Faytes of the Otherworld: Fayted

Evan lay in the faint candlelight of his motor home, flipping through the pages of Return of the King for the hundredth time. Anessa was in the bathroom, brushing her hair when she began to speak.

“It’s nice out tonight; want to go down to the bonfire with Pete and Shannon?” She appeared in the doorway to the small bedroom. Her face looked almost sinister in the candlelit glow.

“I don’t really feel like it. Just want to stay in.” Evan set his book down and lit a cigarette. He held his hand near the open window so as not to smoke up the room.

“You never want to do anything.” Anessa spat.

“I spent several days out there, stomping all around ghost towns looking for petrol and other supplies. I just want to rest for a few days.” Evan turned his body away from her and flicked the ash from his cigarette out the window.

“How do you think I felt, Evan? Sitting here, waiting around for you to come back. I just want to spend a little bit of time with you, but you want to be selfish.” Anessa screeched at him.

Things had been a little rocky since he had been back, but it hadn’t been all sunshine and roses before he left.

“Not now, Anessa! I just want a little space at the moment; that’s all.” Evan tried to keep his cool.

“I’ll give you plenty.” She stomped off and Evan heard her slam the front door behind her.

“Welcome home, Evan.” He sighed, taking another drag as he stared out the window. Warm summer air whistled through the branches of thick trees, the sound of flapping wings almost drowned out by their eerie song.

A large raven landed on the sill of the open window and began picking at its under-feathers with its sharp beak.

“Glad you made it back safe.” The bird clucked at Evan.

“I was wondering when you’d come check on me.” He reached around the bird and snubbed his cigarette out on the window sill.

“Sorry, mate. You know I wanted to come with you, but Pete would have asked questions about a big fecking bird following you ’round the whole time.” The raven squawked, ruffling his feathers.

“Ha. I know, Orin.” Evan was staring at the opposite wall, watching the shadow from the candle flames dance around on it.

“What’s going on in your head, mate? You look a bit lost.” Orin jumped down into the room and began waddling around in the sheets, making a comfortable spot to sit.

“We found a girl—a woman— while we were out on assignment. Brought her back with us, she passed the test; just like I did.” Evan got up from the bed and threw a shirt on over his bare chest and proceeded to lace up his combat boots.

“That’s good. There’s more though, yeah?” Orin waddled over to the end of the bed and hopped off.

“Outside. Meet me on the side of the house. I need to go for a walk.” Evan pointed out the window before exiting the room.

“So, carry on with the story.” Orin was perched on Evan’s shoulder, talking softly as the two headed in the direction of the South gates.

“She’s got a talking cat.” Evan went on and Orin squawked at his response.

“Did she just introduce it that way?” Orin was hoping maybe the girl was just a little off.

“No, I overheard her talking to it, and it talked back.” Evan corrected the Raven.

“But wait, there’s more!” He hooted and Evan clamped his hand down on the bird’s beak.

“We were in combat together. Before yesterday, I had never seen anything like what I saw her do. She’s inhumanly strong, incredibly fast, and she—she basically produced these crystal blades out of the dirt, Orin. She’s something else entirely.” Evan had just come to the front of the commune and could see two shadows several meters away. One was petite and the other was even smaller; definitely a cat.

“That’s her,” Evan whispered, pointing ahead.

“What is she doing out like this? Dangerous to be out here in the dark.” Orin tried to keep his voice down.

Evan watched Dani climb the wall like a spider and leap off the other side.

“Do you see what I mean?” Evan pointed ahead, “I’m going to follow her.”

“What are you so worried about, Evan? You can do the same things.” Orin spoke quietly as Evan started sprinting over to where Dani had just been standing.

“Not all of them. But I have never met anyone else like me; she’s the closest thing.” He leapt to the top of the wall and sprung off the other side, quietly landing on the mossy earth out in the open. “No more talking from here on out. This way only.” Evan pointed from his eyes to Orin’s. The bird nodded.

In the distance he could see Dani walking at a brisk pace, chatting away with Nissa.

Oooh, she does talk. Orin thought at Evan as they ducked behind a clump of trees. Evan tuned his ears to pick up on the hushed tones of Dani and Nissa’s conversation.

“They want to protect humans, Nissa, not us. We aren’t human; we’re what they fear.” Dani shrugged Nissa off her shoulder and dropped her bag by a cluster of trees.

What are they talking about? Orin’s question pierced Evan’s mind.

She thinks we’ll kill her because of what she is. Evan responded. Orin jumped from his shoulder and perched atop a branch that was much closer to the two than Evan was.

The raven could see that Dani’s chest was rising and falling rather heavily as she looked wildly about her.

“What are you doing?” Nissa asked, obviously recognizing the fire in Dani’s eyes.

“De-stressing.” She put her hands to her mouth and began to make weird whooping noises.

“Dani, no!” Nissa hissed, “Don’t call them!”

Dani whooped a few more times before stopping, “Go before they come, Niss. I just can’t do this anymore.”

“What do you mean?” Nissa’s eyes were filled with panic.

“Wherever we go, people are going to fear me. We won’t ever be safe. We are what they fear the most, Niss. You grew up fae; I didn’t. You can go back; I can’t. There is no place to call home for me anymore.” Tears were welling up in Dani’s eyes.

“You never planned to run for safety, did you, Dani? You came out here to die! No. I can’t go back, I won’t go back, and I won’t let you give up either.” Nissa leapt back up onto her shoulder.

Dani closed her eyes and breathed in the cool night air. She was at an impasse.

“Do you smell that?” Nissa threw her nose in the air and sniffed repeatedly.

“No. Smell what?” Dani inhaled deeply: all she smelled was damp earth, burning brush, and a faint musky smell.

“I smell another Imp.” Nissa sprung from Dani and went running towards the cluster of trees behind them. She bypassed Evan, not even paying him any attention and skittered up the tree that Orin was perched in.

Hissing and squawking erupted in the leafy branches as Nissa and Orin came plummeting from the treetop.

“Nissa!” Dani came running over and almost toppled over Evan.

“What the hell are you doing out here?” She asked him as she reached out and snatched a hissing and clawing Nissa up off the ground and scratched between her ears to calm her down.

“I could ask the same of you.” Evan held out his arm and Orin flew up to perch on it.

That cat is an Imp! An Imp! Orin screeched in Evan’s head.

“You have a pet raven?” Dani reached out to caress the slick down of Orin’s feathers. Despite being up in arms over coming into contact with another Imp, her touch was like heaven to him.

“His name is Orin.” Evan watched as Dani raked her nails down the bird’s back and he made a cooing sound in return.

He’s another Imp, Dani; be careful. I failed to mention that my kind usually isn’t accepted by most fae. We even tend to hate each other. Nissa whispered into the eaves of Dani’s mind.

What would an Imp be doing as a pet to a regular human? Dani questioned back, trying not to let the silence go on too long.

Nissa didn’t reply.

“So, what are you doing out here?” Evan asked again, shifting his weight from one leg to the other.

Dani had no time to answer. She could hear the rustling in the brush and the chattering of goblins, at least a dozen if not more.

“Running away, calling goblins.” Dani could hear them closing in, “We should get ready to fight.” She turned just in time to see one of them soaring right for her and threw her fist out, catching it square in the face. It dropped at her feet as Nissa went after another one, dipping and dodging the creature’s razor-sharp claws.

Evan didn’t ask questions. He pulled his trench knives from their sheaths and began slashing at each and every goblin that came his way. Meanwhile, Orin was doing a fine job of pecking out the eyes of another.

Nissa was just about to be carried off by one of the goblins when Orin came swooping in, stabbing the thing in the face with his beak. It shrieked, dropping Nissa from its grip as it clawed at its own face.

“There are too many!” Evan hollered as he slashed through three more. Another dozen or so emerged from the long grass, followed closely with another group of at least the same size.

Dani had now begun blasting away each and every goblin that came for her. Shots of white hot fire burned in her hands as she lobbed them into the brush. A collective scream echoed out as a handful of them were scorched alive.

The distraction of more goblins caused Dani to take her attention away from the rest of the group and focus on wiping them out before they even got to her friends. She didn’t hear the ones sneaking in from the West Wood, however.

A gurgling cry rang out and Dani turned to see a whole slew of them weighing down on Evan. Her heart was beating in her throat as she rushed over to aid him. Plunging her hands in the soft earth, she produced her crystal weapons and began hacking away at the goblins one by one. When she got to the bottom, a pile of bodies in her wake, she found Evan.

Blood stained his face as he sputtered, the thick liquid seeping from his mouth. His neck had been torn open and as Dani got closer, she could see that there was an equally terrible wound on his side, right below the rib cage.

“Stay with me, Evan. Evan!” Dani knelt down, frantically trying to cover the wounds with her small hands. The fluid seeped around her fingers and made rivulets as it ran down into the grass.

“Nissa!” She screamed, watching the color drain from Evan’s face as the light started to leave his eyes, “NISSA!!”

Nissa had just taken down another opponent when she heard Dani’s scream. She came bounding over to the tree line to see her knelt over a dying Evan.

“What happened?!” Nissa was horrified as she circled Evan’s heaving body; he was trying to breathe but the hole in his neck was making it difficult.

“He’s going to die, Niss. We need medical supplies, tourniquets, something. We need help.” Dani was low over Evan’s body, applying as much pressure as she could to his wounds. His eyes were pleading as he struggled to keep breathing.

“Go, now. Get Orin and have him fly you to the Hedgerow. Find Liam and get back here as fast as you can.” Dani laid her body over Evan’s as he began to shudder.

“I—I’m co—co—” Evan’s teeth chattered as he tried to choke out the words. His body began to shake, the temperature dropping from the loss of blood; he was going into shock and Dani was hardly big enough to keep him warm.

Nissa took one more glance at Evan before turning to help Orin fight off his last goblin. She informed him of what was happening and Dani could hear his distraught call as the news was relayed to him. In no time Orin had scooped up Nissa and took off towards the Hedgerow without another word, leaving Dani alone to defend Evan and herself from the goblins that were surely yet to come.

“My Gods,” Dani had begun to sob, still lying close to Evan. His breathing had slowed and become ragged with each inhalation, “What am I supposed to do? Please don’t die on me. Please.” She removed her hand from Evan’s side and pressed her knee against it as she tore the scarf from her head that she had been using to hold up her messy hair. She wadded it up with one hand and placed it under her knee over the gaping wound. This freed up her other hand to press it against his neck.

“Evan, stay with me. Please, please don’t die.” Dani leaned in to whisper. When she pulled her face away she could hear more goblins coming over the ridge, but then all went silent.

The landscape around her melted into a soft golden glow, the trees were green again, and the field was filled with flowers.

“You can save him, Dani. You have it in you.” The wizard was now standing in front of her, just above Evan’s head.

“He’s dying. It’s my fault that he’s dying. I’m helpless. I have nothing to stop this bleeding, nothing at all.” Tears streamed down her face. She took a second to check and see if Evan was still breathing: it was shallow at best.

“You made a mistake, we all do. He chose to be here; you didn’t drag him along…but you can save him.” The wizard didn’t waver in his position behind Evan.

Dani just shook her head hard, “How?”

But before she could receive an answer, a goblin pulled her from her conversation as it dove onto her back. It ripped at her shirt, trying to get to flesh.

Dani screamed in pain, but never let go of Evan.

Crack!

She heard a loud pop and then a whizzing sound. The goblin that had a hold of her went rigid and toppled to the ground. Dani looked over her shoulder to see Pete, Liam, and two other men coming across the field. Pete had a rifle aimed at the few goblins that were still standing. Liam had just blown through several himself and the other two men were finishing off the rest.

“Peeete.” Dani choked, her voice coming out hoarse. Her sobbing had gotten so intense that she could barely speak. Pete raced over and relieved her, keeping solid pressure on Evan’s injuries.

Liam soon joined them and began winding a thick white cloth around Evan’s midsection. It was tight enough to slow the blood flow but any tighter and it would cut off circulation. Pete kept his hand on Evan’s neck as Liam looked around with the other two men for a make-shift board to carry him back to the commune.

“Wait.” Dani ran over to find her rucksack that had been lost in the dark. She rifled through it until she produced the blanket that she had planned on taking. She wasted no time in laying it out as the men maneuvered Evan on to it with Pete still by his side.

“I don’t know how we are going to be able to lift him without Pete’s help.” Liam tried to quickly decide what to do, “And Dani’s hands are too small to continue the pressure.”

“I can help carry him.” The two men laughed quietly at Dani’s suggestion.

“Then let’s do it.” Liam grabbed a corner and waited for her and the other two me to take the remaining three. In one quick heaving motion, they effortlessly lifted Evan. Liam glanced to Dani and nodded, a sort of thank you for her quick thinking. The other two men, who she soon found out were called Wren and Wesley, were rather shocked by how light Evan was. She wasn’t going to mention that that was because she was practically carrying his entire weight.

“We have to hurry. I don’t know if he’s going to make it.” Pete’s brow was knit and Dani could see tiny tears pooling in the corners of his eyes. He was going to lose his best friend and it was all her fault.

(*)

“Open the gates!” Liam barked as they stood in front of the castle walls. Armed men lined the top as the gates slowly crept open wide enough for everyone to squeeze in.

Miraculously, Evan was still alive. His skin was almost grey and all the light had left his eyes. Dani wasn’t even sure if he was there anymore. She was shaking so badly now that she could barely hold Evan up as they came to the base of the Oak, right in front of the stage.

They carefully lowered him to the ground and the blanket fell around his body. Pete still held tight to his neck as a few people Dani had never seen before came rushing forward to help him. She hadn’t noticed the crowd of onlookers that had started to gather near the tents. Liam had men trying to barricade them, but they craned their necks to see past anyway.

“Tell people to go home; their rubber- necking isn’t helping anyone.” Liam waved his hand at Wren and Wesley who went off to direct everyone back to their tents. Everything felt like a dream as Dani stood back and let the physicians of the Hedgerow try to keep Evan alive.

She could see Anessa fighting with Wren as he effortlessly pushed her back. She was trying to push her way through; someone had tipped her off that Evan was wounded, and mortally so.

“I can’t stop the bleeding.” A man in his late thirties directed his statement towards Liam whose hands were stained with Evan’s blood. Pete was crouched next to them; tears streaming through the dried blood smeared on his cheeks.

“He’s not breathing.” Another man spoke, this one slightly older. He had his fingers pressed to Evan’s neck, but there was no pulse. Pete broke down, rocking back into the dirt, his hands to his face. The two doctors just shook their heads. There was no use in trying to revive him; his wounds were too severe.

Dani was frozen in place, staring down at Evan’s lifeless body; his shirt in shreds, his body a macabre canvas of blood.

A voice echoed in her head.

You can save him.

Everything was moving in slow motion now. People trying to clean up and console their friends as Liam went to cover Evan’s body with a tattered sheet.

You know how; you just have to believe in yourself. Do it quick—before it’s too late.

Dani felt a wave of warm, calming energy wash over her. She did have it in her, as scared as she was.

Time sped back up as Dani lurched forward towards Evan’s lifeless body. She tore the sheet back, trying not to shock herself with the sight of his motionless figure.

“I know you’re still in there,” Dani whispered close to his ear. His pulse may have been nonexistent, but she could still feel him lingering around; there was still time.

She threw her leg over Evan’s waist and came to rest on his abdomen.

“What on Earth are you doing?” Liam had just finished talking with Wren when he noticed Dani’s odd behavior.

“Saving his life.” Dani positioned her right hand over the wound on Evan’s side and her left hand was clamped tightly to his neck.

“He’s dead, Dani.” Liam was worried that she wasn’t quite grasping reality.

“Not if I can help it.” Dani jerked her head towards Liam. Her eyes were lit from within, making her pupils look wildly animal like.

She placed her face over Evan’s, eyes focused on his. They were still open, glassy and lost; no one had bothered to close them.

“If you can hear me, please don’t go.” Dani lifted her hand from his neck, closed his eyes, and let her own eyes do the same before she placed her forehead on his.

“Dani, this is ridiculous.” Liam was still standing close, trying to talk some sense into her.

“No more ridiculous than everything else that is going on.” Her voice was husky as she spoke, eyes still closed.

“Evan, listen to me. I know you’re still in there; a part of you is still alive.” Dani spoke so close to his face that her lips brushed his cold skin.

“Don’t make me get Wren and Wesley to pull you off. Let him go.” Liam spoke sternly, but with softness behind his tone.

Dani wasn’t going to let that happen. She could feel her body filling up with light; every atom in her being tingling with energy.

Liam reached out to grip the back of her shirt when a

bubble of the purest, unfettered magic burst forth from her body, encasing her and Evan in a safety net of rebirth.

Evan! Talk to me, Evan. Dani called out to him mentally. She could feel the hum beneath her now, it was faint, but it was definitely him.

Stay with me. Dani gripped him harder, holding steadily to his side and neck. The blood had begun to dry now and she could feel the rubbery texture under her fingers.

Evan. Come back to me. Dani’s thought floated through the air, teeming with electricity. It connected with him and she immediately felt his eyes open.

Then she let go. Not physically, but spiritually. Dani let her inner fae take over; the bubble of pure protective energy began to shrink around them as she funneled it all through herself and into Evan. The light filtered itself through her fingertips, mending the parts of Evan that had been so mangled. Threads of sinew began to weave together; Dani could feel his flesh beneath her hands slowly rebuilding itself until smooth and healed to perfection. She could now feel the blood throbbing beneath his flesh as his pulse quickened.

The light continued to course through her as she felt her head begin to swim. She wasn’t used to the intensity; the energy surging around her until it had diminished completely.

Dani lost her grip on Evan, her hands slowly sliding away from his person as she began to fall back into a faint.

Sturdy arms gripped her waist before she was able to meet the ground, but it didn’t stop the inevitable blackout.