The next thing the trio and their pet knew, the obstacle that the king had created was around the corner.
It was a tub of lukewarm water that was planted firmly on the ground. From inside, a woman clad in a faded, green robe popped out.
The tub presumably led to a lake or ocean, because the woman before them was beautiful, healthy and clean…or perhaps it was a glamour. The robe’s loose, flowing sleeves draped gracefully over her
arms, revealing hints of her delicate skin beneath. Her light, blue hair cascaded down her shoulders, with some strands
floating gently in the water. The lightness was not a solid kind of colour, but a transparent sheen. The soft lighting highlighted her serene expression, giving her an otherworldly, almost ethereal presence as the water rippled around her in quiet elegance.
“Is that the Lady of the Lake?” Apricity said, thinking of the books she used to read.
“The Lady of the Lake is a myth,” Wade responded. “Well, she may be real, but even if she is, she wouldn’t allow herself to be captured in The King’s horrible game.”
I am not the Lady of the Lake, Céline said, a tint of amusement tracing her lovely voice. I am a Selkie, taken from my peaceful existence in the shimmering waters of a lake within the Seelie Court. I was captured by a figure draped in dark, hooded garments, and though I can only assume it was the king himself, his presence was commanding and terrifying. They forced me to leave my serene seal form and took me from the only world I knew. Now, I am bound to guard his treasure, a cruel punishment for my defiance. You may address me as Céline.
“Okay, Céline,” Wade said slowly, trying to avoid conflict. “If you let us through—”
Children! Céline cried, and a note of hysteria reached her lovely, high voice. Alas I cannot. The King has bound me to him, and I must let you pass only if you answer some riddles. For every wrong guess, your friend bows under a Ginkgo Tree.
The selkie brandished her arm at Apricity, who was pushed down by an invisible force. Her knees hit the soil, and something burned at the small of her back. “Am I allowed to help my friend, at least?” she choked, oblivious to the horrors awaiting her spine.
Nothing must pass your lip. The thought must be formed by your friend. said Céline with genuine sadness.
“I’m still a little dizzy from the troll's vision,” Wade said. “I won’t be the best choice.”
The selkie raised a perfectly arched eyebrow and looked at Ariadne. Would you prefer to pass on the guessing to you little friend over there?
“No,” Wade said hastily.
She continued with a slight smirk, The first riddle:
I glide through the meadows, unseen and light,
Bringing whispers of peace in the dead of night.
I cradle the flowers, soothe the old trees,
Heal broken hearts with the gentlest breeze.
My laughter is soft, my footsteps are still,
I linger where the world bends to my will.
In moonlit shadows, I weave my way,
A fleeting glimpse before I fade away.
You seek me for solace, for comfort, for care,
But beware my promise, for I’m never truly there.
I offer sweet rest, a shelter from sorrow,
Yet slip from your grasp with the coming of tomorrow.
“What kind of riddle is that?” Wade said.
Indeed. The riddle was so long, that it was hard to remember the first line. Céline’s hypnotic voice did not help either.
He looked at Apricity crouched on the dirt and Ariadne who was picking the leaves off from the hedge. His expression said: I am doomed.
The answer is not a question, said the Selkie smoothly. Although that is an interesting opinion.
As Wade visibly fumed, Apricity felt another burning sensation at the small of her back. She felt the posh coat and shirt of The King rip apart slightly as a single tendril sprouted out of her back. For every wrong guess, your friend bows under a Ginkgo Tree. The Selkie’s words rang in Apricity’s ears. The fire had disappeared from her back, but now she felt heavier. How many wrong guesses until her spine cracked apart?
The answer was “a dream.” A pity you did not get it. For the next riddle, Céline said smoothly. Listen carefully and only talk when necessary. Solve:
I am essential to life, flowing and clear,
I can cover the earth or disappear,
But remove my first letter and I'm part of your face,
Wade stood there, absorbing the information.
Apricity put her mind on the puzzle as well, needing to be distracted from the curse. It could be “water,” but that did not match the last line.
I will give you a clue, said Céline in an effort toto help. Apricity, hands digging into the floor, thought that she was the nicest obstacle so far. There was also something…familiar about her. Céline continued, the answer is related to your heritage.
“Tears,” Wade said carefully. “Tears are flowing and clear. If you remove ’T,’ it becomes 'ears' which is part of the head.”
Céline’s face fell. Her expression contorted into one of abject regret. Ironically, the answer is water. Remove 'w' and you get 'tear.'
"Wade! You just missed it," exclaimed Ariadne.
Patchy coiled his lean body around Ariadne’s heels and turned his head to Wade, sensing immense discomfort. His forked tongue curled around his venom canal.
The snake seemed desolate and lifeless.
Suddenly, the seedling on Apricity’s back grew. A tearing sound polluted the silence as the weight of the tree forced her nails even further into the soil. The sapling wedged its roots into Apricity’s shoulder blades, wrapping its tendrils around her bones.
Even worse was the weight. A gasp of pain escaped her as Apricity tried to push herself up and use the hedge for support.
Through squinting eyes, she noticed that the hedge was no longer riddled with the black thorns that she had seen at the start of the maze.
Fortunately.
“Make it stop,” Wade begged, terrorised. He was used to the cruelties of Faerie, though, and he managed to keep his cool.
This will just keep on going if you don’t answer correctly, cried Céline dramatically. I repeat: the answer was Water…such a disappointment for you not to get it. Remove the "W," and you're left with "a tear,” which can be a part of one’s face. The next riddle is:
I twirl and I spin in the moon’s silver light, Bound to the rhythm that grips me so tight. With shoes of delight, laced by Faerie’s own hand, I’m lost in the music, a slave to their band.
Each step that I take sends joy through my veins, But hidden beneath it is sharp, twisting pain. I fight through the bliss, though my body’s not mine, For these shoes drag me deeper with each twist and time.
What am I, who dances in joy and in strife, In Faerie’s dark grip, on the edge of my life?
A ballerina? Apricity thought, but she was not allowed to say anything.
“A marionette,” Wade said. His eyes darted to Apricity, hoping that his answer was correct.
The answer is not a marionette, but a revel dancer, said Céline. The emotion in her eerie eyes was hidden by the curve of her lashes, but it almost looked like…pity.
Apricity’s heart dropped. She could feel Wade giving her a guilty look, but she was forced to bow her head as the seedling turned into a sapling. It felt like the roots were twisting through muscle and bone, with sharp, tearing sensations as the tree progressed, weighing the body down with burning, splintering agony.
She hoped the Ginkgo Tree wouldn’t rip her tattered shirt apart. The shirt was the shirt that she’d worn to sleep before going to Faerie and alsoand a token of her adventures.
Also, wandering around naked wouldn’t be desirable. Not that it was an uncommon practice in the streets of Faerie.
The next riddle,The next riddle said Céline sternly.
I store your photos and memories with care,
I help you share them and show them to those who care.
I can be accessed from anywhere you might roam,
Yet I am not physical, butphysical but exist in your phone.
How devious! Wade was a faerie and could not possibly know about an iCloud storage device. Even though he had been to the human world once or twice.
This riddle was outrageous. Played like a faerie…except, how did Céline know about phones?
Céline noticed her distress and inclined her head in melancholy. I am genuinely sorry for your torment.
Apricity ignored her words. Time was running out and she felt like she might crack at any second from the Ginkgo Tree. Céline’s words replayed in her head: Nothing must pass your lip. The thought must be formed by your friend.
What if she gave Wade another sort of hint?
Apricity used the very last of her energy to lean on the hedge and use her free hand to pull out her phone. Wade surreptitiously noticed her doing so and realisation lit up his confused face.
Come on Wade, thought Apricity. Remember the object that I left next to you when you were unconscious. Remember that conversation that we had. Remember my last sentence.
“An iCloud storage!”
Correct, Céline said happily. I have seen the results of a tree cursecurse, and it is not pretty, like everything else in Faerie. You may pass now!
Apricity smiled to herself. When dealing with faeries, it was critical to listen to every single word.
And finally—finally!—finally! —the Ginkgo Tree disappeared from Apricity’s back, leaving only a small hole in her clothes. She straightened up and a smile spread across her face.
“We did it!” Ariadne cartwheeled by and yowled with laughter. “Mooncake, Wade and I!"
Wade and Apricity exchanged a worried glance. Their small friend was getting worse. Bit by bit. How long until Ariadne’s innocent hysteria turned into an insidious brain-worming virus?
“Let’s keep on going. The curse has must fade soon,” Wade said.
Wait up, friends! Céline cried. In celebration of your success, I have a token that you may like to take away.
The Selkie handed Wade a small piece of candy that was moulded into the form of a milk carton.
Its small eyes, which were embedded in the otherwise-normal carton, opened. Small stick-like legs popped out abruptly and so did a mouth.
“Thanks,” Apricity and Wade said in unison.
You can feed it to your little water pet, explained Céline. You probably can’t tell, but as a member of the water community, I can tell you that he looks starved.
As if in reply, Patchy, who had kept quiet for some while, gobbled up the flailing milk carton instantly.
But as Ariadne clapped and tooted, Wade leaned in and whispered to Apricity, “Charms that are alive are not common in faerie, but abundant in vampire lairs. I wonder how Céline got hold of one.”