Hey Everyone!! 😊
Happy Friday!! Since we've all made it through another week, and weekends are when people tend to take road trips, I thought it might be fun to take a peek at what a road trip with the Fae might look like. Enjoy... 😉
She looked at him and sighed. She answered, “I believe you, and I thank you for your help. But, I’d feel a lot better about going to the Erlking if I knew why he wanted me.”
Toiseach didn’t know how to respond to that, so he turned the conversation to matters regarding their journey. “I will accompany you personally, along with a guard of my warriors. Eli will also come with us to monitor your injury and your overall health. I have assigned Ellyn, one of our artists, to be a personal attendant to you. If you have need of anything, all you need to do is tell her, and she will see that you receive it.”
“Thank you, Toiseach. You've been awfully kind and I appreciate it.”
“It’s my pleasure, my lady. If you will follow me, I will introduce you to Ellyn.”
“Sure.”
Cassie followed the Goblin king but wondered at his change in manner. He had always been polite and courteous towards her, but now he was deferential. She knew that the Erlking had told him something important and she wanted to know what. Unfortunately, she suspected she would have to wait until they completed their journey to find out.
“How long will it take to get where we’re going?” she asked.
“It is a journey of several days, my lady. We will ride eachan.”
“What are eachan?”
“They are animals we Goblins keep as beasts of burden. They are similar to horses in the human world. Hopefully, with the eachan, we will reach the Erlking’s castle within seven days.”
“Oh. It’s that far away?”
“Yes, my lady.”
“What are Harpies?”
“The Erlking has many followers, my lady. The Harpies are some of the fiercest.”
“What do they look like?”
“They have the body and legs of a giant bird of prey, but their torsos, arms, and heads are those of a beautiful human woman, with eyes as dark as the blackest night…until they begin to hunt. When they hunt, their fingers grow talons to match the ones on their feet, and their faces grow fanged beaks. Their eyes glow with a flickering light, and they can call lightening to their command.”
“Can they fly?”
“Yes, my lady, they have wings and they can fly with unparalleled skill.”
“Are there a lot of Harpies?”
“No, my lady, only four: Calaeno, their leader, Thuella, Aello, and Podarge. They are fearsome warriors and much respected throughout Fairie. They answer to no master other than the Erlking.” Toiseach answered these questions because he knew Cassie would undoubtedly be meeting the Harpies during their journey and he wanted her prepared ahead of time. Having her panic, and possibly offend the Harpies, would not be a good situation.
Cassie pondered Toiseach's words as he led her through his tunnels. She wanted to know more about the Erlking, but she knew the Goblin wouldn’t answer her questions. It was frustrating.
Toiseach led Cassie to a large cavern in which many Goblins of all shapes and sizes scurried about preparing a caravan for their journey. Ellyn approached them and Toiseach introduced her to Cassie, then he led Cassie over to an eachan. She was startled by its appearance at first, the animal was about as far from a horse as she could imagine, but she soon made friends with it.
“My lady, this is Ar Dan. He will be your mount during our journey. He has an even gait and is mild tempered. I think he will serve you well.”
Cassie regarded the beast. It was about as tall as a horse, but that’s where the resemblance ended. It looked like a giant monitor lizard but was a dull red in color, like old blood. It was about ten feet long, from nose to tail, and had teeth like those of a crocodile. She would have been frightened of the creature, if it hadn’t snuffled at Toiseach’s chest and then head-butted him. Watching them, Cassie would have sworn the damn thing grinned.
Cassie held her hand out to the eachan and he snuffled her too. She reached out to experimentally scratch the animal’s nose, and he half closed his eyes. She thought he’d be purring if he could. She laughed and said, “I think we’ll get along okay.”
Toiseach nodded and asked her to promise to remain next to the eachan. She agreed and he excused himself to speak with his people, taking Ellyn with him.
Toiseach addressed his people in the Goblin dialect and told them that they would be taking the human woman to the Erlking. He did not reveal the Erlking’s confidence, but he impressed upon them that Cassie’s safety and comfort were of extreme importance. He also instructed them that they were not to initiate her into the mysteries of Fairie, but that the Erlking was reserving that privilege for himself. Unless they were encountered during this journey, no one was to mention or explain any of the numerous denizens of Fairie to the human. For any creatures the human was exposed to on the journey, she was to be warned of any dangers and no more, if possible.
He instructed Ellyn to stay close to Cassie and serve as her personal attendant. Ellyn was not a warrior, but as a Goblin she was much harder to injure than a human. Toiseach made it clear to her that in an emergency she was to protect Cassie with her life.
Ellyn did not want responsibility for a human, but she did not dare argue with her king.
Toiseach, sensing her reluctance, reminded her it was she who had brought the human into their lives, and so she would be responsible for tending to her. He reminded her that the human belonged to the Erlking, who would be most displeased if his human was not well cared for.
With that admonition in mind, Ellyn returned to Cassie’s side and asked if there was anything she needed. Cassie assured her she was fine. Ellyn reiterated that she would be happy to supply anything that Cassie needed. Cassie thanked her and studied her a bit.
“Toiseach said you were an artist, what medium do you work with?”
“I work with glass, my lady. It is my honor to have provided glasses and bowls to many of the royal households throughout Fairie. I believe even the Erlking’s household uses some of my work,” Ellyn proclaimed, proudly.
“Then you must be exceptionally talented.”
Ellyn beamed at the praise. The Goblins were a war-like race and tended to value martial skills above artistic ones. It wasn’t often that Ellyn received admiration for her talents, even if the fruits of her labors did enrich the Goblin kingdom’s coffers.
“Thank you, my lady, you are most kind.”
“I was wondering about something, Ellyn. All of the people here look very different, is everyone a Goblin?”
“Yes, my lady, we are all Goblins and we all serve Toiseach as king. Goblins are a variable people, even for the Fae. But we all carry the same blood.”
“So other Fae are more similar in appearance to each other?”
“My lady, my apologies, I spoke out of turn. The Erlking is much better equipped to satisfy your curiosity. It would be best to ask your questions of him.”
Cassie would have persisted, but the look of terror that crossed Ellyn’s face stilled her tongue. She didn’t know how much trouble Ellyn would get into for answering her, but it was clear that this society was more openly violent than the one she was used to. She didn’t want to get the Goblin hurt, so she would wait. “Hmmm,” was all she said.
While Ellyn helped Cassie mount Ar Dan and get settle, Toiseach conferred with Eli about what food could safely be consumed by a human. The Goblins, being a race of predators, ate precious little but raw meat. He did not think that would be appropriate fare for a human.
Eli confirmed his suspicions, but reassured him that she had already packed sufficient food fit for a human. She had gathered some of the fungus that grew in some of their tunnels. Some of the other Fae traded for this fungus and the humans who lived among the other Fae had safely consumed it for centuries.
She also had some travel biscuits made by the Brownies, which contained fruit and nuts. She had found them in a pouch, which had been taken from a defeated opponent sometime in the past. The pouch had been in the kingdom’s treasury, along with all other spoils of war, and had been enchanted to keep its contents eternally fresh. She thought the biscuits along with the fungus would do fine for the human.
The small Goblin also told Toiseach that she believed humans could consume meat so long as it was cooked. Cooking some of their meat in the campfires at night should make it safe for the human. She did caution him that, from her understanding, most humans were rather picky about the source of their meat. So, they might only want to try that option if the other food ran low. Toiseach thanked her for her efforts and went to check on the warriors he was bringing along for the journey.
The badlands were known for being dangerous and unpredictable. Even with the aid of the Harpies, who might arrive at any point along the journey. Toiseach wanted to make sure there was enough strength in their party to defend and protect a helpless human. He had assigned twenty of his red caps to accompany them. They ranged in size from larger than him, to only slightly larger than Ellyn. They were all different, strange combinations of insects and earth, but they were all battle-tested and experienced warriors.
They knew their business well and had already arranged the company to maximize security. The human was in the center of the party, along with the supplies, the extra mounts, so that the eachan bearing loads could be rested while their burdens were transferred to other mounts, and the blue-haired Sidhe. That worthy was still bound and gagged and had been tied to a saddle. His eyes flashed with fury, but it seemed as though he was also coming to realize his situation. The Erlking was not known for his mercy. The Sidhe would soon become desperate and Toiseach assigned one of his warriors to guard him.
Finally, the group was ready and they departed. Toiseach hoped fervently they would arrive quickly and without incident. And that he could deliver his charge safely. He hoped it, but he knew Fairie too well to think it likely.
Want to find out if Cassie makes it back to the Erlking safely or encounters more adventures along the way? Grab your copy at the link below. Happy reading! 😊
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