At the top of the hill, they gathered together and took in the majestic view. The house had two stories with worn down, peeling, white paint on the weather beaten exterior. The shutters were no longer the baby blue they had once been. Flowing sheer curtains with dainty, faded daisies on each of them covered every window for privacy. It could have been a farmhouse from the Midwest planted in the middle of a desolate forested slope. Shade wondered how it didn’t just slip off the edge of the hill to its bitter end at the bottom of the cliff it sat on. Maybe some kind of magic was at play here. She couldn’t be more eager to find out.

The front door swung open and slammed hard against the wooden sides. A big and husky man with bulging muscles and a warrior’s get up engulfed the doorway with his bulk. He stared out with silver glinted eyes and silver-streaked white hair. His deathly, white, pale skin looked sickly compared to their human colored appearance, which they had remained glamoured with. Shade gulped and stepped back, right into Benton and Soap who stood frozen behind her.

“You are trespassing. You will die if you do not leave. Do not come any further. You will be destroyed.” His robotic voice growled over them, making them gasp. The ghostly warrior stepped forward, holding up a massive sword in his thick fist, narrowing his eyes as he scanned the five of them.

“Wait, Queen Lana, Your Majesty of the great Southern Realms. We have been looking for you, and we mean you no harm. Pardon our disturbance of your peaceful exile. “Please,” Andraste said as he waved his hand, pointing towards Shade and Benton, hoping to deter any drastic actions from the great pale warrior. “Your son’s only daughter Shade is here to see you.”

“My son has no daughters. He is dead. How dare you speak of him? You are nothing but the scum of Faerie!” A disembodied women’s voice echoed along the ghost warrior’s deep baritone. Shade could feel the air thicken around her, and grabbed Soap’s arm, letting him embrace her in his, offering her reassurance.

“Shade, speak to her. Kin will recognize kin. Your voice will tell her who you are.” Soap whispered down to her. Shade looked up at him. His handsome face and tallness did not deter the calm and warmth he radiated over her fear. Reluctantly, she knew it was the only thing she could try. She pulled away and stepped towards the ghost-like man.

“Your Majesty. I am Shade. I was told that you’re my father’s mother. Please, I just found out recently that he was my real father. I’ve come here for your help–I need your help to harness my magic.” She stepped forward as she spoke, moving closer to the ghastly pale warrior. Its sword seemed to waver as she came closer to him. She hoped he wouldn’t swipe it at her at any time.

The apparition seemed to buzz, and disappeared with a quiver of smoke. In its place, a beautiful older woman with bright, silver-white hair down past her waist stepped towards her. Intensity flowed from her eyes as she took in Shade, sizing her up and studying her like a specimen under a microscope. Shade felt the prickle of her magic poking at her as they came to stand face to face. The frown on the woman’s face seemed to take forever to melt away; her face gradually upturning into the brilliance of a smile that Shade saw in her own reflection every day.

“Shade? I can hardly believe my eyes, it really is you. I can feel our blood calling towards each other! You are truly my son’s daughter!” The woman’s eyes lit up and danced with happiness. She reached out to touch Shade on her cheek, her power flowing across her fingers almost zapping at Shade. Shade flinched back, wide-eyed. What was that?

“Oh, excuse me! I’ll tone it down for you! It’s just, I–,” Lana paused as she smiled at Shade. Though she was shaking her head in disbelief, she continued to smile. She grasped Shade’s hands, her touch now lacking the zap that had hit Shade before. “I knew you would come one day. I foresaw it. I called you here. You heard me didn’t you? I tried to find you for so long. I sent out whispers in your dreams to bring you here. You found me, Shade. Just like I knew you would.” She hugged Shade so hard that her breath escaped her chest. The Faerie Queen’s aura felt exhilarating, and danced along her skin like tiny swirling sparks. Their magic agreed well, making Shade smile, and caused a feeling to stir within her almost like being home for the first time in ages.

Lana pulled back and held her out at arm’s length, studying her even more. She finally let her go and scanned the rest of them. She stopped at Benton and Soap, observing them just a bit longer than Camulus and Andraste. Shade wondered if her grandmother could answer Benton’s question of paternity. She gulped, sucking in a deep breath as she built up her courage to ask.

“Queen Lana?” asked Shade.

“Just call me Lana, please. I have not been Queen in so long, I feel unfit for the title.”

Shade grinned, her nervousness still swirling in her chest. “My brother here; Benton, would also like to know if Verenis is also his father. He possesses magic too, and we wondered…”

“No. He is not of my line, though he is your brother in blood.” Lana interrupted as she walked forward and reached out to Benton, pausing first for his permission. Benton glanced back at Shade, who gave him a slight nod to proceed. He looked back at the Queen and let her approach him. She touched his face with a gentle stroke, tasting the magic that filled him.

“No. He is not of the same father. Human blood flows in his veins, none Fey. Fire Magic runs wild inside him. Your mother is; perhaps, a fire witch?” She smiled at him, not really expecting an answer as she brought her hand down. “A very powerful Fire Witch at that.” She studied his face intently. A far off look shone in her eyes before turning back to Shade.

“Sorry about the precautions. I don’t really get visitors out here. Nothing personal.” Lana’s face stilled as she studied Shade’s, a flicker of something flashed across her very brown eyes. As it passed, she smiled at her once again. Slight wrinkles framed her eyes and mouth, betraying her age. Shade could feel her power, so strong, like a thick mist surrounding them. Yet her grandmother’s eyes looked almost too human, not an extraordinary Fey color she had noted in her friends. It was the same brown color that dwelled in her own eyes. The realization that her grandmother was not a full Faery surprised her more than she thought it would. It hadn’t occurred to her at all. Her list of questions grew tenfold as they continued to look at each other.

“I suppose you have a million questions for me, Shade.” Lana took a deep breath as she motioned them towards the house. “Might as well come in and make yourselves at home.” She headed up the stairs and into the farmhouse with everyone following suit in her wake.

They shuffled into the house where the living room was cozy, to say the least. Soft floral couches lined one side of the wainscotings of the wall. Worn and smooth wooden tables hugged the sides of the couches. Oil lamps sat unlit on them, for there was still bright daylight streaming through the sheer curtains lining the dusty windowpanes. Shade sat down on one of the overstuffed chairs, looking around the room. She studied the pictures that hung randomly across the wood walls. Pictures of a young boy with long black hair flowing down his back with an intense, mischievous look on his face. He looked like Lana in a way; Shade assumed he must be her father. The other pictures showed other men and woman, none looking familiar to her at all. She wondered who they were, and if she was related to them.

Her excitement fluttered in her stomach as she took all of it in. Even with it being in exile, the house looked quite comfy. As she scanned the room, she stopped to see her brother fidgeting on one the sofas while sitting next to Soap. His frown gave away his disappointment at not being related to Shade’s grandmother. She was sure his share of questions was just as long as hers.

Lana returned with glasses and a jug of lemonade. Watching her serve her friends made her think how much more like a grandmother she seemed than the Southern Realm Seelie Queen. She wondered how long she had been exiled, and why she could not escape. Lana made her way around the room, handing a glass to Shade and smiling. Sinking into a wooden chair that stood alone by the opposite side of the room, she scanned all of them and waited patiently as they drank their drinks.

“Well, I suppose we might as well get this over with. Ask away, Shade. I’ll answer anything you want to know.” She crossed her legs, placing her hands on her knee.

Shade flushed, her mind became blank under pressure. Gulping down the last sip of her drink, she breathed in deeply as one swam around in her mind.

“Lana, er, uh Grandmother? I’m not sure what to call you yet.” She paused, waiting for an answer.

“You can call me Lana. I know I’m not much of a grandmother to you yet.” She grinned and waited for another question.

“Right, ok, Lana, um, well I want to know where my father is and if he is dead like I’ve been told. Would you also know why my mother never told me about him?” She paused, not wanting to run ramped in a stream of questions.

“Well, Shade. I can’t say why your mother never told you. She’s probably suffering from some form of memory loss from a spell that I’m pretty sure your father would have done to her. Maybe to protect you both. Seeing that he is dead, I don’t blame him for doing it. He died at the hands of that wretched Queen Aveta. I have wanted to avenge him for so long, but I see that it will be quite impossible for me to do it.” Her mouth formed a tight line of tension as she thought of her son. Shade did not let the pain that seeped into Lana’s face go unnoticed. Just as quickly as it had manifested, Lana seemed to realize the slip as she breathed in and straightened in her chair.

“Um, what am I? What kind of Fey am I? My powers grow the more time I spend in Faerie, but no one can tell me what they are, what I can do with them, or how I can control them, and I really need to know.” She waited almost impatiently as she watched her grandmother smile and nod.

“Yes, of course you don’t know what you are. I’m part Changeling. I can change my appearance into anything I’d want to. I am also part human, like you. Your Grandfather was full Sidhe, the most powerful and beautiful of all Faeries. He was King of the Southern Realm before your father.” Her voice cracked for a moment, the memory flooding her eyes with pain. She gulped down as she continued. “He is also dead, poisoned with Iron by Aveta.” She sighed, rubbing her temples as she leaned forward. Shade wanted to comfort her but the unfamiliarity of her grandmother kept her from rushing over. Lana looked back up, the pain still in her eyes but more steadied.

“Sorry, I still miss him, even after so long. He was my only love.” She gave a weak smile but motioned her to continue with the questions.

“It’s ok, thanks for telling me. I was wondering if you could show me how to use my powers. I haven’t a clue how.” Shade waited, watching Lana as she nodded.

“Yes, of course. It won’t be easy, seeing that you are not a young child anymore. But if you work hard, I can show you everything you can do with your magic.” Lana stood up at that moment, passing her gaze around the room, studying the warriors.

“We’ll get started right away. No time to waste. You’re all welcome to stay here as long as you need. I have several rooms to spare. I’ll take you to them first, and then we can get started. Shall we?” She motioned to the group as everyone voiced their agreement. They shuffled quickly behind the Seelie Queen, following her up the stairs.

Chapter Thirteen

SHADE’S GRANDMOTHER WAS a graceful, thin lady. Her waist-length silver-white hair swayed softly in the wind, and her big brown eyes glinted ever so slightly when amused. Shade thought about Lana’s wrists, so thin and bony they looked almost as frail as sugar sticks. Her skin was soft and thin with some wrinkles around the creases. Her face was smooth though; only faint lines of laughter crinkled when she smiled and became noticeable around her mouth and eyes.

No one Shade had ever met was like her. She seemed to be able to soothe and calm Shade with just a word or a stroke of her hand on her face. Her hugs felt like hot chocolate on a cold January day after playing too long in the snow. Her clothes fit loose but elegantly, as if flowing around her in clouds. She was the essence of a calm spring morning under a shady tree.

Lana told Shade once that she was just the same. Her magic would embrace a calm and warmth that would extend to all whom she loved. Lana warned her that by not being a full-blooded Faerie, she would not be immortal. Like Shade, she was part Fey and part human. Her mortality weighed on her like a dreaded task waiting to be done. She did not age in human years but not too far from it. She could live maybe two lifetimes instead of one with Faerie blood inside her, yet would it be enough? Shade had just gotten to know her grandmother, and felt like there had not been enough time to get to know her more. She knew Lana wouldn’t be around too much longer, but what could she say? I wish I had met her sooner, but that is not how things go.

Lana told her that things didn’t happen the way they should, especially in Faerie. She would have liked to have had more time to train Shade in the arts of Changeling magic and such. There were also so many stories she would love to tell her about her life, her past, and her son Verenis. She had tales of his adventures, life in Faerie, and life abroad in the human world.

Lana taught Shade a variety of tricks and added to her stock of Fey magic every day with her witty lessons or assignments. She knew that even in this lifetime, there would not be enough time in the world to know everything that she could have learned from her grandmother.

*****

THE DAY WAS shining, and the crisp warm rays of the sun beamed down and fed the greenery with its light. Shade noticed that around her grandmother’s house, it always seemed warm and spring-like; fall and winter never seemed to come around the corner in Faerie. This day was a tiny bit different. The leaves had turned color and filled the breezes with floating masses of them. They were clogging up the edges by the trees and dark corners of the house. She realized after the few weeks since coming there, seeing the fall come to pass in this isolated area of Faerie worried her. Something was different. Something about it scared her, and made the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. A feeling of dread clung to the trees, leaves, and the cool autumn breezes. She couldn’t say exactly what had changed, but something had.