Tay's Trials

By Cheryl Headford

Tay is trying to settle into his new life with a group of strangers who call themselves his family. Even Willow has deserted him. Then he meets Wisp, and things look up – until a shadow assassin attempts to kill him, Cale traps his shadow in a gem and the only way to save him appears to be a mad wizard.

What can possibly top all that? Meeting a hundred-thousand-year-old king and his dragon friend, the very dragon on whom the entire city is built.

• Language: English
• Publisher: eXtasy Books Inc
• Release date: Dec 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9781487431839

Book preview

Tay thought his life couldn’t get any stranger—then he met Godric, and the dragon.

Tay is trying to settle into his new life with a group of strangers who call themselves his family. Even Willow has deserted him. Then he meets Wisp, and things look up—until a shadow assassin attempts to kill him, Cale traps his shadow in a gem and the only way to save him appears to be a mad wizard.

What can possibly top all that? Meeting a hundred-thousand-year-old king and his dragon friend, the very dragon on whom the entire city is built.

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Tay’s Trials

Copyright © 2021 Cheryl Headford

ISBN: 978-1-4874-3183-9

Cover art by Martine Jardin

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

Published by eXtasy Books Inc or

Devine Destinies, an imprint of eXtasy Books Inc

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Smashwords Edition

Tay’s Trials

Dark Fairy Tale 2

By

Cheryl Headford

Chapter One

Tay poked listlessly at the fire using a stick he was suspicious might once have been an arm. Willow hadn’t wanted a fire, couldn’t see the point when they had a perfectly good one inside the tent. He hadn’t understood why Tay wanted to sit outside in the cold, poking at a fire that caused nearby trees to whisper uneasily, when they could have been reclining in comfort and leaving the rest of the world the hell alone. What Tay hadn’t told Willow was that he wanted to hold on to the illusion when he suspected it was the last time that he could really be him, Taylor Preston, the last time he could at least try to pretend things were normal and none of the craziness had ever happened.

They could have ended their journey last night, but Tay had dragged his feet in every way he could, delaying until he was able to beg to camp. Maybe Willow understood more than Tay thought, or maybe he had his own reasons for not wanting to be home just yet, because he didn’t put up much of an argument. And so, Tay had his reprieve, had a few more hours of being a normal sixteen-year-old, camping in a wood.

He’d tried so hard to keep up the charade in his own head, but it hadn’t been easy. In the end, it hadn’t been possible at all, and Tay had ended up miserable and wishing they’d pushed on after all. How could he pretend anymore? How could he shut his mind to the fact that his companions were a car driver with moss-green skin and yellow eyes, and a pure white ice-man who spoke to him inside his head? Then there was the crowd of fairies who liked to sit in his hair and giggle in his ear when they weren’t keeping up a running commentary of all the things they saw as they travelled.

Tay had a lot to thank the ethen for, and he became more determined than ever that one way or another, he was going to get the little fairies the recognition they deserved. No more would the ignorant refer to them as buzzers and treat them as little more than annoying insects. But that was for later. For now, as he watched the fire elementals dance and crawl along his stick, all he could think about was that in a few short hours, he’d be meeting his mother and sisters for the first time. He was so not ready.

It wasn’t as if he had any experience to draw from, any pointers or advice. It was hardly a subject talked about at school, contained in any textbook, taught to children by parents, or generally cropped up in TV sitcoms and dramas—well, only fantasy which he’d never been particularly keen on. There was nothing in his background to prepare him for this, and he hadn’t exactly been eased into it. No, in a very short time, he’d gone from being a perfectly ordinary, sixteen-year-old schoolboy, with loving, caring parents, to some lost fairy prince on the run from demons, about to meet his real family for the first time. He’d left everything behind at the drop of a hat—his life, his parents, his friends, and now, he’d left Cale behind to.

Thinking about his best friend brought a treacherous prickle to his eyes. At least he knew Cale would be okay. The demon had been defeated, and Cale was in safe hands, learning how to control his newfound demon powers. He seemed to be enjoying it. For Tay, it wasn’t so easy. Saying goodbye to one family was bad enough, but meeting a brand new one? To fall into a role he’d never been trained for? To be held up in the spotlight as... whatever—a hero, a prince, a rival, a threat? Oh God, what was he going to do? How the hell was he going to learn to survive in this place, let alone rule it?

Swallowing hard, Tay battered down the fear that threatened to overwhelm him whenever he thought about what it meant to be a prince. One thing at a time. One step after another. There’d be time to think of that later, after he’d met his... mother.

We’re packed up, a terse voice announced. It’s time to go.

Willow’s voice was still strange, although not as jarring as it had been before. Back in... back in what Tay still thought about as the real world, Willow’s voice had spoken both inside and outside his head, with a very slight time delay. Like watching television when the lip-synch is off. It was the same but had been fine-tuned on this side of the divide and was now seamless. In addition, he also now heard words that were never spoken aloud at all, and unless he was concentrating, he was hard-pressed to say which was which.

With a deep sigh, Tay got up and stretched. He hadn’t realized how long he’d been sitting there, staring into the flames. It didn’t help that the fire elementals had been so happy with their dancing, possibly because the ethen had sung to them, that they’d forgotten to consume the stick, so it was exactly as it had been when he’d first thrust it into the flames. It was easy to lose track of time when you were waiting for a stick to burn down, and it never did. So many things to learn, to get used to.

You look tired, Willow said, as they climbed into the car, leaving the driver to take care of the fire and pack away the last of the camping things. Breaking camp here was very different to back home. Their tent compressed instantly into a square. It was about the size of a shoebox, and it grew to be bigger than the whole bottom floor of his house, with three bedrooms, a bathroom and a living room, with a holographic fire and furniture that magically formed and floated wherever they were needed. Hardly slumming it.

The fire was easy to extinguish, although extinguish wasn’t the right word. They simply moved away from the ring of stones, and the fire elementals dispersed. Tay had initially been worried about what were essentially open flames running around in an old wood, but Willow assured him that unless they’d gone rogue, fire elementals would never burn anything if they hadn’t been asked, or given permission. That wasn’t entirely comforting as he watched the individual flames scatter across the grass, some of them running up the trunks of nearby trees, to continue their dance among the leaves.

Are you sure they’re not going to burn the forest down?

Willow chuckled. Not that forest. Even if they wanted to, which they wouldn’t, that forest is so full of magic they’d be extinguished before they burned through the first branch. Even the young ones aren’t that stupid.

So, is that forest more magical than other forests? What about the one where Alder lives?

Kearne’s magic is different. It’s wild and free. Here the magic is older, deeper. This forest has a purpose. It’s here to protect Heart’s Home, and all its magic is turned to that purpose. Either to protect or repel. We have seen the fair side of it. Others might not have passed through so easily. There’s powerful magic here that has no pity or mercy for those who threaten it, or the lands it protects.

Does it have a mind? Does it think?

Tay settled himself back on his seat, as the leaf-shaped car began to move. He might as well while away the journey by learning more about the strange place he would now be calling home.

In a way. It’s so old it has become part of the land as only such places can. The land and the forest are one. They share one heart, and the minds of all those who inhabit it, or who have inhabited it. The thoughts of a forest like this are deep and dark, focused on its primary purpose. Conversations would be short and to the point.

Could it have a conversation? Really? A whole forest? It would talk to me.

Indeed.

How would I get it to do that? Tay gazed out of the window with more interest. The road winding through the forest was narrow and shaded, plenty wide enough for the car, but hardly busy as they had not seen any other vehicles since passing under the first branches the day before. On either side, trees bent close, as though having conversations over their heads. It wasn’t possible to see far into the undergrowth, but now and again, there were glimpses of glades, or the flash of forest pools. And of course, there was always movement and life. Tay had given up trying to discern what kind of life, as it was unsettling, to say the least. Yesterday, he’d been sure one of the trees had winked at him. Then a wide mouth turned up in amusement at his expression, which he was sure must have hovered between incredulity and horror.

I’ll take you out one day, Willow said, drawing Tay’s attention from something silver that seemed to be following them, just out of sight among the trees. I know a place where the deep heart of the forest beats, and it’s easy to hear what the spirits have to say. You might not like what you hear, though.

What do you mean?

The trees have been here long before the first Fey set foot or wing on this land. They watched our first hesitant steps, then witnessed the rise of the eternal flame, and the establishment of the royal court, followed by the city that grew around it. To them, the life of a fey, as long as it might seem to you, is but the blink of an eye. The entirety of our history is a drop in the ocean to some of the great trees in the forest’s heart. Although they guard us faithfully, the trees see us as doting uncles would silly children. And they treat us as such. Willow smiled. It was so rare to see such a bright and genuine smile from the usual dour guard, it made Tay’s heart warm, and some of his cares lifted.

What’s that? Tay asked, his attention caught again by the silver flash.

What’s what?

There’s something following us. In the trees. I see it now and again.

Willow was suddenly sharply alert, one hundred percent the elite guard he was. Show me.

Tay pointed to where he’d last seen the flash, and it wasn’t long before it came again. Willow had the car stop and ordered Tay to stay inside. For once, Tay was happy to obey, and he peered anxiously out of the window as Willow positioned himself firmly at the road’s edge and called in a clear voice. Show yourself.

Silence fell, if silence it could be called, as it was thick with the whispering of the trees. It was as if Willow’s challenge had been taken up and passed from tree to tree. Nothing stirred.

Willow did not call again, but waited, his feet apart and his hand on the hilt of his sword. His entire stance screamed of challenge, but no one stepped up to meet it.

Tay was about to call Willow back into the car when the undergrowth parted, and a shining white creature stepped onto the road, about ten feet from Willow, causing him to stumble back a step or two. At first, Tay thought it was a unicorn, but it had no horn and resembled a deer more than a horse. It tossed its head and opened its mouth. A clear, melodic harmony floated into the air, like the notes of a flute, dropping one by one into the silence and owning it. Tay was entranced as, apparently, was Willow who seemed frozen, gazing at the creature with a strange, enraptured expression.

The melody was disappointingly short, and when it was done, the creature turned and disappeared back into the forest. Tay’s heart ached at the loss. He wanted to call it back, to beg for more, to run into the forest after the creature, but he did none of it. Instead, he sat back in his seat and wondered what the hell had just happened.

After a few moments, Willow got back into the car and took up his position opposite Tay. He seemed dazed, his usual cool exterior ruffled.

What was that?

It was a light fawn. Willow’s voice seemed a little shaky.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

It depends. If your heart is pure, their song is a blessing.

And if it isn’t?

It’s a harbinger of death.

Oh. Right. Shit. Um... I don’t know if I’m going to regret asking, but is death instant, you know? Or do we hang around waiting, just in case one of us drops?

Willow smiled, the expression of shock and fear disappearing from his face. It’s instant, he said. I’m just surprised. I wouldn’t have considered my heart anywhere near pure. I should be dead right now.

I think your heart is pure, Tay said, smiling. If it hadn’t been, you would have killed Cale, and I’d already be—his tongue tripped over the word home. He just couldn’t say it about the place which was so not his home—back. I would probably be broken in a hundred pieces, at least.

The light fawn is one of the symbols of the royal family. It’s on your coat of arms. I probably got away with it because I’m with you.

Tay snorted. Yeah, right. Can we get moving again?

Of course.

If the driver’s still alive.

Fortunately, he was, and the car moved smoothly forward. Tay watched carefully as they drove, and he saw the tell-tale silver flash many times. Somehow, it gave him comfort.

It was about half an hour later that Tay noticed the change. The trees seemed older, bigger, and were spaced out more evenly. Once or twice, he saw a clearing that came right to the edge of the road, where the grass seemed especially green and neat. After the third one, he asked Willow about it.

They’re gardens, Willow said, as if Tay should have known already.

What do you mean, gardens?

You know what a garden is, Willow said, as a matter of fact. You had one in the other place.

I know what a garden is, but why are there gardens in the middle of the woods where no one goes? And why are they so small?

Willow sighed. What makes you think no one goes there?

Well... it’s the middle of the woods.

It’s not the middle of the woods. We’re getting close to the edge now, and you’ll find gardens all over. Sometimes they’re outside the houses, and sometimes they are the houses.

What do you mean?

Look more carefully at the next one.

Tay frowned at Willow’s reticence, but from the amused tone and the expression in Willow’s eyes, he sensed that if he pressed it, Willow would enjoy teasing him. It was one of the few things that seemed to give the ice-man pleasure. Instead, Tay gazed out of the window, watching out for another of the odd little gardens.

Oh my God, Tay cried as they slid past a pretty little patch of grass dotted with daisies. There’s a house. In the tree. A house. There’s a tiny door, and windows, and—Oh God. The tree. The tree has a face. It smiled at me.

You’re lucky, Willow said, clearly unsurprised. It could have been scowling. Then we might have been in trouble.

Why?

They’ve been known to throw acorns and branches at people if they get angry with them.

Can they move? Tay glanced nervously around at the trees that suddenly appeared sinister.

Only as far as their branches allow. They can’t tear up their roots.

Oh. How many of them are there? Why do they have doors and windows? Will we see more?

There are plenty. They have doors and windows because beings live in them, and we will undoubtedly see more.

Will they throw things at us?

Probably not.

Tay remained nervous and watched carefully for the living trees. As they progressed, the little gardens with their tree guardians became more and more prevalent, and Tay begged the driver to slow so he could see more. Sometimes there were no doors or windows in the trees, only myriad flowers or a glittering pool. On closer inspection of these gardens, Tay noticed tiny creatures asleep in the flowers, or hovering in a shimmering cloud over them. They were smaller than ethen, shaped less like humans and more like kittens, with pointed ears and curling tails. In the pools, silver coloured fish flashed under the surface, or flitted over it on scaly wings.

If he’d had any doubts about being in a different world, they were indeed vanquished now.

Chapter Two

They’d been travelling for what seemed like hours when Willow turned to say something to the driver.

We’ll be out of the forest in a few minutes, Willow said to Tay. We’ll get our first sight of Heart’s Home and the castle. It’s a nice day, and you’ll get a better look without the roof.

As he spoke, the roof of the car simply melted away. There was no folding up or sliding down—it simply disappeared. Tay was so stunned he almost missed the sight he was being primed for. They were climbing a steep incline, and Willow grinned at him.

What?

I want to watch your face when you get your first sight.

Stop it. You’re making me nervous.

Willow continued to grin.

The road opened out onto an incredible view. As they crested the ridge and began to follow the road downward, the city’s full extent opened up. It stretched out on both sides, like the wings of a great bird in a semicircle around the banks of the lake. Crooked streets led between houses that were sometimes tall, of many stories, and sometimes, squat and colourful, scattered like a handful of dropped beads. The city’s roads were narrow and sparsely trafficked. The main throng of cars, larger transports and foot traffic stuck to the wide road along the ridge and the main thoroughfares that were cutting through the city like the spokes of a giant wheel.

Tay had eyes for none of it. All he could see was the island that rose from the lake. Joined to the mainland by a broad causeway, the island rose into a castle with many turrets. It was surrounded by many spindly bridges that arched like spun spiderwebs, seeming far too spindly to support a walker, let alone a transport. If ever there was a fairy castle, this was it.

Rose-tinted stone was mirrored in the still lake, painting its surface a soft pink. Trees seemed to sprout from the very walls, giving the whole thing an organic look, like a cake, with delicate puffs of green cotton candy. Sunlight glinted off the many windows, and right at the top, the head of a great stone dragon thrust out its snout toward the city below.

The road on which they travelled led onto the causeway. Tay couldn’t decide if he was relieved or disappointed to not be driving on the pretty bridges. Did they really support the weight of cars? As he peered upward, he saw plenty of movement beyond their elaborate balustrades. From this distance, he couldn’t tell if it was foot traffic or vehicles.

As soon as they’d hit the ridge, the traffic had increased, and they were part of a steady stream flowing across the causeway. At first, Tay had been fascinated by the myriad vehicles, riders and walkers, but they had all paled to insignificance next to the splendour of the mini-city they were about to enter.

A huge stone archway ended the causeways and provided entrance through a high stone wall that apparently surrounded the entire island. The arch seemed to have been carved from a single block of stone. Right in the centre, at the top, was an intricately carved dragon’s head, with sapphire eyes. Tay was fascinated and couldn’t tear his focus away from the mesmerising blueness. They gazed at him intently, marking his progress, seeing into his very soul. Was that their purpose? To judge a soul and turn away those with dark intentions?

The thought had barely formed in his mind when the dragon’s head rippled and rapidly descended toward him, still attached to the wall by a sinuous neck. Tay froze. Had it heard his thought? Did it judge him as not pure enough? Not good enough?

The head swayed from side to side and flowed around Willow who had sprung up to protect him. A strange sound enveloped Tay, and he realized the dragon was sniffing him. Then, unbelievably, it started to purr and gently batted him with its snout before rubbing its head against him. Prinsss, it hissed.

Tay found himself stroking the stony head, which was not, as he’d expected, cold and hard, but warm and soft—alive.

Almost before he’d had a chance to register all of this, the dragon’s head withdrew and resumed its place at the top of the archway. The car passed beneath.

Everyone stared at them. People twisted in their seats, gazed from the roadway, even stopped their cars and got out to see better.

The roof, Willow growled, and suddenly it was there blocking his view of the fascinated faces.

What just happened?

Your castle identifies and acknowledges you, Willow said. I should have thought of it, but it’s been centuries since a new king was brought to the castle, rather than brought up within it.

I’m not a king, Tay mumbled.

But you will be.

What if I don’t want to be?

We’ve had this discussion, and really there is no argument now. Your castle has accepted you, which means The Kingdom has accepted you. You are the prince, and you will be the king. There is no longer any doubt. Your mother will be pleased that she doesn’t need to make any formal requests. The rituals are tedious at best.

I don’t understand.

I explained it to you, Willow said with a sigh, his voice long-suffering. The land that chooses the king, the magic that makes him. Had Hal returned before you, as legitimate heir, the magic would have had little choice but to accept him. He fulfils the role in every way, and there was no reason to deny him.

What, like he’s possessed by a demon, or something?

The magic is sadly blind when it comes to such things. If it had not been, Hal would never have been infected in the first place.

Oh. I see. He didn’t see. He didn’t see or understand anything, but it was easier just to nod, smile and agree with what Willow said. He had enough problems without a long lecture.

I also told you that the incumbent ruler can choose a new heir as long as it’s from a legitimate line. That’s supposed to cover for little things like demon possession, politics etc.

Politics and possession. Yeah. Got it.

But the ruler can’t just decide on an heir. The land must accept the decision. The magic must embrace it.

Oh, I see. And he was beginning to.

Usually, there are complex rituals to be carried out to request approval and acceptance. This time, it seems not. The castle, the land and the magic have already accepted you.

That’s a good thing?

It saves time, trouble, and a sacrifice. Don’t get too excited.

A-a sacrifice? Something would have had to die for the magic to accept me?

There’s usually some kind of exchange of that nature when a bargain is being sought with the Source.

The Source? You say that as if it’s a thing.

The Source is the Source. The place from which the magic comes.

What is it? Despite his nerves, Tay found he was becoming interested, enthralled even.

I have just told you.

Willow’s flat statement was like a slap in the face, and Tay was suddenly and irrationally angry. I know what you said, he snapped. You said it was the source of magic, but you didn’t say what it was. That’s what I’m asking, and you know it. What is the Source? Is it a rock, or a river or...

You will find out.

I know I will find out. I’ll find out when you stop being so annoying and tell me.

I meant you will find out, Willow said. Only the royal family know the true source of magic.

Oh. I see. Sorry. Feeling foolish, especially under Willow’s smug smile, Tay turned his attention to the outside again.

The houses that clustered the base of the island had fallen away and the road was bordered by rocky gardens with flower beds, organic waterfalls, fountains, and pools, all of which teemed with life. Fish leapt from the water—and sometimes remained in the air, to hover over the pool, or fly off to another pool or waterfall. The tops of the falls were misted with a rainbow of hovering fish and fairies. Flowers were thick with small creatures, including many ethen. In his hair, Aria bounced and sang, a song that was soon taken up by other ethen who began to follow them, until the car was surrounded by a cloud of the tiny beings, all singing joyfully.

Another steep incline brought them to a division in the road. To either side, the road narrowed and wound between and into rocky cliffs on which perched nest-like houses. Their occupants soared around and above them. They were partly avian, with colourful feathered wings and claw-like appendages, but their bodies were humanoid, and their faces beautiful, with a fan of feathers, over large eyes, which ran all the way around their heads over a spill of hair that matched the colour of the feathers. Tay was fascinated as they, too, took up the ethen chorus in fluting birdsong.

At the next level, the road split again and meandered