“I have no idea where Albuquerque is, but I can assure you, we are in the heart of Javersissa, somewhere we don’t want to be.”
“How can you tell? This fog is so dense…”
“The smell,” he paused. “The fragrance of wish fairies.’ He snapped his head toward me and grabbed my shoulder with an intense seriousness in his narrow eyes. “Do not fret. I will try teleporting us somewhere safe along the borders, and—” Before he could finish his sentence, the fog opened up, and so did the light in the forest. I blinked once and the aura around us changed, the once gloomy and drab forest turning into a real life Garden of Eden.
“What in the?” I mumbled to myself, my eyes growing huge to the majestic enchantment of the forest. The garden was so vivid, a peaceful serenity washing over me, making me feel feather light. Lush and green trees of every breed sashayed in the warm breeze, their bouquets of foliage making music in the wind. Fruit laden and ripe suspended over our heads, their shades shimmering in the warmth of the teeming sunlight.
The forest was abundant with life and color. It captivated even Rufian, someone I thought who’d been here before.
“Silas, this isn’t good…” he whispered, with his eyes surveying the clear blue skies.
I snickered happily. “What do you mean? This place is gorgeous!” I said, with a new found wholesomeness blooming in my chest. My mind was at peace, my worries and regrets melting away as the forest took me in. I couldn’t deny its allure as I paced curiously, my eyes catching a stream to my left, its soft babbling calling to me.
The stream ebbed and flowed over the soft, rounded pebbles beneath it, with water so clear that I could see all of the creatures inside of it. A film of glittering dust hovered over the stream as teal and blue hues reflecting the sun bounced on its surface. The luscious stream smelled like a honey meadow, the soft grasses and wildflowers drawing me closer. I knelt along the bank and ran my hand through, its cool and refreshing sensation running chills down my fingertips.
I combed through the water, barely acknowledging Rufian’s voice as he warned me.
“Silas, don’t touch that!” He barked behind me, until I saw a pair of bright lavender eyes in the stream below.
A beautiful fairy girl emerged, with long purple hair laced with flowers and wavy locks. She was a nymph, a fair-skinned forest fae with delicate translucent wings that shimmered in the light, and a voice that sounded like a soft melody as she spoke, “A human…” she said with her hands resting between my sprawled legs along the bank. Her damp face was close to mine, my presence piquing her interest.
Her perfect features resembled that of a porcelain doll. Her large eyes sparkled like the stars in the sky, and her lips curved upward in a sweet smile as she took me in. The fae flicked her long ears and giggled, the back of her wet finger stroking along my cheek. “A man…”
I could feel a potent power emanating from her, a pull that was hard to turn away from. There were red flags firing in my head, and I knew that she was the enchanting wish fairy I was warned about on two occasions. But despite the warnings, I couldn’t help but feel drawn to her. Her beauty was captivating, and her words were like honey on my lips.
My heart was racing, this nymph girl bolting me down. Honestly, I felt like I was in a trance, and I was enjoying every second of it…
Her wings fluttered, sprinkling kisses of rain and fairy dust on my face. She inched closer to me, and I could feel her vanilla-scented breath on my skin. “What is your name?” she whispered.
“Silas…” I said almost mindlessly.
“Silas, don’t!” Rufian shouted, charging at me. I heard twigs crunch and leaves shuffle before a snap whipped across the air, followed by a loud thump. “Bloody wood nymphs!” he cursed under his breath, the traveling priest tussling with mother-nature. The sound of Rufian struggling back there broke out in my ears, but I was too distracted to bother looking over my shoulder.
I had a cute fairy girl to entertain, her charming smile making the butterflies in my chest flurry.
“Silas…what a lovely name. My name is Naiiah. What brings you to my home Silas? Are you looking for a wish?”
“A wish?”
“A deep desire, one that only I could satisfy…” she cooed. “Everyone has desire, Silas. Especially a man like you,” she pressed on, her finger tracing along my jawline as her eyes kept on my ajar lips. “So tell me, what do you desire, Sir Silas?”
I stuttered with my next words as Naiiah pulled herself out of the stream, revealing her bareness. Her long purple hair draped her perky breasts, but it did nothing for her bottom half. My feet stammered up as she crawled toward me before she got up on her feet. She was tall, taller than any girl I’d seen thus far, and also skinny and shapely. Every step she took made me back up, my heartbeat racing as she stretched her hand toward me. “Don’t be afraid, Silas. I want to take the pain away. I want to help you.”
“What?” My chest jumped.
“I’ll make you feel better again…”
What she’d said…I’d heard those lines before…
‘What if I told you that I could make the pain go all away?’ My thoughts brought me to when I’d first met Lucyna, the fae’s words triggering a haunting memory.
Lucyna had said the same thing…
It snapped me out of the trance I was in, my mind shaking away her enchantment. I gripped my head, feeling dizzy, before I looked up to her and the worried expression across her face. “Silas?” she whispered, before her eyes lit up again, and she fluttered her wings.
“What’s going…ugh, on… I…”
“It’s okay Silas. You are safe here. All I want to do is help you.”
I rejected her, the fight for control making me sweat under my collar. She was strong, but my will was stronger. She wouldn’t break me; I refused to let her take over. “I don’t need your help.”
Naiiah's face fell at my words, hurt burning inside of her. “Silas, why won't you let me help you? I know your pains, your sorrows. I can erase them all.”
I eyed her warily as I backed myself into a corner. My shoulders struck a tree, Naiiah following me relentlessly. It was true that my life had been shit. Full of pain, of loss. But I had come to terms with it. With the help of the great shaman orc, I had learned to live with the past, and to use it to fuel my passion to help Thalian. I didn't need a fairy's help in forgetting all of it, in fact, I didn’t want to forget about it! My tribulations and troubles defined who I was, and I wasn’t going to let her make me lose my sense of self.
“Silas,” she sang, her hand stroking along my chest. She pressed herself into me, cradling my chin up for a kiss. “You will give me your request…” Her fingers laced along the hairs over my nape, the crafty nymph drawing my lips closer to hers. The tips of our noses brushed, Naiiah bathing me with her intoxicating scent. “I can show you things, beautiful things… things you’ve never even imagined before.” Her fingertips began to glow a soft hue of white, a tickling sensation moving along my skin. She was tenacious, a smooth talker, and had me wishing I’d added a few points toward my willpower after all. “Just tell me your desire, and I will make your fantasies come true.”
My head was firing, my forehead misting over with sweat. The mind and body were in a civil war, but in the end, I had my compass back. All I had to do was follow it.
“Sorry, I made her a promise…” I whispered, and Naiiah gasped. The fair wood maiden held her breath while I held my bonesaw underneath her midriff. I’d pierced through her diaphragm ripping clean through her heart, Naiiah peeling back away from me to see how badly I wounded her.
The fae withdrew from my saw and cupped her leaking gash. Stealing souls—I didn’t want to be on the other end of her wicked deal. While I always thought that nymphs were kind creatures, the ones in the forest of Javerissa weren’t.
She stumbled back and then looked at me with betrayal shaking in her voice, “How could you?”
Even though she was after my soul, I felt guilty. She wasn’t a cyber monster but a native, the third native I killed since I got here.
It needed to be done, I tried telling myself, hoping to ease the overwhelming regret.
