Malaki Mayhem Read online

  Malaki Mayhem

  by Ashley Craig

  COPYRIGHT

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. Except for use in a review, the reproduction of this work in any part is forbidden without the express written permission of the author.

  Malakai Mayhem (c) 2018 by Ashley Craig

  Kindle Edition

  Light up your wildest dreams.

  Chapter 1

  Her eyes fluttered open to bright blue sky.

  She squinted against the sunlight and tried to figure out where she was…but she couldn’t think clearly. Her thoughts seemed fuzzy. Nothing made sense.

  Had someone drugged her?

  She slowly sat up. Even with the careful momentum, her vision spun.

  She squeezed her eyes shut and breathed through the dizziness. Her head pounded.

  After a few minutes, she cautiously opened her eyes.

  She found herself in a field overgrown with weeds and wildflowers. Lush forest bordered the clearing on all sides. She didn’t remember passing through a forest...or traveling there at all.

  How did she get there?

  She carefully stood, brushed off her colorful skirt, and picked debris out of her blue hair.

  She felt like she needed to be somewhere...to be home...to do something. Except...she couldn’t picture home anymore.

  Where was she? Who was she? Why couldn’t she remember?

  One year later

  Ela carried a bucket of water into the thatched hut she now called home. She planned to heat the water over the hearth so Grandmother Aspen could soak her feet before bed. After everything Grandmother had done for Ela, pampering her a bit was the least Ela could do in return.

  The prior year, after Ela had left the clearing to search for help, a hunting woodland fairy found her wandering through the forest. He took pity on the lost woman and brought her to his village.

  The woodland fairies welcomed her with open arms, despite their surprise at finding a human with no powers in their magic-filled realm.

  Grandmother Aspen’s quickly took her in and, upon learning she could not remember her name, named her Ela, meaning “Earth,” due to her grace and affinity to nature.

  Ela differed from the woodland fairies physically as well as magically. They were a short, stout race with brown or black hair color. Ela was a tall, toned young woman with long, wavy blue hair and matching blue eyes.

  Ela remembered nothing from her previous life. The village shaman tried to restore her memories, but, despite earnest effort, was unable to do so. Her lacking powers in this magical realm, where every creature possessed some form of magic, baffled him. He eventually hypothesized that she was somehow transported from the human world, and perhaps the emotional trauma from the transport caused her amnesia. He believed the memories may naturally return with time.

  The indigo-blue hair perplexed him a bit, but he finally decided it must be a dye that would eventually fade...so far, her hair had gone a year without fading, so Ela started to doubt that theory.

  Ela resigned to create a new life for herself, just in case her memories didn't return. She felt safe in this woodland village. The fairies treated her kindly. It felt like home to her now. She would stay as long as they would have her.

  The woodland fairies’ magical powers aligned with nature. They could lure animals closer while hunting; they could urge plants to blossom at an accelerated rate; they could heal the wounded; some could even control the weather. The strength of the magic varied greatly from fairy to fairy and often determined one’s station in life. Those better at luring prey became hunters; those better with plant-life became farmers; and so forth. Grandmother Aspen had a way with children and, accordingly, ran a youth daycare. Even at the ripe age of 352 years, she kept up with the most energetic imp, though she was thankful to gain Ela’s assistance.

  Many fairy races existed in this realm. In addition to the woodland fairies, there were also mountain, river, ocean, air, and fire fairies, plus more. Some were small, as tiny as shimmering bumblebees, whereas others were enormous giants of legend.

  Magical abilities varied greatly, even among the same race.

  The average fairy lifespan was 750 years, with lengthy extensions for the more powerful.

  The woodland fairies fell on the shorter end of the spectrum both literally and in lifespan, topping out at four feet tall and living around 400 years. They were a short and stocky breed, full of heart and honor. Luck favored Ela that these fairies found her and guided her through this unfamiliar realm.

  Though Ela had yet to meet any of the other fairy races, she looked forward to the opportunity to do so. The villagers loved to gossip and regaled her with stories from any and all races, their favorites being the exploits of the mountain fairy king and queen.

  In addition to fairies, many other mystical creatures also roamed this realm. Dragons, werewolves, banshees, bogeymen, gorgons, centaurs, griffins, sasquatches—even a hydra was rumored to live in a distant bay.

  If any of those creatures betrayed the greater good and became a menace, the mountain king and queen fought side by side to take down the offender and bring them in for sentencing; no challenge was too big. King Phoenix and Queen Ara were the legendary enforcers of good in a realm with the potential to be so bad. Together they ruled the Quarrin Mountain Range and surrounding areas from the namesake town of Quarrin.

  Though they were mountain fairies by race, they ruled justly over all the diverse inhabitants of the Quarrin kingdom, which included the woodland fairies’ home forest. No one from the woodland village had met the legendary royalty before, not even the shaman, but everyone heard the stories. Queen Ara’s hair was rumored to be indigo-blue, so villagers loved to tease Ela about being distantly related to royalty. Though not believing the good-natured teasing, Ela still dreamed that she might meet the King and Queen someday.

  Inside the hut, Grandmother Aspen sat in her hand-crafted wooden rocking chair, child-sized compared to Ela, and sighed, relaxing after a tough day with hyperactive children. She picked up her knitting and started absent-mindedly working on yet another project. She worked on so many, it was second nature to her to start one immediately upon sitting down.

  Ela sat the bucket of warmed water down in front of her, and Grandmother gingerly lowered her feet in and closed her eyes. Before Ela could even stand up, the knitting needles stopped clicking and soft snores escaped Grandmother’s lips.

  Ela laughed and gently removed Grandmother’s feet from the water; she softly toweled them dry. She laid the knitting project to the side, covered Grandmother with a soft, warm blanket, smoothed her gray hair behind her ear, and kissed her rosy cheek, then left her sleeping by the fireplace.

  Ela took the water outside to pour out and, as she often did, she looked around the quiet village on this crisp, clear summer night.

  The village sat in a small clearing, surrounded by thick forest; the locals called it Tarakin Forest. A small road, more a foot path, led into the village off a main road a few miles out.

  Visitors were uncommon there, but since the woodland fairies were always accommodating, they kept a few larger huts big enough to comfortably fit an average-sized traveler.

  Grandmother's hut was one of these larger accommodations, one reason she was asked to care for Ela; the shaman also had a larger hut for when visitors came to consult. However, the village mainly consisted of smaller huts that Ela had to stoop to enter.

  A large pavilion housing long tables and benches stood in the middle of the village. The woodland fairies held dinner there every night at sunset. Ela found it to be a wonderful tradition and enjoyed participating
.

  As she stood gazing at the shimmering star-light, lost in her own thoughts, Ela gradually noticed someone talking a few huts down. It sounded as though the voice came from the shaman’s hut. She could not tell who spoke, but she heard the words clearly.

  “I’m serious, Shaman. I met a wolf shifter today who said that King Phoenix and Queen Ara are banishing all non-fairies from the lands bordering their kingdom. Non-conformers will be jailed or executed. Something about it being the only way to ‘purify’ the kingdom of non-fairy evil. It didn’t make sense to me. I thought he was kidding!

  “He said the royal couple is supposed to lead a search party one week from tomorrow, and any non-fairies found during the search will be jailed or put to death. Anyone who wants to remain free--and, ultimately, alive--must flee the surrounding territories before the week’s end. I believe the shifter. It just... It doesn’t sound like the King and Queen. I don’t understand what’s happened, but something’s wrong.”

  The voice hushed, and Ela heard nothing further.

  The news gave Ela a sinking feeling in her stomach. The persecution, and possible extermination, of entire races just because they were non-fairy didn't sit right with her...this could become mass genocide.

  She felt a strong impulse to do something...but what?

  Ela went back inside the hut and settled into her cot in the corner. She didn't sleep for most of the night, weighing the possibilities.

  Chapter 2

  After a busy day helping Grandmother Aspen wrangle the village children in daycare, Ela was exhausted, and the sun was beginning to set. Still, she knocked on the door of the shaman’s hut at her first opportunity.

  The short, stocky shaman answered the door with his spectacles sitting on the tip of his nose and wearing in a flowing gray cloak.

  He didn’t look surprised to see her and gestured for her to enter.

  As she stepped across the threshold she heard “My queen!” and realized the shaman was not alone. Someone immediately bowed to one knee upon her entrance.

  “Oh... No!” she exclaimed, shaking her head. “I’m no one’s queen. Please stand.”

  The man stood slowly, looking confused.

  As he straightened, she noted he looked like her... A little taller than her with short brown hair, and bright green eyes... Human.

  He wore a dark shirt, dark pants, and black cloak that fastened at his throat with a brooch that flickered orange like fire.

  Peeking out from his cloak was a circular, bladed weapon that was attached to his belt by a loop; Ela had never seen anything like it before.

  Something seemed faintly familiar about him, but she couldn’t pinpoint what that was...

  She glanced between the stranger and the shaman.

  The shaman gestured between the two and said, “Ela, meet Maddox. He is a mountain fairy knight. Maddox, this is Ela, a human one of our scouts discovered in the forest last year. She has no memory of crossing between realms.”

  Maddox shook his head vehemently. “That’s because she didn’t cross realms. This is Queen Ara. I’d recognize her anywhere. I know my queen.”

  The shaman looked thoughtfully between them, while Ela and Maddox just stared at each other.

  Ela found it hard to believe this man was a mountain fairy. He looked like her--human. Shouldn’t fairies be easy to distinguish from humans? She would know one of her own race, right?

  “Maddox,” the shaman spoke, breaking the silence. “How long have you been away from Quarrin?”

  “Almost two years, sir. I’m headed home from The Dragon Lands. I stopped here seeking for refuge for tonight. I still have a full day’s walk tomorrow to reach the royal villa in Quarrin.”

  “I see,” the shaman murmured. “I hear rumors of unrest recently from non-fairy refugees leaving your hometown. Word is the King and Queen have issued orders banishing non-fairies and, in one week’s time, any non-fairy found in or near their kingdom will be jailed or executed upon sight. A hunting party is to ride out at the end of the week to begin the purge.”

  “There’s no way!” Maddox exploded. “Some of the Court’s greatest allies are non-fairy. King Phoenix and Queen Ara would never order this! Tell him, my queen!” He gestured at her.

  “I’m just as outraged, Maddox. But...” Ela gestured helplessly. “I’m human. I’m not your queen.”

  Maddox scowled. “No. Something’s wrong. I read auras. No two are identical. Ever. I would recognize my queen anywhere. You are—undoubtedly—Queen Ara.”

  He shook his head and sighed; he started pacing, his jaw ticking furiously.

  After a few moments, he stopped abruptly. “When did you arrive here?”

  The shaman answered for her. “One of our hunters found her last year. She awoke alone in our forest with complete amnesia of her prior life. I attempted multiple methods of unlocking her memories without success. She has no powers. I believe she was somehow transported from the human world.”

  Maddox shook his head again and eyed Ela thoughtfully. “I disagree.”

  He tilted his head to the side and stared at her for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing. “I think dark magic imprisoned her memories and powers. But it’s strange that no one sounded the alarm that she’s missing...”

  “Maybe no one knows,” the shaman offered. “It’s possible that someone who looks like her took the throne beside King Phoenix. If you’re sure she’s Queen Ara, I’d bet an impostor is behind these uncharacteristic orders. Maybe the same person who cast the spell on Ela...Ara...cast a glamour spell to make themselves look like the Queen. Few entities can read auras as you do, Maddox, so if someone impersonated the Queen using magic, no one would be any wiser. Perhaps it took all this time for the impostor to arrange these events.”

  Everyone stood silently for a moment, taking in all this information. It was a lot for Ela to believe...but something in her gut felt that the words rang true. Her instinct overwhelmingly said to trust Maddox. She decided to trust the instinct.

  “What do we do?” she asked.

  “We have a week until this hunting party is supposed to ride,” Maddox said. “We’re a full day away from Quarrin on foot, shorter if we can get mounts or winged transport. We need to find someone to undo this dark magic. We have a much greater advantage if you have your memories and powers back. We’ll need strong magic to undo the darkness...preferably someone nearby due to our time constraints.”

  Maddox started pacing again, rubbing his chin; he stopped suddenly, snapped his fingers, and looked at the shaman. “Are any tree fairies nearby?”

  Tree fairies could uproot and move to different locations if they chose, though most preferred to stay “rooted” to the same spot.

  “Yes, there are several within a day’s travel,” the shaman answered. “The closest is probably Valé, an ancient oak in the foothills near the mountains.”

  “Excellent!” Maddox said enthusiastically. “The Queen and I know Valé well. I’m sure he can help. We’ll seek him tomorrow at first light.”

  “Unfortunately, I cannot accompany you as I cannot leave the village,” the shaman said. “But I will provide my best scout to lead you. You will be in good hands.”

  “Works for me.” Maddox turned to Ela and looked her in the eyes. “Is this satisfactory to you, my queen?”

  Ela felt overwhelmed with the suddenness of everything, but she nodded her approval. If all this was true, only she could stop this madness and make things right.

  She left the shaman’s hut to prepare to leave the following morning, and to try to get some sleep before she headed off to face the unknown.

  Chapter 3

  The entire village was distraught at Ela’s departure; they’d grown to love her as one of their own.

  Grandmother Aspen gifted Ela a beautiful, knitted, black cloak with a gorgeous emerald brooch to clasp it, urging her to wear it for protection. Ara had no idea when Grandmother had worked on this cloak, because she’d never seen it before, but the love th
at went into it warmed Ela’s heart.

  Ela hugged Grandmother and reassured her that everything would be fine, though she had her own worries.

  She left Grandmother’s hut, fastening the new cloak around herself, and headed toward the crowd gathered by the road.

  She was surprised to see two gigantic foxes, both large enough to be horses, standing there with Maddox and the shaman. Fox shifters.

  Ela’s eyes widened.

  Many shifter types existed in this realm. Some could only shift from human to one specific animal, like the fox shifters, whereas others could shift into any living form, generally called shapeshifters. It appeared that these must be specifically fox shifters.

  She looked back and forth between the foxes, one male with fur so deeply black it almost looked like purple, and the other a beautiful gold vixen. Fox shifters preferred to stay in fox form but could turn human at will. They were not compelled by the lunar cycle like werewolves, but, like werewolves, a bite from a fox shifter could pass the affliction to the entity bitten, if they survived the bite (most did not). Foxes were rumored to be ruthless fighters with no hesitation at killing for fun. The advice Ela received consistently said to stay as far away from fox shifters--and wolf shifters...any type of shifters, really--as possible.

  Despite her reservations, she cautiously approached.

  “My queen.” Maddox bowed when he noticed her approach. Likewise, the foxes also bowed to her.

  “No, no. Please stand.” Ela gestured for them to rise.

  “My queen,” Maddox repeated with a warm smile. “Please meet Lynx,” he gestured to the black fox, who nodded, “and Chrysantha.” Same with the gold fox. “They volunteered for our cause. We can travel faster with their help, and they know exactly where Valé currently lives.”

  The foxes still made Ela a little apprehensive, until Lynx laid flat on his belly and crawled toward her on his stomach. He nuzzled his face against her legs then rolled over for a belly rub.

  The submissive move put Ela at ease.