Faytes of the Otherworld: Fayted

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Dani was awoken by the alarm on her wristwatch. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up in the dark tent. Nissa was purring peacefully in her sleep as Dani reached out and tousled her ears softly.

“I’m leaving.” Her voice came out groggy as she quickly stuffed some last-minute things into her rucksack.

“Have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Be saaaaaaafe.” Nissa yawned, stretching her front paws out before curling back up to sleep.

Dani just mumbled in agreement before bustling out into the wee hours of the morning.

(*)

“Ah, good; you’re here,” Liam called out as Dani came walking up to the stables. She had originally gone to meet him at his cottage, but Wesley and Wren had directed her out back to the east.

“Am I late?” Dani let Liam steer her towards an old horse drawn cart with a hand-made canopy for coverage.

“No. Right on time. We want to have as much daylight as possible. It’s about a five-hour ride on horseback.” Liam helped Dani climb into the back of the cart.

Dani noticed that there were two more men with them that she didn’t recognize.

“That is Nicholas and Devin. They will be helping escort us for safety reasons. All of my men are well-trained. Everyone has a place here; a job.” Liam made a spot for Dani to sit amidst a pile of blankets.

“I noticed the men that helped Evan the other night—doctor’s, I’m assuming?” Dani had been curious.

“One was a pediatric surgeon, the other an ER doctor. We also have a few nurses, a dentist, and a plastic surgeon. We like to know what people’s skills are so they can contribute to the group and make life easier for themselves and everyone else.” Liam explained, preparing to climb out of the cart.

“And what are my skills exactly?” Dani was sure the only thing she was good at was drawing unwanted attention.

“I think you can help save us all. You can get to the bottom of all this and maybe we can find a way to fix it. Things will never be the same, but those that persevered can help rebuild this world.” Liam was now standing at the edge of the cart, ready to hop on the front and direct the horses.

“I will be up front leading the horses while the rest will flank the sides and watch for any signs of danger. Don’t get out of the cart unless I instruct you to; it’s just safer that way.” Dani nodded as Liam smacked the side of the cart and went to his position at the head.

She settled in as she heard last minute orders given to the officers at Liam’s disposal. Even the most recent acquaintances made seemed a bit rough around the edges like Wren and Wesley. What these men specialized in before all of this happened, Dani dare not ask.

The cart began to roll as Liam snapped the reins and the horses started clopping down the forest trail. Dani steadily listened to the beat of drumming hooves, and before long, she was asleep.

“Hey. Dani. Wake up, love.” A hand gently shook her awake. She opened her eyes to see Liam knelt beside her. “We stopped for a bathroom break and to fill up the canteens. You’re more than welcome to relieve yourself if need be, or you can just wait here in the cart. There will be at least one man waiting here with the caravan at all times.” Liam helped Dani sit up and scoot her way out of the cart.

She didn’t really have to go, but she figured she’d try and stretch her legs. When asked how long they had before Whitmore, Liam had told her at least two more hours.

Good, at least she had slept most of the way. She had never traveled this far from home before. Her mother had no family, and subsequently neither did she at this point so there was no real reason to travel; plus, they never had a lot of money. All of their savings had been sunk into Dani’s education so when it came time for the hospital bills to be paid, there wasn’t enough, leaving them with effectively nothing.

Dani was lost in her memories when she found herself

wandering down a side trail.

Fragrant heather and dusty pink clover grew wild along the

edges of the dirt road. Dani snagged a few with her fingers as she wandered further still. She had almost forgotten how dangerous being out in the open was.

Almost.

“There!” A snarl burst forth from a throng of trees. The bellowing was so loud a flock of crows took flight from the canopy above, cawing into the afternoon air.

The sound snapped Dani from her fog; she knew that sound: Spriggan.

Giant tree-like creatures, three abreast, came charging through a break in the forest. One was holding a mace high over its head; the other two were equipped with solid wooden hammers.

“Crap,” Dani muttered, before turning heel and sprinting quickly back up the trail to the roadside to warn her traveling companions.

She pumped her legs, running as fast as she could while the clopping of gnarled roots pounded behind her.

“Liam!” Dani screamed as she started to near the road. The Spriggan were mere meters from her and if she didn’t act quickly, they would surely close the gap between them.

Dani began yanking at her jacket, attempting to run and undress at the same time. She got her arms free of the sleeves, one at a time, before tossing the article of clothing to the side of the trail.

She had just made it up the last slope on the trail before the road when she spotted Liam and the rest of the accompanying men.

Dani hollered again, “Spriggan! Get in the cart! GET IN THE CART!” Her voice was muffled even though she belted with all her might through the cloth of her shirt as she wrenched it over her head.

Liam looked back from the conversation he was having with Wesley to see a very topless Dani running towards him, pulling at the wadded-up shirt that was in her hand.

“Why is she topless?” Wesley looked puzzled as he pointed to Dani. Liam opened his mouth to say something, but not before the three Spriggan peaked at the top of the hill.

“Dani!” Liam called out, lurching forward to rescue her.

But Dani beat him to it. She could feel the sharp tips of tree limbs licking at her bare back; they were far too close for her liking.

She had finally sorted out her shirt after turning it inside out and quickly slipped it over her head, struggling only a moment as she tried to get her arms through the sleeves.

As if struck by some invisible force, the trio of Spriggan was launched back down the hill, giving Dani just enough time to make it back to the cart.

The cracking of tree trunks and splintering wood faded in the distance as they tumbled down to flat land.

“We need to go.” Dani panted, fiddling with the collar of her blouse.

“Wha—what just happened?” Liam’s eyes were wide as they darted back and forth between Dani and where the Spriggan had been.

“No time. Into the cart. Get on the horses. Let’s go.” Dani tried to catch her breath as she got a foothold on the back of the cart and pulled herself inside.

“Ok,” Liam replied robotically, the impact of what just happened still not fully registering in his brain. He began instructing everyone to mount their horses as the clomping began again down the hill. Apparently, the Spriggan were intact enough to begin their charging once more.

Finally, it clicked and Liam began barking orders, making sure that everyone got in their places quickly before he snapped the reins and the cart lurched forward.

Dani could hear Liam making sure that everyone was accounted for before giving the command to move. Even though they were picking up speed, they weren’t going fast enough.

She could see the leafy green tips of one of the Spriggan crowning at the top of the hill. The other two appeared by its side, shedding twigs and broken foliage from their ancient wooden bodies.

They had just passed the top of the hill when the creatures caught sight of them again. The largest one roared, shaking the real trees that surrounded them in the forest.

“Mortals!” It cried again, pointing a long viney finger. The three moved instinctively, throwing one leafy limb in front of the other, quickly gaining speed.

The tallest pulled an elongated skull from a tattered pack at its hip and held it to its lips.

“No. No no no!” Dani shook her head wildly at the sight of the strange horn. She knew what they used that Dragon skull for.

The Spriggan held it to its mossy lips and blew hard. An eerie sound, like the moaning of the wind through the trees, rang out through the woods.

“What the hell is that?” Dani heard Liam call from the front of the cart. The horses began to whinny in excitement and Dani thought she could make out Wren scolding his steed.

She scrambled to the back of the cart and tore away the canopy.

“That would be a Dragon Horn. Only nasty fae use them, specifically to call other nasty fae.” Dani climbed through the opening and squeezed herself next to Liam.

“So, you’re saying that more are coming?” Liam called out over the whistling wind.

She just smiled ironically and ducked back into the cart. Liam started barking new orders, commanding that everyone stay in close formation and keep their eyes alert.

Dani came out the other side of the cart to see not only the three Spriggan, but at least a couple dozen goblins, two hairy russet colored Mountain Trolls, and about eight Boggarts from what she could count.

“Dear Gods.” She exhaled as one of the Boggarts leapt up onto the back of the cart and she swiftly kicked it right over the ledge as it came snarling at her boot.

“Faster! We need to go faster!” Dani barked, slamming her fist against the bed of the cart.

She began rifling through her bag, looking for something good to use as a weapon. She didn’t want to spread around what she was just yet, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that the new faces in the group probably already knew.

Dani tossed down the bag and scooted her way to the back of the cart. She leaned out, trying to get as close to the ground as she could while holding on to the support for the canopy. She wasn’t exactly long by any means, and even though the length of her torso brought her closer to the ground, she was still quite far from it. All she needed to do was touch the packed dirt of the trail and she’d have her weapon but she couldn’t get close enough to grasp anything more than dust. She couldn’t just conjure the crystals like she could other things; she had to physically touch the Earth to do it.

How was she supposed to make crystal if she wasn’t able to touch the ground?

You ARE the Earth, Dani. Whatever you want from her, you can have because it is already yours.

The old wizard’s voice was clear as it rang between Dani’s ears.

“Oh, well then. That would have been good to know a long time ago.” Dani rolled her eyes before reaching out again. She willed the minerals to form beneath the sandy surface, building up till they shot from the ground, spewing small stones and clods of dirt everywhere.

“Perfect.” She breathed, catching the onyx bow that had burst forth from the Earth. She lifted herself back into the cart and positioned the bow in front of her, right hand gripping the web like sinew of the string as she pulled it back taught. Reflexively she produced an arrow out of thin air, teaming with electric energy.

WhhiiizzZZzz.

The arrow pierced through the sky and struck one of the goblins right between the eyes. Cries of surprise rang out, the tallest Spriggan roaring out for the others to advance.

WhiizZz.

WhiizZz.

WhiizZZ.

Three more fae, two Boggarts, and one troll, dropped to the ground.

But Dani had to be quicker. The smaller ones were now latching on to the wheels and flipping into the cart. She pulled a metal thermos from beside her and bashed a goblin in the face with it before using its limp body to bowl three Boggarts over, causing all faeries to bounce out of the cart.

Instead of producing one arrow, she was now shooting five at a time; more projectiles in the air meant the quicker they’d fall.

One, two—five, six—ten, eleven; by the time Dani stopped with the multiple arrows, all but three fae were standing: a troll, one tiny Boggart, and the largest Spriggan.

But by that time, the cart had pulled so far ahead that the remaining fae were too far behind to be an issue any longer.

Dani flounced back in the blankets and other supplies that had gone flying about inside the cart and heaved a heavy sigh.

“Everything alright back there?” Liam had pulled the canopy back and called in.

“Oh, peachy. Just peachy.” Dani breathed a sigh of relief, hoping that this was the last of them, at least until they got to where they were going.