The Red Fairy: Humans in Faerie

By H. vonStackelberg

Nina has a choice; she can go face the unknown, or watch her lover die a painful death. A magical drug has made her girlfriend deathly ill, and Nina has to go through a portal to Faerie, to get a cure. But it isn't as simple as going to the drug store, she has to face hungry griffins and man-eating plants, even before she deals with the fairies, and the humans that work for them...

A contemporary fantasy, “The Red Fairy” is a story of courage, determination, and venturing into strange places for the people you love. Buy “The Red Fairy” to find the extraordinary in the ordinary.

• Language: English
• Publisher: H. vonStackelberg
• Release date: Sep 28, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386389620

Book preview

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Nina dragged her feet as she walked up to her apartment building. She knew she was doing it, and a small part of her hated herself for it; she had always gotten after her baby sister for dragging her feet, told her it made her look sloppy and lazy. But here was Nina, sliding the heel of her boot along the ice-crusted sidewalk with each step because she couldn't bring herself to lift her feet properly.

Mostly, she was just too damn tired. Her limbs felt like they had gained five kilos since she left this morning, her eyelids drooped and she found herself blinking often. She had hardly exerted herself physically, today; she had spent it sitting on uncomfortable stacking chairs, talking to three different employment agencies. The women in each place had been bright, chipper and encouraging, and completely devoid of any substantial possibility of a job for her.

Nina stepped up the three shallow steps to the door and fiddled with her key in the old and crotchety lock until it grudgingly consented to let her in. She stopped and looked at the brass mailbox in the entrance with their apartment number on it, glaring at it warily like it was a growling dog that may or may not lunge and bite, with its bills and notices.

She shook her head to herself and went on through the inner door. She couldn't face the contents of their mailbox right now. Maybe Pasha had better luck today.

Slowly, moving as if she were much older than her twenty-eight years, she hauled herself up the two flights of stairs to their apartment. When she got to the door, she could hear music playing; Great Big Sea, the Canadian folk-rock band that Pasha always played when she was working on art.

Nina opened the door to see Pasha at her desk in the corner of their living room, her head bobbing in time to the music. Nina smiled, despite her fatigue and heartache. Pasha hadn't been doing her art for a few months now, as they had been scrambling to pay the bills and the stress on both of them had mounted.

But seeing Pasha at work again, something in Nina eased; something she hadn't known was knotted so tight until now. She hoped that it meant that Pasha had had a good day, maybe even landed a job, but even if she hadn't, Nina was glad to see her working.

She touched Pasha's upper arm. Hey babe.

Pasha started violently, nearly jumping out of her chair, and Nina also jumped back, reflexively. She looked up at Nina with wild eyes, and shook her head. Jeez, Nina. Don't sneak up on me like that when I'm working.

Sneak up on you? Nina crinkled her brow in puzzlement. I made lots of noise just now, coming in. You didn't hear me?

I... Pasha glanced at the closed door with a slight frown, like it really should have warned her. I guess I didn't.

Well, you must have been really absorbed in your work. I'm sorry to have startled you, but it's good to see you working. Nina smiled and stepped forward to lay a tender and passionate kiss on Pasha's lips.

Except Pasha didn't kiss back; she also didn't pull away or turn her head, like she didn't want to be kissed.

Nina stepped back and frowned at her lover. Does this, she waved a hand at the pencils, markers, pastels and papers that covered Pasha's desk, mean that you had a good day?

Hmm, yeah. Some good ideas. Pasha turned back to her work and a moment later Nina was sure that Pasha was completely unaware that she was there. Again.

Nina stood looking at Pasha's back, not sure whether to feel hurt or simply dismiss it as artistic absent-mindedness. But as she stared at Pasha feverishly sketching, she realized that the wild-eyed look that Pasha had given her after being startled hadn't really gone away, and her eyes were wide and dilated when she turned back to her work.

Nina let out a short huff of a breath and shook her head a little, trying to convince herself that it wasn't true. Pasha had dabbled in drugs a little, years ago. She said that Ecstasy or Acid could sometimes fuel a really great creative session, or help get her going again on a project when she was feeling stuck.

But she hadn't used any since she and Nina had moved in together. They couldn't afford it, for one thing, and Pasha had sensed Nina's disapproval, and had simply stopped using them. Nina didn't consider herself a prude when it came to drugs, she just didn't like how Pasha acted when she was on them. And it seemed, vaguely, unsettlingly, like cheating to use drugs to stimulate creative work.

The way Pasha was acting now seemed like when she had taken acid – and yet not.

Pasha, are you high? The words came out of Nina's mouth before she had consciously decided to say them.

Pasha startled again, though not as violently as the first time, and turned to look at Nina. Her eyes were definitely dilated, and her expression looked...fey. The old-fashioned word was really the only way to describe it, though the next best would be to say that Pasha looked partly otherworldly, and partly crazy.

No, I'm... Pasha's denial trailed off, but it seemed less because of Nina's disbelieving look, and more because Pasha was trying to find a