The way to Fey
“What should we shoot?” Fallon asked as she examined the gun Brenzel handed her.
Brenzel, for herself, had never shot a gun before. About the most she could figure out was the end where the bullet comes out. On the handle seemed to be a lever to make it shoot, but what were the other levers?
Fallon explained, “In a normal gun, you grip it and point like this.”
Brenzel watched as Fallon demonstrated, feet apart and both hands on the grip, pointing the barrel. “Okay, I see.” She did the same with hers, “then you squeeze this lever like this?”
“It’s called a ‘trigger’. Yes, but NEVER point it at anyone you don’t figure on shootin’. Keep the barrel end pointed down to the ground when you walk. Keep your finger off the trigger unless you are ready to fire.”
“Okay.” Brenzel nodded, looking around. “Komae will get angry if we shoot one of her trees,” she mused out loud. “No,” she shook her head, “lets not do that. What about the river? Could we just shoot into the water?”
“Okay, we can try that,” Fallon agreed.
Do you have regrets?
Walking down to the river together, Fallon asked, “Do you ever have regrets? I mean, about becoming a Seraph Hunter?”
Brenzel thought for a moment, trying to weigh how to answer her protégé, then said, “I do, one big one. It really hurts sometimes, but I have to continue to remind myself that Traveler says it will work out eventually.” She paused, thinking for a moment. “Actually, I might have answered differently when he asked me if I wanted to put on the hat at the beginning, had I known more. . .but, now I don’t regret being a Hunter. I get to help people, sometimes a lot, and I like that. The truth is, for me, being a Seraph Hunter is just a different kind of crazy, but overall I like it.”
They could hear the river now as they walked down the gentle hill.
Fallon, looking up at the orange tinted sky, said, “I wish I was back on the prairie, travelin’ with Ma in our wagon. I miss my family, Brenzel, and I want to have one someday. I’d like to have a small house, paint it white, put my hands in the dirt as I’m planting flowers. Make friends, go to church. I can’t do that while doing this. I want to go back to what I know, I just don’t feel I belong here.”
Nodding in sympathy, Brenzel reached out and put her arm around Fallon, pulling her close to her side, “I know what you mean. Being a Seraph Hunter is really hard sometimes.” They took a few steps in silence. “Let’s think about what we need to do right now, though. Concentrate on Derek.”
She looked at her young friend and smiled, as Fallon took a deep breath and stood up tall. “Yes. Just think about Derek.”
Finding their way to the river bank, Brenzel unholstered her gun. She raised and pointed the barrel at the swift part of the river. Fallon checked her grip, taking Brenzel’s locks and putting them behind her back. She bent down, moving Brenzel’s feet a little wider. Standing again, Fallon said, “Okay, take a deep breath, look down the barrel like I showed you, and squeeze.”
Brenzel squeezed gently, pulling the small piece of metal back more and more. Nothing happened.
Try this
She looked over at Fallon, who look puzzled. “Maybe this needs to be…” she reached over to Brenzel’s gun moving a small lever up on the weapon’s side with a click. “Try it now.”
Resuming her stance, Brenzel sighted the gun at the flowing river and squeezed. Part of the gun lit up, a whirling noises began low, but quickly rose in pitch higher and higher, until it hurt their ears, and ka boom! A bolt of white light shot from the end of the pistol, into the water, exploding it. But then everything stopped. About tenty feet in diameter, the explosion of water slowed down and froze in mid air. Bren could see the bottom of the riverbed, bare rocks exposed. Inside the explosion it was clear, but outside water blew out in all directions, frozen in mid air.
“As I live and breathe,” Fallon exclaimed.
Brenzel looked at the gun then back at the phenomena. Grinning, she moved forward as she holstered the gun at river bank’s edge, reaching out, touching one of the big goblets of water.
“Careful, Brenzel!” Fallon yelled from up the bank where she stood.
She poked it gingerly. “It’s moving!” Brenzel yelled back, “but just very slowly!” Her fingers wet with the cold water, she rubbed it between them, amazing.
The water began moving faster, droplets coming towards her, seeming to gain speed. Brenzel turned and ran back up the bank as water began overtaking her, splashing on her backside. Reaching Fallon, they both moved further up the bank, back into the woods, as a wall of water reversed direction moved by towatds the river again 0at a slow walk, then gushed normally in the bed once again, though swollen.
Son of a gun
“Well I’ll be a son of a gun. Wonder what what would do to a person?” Fallon said as she looked at the river.
Brenzel imagined someone slowly blown apart, being ripped into a thousand pieces of flesh, bone, blood and sinew. “Well,” she said, looking at Fallon, “we won’t use it unless we have to.”
Finding Komae and her friend back at camp, ready to go, they all departed together to find Fey. Komae declined to mind talk anymore, saying she was not worthy.
Fine, Brenzel thought, I like talking out loud better anyway. Truthfully, she found the whole thought of the mind sharing thing much too intimate, although she now knew Halans just didn’t rummage around your inner closets unless invited.
Nearing the city’s entrance, Brenzel looked for Fey, but saw no one. Whatever Fey was, she didn’t seem worried about them being there. “How far?”
Komae pointed to a tall tree standing above the forest, to the right side of the street. “She’s over there,” she whispered.
“Okay, take your friend back to camp and wait for us there. We’ll come as soon as we have Derek.”
Komae looked worried. “This is unwise your majes-….Brenzel.”
Fallon, sighting one of Brenzel’s guns up at the tree, said, “He’d do the same for us.”
Bowing respectfully, the Halan with the Hadite in tow, turned and walked away.
“You ready?” Brenzel asked.
“You bet, let’s get Derek.”
Do you feel that?
Brenzel wondered why they felt no resistance at all. She imagined Fey to be like a crouching tiger, watching them, getting ready to pounce. Everything within her tensed as they turned of the path and into the trees.
Pushing branches out of the way, they came to a small clearing. Brenzel put her hands on fern fronds that ringed the rim, but disappeared as they came further into the middle. It was warm here, warmer than at the street. Birds, of which Brenzel had not seen many on Hala, chirped and flitted about. The forest floor gave way to soft, dusty green moss spread over the center like some kind of throw rug. Looking around, gun drawn, Bren saw nothing but a pleasant meadow.
Fallon whispered, “Where is she?”
“I don’t even know if Fey is a human, Fallon. Maybe no one’s seen her for a reason.” Then she paused. “Do you feel that?”
Fallon nodded.
I feel your pain, the words spoke in Brenzel’s mind like a strong summer downpour.
Brenzel shouted, “Like that poor man who hung himself?!”
A feeling of displeasure washed over her.
“We don’t want trouble, Fey,” Brenzel said out loud, “all we want is Derek back.” She had the distinct feeling of being circled now, as if just beyond the ferns inside the forest something stalked them like prey – patiently.
Wake up!
Iris.
A stabbing pain filled her heart as she realized, for the first time, that she hadn’t thought of her baby girl once since coming to Fey. What am I doing here? Why haven’t I been searching for Iris? This was all a foolish waste of time and effort. Guilt welled up inside and overflowed as she felt the full feeling of failure as a mother. What woman would abandon her child to people she didn’t even know? Her mind overloaded with grief. Holding her head, she slumped to the ground.
She felt someone shaking her, a small voice shouting, “Brenzel! Wake up!”
Opening her eyes, she felt the ground underneath her and looked up to see Fallon looking down at her, worry in her eyes. With great difficulty, Brenzel got up to her knees, taking a moment to shake off the horrible feelings.
Fallon, adding her strength to Brenzel’s, helped her mentor rise. In her mind, Brenzel spoke, I don’t want to fight you, Fey, I just want to talk.
The feeling of being stalked lessened as the words came, lay down your weapons. Hesitating a moment, Brenzel signaled Fallon to put her gun on the ground as she did.
Please, may we meet you?
Not her, only you.
Brenzel hesitated again. She was angry about Fey using her own daughter against her, but felt in her gut not to fight – at least not yet. Putting her hand on Fallon’s shoulder, she said, “I’ll get him back, wait for me here.”
The young hunter nodded at the tall blond and Brenzel saw much fear in her eyes.
Brenzel walked forward, a deep presence falling all around her, like mind talking, only much, much stronger. Putting her hand up, she could even feel it in the air.
A small abode
Directly ahead now, made out of trees growing together, there appeared what seemed to be a small dwelling. Flowers, even in the shade of the forest, bloomed as multi-colored birds flitted here and there. Lavender colored vines fell down in straight lines over the door, screening the entrance. Brushing the vines aside, Brenzel ducked a bit, due to her hat, and entered the tiny abode.
A luminescence came from somewhere, but Brenzel couldn’t see a source, her eyes adjusting to the dim light. Looking around, she saw no fireplace, only a small chair and table, does she have a child? Bren wondered.
She saw a closed door leading to another room. She must be in there. Something felt off, was this a trap?
“Fey, I mean you no harm,” Brenzel spoke, “please show yourself.” Then she thought as much good will as she could muster.
You are a Seraph, but you don’t look like one… a statement floated around her, with a hint of curiosity.
Yeah, I get that often, Brenzel thought. Then she said out loud, “Dove says I will grow into it.”
Did Alethea send you?
Yes.
Interesting. Does it hurt? Becoming a Seraph?
Um, no…
Do you have six wings?
No, they haven’t come out yet.
After a few moments of silence, came the thought, A child Seraph, how unusual.
Suddenly, Brenzel felt the full power of Fey in her mind and her words saying, It’s been long…very long.
Then the words, please stand back…
Surprised, Brenzel nodded her ascent.
A light, like someone holding a lamp, approached, Brenzel seeing the light grow brighter under the door. It cycled from red, to blue, to yellow, back to red again, growing bright and dim, almost like a mid summer’s firefly.
The door opened slowly. Brenzel braced herself for the worse, unconsciously shifting her weight to her back foot, muscles tensing.
Two small feet walked forward. Brenzel stepped back, not even having realized that she did. Stories from her childhood bubbled up in her mind, grasping at anything to make sense of what she saw. The eyes that surveyed her shown irises of brilliant rainbow colors which sparkled as they changed hue. Her small, pouty lips, graced high boned cheeks, fluting up to Halan points on her long ears, nestled in wavy green hair falling around her over her form. A set of two wings fluttered on her back. She stood no more than three feet tall. She spoke out, in a crystal clear, flute-like voice, “I am Fey.”