FGI 2: The Elven Crown
Chapter 3
Red
If teleportation had Yelp reviews, I’d give this one zero stars.
No one warned me about the whiplash. One second I’m glowing like a radioactive pageant queen, the next I’m crash-landing onto an… an… an office?!
I blink, trying to get my bearings.
Phones are ringing somewhere, people murmuring in the distance, and everything is blinding white with soft blue accents, like a toothpaste commercial on steroids.
“Where the hell am I?” I snap, whirling around before I can even get my bearings.
As I try to stand, a tall, elegant older woman with chin up and her hair in perfect silver waves stares me down. Beside her, Pierce looks irritatingly smug.
“Crystal, I’m so happy you could join us,” the woman says. She looks like she’s in her mid-50s, but she’s drop dead gorgeous, like Jayne Mansfield and Grace Kelly beautifully melded together.
“Nope. Un-join me. Send me back,” I fire back, already storming toward them. “I didn’t sign up for whatever cult this is. And you…” I jab a finger at Pierce. “...with your Stepford smile and corporate cosplay, you can keep your magic makeover.”
The woman blinks, her smile not faltering. “Pierce, the child is scared out of her mind.”
“Scared? No. Pissed off? Absolutely,” I say. “And don’t even start with the pep talk. I don’t want to ‘meet the others,’ I want a cab. Or a portal. Or hell, an Uber to literally anywhere but here.”
Pierce sighs. “Crystal…”
“That’s Red,” I snap.
I need to get my breathing under control. I haven’t been this frazzled since the Vivienne Westwood archival sale in Soho. I nearly beat a woman to death to get my hands on a corset from the 1990 Portrait Collection, but at least I got some iconic pieces out of that debacle. Now, it seems like all I’ve won is a trip to the psych ward when I get back to Earth.
The woman — Fairy Godmother, I presume — floats a crisp scroll toward me.
“The contract you agreed to…”
I snatch it mid-air and rip it in half before she can finish.
“Yeah, I don’t do fine print or bait and switch, for that matter.”
She doesn’t even flinch, just rolls her eyes as the halves knit themselves back together in a shimmer of light.
“Magic fixes most things,” she says, more to Pierce than to me, “but unwilling contestants rarely win. I can provide you a means of escape if you truly wish.”
“Oh, I definitely wish,” I mutter. But my chest is tight. There’s something about the way she says it, like I’m already trapped.
She sighs and waves her hand. The air ripples, and a swirling oval of gold light appears. Inside it, I see the familiar chaos of a New York street. Yellow taxis, honking horns, a guy screaming at a hot dog vendor. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
I’m halfway to stepping through when Pierce’s voice stops me.
“Red, wait.”
I freeze, mere feet away from the one thing I thought I wanted since arriving at this Severance inspired office space.
“If you’re about to give me the ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’ speech, don’t. I’ve heard it from every pyramid scheme recruiter that’s walked through my door.”
He shakes his head, his expression strangely serious. “I’m asking if you really want to go back to your old life.”
“My old life was fine,” I snap. “I’m at the top of my game at work, I own a penthouse apartment overlooking Central Park, my boyfr—”
I pause. I had my boyfriend. I had someone, but now… now, I’m…
“Alone,” Pierce says, as if reading my thoughts. “You are alone.”
That hits hard. I turn slowly, narrowing my eyes.
“Excuse me?”
Pierce steps closer, lowering his voice. “There was one person who knew you. One you actually cared about, but you lost her long ago didn’t you. You still honor her though, everyday on her birthday. The woman that raised you… your grandmother.”
The mention of her slams into me like a sucker punch. My throat goes tight.
“Don’t,” I warn. She was the one good thing in my life, she raised me when my parents decided they’d rather party than take care of their own child. She is the reason I am who I am today. Without her, I would be nothing.
He just smiles faintly, like he’s holding a royal flush I don’t know about.
“There is much you don’t know about her. She may have raised you from your birth, but she lived an adventurous life before you landed on her doorstep,” he glances at the Fairy Godmother. “I can tell you more about it, but only if you go through with this. Only if you win.”
I hate that my pulse jumps and I hate that he knows it. He knows he’s got my attention now.
“You’re bluffing,” I say, but it comes out weaker than I want.
“Am I?”
Behind me, the portal hums. The street I know so well is still there, waiting. But suddenly, it feels… smaller.
“Damn it,” I mutter, stepping back toward the group. The portal snaps shut behind me with a finality that makes my stomach twist.
Fairy Godmother claps her hands. “Wonderful. Now, let’s make this official. Shall we introduce you to the other girls?”
“The other girls?” I manage to squeak out before Pierce takes me by the arm and drags me into another room that looks exactly like a college lecture hall. There are five other women seated at desks around the front of the room and they all stare at me as I enter.
Jealous much?
“Ladies,” Pierce announces, “meet the last player, Crystal MacLeoir. Apologies for our tardiness, we left in a hurry, and she didn’t really have a choice in the matter.”
The others nod their heads in greeting as I take the last empty seat facing the whiteboard. As I sit Pierce clears his throat and with a flourish of his hands his outfit magically changes to that of a rather dapper professor. Complete with a perfectly tailored tweed jacket and thick rimmed glasses.
Clearly, he’s quite the showman.
“Let’s introduce everyone. It’s good to get to know the competition,” he says as he points to the first girl sitting in a chair. “Let’s go down the line, so introduce yourself.”
The first girl raises her hand, tossing her long blonde hair to the side. “My name is Angie Williams.”
The girl next to her says, “Delon Knowles.”
“Lila Matthews,” the next girl says as she eyes me with a smirk.
Then, another boring blonde raises her hand. “Tany Glanville.”
The last girl seated next to me turns towards me.
“And I’m Yada Shizu.”
“Alright, now that’s out of the way,” Pierce says with a flourish. “Let’s get to the fun part!”
Fairy Godmother snaps her fingers and suddenly, an enormous sparkling birdbath materializes.
“You all will place your hands into the Bowl of Destiny, to see what role you will be playing in the next three months,” her voice echoes throughout the room. “We are intervening to prevent the situation from becoming more dire. If we fail, there is a great potential that this world will be forever corrupted by evil.”
She pauses once more before she continues, her expression grave.
“You're heading to the Crown Province of Thunia,” she continues. “Long ago, a powerful elven race took over from the humans. They’re elitist, far superior technologically, and they have created a society that puts humans at the bottom of the social ladder. I won’t lie, this mission won’t be easy, but I believe wholeheartedly that one of you will succeed in winning the grand prize.”
Fairy Godmother smirked as the girls and I waited with bated breath for her to reveal the target of the mission.
“Your target is Ajax Leocaryn, the son of the King and Queen of Thunia.”
Gasps ripple through the other women. Looks like they already know who we’re up against. Lucky me, I get thrown into the greatest challenge of my life and I’m already behind these bitches. Not that I can’t handle it. I definitely can.
“We want to ensnare Ajax, period,” Pierce adds. “It will be difficult since they do not mingle outside of their elven race.”
“But they have not dealt with Fairy Godmother Inc. before,” Fairy Godmother says. “We’ll place you all just outside the city. That way, you can acclimate before stepping into the thick of it.”
The others nod like obedient little pageant contestants, ready to participate in this messed up magical version of The Bachelor.
“Yeah, no,” I say.
Fairy Godmother blinks. “No?”
“Drop me right in the middle,” I tell her. “Front row seats. Main stage. However you want to phrase it. Let’s get this circus over with.”
A couple of the women gape at me like I’ve just requested to be launched into a volcano. Pierce actually looks… impressed.
“You’re certain?” Fairy Godmother asks, arching an expertly plucked brow.
“Positive.” I smile sweetly. “Besides, I work better under pressure.”
She gestures toward the Bowl. “Very well.”
I plunge my hands into the metallic water before anyone can warn me about side effects. My fingers tingle, and glowing letters bloom in the air behind me:
Competitor of Thunia: Team – Ajax Leocaryn.
“Perfect,” I mutter, even though I have no idea what that means. Then the world rips sideways.
Teleportation again. Same blender-in-my-gut feeling.
When my vision stops swirling, I’m standing in the middle of a bustling courtyard. Sleek metallic spires rise beside stone buildings that look like a mash-up of Versailles and Blade Runner. Holographic signs float in the air, glittering with languages I don’t recognize, and people glide by in couture that makes the Met Gala look casual.
And right in front of me, blocking literally my escape route, is the most elaborately dressed man I’ve ever seen.
Pointed ears. Polished silver armor with a cape. A helmet shaped like a bird of prey.
“Nice outfit,” I say, squinting at him. “Very… Comic-Con-meets-Renaissance-Fair.”
His jaw tightens. “You are trespassing within the Royal Gardens of the Crown Province of Thunia. This is a violation of Royal Order Forty-Seven.”
“Cool,” I say, brushing dust off my dress. “Where’s Ajax? Tall guy, probably has the same holier-than-thou cheekbones as you?”
The guard’s nostrils flare. “You cannot simply request an audience with the Crown Prince, you fool. Only a human could be so stupid.”
“What did you just say to me, Pointy Ears?”
He talks to another guard in a language I can’t comprehend, but I know whatever he’s saying is not good. As the committee convenes on what to do with the random human that’s appeared in front of them, I slowly start to back away.
They seem deep in conversation and I could just slip away as long as I stay quiet. Just a few more steps and I’m…
CRUNCH!
I look down and notice I’ve stepped on the only twig in the otherwise immaculate garden. Seriously?!
Thing 1 and Thing 2 both swivel their heads in my direction. Great, now I’m in for it.
“Seize her!” the leader barks.
I grin, take one exaggerated step back… then spin on my heel and run.
As I dodge a fruit cart, I yell over my shoulder, “Tell Ajax his future ex-wife says hi!”
Continue to the next chapter of FGI 2: The Elven Crown