The Thief
A fairy comes to retrieve a specter that a human retrieved from a cave.
As a child, I believed fairies were benevolent beings who granted wishes to children. I longed to look at their elegant transparent wings, and then watch them dance in the moonlight.
Alas, I was mistaken about these bite-size creatures. They were neither gentle nor wish granters, but vicious little beasts. They had teeth that could rip the skin off their victims and wings made of hellfire. I should know; I had a fairy looming over me, holding her flaming hand above my chest.
The fairy’s fiery wings sparked against my bedpost. What I dreamed of as a tiny creature grew into the size of a mountain lion as her flames spiraled around her. She unsheathed a sapphire-encrusted sword that clanked against her armor. The creature snarled, showing her crimson teeth.
“Where is it, thief?”
My throat closed as I looked upon the fairy. Perhaps if I hadn’t been so surprised, I could’ve marveled at her beauty. Her skin was a faint silver that glowed in the moonlight, her auburn hair floated in the air, and her red eyes shined like rubies.
I knew I had to escape before she found my recent discovery…something that would change human lives forever. No fairy nor beast was about to take it from me.
“How dare you call me a thief,” I said. “When you came in here demanding what’s rightfully mine, creature.”
I tried kicking at her chest, but her fingers sparked. A spiral of crimson flames emerged from her hand and roped around my legs, pinning me to the bed. My heart hammered in my chest as it tried to flee. There was no escaping from this dreadful monster. Unless…no… it was far too dangerous. And I wouldn’t show what she wanted in the deepest corners of her heart.
“The scepter belongs to no human. If you desire to live another day, you will give it back, then I’ll take you to the queen for your sentence. You never know, she may feel lenient.”
I thought back to the monster I had seen in the forest before going inside the cave. Its teeth exceeded the size of a man, and its jaws were strong enough to snap a man in two with ease. Afar, a fairy sat on the creature’s back, wearing a silver crown, as they searched for the missing scepter. I knew the queen would send the creature to devour me if I came near the fairies, especially since they foolishly believed the scepter belonged to them.
As if the scepter should belong to them when they couldn’t find it themselves. Alas, I knew from the sorcerer where to find the scepter. A cave hidden behind the Twin Weeping Willows held a treasure that could heal humans from all diseases. Better yet, the scepter could turn anything into gold, including a grain of sand. All I had to do was make willows cry and they would open the entrance to the cave.
Now, a fairy came demanding what rightfully belonged to me. I slew trolls, crossed strong currents, and burned my arms to retrieve the scepter. I didn’t care the fairies crafted it centuries ago, nor a sorcerer had stolen it before.
“Tell your fairy queen who it belongs to now. Or do you wish to suffer, fairy?”
The fairy showed her pointed teeth as she leaned toward me. Her breath smelled like ashes mixed with rosemary. I gagged at the smell.
“The scepter will never work for a common human like yourself. You may have slayed the troll brothers and poisoned their families, but you will never defeat a fairy. You’re a powerless human who is nothing but a murderer. You don’t deserve the scepter.”
My lip twitched as I thought of the trolls drinking their afternoon tea near the bridge. They sprung into action when they saw me crossing with my flimsy sword. Sure, I could’ve paid their little toll, but what hero would’ve I been letting the cursed beasts live? Naturally, I slaughtered them and then took care of their families living in their quaint cottages. The world was better off without the trolls.
“I’m a hero. That is what they will say about me. They will marvel at the hills of gold steeping into the streets. They will worship me when I cure the ill. You can join the troll brothers, fairy.”
I held out a hand in hopes the scepter would come to me. The fairy smirked as she watched my fingers wiggle. Sweat dripped from my face as I tried to feel an invisible connection, as the sorcerer had described. The scepter should know me. I am its master. But it never came.
A blue fire circled the room above us, burning off the glowing plastic stars from the previous owner. The fairy dropped her sword as she watched the fire smash into my lamp and bookshelves before dropping onto the floor. The fireball grew into flames, towering over my oak wardrobe. A man wearing emerald robes emerged from the flames. He stroked the ashes from his silver beard before turning toward the fairy. The fairy’s face went pale, and she backed away from me. Her sword went into the air, and she pointed it toward my master’s chest.
“Cinaed,” said the fairy. “What have you done? Acquainting yourself with a human?
“Nice to see you again, Aithne. What has it been, about a century since our last visit? I didn’t believe you would be foolish to run into me again.”
Aithne pulled back a loose hair from her face that hid a falcon-shaped scar. Her sword trembled in her hand as she came closer to Cinaed.
“Don’t think I’m scared of you. You will pay for your crimes during the Fairy Massacre.”
Cinaed laughed as he stepped closer to Aithne. He placed his hand on the sword and it began to melt, silver dripping on the mauve carpet.
“You couldn’t save your village, little fairy. What makes you believe you can save yourself?”
Blue flames roared to life inside the room with a flick of his hand. Aithne tried fighting back with her crimson flames. Her flames transformed into a dragon who bit at the blue flames, but the Cinaed’s flames devoured the dragon. Within seconds, the flames engulfed her, leaving nothing behind but a pile of ash.
Cinaed kicked the ashes, twirled a finger in his beard, and he sighed. “Not much of a fight, was there?”
I tried standing up to greet my dear friend. How I wanted to thank him for getting rid of the wretched creature. But I was slammed back by an invisible force. Cinaed smiled when he looked at me, but it wasn’t a warm smile. Chills crawled down my back as I looked at him. His silver eyes sparked as he came closer to me.
“You know, Trevin, I searched for centuries for a human like yourself. Someone who could enter the Cave of Sorrow. But no human survived to see daylight once inside. I almost gave up hope of ever retrieving my father’s scepter. You see, he made certain only a human could enter the cave and retrieve his treasure. Even after I disposed of him, I couldn’t enter. So I should thank you for getting it.”
His hand stretched out toward my wardrobe: the doors sprung open as the emerald scepter flew toward its new master. I cried out as he stroked the hawk talisman on top, its ruby eyes lit up as it looked upon me.
“What betrayal is this? You said I would receive great prizes for this! You fiend!”
Cinaed tapped the specter on the bed. “My dear boy, I intend to reward you for finding the scepter. What kind of master would I be if I didn’t? I believe you and Aithne have unfinished business to work out. Reuniting you with her feels like a justifiable reward, now does it not?
As the blue fire emerged from the scepter, I knew I would become a pile of ash. Cinaed did not stay to watch his destruction. It was just another check off his to-do list. Maybe I didn’t even deserve that kind of respect to be considered a task. Soon the wind, leaking through the cracked window, would sweep away my memory. I would be forgotten, while Cinaed would receive all the admiration for his achievement.
Credit to K.V Fey’s September 10–16 Prompt Two
