Ch.4

The wisps

Hollis had been escorted to an elaborate room, far more extravagant than anything he’d ever seen. There were ornate paintings, thick with acrylic brushstrokes and vibrant scenery, mostly scenes of landscapes. It was the kind of room Hollis would have pictured Cinderella in after she’d married her prince. Not that he knew anything about that story. He was most taken by the sheer size and magnitude of the space. It was 3 times as large as his apartment. His eyes were drawn to the onyx and gold chandelier that hung above the giant bed. Hollis had only ever slept on a twin frame, and this was 6 times as big as that. He was dumbfounded. There was a set of balcony doors that he tried to open, but neither would budge. It was then that the reality of his situation flooded in.

He was a captive. Who knew for what purpose? The first thought he had, however, was why on earth they would choose to put him- a captive- in this immaculate room. Surely, in situations like this, a more suitable room would be the slave quarters or a broom closet. But then, this wasn’t a historical fantasy, and he certainly wasn’t Harry Potter. Hollis felt good and truly lost. His sire? What even was his sire? What did that mean? What was this place? His head was reeling.

The Queen seemed both kind and heartless. It was a mixture of contradictions. He’d been here for what felt like months, but he knew it hadn’t been long. His body felt the urge to faint, his head swimming as if under a lulling spell. He found himself treading towards the bed, his feet dragging against the marble floor, making scraping sounds as he went. Normally, he would not have considered laying on a bed without first finding a chair to fold and place his worn clothes on, he would have had a set of bed clothes freshly pressed and ready to adorn himself in. He would have gently uncased the bed sheets as if the covers were the most precious trappings. Despite the anxious repulsion his body felt, he simply collapsed atop the intricate gold and black silk duvet. As he felt himself drift into hazy dreams, he could just picture the slight wispy waves of color he had seen in the hallway.

Hollis woke up feeling slightly refreshed with drool pasted to his chin. Frowning, he tried to rub off the remnants, horrified that he didn’t even have toothpaste to get rid of his night breath. He took a deep breath and tried to remind himself that this was the least of his problems, but routines felt crucial to Hollis, and he couldn’t shake his anxieties as they climbed his body like ants on a sand mound.

A faint knock on the door startled him. Rushing to feel slightly presentable, he patted his pointy hair until he felt it was at least an orderly nest instead of a chaotic nest. He tried to pat his clothes wrinkle-free, but he felt he was only adding to them. The faint knock came again, and he hastened to the door, glancing out the peephole as he went. A slight woman with purple skin and soft grey eyes stood on the other side of the door. She had on black slacks and a black shirt with a gold tie. He felt himself grow weary, but his urge to be polite compelled him to open the heavy door. She smiled faintly, and he couldn’t help but cringe as her tiny needle-point teeth greeted him. He swallowed loudly and said, “Hi.” She nodded and bobbed her head towards a moving trey with what looked like some form of meat and drink on it with an assortment of colorful sponge-like breads. He moved so she could wheel it inside.

His stomach grumbled as the scents started to hit his nose, smells of honey butter and caramelized red meat tantalizing his senses. He normally would have questioned that combination, but currently, he couldn’t muster a care. Following her, he waited as she turned and held out an armful of folded clothes all closely resembling the clothes she wore. He took them gratefully and quickly shuffled to place them on the side table next to the bed. He heard a sharp Tink and turned to see his father’s chipped cup sitting next to a teapot with steam ebbing out of its spout. A rush of relief swept him, and he hastily grabbed for it like a greedy child.

She seemed to observe him for a moment before quickly taking her leave. He called out, “Wait!” but she had already slipped out of his gilded cage. Hollis chewed on the side of his mouth and tried to calm his breathing. It’s ok, he thought. Everything would be OK now that he had his father’s cup. He stowed it in the safest place he could find, the tiny drawer in the bedside table. He followed his growling stomach’s command and sat down to eat, even though, instinctually, he wondered if that was the safest idea. What if it was poisoned?

He investigated the spongey breads first, similar to Angel food cake but puffy and full of hot holes like swiss cheese; each bread was a vibrant color. It looked like a platter he would have seen for Easter. The breads were spheres of pinks, blues, and yellows. They were easy to pull apart and melted in his mouth. They were like sourdough mixed with honey wheat germ. Interesting, he thought. He saw a plate with soft-looking cream, golden the color of dandelions. He could smell the sweet hint of honey coming from it. The meat was a golden brown mound of perfectly cooked venison? He wasn’t too sure, it was topped with sauteed onions and garlic. He could see the spout of the tea was still extremely hot as spindles of steam wafted out. He wondered what kind of tea it was.

He created a small plate, enough to fill him up, but not enough to make it seem like he was enjoying himself. He had his principles, after all. Patting his mouth with a cloth napkin, he felt himself relax. The tea had been a jade color, and it tasted of what he imagined flowers on a riverside might taste like. Bitter and tangy with bits of earth thrown in.

He went to explore his room, looking for a bathroom, and found a small sheet of paper on the clothes he’d placed on the side table.

Hollis, dress and meet me by the fountain in the courtyard. Tili will show you the way.

Hollis arched an eyebrow, confusion settling over him. First, he couldn’t fathom how the note had ended up here, and the uncertainty gnawed at him with increasing anxiety. Then, there was the question of who this person might be. He shook his head in disbelief. And lastly, a bitter thought crept in: How was he supposed to find this Tili?

Hollis picked up the pile of clothes and went into a very spacious and exotic bathroom. He looked around and felt particularly irritated that the bathroom, too, was bigger than his apartment.

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Her wisps were tempestuous and humming with excitement. They told her in no uncertain terms how interesting the new Halfling was. They danced in circles around her, lights that shone like prisms in the sun. There was merriment and so much wonder. It had been decades since they’d found a Halfling. The Queen watched as Kelpies swam in schools just below the water’s surface. Her courtyard was her favorite space. She kept it cordoned off to most in the palace. Only allowing her closest fae to enter. She listened as the wisps alerted her that the boy would be here soon. She gave a slight nod and tried to hush the feeling of unease building in the pit of her stomach.

“Escort him here,” she ordered. “Make sure Tili does not say anything careless.”

The wisps ascended towards his room, bobbing and swaying in the soft wind.

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Hollis wore the same black outfit as the woman before. He looked at himself in the mirror and scowled. He’d never wanted to be a waiter, not that he felt there was anything wrong with being the wait staff, but messy environments made him queasy. Seeing himself now, he felt that was exactly what he looked like. Hollis heard the faint knock and walked with a stiff pace to the door. When he opened it he was looking at the same woman from before. Her purple skin glittered in the waning daylight, large grey eyes watched him for a time before she said, “Are you ready?” Taken aback, he stuttered, “Yo.. you talk?” She laughed, the sound two octaves higher than normal. “Of course!” “Why didn’t you say anything before?” he admonished. She seemed to hesitate before answering. “I thought you might cry.”

Chuckling, she pushed her long jet black hair behind her pointed ear. Hollis felt irritated at that. “I would not have cried,” he snapped, crossing his arms defensively. Tili laughed again. “I noticed you were wary of my teeth; talking would have made them more obvious.” He could feel his face growing warm with shame, he hadn’t thought of that. “Sorry,” he whispered. Shaking her head, she grabbed his arm and started walking towards the hallway. “It’s weird for you, I’m sure,” concern evident in her words, and Hollis felt the slightest bit better; maybe he’d be able to get help from this woman. She looked back at him knowingly. “I will not be able to help you.” Stunned, Hollis stared. “Are you a mind reader?” He suddenly felt the urge to cover his head with his hands, he figured that probably wouldn’t help, but still. Her tinkling laughter was stark against the silence of the palace. As they walked, everything reverberated. “I’m not a mind reader. It’s easy to see you are looking for a way out.” Hollis began to answer and stopped himself. There in the corridor was the Aurora Borealis, Tili stiffened. Seeing her discomfort, he realized there must be something to these lights.

Tili nodded at them as if they were sentient. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. What was this place?