Forever Fae (Forever Fae #1)(4)
“Ryder, you need to hurry up, jackass, or we’ll be late,” Warren yells.
Warren is my best friend and a strong fighter. He’s a little shorter than me reaching six feet, with black hair and eyes so dark they appear black. We are built the same way with moderate sized muscles and toned bodies. We have to be that way in order to be strong warriors. He persisted for days on going with me to this ceremony, and I don’t know why. I found it kind of odd how adamant he was on being able to go. For the past couple of weeks, he’s been moody and very apprehensive. Also, he’s been very aggressive during warrior training. His viciousness had almost cost us the life of a young warrior so I banned him from training for a while. The fae do not die easily, but a beheading will do the trick and of course iron weakens us. One fatal gash from an iron blade will spread poison through our bodies and we will die in minutes.
I yell back humorously, “What’s the matter, Warren, Cinderella afraid of not being able to meet the prince before midnight?”
Warren grits his teeth and scowls.
“Shut the hell up and let’s get on the road.”
I don’t know where his attitude has come from, but I’m just about sick of it. He’s been like this for weeks and I’ve put up with it because he’s my friend, but I’m not going to put up with it anymore. I step into his space to where we’re almost nose to nose and demand to know what’s wrong with him.
“Look Warren, I don’t know what your problem is, but if you don’t stop this attitude, I’m going to kick your f*cking ass all the way to the Summer Court and back. You’ve been like this for weeks now and if you’re not going to tell me what’s wrong, I suggest you suck it up and move on. This cry baby bullshit is going to stop now!” I yell.
At this time, my brother Kalen makes his appearance and gives me a fist bump.
“What did I miss? Are you two ladies having a lover’s quarrel or something?” He looks over at Warren and says, “Man, Warren, you look like you need to get laid or something. Maybe you’ll get lucky with a summer chick.” No matter what kind of situation I’m in, I can always count on my brother to lighten the mood.
Laughing, I say “Kalen, you never cease to amaze me. If anyone’s getting lucky, we know it’ll be you, but I think Warren is over his tantrum now, right?” Looking over at him he nods and leaves the house.
Kalen likes to joke a lot and doesn’t take anything seriously. He looks like our mother with his raven black hair as well as her ice blue eyes. He keeps his hair shoulder length while I keep mine short. Even though our hair is different colors and lengths, we have the same shape face and eyes. Anyone could tell that we are brothers. He likes to flirt with any female that walks, and he’s a total jokester. He’s played many pranks with his affinity to water.
I walk inside my house and pack a few items to take on the trip to the Summer Court. It’s time to head down the road so I load up the carriage. Warren rides up beside me on his horse and apologizes.
“Look Ryder, I’m sorry for the way I’ve been acting. I don’t know what’s come over me these days.”
I wish I knew, too. I waved him off and said, “Just figure it out is all I can say.” I watch him ride sullenly to the gate. A feeling of unease sweeps throughout my body and I don’t know if it’s from my encounter with Warren or from that unsettling feeling in my stomach that I’ve been getting for no reason lately. I don’t know why I feel this way, but I wish I could figure it out.
To my brother I say, “Well how about we get going then? Kalen, round up the warriors and meet me at the front gate.”
My brother leaves to assemble the men, and I climb up onto my sleek, midnight colored mare. My parents had given her to me when I turned sixteen and I named her after the Greek goddess, Artemis. I’ve always been fascinated with Greek mythology. I had been training as a warrior for years by then and I knew my horse would be just as strong of a warrior as me. She has definitely lived up to her name as Goddess of the Moon and the Hunt.
Travelling through to the different courts has always been an interesting thing. Our kingdom is nothing but snow and ice. The Mystical Forest lies between our court and the Summer Court, and I’ve always loved to see all the different fae creatures. There are several villages we pass through and most of the creatures in them just wave and smile as we pass by. The Mystical Forest is filled with an abundance of trees that block out the sun, making it a nice, cool journey. The smell of the forest is always welcoming. It smells of pine and earth. In the Winter Court, our air is crisp and pure smelling, and it’s always cold, too. The Summer Court, however, is a different matter. We are used to the colder temperatures and our bodies keep a cooler temperature as well, but the Summer fae are used to the hotter temperatures and also have hotter skin. The heat can be a nuisance for us Winter fae so, hopefully, this ceremony won’t last too long and then we can head back home.
Chapter 3
Alasdair-Dark Sorcerer (Black Forest)
“The plan has been set in motion, Master.”
The hideous troll kneeling in front of me said the words I wanted to hear. His name is Gothin; he was cast out of his tribe and came straight to the Black Forest where I found him. I look down upon him and congratulate him on the good news.
“Good, good. My time for revenge is well under way, so…what news do you have of the ceremony tonight?” I ask.