Black Beauty

Not So Happily Ever After

Queen Alexa phased into the human realm with her daughter and two personal guards at her side. "Welcome to the human realm," she said to Chalcedony. The child never smiled, but Alexa caught the glimpse of curiosity in her eye as she looked around.

"It's so different," Chalcedony said. Then she covered her nose. "It stinks."

"You'll get used to it, Alexa said.

They walked out of the woods. She'd never been in this place, Oklahoma. But rogue fey often traveled to places far away from one of the three portals, hoping to stay out of the range of a queen. But there was no place safe from her or the other two queens. Unlike other fey, she could go anyplace she wanted.

As they left the woods, Queen Alexa spotted the human she assumed had been the one to contact her. He was a tall, dark-skinned man. He reeked of fear and nervousness.

"Are you Queen Alexa?" he asked once they were close.

"Who else would I be?"

He bowed then. "I'm sorry. You all just look so human."

She knew then he couldn't see past the glamour. If he could, he'd be able to see the rest of her entourage as elves.  "If you cannot see us in our true forms? Why did you call us?"

"I am from Jamaica.  I know the signs of," he stuttered, "rogue fey."

Queen Alexa nodded towards the human's car. "Then take us to this rogue fey."

#

The human, Tom Acra, took us to an apartment complex not far from where they'd phased.

They followed him through the maze of concrete and steel.

He stopped in front of a boy playing with a ball. The boy stopped as soon as he saw them. "Wow," he said, smiling with dark eyes. "You look funny."

"This must be the place," Queen Alexa said.

"Yes. Its his mother," Tom said.

Queen Alexa bent and studied the little boy.

He smiled at her. "Are you looking for my mom?"

"Yes," Queen Alexa said.

He dropped his ball and ran towards the apartment. She followed. the last thing she wanted was for his mother to get a jump on her.

They entered the house behind the boy. "Mommy someone is here for you," the boy said.

Queen Alexa quickly drank in the scene. Magic was everywhere. How did her guards not know about this? But everyone here was are all human. .

"Who is fey here?" she asked.

They all pointed to a woman with red hair.

The woman grabbed the gun that one of the others had been holding and pointed shot at Queen Alexa.

Stupid humans and their guns. Queen Alexa forced the bullet back towards the woman, but she dodged it. Queen Alexa uses that moment to phase behind the woman. Once she reappeared, Queen Alexa grabs the woman's neck, choking her.

"You obviously know who I am," Queen Alexa said. "But who are you? What are you?"

"I'm human. You can't touch me," the woman said.

"A human yielding true magic is impossible. What are you?"

"This is not true magic. I only deal in herbs and potions."

The boy ran to Alexa then, but before he could connect Chalcedony grabbed him. "Let go of my mommy," the boy screamed and kicked, trying to escape Chalcedony.