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Written by: Aryea
TITLE: Land of the Fienne
CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER 2 -----------------
Sydney awoke to a soft caress against her cheek and the sound of someone calling her name. It was soothing, almost child-like and non-threatening; therefore it took time to pull her fully awake. “Hmmm?” “She’s awake! She’s awake!” a high giggling voice announced. Sydney opened her eyes and was startled by how bright it seemed in the darkened forest. She glanced at her watch and found it was just a little after two in the morning and yet the clearing seemed to glow with beginning of twilight. She saw no one and Nigel remained sleeping beside her. Perhaps the voices had been a dream? That didn’t explain the glow late-afternoon appearance the glen. She decided that she was just overtired and started to close her eyes again. Immediately she felt another caress against her cheek. “Wake up sleepy head!” Sydney bolted awake this time. That was no dream. She surveyed the clearing with sharp eyes and saw only the flowers in the centre bowing slightly in the breeze. She paused and glanced up. There was no wind in here. “Hello?” she called, warily. “Who’s there?” Sydney shook Nigel awake and he roused as reluctantly as she had the first time. “What is it, Syd?” “I heard voices,” she hissed. Nigel sat up instantly. Experience had taught him to react to the subtle tones in Sydney ’s voice for even the smallest hint of danger. “Do you think those henchmen found us?” He paused as his eyes adjusted and he looked upward. He couldn’t see the sky. “Is it daylight?” He glanced at his watch as Sydney had. “Sssshhh.” Sydney ’s hand went over his mouth and she pointed at the flowers. “Look.” Nigel turned his head and stared at the Foxgloves swaying slightly. “Whhmnnnmem…” He pushed her hand away from his mouth irritated. “What about them?” “How are they moving?” she whispered. “There’s no wind, Nigel. Not even a breeze.” Nigel licked his finger and held it up. She was right. Not a stirring of wind. “Why are we awake again?” “I heard someone calling my name and they touched my face.” “How could someone touch your face and you not see them?” “I don’t know.” “Then how do you know someone touched you?” He raised his voice, irritated that they were being so quiet. “And why the devil are we whispering? We’re the only ones in here, Syd.” “Look!” Sydney pointed at a shadow that passed by the stone opposite them. “Did you see that?” Nigel looked hard, but saw nothing. Sydney was not one to become delusional or hysterical so there had to be something to her claims. “I…I don’t see anything, Syd. Are you sure you weren’t dreaming?” “See us? See us!” tiny musical voices called gleefully and Nigel and Sydney both jumped, startled. They exchanged a wary glance. “Do you see anything?” Nigel asked, they were back to whispering again. Sydney shook her head. “Not a thing except the flowers moving.” She levelled her voice and called out. “Show yourselves! Stop playing around!” “We like to play!” giggled a voice from right beside her. “Play with us, Sydney! Play with us, Nigel!” Nigel was so shocked to hear the tiny voice that close to them that he bolted to his feet, with Sydney right behind him. “I bloody well heard that!” More giggling and suddenly something tugged at Sydney ’s hair. She swatted at it. “Hey!” She felt the slightest resistance against her palm. Suddenly her hair was being tugged in every direction. She was driven to her knees. “Ouch! Stop! Nigel, get it off me!” Nigel was trying but he couldn’t see anything. He finally pulled off his jacket and tossed it over Sydney ’s head. The pulling stopped for a few seconds, and then suddenly Nigel’s jacket was dancing across mid-air. “My God!” He could not believe what he was seeing. “That…that’s not possible! Is…is this a trick?” “Can’t see! Oh help! Can’t see!” The jacket suddenly dropped to the ground, but something still moved beneath it. Sydney carefully crawled over to it. She glanced at Nigel who had grabbed his flashlight; ready to hit whatever was underneath if needed. Carefully, she lifted the edge of the jacket and peeked underneath. A twinkling of starlight danced beneath it. She dropped the edge of the jacket, startled. “What is it?” Nigel asked anxiously. Her reaction bothered him. It was rare for anything to frighten Sydney . “What did you see?” “I…I’m not sure.” It couldn’t possible be what she thought it was. “What did it look like?” Sydney couldn’t explain it and she felt foolish sitting back and staring at the jacket like it was an alien craft. She didn’t know why but her courage had fled immediately upon seeing that tiny sparkle beneath the cloth. She was being ridiculous and she knew that she was scaring Nigel more than the jacket had. Giving herself a mental shake to rid herself of the sudden uncertainty, she slowly lifted the hem of the jacket again and slid her hands inside. Her fingers wrapped around something that felt solid and tingled against her flesh, like a butterfly fluttering inside her hands. She carefully extracted her hands and hoped the thing didn’t have teeth. She sat back on her haunches and glanced at Nigel, who knelt beside her, just as curious. She carefully opened her hands and there, sitting on the seam of her palms was a tiny winged creature with an elfish face and a small pale body wrapped in what looked like tiny daisy petals. It was definitely a female form from the look of it. “What in the world?” Nigel gasped as he glanced inside. Sydney kept her fingers cupped enough that the creature could not escape. “Is that…what is that?” “What is that!” the tiny voice mimicked. Sydney tilted her head. “Are you…what are you?” “What are you?” “Are you a…” Sydney could hardly bring herself to say the words. “Are you a fairy?” “Are you a faerie?” the creature repeated, and then wiggled her tiny little foot. “This is bad. Broken must be.” She fell back as if in a swoon. “Ouch! Ouch! Stop it! Nigel!” Sydney almost laughed as the creature now mimicked her earlier panic. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m sorry.” She very gently lowered her hands to the ground and opened them. The creature rolled out of her hands, lifeless. Nigel stared at her motionless form, concerned. “I think you killed it, Syd.” Sydney bit her lip and gently prodded the creature. “Are you okay? I didn’t mean to hurt you.” “Perhaps if we clap?” Nigel suddenly suggested and clapped his hands rapidly. “We believe in faeries. Hello, we believe in faeries.” Sydney glared at him and he shrugged. “It worked for Tinkerbell,” he offered weakly. The tiny creature made a weak motion with her hands, as if to bring them nearer. Both humans leaned over her, worried. “Closer,” she whispered in an almost non-existent voice. They moved closer. Suddenly the creature reared up and snatched the silver necklace off Sydney ’s neck. “Mine! Mine!” she fluttered upwards with such speed that neither Sydney nor Nigel could catch her. When she was flying she was almost invisible, all they could see was the necklace floating across the air. “Give that back!” Sydney called out and ran after it, Nigel right after her, but they both reared to a stop as a bright green light suddenly appeared before them and grew in size. They had to look away from the brightness and when they looked back, they could not believe their eyes. A female creature of the most unimaginable beauty stood before them. Her skin was the colour of the purest cream off set by large, slanted eyes, the color of sparkling emeralds. A thick, shining mane of blue fire streaked with silver flowed from a widows peak just above her temple to just below her knees, not in the least hindered by the large almost transparent wings that rose from either shoulder and curved outward of almost two feet. She was wrapped in a swirling green dress that moved like a river in late summer about her figure. Nigel and Sydney were speechless. “Forgive Sineya,” the musical voice suggested as she offered Sydney the necklace back. “She likes to play with the newcomers. I am Braennon.” Sydney tentatively accepted her necklace. “I…you…” For the first time, Sydney Fox was speechless. Nigel, on the other hand, seemed to have found his mouth easily enough. “You’re exquisite.” Braennon smiled and nodded. “Welcome to our forest, Nigel Bailey and Sydney Fox. You have traveled far and we have heard the stories of your adventures.” “You…you’ve heard of us?” Sydney asked weakly. This couldn’t be real. Her mother used to tell her stories of Faeries and the little people when she was young and at the time Sydney believed them. In fact, she believed so much that after her mother died and she started going to various boarding schools, depending on where her father was working, she imagined herself having one as a friend, but that had been a child’s fantasy. Something her mind had made up to help her get over losing her mother. “Forgive me for being rude but…what are you exactly?” Nigel inquired, curiously. He felt a soft buzzing in his ear, and then the creature that had snatched Sydney ’s necklace settled on his shoulder. He glanced at her, intrigued, his scientific mind whirling in an attempt to explain all this. He had seen many strange and sometimes horrific things as Sydney ’s partner over the years, but this was child’s fancy. He did not believe in Faeries, despite what he said earlier. Sineya gasped and suddenly toppled off his shoulder. He managed to catch her before she hit the ground. “Oh God!” he exclaimed. It really worked! “I only thought it! I didn’t mean it!” “Stop your nonsense, Sineya,” Braennon insisted, firmly, but without a hint of anger or irritation in her beautiful voice. She smiled at Nigel as the tiny faerie in his hands rose up and flew back to his shoulder, giggling. “Peter Pan is her favourite story. Forgive her.” Nigel was both embarrassed and relieved. Could they read his mind? Yes, came the soft reply in his head as Braennon stared at him, her eyes were like the most precious jewels. Do not fear us, Nigel, son of Elizabeth and Roger. You are one in us. We are one in you. Nigel blinked, disturbed. How did they know his parent’s name? He glanced at Sydney and wondered if she could hear them. Not yet. She has not accepted us fully. And I have? That made no sense, he did not believe in magic or fairytales. He was a man of science and research. Sydney was much more prone to believe in a myth or legend, which as she had often assured him, always had a basis in fact. You have always been known to us. We have always been near to you. Nigel immediately remembered the tales his mother used to tell him. He remembered reading the story of the Cottingley Faeries and had spent hours in his mother’s garden, hoping to see the tiny creatures, as those three young girls had claimed to. One day, he thought he had, but it had been so quick that as he grew older and he saw no further evidence, he dismissed it as his own imagination. “How is this possible?” Sydney asked, suspiciously as she attempted to refasten her chain around her neck, unaware of the telepathy going on between Nigel and the creature before them. “Why have you…whatever you are, been watching us? What is it you want, exactly?” Braennon was unaffected by Sydney ’s hostility and remained serene. “What all others want from you, Sydney, your help.” Sydney blinked as Nigel moved behind her to fasten the chain that she was having trouble with. “Our help with what?” “You are a chaser of treasure.” “Relics,” Sydney corrected firmly. “We aren’t treasure hunters, we’re collectors of antiquities. Our work preserves history for future generations; it has nothing to do with treasure. We don’t hunt for the money or the glory or whatever other reasons you’re thinking.” “Syd!” Nigel was startled by Sydney ’s sudden need to explain herself. She never took such offence when others misinterpreted what they did. However, Braennon seemed to be bringing out the worst in his friend. “I’m sure she didn’t mean to be insulting.” “I understand what you do more than you know,” Braennon advised calmly. “This is why I have come to you, seeking your help.” She paused and again her beautiful smile brightened the glen. “Do not fear us. We cannot harm you.” “I’m not afraid of you.” “You do not understand us and that is what you fear.” Nigel stepped in. Sydney wasn’t like that at all. She embraced the difference in all things and people. She was a champion of diverse culture and ancient beliefs. Often she was the one assuring him to go with the flow. “I think we’re both just a little bewildered by all of this,” he advised. “Seeing a real live Faerie, or whatever it is that you are, is not something that our adult minds can easily comprehend. You’re creatures of childhood, written about in stories and verbal folklore that have very little bearing in the real world. You must understand our confusion. We don’t mean to offend.” Sydney flushed at Nigel’s diplomacy. He was so easily rattled at times that she forgot how eloquent a speaker he could be. She was also embarrassed that he felt the need to apologize for her behaviour, although she could hardly blame him. She didn’t know what was wrong with her. Their roles seemed reversed, Nigel was now the cautious but accepting one and she was the hostile doubting Thomas. “We are the Feinne. We ask for your help, something that is rare for us. We do not often stray into the lands of men in these times. There is not enough here anymore to sustain us.” “How do you mean?” Sydney asked, curious. “In the days of old we roamed freely and openly with your kind. Perhaps that is where your…” She smiled again. “Fairytales originated. There was a tolerance, an acceptance then that is no longer here. There is less belief in things that are…” “Magical?” “I do not know the word for what is missing, I know only that it has diminished greatly and both sides have suffered for it.” Her voice was so pure and musical that the sudden note of sadness was like a punch in Sydney ’s stomach. She felt a knot in her throat and suddenly realized that she would do anything to keep from hearing that sadness again. “I…I don’t understand any of this and I am not sure what I believe at this point but…” She paused and glanced at Nigel. As always, he was waiting for her decision, a loyal and true partner. He nodded slightly and she looked back at Braennon. “We’d like to help in anyway that we can.” The magnificence of Braennon’s smile was almost their undoing and immediately both Nigel and Sydney felt a lightness of heart and mind, along with a delightful tingle of vibration through their bodies. “I am pleased of your acceptance, yet I must warn you that there is great danger to you both, should you do this thing for us.” Nigel smirked. “There always is.” Sydney grinned at him, suddenly excited at the idea of a new adventure, no matter how bizarre it seemed. “We’re used to it.” Braennon nodded in approval. “I suspected as much. I must also explain that you may experience things that are even more…” She smiled at Nigel as she searched for the word he had used. “Bewildering than those you have already seen. You must see with our eyes, feel with our minds on the path to your goal. It may be discomforting at first. Are you prepared for such an event?” “Are you going to turn us into Faeries?” Nigel asked warily. He really didn’t want to try his hand at flying about. He had enough difficulty just walking at times. Braennon laughed and the sound filled the forest. Trees trembled with joy and the flowers about them danced to the rhythm of her sweet melody. “I could no more do so than one of your storybook witches could turn you into a toad, Nigel Bailey. This is not a story, yet perhaps it will hold some…what was your word? Magic for you?” Nigel flushed and smiled. “Are you ready then? Both Nigel and Sydney nodded, all doubt had fled them. Braennon held out her hand and displayed a pair of wild mushrooms. “You must eat these. They will taste slightly bitter, but they will not harm you.” Nigel glanced at Sydney , letting her go first. She shrugged and selected one of the mushrooms. She didn’t recognize the variety, but trusted Braennon that it would not be poisonous. She popped it into her mouth and Nigel followed suit with the second mushroom. They both made a face at the bitter taste and then suddenly felt overwhelmingly nauseous. Nigel dropped to his knees almost immediately and tried to spit out the wretched thing, but with just one bite it had already slid down his throat. “Syd!” he croaked and reached for her, just as his world turned black. “Nigel!” Sydney held her stomach and swayed, trying to fight off the effect. She glared at Braennon accusingly. “You tricked us! You…” She dropped to her knees from the pain and dizziness. “I’ll get…” She felt the darkness overtaking her and reached for Nigel, protectively. “Ni…g…el.” Fear spiked inside of her as she experienced a sense of deja-vu. She was remembering when their party had been ambushed and she had been shot when searching for a lost sword. Just as before, her last thought now was of her best friend.
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