Restitution

By Nathan Veyon

“Psst. Lase, where are you?”

“Over here.”

Brande wandered between bookshelves. “Where? I see only books.”

“Yes, isn’t it amazing?” Lase appeared from behind a stack holding four musty tomes.

Brande shrugged. “I suppose, but when you asked if I could get you into the palace, I thought you meant to see something—anything—else.”

Lase heaved her load onto a reading table. “How am I to find a fairy without some research?”

Brande grimaced. “Won’t it be awkward if you-know-who comes through?”

Lase stopped flipping pages. “Yes, but if I find the fairy, we can retrieve that confounded gem I conned from the King.”

“The King’s Heart is more than a ‘confounded gem.’” Brande threw up his hands. “But why not? Jilted kings, villainous fairies, priceless jewels—bring it on. I’ll be your knight. What’s the worst that can happen?” He plopped down and pulled one of the massive books toward him.

As he slowly turned the pages, the shadows of the bookcases stretched across the room. Occasionally they froze as footsteps passed the door.

“I found something.” Lase shoved her book on top of Brande’s. “It says here fairies are drawn by desire, need or desperation.”

Brande peered at the dense page. “If you say so.” He pulled his book from under hers. “I’m reading about the horrible concoctions people used to attract or repel fairies. Here, someone used rotting vegetables as a lure. Can you imagine wanting—”

Lase stared oddly.

“What?”

“Did you say rotting vegetables?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have money on you?”

Brande narrowed his eyes. “Umm… maybe.”

Lase hopped up and headed to the door. “We need to go shopping.”

Brande chuckled and closed the book. He had wanted more excitement in his life, and Lase definitely kept things moving. His older brothers wouldn’t believe he’d actually visited a library of his own volition, much less with someone like Lase.

As the sun neared late afternoon, they traversed the streets to an apothecary shop. Lase stopped abruptly before the door.

“Oof! Why’d you stop?” Brande said.

Lase chewed on her lip.

“Did you steal something from here?” Brande mock-scowled.

“Uh, yeah.” Lase spun. “You wouldn’t happen to have a gold piece would you?”

Brande produced one; Lase grabbed it and headed through the door. Shrugging, Brande followed.

Inside, the owner eyed Lase. Brande waited until his presence was known, then did his best menacing Duke Methelbrande impersonation. His father and oldest brother used it when convincing lesser nobles to follow their lead. The shop owner nodded deferentially, returning to his work.

It wasn’t often Brande used his status, but sometimes it came in handy. He found Lase near a recently mended shelf, surreptitiously sniffing bottles. She picked one up, sticking it under Brande’s nose.

He took a whiff and choked. “Why is that guy selling swamp water?”

Lase smirked and patted his shoulder. She walked over to the owner, held up the bottle, and handed him the gold coin.

Brande bit his tongue until they were outside. “What were you thinking? That bottle is worth, at most, a couple coppers.”

Lase blushed. “I kind of thought it might cover the bag of potions I stole from him before.”

Brande raised an eyebrow. “An honest thief.”

Lase glared. “You can go back to your fancy palace if you don’t like hanging out with criminal types like me.”

“Nope,” Brande smiled. “If you find a fairy lair, I want to be there to see it.” He trotted toward the docks.

“Where are you going?” Lase said.

“To the beach!” he called over his shoulder. “You said both times the fairy appeared before were near fire. So, let’s build a fire.”

Lase marched after him, muttering. “So bossy…”

Brande grinned and kept walking.

They found a secluded cove, and Brande readied some kindling while Lase paced back and forth, wrinkling her nose at the uncorked potion. She was cute when she did that, but he wasn’t sure why she was so jumpy. This was shaping up to be a grand adventure. Much more interesting than his studies, or those never-ending, high-class social engagements.

Eventually, a spark took hold, and the fire roared to life.

They sat staring at the flames. Finally, Brande said, “Maybe your fairy missed a turn. You know, ‘Make a left after the palace, then head towards beach.’”

“Shush. You’re probably not desperate enough.”

Brande’s eyelids grew heavy as he watched the dancing light.

The fire had burned down to glowing embers when a pop startled him. An old woman poked at Lase’s prone form. He jumped up. “What did you do to her?”

The woman straightened. “How protective you are of your lady.”

“She’s not my lady. She’s Lase.”

Lase sat up, blinking. “It’s you!”

“Yes, I have magnanimously returned.” The woman threw out her arms.

Lase stood. “Fairy, I need that King’s Heart back.”

The fairy glowered. “No. I wanted one, and you got it for me. And you got a Prince Charming to boot.” She nodded at Brande.

“Who me? I’m no prince.”

“Semantics. Now if that is all, I’ll be on my way.”

Lase reached forward and grabbed her arm. “Please.”

“Girlie, you wouldn’t like where I’m headed. Now let go.”

The fairy’s sudden dark expression made Brande uneasy. “Lase, I’m not sure about this.”

Lase turned, still keeping a firm grip on the fairy. “This is your chance for a real adventure, and mine to get that gem.”

Light curved around the fairy. Brande felt himself being drawn to uncharted territory. What could compare to visiting a whole new world? He shook his head. “This isn’t worth it. You’ll get hurt.”

“I need that gem!” Lase grabbed both of the fairy’s arms.

In a moment of pure bravery or stupidity—he couldn’t always tell the difference—Brande dove for Lase. He collided with her just as the light rushed inward toward the fairy. The world became heavy, and he felt himself being pulled downward to places unknown.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nathan Veyon grew up reading Tolkien and Lewis. This developed into a lifelong love of science fiction and fantasy. He enjoys computers and science which he also currently teaches. In his spare time he also enjoys working on developing multiple worlds that are slowly being turned into actual books.

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