Adela's Curse Read online

  Contents

  Dedication

  Adela's Curse Title Page

  Copyright

  Other Books by Claire M. Banschbach

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue

  The Wolf Prince

  More books by Claire M. Banschbach

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  To my family.

  Thanks for tolerating me.

  Adela's Curse Title Page

  Copyright

  Adela’s Curse

  Copyright © 2016, 2018 by Claire M. Banschbach

  All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, places, or things, is purely coincidental.

  Illustration by Jocelyn Banschbach

  Interior formatting by Rachael Ritchey

  Cover by Magpie Designs http://magpie-designs.weebly.com/

  Other Books by Claire M. Banschbach

  The Rise of Aredor Series

  The Rise of Aredor

  The Wildcat of Braeton

  Where to connect with the author

  Twitter: ClaireMB_Author

  Facebook: clairembanschbach

  Instagram: cmbanschbach

  Prologue

  There are those who do not believe that faeries exist. This has been true for long before the time of this telling. But once, many long years ago, the faeries walked openly upon this earth. Such was the case during the story of Adela’s Curse. This tale has been passed down many generations. Now, in this bleak time, it must be told again.

  At the time when the country of Myrnius was neither young nor old, the faeries lived in the forest of Celedon that abutted the southern mountains. Their fortress sheltered inside the tallest peak, and the way there was hidden from all mortals. On the outside the faery fortress looked like any other mountain covered with tall pines, but if you could penetrate the faery veil, you would see terraces and gardens and painted windows.

  The faeries used their magic to protect and nurture Myrnius, as was their purpose on this earth. It enabled them to shift into any size. They could become as tall as a giant or as small as an insect if they wished. They could also shift into an animal form.

  Humans in the distant past lucky enough to meet a faery describe them in their true form as standing somewhat shorter than humans with wings which they could hide as they desire. Faeries cared mainly for the life in the forest and to help any Myrnians who were in need.

  But for every good in the world, there is an evil. Some faeries turned away from their true purposes and lived in the dark parts of the forest. Some mortals acquired magic by ill means and used it for the detriment of others. This story tells of two young faeries who were prepared to sacrifice everything to defeat such a mortal who sought to conquer the land around him.

  Chapter 1

  Adela sat upon her terrace nestled high on the mountain’s side overlooking the rippling forest. The terrace opened out of a little used part of the castle. The fluted columns and carved stones were overgrown and crumbling, but the space was peaceful.

  She opened her sturdy wings to the warmth of the summer sun. Her wings echoed the design of a bat’s wings, with a toughened membrane stretched tight over a bony framework. The heat coaxed a subtle glimmer from their surface, mimicking the shades of the stone around her.

  While all faeries are beautiful to humans, Adela was considered plain among her own folk. This did not particularly bother her, and while she sat on the terrace, she didn’t care what others thought.

  She closed her eyes, stretching out with her magic to feel the vibrant life of the growing things that were her special care. The forest murmured to her, telling of plants that needed help to thrive, of a tree that was sick and calling softly for aid, and of deadly nightshade encroaching upon an inhabited knoll of the mountain. Threads of magic wove through the forest’s rippling melody, allowing Adela to pinpoint the other faeries that shared her gift going about their business in the forest.

  A tiny whisper teased her mind. She turned to the small rose bud resting among the tangled vines. She brushed its soft petals with gentle fingers. The rosebud trembled, then opened up into full bloom. Adela smiled and began to sing.

  The melody lilted like a spring breeze, notes rising and falling in a smooth rhythm. The rose stood straighter, the pines stopped their whispering, and the vines wrapping the crumbling terrace paused as they crept along the stones.

  When she finished her song, the forest stood still for a moment longer before returning to its life.

  “Adela!” The call echoed faintly from the mountain.

  She sighed, blowing a lock of her long wavy brown hair from her face. Shaking leaves from her light blue gown, she hitched up her skirts and climbed indecorously back through the window—the only entrance to her terrace—and went in search of her guardian.

  Adela’s parents were gone. Her mother had helped care for the inhabitants of a village that was stricken with a plague. The powerful sickness eventually caught her mother. Even faery magic could not save her. Rather than let her die, Adela’s father took his wife and they began their journey together to beyond the stars to the presence of their Creator, leaving the mortal world well before their six hundred years were completed.

  Adela was left in the care of Estera, her mother’s cousin. Adela had been young when her parents left, no more than thirty, but she didn’t resent their decision to leave before her mother succumbed to the sickness. If one of the faery folk died, their soul was sent to the silent Halls of Death where it faced a long and terrible journey searching for the way to the palace of the stars.

  At last, Adela reached the living areas.

  “There you are!” Estera exclaimed, her rosy cheeks creasing into her beaming smile as Adela descended two steps into the spacious hallway that wound through the living areas. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

  “I didn’t forget dinner.” Adela teased with her own smile.

  “Good, because I made you a special broth for tonight. You have to look perfectly slender for the Summer’s Eve dance tomorrow.” Estera tipped a pleased wink.

  “Estera, if I don’t eat more, I won’t just be skinny, I’ll be skin and bones!” Adela protested.

  “Shush! You will not. It never hurt your mother.”

  Adela hid a smile. Her mother had once said that she secreted food away to eat after one of Estera’s special broths, and Adela had taken to doing the same thing.

  “Tried and true, so I can’t argue, can I?”

  “No, you can’t. Come along, my darling, I want to show you the dress I picked for you to wear to the ball.” Estera tucked Adela’s arm around hers.

  Adela stifled a groan, anticipating spending hours that night bargaining with Estera for a different dress. But this time Estera had chosen well.

  The dress was a soft red, with a cream colored sash tied above a full skirt. The long sleeves were slashed, allowing more of the cream cloth to peek out.

  Adela ran a finger along the smooth sash and grinned. “It’s perfect.”

  “It used to belong to your mother,” Estera said. “But I think it will look better on you.”

  Adela threw her arms around her guardian, knocking silver streaked hairs from the dark braid that hung loosely over Estera’s shoulder. “Thank you for everyt
hing you’ve ever done for me!”

  “Shush! I wouldn’t just abandon you. I’ve come to care for you like you are my own daughter.” Estera brusquely wiped away tears. “Now, you need to eat, my dear, or else you really will be skin and bones.”

  Adela laughed, coaxing another smile from Estera.

  After drinking the less-than-filling soup, Adela left the mountain to spend the rest of the afternoon wandering her part of the forest and looking after the plant life. A small rabbit hopped out of the bushes behind her. It had taken to following her everywhere in the past months. She stopped, and the rabbit nuzzled her foot as she stroked its long grey ears.

  “Hello, Maksym,” she greeted him gently.

  They walked the forest together, Maksym pausing occasionally to industriously sample the vegetation.

  As the sun began to set, she turned back towards the mountain. Maksym vanished into the bushes, and Adela spread her wings, rose above the tree tops, and flew home. She landed on the balcony outside her window, watching for a moment as the sun dipped below the horizon.

  After another meal of Estera’s soup and some hidden bread and cheese, she went to bed. She lay awake for some time, counting the stars as they appeared through her open window. Thinking about her parents.

  I wonder if they found their way to the Creator’s palace? Mother could be looking down on me right now.

  She softly hummed the lullaby that her mother used to sing of the stars granting wishes, and eventually fell asleep.

  ****

  The next morning, the mountain was busier than ever as the faeries prepared for the Summer’s Eve feast. They would dance the night away to celebrate the first day of the new season. Adela hurried through her own work, leaving the forest early to prepare for the evening’s festivities.

  Estera bustled around Adela’s room, helping her dress, fixing her hair, and applying powders to her face. As soon as Estera had left to make herself ready, Adela wiped away most of the powders on her face and lips.

  This makes me look near four hundred years old!

  The lusty refrains of a crafting song echoed in the hallway, sending the silver that crusted the tall mirror humming in eagerness to bend to the crafter’s tools again.

  Adela smiled. What the singer lacked in finesse, she made up for in enthusiasm. But that was Lidia’s way. The song ceased along with the footsteps that halted outside her door.

  “Adela!” Lidia sang, trilling merrily up and down.

  “It’s open,” she sang back, drawing out and deepening the notes.

  Laughter answered her, and Lidia entered her chamber. Lidia had been her closest friend and confidant since they toddled around the mountain with clumsy wings. She was widely held as one of the most beautiful faeries in the mountain. Her blue dress and silver jewelry perfectly offset her long, raven hair and narrow face.

  Not all faeries walked the forest. Some stayed within the mountain weaving the finest linen, painting, or coaxing metals and jewels from the earth. Lidia worked in the mountain as a silversmith. She patiently worked the metal into the most intricate jewelry anyone had ever seen.

  “Did Estera do your face?” she asked.

  “Yes, and I’m trying to get rid of most of it.” Adela dabbed at her face again with the cloth, managing to bring her cheeks back to a normal shade of pink.

  “I can tell. And I can tell that Estera’s almost four hundred years old,” Lidia muttered, taking a tiny brush and outlining Adela’s eyes lightly.

  “Perfect,” she declared.

  She set down the brush and tied Adela’s sash.

  Adela smiled at her normal looking reflection. “What would I do without you, Lidia?”

  “Become a lonely, grouchy old faery.” Lidia laughed. “You look beautiful.”

  Adela’s heart warmed at the declaration. “You’re just saying that because you’re my friend.”

  “No, you are lovely. Here, I made this for you.” Lidia poured a necklace into Adela’s hand.

  Thin links of silver coiled around one another in a slender chain, latching on to four silver starflowers that embraced a small ruby between them. The ruby had been cut into the same pattern as the flowers, its center pulsing with the faint light of Lidia’s magic. Adela brushed her thumb over the petals and caught a faint whiff of real starflowers—Lidia’s favorite touch of magic.

  “Oh, Lidia!” Adela gasped as it glinted in the light. “I love it.”

  “I’m glad. Lucjan thought I was wasting my time with it but what does he know, the grumpy old buzzard?”

  Adela giggled. “You shouldn’t say that about your craft master.”

  “I’ll say whatever I want.” Lidia clasped the necklace around Adela’s neck. “I don’t know why everyone thinks you’re not pretty.” She frowned. “You far outshine some of those ninnies who have the nerve to call themselves faeries.”

  “Lidia!” Adela exclaimed, but she was giggling again.

  Lidia winked and spread her wings. Gentle rainbow swirls of color mixing across the membranous surface gave a deceptive sense of fragility. As was the way with the natural magic within, Lidia’s wings reflected the blue of her dress. Adela unfurled her wings and found that they had taken on a creamy hue.

  Lidia linked her arm through Adela’s, pulling her through the door. “Let’s go! I want to be there when the king and queen arrive!”

  The great hall never ceased to take Adela’s breath away. The massive cavern’s ceiling was crusted in myriads of crystals. The faeries had suspended lamps among them, and the light caught the crystals’ edges to throw shining beams around the room. Pillars of rock inlaid with gold, silver, and precious jewels marched along the sides of the hall.

  The light illuminated the generously laden tables set out on the outskirts of the hall. The cooks always tried to outdo the previous season’s feast and tonight was no exception. Adela and Lidia didn’t recognize some of the dishes on the tables, and they resolved to try as many delicacies as they could before the night was over.

  The hall rapidly filled with faeries. Young ones ran around, trying out their wings, and hoping to see as much as they could before their parents took them to bed. Other female faeries Lidia and Adela’s age promenaded around, showing off their finery and hoping to attract the attention of the young men who clustered in groups across the hall.

  A trumpet blew announcing the arrival of the sovereigns. The hall fell silent as King Gerard and Queen Izolda entered the hall. Both were finely attired in light greens and golds to match their slender crowns, and the queen wore an emerald around her neck. They seated themselves in the carved wooden thrones at the head of the hall and the king signaled for the music to begin.

  Many faeries found partners and began to dance, while others moved to the tables to eat. Estera gossiped happily with a group of older faeries, keeping one eye on Adela. Lidia scanned the hall for a potential dance partner for either of them, despite Adela’s protestations that she didn’t want to dance.

  “Lidia, you look ravishing.” A male faery about their own age joined them.

  Lidia’s back stiffened. “Rafael, I see you managed to tear yourself away from your mirror to make it.”

  “Well it was a special occasion because I heard you were finally leaving that dark hole you call a workshop,” Rafael returned.

  They turned to glare at one another. Rafael and Lidia were the subjects of constant conversation throughout the entire mountain. They were frequently in each other’s company although Lidia professed a dislike for Rafael, and he publicly declared that he couldn’t stand her. They took every opportunity to criticize or sharpen their wit against one another. Tonight was no exception.

  Rafael was handsome with black hair and dancing blue eyes. He always wore bright clothes to match his sense of humor and tonight he sported a swooping owl’s feather in his cap.

  “Do you want something, Rafael?” Lidia asked, with a roll of her eyes.

  Rafael inspected a particularly bright gemstone garni
shing a nearby pillar. “I had come to ask you to dance.”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “To show the world that you are not as aloof and bitter as you profess to be.”

  “I am not bitter!” Lidia exclaimed. “Who said that?”

  Rafael shrugged carelessly.

  Lidia jabbed a finger at him. “I think your time in that stuffy woodshop has clouded your head.”

  “Aha! You do know something about me!” Rafael triumphantly exclaimed.

  Lidia rolled her eyes again. “Only because you shout it to the heavens.”

  “And now you’re shouting it for me!”

  Lidia sighed heavily as if it were a task she was unwilling to perform. “Let’s get this dance over with.”

  Adela watched the exchange with a smile that she tried to hide. She knew Lidia would never admit to liking Rafael. She’d have to be completely oblivious to think that Rafael didn’t have an interest in Lidia. Adela watched as the hall filled with spinning colors and laughter. She was content to stay in her place for the time being and hum along to the music.

  Another song began, and Adela shyly accepted an offer to dance. She didn’t fail to notice that Lidia and Rafael were still dancing, now leaning closer to one another and exchanging smiles. Adela danced twice more, then met Lidia again to find beakers of sparkling cider. Rafael joined them. He and Lidia continued their banter, albeit in a much friendlier manner.

  “Adela, would you like to dance?” Rafael asked.

  Adela hesitated, unwilling to take him away from Lidia.

  “Of course you want to. Please, help me escape him!” Lidia clasped Adela’s arm with a dramatic toss of her head.

  Rafael rolled his eyes at her and took Adela’s hand, leading her out onto the dance floor.

  “Did Lidia make your necklace?”

  Adela nodded.

  “She’s quite talented.”