Nuada: A Fae Lands Short Story Page 3

Nuada

  He walked away from the barn they’d spent so much time in this place that he was happy to be getting away. He walked into the nearby forest without thinking. It smelled of rotted wood and wet dirt. That was home to him. When they were young, they’d go into the forest and play games. Nuada was more adept at finding Aberta than he was at finding Nuada, but his powers advanced faster.

  Nuada kept walking until he felt a familiar feeling of Magick and Fae. He was close to a passage from this world to his. There were always a few, here and there because of the close connection between the Earth and the Fae Lands. He simply had to follow the Magick.

  It got stronger the further he walked until he found the small stone circle in the center of a small clearing. Everything about it felt and looked normal, like it was a twist of the forest that only a few could see and feel.

  He took a breath and said the words to charge the circle. The air shimmered around it. He stepped through, hoping Dien and Sasha would meet him and they could all go back and get Aberta and Madeline together.

  Once through the door, he could see the forests he’d played in as a child. The air was hot and humid as a Fae summer was. He turned towards the castle and walked with a hurried pace. He didn’t get far before the smell of black powder caught him off guard. He stopped and listened.

  He could hear the commotion ahead. Even though he as at the back of the castle. He heard shots and wrinkled his nose in confusion. The Fae used swords and knives, not black powder and guns, but that was what it seemed they were using in this war. He wondered how Balor had gotten the idea for this and where the supplies had come from. They didn’t make that stuff in his land. Only on earth.

  He snuck around the wall and made his way towards the front part of the castle, watching for anything that seemed out of place. Once he rounded the wall, he could see the lines of the war and Dien in front of it all. He was leading what looked like an army of Fae he’d found hiding in the wooded area. None were from the Seelie or UnSeelie court, but they seemed to be fighting with all they could.

  Nuada glanced at the other line of Fae. This was the Seelie Court Army that was fighting them. He recognized Balor at the head and shook his head. This wasn’t what he wanted to be seeing. He wanted Dien to be winning so there was some kind of hope he would get to come home soon.

  Nuada hurried back towards the back of the castle and into the woods he’d just come from. He didn’t pay attention to what was around him until a hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. He tensed but met the gaze of a Seelie Court soldier. He put his finger to his lips telling Nuada to keep quite. The soldier then pushed Nuada at the stone circle and back away. Nuada said the spell to activate the circle quietly and hurried through. When he opened his eyes, he was standing in the sunlight with the sun beating down on him and a lot on his mind. He had to talk to Aberta. Maybe there was a way he could help get the Seelie Court back. Maybe they could join the fight.

  Aberta

  He watched the group of Witches scatter around the barn. Something was going on.

  “What is happening?” Aberta asked as they moved around him.

  Luana stopped and grabbed his arm. She pulled him towards the stairs before speaking. “There was a shift. Someone came from the Fae Lands.”

  “What?” He grabbed her shoulders. “Where is Nuada?”

  “I don’t know. We are just getting the borders reinforced,” she said pulling away from him. “I’m sorry.”

  Aberta walked towards the doors of the barn before a man he’d only seen a couple of times stopped him. He easily pushed the man away and went through the barn doors. He scanned the area, but Nuada was nowhere to be found. He knew he was going home and that he was going to cause trouble.

  He had to make a choice. Stay here and watch everyone gets slaughtered or take Madeline and run. They could get free of here and he could start a life. Aberta turned and walked back into the barn bypassing all the people doing their protections and getting things they needed to defend themselves. He went straight for Madeline’s room.

  She was up and pacing her room. Madeline didn’t have much in the way of powers so she stayed out of the way of everyone else.

  “We have to go,” he said as soon as he opened her door. She stared at him and he motioned for her to pack a bag. She did so without protest and grabbed his hand.

  “Where will we go?”

  “I don’t know, but we can’t stay here. We’ll start a new life.” He smiled at her and pulled her to him. “Close your eyes.” He thought about a safe place with green fields and blue skis. He let his power take them to that place and it did. His teleportation usually unpredictable, but this time they went someplace safe.

  Now no one could ever take her from him and he could be free of the obligations of the Fae Lands forever.

  ******* To Be Continued in the short story Aberta.