Close Encounters of the Magical Kind Read online

  “It doesn’t look as healthy as it did last time,” Sarah recalled. As if on cue, several pine needles bounced off her shoulder and fell to the ground. The ground, she was dismayed to see, was already covered by a thick blanket of the needles. That couldn’t be good.

  “Maybe it’s the light,” Steve suggested.

  “What about it?”

  “The light isn’t the greatest in here. Maybe it’d look better if the light was brighter. As soon as this fog passes we should take another look.”

  Sarah scuffed the ground with the toe of her shoe.

  “And the needles? Look how many there are. The ground is covered with them. I think the tree is sick. I didn’t see all these needles before. I’ll bet you if I swept the needles away from those doors we’d find a glowing path.”

  “Didn’t you say that the queen told you they were dying? Is that what they meant? Could they have been talking about the tree?”

  “It’s the only tree that doesn’t look so hot,” Sarah observed as she studied a few nearby trees. “Maybe you’re right. Come on. I want to see if the king and queen are here.”

  Confident and unafraid, Sarah strolled through the open gemstone doors. She turned back in time to see Steve swallow nervously and edge out after her.

  “There’s nothing to be afraid of,” she assured him. “Had they wanted to do something to us then they would have by now.”

  “That’s comforting.”

  The exterior of the tree might have been looking less than stellar, but the interior was still as spectacular as she remembered. The walls had richly colored tapestries hanging on pegs. Thick woven rugs practically covered every square inch of the stone floor. Several hearths, one on each wall, had bright, crackling fires in them. Resting in their holders, spaced evenly ten feet apart, were torches lining the walls. The torches were unlit. The same green glow that she remembered seeing the first time was also mysteriously absent.

  “Where is everyone?” Sarah wondered. “There were tons of people here before.”

  “Could they be hiding from us?” Steve wanted to know. “I’m sure they must know we aren’t here to hurt them.”

  “You know that and I know that. I guess they don’t. Come on. The thrones are just through that door over there.”

  The hall leading to the throne room was just as devoid of personnel as the rest of the castle. Their footsteps echoed loudly throughout the tree’s interior as the two of them transitioned from the rug-covered entry into a large arched hallway. Visible at the end of the hallway was an archway that opened out into another large room. It was the throne room. There, just as they had been before, were the two jewel encrusted thrones she had seen on her first visit. This time, however, they were empty. Sarah pointed at a closed door just on the left of the thrones.

  “Last time they took me in there. You’ll find a large round granite table. It’s where I had that dinner I told you about.”

  “Want to check it out?” Steve asked.

  Sarah nodded, “Yes. We’ve come this far. I want to see if the king and queen are in there.”

  Sarah tried the door handle but it refused to budge. It wasn’t locked, no. A locked door handle will usually allow the handle to slightly wiggle back and forth. This handle refused to move, almost as if it had been carved directly into the door and was never designed to be used as a method of entry.

  Sarah suddenly smiled. It was a test. They wanted to see if it was really her. Without asking first, Sarah grabbed her husband’s hand and immediately teleported the two of them to the other side of the door.

  The large granite table was there. Its surface was completely empty. However, the room wasn’t unoccupied. Ria, queen of the Fae, was sitting in the same seat as she had been the last time Sarah had seen her. Ria turned to Sarah, smiled, and slowly stood.

  “Lady Sarah. I was wondering when you were going to turn up. You’re late!”

  Chapter 3 – Aftershocks

  “What do you mean, ‘I’m late’?” Sarah demanded, growing angry. “We got here just as soon as we could! Do you know how many islands we had to check before we found this one? You could have made it a little easier for us.”

  “Why didn’t you simply teleport here?” the Fae Queen asked with a twinkle in her eye. “That’s what I assumed you would have done.”

  “Why didn’t we teleport here?” Steve asked as he turned to her. “If the memory was that fresh in your head then you should have been able to jump to any of the places you went to before, right?”

  Sarah stared at her husband with surprise etched all over her face.

  “I didn’t even think about that. Wow. That would have saved a lot of time, wouldn’t it?” Sarah giggled. “I guess deep down I still thought it was just a dream and figured I could only teleport to a place that was real.”

  Ria rose from her seat at the table and approached them. She smiled warmly at Sarah before turning to look at Steve.

  “I do not believe I have had the pleasure of making your acquaintance. Lady Sarah, would you kindly introduce me to your husband?”

  “Of course. Ria, this is my husband, Steve. Steve, this is the Fae queen I told you about, Ria. Umm, I don’t see the king anywhere.”

  “Tivan is away, I’m afraid. He is ensuring all of our people are safe and accounted for. Ordinarily he would have returned by now, only journeys now take us much longer since all Fae have been grounded.” Ria’s wings snapped up, fluttered once, and slowly lowered until they were hidden from view. She sighed heavily and gave Sarah a what-can-you-do smile.

  “All the Fae have been grounded?” Steve asked, confused. “You guys can’t fly? If you don’t mind me asking, why not? Did something happen to your wings?”

  “A Fae is a complex creature,” Ria explained as she slowly sank back down into her chair, prompting husband and wife to join her. “In order for us to be able to fly we must be in constant contact with our Tree, be it mental or physical. It sustains us, nurtures us, and protects us. The Tree also supplies us with all the jhorun we’ll ever need. All Fae need jhorun in order to fly.”

  “Speaking of all the Fae, where are they?” Sarah asked. “I could see Fae everywhere the last time I was here. Now it’s like a ghost town out there.”

  “My Fae are hiding deep beneath the roots of the Tree. They are frightened and scared. Tivan and I have apprised our people of our present plight. As you may have imagined, it didn’t go over well.”

  Steve leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table, earning himself an instant frown of disapproval from Sarah.

  “You told my wife that you’re dying. Why? I can only assume that this tree you’re talking about is the big one we’re in now. We can see that it doesn’t look healthy. Is that the problem? Your tree is sick?”

  Ria nodded, “All Fae share a symbiotic relationship with their hometree. Their lives are forever linked. Whatever affects the tree affects us as well. To answer your question, Steve, no. Our Tree isn’t sick. It’s dying. As a result, we’re dying.”

  “Save the tree, save the Fae, huh?” Steve quipped.

  Sarah elbowed him in his gut, “It’s not a laughing matter. We have to find out what’s wrong with their tree.”

  “We already know what’s wrong with our Tree,” Ria clarified. “All its jhorun has been siphoned away. We, the Fae, have channeled what jhorun we have left back into the Tree. That’s why the Tree hasn’t died yet. It’s struggling to keep us alive, but it’s also why the Fae are grounded. The Tree has lost its ability to supply us with jhorun, which means once we’ve used what we have left, our jhorun will be gone, too. That’s why the Fae will not fly.”

  “You want to conserve your jhorun as much as possible,” Sarah observed. “For your tree. I get it.”

  Ria nodded, “Aye. For our Tree.”

  “You mentioned that you know what is wrong with your tree,” Steve recalled. “Do you know how to heal it? Do you know what it will take to reverse the effects of whatever it is that caused
it to lose its jhorun?”

  Ria finally smiled, “Aye. There is but one solution to save our Tree.”

  Sarah eyed her husband. Why did she get the feeling that this wasn’t going to be easy?

  “Okay, I’ll bite. What will… wait a minute. Did anyone else hear that?”

  “What?” Steve asked, looking first at Ria and then at the rest of the room. The Fae queen looked just as confused as Steve felt.

  “Did anyone else hear it?” Sarah wanted to know as she pushed back from the table and stood. “It sounded like someone was ringing a school bell, but from a great distance.”

  A look of alarm passed over Ria’s beautiful face. She closed her eyes for a few moments and remained motionless. After nearly ten seconds had passed the queen’s eyes opened. Once more they had filled with tears.

  “My love, tell me it isn’t so,” the Fae queen softly whispered, breaking the silence. “Are you certain? Where are you?”

  About ready to tell the queen that there was no one else in the room besides the two of them, Steve snapped his mouth closed as soon as he noticed Sarah holding a finger to her lips.

  “I will be right there. Wait for me.” Ria gave them an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. I must go. I am surprised you heard that bell, Lady Sarah. Only Fae are supposed to be able to hear it. That bell is only to be rung under dire emergencies. Again, I’m sorry. I must be off!”

  Ria gathered up her skirts and rushed out of the room. Sarah grabbed her husband’s hand and pulled her along with him as she bolted after the fleeing queen. Sarah had noticed Ria said ‘my love’, which meant she was talking with Tivan. She had said that she was going to join him, wherever he happened to be. It didn’t take a world famous sleuth to figure out that Ria was headed outside. A quick glance at the slowly closing gemstone doors confirmed her suspicions.

  “Where are we going?” Steve quietly asked as he increased his pace to a rapid walk.

  “Something has spooked Ria. I don’t know what it is but I think we should see if we can help out.”

  Once they had passed through the sparkling amethyst doors Sarah cursed silently to herself. Ria was nowhere to be found. Outside the huge trunk of the massive tree it was just as quiet as it had been when they had first arrived. Sarah helplessly looked at her husband.

  “Which way did she go?” Steve demanded. “She wasn’t running that fast. We should have been able to see her.”

  “I guess she could still be inside the tree,” Sarah suggested, turning to look back through the open doors of the arboreal castle. “The thing is, I watched the doors slowly close, which meant someone had used them. She… no, wait. There she is!”

  Steve looked at where Sarah was pointing and discovered why neither of them had spotted Ria. The Fae queen was already past the outskirts of Dynwe and was rapidly approaching the thickest part of the forest. In only a few moments she’d be swallowed up by the trees and they’d lose sight of her. Steve prepared to sprint after her when Sarah pulled him to a stop.

  “There’s no need. Did you see where she’s going? The glade where I woke up is in that direction. I’ll bet you she’s heading towards the water.”

  Bringing up an image of the all-too-familiar glade, Sarah teleported the two of them back to the quiet clearing. They were just in time to see Ria, now much closer, again vanish from sight as she passed deeper into the woods. Watching her disappear again, Steve groaned.

  “She’s a nimble little minx, isn’t she?”

  “Something’s scared her,” Sarah reminded him. “It has to do with Tivan. I’d say she has a right to be upset.”

  Sarah’s next jump placed the two of them back at the edge of the water, looking at the distant shores of Capily. Ria and Tivan were standing nearby, embracing. Ria was softly sobbing while Tivan stared impassively at the distant shore. Passing alarmingly close was one of Capily’s huge three-masted galleons, returning from a trading trip overseas. Its bow was facing east as it sailed away from them, toward land.

  “What is it?” Sarah softly asked. “What’s wrong?”

  Tivan’s grim expression focused on her. He slowly pointed at the open water.

  “Perhaps if you could be a little more specific,” Steve suggested, trying valiantly to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. “It’s just a ship. I’ve sure you’ve seen ‘em before.”

  Tivan turned to Steve and raised a questioning eyebrow. Steve started to extend his hand when he paused. He opted for a bow instead.

  “I’m Steve. I believe you know my wife, Sarah?”

  Sarah’s face colored.

  “Sorry. I should have introduced you two. Tivan, this is my husband, Steve. Steve, this is Tivan, king of the Fae.”

  Tivan bowed, “A pleasure. You are welcome here.”

  Sarah noticed that her husband had kept his guarded smile plastered onto his face. She couldn’t blame him. Tivan might have given him his welcome but the tone of his voice was anything but welcoming. The Fae king was worried. Why? The ship was harmless. It was sailing away from them. Ria said the Fae couldn’t fly. Did he need to make it to shore? Could the Fae even swim? Maybe they were worried about drowning. If so then they certainly picked the wrong setting for their city.

  “Hey, where’s all the fog?” Steve suddenly asked as he looked around the rocky shoreline. “The sun’s out. Perhaps it burned off?”

  Surprised, Sarah looked at the Fae monarchs. Sure enough, each of their faces bore a troubled expression. Comprehending, Sarah nodded. The fog, which must have acted as their protection from the outside world, was gone. That must mean they could be seen from Capily. Was that why the ship passed so close? She turned to look back towards Dynwe and the center of the island when she gasped with shock. A ghostly outline of the gargantuan tree was becoming visible.

  “Dynwe’s enchantments are failing,” Tivan answered miserably, anticipating Sarah’s unasked question. “The last of the Fae magic is almost gone. When that happens this place will be seen for what it is. An island. Humans, as they are wont to do, will want to investigate and explore.”

  “How much longer before your tree becomes fully visible?” Steve asked, hooking a thumb back at the faint outline of the tree.

  “It’s only a matter of time. The fog has disappeared. The spell that concealed our Tree is failing, too. A day or two, no more. Sooner or later we will be spotted.”

  Sarah stepped up on a large boulder and shaded her eyes with her hand. She peered intently at the distant shoreline.

  “I think it’ll be much sooner than that.”

  Alarmed, Tivan hurried to Sarah’s side.

  “What is it? Why would you say that?”

  “The ship has changed course. It was headed to Capily. Now I believe the ship is turning around. Guys, I think it’s coming back this way.”

  “Oh, come on,” Steve complained, looking back at the ghostly image of the huge tree. “There’s no way they could have seen that.”

  “No,” Tivan agreed, “it is unlikely they have spotted the tree. However, they have probably noticed that there is now a large uncharted island where there wasn’t one before. That, unfortunately, would bear further investigation.”

  Steve held a hand over his eyes and stared at the distant ship that was slowly executing a U-turn. He took Sarah’s hand in his as they watched, in total silence, the huge ship finish its turn. There was no doubt about it. The ship was headed their way.

  “Is there anything you guys can do?” Steve asked, turning to the Fae king and queen. “Can you bring the fog back?”

  Tivan sadly shook his head, “Our jhorun has been exhausted. Until our tree has been restored we will be utterly defenseless.”

  “I could sink it,” Steve mused aloud as they watched the ship sail closer, “but I really don’t want to do that. They didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just a ship full of curious humans.”

  “And I wouldn’t want you to sink their ship,” Ria added with a frown.

  “I could try to scare them off,�
� Steve suggested. “However, as soon as they see my flames they’re going to know who’s responsible for them. Unfortunately my jhorun is very well known around these parts. Besides, that would damage the relationship we have with the Lentarians and that’s something I don’t want to risk.”

  “That’s definitely out,” Sarah agreed. “I may have an idea. Come on, we really should hide. If anyone on that ship pulls out a spyglass and points it at this island then they’re going to see us.”

  “Lady Sarah is right,” Tivan announced. He pulled Ria back towards the safety of the trees. “We can hide in our Tree. With luck they won’t be able to find us.”

  “Hide, schmide,” Sarah scoffed. “No one is stepping foot on this island. Not today.”

  She peered intently through the trees at the approaching ship. At the rate it was sailing then it would be within range to drop some people on their shore within ten minutes. Sarah cracked her knuckles. She would make certain that ship wouldn’t get anywhere close enough to launch a landing vessel.

  Closing her eyes, Sarah brought up a vision of the ship sailing gracefully through the water. She knew it was coming straight for them. She had to push them back to Capily, but how? Well, that was the easy part. She had learned several years ago that she could use her jhorun to move an object without having to teleport it. In this case, she could push a massive quantity of air directly at the oncoming ship. What would happen as a result? The ship, with three masts full of sails, would catch the wind and propel them in the opposite direction.

  That ship has no business coming here, she told her jhorun. We’re going to push air into its sails and guide it back the other way.

  Her hands started to tingle. She smiled. Her jhorun was primed and ready to serve. She clenched her fists, ordered her jhorun to move enough air to create a strong, powerful wind, and then directed it back at the ship. Her hands sprung open.

  A breeze appeared. The nearby trees rustled noisily as the wind increased in strength. Within moments a powerful gale was blowing along the water’s edge. Pebbles, leaves, pine needles, and a slew of other objects were picked up into the air and swirled about. Thanks to the detritus sailing over their heads, Sarah could now see the overall shape and size of the wind gust. She was impressed. She was definitely getting better at manipulating air currents. She briefly recalled the last time she had used her jhorun to create a breeze. It had been just about a year ago when she had helped Steve’s ancestors make the townsfolk of 19th century Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, think her mansion was haunted. Sarah smiled. It had worked then just as well as it was working now.