Read Online Faery Born (Book One in the War Faery Trilogy) by Donna Joy Usher - Free Book Online Page B

heading towards the field with Grams.
    ‘I’m Izzy,’ I said to the shaggy man.
    He gave me a weird look before his face broke into a grin. My hand disappeared into his as he shook it. ‘Nice to meet you Izzy. I’m Wilfred.’
    It was my turn to look at him weirdly. The way he had said it, had said his name, was as if to a special person.
    One of the others confirmed my suspicion that Wilfred had been taking the piss when he said, ‘Leave her alone Will.’
    A third man raised his hand and we all stopped. He looked back over his shoulder and put a finger to his lips. Then he gestured that we should spread out. Like that, we slipped into the tree line and crept down towards the field.
    If I had been looking forward to my party I would have been devastated when we reached the edge of the trees. Chairs and tables lay smashed in small pieces, and where the dance floor had been erected, now only an area of flattish grass remained. The pieces of the floor were scattered around the grass as if someone very large had played Frisbee with them.
    The marquee sagged from its poles in tattered pieces of fabric. My Happy Birthday sign, slashed into two pieces, hung dejectedly from where the opening had been. What had once been beautifully-wrapped presents lay scattered on the ground. Now they resembled the aftermath of Christmas morning, ripped paper and crinkled bows barely covering broken boxes.
    But I hardly had time to worry about any of that. A group of my guests had been rounded up and were standing at the far side of the field. A couple of goblins stood guard over them while the rest battled a group of men. They were all dressed in leather and fur.
    I looked over at Wilfred. ‘You’re Border Guards?’
    ‘At your service.’ He made a mocking bow.
    ‘What’s the plan?’ My nerves were starting to kick in. It was one thing to react to being attacked, another thing entirely to stalk and engage a goblin.
    ‘We kill them all.’ He laughed maniacally.
    Grams looked at me with a wild grin on her face. ‘This sure is turning out to be a great party,’ she said. ‘Although Sabby’s going to have your guts for garters when she sees what you’ve done to that dress.’
    I looked down at my shredded, blue dress. It was covered in blood and ripped to the top of my thighs. ‘It’s far more comfortable like this.’
    ‘Circle around,’ one of the Border Guards said. ‘We’ll hit them from behind.’
    ‘Last one there is a rotten egg.’ Grams started to trot in the direction of the fight.
    This was crazy. I mean I loved doing things with my Grams: watching movies, making hot chocolate, and toasting marshmallows. But fighting goblins? I didn’t think that was in the Grandma/Granddaughter bonding handbook.
    Shaking my head, I jogged after her. ‘Let’s get the guests,’ I said. That should hopefully be safer.
    We stayed clear of the fighting as we circled around. I could see Grams’ wand hand twitching, and I knew she was aching to throw a spell or two into the mix. However, the chaotic mass of men and goblins meant that her spell would as likely hit a Border Guard as a goblin.
    My party guests huddled miserably in front of a thick knot of trees. I could see Bobby Helman standing protectively in front of his wife Layla. Blood dribbled from a gash on his arm. The Dickson triplets and Nancy Day and her little girl Betty, were clustered behind them, as if Bobby could protect them all. Two terrifying-looking goblins stood guard, watching us as we approached.
    ‘What are we going to do?’ I whispered to Grams. I didn’t like my chance of taking on both of them without the element of surprise.
    ‘Watch and learn.’ She rubbed her hands together and chuckled. Mumbling something, she flicked her wand at them. I waited for them to start laughing or dancing, but instead, one of them scratched his arm.
    Then the other one reached down and scratched his leg. Within the minute they were scratching uncontrollably, their nails