Rose Garcia - Fae Hunted

T he thing about leaving Faerie is that you never really leave it. We now lived in the human realm, and had a daughter, but the perils that faced us in Faevenly seemed to follow us here in Texas.

It began with dreams of Draven the Witch, the sinister monster we thought we had left behind us.

He visited my sleep nightly, telling me hed find us, threatening to obliterate us all. And always his presence stretched into my waking hours, sending tingles at the back of my neck that signaled danger. I didnt even know if what was happening was real or in my head. And so I kept the nightmares to myself, not wanting to worry Celyse. But eventually our little Gabriela started experiencing the same terrifying dreams.

It was then that I shared with Celyse the horrors of what was happening when I went to bed at night. And thats when Gabrielas training began. We taught her how to shoot a bow and arrow, how to wield a sword and a dagger, and how to handle hand-to-hand combat. We even fashioned the strength stone, aquoise, into a necklace for her to wear. With the power of the stone on her, next to her cross, we hoped it would provide her some sort of protection.

As she grew, so did her fae skills, along with her Avila witchy skills. She started seeing ghosts at an early age, and soon after began developing the tingle behind her neck like me. We never really knew how much power she possessed, or what her true gifts were, until one day at the bakery.

That was the day everything changed for us.

The store was short-staffed, so Celyse and I stayed late to close for the evening. Gabriela was with us. She was sitting in the office, working on homework, when three fae entered the bakery.

Sorry, but we are closing now, Celyse said as she made her way to lock the front door. You will have to come back another time.

We only came to see if the daughter of Strong Haven really owned this store. We had heard rumors, but were not sure, answered the tallest of the three.

His long dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and he wore a baseball cap. He also wasnt the typical slender fae build, but more on the stocky side. As if he had lived in the human realm for a while. There were several fae living here in secret, though we hadnt come across any before that day.

We dont want any trouble, I warned from behind the counter.

Trouble? Why would we give you any trouble? he asked, moving further into the bakery with an aggressive stride, the other two flanking his sides.

Celyse backed away from the trio, but kept her chin raised and hands fisted at her sides. You need to leave. Now.

Ignoring her request, he moved in closer. We would rather stay and talk about your history with Draven the Witch. We have long admired his works in Faerie." His smile looked more like a sneer. "You might even call us fans.

I quickly jumped over the counter and stood next to Celyse, ready for anything, when Gabriela came out of the office.

Mom, Dad. Whats going on?

Thunderation, the intruder gawked. They have a child.

He charged for Gabriela. Celyse spun and grabbed his arm while the other two fae jumped me. I leveled one with an elbow jab to the throat, but not before a blow crashed into my face and a kick pummeled my gut.

And thats when I heard the piercing scream.

At first, I didnt know what it was. The shrill was so deafening it sounded otherworldly. My eyes darted around looking for the source, landing on Gabriela, mouth open, hand clutching her necklace. A purple blast of light erupted from her, swathing the room in crackles of energy.

The fae that attacked us were obliterated on the spot, turned into particles of dust. And Gabriela immediately passed out. When she came to, it was as if her mind protected her from what she had done, because she didnt remember anything. And Celyse and I didnt tell her.

To safeguard Gabriela and ourselves, we gradually stopped visiting Faevenly. We pushed away that part of our lives because we thought distancing ourselves from it would insulate us from the dangers of the realm. We no longer talked about shimmers, or fae, or any other magical creatures. And we hid the aquoise necklace somewhere where no one would ever find it.

We prayed our efforts would keep us from harm.

A cold tingle dashed across the back of my neck as I approached my house, a feeling I knew all too well. The sensation couldnt be blamed on the temperature. It was only the first week of October and Austin, Texas, was still clinging on to warmer temperatures despite the beginnings of the change of the seasons. My drive home from school had been occupied with thoughts of homework, but the tingle wiped all that out of my mind. Slowing the car, I rolled to a stop to park, then exited. I surveyed my surroundings like my mom had taught me when I was a little girl, because something was definitely wrong.

Find the source.

I was only ten when Mom first said those words to me, and I remembered her lesson as if I had learned it only yesterday. We were in the backyard tending to the garden when the strange feeling overcame me for the first time. I looked up at Mom with fear in my throat, not understanding the phenomenon cascading through me.