The Veil of the Faeries

Chapter Four

That night as David lay sleeping in his bed tiny eyes watched from above.  Perched on the frame, of one of his many paintings, what appeared to be a moth, sat waiting.  As soon as David's breathing settled into a steady rhythm the moth took flight.  It's movement's were sporadic as it fluttered around the room finally coming to rest on the desk.

The creature scurried across the piece of furniture and up the side of a potted plant.  Once it was hidden among the leaves it stood on two legs and revealed it's self.  It was not a moth at all but a tiny man.  His skin was as iridescent as a rare pearl, his eyes cobalt blue, and his hair the color of maple leaves in the fall.  He was adorned in a Hodge podge of nature.  His clothing was made from spider silk with armor fashioned from the joints of grasshoppers.  He wore a dragon fly helmet and of course the moth wings which he smoothed down his back lovingly.

Jax was the tiny creature's name.  Not human, not insect, but a resemblance of both.  He stood proudly poking out his chest as he made lude gestures at the man sleeping across the room.  He didn't like humans anymore, not since they had abandoned his people.

Fairies, or the Fae, as they were known on this planet, were a species of people that existed between time.  They traveled to this realm often because of their interest in humans.  Out of all the species in the galaxy human's most resembled their own kind in appearance and yet were so different.  That fascinated them and so they came, but humans were relatively new creatures and because of this they were ignorant and could be dangerous to others so when the Fae visited they disguised themselves in nature and tried to blend in.

On occasion, however, the two groups would meet, and if both were willing, a bond would be formed.  It was a cooperation of souls so to speak.  The humans would make sure the fairies were safe and cared for and in return the fairies bestowed magic on them.  Such was the case between the Winslows and the Fae living at the Estate.  This bond was so strong that the fairies could never return to their own realm and the Winslows could never rid their property of the little people.  A betrayal was the only thing that could break the bond and any such betrayal meant complete destruction of both species.

That was the thing which fueled his resentment of the man sleeping across the room.  The boy that had once fought savage battles around the pool to protect Jax people.  The same family that had laid feast's of delicious food out to feed the fairies had stopped doing so and because of that his people were starving and their magic was weak.  All they could do to protect themselves was make the garden grow in the hopes that it would hide them and provide much needed sustenance.

Jax danced around the base of the plant stopping occasionally to stick out his tongue or gesture his anger at the human.  He danced until his legs felt wobbly then he collapsed in a pile of panting exhaustion.  Once he was rested he stood and spread his wings then with a silent whoosh he took flight.  Fluttering around the room he flew until he reached the area where his nest was located.  Then he landed and smoothed down his wings before disappearing into the crack that led to his home.

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In the predawn light of morning Julia awakened in a bed of luxury.  Her body ached as if she had run a marathon, the result of too many days of stress.  She rolled over and realized where she was then relaxed.  They were safe and if David was true to his word a car would arrive to take Caitlyn to school.  She smiled to herself not quite believing her good fortune.  Still they were here in this beautiful home and she would not let her new friend down by sleeping in.

Sitting up she took a moment to stretch her tired muscles then climbed out of bed.  Reluctantly she made her way to the bathroom and began washing up for the day.  Thirty minutes later she was ready so she straightened up her room then made her way downstairs and into the kitchen.  "Thank goodness the power was on."  She thought as she started a pot of coffee.  Caitlyn would need to eat breakfast and get ready herself before long.