Wayfarer by Bethan Rees (read novels website .TXT) 📕

"Wayfarer, can I have a word?" Queen Ray asked me after the feast.

I got up and followed Queen Ray to a grey room with a black table. The conference room. Councillors of the City of Light were sitting at the table, with two spaces remaining. Mine, and Queen Ray's. Every councillor rose as we went in.

"I am here with Wayfarer, Elisabelle's child. The destined one." She went over and sat down, signalling me and the councillors to sit down.

The destined one? I thought. Why am I this 'destined one'? What is it about me?

The councillors got out some paperwork.

"As we know, Mist, the Healer, has been missing for a while now. It is rumoured that she might be... in the human world. Wayfarer is a honoured member of the community, and it is her chance for a councilled mission."

A COUNCILLED MISSION?! I thought. Councilled missions are at the upmost of importancy and only people worthy of the Queen's trust go on them.

"Wayfarer, your mission is to find Mist, the Healer, in the human world. It's a long trip, so during your mission, you need to find some of the only people who know about magical beings on Earth. They will know about you."

"You want me... to do this?" I asked nervously.

"Yes. Wayfarer, us councillors know who we pick. Beware, though. The City of Darkness have sent hunters to kill Mist. They will kill you. You'll know the hunters. One is an exiled City of Light resident."

I gasped. "Jacques..."

Jacques, my ex-boyfriend, tried to kill a trainee a few years ago. He was exiled and has sworn venegance ever since. I hated him for what he'd done. I still can't believe that lowlife had been kissing me!

"Yes, Wayfarer, Jacques." One of the councillors spoke up. 

"You will be departing in a few days. On behalf of the council, good luck." Queen Ray stood up.

The council stood. So did I.

"So... you're going on a councilled mission?" Violet asked. "Lucky! Scarlett said I'm not allowed on one until I'm eighteen. That's so not fair."

"Yeah, but I'll have City of Darkness hunters after me, Violet." I responded.

It was the day of my departure. People were saying goodbye to me before I left. Violet, Archer and Princess Sky were there with me the longest.

We walked together to the cliff where Queen Ray was waiting for me. Her and the Elders were in a circle, holding hands. I went to the middle, while the other three joined the circle. Gold beams of light (gold is my power colour) shot out of their hands. A circle of gold light formed over my head and started going down.

"What is this?" I asked.

"The portal." Queen Ray replied. "Don't worry, this won't hurt. Remember your task."

"I will." I responded.

"Good luck, Wayfarer." Everyone said as the gold light covered me. I flew off into the sky in my ball of lght.

****

Next thing I knew, I was falling.

I was falling through space. How I could still breathe I don't know of, but I was shooting like a comet. There was one place I was headed. Earth.

Scared, I tried to cry out for help, but then I remembered there was no air in space. I just closed my eyes and waited for the pain of crashing.

****

"Wow, looks like the meteorite was actually a person-sized fairy!"

I opened my eyes to see a bunch of men with white coats.

"Thank lord she's alive!" One man cried.

I stood up.

"I'd perfer you not to call me a fairy, thanks." I snapped. I tried to walk off.

"Woah there! We need to take you back, girl, to check if you're good for experimenting on."

I got shoved into a van and knocked out.

Welcome to Earth, I thought.

****

I woke up in a massive glass container. Looking around, I saw I was in a lab.

Great, I thought. I crash-land on Earth, and now I'm in a science lab. Happy days...

I was alone, starving and utterly exhausted. I tried kicking the glass, but it stayed firm and still (although it did shake a bit). Considering the kick, I did a shock wave spell over the glass. It shattered.

What flimsy glass! I thought.

At least I was free. Seeing an open door, I ran out into a long, grey corridor. Two scientists were coming down the corridor. I made a run for it.

"Oi!" One scientist yelled. To tease him, I decided to start flying. I flew out of the window. The breeze was refreshing, as I'd been stuck in the lab for so long. I felt free again, away from those stupid scientists. 

I flew over a town. It was quite big, with bustling shops and big buisnesses. Somehow, it all seemed familiar to me. This view was calming.

I heard a cry.

"THERE SHE IS!" It sounded familiar. Jacques.

Oh no. The City of Darkness' hunters had found me. I knew what I had to do.

Fly as fast as possible.

I'd lose them in the town.

I swooped down very swiftly. The hunters soon followed. As soon as I was low enough, I started making my way through the maze of the town's streets. People got out of my way as I flew past. I had to flap my little gold wings as fast as I could possibly flap them.

"Stop!" One hunter yelled behind me. I didn't listen. I kept flying, shooting gold light rays at them. They shot black ones.

We flew out of town and into a meadow, where I stopped flying. As soon as the hunters got close, I used a stunning deflector ray shield. It stunned them.

A girl ran up to me.

"You must be Wayfarer!" She cried. "I've heard a lot about you. Come back home with me. Don't worry, those hunters won't follow.

The ones who know us! I thought. I followed her.

"Mama! Look who I bought home!" The little girl cried.

"Bethany, you found Wayfarer! Come and sit down. We've heard a lot about you. I'm Anna." The mother said.

"Thank you, Anna." I responded.

I sat down at a wooden stool. 

"What brings you to Ontario, then, Wayfarer?" Bethany asked.

"I'm looking for a healer - Mist - do you know her?" Wayfarer answered.

"She passed through these parts not long ago. Hunters were after her." Bethany piped up.

"They're after me too." I said.

"You look exhausted, Wayfarer. Why don't you stay for the night and get some rest?" Anna asked.

I went into the spare bedroom. It was a round room, with a bed that went round on part of the wall. Knowing me when I'm exhausted, I flopped onto the bed and slept.

It was dusk. I was alone in the darkness. Nobody was around me.

Actually, someone was in front of me. Jacques.

"Wayfarer, time for me to get venegance..." He pulled out a cleaver and swung it.

I woke with a start.

"Stupid Jacques," I whispered to myself. "All he wants to do now is kill me."

In the morning, I had breakfast with Anna and Bethany.

"Mist said she was going to Tokyo - y'know, in Japan?" Anna informed me.

"I'd best follow her, then." I said. I knew where Japan was.

I departed not long after. There were no hunters in sight, so I began on my journey to Japan.

 ****

At long last, I landed on the coast. People gave me funny looks as I stood there on a sandy beach. A bunch of little tourist kids thought I was a fairy. I told them that I wasn't a fairy, I was... a woman in fancy dress.  I was going to ask someone for directions to Tokyo, but they were all Japanese, and I couldn't speak that language.

Eventually, I found the right road and flew over. Seeing the modern cities of Japan was new to me, and I was glad I saw them as they were BEAUTIFUL. The lights of the billboards, the building lights, the modern technology... lit up the dark night sky like a massive array of us magical beings doing an illumination spell.

I decided to fly low to see what it would look like up close. It was just as amazing from above. Stunned by the beauty of this place, I flew along... until a man from a nearby hotel window caught me in a net. 

"Hey! What the heck are you doing?" I yelled.

"I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to sell you to a journalist for lots of money. Nobody will suspect a thing when I go past in a van... with you in the back, fairy." He said, doing a very demented evil laugh.

"Never!" I cried. I tried to break the net, but it didn't work - instead, I just got rope burn.

Happy days, right?

I had a very restless night. No matter how much I tossed and turned, I couldn't get any sleep. Mainly because of the noise outside (do anyone close their windows these days...) and the uncomfortable rope.

(updating later)