Land of the Faery

Untitled Part 16

In the blackness, there was nothing- nothing for Nuala to grab onto- fighting for her mind or body to hold onto. Her consciousness was drifting away out of her grasp just as surely as she was drifting along the lake bed.

Slowly a little prickly warmth began to envelop her, it was so gentle and soft that she almost missed it, and then there was no longer darkness; there was a dream. It felt so real that she could have sworn it was a memory.

She was being ushered into a secret room by her older sister Roisin; the room was hidden by a long wall-hanging tapestry. Roisin quickly pulled it back and forced the stone door open using every ounce of strength she had in her small body. Her cheeks were flushed the same red color as her hair. The color was almost the same as Nuala's, but hers had always been more golden. She tried to push Nuala into the room, but she would not go. Nuala held tight to Roisin's legs, fisting her tiny hands up in the material of her dress. Roisin tried to pry her hands free from her dress, but as she was only a few years older, she wasn't strong enough to dislodge her. Nuala thought she looked panicked.

Loud footsteps sounded down the hallway towards them. Roisin's head whipped in the direction of the noise, and her body stiffened. It relaxed a little when she recognized the two sets of footsteps that came from their older brothers; Torin, who was the oldest and was a strong, capable young man at the time, and Quinn, who was only a couple of years younger, was right behind him. They were both panting and breathless with swords unsheathed as they ran towards us"What's wrong?" Roisin asked.

"Then centuries have breached our walls, they are here in the castle," Torin said. Roisin's flushed-faced turned ghost white she hesitated at her next words.

"How long do we have?"

"Minutes," he added, " our best chance is to hold them off along with the guards while you flee with Nuala." She shook her head violently.

"No! I won't leave you to fight alone. I want to stay and help."

Quinn chimed in "You are too young Roisin, and you are not a trained fighter; you will be killed in an instant."

"I may not be trained with a sword-like you and Torin, but I can use magic better than either of you. I can help!" She pleaded with them. Torin let out a sigh as if he knew he would win this argument, and they were wasting time. "It's not my life that matters, it's hers. She's the one that bears the markings of a Daoine, not me." Quinn seemed to ruminate for a minute before exhaling a long frustrated breath.

"Fine stay. You can lend support, but you need to find a safe spot away from the thick of it. Nuala can hide in that room; no one will find her there." The tension left Riosins body when he finally agreed to let her stay. She looked down at me with pleading eyes.

"Nuala, I need you to hide in there okay? Don't make a sound, and I will come back for you when it's safe. Stay quiet and hidden little lamb." She pushed me into the room against my pleads and cries of wanting to stay with her. My hands were ripped from her dress, and Quinn moved to help her, and they quickly pulled the stone door shut.

Nuala knew what the markings her sister spoke of. The markings white markings that snaked and curled around her feet and hands. It was a marking of power that much she knew. Her parents had always told her she was special. They had caudled her, protected her, and shielded her from the world, and even now her siblings were doing the same. She was too rare and special to lose. She was precious. The Daoine used to be more plentiful; they were worshiped as gods, but because of their power, they were hunted and killed. People fear them because of what they could do and because they feared their strength. Their power could turn the tides of war; it could mean the fall of kingdoms and rulers. Nuala knew she was important but more than anything she wished to be rid of her gift. She did not want to be used as a pawn, and she did not want to cause trouble for her family.

The stone room was damp and dark, and despite the small room's appearance, it connected to a wide maze of tunnels and rooms within the castle. Nuala was well aware of them, even for being so young. She played in them often and had mapped them out with chalk. Her older brother Torin was always scolding her for going in there alone because they were too dangerous for a child to wander around.

She crept further away from the stone door where only the faintest sliver of light leaked through. She backed into a stone wall and sidestepped until she felt the exit of the room. In the distance, she could hear Torin's voice. It was mostly muffled by the stone walls but she could still make out his words.

"We should head down the great hall to the east wing that where the breach was, we can try to hold them off with the guards before they get too far into the castle."

They murmured their agreements, and then a long unbearable silence engulfed her, which was only broken by the sound of running and shouts from the west end. There had to be at least twenty men running through the hall. They were met by what seemed to be only a couple of soldiers at the east end. Nuala could barely make out their conversation.

"Three of them are already dead, sir. We haven't been able to track down the youngest one. We assume she was sent into hiding. The King and Queen have been alerted, but they won't make it back in time."

"Find the youngest one and kill her like the others, and hurry. We don't want to be here when reinforcements arrive."

Nuala sunk back even further into the shadows. She clamped her hands over her mouth to keep from making a sound as she toon in the information.

Roisin, who had made flower crowns with her and tolerated her incessant pestering was dead. Roisin, who was her only sister, had protected her and shielded her. Roisin, who was barely older than her and had barely lived had lost her life. Quinn, who had shown her magic tricks with cards and coins to make her laugh, was dead. Quinn was the one who read storied to her at night when she couldn't fall asleep and help her when she had nightmares, and Nuala would never hear his voice again. Torin, her oldest brother, had taken her on horseback rides through the forest. Showing her how to find fresh water and hunt. He taught her to find her way back if she was ever lost by looking at which side of a rock moss grows on. 

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Hey guys, I just finished writing this little mini-chapter. I have decided to spend most of my time working on this book. It's a work in progress. I might not update very fast because I have a lot of ideas, but I need to organize them.  If you like this chapter please give it lots of love. Comments and suggestions are always welcome. <3

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