church. Upon reaching the door she veered off to the right and followed the path that led behind it. There, spread out before her, was the main part of the graveyard, the section where her mother had been laid to rest nearly twelve years prior.
An odd sensation washed over her and she snapped her head to the left in the direction that it came from. This had been happening more frequently on her recent visits to the churchyard. Yet again, there was nothing there except the familiar figure of a black and white border collie, who upon seeing Faedra, came bounding over wagging her tail so vigorously her whole body wiggled in synchronization with it. She assumed the dog belonged to the vicar, but had never seen them together. When the dog reached Faedra, she sat down in front of her, looked up and gave her a definitive smile. The first time she had done this, Faedra thought she was baring her teeth in a vicious way and had been quite unnerved. But it became apparent that the dog was ‘smiling’, and it was the funniest thing she had ever seen. When the dog ‘smiled’ she also squinted her eyes in an ‘I know something you don’t know’ fashion.
Faen growled faintly at the other dog as he always did, and, in response, the collie rubbed her head under Faen’s chin just as she always did.
“Be nice, Faen, I think she likes you,” Faedra giggled. If a dog could go “urmph”, she swore Faen would have. The look of dejection on his face was priceless. It was as if he were an older sibling being forced to play with a younger brother or sister.
She bent down to pat the friendly hound, and when she was finished, the dog got up and trotted back to where she always sat, in front of the northwest corner of the church. Faedra stepped off the path onto the manicured grass and meandered her way through the headstones until she reached her mother’s.
“Hi, Mum,” she said, placing the rose she had picked earlier on top of the stone, replacing the one from a few days before that was now shriveled and dry.
“Just thought I’d pop by and say hello before I take Gypsy out for a ride.”
“Good evening, Faedra.” A voice called from behind her. She turned.
“Oh, hello, Vicar. How are you this evening?”
“Very well thank you, my dear. I see you are off for a ride this fine day,” he replied, taking note of Faedra’s clothing.
“Sure am. It’s a beautiful evening for it.”
“Well, you have fun, my dear,” he said before heading towards the vicarage.
“Excuse me, Vicar,” Faedra called out after him.
“Yes, dear?”
“Does that black and white dog belong to you?”
“Which black and white dog, dear?”
“That one…” Faedra’s voice trailed off as she noticed the empty space in the direction she was pointing. “The black and white collie that always sits over there.”
“Can’t say I’ve ever noticed one. Must be a stray; we don’t have a dog.”
“Oh, never mind then,” she said, drawing her eyebrows together as she watched the vicar walk out of sight. She looked over to where she had just pointed, and, sure enough, the dog was sitting there again like she’d never left.
“Hmm, that’s odd,” she said, looking down at Faen and shaking her head. “Come on, let’s go get Gypsy tacked up. Bye, Mum, I’ll be back soon.” She kissed her fingertips and pressed them against the headstone, letting them linger for a moment, before turning toward the path and heading back in the direction of the horse barn.
When she walked back over to the barn, she noticed her friend getting out of a car and wandered over to greet her.
“Hi, Lisa, going out for a ride tonight?” she asked.
“Haven’t made my mind up yet. Which trail are you thinking of taking?”
“I thought I would go through the woods; it’s warm and the shade would keep us cool.”
“Nah, then I’ll have to say no, Fae. Those woods give me the creeps,” Lisa replied with a shudder.
“They do? Why?”
“I can’t explain it. I just get a weird feeling in there, freaks me out.”
Faedra raised her eyebrows at Lisa’s descriptive distaste for the woods, but that wouldn’t deter her. She had always loved riding through the woods and never felt anything weird, must be Lisa’s overactive imagination.
“Okay, no worries. We’ll catch up for a ride somewhere else another time then?” Faedra said as she made off in the direction of the paddocks.
“Sure thing, Fae. Catch you later,” Lisa was already across the car park and heading toward the stables.
Gypsy was grazing at the far end of the field when Faedra and Faen reached the gate to her paddock.
“Gypsy!” Faedra called. “Come here, girl!”
Gypsy’s head popped up and looked in Faedra’s direction. It was obvious she recognized her voice. Her horse turned and started to walk toward the gate, then the walk turned to a trot, which turned to a canter, until the thunder of her hooves could be heard on the ground. Faedra grinned. She loved that sound. It was a sound she always associated with a feeling of freedom. That’s just how she felt when she was on Gypsy’s back going that speed. The wind in her face, the thunder of hooves below her, and the countryside zipping past in a blur as they flew like the wind along the trails.
Gypsy was a striking beauty in Faedra’s book. Her coloring was classed as blue roan, she had a black coat with white flecks all the way through it that gave her a bluish tinge from a distance. She had a black mane and tail, and a white blaze down the length of her face that had an odd crescent shape to it just below her ears. Three of her legs had white socks that went almost up to her knees and one back leg had just an ‘ankle sock’. Gypsy slowed as she neared the gate and walked calmly until she was standing just before it. Faedra leaned over the gate and held out a treat for her. Gypsy nuzzled the palm of her hand, gently picking the treat from it.
“Hi, girl,” Faedra whispered, rubbing her hand down Gypsy’s face. “Ready to go for a ride?”
She climbed up and over the gate and reached up to put the halter over Gypsy’s head. When the halter was fastened, she unbolted the gate and led Gypsy through. Once they reached the stables, Faedra tied her to the ring on the wall just next to her stall and proceeded to groom her. She paid special attention to getting the knots out of her mane and tail. It didn’t take long after that before Gypsy was saddled up and ready to go.
Faedra put on her helmet, mounted her horse, and rode out of the yard towards the trailhead, Faen keeping pace behind them. She would have to ride a few yards down the road to reach the entrance to the trail that was on the opposite side of the lane to the barn. The farmer had opened up all of his land to the riders after renovating the stables. He’d created several trails that went off in different directions. Faedra’s favorite was the one that followed a stream and then led into and through a thick stand of trees.
The sun was starting to dip in the sultry evening sky; yet another reason she loved the woods. Her ride started out heading towards the sun. The woods made a handy shade so that she didn’t get blinded when the sun dropped to eye level as it was setting. She considered its position in the sky and made a mental note that she had about an hour of riding left before it got too dark. Although Gypsy was very adept at finding her way in the dark, she knew her father would worry and didn’t like to give him any reason to.
She always let Gypsy warm up first by walking her for a while. Faedra drifted off into a daydream as she watched the sparkles of light dance in the water of the gently flowing stream to her right. When she was ready, Faedra squeezed her calves and made a soft ticking noise with her mouth to ask her horse to move forward into a trot, which Gypsy did quite willingly. The sun was getting brighter by the minute and Faedra was relieved that the opening to the woods was just up ahead.
“Okay, girl, slow it down,” she asked, and with a squeeze of her hands on the reins Gypsy responded by coming down into a walk again.
They were at the mouth of the woods and Faedra wanted both of them to adjust their eyes to the decreased light before increasing their speed. She was glad she slowed them down, because as soon as they entered the trees, Faedra, at least, was blinded for a moment while her eyes adjusted to the darker surroundings, but she put her trust in her horse to keep on the path until she could see clearly again.
The chinks of light from the sun poked their way through the foliage, creating shards of illuminated, see-through swords, which rained down from high in the branches to the ground below. As they rode through them, the shards were distorted, contouring around their bodies. Faedra squeezed Gypsy’s sides to push her up into a trot again; she enjoyed picking up the pace in the woods. After a few strides in trot, she asked for canter and looked round to check and make sure Faen was keeping up. He was right there on Gypsy’s tail, and hardly even panting.
Faedra wondered when Faen was going to start showing his age. He must be nearly thirteen years old by now because he was full-grown when she had found him, or rather he had found her, and that was getting old for a dog. Yet, he still kept up with Gypsy and didn’t show any signs of slowing down. She looked forward again, not having to worry about guiding her horse through the trail that led through the woods. They had cantered down this path so many times before, but she enjoyed watching the trees fly past. Faedra thought they must have been half way through by now.
In a split second, everything changed. Gypsy came screeching to a halt, throwing Faedra forward and forcing a plume of dust up from the trail. Faedra caught hold of her horse’s neck and clung on for dear life until she managed to regain her balance. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she sat up straight in the saddle and repositioned her feet in the stirrups. She looked all around her in desperation to see if she could spot what had made her horse react so out of character. She could see nothing unusual, but Gypsy continued to be agitated. Her horse started neighing and pawing at the ground, which was creating quite a dust cloud. Faedra became more and more unnerved the more agitated Gypsy became.
“What is it, girl? What’s wrong?” she whispered, trying to calm her, but Gypsy just kept getting more and more disturbed.
“Steady, girl. Steady,” she took a shorter hold on the reins and attempted to turn her horse around so they could leave. It had become evident that Gypsy was not going to move forward another step.
Just as Faedra thought she was calming Gypsy down, her horse spun and reared all in the same move. There was nothing Faedra could do. She had lost her footing in the stirrups. It was such an explosive movement that she was thrown violently from the saddle, hitting the ground with so much force, making a loud ‘oomph’, knocking all of the air out of her lungs.
She could hear the thunder of hooves grow softer and softer as the distance grew between her and Gypsy. She couldn’t move to lift up her head and watch as her horse fled the woods in terror. She couldn’t catch her breath either. There was no air getting into her lungs. She grasped at her chest, partly in desperation, partly in fear.
Oh, God, I can’t breathe. What happens if I can’t breathe? I’ll die. The terrifying thought swam through her head and she could feel herself starting to panic. Her lips started to tingle, and her fingertips followed suit. She opened her eyes and could make out the shards of light raining down on her but couldn’t focus completely.
“Faen?” she gasped.
A menacing growl resonated from deep within her dog, who she could sense was standing close beside her. She unclasped her arms from her chest and searched with her hands either side of her body for her faithful companion. Relief filled her heart, which was pounding wildly within her ribcage, when she felt his soft fur with her fingertips, and, at the same time, she was able to catch her first breath.
Her breathing was very shallow at first, but steadily became stronger as the moments passed. When she was able to take a deep breath, she did so, and promptly coughed it back up again. She had taken a lung full of the dust that Gypsy had kicked up during her chaotic panic attack and subsequent departure. While lying on the ground, she did a mental inventory of bones, moving each limb with caution to see if anything was broken. Nothing seemed to be, so heaving a sigh of relief, she pushed herself up into a sitting position.
“Oh, good grief, I’m a mess,” she groaned, glancing up and down her legs and arms that were now covered in muck and dust. Her clean white t-shirt was more of a khaki color now. There was a tear in her jodhpurs and her shiny black boots were scuffed and dusty.
She sat still for a moment to check and make sure she did not have any searing pain, she didn’t.
“Well, I don’t think anything’s broken, boy,” she stated to Faen.
He looked around at her and allowed one wag of his tail in response. Then he turned back to what he was staring at intently in the trees and continued his ominous growling. Faedra took more notice of it this time because she could see his posture, too. If he were not her dog, she would have been pretty darned frightened of him right at that moment.
Faen stood in a stance that would allow him to pounce at any second. His hackles were standing tall on his back and his tail was held rigid. He had all his teeth bared. Faedra could hardly recognize this dog as being her Faen. His growl was menacing and it sent chills up her spine.
“What is it, boy?” she whispered, as she looked into the trees where he was staring. Her eyes widened with fear as she caught sight of what Faen would not take his attention from and gave an involuntary gulp.
“Please tell me those aren’t eyes,” she stammered. She wasn’t sure if she was expecting Faen to reply, but he did with another menacing growl.
There, hiding within the shadows of the trees, were not one, but two sets of what looked like yellow eyes glowing hideously in the darkness.
They could be cats. No they were too tall for cats, and cat’s eyes were more rounded. Not dog’s eyes either, she pulled in a sharp breath; they looked like smaller versions of human eyes.
“What are they? Who are they?” Faedra asked. Again, Faen growled in response.
The eyes turned to look at each other, then moved up and down as if the owners were nodding to one another in agreement. They then turned back to look again in Faedra’s direction.
Faedra felt like a wave of ice cold water had just splashed over her, and she froze where she was, still sitting in the dirt.
Run, Faedra!
A familiar voice bellowed in her head. Where had she heard that voice before?
Faedra, get up; you have to move, NOW!
She looked all around her, half expecting someone to be hovering above her. Could she get up? She hadn’t tried yet. She was feeling very stiff.
FAEDRA RUN!
That did it, pain or no pain, she was listening this time. As if someone had just grabbed her by her shoulders and lifted her off the ground by her bra straps, she suddenly realized she was running as fast as her legs would carry her in the same direction that Gypsy had fled just minutes earlier. Faen followed closely at her heels. She could hear rustling behind her and it sounded like it was getting closer. The adrenaline coursing through her veins gave her just enough extra energy to speed up, just when she believed she had nothing left. Faedra and Faen burst out of the woods and were bathed in the light of the setting sun once again.
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