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Whispering Through the Veil © J.T. Evans
"The Gobs are back, Dad."
"Mrph. Nmmble. Huh?" I tried to sound coherent as Jason shook me awake from a great dream involving a beach, his mother and very little clothing.
"Dad! Get up. The Gobs are back in my room."
This grabbed my attention, and I bolted out of bed. "Which ones? Randy, Marty or Nicky?"
"None of them. It's two new ones, and they're chanting this time, but I can't understand the words, and I'm scared, so I came to get-"
"Ok. Ok. Settle down," I put a hand on Jason's shoulder as I interrupted the world's longest run on sentence. "We'll see what this is about. Let's go downstairs, and be quiet. I don't want to wake your mom." I glanced over at Maria to ensure she remained deeply asleep. A light snore from her direction confirmed my hopes.
As we moved down the stairway to Jason's room, I looked at my seven-year-old son. The fear in his eyes appeared muted compared to the terror he experienced when the Gobs appeared for the first time two years earlier. While the little green men carried a frightening countenance with their gigantic heads and gnarled teeth, they meant no harm to children. Their goals matched mine, protecting my son from harm. We'd learned over the years Gobs warned of an attack on Jason from the faerie realms.
I opened the door to my son's bedroom with great care and peered inside not knowing what to expect. The dim light of the glow-in-the-dark stars glued to his ceiling didn't provide enough illumination to see details of the room, but I knew the Gobs were there somewhere. As the door creaked open, I switched on the main light hanging from the fan in the center of the room.
"Oi! You tryin' ta blind us?"
"Hey! What's the bright idea, bub?"
Even though the pair of voices floated out from beneath the bed, the light still bothered the Gobs' eyes. Out of respect for the allies I had reluctantly allowed into my life, I flipped the switch to douse the lights. Sighs of relief filtered up from beneath the bed.
I crouched on my hands and knees to peer under Jason's race car shaped bed. While I looked under the bed, Jason slipped over to his translucent angel night light and turned it on to provide a modicum of light for us to see by. I saw the shadowy forms of two Gobs. Over the past two years, I learned to recognize the different Fae visiting us, and I remained very certain these two had never visited us before.
I beckoned to the two Gobs hiding under the bed. "Come on out and let's talk."
The two faerie creatures slipped out from beneath the bed and grew from a diminutive six inches in height to a full three feet. As they rose, the lighter green splotches mottling their dark green hide became more apparent. Tufts of brown hair sprouted on their shoulders as they rose to their full size. The first to finish growing approached me with a hand extended, "Hiya. I'm Tommy, and this is me brother, Timmy. Nice to meet ya."
After the Gobs first arrived in Jason's bedroom two years ago, I spent countless hours in the library and on the Internet researching faerie folk. I knew better than to take his hand because a handshake with a Fae guaranteed a contract of some sort. I never wanted to owe a Gob another favor if I could help it. Instead of taking his hand, I sat back on the floor and motioned my boy to stand at my side.
Once we settled in, I looked back and forth between the two Fae. "What threatens my son this time? We've had to chase off Nibs, Bibs, Nobs, Bobs, Greens, Browns, Selks and Sulks for two years now. We're getting very tired of it, and I would like to know why they keep showing up for my little boy. He's too young to sign into a binding accord with anyone of the Seelie or Unseelie houses. Only my wife and I could sign him over to your kind, and both of us were ignorant of the Fae until the first Gobs showed up with warnings." Exasperation crept into my voice. "Just give us your warning, and go away. We just want to be left alone, please."
The other Gob, Timmy, spoke up, "An accord has been signed, and your son is of age for collection. He shall become a Changeling, and none will be left in his place. So it has been signed. So it has been agreed."
Jason reached for the bag of iron shavings hidden under his pillow, but I stopped him with a glance and a slight shake of my head. Keeping my attention focused on the pair of Gobs, I narrowed my eyes a bit. "You're always the messengers of the Fae and protectors of the children. Why are you risking angering your queen by giving us warning about an unknown agreement?"
"It's our duty," said Tommy.
"It's our calling," said Timmy almost simultaneously.
I thought for a moment before replying, "Changeling Accords must be written and signed. They cannot be a verbal agreement. I've learned that much during the past two years. Do you have the contract?"
A sad look passed over Tommy's face for a moment as he reached into a small pouch at his side. He produced a piece of parchment much too large to fit naturally in the bag on his hip. The Gob extended the parchment and its silver roller toward me. I took the contract and unrolled it. I didn't bother reading the terms, but looked immediately at the bottom of the scroll for the signatures of those involved in the accord.
I sat on the floor of my son's bedroom as a silent shock ran through my bones and a chill filled my body from recognition of the signatures. My father's penmanship glared off the page next to a beautiful set of calligraphy bearing the name of the Summer Queen. The contract held legitimate signatures by blood relatives for a Changeling.
"Dad?"
Jason's voice snapped me from my shock, and I looked at him. He peered out his window. I rose to my knees, and followed his line of sight to our back yard. An eerie green glow emanated from his tree house, and I saw large black figures flowing down the trunk of the oak and into our yard.
Tommy spoke up. "The Hobs are here to collect your son. You have a few moments to say goodbye before they take him, with or without force. He will become a servant of our queen and will be treated well. You have no need to fear for his safety or future."
Hobs.
So many thoughts flooded my head about past battles with the Fae. From my readings, Hobs were the worst. We had yet to face them, but they existed to be the premier warriors of the faerie folk. Even the vulnerability to iron barely slowed them. I glanced out the window and saw thirteen obsidian shapes gathered about the base of the large tree. They planned an attack. The certainty of it drove me to action.
I couldn't just sit there and wait for them to take my son. There had to be a loophole in the accord, but it usually fell in favor of the Fae, not the mortals. My father made his living as a shrewd haggler and a wonderful lawyer. Focusing my attention on the document to find a way out I found myself wishing I had more time to explore every nuance of the agreement, but the Hobs marched toward the house.
I looked up from the yellowed parchment and saw that the Gobs had vanished back under the bed. "Jason. Take your iron filings and spread them about the window sill. It'll slow the Hobs a little. Keep a few handfuls to throw at the first few that make it in. I've got to find a way out of this."
Jason followed my instructions without hesitation. He'd been involved in every fight against the Fae, and knew our tactics inside and out. I continued to scan the document and a phrase leaped out at me, "Any blood descendant of the undersigned mortal...." I backtracked a few sentences and started reading more diligently.
A thud shook the window as the first Hob struck the plexiglass and rebounded off. After the second set of broken panes of glass two years earlier, we replaced all the windows with thick plastic plates. Jason prepared to fling his iron at any Hobs who entered. His hand shook in fear and tears streamed down his face, but he stood strong in the face of the assault. Pride in his unwavering bravery filled my chest as I went back to the contract. I found the sentences I had hoped would be in the document.
"The undersigned Fae shall wait until after the fifth year of the life of the undersigned mortal's offspring to collect his or her owed debt. Any blood descendant of the undersigned mortal may be taken into service of the Fae."
I knew of a way out. I was an only child, and my wife never bore us a child. We adopted Jason as our son. The entire time the Fae harassed us over Jason, they should have been targeting me. I kept the scroll in my left hand and walked over to Jason. "Hand me your iron filings. You won't be going anywhere tonight. I don't care what the Summer Queen or her lackeys have to say about it."
Jason dumped the iron bits into my hand.
"Now open the window."
Jason looked at me with an astonished look on his face and shook his head. "Why?"
"I have a plan to get you out of this. I promise."
Jason looked at me a moment longer before stepping to the window and opening it. I stepped to the window with a single stride and flung my iron filings at the nearest Hobs. They recoiled with instinctive terror which gave me a chance to scrape up another handful from the sill.
I yelled outside, "Summon your queen. You cannot have this child of mine!" I waved the accord out the window. "This contract between your lady and my father stipulates only his blood can be taken. My son is not of my blood. You must take me in his stead."
"Dad!"
"Scott!"
The two cries behind me made me spin to find Maria standing beside Jason. During their attempts to break into the house, the Hobs had awoken Maria.
"Scott, what are you doing? What's going on?"
I glanced back outside to find the Hobs milling about in confusion while two of them conferred. Turning back to my family, I waved the parchment in the air. "My father made a deal with the Fae. It appears his success and riches came at a price."
Maria's strong shoulders fell into a slump as she deflated. She looked at the floor in exasperation with her hair falling about her face. "What price are we talking about?"
"A person of his lineage and blood will be taken into service by the Summer Queen. This is what the harassment over the last two years has been about. The Fae assumed Jason came from us naturally even though he was adopted. I am the only blood offspring of my father."
Maria looked from the floor to my face. I could see the redness in her eyes even in the dim light. I continued explaining, "The contract can't be broken without losing all we have and more. Much more. The Fae will claim what we have and probably the three of us as slaves to pay for the 'interest' of the debt that has accumulated over the decades of wealth we have enjoyed."
"But that means you have to pay the price of your father's success!" Maria looked beside herself with concern. She moved up next to me and wrapped her slender arm around my waist. She started to weep into my shoulder.
We stood by the window and watched the hunched shoulders of the Hobs as the Fae gathered together. We couldn't understand their tongue, but from the tone it became obvious an argument brewed. Eventually the tallest and most muscle-bound of the warrior faerie broke from the group. He nodded his square head once in my direction, and then turned to the tree house. He marched around the tree dragging the stone tip of his spear to form a summoning circle around the trunk. Once the circle formed, the rest of the Hobs grouped around the oak and began to chant.
The twin voices of Tommy and Timmy screeched from beneath the bed.
"She comes!"
"No! We must flee her wrath."
Before the Gobs arranged their escape, the entire oak tree shuddered hard enough to shake a large number of leaves free. A bright yellow line formed along the length of the trunk of the venerable tree. The line perfectly split the heart Maria and I had carved into the tree when we were dating in high school. The line pulsed for a moment before snapping open into a doorway. The heart vanished behind the open portal.
I held my breath waiting.
The wait seemed to last days.
With a blast of cool air and the scent of irises on the wind, She stepped through the portal. The gentle hum of the city fell into awed silence at the presence of such a powerful being. The mournful howling of a lone dog in the distance remained the only sound creeping through the silence.
I openly wept at the sight of her horrible beauty. Curling locks of golden red hair flowed around a face so flawless, so perfect no mortal could dare to look fully upon it, and once they did they dared not look away for fear of missing a moment of Her glowing countenance. As the Summer Queen came to a stop in the mortal realm, the Hobs dropped to their knees in supplication around the hem of the queen's long emerald dress.
Instead of dropping to my knees, I stood enraptured by her beauty. Pearl-white teeth peeked out from behind lush, red lips that swelled with contempt for all things mortal. Her thin nose rose up between green eyes to merge with a smooth and flawless forehead.
Her emerald eyes surveyed my back yard before her sing-song voice rang out, "Why have I been brought to this pathetic place?"
The accord in my left hand began to burn into my flesh. The startling pain of the faerie fire brought my attention back to my goals and my situation. I took a deep breath and called out the window. "Lady of Summer, Mistress of Nature, Bringer of Warmth and Kindness, I summoned you so you may claim your half of an accord signed by Wilfred Hawthorne."
I paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "I am yours to claim."
I heard Jason and Maria behind me quietly crying and holding each another. Maria would have argued my leaving with the Queen, but she had studied just as hard as I had during our time battling the Fae. She knew there was no way out of an accord with the Fae once the blood signatures were applied.
The Summer Queen turned toward me. "Step out here, mortal who claims I am owed his servitude. I wish to see if thou art worthy."
"One moment, please. I wish to say goodbye to my family."
The Fae waved her hand in my direction as if a few moments, or even hours or days, didn't matter to her. As a true immortal she held infinite patience in most matters.
I turned back to Jason and Maria and brought them into my arms. I choked as I cried, but I managed to get out the words I needed to say. "I'm sorry I have to go. My father arranged this without me knowing. I wish I had been aware of it, so I could maybe find a way out. I don't have time for that now, but on the other side of the Fae veil I will have forever to find a way back to you."
"Maria, be good as you always are. You can do this. Explain my absence however you wish. Make up some story about wanderlust taking over my soul and forcing me to explore the world. It is what happened to my father, and people will believe it."
Maria nodded through her tears.
"Jason, I will always be with you in spirit. You may not know this yet, but I will be able to keep an eye on you from the other side. I'll always peer over your shoulder and help you when I can. Just because I'm leaving you doesn't mean I don't love you. If I had a way to stay at your side forever, I would take it. I just don't have that option right now. Be good for your mother."
As I finished speaking, I choked up even more, and had to wait a minute to catch my breath.
"I love both of you." As I said those final words, I released my family and turned to face the Fae waiting for me outside.
Clambering through the window with as much grace as I could manage, I felt the chill of the night and a shiver crossed my body. A bad feeling filled my soul about the future, but I had no choice. My father's contract with the Fae bound me to Her service. My father's death three years earlier robbed me of a chance to gain any form of revenge for destroying my family. Still, I silently cursed the sorry bastard.
As I approached the Summer Queen, I realized how tall she stood. My six and a half foot frame usually gave me an advantage during confrontations, but she stood another hand span above me. Despite my lack of height, I looked her in the eye as I handed the accord to her. Her graceful arm slowly reached forth and took the document from my quivering hand. I tried to tell myself the cold breeze caused my quaking, but I knew better.
The slim fingers of the Fae's hand unfurled the length of the parchment, and her startling chartreuse eyes scanned the words. I stood in silence waiting while the Hobs gathered around the queen and me with their spears pointed in my direction. Moments faded to minutes as we awaited the queen's pleasure.
At last, she looked from the contract to me. "I can sense Wilfred's blood in your veins. The child you have taken into your home as your own will not suffice for this contract. I gave much to your father and I will reap at least a minimal reward for doing so even if you are not the one I desire. I need a child of innocence to act the role as my Summer Knight who was recently..." She paused thoughtfully as if choosing her next word carefully, "...indisposed. I was hoping to claim your son. You shall make a fine addition as a sentinel to a particular crossroads in my realm."
After a moment's pause she threw the accord on the ground and it burst into bright green flames. "Come with me, my new guardian." She turned her back on me and walked to the tree. The Hobs surrounding us urged me to follow with grunts and thrusts of their spears. I turned back to my house one last time and waved a final goodbye to my family. The tears I held back flowed again as I stepped through the portal in the oak tree, and followed the Summer Queen into her realms.
# # #
The place given to me by the queen stood near the veil between the mortal lands and the Fae world. She gave me the task of watching the entrance to her kingdom and lighting a beacon fire if any mortal entered at that point. When the Hobs first dumped me in this place, they marched me around the perimeter of the clearing with its copse of trees, and informed me of the boundaries of my confinement. While getting the grand tour of the small area, I took it all in. A cool breeze carried the scent of fresh snowfall from mountains near the horizon. How the clean smell of snow from the peaks could reach me, I did not know, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The trees held a variety of fruits, but the colors were off. The apples were blue, the pears were bright orange, the cherries were yellow and the bananas were pinkish-white in color. Even with the strange color, the fruit tasted wonderful and extra sweet.
I held my post night and day without becoming hungry, thirsty or tired. The birds in the trees singing their songs helped me pass the days along. The days turned into months, and I began to notice movement on the other side of the veil. I saw people going about their daily business in the mortal realm. I often thought of Jason and Maria, and tried to see them through the veil. At times I managed to catch slight glimpses of Jason's shape, but I saw very little in the way of details.
As the months passed me by, I discovered I held a slight amount of control over the barrier between the mortal realm and the one holding me captive. I didn't hold the power to pierce the barrier physically, but I could move it around the other world and saw what I wished to see. I focused my view firmly on Jason, and watched him as his grief for my loss faded to sadness. He seemed to be growing so fast, and then I realized the time I experienced did not match the time Jason experienced. My time moved much slower than his.
As I observed him going through his life, I found pleasure in his laughter and love, even without me in his life. Moments of sadness plagued him, and during these times, I gently pressed into the veil and whispered to him, "I'm still here, and I love you." My words pulled him from his dark times.
As he grew, he walked into moments of decision. Do I ask her out? Do I take those drugs? Should I kiss her now? My heart's broken, what do I do now? Will I ever love again?
At each of these moments, I leaned hard into the barrier, and whispered my advice. Sometimes he heard me and listened. Other times he seemed to not hear me at all. With the first few suggestions I made, I noticed I moved a bit slower for a while, but soon recovered. Sometimes, a whisper across the veil took so much out of me, I could hardly move and my skin took on a grayish tint.
After one particularly harsh exertion of effort, a mortal stumbled through the veil. I attempted to do my duty and light my watch fire, but I found I couldn't move. The interloper stopped and laughed a hearty guffaw at my expense. He approached me and sat down at my feet before speaking in a mirthful tone. "Thank you for thinning the veil enough for me to cross. I've been trying to find an easy way into the the Fae realms for quite some time. My usual routes seem closed to me lately."
Before I recovered at his sudden appearance, he continued. "You don't know what you're doing to yourself, stranger! I know you're a mortal here in these lands, and you do not have Fae powers. You may be able to pierce the veil from time-to-time, but the more you do it, the faster you will turn to stone! Already your feet have turned, and I fear they are now lost."
Shock filled me as I looked down at my lower extremities. They had turned to stone and rooted me into place. The rest of my skin had taken on a granite-like texture, but remained slightly flexible. I looked back at the happy stranger and managed to get out the words, "Can you help me?"
"Nay. You're on your own in this fight against the power of the Fae. Either you learn to control it, or it will take you over. I fear you're already bound for becoming something else, but there is not much I can do for you." The man pulled his bright patchwork cloak about his body as he stood and spoke, "I have need of meeting with your queen. I'll light your signal fire for you to keep you out of trouble. Have a good day or week or month, depending on your point of view."
He flicked his hand toward the pile of wood standing near me and it erupted into a large billowing bonfire. As he walked into the nearby forest with a skip in his step, he tipped his wide-brimmed hat in my direction.
The man's comments bewildered me, but they gave me food for thought. My efforts seemed to be turning me to stone in small measures. The more effort I put into whispering to my son, the faster I turned to stone.
The affliction didn't matter. I whispered anyway. I swore when we brought Jason home I would guide and protect him for as long as I remained able, at any cost. If this meant turning myself to a stone plinth, so be it. I firmly decided to continue helping my son.
Over the course of the years my son grew to a man and passed through the many trials and tribulations every man faces. His strength of character and honor held him true in many rough situations. As he grew my intercessions became rarer. By this time I only had use of my arms, shoulders, neck and head. The rest of my body had turned to stone over the years as I spoke in hushed tones to Jason to guide him through his rough patches. Every year on his birthday, I couldn't resist leaning into him and telling him how much I loved and missed him.
As he grew well into adulthood, Maria passed away. I wanted to hold him, but the best I could muster were muffled tears in his ear while sharing his pain. He handled the death of his mother much better than I did, and his strength made me proud.
The cloaked stranger chose this moment to walk into my life again. He approached me with a sad look on his face. "Mister, you're sure a stubborn one. I've kept a few eyes on you over the years, and you strike me as a good man. I can intercede with the Summer Queen on your behalf and have her release you from your bonds. I can't guarantee she'll listen to me, but I'm willing to call in the favor if you like."
I paused in my grief to listen to his offer. If I were released, I might be able to regain the lost use of my body. I could rejoin my son and live a normal life. Tears of joy at these prospects joined my tears of sadness. I managed to get out the words, "Please. I'll be forever grateful for your help."
The traveler smiled at me, "Forever is a long time, but we'll see what we can work out. First I have to talk to her highness. Promise me you'll lay off the veil whispering until I return. You're already in bad enough shape as it is."
I nodded, "You have my word, Mister.... I don't even know your name."
"You can call me Tathas."
"Very well, Tathas. You have my promise to not pierce the veil with my words until you return."
Several hours passed before my new companion returned, and I could tell by the look on his face he bore no good news. He pulled his legs under him as he sat at my stony feet. "I'm sorry, my friend. The queen refused my request for a boon."
"I understand. She doesn't seem the type to break a contract."
"Contract? Oi. I didn't know about any agreement like that. Was she expecting someone else to fulfill your end of the bargain?"
"My son."
"That makes sense. She's been in search of a new prince for quite some time, and she's always been partial to children for that role. That explains why she dumped you out in the middle of nowhere. She laid claim to your son, but had to take you instead. I'm impressed that you found a loophole in her accord. That's a rare thing."
"You
seem to know quite a bit about the Fae. How have you learned all of
this?" He shook his cloak out from under his legs, and thought for a moment. He seemed to be carefully picking his words. "You can call me an emissary of sorts. I broker deals between Summer and Winter in an effort to keep the peace between the two. We've not seen an all out war for hundreds of years, and I'd like to keep it that way."
"Well, if you can't get me out of this spot, I don't think anyone can." I looked down at where he sat. "If you get a chance to visit again, I'll always have time to talk. It's been nice visiting with you, but I need to return to my son. He's about to attend his mother's funeral, and I think he may need me."
A sad look crossed Tathas's face as he stood. "You know what you're doing and the price you're paying. I don't like it much, but I'll leave you to it. I'll come around again if I can." With his final words, he walked away over a nearby hill, and into my past.
# # #
Later on in years, Jason married and started a family of his own. His family brought intense happiness to me for he had lived alone for so long. By this time, I only had the use of my head and one arm. The rest of me had turned into solid, unfeeling, uncaring stone.
As Jason surrounded himself with his own loved ones, he needed my guidance less and less. I turned some of my care and attention to my grandchildren, but they did not know me and our tenuous connection remained weak. I knew a great effort would be required to speak to them, and I no longer had it in me.
As Jason's days turned to night, I knew the end of his time neared. He became older, frailer and sicker for greater lengths of time. Finally his body failed him, but his spirit refused to give up. The granite of my chest ran dark with tear streaks, and I knew what must be done.
With one last effort, I pressed into the veil separating us and whispered, "I love you. I love you. I love you. Give in to your time and join your mother. Maybe I will see you soon. I love y..." The remainder of my body turned to solid stone at this moment. I never had the chance to finish my final words to my beloved son. I sensed him across the veil, and with a harsh shudder his aged and decrepit body finally stopped all motion.
I had done it. I had guided my son through his life from the moment we met until the moment he parted the mortal realm.
My eyes are now locked looking across a forest-ringed plain. Fae come and stare at me and I can hear them talk as they speculate what caused the strange streaks to run down the face of the plinth simply known as "The Whispering Stone." -end- J.T. arrived on this planet
and developed into an adult in the desolate, desert-dominated oil fields
of West Texas. After a year in San Antonio, he spent a year in the northern
tundra of Montana. This year-long stint prepared him for the cold (yet
mild compared to Montana) climate of the Front Range of Colorado. |