Chapter 42

“And how do you know that?” I asked. I was as surprised as Drima when she spoke that that the Fae that I had seen in my vision from the crystal was the Fae Prince.
“When I was in the meeting of the magicals this year, we were said that the Fae Prince has attained a century, that he is mature and now he is ready to go out in the world. There is something which links him to the human world which means that we might have interaction with them as well. So we were told about him. He is exceptionally beautiful, of that I have no doubt and he is a Summer Fae which means that he brings about health and glory and growth in every field and that he moves about,” said Serafina and I raised my brows.
“It sounds that someone has a little crush on the Fae Prince,” I said in a menacing whisper and we both giggled but then she nodded her head and said solemnly,” No, nothing of the sort. He is one of the finest warriors and creatures that I have seen till now. I admire him definitely, but no crush.”
“What do you know about the Fae?” I asked her. Before I delved further in what I had seen I wanted to know some more about this strange creature of whom I had no idea.
“The fairy wings were soft as petals and coloured just as gay. They fluttered like confetti, swirling in the only gentle "tornado" the world can ever know. As they dance in their airborne way the breeze takes on a floral fragrance, one to send the mind into a heady stupor - the kind enjoyed on late summer afternoons,” she said and I raised my brows again.
“Well that sounds really interesting…what else?” I asked and Drima smiled at me. It was an indulgent kind of smile, like a mother does when she knows that her child is happy and is allowing her to gossip.
“The fairies sing their magic into the air, a magic that heals just for the listening. No man need know the meaning of the words, only to sit and let the melody take him to places of love and laughter. That is their power, their gift unto the world.
Fairies are those of pure heart, those given magic by the creator to help them survive. They are timid, seeking to hide as their first means of protection. A long time ago they tried to help mankind, to teach us to be more like them... yet experience taught them to stay well away - there was money to be made in their capture and extortion. These days the fairy folk hide in plain sight, walking among us - for fairies are not small as once believed. They have arisen many times from our common ancestors and can be of any appearance. Should you ever find one you have a choice to become a guardian of their kind or an enemy. Should you choose the former the first rule is "Never let them know that you know," even to seek confirmation would sent the fairy into a panic.
Little women who tie flowers to their small hips and leaves on their chests. Whose hair is fair and light. Whose wings are that of bees and flies that were sewn painfully into their spines. The caterpillars that crawl and never change have lost their wings to the little women. They didn't paint their faces, but there was no need, for they were beautiful all their own. They liked to sing with voices only children could hear. They offer flowers, coins, and sweets, from which they have smuggled from others, only so they could make friends. In the light they were bright and pretty, but in the shadows, they were dark and beautiful. Weird little women they were. So nice, yet mean because they had a love for the living, and an adoration for the dead.
The magic of the astonishing beautiful fairies, made the flowers around them blossom in their everyday glory. Color and happiness radiated from their smiling faces as they rushed around their forest in search of animals to help or plants to revive,” said Serafina and I nodded at her.
This was becoming an information overload just like it was always with her and I said,” So the next time the crystal turned blue I saw another man…I mean he was also handsome but not this kind…he was a different kind of handsome altogether. He had a strange felineness about him which made me peer carefully and I found that he had pointed ears. I have a feeling that I had dreamt about this one earlier.”
“Elf,” announced Drima without any hesitation and I looked at her in confusion.
“What Elf?” I asked.
“The man that you are talking about with strange feline features and pointed ears…those are elves,” said Drima and I nodded. They seemed to know more about my visions than I knew. So it was better to listen to them.” I have seen a dream about him a few days earlier as well. I mean, that was the reason I could recognize him in the first place..”
“The elf has a gaze that speaks of intelligence. Without words I am aware of his heart, of every emotion that swims beneath those calm features. In his movements is a softness, an inner peace that reminds me of the forest deer, that he is truly here in this moment and no other. I've been in so many rooms with so many humans and been alone, yet right here and now, I feel connection and it's a hug without hugging, a conversation without words. The elves and Fae they are both intricately connected to nature but in different ways,” said Drima.
“Have you seen an Elf ever? It seems that you are speaking from personal experience,” I said and Drima nodded. She said,” It is a long story. I might even tell you someday when the time is right.”
“That is not very fair. But I am going to hold on to you for that,” I said.
“And what was the black, Sin? I am sure that you saw someone in the black as well, is it not?” asked Serafina. And I nodded in reply.
“Who was it then?” she prompted again.
“Vampire High Lord Credence,” I said.
Both of them fell silent for a moment and then said,” I did not see that coming. I mean, literally I never saw that one coming…”
“I don’t really know what all of this means..and I don’t think that anyone else had a vision as well after touching the crystal. I mean, why do I always have to be the freak?” I whined. Luke had not yet come back from visiting my sisters and I was waiting to talk to him about what happened today. I did not know actually what he would know about it but I did know this that he will be able to comfort me.
“I am going to start digging. You get a day’s rest before you have to get ready for the next summit. Until now you have been doing fabulously but now this is the last which means that Rubina will be having something up her sleeve,” said Serafina and I nodded.
“She had something up her sleeve even today. I mean, you saw the way that the crystal’s magic was working around her, right?” asked Drima and I nodded at her. She had also seen that same thing as me.
“And not only that. Mason was literally growling at her when he crossed her, I did not know why but he could sense something otherworldly in her. I mean we could ask him and try to get to know what it was?” I asked but Serafina said no.
“That is not going to help you in the final contest. Trust me, you can use that information somewhere else but in the last contest which is the hand to hand combat you can only choose one weapon and you will be able to fight with Luke. I know that you would not have any problem in kicking her ass, but when that slimy piece of snake is concerned you need to be intelligent and crafty,” said Serafina.
“What are you suggesting that I do then? I mean, without a weapon shall I go on?” I asked.
“You can have a weapon of your choice and you can keep it a secret. And that is going to be playing with Rubina’s mind. She would not be able to know what kind of weapon you will have and that will make her lose focus. Whereas you will be certain. You are one step ahead of her in the game but you have to be well prepared as well,” she said.
“I am guessing that since you have thought this much about it you also know what is going to be my secret weapon is it not?” I prompted and she gave me a winning smile.
“Of course darling, I am very well aware of what is going to be your secret weapon. It is going to be for Luke and not for you. Because I am pretty certain that the bitch is going to let Salazar loose on Luke, and in a contest like that you cannot well allow yourself to be distracted at all. And if the connection with your familiar is suddenly lost then you are going to suffer unimaginable pain,” said Serafina.
“I don’t think that with a snake like that, I mean, Salazar, any anti-venom would be available,” I told her.
“That is where I come in, is it not? You have so little faith on me that I am sometimes shocked,” said Sera and I rolled my eyes.
“Please go ahead, My trusted aide. What would I even begin to do without you? You are the light in my endless darkness and without your knowledge I would be drifting in the seven seas…”I said in a loud melodramatic voice and we both fell out laughing.
Immediately her expression became serious and she said,” Jokes apart, I have to tell you that it was a difficult task…”
“Are you trying to tell me that you somehow collected the venom of that bloody snake?” my eyes were wide open in shock. It had rows of teeth like a piranha and all of them were poisonous.
“The burmese python had less movement than the saw grass around it. Stone-like, steel eyes embedded in an otherwise unbroken sheath scales, he watched. The serpent had long forgotten life as a pet; in the many years that had passed in his swampy home he had grown to almost sixteen feet long. His silky smooth skin had finally lost its bulge, two weeks of digesting was over and he was ready for another meal. The early light was still soft on his mottled skin of brown and cream and the air on his tongue had the taste of something he wasn't accustomed to. In the near silence, he slinked his way onward toward the scent,” said Serafina. Then she said,” I was invisible, so it could not find me and before it could close its mouth I had grabbed a pinching teeth of his and there…voila!! I had is venom. And now the anti-venom is ready..”
“Sometimes I don’t know if you have a death wish, Serafina,” said Drima and I squealed. This was the best news I could get before the contest of day after tomorrow.