Chapter 23 - SPOV
"Wake up Princess." The beautifully melodic voice sang into my weary ears. I didn't want to wake up, just five more minutes. Then I felt the owner of that melodic voice gently tug on my arms. I reluctantly cracked open one eye, curious as to who would be waking me up at such a god awful hour of the morning.
Eric and the teenager, Godric, had stayed at my house until near dawn, which was only just a few hours ago. They had thought that my kin folk would come, but I'm sure they weren't naive enough to believe my kin would come around vampires. That would be near suicide.
"Oh good you're awake." The melodic voice sang, and I opened my eyes fully to find both Claudine and Claudette in my room. Indescribable joy swept through my body and I literally jumped off the bed and sprang into both of their arms, making for kind of an awkward group hug.
"Oh my god! I missed you guys so much!" I said and I couldn't help the tears from streaming down my face. I felt immediately comforted, a feeling fairies get when they are around each other. I loved them both so much and I knew they felt the same for me.
"Sookie, we don't have a lot of time, so let me be get to the point." Claudine said directly. "You have a lot of enemies." She said pausing to gather her thoughts. "They are numerous, and I suspect they are all working together." She said cryptically.
"Sister, do not worry the girl." Claudette said tersely. "She's under a spell, let's remove that first, then we can deal with the other situation." She offered exchanging sorrow-filled looks between Claudine and myself.
Claudette grabbed her The Faery Queene and walked over towards me. She grabbed the hand that had the bracelet on it and she began to chant. I didn't know what she was saying exactly, but I had picked up a few things in Faery.
As she spoke the last word of the chant, I gasped and the flow of tears began again. It all came rushing back to me like I was watching a home movie in my head. I saw it all is sequence, meeting the treacherous Bill Compton, his god awful maker, me killing said maker, Eric saving me, Godric comforting me, the awful night at Fangtasia, the subsequent car accident… oh my god. Someone had taken all those memories from me…but why?
Claudette, noticing my inner turmoil, scooped me up quickly and wrapped me in her loving embrace. And all I could think of in that moment was Godric, and the sadness he must feel being apart from my wonderful fairy cousin.
"It's okay Sookie, we are here." Claudette spoke soothingly into my ear.
"What happened to me?" I asked to no one in particular. I could feel the panic burgeoning in the pit of my stomach and it completely overwhelmed me.
"Someone cast a spell on you, and it was pretty potent. It was actually a spell within a spell." Claudine explained.
"Who would do that to me and why?" I asked out loud, certain that they didn't know the answer to that.
I looked at both of my cousins, confusion and disbelief lacing my features. I was so on edge that I began to pace my room frantically, mentally making a list of all of my potential enemies. Claudine said they were numerous, but I honestly couldn't name one person that I knew had a grudge against me, at least anyone that I knew who was still alive.
"Sookie, you need to calm down, we don't have a lot of time and we still have some things to go over." Claudine, my ever practical cousin urged.
"Give me your finger." She demanded, as she grabbed my right pointer finger.
She touched her pointer to mine and began to chant. I felt a warmth wash over my body and I suddenly became invigorated, like I had just finished soaking in a Jacuzzi tub. It was an odd, comforting sensation unique to fairies.
"Wow!" I said enthusiastically raising my now glowing finger and inspecting it carefully. I was completely awestruck and I felt more…powerful than I had before.
"You must listen carefully Sookie." Claudine said with a serious expression that I had never seen on her face before.
"I have transferred my power to you, but you must swear to only use your power responsibly and only when absolutely necessary." She said carefully.
Completely stunned, I said "I…I don't even know how." I trailed off still completely taken by my glowing finger.
"It is intuitive, you will know when you need to know, just don't lose this book." Claudette said, handing me her book.
"We must go, Sookie. I cannot stay here. I have given you my power, but in turn that has left me vulnerable." Claudine said making her way out of my room.
"Wait!" I exclaimed grabbing her arm in a desperate attempt to keep her for just a few minutes longer.
She turned to me, softening her facial features and said, "I know Sookie. Believe me, I wish I could stay, but I cannot." She said hugging me tightly.
I reluctantly pulled away from her wiping the stray tear away from my cheek. "You said I have enemies, who are they?" I asked both her and Claudette.
"I don't know, but what I do know is that grandfather has enemies, and they could be targeting you in an effort to get to him." Claudette explained. My jaw dropped, in all the time I spent in Faery, never once had I heard of any enemies.
"Who? Why?" I asked in disbelief.
"I don't have a lot of time to get into it, but Niall's half-sister, Mab, believes that hybrids on this realm are putting Faery at risk." Claudette explained.
"Sister we must go." Claudine implored. Claudette nodded in approbation and turned to me regretfully.
"Goodbye Cousin." Claudette hugged be closely and whispered in my ear "Tell him I love him."
And I didn't need any further instruction on who she wished the message to go to.
They both opened the door to leave hastily, but before they could open the door fully I heard a stray thought and cursed myself for my lack of attention to my surroundings.
Kill the Fairies, grab the girl
I gasped but wasn't able to stop my cousins from opening the door. The next sequence of events happened so fast that I was completely helpless to stop anything.
Claudine opened the door and was immediately hit with a barrage of what I assume were lemon juice filled tranquillizer darts.
"Claudine!" I exclaimed as she fell to the ground immediately. I didn't even notice that Claudette had been hit as well, though she wasn't hit by as many darts, however she was still immobilized.
I saw four burly men running at full speed right at us. Weres. I was too busy tending to my injured cousins when I was tackled and subdued with handcuffs. The handcuffs began to burn my skin and I began to feel completely weakened.
I looked over at Claudine who seemed to be disintegrating before my eyes. She was being held by one of the weres and was completely covered by some type of what I can only describe as chainmail. Her skin began graying and her bones began protruding. She was dying.
"Stop. !" I yelled in desperation, but it didn't seem to affect anyone.. I struggled to get out of the shackles that were burning my skin, but it was to no avail.
The burning was painful, but I managed to ignore the feeling as I was more concerned with the state of my cousins. I chanced a glance over at Claudette and she was in a similar position as I, only her skin was being burnt from the tranquilizer darts as well, but she seemed to be holding up a little better than Claudine.
I couldn't help the tears from falling, though I tried desperately to be strong, but it was in vain. I searched for Claudine, but I couldn't find her. I had only took my eyes off her for a few seconds, but that's all the time it took. Looking over at where I had last seen her, I saw a pile of gleaming ash, and my heart sank.
"Claudine!" I cried out feebly and my body began to convulse then the world faded away and so did my pain.