Reign (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale Book 4) (34 page)
Read Reign (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale Book 4) Online
Authors: Chanda Hahn
“This time, he was. He ripped right
through our wards, and the giants and trolls made quick work of bringing the
building down on us. Knocking out the gas lines. A lot of Fae gave their lives
to help create a protective shield to hold them back while others escaped. But
they couldn’t hold it back, and when the shield fell, the gas line blew.”
“What now?” Ever asked, wiping her eyes
with the corner of her black jacket.
“We get the injured to safety. We have to
hide all evidence of us ever being here. A few will stay behind to keep this
area cloaked as well as trying to keep us hidden from the police. Also, someone
will have to fix this.” She gestured to Brody, and Mina gasped.
“No. You can’t.”
“I’m sorry, Mina. But we have too. He’s
seen too much.”
“He helped. He was saving lives.” She
tried to champion Brody’s cause, but he just gave her arm a squeeze.
“We told you, you could have one.”
Constance answered.
“Yeah, well, your rules suck. And I don’t
think I’m going to follow them anymore.” Mina grabbed Brody’s arm and tried to
lead him away as fast as she could.
But Ferah walked up to Brody and, in a
split second, placed her hand on his forehead. A slight glow appeared around
him, then dissipated.
“No!” Mina swatted her hand away and
looked to Brody. He eyes weren’t focusing. “Brody! Brody, answer me. It’s me.
Mina.”
He didn’t say a word.
Constance motioned to someone down by the
waterfront, and a woman started softly singing. She must have been another
muse, like Constance, for when she sang, fire sprang up. In seconds, the dead
were engulfed in flames, and Mina cried out.
Her Godmother was no more. It hurt. To
not be able to say good-bye. Mei had done so much for her and her family.
Protecting her, watching out for her, and causing a bit of mischief at the same
time. How was she going to tell her mom about this?
Constance turned to Ferah and Nix. “Get
the last of the Fae loaded up. We need to get to our backup location before the
dark prince comes back for us.”
Nix nodded and ran over to one of the Fae
loading trucks. He jumped up onto the back of the truck bed and began getting
the people settled in as comfortably as he could.
“Where are you going? Where are you
taking Nix?” Mina asked, feeling like she was being abandoned.
“We have to get to a safe house. I have
to protect our people. I’m sorry, Mina. But right now, they are my first
priority.”
“You’re abandoning me? You are the one to
start all of this and now you’re walking away.”
“Look at the truck and tell me what you
see.”
She scanned the back and saw Nix sitting
down, pulling a small child into his lap. “Children. I see a lot of women and
children.”
Constance nodded her head. “They ran
while the men fought off Teague’s army and tried to keep the building from
collapsing. I have to get them to safety. I can’t let Teague hurt them.”
“I understand,” Mina whispered. Her heart
ached for all of the children that lost a loved one or a parent.
Constance was about to head up to the
trucks but turned to give her a warning. “Mina, there’s something else you
should know.”
She was exhausted and hurting, and she
didn’t really want to hear any more news from the GM’s.
“Teague’s goal wasn’t just to attack us.
He took something.”
“What was it?” Mina began to chew on her
lip in worry. She didn’t need her most dangerous ally to have another huge
weapon.
“He stole one of the mirrors from the
hall.”
“You mean one of the Grimm mirrors? Whose
mirror?”
Constance pushed her glasses up on her
nose and gave her a worried look. “Yours.”
“What?” It was worse than she thought. If
Teague had her mirror, there was no way for her to ever surprise him. He could
watch her every second of every day. Her stomach rolled, and she turned and
slipped her hand into Brody’s unresponsive one. He was still in a memory funk.
In a matter of minutes, the rest of the
Fae had cleared the site and were pulling away in the loaded the trucks. Ever,
Mina, and Brody watched as five trucks filed in line and drove down an old
service road. On their way to who knows where. Nix’s truck was the last to pull
out, and he watched them solemnly. When they were about to turn a corner and
pass out of sight, Nix stood up and waved goodbye.
Brody snapped out of his coma to raise
his arm and salute his best friend. Mina turned and gave him an odd stare. Ever
just grinned and rolled her eyes.
“Do you know who I am?” Mina asked,
waving her hand in front of Brody’s face.
“Of course I do.” Brody made an amused
face and gently pushed her hand down.
“What do you remember?” She tested him.
“Everything.”
“Everything, everything or just—”
“Mina.” Brody reached into his pocket and
pulled out a little charm. It was identical to the one Nan had. “I remember
everything.”
“How?” She almost started crying in
relief.
“Nix slipped it into my pocket in the
tunnel and told me to not lose it. And if anything weird happened to just play
dumb.”
“But where did Nix get this charm?” Mina
asked.
“Why, he stole it.” Ever chimed in. “I
watched him swipe it right out of Pandora’s box. You know Nixies have a thing
for pretty little baubles. I wouldn’t be surprised if he stole a whole bunch of
other stuff from the GMs while he was here.”
“I’m so thankful he did,” Mina cried and
gave Brody a hug. Then she turned to Ever. “So what are you going to do now?
Why didn’t you go with them, and go into hiding?”
Ever snorted. “Hiding’s not really my
thing. And we can’t let Teague get away with this.”
“No, no we can’t,” Mina agreed.
“Plus, I happen to have gotten to know
him quite well—or at least Jared pretty well—over the last few
years. So if someone has an inside scoop on how he thinks, it’s probably me.”
“Ever, thank you.” Mina reached out and
gave her a hug, which Ever tried to get out of as fast as possible.
“Yeah, well I’ve seen you in action and
you really need all the help you can get. Good looks aren’t going to be
enough.” She pointed at Brody, who just shook his head and gave her a wry
smile. “Plus someone has to jump in and be your temporary Godmother, while the
world is ending. I mean a Grimm can’t be without a Fae Godmother. And all the
qualified ones just left.”
Mina couldn’t believe what she was
hearing. “Ever, are you serious?”
“About most things in life…No. About
this…I’m dead serious.”
“I’d be honored to have you be my
Godmother.”
“Great! It’s a deal. Just don’t tell Nan.
That’s really not the image I want everyone to associate with me, you know.”
“Pixie promise,” Mina answered.
“Don’t you know it,” Ever said solemnly.
Ever, Mina, and Brody were standing on
the shore when the glamour hiding them dropped. Suddenly there was a whole
parking lot filled with police, firemen, and what looked like a bomb squad who
might be able to see them.
“So what do we do next?” Brody asked
while they stared at the flashing lights and sirens going off. It was
unbelievable how much had been muffled by the glamour. Even the heat was ten
times more intense now than before.
“He’s not finished.” Ever announced. Her
wings started to flap quickly, pushing more hot air toward Mina. “This is just
the beginning of what he’s going to do.”
“Teague’s got an army, so I think
we
need an army,” Mina answered.
“And where do you think we’re going to
find an army strong enough to take down one of the strongest Fae in both
planes?” Ever asked.
Mina pulled out the seam ripper. “I’m not
sure, but I think we can come up with something. I won’t give up. Mei wouldn’t
want that.”
“Together?” she reached out and put her
hand out palm down.
Ever and Brody smiled and spoke at the
same time. “Together.”
The End
About the Author
Chanda Hahn takes her experience as a children's pastor, children's
librarian, and bookseller to write compelling and popular fiction for young
teens. She was born in Seattle, WA, grew up in Nebraska, and currently resides
in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and their twins, Aiden and Ashley.
Visit
Chanda Hahn’s website to learn more about her other forthcoming books.
Other Books by Chanda Hahn
UnEnchanted
(An Unfortunate Fairy Tale Book 1)
Fairest
(An Unfortunate Fairy Tale Book 2)
Fable
(An Unfortunate Fairy Tale Book 3)
Reign
(An Unfortunate Fairy Tale Book 4)
An Unfortunate
Fairy Tale Book 5 2015
Connect with Me Online at:
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/chandahahn
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/ChandaHahnAuthor
Connect with Me Online at:
Web
site:
www.chandahahn.com
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/chandahahn
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/ChandaHahnAuthor
Thank
you for Pre Ordering
Reign.
As
a special thank you from the author, I’ve included the elusive
Jared’s
Quest, An Unfortunate Fairy Tale Short Story.
**Please
note**
Jared’s
Quest takes place in the timeline between UnEnchanted and Fairest.
Even
though you are reading it after REIGN
Jared’s
Quest
Chapter 1
He could
see her from his perch in the tree. She was crouched below trying to be
inconspicuous in the bushes. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a loose
ponytail, and she wore all black clothes to blend into the night.
Very
cliché.
All she needs
now is a utility belt and a cape and she’ll look like Batman.
Jared had
watched her for days and seen the signs—the lack of sleep, the anxiety,
the constant looking over her shoulder. He could sense it too, the buildup of
power that usually foretold a quest. Mina Grime was about to step into some
very dangerous Fae business. He couldn’t believe she hadn’t even asked for hi
s
help. It was a good thing he didn’t
need anybody’s permission to meddle in
her
business.
Jared
slipped down to the next lowest tree branch to get closer, being careful to not
snag his jacket. He flexed his strained fingers before wiping them on his
jeans. Mina was oblivious to the fact that he’d suddenly materialized in the
tree; she was focused solely on the house in front of her. Her entire body was
tense, like the spring on a mousetrap just waiting to be sprung. A sly smile
crept up Jared’s cheek as a sudden idea popped into his head. It was time to
spring the trap.
Jared
slowly opened his hand. A small yellow glow appeared, and a black stone
materialized into his palm. Taking careful aim, he tossed it into the bushes
ten feet from Mina. Her head flicked to the left, following the sound. He
leaned forward and gripped a smallish branch in the tree, pressing down on it
until it snapped
Mina
jumped—straight into fight or flight mode. She turned in circles, scanning
the area—looking everywhere but up.
Pay
attention, Mina. The sound was in the tree. Attackers can come from anywhere.
He watched as her breathing became ragged
and her hands started to tremble. She pulled the Grimoire out of her jacket and
held it close, at the ready. Jared frowned. Didn’t she realize that she could
ask for his help, instead of the stupid book? Maybe it was because he burned
his bridge of trust with her. No he didn’t just burn it. He destroyed it with
dynamite, and left their trust in piece with his evasiveness.
He ran
his hand through his thick hair, and his eyes narrowed. He thrust out his hand,
and an even larger rock magically appeared. This time, he dispensed with the
caution and launched it into the trees behind her.
She
visibly jumped and said somethin
g—barely
audible.
The
re
!
His name.
A small frightened
whimper, but enough for him. He didn’t know why, but just hearing her say his
name calmed him. Mina was moving underneath his tree, and he didn’t need any
prodding.
When
she passed in front, he nimbly leapt down. Although his branch was a good
twelve feet from the ground, his landing was nothing but silent. Jared grabbed
Mina around the waist and lifted her off her feet.
“EEEK—mmph!” Mina yelped loudly but
was quickly hushed by Jared’s hand over her mouth.
“Mina,
you really should be quieter,” he whispered into her ear, as he gently put her
down on the ground. He took a deep breath and tried to hide his smile. She
smelled like strawberries and vanilla. A scent that—in the Fae
world—wouldn’t be considered all that beautiful or fascinating. But to
him…on her it was just right.
Mina
spun to face him and pushed him on the chest. Her little eyebrows pinched
together in annoyance, and her maple brown eyes filled with anger. Her cheeks
were flushed. Her lips pursed as blood rushed to her face—all the way to
the top of her ears. Just seeing her riled up, thrilled Jared to no end.
“I
am
being quiet you big oaf. You’re the
one who appeared out of nowhere to try to attack me.” She bit her lip and flung
her ponytail backward over her shoulder to stare through the bushes again,
focusing on her target.
Jared
leaned down next to her in pretense, watching whatever she was watching. Now
they were hiding like criminals, huddled in the bushes outside a house in the
middle of the night. The night had started out warm and humid. However, over
the last few minutes, the temperature had dropped considerably, and they were
now surrounded by fog. The little yellow Cape Cod they were surveying backed up
to a greenbelt with a creek. Even now, they could hear the creek ten yards
away, and the air was filled with the sound frogs croaking.
Mina
had been on edge for days, sensing that another quest was coming.
She
was right, there was one. But this time, he didn’t necessarily want to help her
figure it out. He just wanted keep her safe. Confronting the evil Fae would
absolutely endanger her life. So what if he was a little slow in the help
department? It’s not like he’d had played the role of Helper often over the
years. He was servant to the Grimoire. Bound, entrapped—anyway he looked
at it, it sucked. But for once in his long life, he’d actually shown himself,
his true self. And to a girl no less! Jared had hidden his form from many of
the Grimms that had come before, but something made him answer Mina’s cry for
help in the beginning. Something about her called to him…and called out to the
Story as well.
The
Story. He felt uneasiness in his gut and couldn’t help but reach out and put a
protective hand on Mina’s shoulder. She jumped, and her breath caught in her
throat. She turned and began to pummel him in the arm.
“What do
you think you’re doing? Stop it!” she hissed quietly. She turned back around,
but not before she mumbled something about boys and watching too many scary
movies.
He smiled.
Couldn’t help but smile. She did something to him that no one ever had before.
She made him feel human, with all of their peculiar range of emotions.
There was
another sudden drop in the temperature, and he knew the quest was coming. He
needed to get Mina out of here.
“We’ve
been here forever because of your girly hunch. I need food, let’s come back
another night, and we can play spy versus spy then.” He waited to see if he
could goad her into moving. She shifted her shoulders and reached into her
pocket. He felt a little surge of happiness. She was going to leave with him.
Something
white came flying through the air and hit him in the chest, dropping onto the
dewy ground with a thud. Jared reached down to pick it up. It was a granola
bar. A slightly squished granola bar. So, she’d take a little more convincing.
He
lifted his lip in fake disdain. “What, were they out of chocolate chip?” He was
running out of time. They needed to leave. Now.
“Jared,
if you don’t shush it, I swear I’ll—”
Quick footsteps
sounded down the driveway, and he snapped back to attention as he felt Mina
tense in front of him. They both stilled and waited in the darkness as the
figure slowed and approached. Jared dropped the granola bar on the ground and
watched.
A girl
with curly reddish blonde hair walked down the driveway toward them, sniffling.
She was short—probably shorter than even Mina. Her heart-shaped face looked
flushed and tears poured down her fair cheeks. She wore a pair of shorts with a
boy’s blue Lincoln Heights high school letterman jacket. She clutched a brown
satchel that was slung over her shoulder and glanced behind her, as if she knew
she was being followed. Her pace quickened, and she passed the house’s front
door and to go around back.
She was
only feet away, but didn’t see them. With a strangely expectant expression, she
turned to look up the driveway. Jared followed the girl’s gaze and noticed
another shadow approaching—a much larger silhouette.
The side screen door opened, and the girl
ducked into the small yellow house. The figure at the end of the driveway grew more
distinctive as it came closer. It was a young man with short-cropped hair and
wearing a white shirt, denim jeans and sneakers. His arms were well-muscled,
and he had the body of an athlete. He walked softly up to the side door,
skipped up the steps and rapped three times.
“Kathleen?”
he chimed out quietly. “Please don’t cry. I’m sorry. I’ll promise to never make
you cry again.”
A porch
light went on. The door opened slightly, and a breathy voice answered. “Tom, do
you promise?”
Tom
looked down at his feet. “Is it that terrible that I tried to kiss you? I’m
sorry it wasn’t what you wanted. I thought it was a fabulous first kiss.”
Kathleen didn’t answer, and Tom looked back up at her pleading. “I’ll never
disappoint you again.”
“No—no
you won’t,” her husky voice answered in return.
Before
Jared and Mina could react, the teen boy was pulled into the house. The inner
door closed, and the screen door banged shut against the doorframe.
Jared’s
skin crawled. He could feel the Fae inside. This was not a run-of-the-mill Fae,
and he had only ever heard of this one in tales.
“Looks
like a lover’s quarrel followed by some making up,” he spoke casually.
Mina
stood and eyed the house quizzically. “I guess,” she answered and started
walking toward the creek. “I just felt so certain that this was the next quest.
That the story wanted me here, and now I don’t know. Maybe this is all a joke.
A bad one set up by the Fates.”
Jared
mentally sighed and followed behind Mina. “Don’t feel too bad, I mean you’re
not the best Grimm I’ve ever seen, so maybe your Grimmdar is off.”
“Grimmdar?”
“You know
Grimm Radar.”
Her hands
flew to her hips as she turned. She looked him squarely in the eye, and arched her
eyebrows accusingly.
Uh oh
. He knew
the signs. He was in trouble now.
“Tell me
the truth, Jared. Could you sense any Fae nearby? I know you can tell when they
are near.”
Ah, she’d
cornered him. He couldn’t outright lie, but he could avoid the truth, and it
was something he was quite good at doing. “Yes, there was a Fae nearby. A tall,
dark and handsome one that is really hungry and quickly wasting away.” His
inner Fae self did a little happy dance at how well he’d avoided her question.
Mina
pointed her finger at him. “No, I mean someone else—wait, listen!”
Jared
stopped and tried to listen, but all he could hear was the beating of his own
nervous heart, when he focused he heard how quiet the woods behind the house had
become…too quiet.
“The
bullfrogs, they stopped,” he whispered.
The
screen door opened again, and Kathleen exited the house holding something in
her hands. She turned towards the woods and started down a small gravel path
toward the creek.
Jared yanked
Mina into his arms and dropped to the ground. She struggled slightly under his
upper body weight and the inconvenience of being smothered by his leather
jacket, but he couldn’t worry about that. He needed to make sure that he masked
her human scent. At least she couldn’t sense that there was another Fae nearby.
Of course
Mina wouldn’t know that. Maybe he should tell her the reason for pressing her
face into the earth and practically making her eat dirt, but that wasn’t in his
nature. He would just let her grumble and fume and complain.
He
watched Kathleen walk to the creek bed and crouch down beside the running
water. “You’re a disappointment, Tom, just like all the others.” Kathleen spoke
sadly.
Jared
felt Mina wiggle underneath him and escape enough for her head to pop up. She’d
be able to look through the tall grass to watch what was unfolding in front of
them.
Kathleen
slid off her shoes and stepped into the dark murky water. As soon as her legs
touched the flowing liquid, her legs turned green and sinewy, her mouth began
to stretch and widen, and her eyes grew even larger until she resembled a skinny
but very human-sized frog.
Her green
webbed fingers still clutched something in her hands, and it was trying to jump
away from her, but she gave it a slight shake in frustration. Jared heard the
small croak come from the frog she was holding.
“You
were supposed to save me and end my curse. You promised to be my prince. Instead,
you failed. And now you are like all the others. Ugly, useless, beasts.”
She flung
the bullfrog, who was once a very human Tom, into the creek, and he landed in
the water with a small splash. A few seconds later Tom’s frog head peeked above
the water and croaked at her in protest. Followed by another frog head, and
another frog head. The creek was quickly filled with dozens of large bullfrogs.
All of them were croaking at Kathleen in anger.
She waved
her hand at them, and they silenced their croaking symphony.
“You’re
all disappointments. Failures. Making promises you cannot keep. You deserve
your fate. Every single one of you,” she yelled into the night before walking
to the edge of the marshy creek. Once she’d stepped onto the embankment her
glamour faded, and she was fully human again. She collapsed to the ground and
began to sob miserably.
