The Bird Witch (Dark Fairy Tale Queens - Book 5)

Episode 1: Beauty and The Needy Human

I still hate the fairies.

Considering I've now become one, you'd think that would change. Nope. I can't stand them. They're so full of themselves! Besides Hunter, maybe two of them are somewhat pleasant. But I have no interest in making friends.

"We're going to talk about Needy Humans today," the Sovereign says with her patronizing smile. "Now, what do I mean by Needy Humans?"

I hold in a loud sigh. The Sovereign is obsessed with rhetorical questions. I think the expression 'needy human' is pretty self-explanatory, don't you? This is so condescending! Every one of us here knows exactly what that means.

"I mean a human being whose needs are temporarily greater than others of their kind," the Sovereign says. "A human who suddenly finds themselves in a situation of great danger, great illness, or great tragedy."

Yes, I think we got that. For pity's sake, that's why all of us are here, sitting in this pretty little grove. All of us were once Needy Humans of the grimmest kind - on the brink of death. Becoming a fairy was the only way to save our lives. Fairies are not born, they are made, and if Hunter hadn't changed me, I would now be six feet under, every bone of my body still shattered by the fall.

At moments like this, though, that seems a kinder fate.

No – I'm not ungrateful. I know I'm lucky to be alive. I have my health, my power, and the youthful beauty of a sixteen-year-old, though I was twenty-one when I fell. I have Hunter, who I love dearly. And this gorgeous realm – the Star Realm. More on that later.

"As First Order fairies, you are not yet authorized to determine which humans qualify as needy," the Sovereign says. "You are only authorized to help those whom the Higher Orders have deemed worthy. Now that most of you have achieved sufficient proficiency with your magic, you are ready to be tested on a low-level Needy Human. Now, what do I mean by low-level?"

I close my eyes. Obviously that means a human who is not on the brink of death, but still has some kind of need great enough to warrant fairy intervention. Why does she speak to us as if we were children? And why am I the only fairy who finds it intolerable?

I let my eyes drift away from the Sovereign. There are nineteen of us sitting on the grass in a clearing that's almost too perfectly round. We are hemmed by weeping willow trees and their wistfully drooping leaves, and clusters of purple hyacinths. The flowers never die here in the Star Realm. We live in a perpetual springtime of loveliness.

The other fairies sit with their legs artfully tucked under them, wings closed like a resting butterfly, eyes clapped on the Sovereign. If you've ever seen how a dog watches a scrap of meat you hold above his reach, that is how they all look. She is their idol. She is their goal.

You'll never find an ugly fairy. But even by our elevated standards, the Sovereign is striking. She simply embodies etherealness, with her long, sinewy body, her statuesque features that somehow mix youthful innocence with mature wisdom, and her knee-length hair, wispy and white. She favors silver dresses and jewelry, and generally looks like a living icicle.

All a façade, of course. She's a petty, spiteful bat.

The Sovereign explains what a low-level Needy Human is, using almost my exact words, then says, "Does anyone have any questions thus far?"

A fairy sitting a few feet away from me raises her hand. "Does this mean we'll have Godmother status?" She has short black hair in a pixie cut, and amber-tinted wings.

"Not yet, Eloise," the Sovereign says with an overly-parental smile. She begins to walk around the edge of our circle, which she likes to do when she's explaining things. "This will be the first test to see if you qualify for Godmother status. Only Third Order fairies can be Fairy Godmothers, and remember, you are only First Order. And I think I hardly need remind you that not every fairy makes it that far."