Family, Fair and True

By Dayle A. Dermatis

On her sixteenth birthday, Poppy performs a ritual to enter the Faerie realm.

A changeling searching for her real parents, her true home.

But in Faerie, the adage "Be careful what you wish for" takes on a whole new meaning.

Tangent Online included "Family, Fair and True" in their 2018 Recommended Reading list, calling the story, "…an entertaining journey."

"Family, Fair and True" originally appeared in Fiction River: Wishes (WMG Publishing, 2018).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Soul's Road Press
• Release date: Mar 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393893912

Dayle A. Dermatis

Dayle A. Dermatis is the author or coauthor of many novels (including snarky urban fantasies Ghosted and the forthcoming Shaded and Spectered) and more than a hundred short stories in multiple genres, appearing in such venues as Fiction River, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, and DAW Books.Called the mastermind behind the Uncollected Anthology project, she also guest edits anthologies for Fiction River, and her own short fiction has been lauded in many year's best anthologies in erotica, mystery, and horror.She lives in a book- and cat-filled historic English-style cottage in the wild greenscapes of the Pacific Northwest. In her spare time she follows Styx around the country and travels the world, which inspires her writing.To find out where she’s wandered off to (and to get free fiction!), check out DayleDermatis.com and sign up for her newsletter or support her on Patreon.* * *I value honest feedback, and would love to hear your opinion in a review, if you’re so inclined, on your favorite book retailer’s site.* * *For more information:www.dayledermatis.com

Book preview

Family, Fair and True

Family, Fair and True

Dayle A. Dermatis

Soul’s Road Press

Contents

About This Book

Family, Fair and True

About the Author

Also by Dayle A. Dermatis

Be the First to Know!

Written on the Coast

About This Book

On her sixteenth birthday, Poppy performs a ritual to enter the Faerie realm.

A changeling searching for her real parents, her true home.

But in Faerie, the adage Be careful what you wish for takes on a whole new meaning.

Tangent Online included Family, Fair and True in their 2018 Recommended Reading list, calling the story, …an entertaining journey.

Family, Fair and True originally appeared in Fiction River: Wishes (WMG Publishing, 2018).

Family, Fair and True

The hawthorn, one of many trees growing in the hedgerow between two farmers’ meadows, was a dark silhouette against the blue-black of the nearly midnight sky, but the three-quarter moon gave enough light to illuminate the pale scraps of cloth and other items that had been tied around its branches.

A rag tree—a wishing tree—overlooking the holy well I sought.

I was off to make a wish that would change my life forever, and even though it was what I’d wanted for as long as I could remember, my stomach fizzed with nervousness.

I tramped across