Read Online Faerie Path #6: The Charmed Return by Frewin Jones - Free Book Online
Authors: Frewin Jones
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you!’ I declared. ‘As you shall learn swift enough if you do not tell us what has become of my sister. Speak the truth, monster,’ I said. ‘Where is the princess Tania? If you have devoured her, you shall die upon this moment!’ And the monster spoke again. ‘Princess Tania has flown to the land of Tirnanog that lies in the western skies,’ it said. ‘She is unhurt. She is with the Divine Harper.’ And so saying, it turned its long head westward into the sunset. ‘Have patience, she will return.’”
They were gathered at the kitchen table: Rathina, Edric, Jade, Mrs. Palmer, and Anita. She was clinging to her mother’s hand as Edric and Rathina spoke. Her father was moving around the table, placing cups of tea in front of everyone.
“And we waited,” said Edric. “But Tania never came back. Then, just as the sun set, we heard thunder and lightning and a noise like a rough sea—but we didn’t see anything. The ocean was calm and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. Rathina asked the Salamander if it knew what was happening.”
Rathina broke in. “‘Great and portentous events!’ the beast declared. ‘I know not what it betokens, but the sounds that you hear issue from the airy land of Tirnanog. A storm rages there.’”
“A storm . . .” murmured Anita, touching her hand to her forehead. A stream of images had glimmered for a moment in her mind. A beach of golden sand. A long white stone. A harp. An old man with apple cheeks and gray hair and beard. And there was music—discordant music that blended with lightning, clouds, and crashing waves.
“Do you remember?” asked Edric, leaning eagerly toward her across the table.
“Something . . . just pictures in my head. I don’t know what they mean.”
“And as the unseen storm raged in our ears, so Master Connor came suddenly awake,” said Rathina. “Wild-eyed and terrified. He jumped to his feet as though fey with madness. ‘Traitor!’ I called him, lifting my sword and prepared to smite him to the heart for the wrong he had done to us. But my blow never fell. For he screamed and writhed and fell upon the ground as though beset by demons. It was a fearful thing to see, forsooth!”
“There was a moment when he seemed to be out of pain,” said Edric. “He looked up at us and he said, ‘Who are you? Where am I?’”
“And then he was gone!” said Rathina, spreading her hands. “Like rain upon a hot stone. Quite vanished away!” She frowned. “Banished, I trust, to some deadly place where he will do penance for all eternity!”
“He’s here,” said Anita breathlessly. “He’s in London.”
Rathina sprang up, knocking against the table, rattling the cups and spilling tea. “Then lead me to him, sister—and I’ll split him throat to vitals for his perfidy!”
“He doesn’t remember anything,” said Anita, looking up at Rathina. “He told me the last thing he remembers is the two of us going to his flat. Then it’s all blank till he woke up this morning.”
“Lies to mask his deceits, I’ll warrant!” said Rathina as Mr. Palmer took a cloth to wipe up the splashes of tea.
“Not necessarily,” said Edric. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that neither Tania nor Connor remembers anything about Faerie. I’d guess that whatever power destroyed Tania’s memory and sent her here did exactly the same to Connor.”
“The Divine Harper, you mean?” said Mrs. Palmer.
“Who else?” asked Edric. “He locked up all their memories of Faerie and then sent them back into their own world.”
“A strange and uncanny creature he must be,” muttered Rathina, “dwelling in the clouds and dispensing a form of justice beyond my ken. Was Tania punished for seeking his help? Is that what happened in Tirnanog?”
“I don’t think so,” said Edric. “The Divine Harper seeks balance in all things. You give something to get something.” He looked urgently at Anita. “I’m sure if we can find a way to get
They were gathered at the kitchen table: Rathina, Edric, Jade, Mrs. Palmer, and Anita. She was clinging to her mother’s hand as Edric and Rathina spoke. Her father was moving around the table, placing cups of tea in front of everyone.
“And we waited,” said Edric. “But Tania never came back. Then, just as the sun set, we heard thunder and lightning and a noise like a rough sea—but we didn’t see anything. The ocean was calm and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. Rathina asked the Salamander if it knew what was happening.”
Rathina broke in. “‘Great and portentous events!’ the beast declared. ‘I know not what it betokens, but the sounds that you hear issue from the airy land of Tirnanog. A storm rages there.’”
“A storm . . .” murmured Anita, touching her hand to her forehead. A stream of images had glimmered for a moment in her mind. A beach of golden sand. A long white stone. A harp. An old man with apple cheeks and gray hair and beard. And there was music—discordant music that blended with lightning, clouds, and crashing waves.
“Do you remember?” asked Edric, leaning eagerly toward her across the table.
“Something . . . just pictures in my head. I don’t know what they mean.”
“And as the unseen storm raged in our ears, so Master Connor came suddenly awake,” said Rathina. “Wild-eyed and terrified. He jumped to his feet as though fey with madness. ‘Traitor!’ I called him, lifting my sword and prepared to smite him to the heart for the wrong he had done to us. But my blow never fell. For he screamed and writhed and fell upon the ground as though beset by demons. It was a fearful thing to see, forsooth!”
“There was a moment when he seemed to be out of pain,” said Edric. “He looked up at us and he said, ‘Who are you? Where am I?’”
“And then he was gone!” said Rathina, spreading her hands. “Like rain upon a hot stone. Quite vanished away!” She frowned. “Banished, I trust, to some deadly place where he will do penance for all eternity!”
“He’s here,” said Anita breathlessly. “He’s in London.”
Rathina sprang up, knocking against the table, rattling the cups and spilling tea. “Then lead me to him, sister—and I’ll split him throat to vitals for his perfidy!”
“He doesn’t remember anything,” said Anita, looking up at Rathina. “He told me the last thing he remembers is the two of us going to his flat. Then it’s all blank till he woke up this morning.”
“Lies to mask his deceits, I’ll warrant!” said Rathina as Mr. Palmer took a cloth to wipe up the splashes of tea.
“Not necessarily,” said Edric. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that neither Tania nor Connor remembers anything about Faerie. I’d guess that whatever power destroyed Tania’s memory and sent her here did exactly the same to Connor.”
“The Divine Harper, you mean?” said Mrs. Palmer.
“Who else?” asked Edric. “He locked up all their memories of Faerie and then sent them back into their own world.”
“A strange and uncanny creature he must be,” muttered Rathina, “dwelling in the clouds and dispensing a form of justice beyond my ken. Was Tania punished for seeking his help? Is that what happened in Tirnanog?”
“I don’t think so,” said Edric. “The Divine Harper seeks balance in all things. You give something to get something.” He looked urgently at Anita. “I’m sure if we can find a way to get
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