Chapter 4

Enemy Territory

We ran. I don't think I'll ever be able to live with myself for running away and leaving her behind. I was a fool to leave! I should have stayed and fought for her. I know we didn't stand a chance, but far better to die trying to save her, than live without her. I still don't know why she stayed. It hurt, and I had time to think as we traveled away from the castle. Did he turn her from me? Was she caught by some magical spell? Was she only pretending to love me? No! I refused to believe that. She loved me, I knew it.

I was human long enough to know the capricious interest of several young women. I knew the game of budding flirtation and courtship, and I knew most of that interest hinged on my title, and the dream of one day being part of a royal court. We toyed with one another in a make-believe dance of love and admiration. They waited for an offer of forever, and I waited for some sign that it was only me, and not my title. I was continually disappointed, as were they.

After the curse, there was a hundred years of near solitude, with only my family and M for company. I tried not to think about my lost humanity, but there was a lot of time, and I dreamed of my perfect companion. I created her in my mind—the perfect woman. Little did I care what she would look like, but it was her heart and spirit that made me dream. She would be playful, unusual, loyal, noble, insightful, entertaining, quick-witted, and honest. She would be a good friend, a great listener, and have a forgiving heart. She wouldn't take herself too seriously, and she wouldn't be intimidated by me. She would laugh like music, and smile like the sun, and grace would be her hand-maiden.

I knew her in an instant.

The poor thing clung to the ledge of the tower, terrified I would kill her or eat her live—it's what dragons were known to do. I wished for a less monstrous aspect to present her as I plucked her from her perch. Her scream tore at me, even as I flew away with my prize.

I normally would have flown her to the mainland, but I was headed for the island cliffs, even before I realized she carried some kind of horrid magical talisman. She made me laugh even then. She was trying to keep from being eaten, and that was the furthest thought from my mind. Of all the young women I'd scooped from that ledge over the years, she was the only one I never wanted to put down.

Of course the talisman was what interested my family, especially when she calmed down enough to tell my mother and sister about the young sorceress who made it for her. It meant the prophesy was at hand, and the curse might soon be broken. I felt that fate was finally on our side, for not only had we been given a sign that our curse could finally be lifted, but the messenger was an enchanting girl, who gave me a reason to wish to be human again.

For the first few days she was with us, I of course watched over her to make sure she didn't try to escape. I couldn't fathom why she would stay with us in our underground exile. But not even one day later, I heard her laughing with my mother and sister. Laughter! Such sounds had been missing from our existence for so long, I'd forgotten all but the subdued sound of amusement dragons made. Rose was not prone to laughter, and my mother's laugh was soft and reserved. But Alyss laughed without reservation, and the sound echoed through the caverns.

I confess, I started to look for ways to make her laugh. I flew through the large cavern, performing aerial stunts for her pleasure. I sneaked along behind her when she went exploring. Her racing heart told me how nervous she was when she would turn to find me there, but her laughter made me glad I'd followed her. I also tormented Ehd Wyrd several times in her presence, pushing him into the river that ran through the main cavern, or nipping his tail as he napped. I tried the same tactics with M, but the big dragon tore after me in a way that made me fear for my very life. Still, her uncontrolled laughter made it worth the risk.

M quickly realized I was smitten. His teasing never ceased, and he rudely pointed out the folly of a dragon pairing with a human girl. He would remind me of all the horrors that could happen if I went through even one human courtship ritual. Holding her hand could crush the limb, tucking her arm in mine could leave her dangling in mid-air, and kissing her—M teased that I would likely swallow her whole! He even went on to surmise what would happen to her if we went beyond kissing. It was then he had to run from me as I intended to trounce him good!

His teasing came to an end when she learned our speech patterns. The speech came naturally to me as part of the curse. She had to learn it the hard way, by listening and asking questions. She learned it faster than my mother and sister had, and I was stunned at this evidence of her intelligence. She was obviously more than just a pretty girl.

She was a beautiful young woman, for sure. Her grace sometimes made me stop and stare, and I longed to be human again so I could dance with her—I had always hated dancing! Her smile lit up the darkness of the caverns, her eyes sparkled even in the gloom. Her lovely, dark hair reminded me of my favorite stallion, after his mane and coat were clean and brushed. I wished for hands and fingers to comb through its softness. She completely enthralled me.

When Ehd Wyrd brought Be'lah to the caverns, I began to hope like never before that the curse would soon be broken. If not for that hope, then I never would have flirted with my sweet Alyss, nor even sought her out. But knowing that after a hundred years in the guise of a cold dragon I might very soon be human, I could not resist.

What surprised me, was her willingness to be near me. My crown gave me the power to sense her moods, and how she felt about me, and I was ever wary of artifice on her part. But she never wavered in her joy at spending time with me. We talked for hours about family, the island where we both lived, and some of the people I remembered, and those she knew.

As Be'lah learned magic through her ancestor, Alyss spent time with me. I found that the initial attraction I felt to her grew stronger. During a talk I had with Ehd Wyrd, I confessed that I was completely enamored with her. He admitted that he felt the same for Be'lah. After so many years, for both of us to be in love—it just felt like magic was at work.

I've always had a hard time keeping secrets, especially when they were really exciting secrets. The reason I told Alyss that Ehd Wyrd was interested in Be'lah, was to see how she responded to the idea that a dragon could fall for a human. She was irrepressibly excited for her friend, and begged me for permission to tell her. It was then I told her I felt the same way about her. She went from giggling and excitable to awed silence. I worried I'd said the wrong thing. I worried that she was afraid or disgusted by my interest. Then she hugged me, wrapping her arms around my ankle. It was then she confessed she felt love for me.

It was the same day she became drunk on the magic when she went to visit Be'lah in the pocket of magic where her ancestor lived. She scared me with the way she behaved, as if she had gone mad for a while. When she grew wings, she was horrified. I knew what she was feeling and what she was going through, since I'd been magically transformed into a dragon years before her. I could still remember how inhuman I'd felt at the time. It was as if the body I knew and had grown into, was no longer my own. She was still Alyss, but being faced with the fairy side of her lineage in such a bold way, was hard for her. It was in those hours of her transformation, that I truly fell in love with her. I knew as I tried to comfort her, that I would do anything for her—even give up my life for her.

I still couldn't believe I'd left her behind.

"Come on J'Spurr, we need to keep going." Ehd Wyrd's patience was wearing thin. I kept stopping, thinking of some plan to return and rescue her from the castle. We'd seen on the way out, that the place had magical enchantments to protect itself. We'd narrowly missed being killed, as powerful beams had shot from points around the walls as we'd fled. I knew going back in uninvited, would be a death sentence.

"What if we went in through the underground waste tunnels?" I didn't even know if they had such a thing in their city.

"Our best hope, is to get to the gateway. Maybe the fairies near the mountains will help us. We can't go back now, and you know they won't hurt her."

"I don't know that! They locked her in the dungeon already, how can I be sure they won't do something even worse?"

"She's part of the queen's family. They think she belongs with them."

"She doesn't! She belongs with me, not that stupid fairy!"

"Have you taken a good look at yourself lately? You're as much a fairy as he is. You know you can change back..."

"No." I looked at him, worried about what he would think. "I can't change back—I've tried. I can't even change the way I look; I'm stuck like this."

"That doesn't make sense, J'Spurr. You're a dragon, not a fairy."

"It does make sense." Be'lah came up beside him and took his hand. "The last time your whole family was changed, it was part of a magical curse, and tied to a prophesy. We have heard the prophesy extends to what's happening on this side of the gateway, and Alyss seemed to think there was something separating the dark haired fairies from all others. Maybe it's some kind of curse? There's obviously powerful magic involved in this change. It took breaking the curse to change you from dragons to humans..."

"A curse we weren't able to break." Ehd Wyrd interrupted her, again looking ashamed for what he saw as his failure regarding the curse.

"So, we have to make sure we break this one, or J'Spurr could become a fairy permanently."

"How do we break a curse we didn't even know existed?" They both turned to look at me. "I thought I chose this form for her, how could it become a curse?" She recited the words of Ghar'rett's poem.

"Unexpected rivalries, hatreds, wars, and feuds. Careful of the treacherous, whimsical of moods. It's obvious that whether we like it or not, we're being drawn into some kind of feud. It probably wouldn't matter what color your hair was, J'Spurr, you're obviously supposed to be on the side of their enemy."

"I should have stayed behind; it would have put an end to all this foolishness!"

"Maybe you didn't have a choice." I stared at her, waiting for her to continue. "You might have been unwittingly compelled to leave. I don't remember making a choice to leave, and I don't think I'd have left my friend behind if there wasn't a good reason. There's magic at work here that I don't understand. It's old and powerful, and maybe we have to learn to work within its boundaries. When my grandmother wanted to destroy the gateway, she couldn't just destroy it, she had to work within the constraints of the magic. It took her generations to create me, the perfect means of destruction, and even then every circumstance had to be just right."

"Are you telling me that I've been designed to be some kind of weapon?"

"We've obviously got a part to play in this prophesy. I'd hoped that once Jheyms was dead, and the gateway was destroyed, we could be finished with it. But it seems we're in deeper than I ever imagined. Things are going to happen the way they were intended, no matter how much we fight against it." She was clearly upset by the thought.

"Alyss is... they seem to think she's supposed to marry that other fairy. I can't let that happen!"

"Then I think this would count as an 'unexpected rivalry.' We'll all work to get through this, but clearly this part of the prophesy has targeted you and Alyss."

"No matter what happens, I need to get her back. If she marries him... I don't know what I'll do without her." Be'lah believed I might be entirely fairy, but I felt a dragon's sense of commitment to my Alyss. I loved her, and that was never going to change—never.

I was in a dark mood for most of the day as we continued walking. When Ghar'rett stopped us, there was an odor on the wind that made us all fall silent and still. Smoke. Since Be'lah didn't feel any ill effects from the magic of fey, she was the one who went to check it out. One moment I could see her, and the next she seemed to disappear. She was planning to fly up over the trees to see what was going on. The wind shifted as soon as she left, and along with the smoke, I could smell something dead, and a lot of it.

The sounds came to us in a rush, and we all fell back, narrowly missing being overrun by a large group of monsters. They were the monsters I remembered from the books of my youth. Fairy tales I'd thought were make believe, now came back to remind me of what I was seeing. Goblins, hobgoblins, trolls, giants, and other horrible beasts, stampeded past us, as we crouched in the thick foliage. Even when they were gone, we could still hear their thunderous steps, shouts, and howls. When Be'lah returned, she gathered us in a circle to tell us what she'd seen.

"I was lucky they couldn't see me, but there were a couple of the giants who could probably smell me—they turned my way but didn't stop. It looks like we're right in the middle of some kind of battle region. A little further east it looks like two armies clashed; there are a lot of dead of all different creatures. The trees are burning—they're screaming too. It looks like a few hundred bodies on the field, and most of them are monsters. I saw a few fairies as well, both light and dark haired. It's all very horrible, and the carrion eaters have already started picking at the bodies."

"We've got to find a way around." Ehd Wyrd took her hand, lending his support. "We've seen one of the armies retreating already."

"No. That wasn't an army." She corrected him. "That was only one unit, and there are many of them in this area. I couldn't tell who was doing all the fighting, but there's easily a thousand fighters within a days walk of here. I'm surprised we made it this far without running into anything."

"We need to get to higher ground." They turned my way at the command in my voice. I didn't know a lot of things, but I'd learned everything our father's captain of the guard had to teach. He was an old, battle scarred veteran, who had come to our island to find solace in the latter part of his life. I had once dreamed of holding his position, and I had spent so much time at his side, he often called me Son. He was a fine teacher, and I had been an eager student. I learned fighting styles, but more than that, I leaned the tactics that could mean the difference between winning a battle or dying in defeat.

"Shouldn't we change into our dragon forms, so we can better protect ourselves?" Ehd Wyrd clearly enjoyed being a powerful dragon, and I was sure M and Ghar'rett would want to take on the stronger dragon aspect as well.

"It's hard to hide a dragon. We've already seen giants and other creatures who could challenge even a dragon. I think we'd do better to stay small for now. If there are a lot of monsters converging on this area, I think we should stay as small a target as possible. I also think we should keep our best weapon secret. Thinking we're mostly humans could make them underestimate us. We need to get to higher ground, so we can plan our strategy. We're also more likely to find someone in charge in such a place."

"There are some hills to the northeast; it shouldn't take us long to get there." As Be'lah mentioned the hills, I headed in that direction, not waiting for them to challenge or disagree with me. A lot of armies failed when leadership was in question. I took charge, knowing Ehd Wyrd would follow his older brother without question. Be'lah had some good leadership qualities, but she could be indecisive and emotional at times. M was powerful, but he was too independent to be a good leader. Ghar'rett was wise and wily, but he was also normally a gigantic dragon who was unused to facing anything his size and strength could not defeat. I glanced back as M scooped up my sister Rose. She wasn't faring well at all. I couldn't rely on her wise counsel.

The fairy wings moved me along fast enough to keep just ahead of their human steps. Keeping watch for enemies kept me from worrying about Alyss. As the ground sloped upward, the wind shifted, and I smelled something that sent a tingle through me. I couldn't place it, but I stopped everyone, and we gathered in a circle around Rose. We were silent, and I could tell the others knew we were in a dangerous position. There wasn't anything we could see, and only the barest rustle of leaves turned us toward the danger.

Then it attacked, snatching Be'lah from our midst with a triumphant screech. We couldn't see it, but it was large enough to hoist her high into the air. Ehd Wyrd didn't hesitate, but changed into his dragon form to try to rescue his love. Surprisingly, M and Ghar'rett didn't change. M was guarding Rose, and Ghar'rett watched Ehd Wyrd trying to attack his invisible foe.

"It's a glimmering!" Ghar'rett sounded awed, and a little frightened. Be'lah had fought one of the magical beasts before we'd come through the gateway. It was one of the enemies of dragons, from their realm. Glimmerings were once powerful dragons, who learned to become invisible, to prey on other dragons. In choosing to become assassins and cannibals, they ceased being dragons, and transformed into irredeemable monsters. Ehd Wyrd kept missing it with his attacks, and Be'lah was bleeding heavily from where its talons had obviously pierced her. I couldn't even tell if she was still conscious, the way she was whipped about in the creatures grasp.

"It doesn't want her, she's just the bait to get to him." Ghar'rett's words scared me. "They eat dragons, not humans." Even as he spoke, Be'lah was dropped, and she landed somewhere in the undergrowth. "It must know what we are."

I watched in horror as my brother was attacked by something none of us could see. We couldn't see it, but it was easy to imagine a monstrous dragon, as he was caught in invisible claws, and invisible teeth sliced into his neck. He fought, twisting in its grasp, and even managed to nip at it. But a chunk disappeared from his neck, making it evident that the monster planned to eat him alive.

Ghar'rett transformed into an immense blue dragon and took to the sky. I myself fought to transform, but it wouldn't happen. I fluttered the wings on my back, lifting above the treetops, but I was dwarfed by the dragons. Ehd Wyrd struggled, but he was bleeding profusely from his neck, and he couldn't free himself. Ghar'rett flew at the beast, but it evaded him, taking my brother further from us as it avoided his attacks. Again and again he tried to bite and claw whatever it was that had hold of Ehd Wyrd, but it was surprisingly agile.

It was then I realized something my brother and Ghar'rett couldn't see. The glimmering was much bigger than Ghar'rett! The way it held Ehd Wyrd was like a toy it easily snatched away from the blue dragon. Be'lah was bait to get to Ehd Wyrd, and now Ehd Wyrd was bait to get Ghar'rett to chase it. The creature intended to have both of them! It could then come back at its leisure to finish off M and the rest of us.

It took off then, flying to the north, taking my brother with it as Ghar'rett gave chase. If it got away, I knew instinctively I would never see either of them again.

I'd never flown much as a fairy, hovering along the ground as the others walked was about all I'd tried. I didn't want to accept the idea that I might be stuck like this. But I'd seen Alyss fly in a way that made dragon speed look slow. I had to try.

I took to the sky, and I could feel the wings on my back whirring, as they carried me after the glimmering and its planned feast. I caught up to it, even as Ghar'rett tried again to nip at something he couldn't see. I closed the distance, and breathed.

I expected my dragon breath to fail, but instead, the back of the creature became frosted and still. We could see it! Ghar'rett didn't wait, but tore into the underside of the monster with his teeth and claws. It was so big it made Ghar'rett look small in comparison. I flew to the front of the beast, and breathed again, freezing its front flank and one wing. It dropped Ehd Wyrd, and he managed to flap his wings enough to break his fall.

Then it hit me with something hard, knocking me toward the ground. I narrowly missed slamming into a tree, and it was my stupid fairy wings that caught me and kept me airborne. I tried another icy breath at the monster, but it was already thawing and moving through the sky. It whipped around and must have bit down on Ghar'rett. His yelp was as much surprise as pain, as the thing latched onto his hind leg. I breathed three more times, but it was fast, and the part I could see didn't hold still. I managed to hit one of its feet, but it wasn't enough to tell me where to attack it next.

Ghar'rett managed to tear himself free, and he chomped down on the foot I'd frozen. The glimmering screamed, and I moved quick, feeling its failed attack displace the air where I was. I felt something warning me, and I continued to move, zipping from place to place, as it became obvious I was the one it wanted to kill.

The blue dragon breathed his lightning breath at the creature, and I could smell the charring of its flesh as it screeched in pain and anger. I flew toward Ghar'rett, and perched high on his neck, where he could hear me.

"Left!" The big dragon dodged left, and the glimmering missed its attack on us. I tried to breathe my cold at it, but I could feel the magical attack was somehow used up. "Dive!" Ghar'rett didn't question, but dove, dropping below the creature. He tossed his head back, and breathed another bolt of lightning at the monster. It shrieked, obviously in pain. "Go high." He followed my command, and we soared. I could hear the beating wings behind us. Ghar'rett couldn't outrun it.

The invisible creature latched onto Ghar'rett again, and I turned in my perch. I didn't have magical breath, but I had magic. I pointed above the place on Ghar'rett's back which was bleeding profusely, and I released the power. For a moment I could see the glimmering in the magical blast. I'd hurt it bad, and it let go of my dragon companion.

"Down and left, fast!" Ghar'rett wheeled in midair and dove. I felt the power and drew it to me. I closed my eyes, and sensed the presence of the beast, just below us. I reached out, and directed powerful magic at it. It screamed as the magic tore into it. "Hold!" Ghar'rett couldn't hover, but he did his best. Eyes closed, I felt the creature as a disturbance within the magic. I directed another bolt at it, followed by three more quick blasts. It was so tough, what would have killed M or Ghar'rett had failed to kill this glimmering.

It moved fast, and leaped onto Ghar'rett, snapping at me. I flew out of its range, as it dug its claws into Ghar'rett and continued to snap those powerful jaws. I realized then it couldn't see me! One of my attacks had struck its eyes. I flew out of its reach and with my own eyes closed, I drew the magic in. I could see the glimmering, as a shadow on the other side of my eyelids, and it was tearing into Ghar'rett in a painful frenzy. He couldn't stay in the air much longer.

I felt it. I breathed it. I tasted it on my tongue and absorbed it. The magic of Fey came to me—obeyed my silent command as docile as a pup. I formed it in my head, creating a deadly lance of strength and power. Then I held it, balanced in my palm. It was the power of life and death, obeying my will. I felt the creature's rage, and knew with certainty that it was about to bite into the neck of the giant blue dragon and end him.

It was old magic, dangerous magic, and it obeyed me. The lance that had taken shape as a thought, left my hand as truth. It flew unerringly and pierced the flesh of the glimmering, burying itself deep in its chest and tearing through its blackened heart. The maw that would have torn my friend apart, roared, keening its death knell as the heart inside it burst and it died.

Ghar'rett dislodged the beast, and it fell. Even before it hit the ground, we could see it, as its invisibility died with it. I didn't stop to make sure it was dead, but rejoined my friend.

"Are you strong enough to keep flying? We need to find the others before the soldiers get to them." Ghar'rett was hurt bad, but his wings still worked, and I perched on his back and began to lend my magic to his own healing ability.

My magic. I'd never had magic like this, even when I was a dragon. I'd possessed a few draconic abilities, like my icy breath and the ability to take a different form, but this was different. I had listened to Alyss explain how it felt to be a fairy, and now I could understand what she was talking about. I could feel the magic flowing around and through me. I was part of it, and it was part of me—interconnected. Beneath my hands, I felt the magic knitting his torn flesh together.

We saw Ehd Wyrd, but there was a squad of monstrous soldiers between the two of us and my brother. He had seen them, and even in his dragon form he'd managed to lay low and avoid them. Ghar'rett turned to evade the monsters, and narrowly missed flying right into six giants who were coming for us.

These weren't slow and ponderous, but fast—dragon fast. Ghar'rett flew as quick as his battered body could take us, and I turned to cast several magic blasts at the giants. I may as well have been blowing them kisses for all the damage it did. A boulder flew past us on the right, and a tree exploded with the impact. Ghar'rett flew a twisting pattern that reminded me of Ehd Wyrd, and I held on tight. Another boulder crashed into the trees on the left, but we were starting to gain some distance on them.

Then we were hit.

Ghar'rett went down hard, as a boulder hit him in the back and neatly snapped one wing. I was able to break his fall with a shell of protection around him, but the giants were closing on us.

"Change to your human form!" He didn't question me, but changed, collapsing into unconsciousness with his injuries. I pulled him into some dense growth, and cast a spell. It was the one Alyss had cast to hide her from anyone who might hear and see her tell the guardian about our plans. It was a dome over us, and I hoped we were invisible beneath it. Alyss had been able to block her sounds with the dome, and I hoped mine blocked scent as well as sound.

The giants came stomping through the woods, perilously close to us. I worried one would step on us, and we'd be crushed inside the dome. I didn't have time to waste on such worries, as Ghar'rett was bleeding heavily. Sitting on the ground, I held him against me, and willed the magic to flow through me, and into him. I used magic that was above any Be'lah could cast, and it came to me without words or spells. It was as simple as breathing.

Just like the little sprites healed Alyss and the rest of us, I was able to heal Ghar'rett. His broken bones mended, and his bleeding stopped. I had seen Be'lah use such powerful magic, and it exhausted her. But I didn't feel drained at all. It was like standing in a river, and trying to empty it with a bucket—impossible.

As his breathing calmed, and he rested peacefully, I looked through the barrier I'd created. I could still see monsters searching for us, and much of the undergrowth had been trampled. I was sure it was only a matter of time before we were found.

Dipping into the river of magic one more time, I tried a spell I hoped would work. Ghar'rett went from looking like a human man with light hair, to a hideous goblin, with warts on his face. The pallor of his skin matched those I'd seen nearby, and the insignia on his leather vest matched theirs as well. I tried to change my own aspect, but it didn't work. It was as if I was a rock in that river of magic.

I woke up Ghar'rett and explained my plan to him. He wasn't thrilled when he saw the flaking skin of his arms, and his protruding gut. He ran his hands over his face, and through his sparse hair, and his frown deepened.

"We don't have time to make you prettier, we have to go, before they stumble onto us. If anyone stops us, we're looking for the spies, and you're carrying a message to the leaders. We're heading for the top of the nearest hill, so we can find the others.

"Is the glimmering gone?" I had to marvel at the gap in his memory.

"It's dead. You took quite a hit from the giants, after we defeated it. We need to be careful of them, I think they must have a great sense of smell, and they're fast as dragons."

He picked at the vest, then looked me in the eye. "You haven't really changed me into this, have you?"

"No. It's only an illusion. You're still in your human aspect, but I almost had you convinced I'd transformed you. That's part of the magic of illusion—belief."

I looked around, and it was quiet. I dropped the barrier, and we crept forward, listening for the movement of soldiers. I pointed soundlessly in the direction of the hill, and we hurried along. We dodged three hunting parties, and when we were spotted by a fourth, we kept moving as if we knew what we were doing, and there were no questions asked.

As we climbed the hill, I worried about Ehd Wyrd and Be'lah. I hoped M and Rose had stayed safe. I knew we'd have to go and look for them, but maybe we'd fare better at night. I could see well in the dark, as I'd lived most of my life in the caves. At the summit, I stood and scanned the area around us. I didn't see any of our group. In places where I thought they might have been, there were large groups of monsters and soldiers.

A shimmer to my right made me fall back into a defensive crouch, and Ghar'rett did the same. A barrier like the one I'd cast to keep us hidden dropped, and there were several fairies sitting there on rocks and chairs.

"Splendidly done, Prince J'Spurr!" A female fairy in a blue dress fluttered my way. "The others bet that you wouldn't make it, but I knew you would! I so love when I win!" She clapped tiny hands, and her smile made me gasp. She was lovely, and I stared as she fluttered closer to us. Ghar'rett stepped between us threateningly, and she stopped. She reached out and touched his face, and the illusion disappeared.

"That was very nice work. I know some masters who can't do a convincing goblin illusion. I could even see the fleas jumping through his hair—so very, very good. Oh, I'm sorry, my name is Lore'yn." She curtsied. "I'm actually queen of this realm." She giggled and her blue eyes sparkled in the late day sun.

"How do you know my name?" Ghar'rett had stepped back from her, as she didn't seem to pose a threat. I faced her down.

"Oh, I know all about you and your friends. You're written in our prophesies, as is that usurper who stayed behind with my enemy, Queen Jyss'ca." She tried to link her arm with mine, and I pulled away. She was speaking against the woman I loved.

"Alyss is not a usurper! You don't have any right to speak of her, and I don't care if you are a queen!" She looked stunned and angry for a moment, then she recovered her composure and her smile.

"I thought my information was flawed when I heard you were actually in love with her. What a tragic turn of events. You cannot be together, you must realize this."

"I don't have to realize any such thing. I'm in love with her, and we will be together—once you and your kind stop interfering in our lives and distracting us from our goals." My words seemed to hurt her, and there was a long pause before she spoke again.

"I'm sorry to hear you say that, J'Spurr. We only want to help you with your quest, and keep you from making a terrible mistake. You're not destined to be with Princess Alyss." She laid her hand gently on my cheek, and I shook her off. "She will marry Prince Mar'n; it is written in both of our prophesies."

"I don't believe you." Her words played on my mind, and I fought to deny them. "I suppose your prophesies have me paired with someone else?" I didn't want to hear the answer, but I needed to know what I was dealing with before I could prevent it.

"No, not exactly. You have more choices available to you. You will rule; that much is clear. But the fairy by your side—that is something our scholars have been unable to determine. Our names are linked several times in the prophesy. I confess, I have remained single in hopes that you would find me a suitable match." She smiled, and fastened her eyes on me.

The girl was beautiful, with eyes like clouds reflected in a calm lake. Her hair flowed down her back like molten sunshine, and her face was pale perfection, with a tiny upturned nose, and pink lips that begged to be kissed.

I felt it then, the magic at work in our attraction. It wasn't natural, but even knowing the truth didn't make it easier to resist her. I wanted nothing more than to take her in my arms, and kiss her sweet lips. She moved closer, and I slid my hand up her bare arm, unable to resist touching her. Her lips parted and her eyes drifted closed; she could feel the attraction, and she knew our kiss was inevitable.