ONE
Mother was the best healer in the realm, but what happens when she desperately needs healing? Well, she has me. And I’m trying my best, but her recovery is slow. And now, she’s being called to heal someone of extreme importance to the Vulture Fey Court.
There’s no way she can go, and now she looks to me.
As I stand at the side of her bed, Mother hands the letter to me, her skin dull with the flu that took hold of her this month.
“What can I do, the Fey need Beasts to be healed, unlike you, I haven’t helped anyone but humans,” I whisper, folding the paper that I’d read already, putting it into the pocket of my red dress.
“Remember that little boy…” my mother’s eyes sparkle, “…who Turned into a Beast quite young,” she whispers at me, “You had a friend in Blud… you’ll find him when you go. Colette Vitalia. Remember your name,” My throat clogs as she says our Healers name with such pride. I nod and hold her hand as she reaches for mine, “You must go now. The Fey King’s Beasts must perform their rituals to gather power for their Fey King Bozna Pix. But they are too injured, Colette. Help them.”
“But… they eat humans like me?” I whisper.
“Do the job, don’t think of anything else,” my mother reassures, “Your escort is waiting, go with them now. Don’t worry about me.”
“I can’t leave you, you’re too sick, and I’m also scared,” I whisper this quietly, “Mama… if I go, what if I freeze with fear when I see them…?”
“The Beasts have rules… and must slaughter to feed Magic to the Circle,” my mother starts to cough violently, and I quickly give her more of the Violet-Bark Tea I made for her.
She sips it and closes her eyes, it eases the cough but the cup almost falls from her hand.
I quickly take it and put it on the bedside.
“Mama?” I whisper, holding my hand below her nose… I feel no breath, “No–!”
The door to her room is wrenched opened, and I can almost taste the sickly-sweet odour of Fey waft into the room, as a Fey Escort with a crooked nose called Impz comes to fetch what he’s come for, “We need a Vitalia now. It’s you or her.”
“But my mother is…” I blurt then trail off, his bright eyes are nothing but cold toward me.
Impz also says nothing in the face of my pleading.
Fey don’t give a shit about human suffering. They only care that we do what we’re told.
“You are of Vitalia Healer’s blood?” the Fey asks after a moment. I nod – and I look up to see the tall, lithe Fey reaching for my arm, “Come, or we’ll both we killed,” he warns me, holding my eye, “You do not keep Queen Fey Renay Pix waiting. Her time is precious. Yours is not.”
I jump when I hear a harsh cough and I turn to see my mother awake again and breathing heavily, her eyes watering but her hand waving as she reaches for more of the tea.
“Go,” she wheezes and manages a smile, “I’m fine.”
Thank any and every God but the Fey Gods; she’s okay.
I don’t have time to say goodbye because of Impz. He dangles a necklace of green reeds around my neck, including around his, taking my wrists in his cold hands, his translucent wings peek out of his back, becoming more visible and blinding me with their light.
Though some Fey had finer features than others, most of the Fey were not that pretty. They were like tall gargoyles to me, with pointy ears and thin long lips. They were always ‘normal’ to their own kind, and mischievous pricks to everyone else. Humans were the ultimate joke, they loved to steal us, hurt us, kill us and eat us.
The humans that Fey cursed to turn into Beasts were their biggest mistake.
They created a few Beasts so strong they could not be killed, those Beasts were immortal from their shared Circle Magic. Well, I’m actually wrong saying that – because lots of and most of the cursed Beasts die trying to be the cream of the crop. Only the five who were the most vicious and most intelligent can live out immortal lives, as long as they killed the most humans and ate enough blood and flesh, then even the Fey could not order them to obey.
No matter who you were, if you achieved an immortal life, you had the same rank as Immortal Fey Royalty.
So from what I understood, the five Beasts who were immortal and on their level, were treated like royalty – fake-loved but also feared by King Bozna Pix and Queen Reyna Pix.
That’s why if the Beasts need help, the Fey will toss expendable humans their way to help.
Gods, I need help – that’s for sure. If I place one step wrong, I won’t just be told to go home, I won’t make it home. They wouldn’t waste flesh and blood like that.
Which brought me to a strange opinion I had, a secret I never dared share to anybody. Even though the Fey had an assortment of human whores if they wanted them; many, endless options… I… in terms of my own desires… I actually thought the Beasts were far more attractive, to be honest. Besides, they were humans to begin with, even if they’d never be human again –
I hear a loud clap in front of my eyes, and I realise I fell into a portal-trance, forgetting my surroundings as I was briefly intoxicated by Impz and his disgustingly overpowered cologne.
He’s clapped two more times in front of my dilated eyes, closing and hiding his wings under his navy cloak while he takes the reeds from my neck. They get stuck in my long brown hair and he has to jerk the reeds harshly – making me wince as he rips out some hairs by ‘accident’.
“Focus, what’s your name? Introduce yourself,” Impz asks me quickly, while I have to take in the Royal Chamber I’m standing in. I sense a Queen at her breakfast table, picking flesh from a bird of prey she probably caught in the air herself.
When I glance at Reyna Pix with her infamous translucent glassy hair, she’s ripped the head off a vulture and she shreds it with her claws, all while her perky eyes flash from green to blue.
Out one sleek window, I see the fantastic Fey Palace on the edge of Myst Falls, as a pretty waterfall crashes over next to their Royal Fey Chambers. I also see more dead birds piled on the balcony outside, as other Fey Royals reach for whichever birds they wish to eat.
I remember Impz suggestion, and I stop taking in the overwhelmingly bright colours of this Fey Palace as I turn to the Queen.
“Colette Vitalia, at your service, your highness,” I bow to the Queen, lowering my eyes respectfully.
“Do you know where I’m sending you, little girl?” the Queen asks in her normal voice, which is a whisper that tickles my ears so much I try not to scratch them. I also want to sneeze, her magic already tormenting my senses.
I lift my head, willing myself to ignore the urge to scratch, “To help Beasts who are injured?” I ask while my ears prick. I heard the sound of a door slamming from somewhere nearby. It was a very heavy thump –
“The Beasts who perform the Circle fell off a cliff and are healing too slowly, please help them,” the Queen whispers and then flicks her wrist, “Take her, Impz.”
My nape prickles as I hear a door silently swing open behind me, the movement in the air making my dress flutter around my ankles. I resist looking.
“No, Impz, I will take her to Diablo Inn, I’m going there now,” a smooth snarl fills the room, the absolute opposite of a whisper, “and I know her, anyway.”
Impz curls his fists, the Queen even looks frightful, pausing her chewing to take in the Beast that’s apparently behind me.
I prepare to see a fully grown apex Beast up close; only an apex because he chews on human bones and flesh for a living.
I carefully shuffle around to take in… oh my Gods, it is Blud. Now a 7ft giant Beast, his body is pure muscle and broad shoulders, black tattoos cover his tan arms, his torso is beefy too, a whole 12 pack of rippling powerful abs stares me in the face. His thick claws and head, the most Beastly parts – a combination of bear, lion and wolf. Pure Beast. With bull-like horns and two protruding fangs.
Beasts like him were meant to be the Fey’s Dogs – but this one is permanently off the leash.
I’m secretly proud of my old friend.
He was thriving even with their curse!
Blud's eyes are still human, and the grey of the kind boy I remember is still in there. He looks over me briefly, and I feel like I can see the neighbour I grew up with, is still within the Beast, still alive. But he lifts his stoney eyes past me to focus on the Fey Queen for now.
“Why are you up here so early in the morning, Blud? I said I’d send a Vitalia your way,” the Queen hisses, even her teeth are chattering together with her rage.
“I fucked your daughter,” Blud answers seriously and without remorse – the Queen screeches and stands, but she does nothing, “…the princess requested a Beast…” he explains further, “I did no wrong by her. I obeyed her. Are you mad? But why, Reyna? She enjoyed my cock ramming into her tight Fey pussy… she only bled a little, I spat on it first,” oh Blud, he has dry humour. He’s also vulgar, by the Gods, he sure talks like a cursed Beast.
The Fey Queen just curls her fingers back and forth in creepy waves, like she wants to cast magic, but can’t beat or match a Beast like Blud. I’m trying not to smirk – that might get me quartered.
“Take your human and get out of my bedchamber, remember, you can’t come to the Court without invitation,” the Queen ignores what he said, using that weak reprimand instead.
“I have many invitations here, almost as many as Atlaz,” Blud torments her, smiling, “Enjoy your bird, you ugly old bitch.”
The Queen, who isn’t that old – but certainly vain – throws out her hands and slams him with her magic, and his whole giant body of pure muscle and sinew, shuffles back against the polished stone floor a couple of inches… Reyna breathes heavy and screams, pushing more of her power through the air, until he slides out into the hall in slow-motion.
I mean – she tried.
Blud doesn’t react to the weak attack, his own magic centering him. His grey eyes finally drop to mine.
“Come with me,” he huffs and sounds like a bull – kind of is one.
He doesn’t wear clothes, and I’m doing my best not to look at the appendage between. Especially after what he implied about bleeding… he must be huge.
Impz shoves me toward the Beast – slamming the doors shut on both of us.
I’m actually relieved when we’re alone out in this giant stone hall together.
“Do you remember me?” Blud looks down at all five feet of me, asking kindly.
“I… do,” I almost stutter, “You um… you got a little rough…” I remember him being my best friend, only to start turning into the Beast he is now. He had bit my arm so bad it bled quite heavily, and mother had to stitch me up, and I never saw him again. I knew back then, when he turned feral, it wasn’t him, but the curse within. A boy couldn’t fight it. So I already forgave him. I show him my arm and the scars, “Remember this?” I ask.
Blud holds out a sharp thick claw, lifting my arm a little higher, as he holds his breath.
I wait for the apology, a nostalgic smile tugging at my lips.
“You’re lucky I didn’t bite the whole thing off. You tasted so delicious,” Blud says this instead with an appreciative growl, “Lucky for you, when it comes to women, I prefer to feast on other body parts now,” he grins and I go red in the face.
Um. What do I say to that?
And when he smiles so wide, I see the rows of thick, sharp teeth, fangs on top and at the bottom… I look away, feeling almost light headed.
I don’t know if I’m turned on or just mortified.
Blud turns and leads the way, whispering, “Kidding,” his hand pats the back of my dress, suggesting I keep up with his quick pace, “So you can heal now, Colette?”
“I can, I learned the ways from my mother,” I answer, “How can I help?”
“It is true we will need your help.”
Strange response... we already established that? Blud won't look me in the eye.
“Yes, but how can I help?”
“We need a female to center our Beast Circle,” Blud keeps dodging the question, until he adds, “The last human who volunteered had such big tits that it caused Atlaz, Falon, Dime, Ethron and I to fight and we fell off a cliff chasing her. We kept watching her beautiful tits bounce and got distracted,” he sighs and growls, “Fucking idiots. I grabbed the rock but they all fell and broke their legs.”
Um.
What the fuck?
And why am I staring at my own small tits, frowning, feeling insecure.
That should be the last thing on my mind.
“What do you mean, I have to be the center of your C-Circle?” I stutter as I think of the rituals.
Blud won’t answer me, frowning as he walks us around the empty Fey Court because it’s so early. We move onto a large bridge that overlooks floating rocks and their falling waterfalls. The sun sparkles on the horizon, making everything glitter with the dew that covers every surface. It was a calm morning in the Vulture Lands. I have a feeling it's not so serene at night.
As I look around, I see Fey flying back and forth from their homes in the Myst to the Vulture Fey Court on the earth. They lived on the floating masses of land scattered above, out of reach of all creatures without wings.
Except for birds, hence why they probably ate them – out of jealousy or something.
“I’m here to heal the other apex Beasts, right?” I ask a different question and Blud turns to me and grins.
“Yes,” his answer makes me a bit happier.
Good.
Let’s start there.
