An Eejit And A Pal
/Darkspell Justice, my first novella, features Oliver and Flora's story later in their life, just before they get married. In their world, fae are outcast from the others of the magical world, so them being friends (let alone in love later in life) is not only frowned upon, it's illegal in the wizards' eyes. I love writing these small glimpses into their lives when they first met and became friends as children.
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The laughter died away the further Flora trudged through the forest. She already kept to the edges of the lessons, away from prying eyes and the horrid whispers. Now she was doing her best to keep to the edge of their land and get some much needed solitude.
Half-breed.
You’re not even fae!
Why even have wings if you’re not fae?
Useless! You don’t even have magic.
That's not true! Flora had magic, and she'd proven that plenty of times. The other Woodland fae said those things to get a rise out of her. Usually, it worked.
Twelve years circling the Woodland Court, and Flora's only pals were the centaurs in the Woodland Court’s guard and…
A swift arm caught Flora around the waist and lifted her onto a broom's skinny handle.
"Oliver!" Flora squealed in surprise. Her wings beat in shock, accidentally slapping him in the face. He let go of the handle, the broom stopping midair above the trees.
Flora turned her back away from Oliver and flapped even faster, hovering a meter away. The wizard boy, and her only other true pa, ruffled his messy dark blond hair. Short curls sticking every which way (probably from so much flying) and plenty of dirt caked onto his ruddy pants and t-shirt.
“Found you!”
“Why were you looking for me?” Flora hovered closer to hiss at him. The buzz of more wings taking flight meant heads and eyes would be watching from every nook and corner of the forest top.
“I found something you have to see!” The wizard dipped down and came up under her, letting her perch on the back of the broom.
“I can fly!” She grumbled but grabbed hold of his waist when the broom shot off over the trees, making the world a faster blur than Flora’s wings could take her.
With the wind whipping at Flora's wings, she folded them down and gripped tighter to Oliver, cursing wizards to the ends of the Earth. Why was she even bothering with this death-defying insanity?
The wind dragged her brown curls from their low tail. And the bite of the wind was chilly compared to Oliver’s warmth.
They pitched forward, and moments later, Flora felt the skid of Oliver's feet planting into the ground. Through cracked eyes, Flora spied over Oliver's shoulder. Around them were flat, verdant green grasslands. They were scant paces from the edge of a lock, rolling green and an almost blue-hued hills behind them.
His broom dropped under, and Flora hopped off. She could see for kilometers in every direction. The water was so still nary a ripple sullied its surface until Oliver skipped a stone.
“Best take care,” Flora grinned at him, a glint in her eyes.
“Ma said the loch was…”
An unease, the kind associated with those that disdained the fae, settled in the pit of Flora’s stomach. While the loch appeared empty, something caught Flora’s attention across the way. Oliver honed in on it, too.
It looked to be a shimmer, almost a mirage. But the distinct neighing of a horse sent a trickle of ice down Flora’s spine.
She hissed, baring her teeth, and though they were hundreds of meters away, the shimmer dissolved.
“Nah. That wasn’t…”
"Kelpie," Flora growled. "I wouldn't get close to the water's edge."
Oliver tossed the stone he’d been holding, letting it skip across the calm water.
"Ma said kelpies only inhabit the rivers."
Flora needed a change of subject, a distraction. Almost anything to not think about the fact that she let a wizard snatch her off the ground in front of all the other younglings of the Woodland Court. She was liable to let the kelpie take her when Oliver wasn’t looking, just to avoid the sneers and teasing on her return.
“What are we doing here? You said you needed to show me something.” Flora stretched her wings, flitting them fast enough to hover a couple of meters up. The shimmer of the kelpie was indeed gone. Hopefully, Flora’s mere presence kept it from emerging again.
"I needed to show you this.' Oliver splayed his hands wide, showing off the loch, the mountains, and the utter flatness of the surrounding land.
“What?” she asked.
"This!" Oliver jumped, grabbing hold of her foot and yanking her down to him again. Flora lost her balance and the draft and fell, caught in Oliver's arms a moment later. He set her on her feet, waiting until she folded her wings flat against her back before he wrapped her in a hug.
"Mum had me studying extra for the divination exam. Read some tea leaves, and mum helped me by reading my leaves. Guess I was thinking 'bout you. That ye were — ah, what did she say? Overcoming issues?”
"That's vague," Flora sighed. Wizard divination always seemed so flimsy and vague. Not like her ancestors. They could see very specific futures.
Oliver was the only person who'd get close to her. She relished the quick moments in his hug. Fae didn't hug and certainly didn't show compassion the way humans or wizards did. At least, not in their Woodland Court.
"I told mum you had loads of issues making freens, getting bullied."
“Mmm.” Flora wanted to know what his mum said, what a witch might do differently from a fae, but could she ask?
"I know you want to know what she said." He hugged her tighter. They stood there, watching the sun glint off the water for a moment. "She said I should put a smile on yer face."
A soft chuckle escaped. A smile? That’s it?
"I guess saving my daft arse always puts a smile on yer face." Oliver nudged her cheek with his.
"Did you know there was a kelpie here?" Flora wheeled around, and Oliver nearly exploded with laughter.
“Course! I’m not that daft!”
Flora extended her wings and flitted up. Not fast enough for Oliver. He caught her hand and raised the other with a red and green wrapped bar.
"I brought toffee bars!" His smile warmed. "Stay? The Court won't miss ya, and I do." Oliver kept hold of her hand gently. She knew he was one of the most popular wizards, always had pals over, playing sports. Wizards that would hunt her just for being a fae.
"I miss me pal. She's not at school with me."
He surprised her, moving toward both her and the water's edge, tapping her on the forehead as he went. Flora grappled for his arm.
"Daft is putting it mildly!" she squealed. "Yer an eejit! Don't get..."
Oliver grinned again, holding back more laughter.
"That kelpie ain't going to do anything with ye here." Holding out a hand, Oliver waited for her to take it and pulled her with him to the water's edge.
"Yer off yer head!"
"Ye got calluses."
His thumb rubbed against her hand where the newest wounds throbbed. "I'm training with the centaurs of Court's Guard."
"Pure dead brilliant! Tell me more!"
By J.M. Guilfoyle
From: United States
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