The FAE Series 1: FAE

In 1587, a small group of settlers came from England to the Americas in search of the New World. They crossed a wild sea and braved unknown dangers with hopes of having a second chance at life. Led by Governor John White, they came upon a wild and untamed island off the coast of what is now North Carolina.

They called their new home Roanoke Island.

Once the new colonists were settled, White returned to his ship and set sail for the journey back to England. Upon his departure, he assured them he would return soon.

When White’s ship left the shores of the Americas, there were 114 settlers left behind—one hundred and fourteen men, women, and one pregnant widow named Eleanor Dare.

Within her womb, Eleanor carried the hope of a new world, a new life—the hope of a brighter future, a different and new tomorrow. Several months went by as the new settlers adjusted to their new life and surroundings. It was during this time, in the middle of this uncharted territory, that young Eleanor gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and named her Virginia.

After three years of absence, White returned to Roanoke Island anxious to see the life the settlers had created and came armed with supplies and gifts from their old land. What he found would be whispered in tales for centuries and would live like poison in the hearts of future colonizers.

For he found nothing.

Not a trace of shelter.

Not a trace that anyone had ever been left on the island.

Not a trace of life.

They were gone. All 114 settlers had vanished.

It was as if they had never even existed.

Today they are known as The Lost Colony.

THE PROPHECY

The old woman’s ancient voice rang with a quiet authority that was not to be doubted.

Her hair was wild and gray around her small, frail face.

Her eyes were a pale, translucent blue. One look would frighten any mortal that dared cross her path.

But I was no mortal.

We sat in an ancient Tuatha De Danann circle, one that our people used for centuries for looking into the future. I glanced up at the silver moon and appreciated the cold breeze that hit my face. I tried to hide my reaction from her as I concentrated on the circle of tall trees that surrounded us.

But it was hard, even for me.

It wasn’t as if I was frightened of her, like mortals would be. No, I wasn’t afraid of her person. I was only afraid of her words.

They seemed to permeate my soul.

I tried to wake myself out of this fog-like dream. But the old woman was cunning and knew that if I was awake, I would disappear into thin air, and she wouldn’t be able to chant her prophecy to me. Instead, she came to me in my dreams so I couldn’t leave.

Her hold was all-powerful in my sleep.

I would remember everything she said when I woke, and I would ask—Him—what it all meant.

It was a premonition. One that would be solidified by the runes.

“The Fae have existed since the earth was born. They have lived here among mortals, beyond human realization, since the beginning of time.”

In her husky voice, she began to weave a tale as she laid out the runes in the traditional way, in order to read the future.

“Your people came here from distant lands and created their very own universe, one that was designed to live within the world of humans. To coexist with the mortals but never interfere.” While she spoke, her eyes took on a faraway gaze as she recounted the history I knew as well as I knew my own name.

“But like all kingdoms, there is Dark and there is ~Light~. And like all races, superhuman or not, a line between good and evil was drawn from the beginning.”

She stared knowingly at me. “You are the first. The chosen one. The only Fae to ever be gifted both light and dark. To have a father that rules over the dark kingdom and a mother who was, before her destruction, a princess of the light. But as you know, dear boy, you cannot teeter between sides. You must choose one or the other.”

My muscles tensed as she stared at me with an ominous expression. Deep down I had chosen. I wanted nothing to do with my father. But did she know something? Was she hiding it from me? I wanted to shake the truth out of her, but I willed myself to look as indifferent as possible.

“It was inevitable for the Dark Fae to infiltrate the humans and live among them, vying to have positions of power and to control what they deemed to be an inferior race.” She paused for a moment, then slowly continued. “For power among the Fae is the ultimate aphrodisiac. You are all gifted with limitless magical attributes and blessed with staggering beauty. You are a race that is in need of nothing.”

Nothing, I thought to myself, save the desire to seek pawns to move about at our will.

“The ultimate goal of the Dark Fae is to eliminate the Light. It is the Light that prevents them from wielding their power over humanity. Conquer those who are weak and destroy the ones that will fight them. Once the battle is won, they will find their peace, but there will be nothing left of the human race. In the end, it is all a game, where the stakes are high because the winner conquers all.” She continued on in a calm voice that opposed the magnitude of her words.

“The time has arrived.” Her voice grew solemn. “The baby, conceived in love and left to grow up in the human world on her own, has turned sixteen. She has never known she is more Fae than human; protected for all these years, hidden from the Dark Court, she has lived in peace. But no more.”

I had waited for this moment for all my life. But the enormity of hearing it was staggering.

“As written in the Great Book and in accordance with the prophecy, when the girl turns sixteen, as she has, what is destined will begin. And, my dear boy, there will be a war.”

I tried to still the frantic beating of my heart. I tried to open my eyes and wake from the intensity of this dream. But the old woman leaned in toward me and waved her hand slowly, methodically, in front of my face. A soft tingle of electricity brought me back to the moment, but the magik she used made me incapable of even moving.

“A newborn baby’s laughter will set the Fae free. It opens up a world of endless possibilities. The laughter echoes in all hearts and signifies a new beginning. A beginning with only Light.”

She set a few ancient runes on the ground in front of me and laughed. “She will arrive in your life like a thunderbolt from the gods. And when she does, you will know her. Your soul will recognize its other half.”

I scowled and tried to look menacing, but she continued. “You will protect her.”

She set another stone on the ground, and her eyes seemed to take on an eerie glow. Her hands moved in the air like claws as she drew circles into the still night.

“Know this. You will immediately covet her. And you won’t be the only one. There will be others who will desire her equally as strongly as you.”

Knowing there might be another immediately shook me to the core. Even though I wanted no part of the path before me, I was a possessive man by nature. What was mine was mine alone, and there would be hell to pay if someone tried to take it away from me.

Even if it was something or someone I didn’t want.

Suddenly she grabbed my hands in her callous-filled palms and tore me out of my reverie and closer to her face. “Heed my warning, dear boy, guard her with your life.”