The Lost Witch

Zamyr’s POV

The veil between the realms is the thinnest on All Hallow’s Eve. It’s not that we celebrate it, but it’s the only night when the supernatural races are able to visit Earth without giving up their true nature. Everybody, except angels. Humans think it’s just a myth, but it’s true. They just simply cannot see us. There’s a catch though, a really big one. You have to have a soulmate in one of the realms to cross the veil. That’s only the beginning. If you are lucky enough it’s still nothing. Humans cannot see us, unless they believe in us. Once you find your soulmate, you can cross the veil to that realm as you please.

I’ve been hoping for that to happen for 876 years, yet nothing happened. I watched my family members, friends and basically the whole realm my age finding their other half. I watched as they completed the binding ceremony and had children. I watched as they brought back with them the technology we have today. What hurts the most is their never ending happiness. I accepted the fact that I’m mateless. Nobody in history had to wait for more than 200 years. I’ve been waiting for almost 900.

It’s All Hallows Eve once again and I want it to end already. Others are excited and can’t wait until the veil is the thinnest at midnight. There are still two hours until then. Two more dreadful hours, two more hours of agony. I know that this year will be the same, just like the previous ones. I know that I won’t find my soulmate. I’m staring at the square from my bedroom window. The square is like a rainbow; colors everywhere. It’s the tradition for welcoming the bond between two people. For the first 300 years I’ve been among the crowd, waiting for the clock to strike midnight. After that I gave up, but I’ve been watching.

“My King! Will you join the crowd this year?”

“I won’t Cedric. What’s the point? I don’t have a soulmate.”

“This year will be different, I feel it. At least come down for five minutes.”

“I won’t Cedric.”

Cedric is my best friend and my right hand man. When I ascended the throne after my father’s death he supported me when nobody else believed in me. And now they say I’m the Great King. What a joke. A king without his Queen. With a sigh I glanced at the sky. The Red Moon was high in the sky, indicating that the time is near to cross the veil. The sight is absolutely breathtaking as the Moon casts a reddish glow on the forest and the mountains in the distance. As I looked at the Moon, something changed in me. I haven’t experienced this feeling for centuries. It was hope. Hope, that something good will happen today. Something that’ll change my life forever. The more this feeling grew in me, the more anxious I became.

I needed to clear my head. It was futile to hope for anything good. My people are still hoping that one day they’ll get a Queen, but soon that hoping will turn into hatred and I’ll become a laughing stock. The Great Fae King without a soulmate. The only supernatural race without a Queen. I snapped out of these dark thoughts and decided to do some paperwork. Even though I won’t meet my soulmate, I will still take part in the event from a distance. It’s been like this every single year since I became King.

I didn’t even realize that it was midnight, until I felt a pull towards something. Something that was more powerful than my mind and will. It was like I’ve been hypnotized or bewitched. I could see, feel, hear everything, but it was like somebody controlled my body and mind. I didn’t have a choice, but gave in to that strange pull. The next moment I was standing among the people at the square. I could feel their eyes on me and soon the whispering started. I absolutely understood them. They haven’t seen me standing here for centuries. The Moon reached its highest at that moment and everything changed. The veil that separated the realms became visible. It was like a fog, slowly stretching.

To my amazement the pull I felt a few minutes ago came back at full force. I stepped towards the veil unintentionally, along with other fae. I instantly realized what that meant. I was on cloud nine. Tonight I’ll finally meet my soulmate, my one and only, after centuries of agony. I didn’t care about her race. Hell, I didn’t even care if she’s human. I’ll do everything so she will accept me one day. I knew the consequences of having a human mate. They don’t believe in the concept of soulmates. At least not in a sense that we do.

I looked around and I could see everybody smiling while looking at me. They were happy. They’ve been waiting for a Queen and now they’re finally getting one. Seems like I wasn’t cursed. My mate just hasn’t reached the required age. It’s different for every supernatural race. For us it’s the age of 25. Even though I’m considered ancient, I don’t look more than 30. The first King’s descendants stop aging at 30 and we’re immortal. Unless we’re poisoned with Encephalartos Woodii, an extremely rare plant found on Earth. That’s how my father died and soon my mother followed him. She couldn’t bear the loss of her soulmate. We have only one soulmate, no second chance like for some races.

Crossing the veil wasn’t strange. It felt like touching silk. I found myself alone just outside a town. The sign displayed Blackstone. I had no clue where I was geographically, obviously in an English speaking country. Of course some supernatural beings chose to live on Earth. For that they needed to give up magic or the possibility to transform. Some rules still apply for them, but they’re not invisible to humans and they can still see us, other supernaturals.

I started walking into the city, searching for my soulmate. Technology and everything else wasn’t new to me. We keep up with the human realm. The only difference is that the gadgets and whatnot are operating on magic; not electricity or fuel. A car was heading into the city, when it stopped next to me. It was a fae. I was able to recognize their energy signatures anywhere.

“My King! You’re finally here. Your people will finally meet their Queen. Are you heading to town?”

“Yes, I finally got the chance to meet my soulmate. And yes, I’m going to town.”

“I’ll give you a ride. I’m heading there too.”

“Thank you.”

The ride was short and we quickly reached the town center. I didn’t share more information with the man and he didn’t ask any more questions. Once we parted I looked around. People were still out on the streets, wearing costumes and partying. I ignored them and concentrated on the still fragile mate bond. When I picked up my mate’s signature energy I followed its trail. It led me to a big house. Music could be heard and the yard was full of people. I could feel her nearby; she was in the house. Without wasting more time I moved with ease between the bodies. I didn’t have to be careful. Nobody could see or feel my presence.

There were more people inside than outside. I looked around, but I couldn’t see my mate anywhere. You can know with just one glance that the person you’re looking at is your soulmate or not. No eye contact, touching or kissing is needed. She wasn’t in the living room. My next stop was the kitchen. She wasn’t there either. I made my way upstairs and this time I felt her closer. I almost missed the silhouette of a person standing on the balcony. I walked to the balcony and I finally found her. She was looking at the stars and the Moon. She was around 5′3", but still tiny compared to my 6′3" frame. Next to her I was a giant. She was breathtaking. Her figure told me that she’s been definitely doing some sport for a few years. Blonde hair, honey colored eyes and many barely visible freckles on her face. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. I wanted to touch her so badly, but I was unable to. First I had to make her believe in my existence and that won’t be a walk in the park. Then a voice suddenly interrupted me.

“Savannah Rose Morrison! I’ve been looking for you everywhere. You promised me that you’ll try to socialize.”

The voice belonged to a young woman. As soon as she stepped outside her eyes widened and she stopped. She was a fae. She could see me standing on the balcony and I could tell she didn’t expect to see someone out there, let alone the King of the fae. She was torn between bowing to me and not doing anything at all in a human’s presence.

“Geez, Maddie! Calm down. And what’s with that look, it’s just me. There’s nobody out here so please don’t look like you’ve seen a ghost. By the way, I tried, but you know I don’t like parties. Let me remind you that you were the one who didn’t give me a choice.”

Her voice was so sweet. It was clear that the two women were friends. More precisely, best friends. This could be a blessing or a curse. A blessing, because she might be able to help me with the situation. A curse, because she might try to keep my Rose away from me. Fae who live on Earth try to distance themselves and live their own lives as almost humans until they die. I needed to convince this woman to help me. All I need her to do is encourage my sweet little Rose to believe everything she’s going to experience. I need her to convince my Rose that she hasn’t gone insane and everything’s real. I was still looking at her and slightly shook my head. She had to snap out of the shock.

“Fine. Let’s go back inside. It’s chilly.”

“I need to talk to you.” - I told the woman as she looked back at me from the balcony door. She just nodded.

She’s probably figured everything out. I watched them until their figures disappeared. I stood outside waiting for the woman to come back. She didn’t let me wait for too long and soon appeared.

“My King!”

“Hello Maddie. I assume you figured out what’s going on.”

“I think I did. She’s your soulmate, isn’t she?”

“Yes, she is. I found out today and I need your help. Convince her that everything is true that she’ll experience until she believes in my existence.”

“I’ll try to help as much as I can. It won’t be easy. She might be a hopeless romantic, but she doesn’t believe in soulmates. I know how all this goes.”

“That’s enough for me. I was afraid that you would refuse to help me.”

“No way! I might live on Earth, but the concept of soulmates is still sacred for us former fae. We gave up everything else, but not our roots.”

“I’m glad for that. I don’t blame those who left behind their lives and came here. Go back inside, she might be wondering where you disappeared. We’ll talk properly later.”

“Of course. Come to my house tomorrow. We can talk there in peace. I live alone.”

“Fine by me and thank you!”