Feyland: The Bright Court

Chapter Twenty-Four

Jennet selected her Kitsune character and gave the command to enter game. Urgency pulsing through her, she closed her eyes and concentrated. Take us to the Bright Court.

She and Tam had to get there—had to find the Bright King’s throne, and figure out how to harvest its grass. If it meant fighting the king himself… well, she was ready to do whatever it took.

The queasy sensation of entering the game twisted her stomach. When the feeling faded, she opened her eyes.

White-dotted scarlet mushrooms encircled her, and tall oak trees lifted high branches above. The air was quiet and warm. The path between the trees beckoned, and once again, she felt the tug of the Bright Court. Relief swept through her like a sudden gust of wind, making her sway in place.

A moment later, Tam appeared in the faerie-ring. He shot a quick glance around, his clear, green gaze coming to settle on her.

“Looks like we’re in the right place. Let’s go.”

She nodded, and together they stepped out of the ring and headed down the path. Emerald moss cushioned their footsteps as they wound between the trees. Ahead, vivid spots of color resolved to orange and blue-winged butterflies, flitting in and out of a shaft of sunlight.

“This is beautiful,” she said.

It reminded her of the first time she’d entered Feyland—a bright veil of magic stitching over the landscape, the smell of herbs sweet in the air, the chiming laughter of the pixies overhead. She sent a wary glance into the tree tops.

Tam looked up, too, at the glimmering silver flashes. “Didn’t you say the pixies attacked you, when you were playing with Roy?”

“Yeah. Kamikaze pixies—always a nice surprise.”

A grin flickered across his lips—the lighthearted side of Tam that she so rarely saw outside the game.

“I’ll hold them off with my shield if they attack,” he said. “They’ll just bounce off.”

It made an amusing picture, but… “I’d rather not test it out. It was kind of unnerving, having them diving at me that time.”

“They seem to be keeping their distance.” He looked up again. “Is it getting brighter?”

It was. The trunks of the trees glowed almost silver, and the beams of sunlight were a piercing white.

“Makes sense,” she said. “Remember, as we got closer to the Dark Court it got more and more midnight.”

“You think we’re near the Bright Court now, since it’s so light? But don’t we have a quest to do, first?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. I guess we keep going forward, and see what happens.” Sort of like life, really.

The path widened, the moss now spangled with white flowers. It looked idyllic, but the back of her neck prickled.

Without warning, two gnarled brown creatures leaped out from behind the trees. Tam drew his sword and Jennet grabbed her bow off her back. Was the first fight upon them so quickly?

Rather than attacking, the figures, took up positions on either side of the path and blocked it with their crossed spears. Jennet let her arrow slide back down into the quiver, but she still kept her bow to hand.

“What business do you have with the Bright Court?” the taller one rasped, regarding them with bright, beady eyes.

Its fingers were long and twiggy, but it looked strong enough to use its sharp-pointed spear convincingly.