The List:
-Treenia, Taliesin
-Tallie's Inn
-Tuesday, Thursday, twilight
-Town, Toes, Time, trolls, torque, tug, tunnel, terrain, tangerine, tart, twinkle, therianthrope, thought, twist, trail, tussock, trunk, tree, turf
The Result:
"Taken To Town"
(*Sequel to "Beware of Fairies" )
Will felt the turbulence wrack his whole body as he tumbled through
the hole by the tugging at his wrist. Wherever the tunnel led, the
ground tilted sharply in a different direction than he expected, and his
toes caught on uneven terrain and he flopped on the ground at Treenia’s
feet. She hadn’t let go of his hand, however, and so his arm torqued
painfully in the landing.
“Ouch!” He yelled, staggering to his feet.
Treenia still treated him to a twisted grin and a merry twinkle.
“Swiftly, Will! Tallie’s Inn is just on the other side of those trees!”
“Tally-who?” Will slurred, but the young Fae was off again, traipsing down the trail into the nearby town.
They
emerged from the treelike and into a maze of life and color. Creatures
of every shape and size trickled this way and that among tents and
towers, festooned with all manner of celebratory trappings.
Tallie’s
Inn... Tallie’s Inn... just the name itself triggered in Will’s memory,
a slim connection to the world he’d left behind, barely even a tether
to the reality he once knew.
A gorgeous tree-like being, all
wrapped in leaves and branches, trailing ivy down its back, approached
the two, offering Will a tempting array of treats on a tray. Tall
meringues topped with tangerine sections, and gleaming tarts like tiny
treasure mounds tested his tact, but Will turned away from it all.
Treenia regarded him curiously. “Won’t you at least try something?” She tittered.
Will
shook his head. “Not even a little. We have a tradition among humans,
that whoever tastes fairy food will lose his appetite for anything in
the human realm, and he will be forever bound to the fairy realm.”
Treenia covered her mouth with thin, graceful fingers. “Dear me, how funny!”
Meanwhile,
the talk of tradition had caused Will’s mind to whirl again. Suddenly,
he tapped his temple. “Taliesin!” He cried. “That’s What this place
reminds me of!”
Treenia tutted her tongue and tilted her head. “Of course, silly; the town is called Tallie’s Inn!”
Will
shook his head. “No, it’s—“ he stopped, realizing that arguing with a
Fae who had no idea how the human world worked about an ancient
historical figure would go nowhere. “Never mind.”
A trilling trumpet sounded from across a wide, thick turf.
Treenia twirled on her toes. “Quickly!” She cried. “The tournament of trolls is about to begin!”
Will barely had time to take in what Treenia said. “Tournament of what?”
They
traveled with the crowd toward a tumult of screaming, screeching, and
bellowing. They sat under a tent packed with other Fae who eyed Will
suspiciously. The trumpet tolled again, and two terrifying beasts
lumbered out into the arena.
A pair of trolls, twelve feet
tall and covered in twisting tattoos, tussled with one another. They
swung rough-hewn tree trunks at each other, and their thudding steps
made the ground shake and tremble.
One particular trouncing blow knocked the combatant off balance, and the colossus tumbled toward the tent full of spectators.
Will nearly tripped over the therianthropes surrounding him
as everyone dispersed from the trajectory of the titanic monster. Once again,
Treenia’s hand closed around his wrist, and she tugged him out of harm’s way.
The tournament could not continue with the demolition of
the spectator stands, so Treenia and her companion drifted toward the other
tents.
Through it all, Will began to observe Treenia and her
interactions with the other Fae. After all, a huge part of the Scottish history
he wanted to write about was steeped in mythology and legends—and here they
were, larger than life and twice as real! If he was dreaming at this point, he
didn’t even mind.
Treenia led him to the lawn where dryads and fauns led
attendees in a huge, intricate dance. Ethereal shapes twirled and skipped among
the turf. The young teacher relaxed his guard, and felt the tenseness of his
first moments trickle away. To his surprise, Treenia responded with tenderness,
escorting him around to the things he wanted to see, and the two of them talked
till the stars twinkled and danced in the twilight. After the gnomes had put
out all the lights from the festival, and the last dryad had tucked its leaves
away for the night, Treenia took Will by the hand and began leading him down
yet another trail at the edge of the town.
“Where are you taking me now?” he asked, but the fairy
didn’t answer him. Will felt the old apprehension began twining around his
insides, his heart thumping loudly against his ribs, and his thoughts racing as
the shadows deepened around them. The festival had ended—what would Treenia do
with him now? Was she the sort of fairy who would do terrible things after
night fell?
Will nearly tripped on a tussock right in front of him by
the time he tore himself away from his fearful thoughts and realized where they
stood: at the edge of the blue pool that had served as the portal between the
worlds. From this end, Will could clearly see the winding walls of a tunnel
stretching deep under the ground.
“Why are you so scared?” Treenia asked.
“What are we doing here?” Will looked around, almost
disbelieving that he could be back where the adventure began. “Are we going
somewhere else now?”
Treenia tilted her head to one side again. “Did you want to go somewhere else?”
“No!” Will declared tremulously. “I want to return to
Scotland!”
The ground tilted, and Will toppled into the tunnel, falling
with that same turbulent drop until his feet landed securely on a patch of
grass. A tree towered over them, and the house he might have left a week ago.
“There,” Treenia stated softly. “You’re back, on the very
same night you left. Not a moment has passed, just as you wanted.”
Will glanced up to the round moon overhead. “It’s still
Tuesday night?” he gasped.
“Yes,” she answered. “Your hosts won’t notice you are gone.”
She turned and began walking away from him.
Will couldn’t ignore the tug on his conscience. “Treenia!”
he called after her.
The fairy glanced over her shoulder, the strange, glowing
lantern appearing in her hand.
Will rubbed the back of his neck. “I, er—thank you for
tonight.”
She smiled. “Did you enjoy your time at the Human Festival?”
He nodded. “I did.”
The young fairy dipped her head. “Well then,” she stammered,
“Would you be willing to come with me on Thursday? There will be a
kelpie-taming contest that day. I’m competing.”
Will blinked. “Yes,” he agreed. “I think I’d like that.”
Treenia giggled. “Very well, Will; I will return on Thursday
night.” She turned and scurried away, soon lost in the shadows.
Will sighed and turned to climb the tree. Perhaps being
taken by the fairies wasn’t so bad, after all.
Also in the A-to-Z Challenge Series: ( * Continuations of Suggestion Box installments)
-Letter I* ] [-Letter S*
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