The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry

The collected power in the golden orb hit the gigantic beast killing it instantly. It began to plummet to the ground through the trees as The Kind One stood transfixed, seemingly unable to move, and in danger of being crushed.

She was pulled out from under the falling monster at the last moment by a girl with fiery-red hair. Shocked and confused by the encounter with the ghostly faerie , the Kind One demanded an  explanation. Undaunted by the harsh words from one who’s life she had just saved, the new comer introduced herself as Ember Innocenzi.

Satisfied that Ember was indeed another human, The Kind One invited her new friend to sit with her and wait for dawn before continuing on the path through the forest, explaining that there were other, more dangerous creatures lurking in the dark.

The Kind One dozed off. When she opened her eyes she found that they were hanging by their feet in the tops of the trees. The Dryads had pulled them to safety and were sheltering them from the hordes of Shahinian below.

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Dawn cut through the upper branches of the forest canopy in streaks of hazy sunlight, pooling on the ground in bright splashes of yellow where the beams hit the damp, mossy ground. Funny how the menacing shadows of the forest at night dissolve in the sparkling light of day. Ember had only been gone for a few minutes and  I missed her already. Still, the sadness I felt about her departure on the elegant dragon Illustratia, paled by comparison to the joy I felt having  Arial with me again.

“Arial, where were you? I knew as soon as the woods had closed in around me that I had made a terrible mistake. I thought hard, hoping  that you would find me and come to me, but for some reason it didn’t work. Why?” Arial had chosen to walk with me in her elven form and looked down on me as she answered.

“An energy field fell between us when your friend entered the realm. It disrupted our telepathy and we couldn’t see you in our minds or hear your thoughts. However we were picking up some very unusual vibrations through the walls of the palace. It sounded like when you sit at your writing machine to make words. Click, clicktyclick, clickty, clickty, clickclickclick, click…like that. The sound was hollow and far off. Orlaith has not been able to intuit what it was. Then it just… stopped…it was all very strange.”

I nodded as I remembered what Ember had told me about being from another realm. “The two different realms must have collided causing a riff in reality. Arial, there was a ghostly faerie in a mist that seemed to have a life all its own, with tendrils that wrapped around everything. I thought she was sent from you, that’s what she had me believe anyway.” I shivered as the spectral being took shape in my memory. “She said that if I came with her she would get me safely out of the woods.” I clamped my eyes closed, trying to shut out the cold emptiness of the dark eyes that reached into my very soul.

I was immediately surrounded by Sunny, Ferne, and about a dozen other faeries, their eyes full of sympathy and their wings flapping with anxiety. Arial placed two fingers on the temples at both sides of my head and whispered, “shi eir vaeli.” The words, “be at peace” and the feeling came to me at precisely the same moment and the shivering subsided. The visions of the beast evaporated from my mind. “Thanks. I wish I could do that thing you do…what ever it is.”

Arial smiled. “You can, you just don’t know how yet. No worries though, you will learn.” Her smile faded. What you saw was a shape-shifter, one of the Shahinian. There are many tribes but they all have the same need, to feel alive by stealing the souls of others. When it became clear that we couldn’t penetrate the forest canopy we sent the Trilia in to find you.”

“What is the Trilia?” Or should I say who.”

She turned to me, a thoughtful look on her face. Taping her long thin fingers together she explained. “The Trilia are a sub race of the air-elementals, they would appear to you as small glowing dots. It would look like a mass of fireflies. If they touch you they can look into your heart, sense your intentions.”

“Arial! That’s exactly what happened! I saw these lights coming toward me, they swarmed all around me, my arm and shoulders. I remember, it made me warm and it tickled, and I knew that they were good.” I saw the scene play out again in my mind. “Oh, but Arial, they can do things…” I was there again, seeing the bright ball of fire blast into the creature’s leathery chest, hearing it’s angry screams… falling. The memory made my head spin and I found myself flat on the ground. Arial was bending over me with Sunny and Ferne on either side.

They were all smiling. Not exactly what I would suspect after relating my life threatening adventure. Arial helped me stand up and I brushed the twigs off of my tattered skirt. “Fine, smile if you have to, but I was scared.” Then I thought about the Dryads. “Did you send the Dryads as well?”

Ferne was hanging, mid-air, just behind Arial. She was all smiles. “In a way. We still could not find you, we had no idea the Trilia had accomplished their mission. It wasn’t until this strange little fellow with owl eyes found Ferne that we knew you were OK and that you had company. Orlaith figured out the rest. She had Ferne talk to the Dryads, you know how Ferne loves the trees! They spread the word through the forest and picked you up just before the Shahinian got to you.” Arial paused while Ferne whispered in her ear. ” Ferne tells me his name is Perhluna. He is a hyper little guy but seriously devoted to his human. It was Ferne that led him to the shadeberries.”

“The shadeberries?”

“Yes, these berries are only found growing by the Castle of Umbra, two valleys past the elven-wood. Elendain keeps some in her herbal stash, but he needed to pick some fresh so that your thought transference would be strong.”

“Well, all I can say is, thank goodness for Perh. Hey, is the effect of eating those berries permanent?”

Arial tilted her head and gave me a searching look. “Try to hear my thoughts. Calm your mind, focus. Do you hear anything?”

“Give me a minute! Good grief Arial, a little patience, I can’t hear anything with you asking questions.” I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and concentrated. At first all I heard was the wind in the branches, then slowly I began to hear voices, a lot of voices, they were whispering to each other, praising the sunshine. Then I heard Arial’s voice. “Those are the Dryads you hear Kind One. To the Mundane ear it is just the wind in the trees, but to those with faerie blood, it is the voices of the spirit leaves.”

I jumped a little when I realized that Arial’s musical voice had mixed with those of  the Dryads in my thoughts. “I can hear you Arial! I can hear you!” I grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around. “This is great! I twirled around and around and the faeries joined in the dance.

Arial stood to one side and watched with delight, knowing that soon enough I would have to return to the ivy hedge and more serious matters that waited on the other side.

© Tami Ruesch, The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry, 2009-2010

Be sure to read these related posts: “What lurks in the Dark Wood”,   “Never Hitchhike with a Ghostly Faerie”, and, “Ember in Faerie Land”

To find out how Ember ended up in Arial’s Misty world you can visit:  “Ember in Whirlogonzia, Episode 7″

Dressed in their finest,  Arial and the emerald guard escorted the Kind One to the winter queen’s palace. The grand hall was transformed for the faeries high holiday of Yule. It is the only time the queens of the four seasons, Orlaith, Alina, Litha and Mab are ever seen together.  Residents from throughout the realm were arriving to celebrate winter’s return, and hoping to get an audience with the queens.

The lights dimmed and the procession of the queens began. In the soft light The Kind One noticed other mortals standing in the crowd but her curiosity melted when Mab, the queen of autumn herself stopped right in front of her and extended and invitation to attend a special meeting at midnight by the great crystal doors of the palace. The Kind One was told that the other mortals would be there, and Mab would bestow a gift upon her.

~~~~~~~~

The air in the room took on the subtle smell of wood smoke and the musty scent of falling leaves as Mab approached our small circle. Her dress of red and black billowed around her, and her crown of  fall harvest and leaves bobbled  in the soft light of the winter palace.

She greeted each of us, with a warm hug and bright smile. It appeared that she already knew each of us, but how? I hadn’t met her until tonight, and judging by the looks on all the faces, I assumed that they hadn’t ether. I stood a little to one side of the group and watched as she laughed and chatted with the others. Mab has a charming, easygoing, off-beat way about her. The muss of leaves in her hair and her yellow and orange striped socks under a  black and red plaid dress proved she was a character. I loved her immediately.

Mab looked around and saw that I was holding back a little, taking in the scene, and gestured for me to come closer. “Kind One, please, do join us. You must meet everyone.” The group turned as one and joined her in her bidding, all speaking at the same time. “Yes, come join us. So nice to meet you! Don’t be shy. What’s your name again?” They were all so friendly and inviting. I moved closer to join the group, making a mental note of the warmth and fellowship. Who was it that told me that those with faerie blood would come together to help save our world? In the midst of all the excitement and introductions I couldn’t quite remember.

When Mab was certain we were all together she made her way around the circle to introduce us. “Thank you all for coming tonight! What a special pleasure it is to see my faerie brothers and sisters from the mortal world here with us this Yule.” Mab smiled brightly and the room, as if it had a life of its own, radiated pure joy. “Now, you must all get to know each other for you will all become part of the grand design for the future of your world and ours.” Mab stopped in front of the petite woman I had seen earlier at the ball.  “Everyone, this is Sparkle, she loves bright colors and it is reflected in her art. Her intuition has led her to us through her painting, only one with faerie blood can paint so gloriously.” She gave Sparkle a hug and moved to put her arm around the gentleman standing by her side. “This is the Word Master. He was drawn to Sparkle in a quest to understand himself and was fascinated by her fascination with the realm. What he came to find was that he, too, had faerie blood flowing through his veins.” The Word Master bowed deeply and Mab moved on.

She continued around until she had introduced everyone, telling about the special traits that made each of us “faeries by blood”. “This is the Sculptress, she has a talent with the “shroomie” beings of the realm, and they in turn inspire her art. Her faerie blood makes is possible to communicate with these shy creatures.” Jewel followed. “Jewel, like the Sculptress, is drawn by her faerie blood to the natural arts, but instead of looking at the forest floor for inspiration, she looks to the sky. Jewel is influenced by the Dryads. Her special talent is finding the spirit within the leaves of sacred trees.” I looked around; there was only one more person to introduce before Mab got to me. Golden Heart.

“Golden Heart’s glowing countenance is only second to her striking black hair. She is the caregiver, the person always ready to volunteer. She has unfailing kindness for everyone she meets. Her faerie blood gives her the ability to see the good in all mortals.”

I stood in awe of the wonderful talent that each of these people brought with them and was caught up in my thoughts when Mab finally turned to me. I couldn’t for the life of me see what special abilities my faerie blood gave me. What could she say? I do a good garden, which the faeries love to come and play in it. I felt Mab’s presence right in front of me and shook the wild thoughts out of my head, but I saw in her eyes that she already knew what I had been thinking.

Mab whispered in my ear, “Do not underestimate your powers Kind One, you are a very important piece of the puzzle.” She turned and spoke to the group. “This is the Kind One, she is having a hard time understanding her place in such an influential group, but knows this, it is the subtle strength of will that she possesses, that allows her the ability to hold the energy of an entire region in the west. Her faerie blood drew her toward one of the portals of the realm just in time to keep the Undak from entering the mortal world.” Everyone exhaled a collective sigh as they rushed toward me for a group hug. I have to say that Mab made my adventures sound important and dangerous, real cloak and dagger stuff. I thought about that for almost two seconds before I was awash with bodies. I didn’t think what had been happening was so special but at the moment I didn’t care, I just liked being included.

The Autumn queen stood back and watched with delight as the mortals who were part faerie talked and laughed then stepped forward and addressed us once more. “My time in the palace of the Winter queen grows short but before I go I want you all to have my gift.” Silence fell over the great hall as we waited in anticipation of the final gift of the faeries. Mab held her wand out and waved it over her up turned palm. An image wavered over her hand flickering in and out like it had no intention of materializing. She frowned and gave the air a little stab. The image solidified into a soft golden bag.

The queen worked her way around the circle we had made. Stopping in front of us, she pulled out a small ivory horn that was rimmed with gold and hanging from a golden chain. The horn was about two inches long. She draped it around our neck and moved on to the next person. “My gift to you is the gift of communication. With The Horn of Aeon Myst you can summon the fae or hear great distances. You would be wise to keep it close to you at all times. The Armies of darkness will stop at nothing to take it from you if they know you possess it.” Six mouth’s dropped open and six pairs of eyes stared at her in shocked disbelief.

Mab backed away and clapped her hands. Six faeries of the fall queen’s court appeared in a flash of rusty sparkles. Before they all winked out Mab turned to face us, she wore an impish grin. “You should see your faces!” She laughed, and her court echoed her mirth. We looked around us and relaxed. The faerie court rose into the air as one, and from the fog of sparkles I heard Mab’s voice, “Remember Kind One to always keep the Horn of Aeon Myst close to you.”

© Tami Ruesch, The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry, 2009-2010

The setting sun sent a riot of pink and orange streaking through the high thin clouds which cast the  backyard into deep purple shadows. Arial and I were in the kitchen putting finishing touches on the refreshments for tonight’s celebration. When all the crystal bowls were stacked high with berries and sweet breads, and the gravy boats filled to the rims with milk and honey, Arial pointed  her wand at the platters and they rose into the air and vanished in a flash of light.

Arial turned to me with a radiant smile, “I must go and attend to our guests. We will be back for you when the last of the light has left the sky.” Then she winked out, but not before she swooshed a cascading spray of pink and green sparkles all over me. I covered my eyes. “Hey!” Arial giggled, and was gone.

I tied up my hair  with purple and yellow streamers and found a sparkly blue shawl to throw over my shoulders. Bill wore his best panama hat with the exotic feathers in the band. I checked with Warren and Odette to see if they were ready and was delighted to see Warren in a tiny black and green tartan kilt and a white shirt with puffy sleeves, he was carrying a staff made of  willow, and the toes of his shoes curled at the tips. He kept stopping every few steps to tug at his stockings which kept slipping down below his knees.

“Warren! you look very stylish.” I noticed Odette grabbing at his hand every time he started to pry at his tight collar. ” And Odette, you are a vision in your pink skirts.”

“I had a time of it with Warren here Missus, he’s not used to dressin up, but I told him I didnt’ want him goin and embarasin us all. Oh Warren! stop yer fidgetin”

Bill held the door open for us when we heard drums beating out a slow, steady rhythm. We stepped out into the cool night air and were greeted by four faeries who flanked us. The faerie to my right held up her wand and waved it at the ivy hedge. The vines began to roll back, twisting and twinning around until a large archway formed. A path, lighted on either side by glowing silver and crystal orbs, led down the hill to the left and into a grove of old oak trees.

We stepped through the opening and started off down the path with our escorts on either side. There was a furious rustling behind us. I jerked around, expecting to see Mrs. Shunner streaking up,  like a crazed screaming banshee.  When I looked, there was no one there, and the hedge had filled in, leaving no trace of our passing  from the mortal world.

I linked my arm in Bill’s and took a deep breath as we continued toward the trees. The narrow path opened to a small glade, completely surrounded by live oak trees. In addition to the Spanish Moss (imagine  Spanish Moss in these northern climes), the trees were strung with streamers of pink, blue, and white. Small twinkling lights hung in the branches. I glanced around, “Bill, look over there.” I pointed straight ahead of us. Lights weren’t the only thing hanging from the branches. Tall thin creatures with long stringy fingers were draped over the bottom limbs. They had pointed faces with large glowing green eyes.

I pulled at the skirts of the faerie that had opened the portal. “What are those!” She smiled and said, “Those are Dryads, they live in the oak trees to protect this special grove.” We were shown pillows placed at the bottom of the largest oak then allowed to take our seats.

When we were seated, all kinds of magical creatures began to appear in the glade. Pixies, unicorns, a couple of dwarfs, and the dryads joined the group of faeries to celebrate the Spring Equinox. A sudden hush fell over the group and we all looked skyward. A Light appeared in the sky and grew larger as it descended, landing in the middle of the circle. Then, in a flash of sparkling pink light, Arial appeared.

The drums that we had heard earlier started again, Arial walked around the group, smiling and placing her hand on each creature’s head as they bowed before her. She turned to the east, tapped her staff on the ground three times and chanted, “Mother Earth, it’s Ostara and now is the hour, time to awaken. and green, and flower.”

She turned to the south and repeated the chant. Once more, after turning to the west, she tapped her staff three times and chanted, “Mother Earth, it’s Ostara, and now is the hour, time to awaken, and green, and flower. After a long silence, the group exploded in cheers and applause. Arial spun up into the darkness with her wand extended. Shimmering light cascaded down over the entire grove. Tables of food appeared around the outside of the area and were converged upon. Fiddles and pan flutes began to play a lively tune and Celtic drums kept the beat. Someone on the edge of the circle started a spiral dance and soon the whole glade was dancing and singing as the circle twirled in toward the center. Faeries and pixies held hands, one dwarf held a unicorns ear with one hand and spun a Dryad around with the other. At one point Warren and Odette jumped into the fray and began dancing in circles.

Since Bill isn’t one for dancing, we just sat on our pillows and enjoyed the show. It was well after midnight when the festivities started to wind down. Arial was making her way toward us through the crowd, waving goodbye to everyone as she came, and wishing them safe journey. “We should be returning to the garden now Kind One, before the Bogies start coming out to forage.”

I looked over at Bill who could hardly keep his eyes open. “Yes, I think that would be a good idea.” I picked up the gnomes and put them in Bills jacket pocket so that they couldn’t get lost in the dark on the way back.

We started walking back up the path the way we had come. Arial was in front with four faeries of the emerald guard and the rest followed behind. As we got closer to the ivy hedge, a chill swept over me and I stopped abruptly, making Bill stumble a little. He leaned in and whispered, “What?”

Arial and the guard had their wands raised, tips glowing bright orange-red. We stood, frozen. Wild rustling sounds were coming from the other side.

© Tami Ruesch, The Misty World of Arial Hollyberry, 2009.