HALIA'S POV
Our prison was dark and humid, small and cramped. It was barely big enough for a person alone, yet now we were two.
Sometimes, we heard a bird sing, or saw one flying high above us in the gray sky through the hole in the roof. The only hole I could get water from when it rained. How little that was. My body was craving it; for a nymph that was not enough. I had to use my magic to call it in.
Many days went by before Domovoy entered the room, pushing the chest out of his way and telling us that now was our chance to get the grimoires.
"The king's gone out on a raid," he said, out of breath. "Only some of the thralls remain in the hall."
My heart jumped. Although we had planned a way to get the books, I was not expecting for the moment to come so fast. I was not sure if I was mentally ready just yet. I feared my courage would fail me.
"Let's do it now before the king comes back," Phi said, clapping her hands together.
It was now or never. Domovoy and I crawled out of the hole the creature had dug behind the chest while Phi stayed behind, being the only true prisoner in the room.
We crept around the side of the house. It was night and the moon was full and silver. I felt its light on my skin and, although it might've been an illusion, I felt braver. The little girl from the alley, quiet and self-effacing. I was far beyond Urach's cruel teases, and now I felt like nothing could bother me. Plus, there was nothing I couldn't do for Phi.
That was the only way she and I could have a chance at being happy together. If she ever feels for the same way I feel for her. . .
The surroundings were quiet. The thralls who hadn't accompanied the king on his journey were asleep or were ready to fall asleep. Still, we needed to be fast and so we sprinted to the great hall's front door and entered.
I hadn't been in yet, but Phi had told me about the grand, golden room. Its ceiling was so high and shiny it made my head spin.
A fire crackled at the middle of the space, and over thirty thralls stood or sat here and there across the hall. I tripped over a drinking bowl that lay on the floor. One of the thralls opened his eyes. They only mirrored the emptiness of his mind. I held my breath, careful not to make noise again, until he closed his eyes again and dozed off.
Domovoy gestured at the end of the hall where a high seat stood. He had explained earlier it was under that seat that the Evil King kept his objects of value and things he stole from his raids. "The grimoires will be there," he had said.
I tip-toed my way to the farthest side of the hall, trying to be as quiet as I could so that I would not attract the Evil King's attention through the sets of empty eyes. I was comforted that at least I looked like a servant.
Once by the chair, I glanced over at Domovoy who was keeping an eye out the open door for any sign of the priests or an unfamiliar move on the thralls' part. Everything was going as planned so far.
I pushed the chair aside and congratulated myself that the noise was rather reasonable. There was a trap on the floor, covered with pieces of hay that found their way under the throne. If I had been silent so far, opening the trap was another story. I pulled a metallic latch and a loud screeching sound filled the room. I held by breath as I lowered myself into the hole and lent an ear to see if there were any movement. Nothing.
Relieved, I began to search for the grimoires among the stacks of papers and objects. There were swords and armours, coins of gold and silver—which I could not help but tell myself were rather useless here. I mean, who could he trade those coins with in the New World?
Finally, I got my hands on a coffer. I had a strong feeling that what I was looking for was inside. It was locked. I examined the chest and thought there was only one way to open it. I extended my hand, and hovering it over the lock, I grew a plant whose roots entered inside it. The roots grew bigger and bigger until the chest finally popped.
The sound of the chest giving in was louder than I had wanted. "Halia!" Domovoy whispered. "Don't make that much noise!"
"Sorry!" I whispered back.
I grabbed the books the chest contained and climbed out.
"Did you get them?" Domovoy asked.
"I'm not sure," I said. "I couldn't see them well. I need fire light." I approached the illuminating flames and as soon as I opened the books, a musty smell came out of its pages. "They're the right ones," I said "They smell like the Tisannieres."
"Good, so let's go!" the hairy creature said, heading towards Phi's door.
"Hold on!" I said. "I know there is a spell in here that tells us how to make a false replica of something."
"What?" Domovoy said.
It was not part of the plan, I was doing something risky, but I felt not replacing the books was even riskier. "Imagine if the king finds out the grimoires are missing," I explained. "He'll know something is up."
"All right," Domovoy agreed. "But be fast."
I glanced around. Everything still seemed under control. The thralls hadn't moved. They were as empty minded as when we'd arrived. Seeing me had caused no reaction in them.
I flipped through the old pages filled with the Tisannieres' handwriting. "Here," I said. "I found it." It was in Latin, a different kind of magic than the runes, and I hoped my pronunciation was not going to be too far off for it to work. "Ut es infideli imaginem esse aliquid."
Nothing happened.
"It didn't work," Domovoy said, frowning.
"Maybe I have to say it louder," I suggested. I glanced at the creature's two red eyes that shone in the darkness. "Get ready to make some noise if the priests come."
He nodded and got closer to a thrall, getting ready to whisper to its ear if need be.
"Ut es infideli imaginem esse aliquid," I repeated, much louder this time.
Books popped out of thin air and fell onto the floor beside me, echoing in the hall. I stuffed the originals as well as I could into my dress through the collar. I then grabbed the replicas and started my way back to the end of the room.
"I hear the priests!" Domovoy cried out.
My heart skipped a beat. Maybe I shouldn't have bothered with making replicas after all. There was a chance the Evil King wouldn't have noticed them missing. I imagined the worst. I could be captured and the grimoires would never find their way to Phi. The community could be lost forever.
But I could not give up. I had to try everything. I ran to the trap and stuffed the chest with the new books. I had the time to close the trap, put the high seat back in its place, and crouch behind it before the Evil King's most faithful servants opened the front door.
"Where is the noise coming from?" I heard one of the men ask.
At Domovoy's command, some of the thralls got up and roamed aimlessly throughout the room. They dragged their feet on the floor as they walked.
"What's wrong with them?" another man asked.
I took advantage of the distraction to walk around with them, pretending to be one of theirs. I headed towards Phi's room, also near to where Domovoy stood in the darkness.
He whispered again in the ear of a passing thrall, telling him to open the fairy's door. The latter complied. I slipped in right after the house spirit.
"What is he doing?" I heard one of them say behind me.
My heart stopped. Did he see us?
I threw the grimoires at Phi and she tucked them in her blanket, under her. I made myself small while Domovoy hid in the darkest corner of the room.
Three of the men showed up at Phi's door. They looked at her. Phi returned their stares. She looked so peaceful, so quiet, sitting on her bed like if she had just awoken and was wondering what this was all about. The priests, middle-aged men wearing dark purple robes, probably did not know what to think.
"We'll tell Wotan what happened," one said to the two others, sneering at Phi before closing the door.
I raced to the door and held my ear against it. "I doubt he will appreciate it," I heard another priest say. "He won't like to know she found a way around his shield."
"She might have more powers than he thought, but she didn't escape now, did she?" the other argued. "I don't think there is any danger yet. If we tell him, we might be in more trouble."
The men walked away from the door, far enough that I couldn't hear them anymore.
"You guys did it!" Phi said, taking the books out from under the blanket.
"We have to find a better place to hide them," I said, suddenly worried a bed was not going to be sufficient enough to stop the Evil King from finding the books. "There might be a spell in one of the grimoires that make objects visible and invisible at will."
"We'll see about that later," said Phi. "First we have to know what happened to my father."
She flipped through the pages until she found the spell she was looking for. A divinatory dream.
I helped Phi prepare for the incantation. I grew plants, prepared essential oils, and brewed some wild mint and blackberry tea necessary for the spell. I was pleased to see how fast I could work, how easy it had become for me to do the basic earth magic. It was a sign I had more control over my powers.
"You should do it soon," Domovoy said. "While the moon is still out. Fairies' spells are more powerful under moonlight."
"I'm ready," I said as I gave Phi a bowl of water infused with petals so we could both cleanse ourselves.
Once cleaned, we joined hands and closed our eyes to connect better with the elements. We imagined ourselves in the loving embrace of the Mother.
I could not fight the urge to open my eyes and look at Phi. Her face was bathing in the light of the flames that now floated around us. I had never seen magic this beautiful. And it was magic, I had difficulty believing, that came from us.
I looked at Phi's skin, so soft. The droplets of the cleansing water were still drying off. I wished I could take her in my arms but decided against it.
That might disrupt the spell.
Slowly, Phi opened her eyes as well. Still hand in hand, our eyes met and we chanted. It sounded almost like a whisper in the wind.
"Just like the wind that comes and blows softly
Through our dear forest's trees
And then goes and leaves us in wonder
As to wither did it go?
Where have you gone?
My King, where have you gone?
Just like the wind that comes and blows softly
On our skin as light as a butterfly's wings
That then flows away and leaves us in wonder
Where have you gone?
My King, where have you gone?
Are you lost? Are you hurt?
May the Mother and the Moon show us
In a dream, the place where you lay
So that I may see you and talk to you again
Where have you gone?
My King, where have you gone?
Will you come to me if I call?
If thus is the Mother's desire
So mote it be."
We repeated the chant over and over again, letting the words, the runes, sink in our minds, until the dancing flames surrounding us died out. A cool wind entered the room from the hole in the roof and Phi's light dress quivered.
She let go of my hands to brush her long dark hair and preen her wings' feathers. I prepared her bed, pouring some drops of the jasmine oil I had prepared on the sheets.
She climbed into her bed. I tucked her in and kissed her on the forehead. I gave her a glance, ashamed of what I had just done. That kiss. Her face did not show any sign she knew what was going on in my head. To her, it was only a friendly kiss. A kiss you give to a child before she goes to bed.
My heart was now beating faster than ever. I looked at her lips and craved for something more. A budding desire to kiss her again on the lips her boiled inside me.
I turned away but she held my hand back.
"Stay with me?" she asked.
Once again, I wished we were back in the alley, before all this happened. If I had thought then that my feelings were complicated, they did not compare to what I was feeling now.
"Sure," I said.
I carved myself a space under the linens. I doubted I could sleep that night, with her lying beside me.
We slept in the same bed before as children. Why is it different now?
"Do you think the spell will work?" she asked me.
"I am sure it will," I replied now fighting the urge to caress her angelic hair.
She smiled and closed her eyes. I could tell. She was eager to sleep and see what had become of her father.
*
While she slept, I heard the Evil King come back from his raid. He had brought new prisoners with him. I recognized Urach and Tesra's voices, along with those of other Last-borns.
I left the bed to go closer to the door and hear better.
"Wotan's priests will examine them to see if they are fit to become the king's concubines," Domovoy whispered to me from his hole.
"His concubines?" I asked.
"Wherever he goes, the king brings back young girls to satisfy his needs," he explained. "Native girls. Some of them are sold to him, others are taken by force from their families and tribes. I can only suppose that in the case of your fellow fairies; they were brought here against their will."
"But why does he take on this many?" I asked. "Why does he need to fetch more?"
"He gets bored of those he has. I guess part of the thrill is to see the fear in those girls' eyes. He uses them until they become a white canvas, their souls wiped of emotion, no more fear nor joy, a vacant shell—very much like the other mindless women."
I could only imagine what those girls were about to go through. Forced to share their beds with a one-eyed monster and to pretend they are enjoying it or be sentenced to die. Did they even know what was waiting for them? Did Urach and Tesra know?
They had never been nice to me, always picked on me. But this – this I did not wish for anyone. It was revolting that people could be threated this way. Women. Young girls. They were deposed of their identity. They were merely objets of desire.
"The priests seem so blind to such horror," I said, peeping through cracks in the wooden door. The men were prepping the girls for their inspection. "How could a priest help in such a thing? Don't they have wives? Have they no more humanity left in them?" Then I froze. "Or do they take their shot at them too?"
"The priests are all eunuchs," Domovoy said. "That was the price they had to pay to retain control of their minds. They might have had wives in the past, usually some of the servant women. But the women are all mindless now."
Phi would feel such guilt about these girls, I knew. It was a way for the Evil King to pressure her, since the countless days of loneliness didn't seem to work. Not fast enough. He was coming to visit her every day, her only contact with the outside world, and she was not breaking.
I watched as Phi slept, dreaming of her father I hoped, and was relieved she was not hearing the girls scream. She was unaware of the hell that was taking place outside of her door. But she would know—soon enough.
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