Midnight Cove

“Phoenix?” I inquired gently. All I got was a grunt in response. I rolled my eyes, and continued anyway.

“Phoenix, I was thinking about what you said. You might be right. Maybe I should see a faery doctor about the nightmares.”

Phoenix’s face perked up instantly. He rose a single skeptical eyebrow gauging my sincerity. “I’m serious! I told Adele and she agreed with you, too.”

“Well, good." I could see his satisfied smile threatening to appear. "It’s about time. I’ll send word for the doctor and hopefully she will be here within the week.” He spoke with an authoritative tone as if it was all a settled matter.

“A week! Why can’t I go see the doctor after lunch?” Fear gripped me. I didn’t realize I was going to have to wait through so many nights before I could get any sort of handle on the situation.

“Bonnie, faery doctors are solitary faeries. Maybe more so than almost any others, they don’t usually live anywhere near civilization. Not to mention they are immensely powerful with their magick. The only one I trust enough for you to see isn’t residing in the Underground at the moment. She has gone to live in the mortal realm and it will take some time to locate her. There is no need to fret. I will send my quickest messenger and she will be here soon.” He reached across the table, resting his warm hand on top of mine. His golden skin shone in the bright moonlight contrasting against my own. His warmth and strength radiated through me.

I nodded, trying to be comforted by the idea that it was the quickest way to rid myself of the dreadful dreams. The thought of spending a possible seven more nights without a good rest severely unnerved me. Oh, God! The wedding.

We finished out the rest of our meal mostly in silence. It was the quietest meal we ever had together. Phoenix rose from the table and kissed me goodbye. I knew where he was going. There had been repairs being made at the Portical that he had to attend to.

“I think I shall take a walk and get some fresh air. Getting out of the palace walls might do me some good.” I said aloud before he walked out the door.

He halfway turned, pausing in his gait, “I think that is a good idea, but don’t stray too far. I think there will be a change in weather coming.” I blew a kiss to him that he pretended to catch and he smiled his charming dimpled smile before turning to leave.

“I love you!” I called loudly hoping he would hear me before reaching the outer door of the suite.

“I love you,” he called back over his shoulder and then I heard the door click closed.

I blew out a gust of air and slouched down in my seat. I felt like pouting. I didn’t like the alone time. It was so opposite the person I was above ground. I used to relish afternoons to myself, but now anytime duty would call Phoenix away I would often find myself sulking.

I decided I didn’t want to start that so I rose from my seat and headed for the door. In my haste to leave my bad mood behind I had forgotten to grab shoes and a jacket in case the weather took a turn for the worse like Phoenix had warned.

It was rare for the night air here to be anything less than temperate, but the moment I got outside the palace walls I realized it was indeed cooler than usual. I didn’t have anywhere in particular to go. I hadn’t really ventured outside the Dark Palace much in over the year that I had spent there. The one exception was the Portical.

I would occasionally visit the quaint shops that lined the boardwalk above the canal. Phoenix had even taken me on a gondola ride on one of our dates. It had been a magical night like most nights we spent together. Thinking in this manner made me decide to walk down to the Portical to see him at work. I hoped it would be a pleasant surprise and that it wouldn’t be a hinderance to his work, as long as I stayed out of the way. That way we could have the long walk home together.

The fastest way to the Portical was as the crow flies but it would take me through the forest. I had only been that way once and it was on my first visit to The Underground. This was very different because this time I didn’t have Phoenix there with me. I was a little worried, but I shrugged it off. Practically everyone in the kingdom knew I was the Dark Prince’s fiancée and no one would dare cross Phoenix.

The forest was darker than the rest of the kingdom, but still beautiful. I could see lanterns every few hundred yards or so casting a soft glow, so I was sure I wouldn’t lose sight of my way. Phoenix had been right though. I should have stuck close to the palace and he was right about the weather.

A thick dense fog rolled in and I couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of me. I looked all around trying to locate the lanterns. Whenever I saw a soft glow I would follow it, but I had a funny feeling telling me I was going the wrong way. I didn’t remember these turns, but without anything else to guide me I was too afraid to turn back.

Suddenly, one of the lights swept by me catching my hair and nicking my neck. I put my hand to my collarbone and pulled back my fingers where I spotted a small trace of blood. Then it happened again, but this time the light was blue. I felt another long cat scratch on the other side of my collarbone.

When another light came whizzing at me the third time, I recalled Phoenix’s warning about the Pixies. Luckily, I dodged the assault of the third one and I blindly swung at the air. I looked down where it had fallen after I batted it and saw a tiny, ugly creature with black eyes and razor fangs hissing at me. It flew up from the ground and hovered near my leg wielding a miniscule knife. The strange feral looking creature made a high pitched noise and then proceeded to stab me. I tried to swat it away again, but it had already flown off.

My effort to defend myself must have infuriated the horde because they then ferociously attacked me like a swarm of angry bees. I screamed and ran not caring which direction I went so long as I got away from those horrid creatures. They gave chase, I could hear their squeals close behind.

I ran until my lungs burned and my sides ached. I narrowly avoided trees and each time I would stumble the Pixies would descend upon me in a fury. The cat scratches were mostly large scrapes and the tiny chunks of my flesh they tore out with their teeth had become gashes now caked with dirt. I realized that I might never make it out of that forest and pure terror flooded through me.

I screamed, “Help!” but I didn’t know if anyone would hear me. Even if they had I didn’t know what good it would do. Not even Faeries could see well in this blanket of fog. I fell again and sure that this would somehow be the end of me I made no attempt at getting up. I just sat there waiting for death.

Instead of the Pixies attacking me they too stopped suddenly. Then with an invisible force of air they were all thrust back across the forest and far out of sight. I sat in disbelief for a moment and then, slowly, I turned. Like curtains opening for a play, the fog parted. There stood Cove before me in all his glory.

“Bonnie?” his velvet voice rang with concern. He stepped up to me offering his hand to help me rise, but I scorned the gesture and rolled over onto my knees to push my bruised and bloody body from the ground without his assistance. I stumbled, weakened from the blood loss. Cove caught me under my arms.

"I'm fine," I tried to push him back but I was dizzy and lightheaded. He helped me steady myself before letting me go.

“What are you doing here Cove?” Not bothering to hide the irritation in my voice. In all honesty, I should have been grateful for his coming to my rescue, but I still harbored resentment toward him. I hadn’t forgiven him for his deception and betrayal. How could you? I loved you so.

Cove let his hands hovering around me drop and stepped back sensing my aversion for him. He hung his head in shame. “Just trying to help,” he sounded meek, and fully aware of my rejection of him.

“Yeah, well, I don’t want your kind of help. You hurt me.” I hadn’t wanted to admit it, but the truth bubbled out from my betraying lips anyway.

“I know." He hung his head like a schoolboy being lectured. "I cannot tell you how sorry I am. I wanted to tell you about Terry.” I cut him off there.

“What about your wife? Were you going to tell me about her?” The words cut through me like a knife. “Why?” I paused reeling in some control, I wasn’t going to allow him to see how broken I was by him.

“What reason could you have for leaving your wife? For using me?” I had hardly the strength of will to ask the questions, but I needed to know the answers. I wanted closure.

Cove looked at me with a stare that seemed lifetimes away. “I didn’t leave my wife. I left The Underground because of my wife.” The statement threw me. My face became a mask of confusion.

“I don’t understand?”

Cove sighed a short sigh and pulled his shoulders back. “It’s a difficult story to tell.” He seemed unwilling to tell it, but not entirely.

“Tell me. Please? I have a right to know.” I didn’t know if that was true, but I had to know anyway.

Cove pursed his lips and nodded, apparently he agreed, or he at least felt remorseful enough for using me to divulge his history.

“When I was still a Dark Faery,” he began, lifting his head to lock his chocolatey brown eyes with mine, “my wife and I lived in the Underground at the Dark Palace with Phoenix and my parents of course.”

“Your parents?” I interrupted. I had never met Phoenix’s father or mother. I had never even seen them.

Cove raised his eyebrows. “Please don’t interrupt,” he said with vague annoyance and I sealed my lips waiting for him to continue.

“Yes, my parents,” he began again. “Shortly after we were wed my wife started to slip into a depression. Her health began to wane despite my having her visit a doctor almost daily. She would burst into tears whenever I asked her about her aloofness and she suffered from terrible nightmares.”

I sucked in a breath at that omittance. I could all too well empathize with her suffering. Cove looked at me then, but didn’t pause, continuing his recount of what had happened.

“One day, after about six months of us being man and wife she came to me. She had cried into my arms about how sorry she was for distancing herself from me, for we had stopped sharing a bed for some time now. Then, she told me the reason why she had become so distraught.”

“What did she say?” I asked and then slapped my hands over my mouth. I hadn’t meant to interrupt again.

Cove looked at me and said, “She had confessed that my father had been assaulting her.”

I sucked in a loud breath, but kept my lips tightly sealed.

“I confronted him about it and he admitted to sleeping with my wife. However, he denied that the occurrences had been against her will. He told me that they had been having an affair and when he tried to break it off with her she flew into a rage. He said that she threatened to lie and claim he had raped her.”

“Oh!” It was so terrible. I gasped in horror.

“Yes, well, my mother having heard the news wasn’t able to bear the shame and humiliation of the scandal and killed herself. We found her the next morning, at the bottom of one of the Dark Palace walls, she was broken in so many ways we could hardly recognize her. She had torn her wings before jumping.” His smooth velvet voice was trembling with sorrow.