Souls of the Never: A Fantasy Scifi Romance Time Travel series, with Dragons, Elves and Faeries. (Tales of the Neverwar Series Book 1) (19 page)

34 – The Glade – FaerHaven

Gwenyth and Amilee stood gazing in awe at the sight before them. They’d walked most of the day, leading the Brownies along seldom travelled paths through the forest, but now they stood at the edge of FaerHaven, the home of the Faer folk.

Both of them had been here before but the sight was always breath-taking in its magnificence. In a clearing stretching up through a large opening in the canopy above stood the Tree, and the light from it lit their faces and the forest around. Hues of gold and silver mixed with the rich greens. The aroma of life and freshness was everywhere.

The Tree was the vitality of the forest and the essence of every bud on each and every living plant was bound to it, flowing and ebbing throughout the boughs that stretched towards the sky. It was huge, dwarfing the other mighty oaks at the edge of the clearing and pinpricks of light could be seen flitting through the branches above, resembling hundreds of tiny fireflies.

Both of them knew these were in fact the Faer themselves, and as they left the cover of the trees, several of these tiny figures flew swiftly toward them. As they approached, Gwenyth saw them take shape as they seemed to grow. Indeed, by the time they had reached the pair, the figures had grown to normal size. As they landed lightly on their feet they folded a pair of gossamer wings in against their backs.

There were three of them, and as they looked at Gwenyth and Amilee they smiled brightly and happily, giving of an aura of carefree purity. Unfortunately, Gwenyth was only too aware of how thin this shell of innocence could be.

The Faer were by no means evil, but their peculiar definition of fun could have stretched the imagination way beyond anything even she would dare to try.

And the power they wielded was multiplied tenfold when they were in the clearing close to the Tree, so it was with caution that Gwenyth began the greeting.

“My Queen,” she bowed toward the figure dressed in gold and green robes of silk.

“You do us a great honour in meeting us like this. Thank you for accepting our request for audience.”

The Queen looked across at the male wearing a silver and blue robe and the other who was attired differently. His crystal armour shone with a magical light, and his sword, also crystal, burnt with a blue flame at his side.

“So Cantror,” she teased with a musical tone, “Do you still feel threatened by these two younglings? Their courteousness alone belies the wild rumours I have heard of them.”

Cantror took his hand off the pommel of the sword to point at Gwenyth and Amilee.

“This pair have led me a merry dance for years, Majesty,” he scowled, “If it’s not stealing ambrosia to intoxicate the bees, it’s fighting running battles through the streets of the Citadel with our own younglings. They are a menace and even that one’s father agrees.”

The third person chuckled and Cantror glowered at him.

“It sounds much more like younglings having fun than an attempt at widespread destruction my friend,” laughed Thomyne, the prince consort. The sound was melodious and merry. He turned to the two girls.

“I know I shouldn’t say this, but Cantror has just reminded me how funny your trick with the bees was…Do you know it took the herders three days to sober them up? Oh the furore they raised was so hilarious, I haven’t laughed so hard in years.”

Gwenyth looked across at Amilee who had an incredulous expression on her face.

“Actually your highness,” smiled Gwenyth, “We didn’t mean to get them that drunk...we sort of, dropped the barrel into the hive.”

The Queen and Thomyne chuckled their musical laugh as Cantror continued to glare grumpily at them.

“You see?” she grinned at Cantror, “Hardly a case for capital punishment my old friend, simply younglings making merry.”

Cantror reluctantly shrugged his shoulders.

“They do seem to have perfected a degree of respect that we seldom encounter in their people,” he grunted, “Perhaps they have grown out of their foolishness.”

He gave the girls a look which told them he suspected this about as much as he thought he could breathe underwater.

The Queen looked at them, the smile still on her face but with an air of curiosity.

“So, what brings you to the Tree Gwenyth? I sense this isn’t a social visit, although your other, ‘visits’ could hardly be called this either.” She grinned mischievously at the pair.

“You’re right of course your Majesty,” she replied, “I...we, have a favour to ask.”

“Hmm...a favour.” The Queen smiled as she glanced over at Cantror and saw his face redden.

“Why should we grant a favour, especially to you Gwenyth, daughter of Hallor,” she asked, smiling enigmatically. “You and your friend here have caused quite a bit of disruption among my people, so why should I feel the urge to help you now?”

“Because it’s not for us,” replied Gwenyth, “We found some...friends who need assistance, and we thought you might like to help.”

The Queen stared back with her head tilted to one side, as if she was listening to something far away.

“Ah, yes…the Brownies.” She smiled at the shocked expression on the girl’s faces. “None can approach the Tree without permission, whether consciously sought or unconsciously granted.”

“We have been watching and assisting the Brownies for a few days now,” the Queen continued, “We have ensured that when they camp it is always within a stone’s throw of a stream or spring, and we have taken care that their route has been close enough to plants which could provide them with fruit and berries.”

Gwenyth was amazed but warmed by the generosity of the Faer Folk. They were not often known for their hospitality.

The Queen seemed to hear her thoughts.

“Brownies are part of the forest, as are we. Though distant, they are kin to us and we would never allow harm to come to them.”

She turned her enigmatic smile on Gwenyth, “But I suspect that you are thinking of a more...permanent arrangement?”

Gwenyth smiled in relief. She had expected a lot more animosity and resistance than was apparent here.

“Yes, my Queen,” she admitted, “They are fleeing from darkness at the root of the forest and have no home to return to. If somewhere safe could be found, nearby where you could perhaps keep an eye on them? I would be...in your dept, Majesty.” Gwenyth bowed again.

The Queen’s face darkened for a second but it was Thomyne who spoke next.

“We are aware of this shadow at the heart.” He frowned. “We have lost a scout who went to investigate and are readying a force to journey in search of him.”

“You’ve lost a scout?” blurted Amilee in alarm, “but the Faer can’t get lost, this is your forest!”

The Queen turned to her. “Indeed my child, it would take something most unfortunate to prevent one of my people from returning to FaerHaven. And there is a sickness growing on one of the branches at the heart of the Tree itself that remains untouched by all our healing arts.”

The smiles and veneer of happiness were gone now as Gwenyth realised something had changed between them. In caring for the Brownies, they had shown the Queen and her consort they had a concern for the health and wellbeing of their forest.

“Is there anything we can do to help, Majesty?” asked Gwenyth.

The Queen pondered for a time before speaking, “Thank you, Gwenyth for your kind offer. I would appreciate it if you could carry warning to your father and the Council of the situation. I cannot leave the Tree while it is sick, for fear of it weakening without my bond, and I have no one else who can be freed. Your appearance here today is indeed fortuitous.”

Amilee, however, highlighted just one cause for concern. “Ah...your Majesty, I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but we’re not exactly the Councils, or indeed her father’s, favourites at the moment….I’m not sure they’d listen to a word we say.” She looked down, guiltily.

“In fact I’m pretty sure they’ll think we we’re playing some sort of prank,” she finished.

“Which is why I’m giving you this to take back with you.” The Queen held out a slender arm and handed a golden bud to Gwenyth. “This will ensure you are treated as my proxy. Keep it safe and return it to me with any message the council sends.”

Gwenyth was astounded. What the Queen had just done was to appoint her as an ambassador to the Citadel from the court of the Faer Folk. No other being outside the Folk had ever been granted such an Honour.

“Your Majesty, you have no idea what this means to me,” she gasped, but was amazed when the Queen crossed to her and touched her on the arm.

“I think, judging by your reaction I have some idea at least,” chuckled the Queen, “but I think I have chosen my envoy wisely. Gwenyth, there is wisdom and power untapped inside you. You may spend most of your time trying to prove otherwise, but some of us can see past this, to the core of your being.”

Gwenyth looked puzzled as she wondered what the Queen meant. She knew she had power within her, but wisdom? Nothing she had ever done could have been defined as wise; in fact most of it came under the heading of stupid or reckless.

She gave the Queen a wry expression of thanks.

“I hope I won’t disappoint you my queen,” she said quietly.

“Oh my dear,” comforted the Queen, “you have no idea what path lies before you. Did you know that my people sometimes have visions? Our lives and dreams are so close, entwined within our race that we see glimpses of our friends and families futures.”

Gwenyth understood from stories she had heard as a child how the Faer could predict each other’s futures.

She remembered wondering at the time how she might react if she was told her life would unfold, outside of her control; no matter what she did being able to alter the prediction.

And now she sensed that the Queen had exactly this sight of her path ahead and she shivered.

“Never before have any of the Folk had a vision of an outsider’s future,” confirmed the Queen, “but last night I saw your face on a baby with the great one watching over it.... It was shifted, somehow, as if instead of the future I was seeing the past.”

She paused for a moment.

“We have memories of the past Gwenyth but this was not one of them, because none of the Folk were there to see it. What I saw was your past. You are not of this land Gwenyth. You were brought here by Olumé, but there was another there. She was hidden from me but I could feel her as a mirror of you.”

Gwenyth reeled in shock. A suggestion placed within her years ago was crying for release. But the overawing feeling was one of hope, hope that had been imparted upon her by the gentle touch of another.

“My daughter!” As she looked in shock at the Queen she received a nod of acquiescence. “How?”

“Great things are happening around us Gwenyth,” waved the Queen as she turned around to look up at the gap in the canopy.

“You have your task, my request for assistance from your people,” she said, “this you must promise to carry out.”

Gwenyth nodded.

“When you return, we shall explore who you are and where we should go,” said the Queen. “The Veil is breaking and the boundaries are merging together. Soon we shall return to the battle we thought we had escaped.”

The Queen stared back in grim determination.

“But first we must deal with the seed which has been planted here, because it is also not of the land. You were put here to help us, Gwenyth, for none of us here are equipped with your power, and if I can help you awaken your life...you can save us all.”

Epilogue

Belfast–the apartment

Katheryne lay in her bed alone, as she had done for over a week since their return from Sanctuary.

She knew there were other people around here somewhere, others who cared deeply for her just outside the door, if she would just gather the strength to accept them in.

And she knew at some level within herself she was hurting them terribly by the simple act of not letting them help her.

But above all other thought was what she had done. The heinous crime she had willingly carried out.

She had arrived back on the island, the timeline intact, and Derren, along with the others had been completely oblivious to what had occurred. Everyone was as she had left them, because the realities had not been altered.

Yes, she had gone back and rescued her mother’s soul, but the beast still existed, and so everything which had happened was untouched.

It should have been a happy time as she was returning to the Derren she had always loved, but the meeting had been ruined as she’d revealed what she’d done. Instead of her mother’s soul trapped in torment within Tenybris’s creation, it was the pure, helpless soul of her infant sister. And it had been her doing.

Nothing and nobody had been able to divert her from this self-destructive spiral she was stuck in. Indeed, if it had just been her sister’s loss she had to face, it might have been recoverable. But the fact was all their fears were turning to certainty.

Tenybris had retained his creature, which would inevitably corrupt a soul to gain a foothold in the physical world of this reality. And the fact this creature held a shard of her, in the form of her sister, tortured her waking hours and sleepless nights.

Sanctuary was lost. Shortly after her return, over fifty Liberi invaded the island. Katheryne didn’t know if they were truly servants of Tenybris, as the attack and resulting retreat was too swift to taste any more than one or two minds. True, one was confused, uncertain about what she and the other Liberi were doing, enough so she remained on the Periphery of the battle. But the other one she tasted had the taint of corruption unmistakably emanating from him.

Toshi had thankfully planned for such an eventuality, so right now Earth hosted a force of six Liberi. They were all who managed to escape the battle. Toshi, along with Chran escaped with Derren, Krista and two others.

Laren and the others had been lost, at least one of them dead. At the last moment, Laren held them at the portal and used her ability to manipulate the link against the enemy forces to cause a feedback loop among them, giving them a brief few seconds of confusion to escape. But in doing so she had used her mind as the conduit and in the resulting bedlam she was captured.

Toshi was distraught in grief, more so because he didn’t know if she was alive or worse, if she was herself any more.

Katheryne blamed herself for all of it. She had failed. And she lay now; awake in her bed wallowing in her guilt.

She could feel the others close by in the apartment. She could share their feelings and this made her plummet even further into despair as she knew it was she who was causing their pain.

Derren barely hung together, as the person he loved above all else self-destructed while he watched, unable to do anything.

Krista watched her brother fall apart, while desperately needing Katheryne to come back to somehow save them from the hopelessness they faced.

Toshi was here too. His emptiness mirrored hers as he thought of Laren, and what torment she might be enduring at the hands of the enemy.

And then there was Perri. Perri who barely understood what had happened and was so out of her depth when it came to the matters of the greater universe.

For a week she watched as Katheryne gradually shut down and withdrew into a shell of depression, almost afraid to do or say anything lest it make matters worse.

And for a week she had given in to the advice and guidance being given by the others. I mean, how was an ordinary girl from Belfast supposed to understand what was going on in Katheryne’s head after everything she’d been told?

Which was why she was at this moment standing outside Katheryne’s bedroom, trying to drum up the courage to give her friend the biggest kick up the ass in the history of reality.

Perri was pretty sure if the others had a clue what she was about to do they’d have stopped her. But then, they hadn’t known Katheryne for the years she had.

There was no way they could know how alien this new one was to the real Katheryne, so Perri was determined to do what she could to bring her friend back; kicking or screaming maybe, but she wasn’t coming out of this room until she had her safe in her arms.

She raised her hand, hesitating briefly before knocking and entering. She didn’t wait for an invitation as she flung herself onto her friend’s bed.

She lay in silence for over a minute, mentally begging her friend to acknowledge her presence, but as she turned her head she saw Katheryne was still in the same position she had been when she came in, sitting hugging her knees at the top of her bed.

Perri hadn’t been present when events were unfolding on Sanctuary, so she heard everything second or third hand. And in doing so she read between the lines and put all the disjointed parts together in a fashion she could understand.

She was pretty sure the picture of what had happened in her mind was not what they individually remembered. Each of the others had missed certain key facts the others possessed and she tied them all together.

It wasn’t their fault; they were caught up in their own grief and were all still in a state of shock.

“So,” she began, “How is your mum?”

Katheryne jerked her head around to look at Perri in a mixture of shock and anger.

Perri was gratified to see her question provoke any response but wasn’t about to stop.

“You do remember your mum don’t you?” Sarcasm dripped from her voice, “You know, the person you saved...the person who is alive because of what you did?”

“Stop it Perri,” pleaded Katheryne.

“Stop what?” Perri replied, innocently. “Stop telling the truth? Stop pussy footing around you like everyone else? Stop letting you destroy yourself because something happened you could never have prevented?”

Katheryne’s face went white with pain and denial as she put her head into her arms and didn’t make a sound.

“So which is it Kat?” asked Perri. She sat up and turned around on the bed to face her.

Katheryne looked at her as if she was afraid of her, but Perri knew she was more afraid of what Perri was going to say.

“Perri, you have no idea what I did,” cried Katheryne, “I gave my sister, my baby sister, to the most evil thing in the universe. God knows what he’s going to do to her.”

Perri knew Katheryne was traumatised as visions of torture flooded her head. What she was about to say might tip her friend over the edge she was precariously teetering on, but she had no choice. If she was going to save her she had to do this.

“Kat, you already know what Tenybris’s done to her don’t you?” said Perri quietly, “You’ve seen what she’s become.”

Katheryne looked at her with a horrified expression on her face.

“Sorry Kat, but you need to hear this,” said Perri, “I’m pretty sure you’re blaming yourself for everything, aren’t you?”

“Damn right I am Perri!” Katheryne wailed, “I mean who else’s fault is it? I had one thing to do...I had to stop Tenybris getting his hands on a soul to use for his creature. I couldn’t even get that one little thing right, and because I screwed up everything is gone.”

Perri looked straight into her friend’s eyes.

“Kat, if you’re going to be totally honest with yourself that’s not what you went back to do. You went back to free your mother didn’t you?

“Yeah sure the result would have been the same,” Perri continued, “Your mom’s soul, or whatever it was, well it would have been freed and Tenybris would have been stuck in his prison, yeah?"

Katheryne sat with wild eyes and shook her head in denial.

“But all this wasn’t what was meant to happen Perri,” Katheryne countered, crying, “I was supposed to save my mum and that would have been it. Tenybris would have been gone and...”

“But he wouldn’t have been gone, Perri interrupted, “he’d have still been there, safe and snug in his prison. Wouldn’t he Kat?

“And he’d be safe from all of you, all of those friends of yours on your island that you’re supposed to unite and multiply or something... Sorry, I still haven’t heard this prophecy completely yet.”

“The prophecy’s wrong Perri,” spat Katheryne bitterly, “Nothing I have could ever stand up to what I felt out there. And even if I had the power to unite the others, Sanctuary is gone, there’s no way we can ever go back there. It’s hopeless Perri, just hopeless.”

The last sentence was a sob.

“OK so just out of interest,” inquired Perri, a curious look on her face, “Is your mum alive? I mean, really alive Kat?”

The effect was exactly as Perri hoped. The despair flowing from her friend was abruptly dammed as the realisation of what she had done hit her. She had gone back to save her mother and that’s exactly what had happened.

But she thought that in saving her mom she’d be ending her life, simply letting her pass on, but instead she moved her...somewhere else. To this Veiled Land, where she now had a body and was truly alive.

Perri didn’t know how she was doing it but she could see her friend’s thoughts, almost at the same time as she thought them, so when she began to sense a branching back into her destructive path she had an instant in which to act.

“You didn’t know about the baby did you? Kat, this may hurt but frankly I don’t give a shit; what you saw, felt whatever, it wasn’t even a baby.”

Perri paused to give both of them a chance to think.

“We saw your mom a week before she died remember? Did she look pregnant? I’m not saying she wasn’t for a second Kat, but if she was, it was early days. Early enough that what you saw wasn’t, can’t have been a baby.”

“A foetus?” Katheryne sat for a second gripping the edge of the bed as the truth hit her. “Perri, if that was a foetus it was incredible. The intelligence, the awareness it had was amazing.”

“Which is why you thought it was your mum when you heard the voice, you said it was familiar, remember?”

“But it wasn’t mum, it was...oh my god Perri...even now, she’s still there, inside that thing. And even after being there for more than two years she’s still fighting it!”

“And my mum, she’s alive,” Katheryne was smiling again at last, “She’s alive Perri!”

Perri could see the spark of hope ignite within her friends mind but like the ember it was, it needed to be nurtured and fed before it would be strong enough to burn through her current depression.

“You did the right thing Katheryne,” said Perri. “Don’t you see? If the creature hadn’t been allowed to exist, then Tenybris would never be found. And if you’re this Foundation thing from the prophecy, he has to be found now, when you’re alive, not in god knows how many more thousands of years...now Kat!”

“But what about my sister?” Katheryne faltered. “Foetus or not, that’s what she is Perri...and I gave her up.”

“No you didn’t Kat,” insisted Perri. “You didn’t give her up because that would have meant you’d known about her, and the only one there who did know about her was this Olumé person.”

Perri had laid it all out now. The whole picture was right there in front of her friend. All she had to do was take it all in and put it together.

And as she watched, her friend’s eyes lit up with a life which had been missing for weeks and Perri at last saw her friend looking back at her. She was broken and battered more than anyone had ever had a right to be and survive, but she was back. Back to where she could get the help and support she so badly needed.

Katheryne whirled round on the bed and wrapped her arms around her friend and Perri felt the hot tears as they hit her neck. She sobbed like a baby for what seemed like an hour, but couldn’t have been more that 10 minutes. Perri held onto her, saying nothing but simply being there. It was enough.

“You did it again Perri,” whispered Katheryne, “you saved me.”

As Perri looked at her friend she saw a light which had been restrained in hopelessness finally gain freedom. And not just see it, she felt the joy coming from Katheryne. Indeed, she felt the presence of the others and their not so happy auras.

She figured this might be about to change and smiled broadly back at her friend. Whatever power was emerging inside her could wait.

She got up and pulled Katheryne to her feet. She was unsteady for a second but Perri was there as always, her rock in all ways possible. She looked at Katheryne and could perceive the nervousness below the surface, but this was easily outshone by a solid determination to never slide so far down inside herself again.

“Ready?” asked Perri as she opened the door to the room.

Katheryne gave her hand a gentle squeeze and nodded.

As she walked into the living area, six sets of eyes looked up, but there was only one person who she sought.