This piece is in remembrance of my Creative Writing student, Gill Pontin, who suddenly passed away in October 2020. Gill was an artistic dynamo whose enthusiasm, creativity and laughter will be dearly missed. She was a key participant when our group developed a new world, Creedland, and this story is set in Vape Town.
"Whoa, boy."
Blade Driscoll tugged on the reins and pulled his destrier to a halt. He
surveyed the outskirts of Vape Town, unsurprised by the ramshackle buildings
and pock-marked roads. The air reeked of burnt sugar and the back of Blade's
throat tingled. Between his thighs, Stormbolt shifted, wrinkling his equine
nose and shaking his head from side to side. The horse's plated armour clinked
together destroying any attempt at stealth. Blade nudged his mount towards the
main street, the sooner he finished his business in this cesspit the better for
his sanity.
Pink-eyed townsfolk
slunk away from the war horse's hoof spikes. Pastel smoke billowed from a series
of chimney stacks and led him to the front steps of the Crystal Tavern.
Scantily clad fairies with tattered wings slouched against the verandah
railings. Out of habit, Blade scanned their faces but didn't recognise any
familiar features. He didn't waste his breath asking after his friend as their
vacant stares and pink-tinted irises indicated their minds were lost in a
kaleidoscopic haze.
Crystal Pink was manufactured
from bog flowers and utterly irresistible to fairies. Its euphoric buzz leached
away their magic, attacked the delicate blood vessels in their wings, rendering
them flightless, before their bodies swelled to human size. The only way to
gain their fix was to enslave themselves to Gurezil Flintsunder, owner of the
Crystal Tavern, the unofficial mayor of Vape Town, and the largest whore-master
this side of the Despicables. Lowlifes flocked from every dark corner of
Creedland to sample the unique fairy delights.
Blade dismounted and
left Stormbolt's reins dangling, ready for a speedy exit. Anyone foolhardy
enough to try to steal the stallion would learn how hard the war horse could
bite.
Blade checked his weapon inventory. If blood flowed today, he didn't intend any of it to be his.
Before the saloon doors
swung shut behind him Blade tugged a bandanna over his mouth and nose. Steam
laced with cotton candy sweetness curled through the dimness. Chunks of
crystals simmered in heated ceramic bowls, producing bubbles and sickly fumes.
Each table featured glass paraphernalia plugged with multiple hoses. Tendrils
of pink smoke escaped from the pipe tips.
Pain pulsed in Blade's
forehead and his eyes watered. He sipped shallow breaths as he scanned the
front parlour, counting four patrons slumped in the booths. Their hands grasped
the tubes as if they were lifelines.
Fools; it was death they courted.
A month ago, he'd
rescued Maie Quickthistle from Gurezil's clutches, sneaking her away while the
tavern slumbered. When she'd surfaced from the drug's grip she'd attacked him
like a demented harpy, begging for her next fix. He responded by locking her
inside a rented room, but she'd broken out the window and hightailed it back to
the Crystal Tavern. After that failure, he decided to change his tactics.
A bartender slumped across the bar and ignored Blade as he slid into an empty booth and shuffled into the shadows. From here he had an unobstructed view of Gurezil's office door and a ringside seat to the drama he knew was about to unfold. The next bog flower shipment was due within the hour, and he wanted to witness Gurezil Flintsunder's reaction when he learned his entire crop had been destroyed. The poison had cost Blade his life's savings but the wizard assured him that this would taint the bog for generations. With one application he'd wiped out the only source of Crystal Pink.
Half an hour later,
boots thundered along the passageway and a man hammered his fists on the office
door. "Boss, there's a problem with the latest shipment."
Gurezil flung the door
open and stomped into the hallway. "If those imbeciles have stolen as much
as one flower I'll strip the flesh from their hides and feed it to the
fairies."
"There are no
flowers." The man held out a limp vine. "Something’s wrong with the
whole patch."
Gurezil snatched the
vegetation out of the man's hand, lifted it above his nose, and sniffed it. The
blood vessels on his cheeks blazed beetroot. "Stinks of spoiled magic.
There's no time to waste, saddle up the horses and the wagons, we need to salvage
what's left."
Blade stayed in the
shadows until they disappeared outside. Whistling, he ascended the stairs two
at a time before gently opening every door along the top corridor. A rush of
stale air tainted with the drug's signature sweetness filtered into the
passage. Fairies dozed on bunks, oblivious to his presence as their minds
languished in a hypnotic blur. He didn't desire to be anywhere near Vape Town
when their mass withdrawal kicked in. Dealing with one psychotic fairy was
enough to test a man’s mettle.
He counted his blessing
when he found Maie Quickthistle out cold, making it easier to transfer her onto
Stormbolt's saddle. As a precaution, he bound her hands together and checked
her pockets for hidden daggers. Earlier, he'd prepared a campsite in the
surrounding woods as he understood the next two days were going to be tough on the
both of them.
If he'd known how sharp
fairy teeth were he might have reconsidered this rescue plan. Bloody bite marks
and grazes marred his forearm and face, and he was sure he was missing a piece
of his ear. His ears throbbed from Maie's constant shrieking, and he hoped
she'd have no memory of all the things she'd offered him in exchange for a fix.
After a sleepless 48
hours, his eyes were redder than an addict's and his thoughts foggy.
Maie's limbs contorted into a fetal knot and whimpers escaped her throat.
She was quieter than earlier, but he kept his distance as she'd lured him into
striking range before. He yawned and struggled to keep awake. Perhaps he'd
snatch a moment's rest.
Something fluttered
against his cheek and Blade wrenched his eyes open. Tiny fairy wings whirred
close to his face. He held still as Maie planted a kiss on the tip of his nose.
"You saved me."
Lightness flooded Blade's soul. "Of course, that's what friends do."
We ask that you also check out their books in the RWISA catalog. Thanks, again, for your support and we hope that you will follow along each day of this amazing tour of talent by visiting the tour home page! Don't forget to click the link below to learn more about today's profiled author:
Congrats Wendy!
ReplyDeleteThank you Yvette for hosting today.
Thanks for stopping by, Shirley. :-)
DeleteIt's fun to see Wendy featured on so many blog sites. She's a beautiful, spirited writer and I love her work. Congratulations, Wendy, and thank you, Yvette, for spotlighting her. ❤
ReplyDeleteYes, she is, Gwen. Thanks for commenting. :-)
DeleteThis was a fun story by Wendy. I love her fantastical world-building. Thanks for sharing, Yvette.
ReplyDeleteShe's great at it, Linnea. I hope she write a full book (or books) in this world. :-)
DeleteWendy, I wanted to keep reading! Great piece. Thanks for featuring Wendy on your website, Yvette.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, John. I wanted to keep reading as well. :-)
DeleteThank you for sharing Wendy's amazing and powerful fairy story, Yvette!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate you stopping by, Jan. :-)
DeleteGreat story, Wendy,, thank you for sharing, Yvette.
ReplyDeleteThanks for supporting her today, Mark. :-)
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