Queen of the Fae (Book 1)

Nine

Once upon a time, I thought faeries lived only in books, old folktales, and the past. That was before they burst upon my life as vibrant, luminous beings, permeating my art and my everyday existence, causing glorious havoc.

Brian Froud

"Wrecking Ball" (Piano Version)

By: Kim Bo

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The ride back to the Unseelie castle so far had been a nightmare. It was brutal on my body, which still bore bruises, wounds that were taking too long to heal. A strange pain had taken root along my spine, from the middle of my back all the way down and ending just before my tailbone. I didn't give it much thought, given my body was in rough enough shape and had no business being hauled into the saddle of a horse with "mind-powers." Kaisa explained that horses in her land could receive commands telepathically if you had the ability. But since I did not have that ability or the ability to speak Fae language, Kaisa commanded the steed for me. I saw shadows in the dark everywhere I looked, filled with sharp teeth and void, evil eyes. My fingers flexed on the reigns of the horse I rode, my mind in another place as I scanned the dark trees. Kaisa had instructed me to stay here while she found a place to camp for the fourth night. I hadn't realized how long the trip would be by horseback.

The cold wind bit into my bruised cheeks and chapped, cut lips. Snow covered the ground the farther we rode, the colorful flowers fading to strange black barked trees that towered hundreds of feet above us yet were only six feet in diameter. An ominous chill fled down my spine as a shadow ran through the trees, sending my heart into overdrive as I got the distinct impression I was being watched. I brought my horse to a stop, the animal dancing nervously beneath me. My spine tingled, a strange heat grew into an unbearable wildfire in the span of a second. Blinded by pain, I slumped over the saddle, vomiting. I could hear Kaisa's alarmed voice, and fought to pull myself together. But my vision was blurring, my horse's feet dancing still, loosing a frightened whinny that hit my head like a Jackhammer.

Somehow still in the saddle, I managed to right myself, the pain in my back reaching it's limit. Blearily, I remember Kaisa appearing below me, her violet eyes frightened as she pulled me from my horse. I didn't have the strength to fight, gripped with agony as my skin started to tear in sections down my spine. My shoulder blades split as well, ungodly pressure building, sending me so far into insanity. I started to scream, begging for it to stop, the cold air searing against my fevered skin as she ripped my coat and shirt open, releasing the pressure. I moaned as my flesh stretched to birth the new appendages. My hearing sharpened, catching her soft inhale, feeling warmth run down my back. I trembled, not understanding the creature I'd just become.

"Eva." She whispered, and I moaned as she brushed one of the twelve spikes running down the length of my spine, each one a deep ebony and only half an inch long. It was then that her fingers brushed something else, something protruding from each of my shoulder blades. I could feel the weight of them, like someone had hooked two fifteen foot long one hundred pound ball room curtains to my skin, weighing me down. I flinched when I felt myself react to her touch in a different way. A muscle moved, extending from my shoulder blade, and my stomach twisted.

I scrambled from her reach, feeling my gums ache, my canines sharpening. Forcing myself off of the ground, I didn't feel cold anymore. Looking down, I nearly shit myself as a sleek black tail with a lethal barb on the end wrapped around my leg. I shrieked, losing my mind trying to kick it off of my leg, before Kaisa grabbed me, hauling my body into her. I started to cry, my once human mind shattering to pieces. Covered in blood and all but naked in the middle of nowhere, I'd suddenly sprouted some very terrifying new body parts.