Silver Rose

The Bracelet

Isthar and Cyrus felt Kyrin leave the Fauyen world.
They didn’t say anything to Mara at first, but she had felt it too. She wasn’t exactly sure what had
happened, but when she asked her grandparents they confirmed her worst fears: Her mother had left her to go into the man’s world.

No one knew why she left, but Mara was pretty sure it had something to do with her father. She prayed the same thing that happened to her
father wouldn’t happen to her mother. Her grandparents reassured her by reminding her that her father had been part human and therefore could die by the human hand. But her mother was full Fauyen and could only die prematurely by strong magic. The kind of magic that only a handful of humans ever came even close to.

Mara felt a little better, but she still wanted her mother home with her.

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Kyrin didn’t think of Mara. She thought of none of those she left behind. She and the Handini, Flike, traveled until they came to the spot were Serio had died. It had been thirteen human years ago, but she could still faintly feel the pang of death in the area. (In the human world her senses were very acute.)

She searched for the Bracelet. Flike flew around to
see if he could see the sunlight bounce off it. But the search confirmed what she already knew. The men who killed him had taken it. She called to Flike.

“It has been too long since they left this place.” She said to Flike. “We will need Burmer to find them.”

Flike nodded in agreement. He spread his
wings and flew off. Kyrin sat in the green grass. She could see why Serio had come here. He loved nature. All Fauyes loved nature, but Serio loved it more than anyone she knew. For a flicker of a moment she was glad he’d died in such a beautiful place. Then anger washed over her. Her limbs trembled. Her face grew hot. Her mouth opened and she screamed. She screamed and screamed with every fiber in her, until she was too tired to stand. Then she fell asleep under the cool evening sky. She had not rested for many days and fell into a deep slumber that lasted two days. When she finally woke Burmir and Flike were coming towards her.

The next day, Burmir led Kyrin and Flike to the village of Hedimott. A wolmen of the Fauyen world, Burmir was able to pick up on the thirteen-year-old scent of the murderers. She came in the evening when most of the men were at the tavern after a hard day's work. People she passed looked at her with a “stranger’s suspension”. But when they saw Burmir, who was very large for a wolf, they ran away and hid. Burmir led Kyrin to the door of the
tavern. She took a deep breath and stepped inside.

Men and women sat at tables or stood in groups around the big room. They were talking and laughing, eating and mostly drinking. Kyrin spotted an empty table nearby and sat down. No one seemed to notice her. Her eyes slowly wandered across the faces of the men. Which one was it? Who killed Serio? The men all had beards and
short hair. This was strange to her and made all the men look alike. The only difference between them was that some were old, some young, and some in between. Once she would have marveled at this. She had never seen an old or middle-aged looking person before. But she was there for a purpose and not even wonder could make her deter from it. She wished she could have brought Burmir in with her to sniff the wicked men out, but he had hid himself so as not to alarm the villagers. She would have to use her own resources.

“What will you be having?”

Kyrin looked up. A woman stood by the table with a tray of glasses in her hand.

“What will you be having?” The woman asked again.


Kyrin wasn’t sure what she meant.

“Do you want something to drink?”

Kyrin wondered why the woman hadn’t asked that in the first place.


“Yes. Nectar.” Kyrin replied.

“Nectar?” The woman said. “We don’t have any of that.”
“Then I’ll drink Yomang.” Kyrin said.

“Yam- what?” The woman shook her head. She grabbed a glass and set it on the table. “Try that.”

Kyrin picked up the glass and took a sip. She swallowed a bitter liquid.

“What is that?” She asked, coughing.

“Why, that’s the best beer for miles. In the whole kingdom if I have a say so.” The woman said, proudly.

Kyrin didn’t think the woman should have a say. Quietly, she put her finger in the liquid and stirred to sweeten it. Then she drank it in front of the woman. Pleased, the woman set two more glasses of the vile drink on her table and happily walked away. Kyrin didn’t drink any more beer. At a table across the room, a crowd had gathered.

“Not the story of that bracelet again,” a man near her said.

“It changes every time.” Another man said.

A red haired middle-aged man stood on a table. His proud face showed he was more than happy to tell the story again.

“I was in the mountains.” He began. “It was winter and I hadn’t eaten in weeks. Starving, I climbed up. My hands and feet were bleeding, but I didn’t care. I kept going. Then I reached a cave. Frozen from the cold, I crawled into the dark cave. Then I heard a noise. Slowly, I crept through the darkness. Then I saw... the dragon! He was trying to eat a young maiden. She was trapped and would have been killed, if I hadn’t taken out my sword!
"The beast saw me and lunged at me! I jumped from the clutches of his jaws. We battled. The poor young maiden fainted twice. Finally, my sword plunged into his heart. He fell, dead. The maiden ran to me and thanked me for saving her life. She told me she was the fairy princess!”

Kyrin stopped listening. She couldn’t imagine any fairy, not even a Gommoth, could be trapped by a dragon. A fairy would never faint and none would need a human to save them. She knew this man was a coward at heart. He would never have done something that would have put his life in danger.

“She gave me this magical bracelet," he was saying. " With it on I was able to descend the mountain without being cold. I was able to heal my sick friend, Otis, here and many others. Because of me and this bracelet, this village has prospered. I thank you for making me your mayor for these past ten years.”

He took a bow. Then continued,

“But now I think it is time for me to move on. I think I should be lord and king of all this country. With this bracelet no one can stop me. Tomorrow, Otis, Gangah, and I will travel to the king’s castle and put me on the throne. Be glad, dear Hedimott, and rejoice in your future king! The king of Krist!”

The people stared at him shocked.

“But mayor, I mean Lord Lance, you just can’t take the throne like that!” A young man said.

“Oh can’t I?” Lord Lance asked.

Lord Lance pushed back his sleeve to reveal a beautiful gold bracelet. He pointed his arm at the young man. A beam of light shot out. The young man cried out in pain. He collapsed to the floor.
Some people turned their faces away. The man lay writhing in pain. Kyrin thought of Serio lying in pain by the river.

“Stop!” She commanded, standing.

Everyone turned and looked at her.

“Don’t get involved miss,” a man whispered in her
ear. “Stranger or not, he’ll hurt you if you make him cross.”

“What did you say?” Lord Lance asked.

“Don’t answer,” the man whispered, “just sit back down like a good girl and leave it alone.”

Kyrin ignored him.

“Stop this immature display of power.” Kyrin said. She saw the woman who had served the beer moving her hands to warn her to stop talking.

“Immature? Woman you don’t know what you speak of.” Lord Lance said. “You are a stranger here, are you not?” He stepped down from the table. “You don’t understand our ways. For that, I will ignore your words and you may sit down and shut up.”

“I will not be ignored!” Kyrin shouted.

“Girl, you do not know who you deal with. If you are so brave come out of the shadows and pay the penalty!" He yelled.

Kyrin walked into the light. To the humans she was extraordinarily beautiful and she saw their wonderment in their eyes. Even Lord Lance lost his composure for a moment.

“Well, I see it is true that the young are foolish.” Lord Lance laughed. “Are you sweet on dear Han here? Is that why you dare invoke my anger?”
He looked at the young man he’d been hurting.

“No. I have never seen this Han before now.” Kyrin said.

“Well, then you shall feel my wrath without any sympathy.”

He pushed his sleeve back and pointed his arm at her. The light rushed at her. But nothing happened. Lord Lance put his arm down and tried again. Kyrin didn’t move a muscle. Lord Lance looked down at the bracelet, shocked.

“What’s wrong with it?” He muttered.

“Nothing’s wrong with it,” Kyrin said. “It can’t hurt me because I’m not human.”

Lord Lance looked up at her.

“Witch!” He shouted.

“No, no,” she said, “witches are humans. I am a Fauye.”

“A what?”

Kyrin laughed.

“I shouldn’t expect a mere human to know that. I am what you call, a fairy.” She said.

“A fairy! Then you will grant me a wish,” Lord Lance said.

Kyrin felt an itch at the word “wish”. In the fairy world it was outlawed for anyone to wish for something. Wishes caused a strange illness to fall upon the fairy, who would do anything to grant the wish to be relieved of the pain.

“Of course, but only one,” she said.

“Ah, a fairy has come to me again, just as when I got this bracelet.” He said to the people, proudly.

“My dear, beautiful, fairy… you don’t happen to be a fairy princess do you?”

“No. Only Rieas have royalty.”

“Oh, right, of course.” He said, hurriedly. “I wish, I wish to be king of the world!”

“Your wish will be granted in due time,” she said as a headache hit her like a hammer on a nail.

“No! You must grant it this instant!” He demanded.

“It will be granted the moment I am done with you.”

“Done with me?” He asked, surprised. “You will do no such thing!” He pointed the bracelet at her. Grant me my wish now!”

“Give me that bracelet,” Kyrin said.

“No! It’s mine!”

“She’s no fairy, Lance,” a man said standing
beside him.

“I think you’re right, Otis.” Lord Lance said. “She’s an imposter!”

Kyrin took a step forward. Otis whipped out a sword.

“I wouldn’t move if I were you,” Otis said.

“My, aren’t we brave,” Kyrin said. “And do you have a wish?”

“I wish I were a spider,” Otis said, grinning, “so I could give you a poisonous bite!”

“A spider? Interesting.” Kyrin said. She felt like someone was banging on her head with a rock. “I’m tired of these games. Do you remember when you murdered a man thirteen years ago?”

Lance and Otis looked at each other.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lord Lance said.

“Allow me to refresh your memory. It was a young man. He had long blond hair, green eyes, he stood like a king." She said.
“He had a beautiful horse with him. A dark
brown stallion with a couple sacks on his back. They were by the river that is about 15 miles from here.”

Lord Lance covered his face with his hands. Otis and Gangah’s eyes told her that they were remembering.

“You killed him. All three of you did. And you took his things, but not his horse because it came home… to me.”

Otis gasped.

“His name was Serio Polante-Gnight and he was my husband,” she said.

Lord Lance sat down.

“Is this true?” Someone shouted. “Did you kill a man, Lord Lance?”

“He’s no lord!” Another shouted. “He’s a criminal!”

“Yeah!” The crowd shouted.

Kyrin thought about leaving it at this and letting the people deal with them. But she couldn’t let go. Besides, he still had the bracelet and the desire to grant their wishes was making her want to vomit.

“I want that bracelet. It was my husband’s and rightly belongs to me.” She said.

“No,” Lord Lance said, “it’s mine. It’s my power. It’s mine!”

Kyrin reached into her cloak pocket and took her Bond Bracelet out. The bracelet on Lord Lance’s arm felt the other’s presence. Like a separated lover, it only desired to get to its match. The bracelet tugged and twisted on his arm. It burned his arm like acid. Lord Lance screamed. Those near him could see the smoke rising from his wrist. It twisted and squeezed cutting deeply into his flesh. Blood dripped on the floor. The crowd jumped back. Finally, the bracelet tore his arm off. The crowd screamed and ran toward the door. In a bowl of light, the bracelet joined Kyrin’s bracelet.
She placed both of them in her cloak pocket. Out of nowhere everyone screamed and suddenly ran to the other side of the tavern.

“Grrrr.”

Burmir stood in the doorway.

“My lady, they are sending in soldiers,” he said.

Kyrin nodded in acknowledgement. She turned back to Lord Lance. He lay on the floor, writhing in pain.

“Now, about your wish,” she said.

“What?” Lord Lance cried.

“You wished to be king of the world, isn’t that right?” She asked.

Lord Lance nodded.

“It shall be granted. Since you didn’t say which world, I will pick it for you.” She grinned. “Lance, you will be king of the ogres! Of course, they’ll eat you as soon as they see you, but you can still proclaim yourself… if there is time.”

Lord Lance looked at her in fear. Kyrin waved her hand. He disappeared. The people screamed.

“Ahhhh!” Otis yelled, charging at her with his sword.

Kyrin waved her hand. The sword clattered to the floor. A small spider rushed at her. Laughing, she lifted her skirts and squashed him with her foot.

Then she turned to Gangah.

“You never told me your wish,” she said.

Gangah backed himself into a corner.
“I wish for nothing! I wish for nothing!” He
screamed.

“Nothing?” Kyrin asked, smiling. “Then you shall get nothing.”

Gangah sighed with relief.

“I shall send you to a place were absolutely nothing exists. There is only darkness and nothing else.”

Gangah fell to his knees.“Please! I beg you! Have mercy! Have mercy!” He pleaded.

Hot anger swept through her being.
“Did you show any mercy to my husband?!” She shouted. “Now you shall feel the pang of a slow death. For you will have nothing to live off of.”

“No! Please! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

“It’s too late to be sorry.” She waved her hand and he vanished into nothingness.

The crowd watched the scene before their eyes in shocked silence. Kyrin turned to the crowd. The people trembled. Silently, Kyrin walked out of the tavern.

“There they are!” Someone shouted.

Men on horses and swords charged at her. Arrows flew over Burmir's head.

“They’re trying to kill us!” Burmir said.

Kyrin put her arms up. The men and their horses were knocked to the ground.

“Get her! She killed Lord Lance, Otis Bork, and Gangah Fridah!” People coming out the tavern shouted.

Kyrin flicked her wrist and a blast of wind knocked the people back into the tavern. After shutting the door with the wind, she melted the sides of the door so they couldn’t get out. Then she let a lightening bolt hit the thatch roof.

She and Burmir began to walk away. It wasn’t long before she heard the screams of those trapped in
the tavern. She stopped and saw people outside frantically trying to put the fire out. She stood there for a minute. Then she sent a downpour of rain to put the fire out. She laughed and opened the door. People covered in black smoke and soot rushed out. They fell to the ground coughing and crying.

Kyrin laughed.
“You fools!” She shouted. “You dare to oppose me?! My love and life was taken away from me by men. Now all humans will pay for it! I am Kyrin the Fauye! Hear my name and fear me! I am the curse upon man!”

She'd been waiting for a time to try out her newest fire trick. Now was as good as ever. Lifting her hands, fire appeared on her fingers. She pointed her hands towards the village and watched as the flames rained down on them. Delight surged throughout her body as she watched the humans scramble to get out of the way.

Controlling the fire with her fingers, she made it form a circle around the entire village. She randomly chose 5 people and put a protection spell on them. Then she gave the fire the power to consume their fields, homes, animals, and the villagers themselves. All who would be spared were the 5 she put the protection spell on. She wanted them to tell other humans so that fear could reign in their hearts.

Turning, she and Burmir left the village of Hedimott to their grim fate.