Faie Castle

By Candy Rae

This world is not ours alone. We share it with the Cuetiachtli, the Children of the Gods. The Goddess Flidais has charged the kindred of our world, the Faie, with defending us from her vindictive sister, Cailleach, whose determination to take the place of Flidais would have devastating consequences should she succeed.

This world is not alone. It is one of six; each cared for by their own deity and kindred, and linked only by the vortexes, which can only be crossed by those with mixed blood: the descendants of kindred and native species.

Exploratory teams of these descendants are to be sent to the other worlds in efforts to find Cailleach’s Stronghold, but travelling through the vortexes is a perilous undertaking, as two blissfully unaware geology students are about to discover. Progress in the search for Cailleach’s Stronghold is slow, and Faie legionaries flock to defend Alba and the rest of the world from the threat of Cailleach, but with frustrations rising and time starting to run out, the overlying worry is very serious: it may not be enough.

PLANET WOLF
(1) Wolves and War - (2) Conflict and Courage - (3) Homage and Honour - (4) Dragons and Destiny - (5) Valour and Victory - (6) Ambition and Alavidha - (7) Paws and Planets - (8) Tales and Tails

DRAGON WULF
(1) Journey and Jeopardy - (2) Gossamer and Grass - (3) Flames and Freedom

FLYING COLOURS
(1) Rascals and Renegades - (2) Outlaws and Overlords - (3) Sparkles and Sphinxes (forthcoming)

T’QUEL MAGIC
(1) Ephemeral Boundary - (2) Enduring Barrier - (3) Eternal Bulwark

MULTIVERSE MUDDLE
(1) Vampyre Crypt - (2) Faie Castle - (3) Surtr Chasm - (4) Demon Citadel

SAMMY THE CAT
(1) Cat in Charge - (2) Cat at Christmas - (3) Dog not in Charge

• Language: English
• Publisher: Candy Rae
• Release date: Jul 6, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463551646

Candy Rae

Candy Rae has been an avid reader since childhood, with fantasy and science fiction appearing on her bookshelf in her first year of university when a friend introduced her to talking dragons. All her life, she has wanted to write, but it wasn’t until Christmas Day in 2003 that she sat down and started planning the book that, after many revisions, became the first book in the Planet Wolf series: Wolves and War.As a former accountant, Candy was notorious among her family for elongating her commute home by parking in a safe space and starting to write, having got into the habit of carrying a notebook with her wherever she went, a habit she continues to this day. When she’s not writing, her hobbies include knitting, tapestry, and trying to figure out ‘whodunnit’ in murder mysteries.Candy lives in Ayrshire, Scotland, with her large black cat, Sammy, and her Labrador-Corgi cross, Alex. She writes her books in British English with a Scottish flavour.

Book preview

THE MULTIVERSE MUDDLE

BOOK TWO

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FAIE CASTLE

* * * * *

Candy Rae

* * * * *

SMASHWORDS EDITION

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FAIE CASTLE

Copyright © 2019 Candy Rae

All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead; is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes.

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

* * * * *

BOOKS BY CANDY RAE

Planet Wolf - Wolves and War - Conflict and Courage - Homage and Honour - Dragons and Destiny - Valour and Victory - Ambition and Alavidha - Paws and Planets - Tales and Tails.

Dragon Wulf - Journey and Jeopardy - Gossamer and Grass - Flames and Freedom.

Flying Colours - Rascals and Renegades - Outlaws and Overlords - Sparkles and Sphinxes*.

T’Quel Magic - Ephemeral Boundary - Enduring Barrier - Eternal Bulwark.

Multiverse Muddle - Vampyre Crypt - Faie Castle - Surtr Chasm - Demon Citadel*.

Sammy the Cat - Cat in Charge - Cat at Christmas - Dog not in Charge.

Stand Alone - Kill by Cure.

(* Forthcoming)

* * * * *

Faie Castle is dedicated to Dougie and Alex, the two old boys.

* * * * *

Cover Artwork by Harri Crawford.

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AUTHOR’S NOTE

Faie Castle is written in what is known as Britannic, or British English but with a Scottish flavour, the occurrence of Lallans, or Lowland Scots being the most predominant. There are spelling and pronunciation differences between Lallans/Lowland Scots and the different dialects and versions of English as written and spoken in other parts of our wonderful, diverse world.

As well as English, the Faie speak Cuetiachtli, the Old Tongue, which is a mix of English, Lowland Scots, and Scottish Gaelic together with some other languages, primarily Russian and German. For the purpose of this story, the Faie and the other races and kindred speak the same as the author, which is rather handy otherwise no one but she would be able to make sense of large chunks of this book.

* * * * *

THE MULTIVERSE MUDDLE

VAMPYRE CRYPT - Bhampair Làrach Todhlacaidh

FAIE CASTLE - Caisteal Na Sìobhragan

SURTR CHASM - Surtr Glomhais

DEMON CITADEL - Deamhain Daingneachd

FAIE CASTLE

(Caisteal Na Sìobhragan)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE STORY SO FAR

CHAPTER 1 - THE DEVELOPMENTS

CHAPTER 2 - THE TWO FAMILIES

CHAPTER 3 - THE AWAY TEAM

CHAPTER 4 - THE TRIP HOME

CHAPTER 5 - THE FIGHT

CHAPTER 6 - THE KIDNAPPING

CHAPTER 7 - THE ACCIDENT

CHAPTER 8 - THE REVELATION

CHAPTER 9 - THE ARRIVAL

CHAPTER 10 - THE DINOSAURS

CHAPTER 11 - THE REUNION

CHAPTER 12 - THE MESSAGE

CHAPTER 13 - THE EXPLANATIONS

CHAPTER 14 - THE LEGION OF THE FAIE

CHAPTER 15 - THE TRAINING

CHAPTER 16 - THE FORTNIGHT

CHAPTER 17 - THE MOUNTAIN

CHAPTER 18 - THE DREAMS

CHARACTERS AND APPENDICES

EXTRA BITS

* * * * *

THE STORY SO FAR

In Vampyre Crypt, we learned that we share our physical world with another race, known as the Cuetiachtli, or the Children of the Gods, split into a number of different kindred.

Our world is known as the Sixth World or the Holocene World. Here, among us, lives one type of kindred, the Faie, charged with our protection by the Goddess Flidais, daughter of the High God Jah.

But all is not well.

Cailleach, a renegade goddess, hates her sister Flidais and wants to replace her.

She has tried before and been defeated and is determined to succeed this time round. She has been plotting and planning for centuries and believes the time is coming.

* * * * *

There are other worlds in the Multiverse, those parallel worlds that are also the precursors to our world. These worlds, the Proterozoic; Silurian; Permian; Cretaceous; and Pleistocene, are protected by their own deity and kindred. Linking these worlds are the vortexes. These passages are not open all the time. Open or shut depends on where the other worlds in the multiverse are at a certain time. They have to be are close enough for the vortexes to form.

The vortexes can only be travelled by Cuetiachtli kindred with the blood of others in their veins; the Bloden of the Cretaceous World (descendants of the Fladhaich Cuetiachtli and a now extinct reptilian creature called a Troodon); the Guem of the Pleistocene World (descendants of the Ljosalfar Cuetiachtli and Neanderthal humans; the Daonna of the Holocene World (descendants of the Faie Cuetiachtli and Homo Sapiens (us).

* * * * *

In Vampyre Crypt, we were introduced to some of the players in this game of war between the good and the not so good. These players are going to rise to prominence in the months ahead.

Amongst them are Raibert-Chi, in command of the Army of the Faie here in Scotland; Accalia-Chi, a Legionary who is a member of the Army of the Faie in the Americas; Angela Gillycuddy and her husband Alexander with her children Susan and John, who are beginning to get an inkling that their family is somewhat ‘different’ than other families.

Also introduced was one Aksel-Chi, a child at the castle who has not long started his education and military training; Hamilton, a palaeontology graduate in the employ of the Faie; and geology student Amelia Bunty and her friend Lucien.

We also learned that here were a number of Faie in Russia, America and England.

Aed Mac Gwrtheyrn Mael-Chi, Àrd-Righ (High King) of the Faie lives in the Highlands of Scotland, at Caisteal Na Sìobhragan. From the castle Aed Mael leads his Faie in their worldwide quest to protect the planet.

Also in Vampyre Crypt a literary mystery began.

Faie children began to dream about a lady singing a traditional Scottish song, Auld Lang Syne night after night and we learned that in times past, dreams such as these had been warnings about sure and future danger from Goddess Flidais. She was not permitted by her father, High God Jah to get involved directly in the conflict. She has to warn her kindred using dreams and other hands off methods.

She is permitted to provide illusion spells to hide what is going on from the ‘World that is not Faie’ and through a third party, her Banduri, Priestesses of the Goddess, and can, in extremis, influence the weather.

* * * * *

The ‘baddies’ were introduced as well.

The evil Goddess Cailleach and her brother have kindred of their own although her celestial brothers and sisters refuse to number them among their kindred.

These are the Kobold, vampire-like humanoids who have an appetite for blood and living flesh, and the Spriggan, not too bright, who provide the labour for Kobold enterprises.

Kobold and Spriggan can freely travel between the worlds.

* * * * *

The stage is set; let battle commence.

* * * * *

FAIE CASTLE

(Caisteal Na Sìobhragan)

* * * * *

CHAPTER 1 - THE DEVELOPMENTS

Aksel Mac Siosal Dubh was terrified of werewolves. It didn’t help that he knew they didn’t really exist; at least the full moon people-werewolves of films and literature didn’t exist. He had however, seen pictures of a pack of dire wolves and they looked far worse.

Some of the time he was glad he was a hundred percent Faie because he would not be able to go through one of the vortexes into another world and meet one.

However, at least the dreams of the woman singing ‘Auld Lang Syne’ had stopped. He didn’t think he wanted to hear those words ever again.

He wasn’t to know that the dreams would start again, more frequent and more intense.

CAISTEAL NA SÌOBHRAGAN - SCOTLAND

What’s the word from Wyoming? asked a worried Aed Mac Gwrtheyrn Mael-Chi, Àrd-Righ of the Faie. His face was lined with worry. The life changing decisions and immense problems related to being in overall command did not rest lightly on the shoulders of Aed Mael.

Ceannard Raibert-Chi Mac Prainnseas Frisealach, Ceannard of the Army of the Faie in Alba looked up from where he was sitting at his computer examining the reports relating to the attack.

They’ve been hit hard, he answered. However, reinforcements are on the way and they should be able to hold them if they return. I don’t think they will, at least not for a while. But saying that, this was their biggest breach in over two hundred years. When Viho-Chi telephoned I could hear the shake in his voice. He lost over thirty warriors and many more wounded.

"And they were definitely Spriggans?"

That much we know for sure. Not even a Spriggan can mistake a Spriggan for anything else but a Spriggan.

Aed Mael laughed. It was an old joke. Spriggans were not noted as being all that intelligent. They came from the Cretaceous World?

"We believe so. Their palaeontologists haven’t been able to work out an exact place of origin but that’s to be expected. They’ve got millions of years of sample data to work through. If it is the Cretaceous, the flora and fauna will have evolved; if in fact it is the Fourth World. As we know, that rule holds true for any of the parallel worlds. They might even have come through from an earlier one but we don’t know for certain exactly how fast the First, Second and Third Worlds are moving forward and if the developments are global or restricted to certain areas. Sometimes I wish the Gods would be more forthcoming."

Or even to talk with one another, agreed Aed Mael. "So basically we could be talking about any one of the first four."

But not the Pleistocene, observed Raibert.

"Perhaps I should go to America," mused Aed Mael.

Raibert shook his head.

Absolutely not! Ri-Beag Kiah-Chi is in America; at least he’s in the Americas. You trust him. I trust him.

Aed Mael smiled. He was very proud of his son and heir.

And I’m not worried about Lost Eagle Peak, not really, added Raibert.

Aed Mael’s eyebrows rose. That scares me. My Ceannard thinks that with over three hundred Spriggans coming through there is nothing to worry about? Raibert, have you taken leave of your senses?

"They have been contained. We’ll know more when we get the autopsy reports and I don’t think any of us should go haring off to the other side of the world until we know more about their world of origin. And think about it, it simply can’t have been an attack leading to an invasion in the Americas."

You think not?

"There weren’t enough of them. And it was only the Spriggan. If Cailleach had been serious there would have been far more of them and she wouldn’t have sent through Spriggans unattended. There would have been Kobolds fighting with them, in command of the attack. I believe it was a crime of opportunity or …"

He held up his hand to stop Aed Mael from interrupting. And this is what I really suspect, it was a ruse, a distraction, an attempt to get us to focus our energies on the American continent.

"You still believe that here is the danger point."

"You know I do. It is Caisteal Na Sìobhragan that Cailleach wants, and your death, therefore My Lord King, you will remain here, where you can be protected."

* * * * *

OSU INCIDENT ROOM ‘ZULU ALPHA 5’ - SCOTLAND

Looks like we’ll be able to depart by the end of September, beginning of October, said Police Inspector Finn MacMillan to his sidekick Sergeant Jamie Strachan.

The younger man grinned. They had tendered their resignations over three months ago. The authorities had been loath to let one of their best duos of inspector and sergeant go and had been procrastinating.

It’s about time, he said.

Finn McMillan, or as he was known in the world of the Faie, Fionn Mac na Maoile, smiled. He was of the Faie and was leaving to take command of the mobile ‘away teams’ charged with the protection of Faie, Daonna and Aonnan throughout Britannia. It was a task similar to the one he was doing now except on a bigger scale. OSU teams were responsible for the management of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents. Cailleach’s Kobold had made use of the first two in the past.

The all-human Jamie had decided to go with him.

Any other news? asked Jamie.

Praeceptorem Viho in the United States has had to deal with a Spriggan incursion in Wyoming.

What’s a Praeceptorem?

Ranking officer in America, explained Finn.

Like a Ceannard here?

Very like, Finn answered.

* * * * *

SITH TALLA - SUTHERLAND - SCOTLAND

Ceannard Raibert-Chi and Fechtmesiter Zellair-Chi were in the middle of a disagreement.

Arguments like this were not unusual, nor were they the first. Commanding Officers and Weaponsmasters everywhere had differences of opinion about who was ready to go into battle and who was not, especially when those concerned were young and in the Weaponsmaster’s opinion, not ready because of their lack of ears.

On this occasion they were ready but in Zellair’s opinion, definitely too young.

They were discussing the progress of a class of eight, two groups of four tetrads who had come through the training programme together. Today’s issue was that the eldest was only fifteen years old and the youngest three days past his thirteenth birthday.

Zellair was shaking his head.

"If it was an emergency and it was here, here in Scotland, I might say yes, but not through the vortex Raibert, you can’t expect it of them."

Raibert sighed. I wish we had a choice. Another connection between our world and others is re-forming.

Foinaven Mountain?

Flickering in and out.

"It’s still a no. They’re far too young."

"We need them. I wish we didn’t but you know that Daonna are the only ones who can get through. Pure Faie cannot. I wish to the Gods they could. By Goddess Flidais, I’d go myself, and alone if I thought it possible. I’ve already got one team that went through to the Permian during that stable period last month and another in the Pleistocene and not due back for weeks."

Zellair nodded. That team had been the subject of their last disagreement. They had been young too. But there was a difference between thirteen, fourteen and fifteen year olds and fifteen, sixteen and seventeen year olds with an experienced adult in charge.

Unfortunately, Raibert was right. There were not enough Daonna for all the between the worlds. The enemy had been very efficient at seeking out and killing Daonna living here in the present. Aed Mael called it ‘The Disaster of the Disappearing Daonna’.

"I have to set up another team to try for the Cretaceous," Raibert insisted.

That’s the most dangerous one of the lot and you want to send these children there? Have you taken leave of your senses? It’s full of vicious, meat eating reptiles! Two teams have already disappeared.

It’s a need, not a want.

"My answer stays the same. No. You’ll have to find some older Daonna, not children still in junior school. If you bring them to me I’ll do everything I can to get them ready. More than that I’m not prepared to do. I won’t send babies to their deaths."

I’ll see what I can find, Raibert answered reluctantly.

The Cuetiachtli from there who made contact with …

The Fladhaich.

Yes. The Fladhaich who managed to make contact with us from the Cretaceous believe Cailleach’s base is there. Am I right?

Raibert nodded. They are looking. And they may be right. Why else would Cailleach and her Kobolds be leading them a fine dance? They need our help.

Then bring me trainees older then fifteen!

Raibert sighed. He would try but there weren’t many, they were difficult to locate, and it was very hard to persuade their parents to let them go. A number were living as part of the human world because their parents had turned their backs on the world of the Faie. Some didn’t know they were Daonna, their parents or their grandparents not having told their children what they were before they died.

I will try, he said.

* * * * *

CAISTEAL NA SÌOBHRAGAN - SCOTLAND

Sineag-Chi was packing her bags in anticipation of tomorrow’s journey to Sith Talla. Like the majority of pure blood Faie children and teens she spent approximately half of her education time here at the castle and the other half at Sith Talla, the training school where classes tended towards the martial.

Going with her would be a friend of the same age, one Hildigund.

Hildigund was a Daonna, of mixed-race. Because she had human blood in her veins, in the future she might travel to one of the other worlds as had her older sisters Aregund and Radegund.

It was hard to tell the difference between the two. The formal names of a Faie included the ‘-Chi’ attachment at the end of their first name but the addition wasn’t always used. The only physical differences were the size and pointiness at the tip of the ears and the eye colour. Faie eyes were always green, but those of a Daonna could be anything (but never brown). The differences were tiny and hard to spot.

At least the song’s not in my head any more, she was thinking as she searched for clean socks, found them and threw them willy-nilly into her holdall.

Sineag and Hildigund had been two of the first to report the singing in their dreams and had told the authorities, their parents, foster parents and teachers.

Now that the dreams had stopped, and they were all, at last, getting a decent night’s sleep and Sineag’s class was returning to Sith Talla for some extensive weapons training.

Both Sineag and Hildigund were good but Sineag was better with a bladed weapon while Hildigund was more