Under Three Moons - Chapter 1 - The Accursed Halflings

Chapter 1 - The Accursed Halflings

Tomerys sulked as she ate her porridge.

She hated the mornings, how the sun made her skin itch. She hated having to drink a nasty potion just to go outside. She hated having to go to nocturnal classes because she had fangs and therefore, could not be admitted to the morning school. It didn’t matter if she was also fae - they feared her curse as much as her fangs.

It wasn’t fair! She had been born like this, it wasn’t her fault! Yet Sioga was a town of small-minded fae and vamps alike.

She also hates that she has to drink blood at least once a week. She hates that she likes it so much and feels guilty for the mandated blood donations required by the Serf. Full vamps require it daily, but her halfbreed status doesn’t need it as often.

She despises the word halfbreed. She didn’t see why faes and other races couldn’t marry. They could be friends, they could work together, and they could live in the same domicile, but they were under Oath to never mix blood by marrying or having children. It was this law that made Tomerys illegal. Yet, her status had been excused because her caretakers were related to the Serf.

“Quit kicking your feet, young faedra, or your legs will take off without you.” Mrs. Brieda told her across the table.

Mrs. Brieda has a wizened old face like a knot in a tree. Her kindly demeanor toward Tomerys was greatly appreciated, but Mrs. Brieda didn’t feel like her mother. She saw the other halflings’ and vamps’ mothers and saw a love that transcended magick. Anytime Tomerys tried to ask about her real mother, Mrs. Brieda dismissed her, telling her that she was not old enough. Tomerys haughtily disagreed but knew it was no use arguing with her. Mrs. Brieda might be kind but she was stern.

The door opened and Mr. Brieda appeared in his gardening gear, which were his bright green coveralls he had enchanted to resist the wetland nuisances of torchflies and bellowtoad venom. He was shorter than Mrs. Brieda and had bright pink wings that the faelin* often mocked him for. He often used that for the life lessons he’d given when halflings were bullying Tomerys.

“You see how those faelin tease me about my pink wings? Their fathers were the same way. They’d taunt me relentlessly about it, like having pink wings was my idea when I was born. They’ve been taught wrongly that different is bad and that’s on them.”

“The Serf feels that way as well…about fae, vamps, and magickfolk.” Tomerys had pointed out at the time.

Mr. Brieda had taken a heavy sigh. “Adults can be taught wrongly, too, my dear.”

Tomerys grimaced as Mr. Brieda presented her with a moonsflower and copperlily potion. No matter how vibrant the plants are, the Sunbane Draught was always brewed into a sickly yellowish-green concoction and smelled of compost and rotten eggs. It bubbled maliciously within the vial.

“Can’t they make these a bit less…completely nasty?” Tomerys asked.

Mr. Brieda cleaned his hands with a flourish of magick before lighting the stove with one finger. “I’m afraid any sweetening additives make it useless. Hold your nose and think of playing outside, my dear.”

Mr. Brieda was the closest person to a father, yet like Mrs. Brieda, he also didn’t quite feel like a father. Tomerys knew many halflings at school who had stepfathers and guardians who weren’t related to them, but the halflings spoke of them just as fondly. Tomerys knew she should be lucky. The orphan halflings had it considerably worse than her, never feeling anything close to family. But she still felt that odd longing.

She steeled herself, pressing her nostrils shut with two fingers, downing the uncomfortably thick potion. It burned going down but soon she felt the familiar shimmer throughout her body that the potion was active. She gulped down spoonfuls of porridge to get rid of the taste.

“Remember, now: No going past the Lacrimosal Tree!” Mrs. Brieda warned Tomerys as she prepared to go outside.

“Yes, Mrs. Brieda.” Tomerys tonelessly replied.

Mrs. Brieda had many rules for going outside, some that didn’t make sense to Tomerys. She could understand not going close to Luna Lake; the merpeople often visited the school to warn against sirens who enticed young halflings and grown Fae alike to jump into the lake. She, too, could understand not going near the vamp’s hibernation willows, where they slumbered as bats beneath the wide canopies to avoid the sunlight. After all, it’s rude to disrupt the sleep of Fae at nighttime.

But she didn’t understand why she wasn’t allowed to approach the Lacrimosal Tree or go beyond it. Mrs. Brieda said it was because the tree’s sap is highly toxic, but lessons at school proved that false. Tomerys used luna sap many times in her Apothecary lessons and it was no more reactive than wolfsbane, a common reagent in pest poisons. But Mrs. Brieda had been adamant and even implied that she had her spies. Tomerys just decided it was better to listen than tempt her wrath.

Tomerys loved exploring the fields of Siogra Meadow. She fluttered over the rivers, skimming her toes on the surface of the cool waters. She admired the many creatures in their habitats, like pixies who built their tiny houses from leaf fronds. The bellowtoads were fascinating as long as Tomerys didn’t go near them where they could bite. They were named for their cacophonous croaks, which sounded humorously like breaking wind. Indeed, many halflings (and quite a few mature Fae) watched them from a distance during mating seasons, giggling madly at the ludicrous din.

On her journey that morning, she came across a clearing where she saw a lone halfling sitting on a tree stump. Tomerys didn’t recognize them and she knew nearly all the halflings, vamps, and magicfolk in the village. The halfling appeared to be rosen-skinned and silver-haired. They were talking animatedly to seemingly no one Tomerys could see. Perhaps they were talking to themselves? Inching closer, she could hear that the halfling was actually singing:

“Moonsdew on the grass in the morning sun…

Glitters like opals and Jawar’i rum…

Pixies drink the dew,

And they brighten like the Moons,

They play among the flow’rs of eveningsong…”

The halfling’s singing was high, clear, and very pleasing to Tomerys. The song was a hymn commonly sung in Churches of Kalendisa. Tomerys wasn’t one for church, but the few times Mrs. Brieda went to give alms and brought Tomerys along, she had enjoyed the nympheri choirs.

“Hello…” Tomerys said clearly.

The halfling startled. At first, Tomerys thought the halfling went white with shock, but the halfling had literally turned stark white, all the color leaving their hair, skin, and eyes. They were a marble statue of panic and Tomerys blinked a few times to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating.

“I’m…my name is Tomerys. It’s alright. Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.” Tomerys soothed the halfling.

The color slowly returned to the halfling, though this time their skin turned bright cerulean, and their hair turned a pale shade of green. Just like…Tomerys!

“Oh, you look like me! How do you do that?” Tomerys wondered delightfully.

“I’m a utalius. I can change my appearance. My mother hates it because I use it to hide.” the halfling replied. “My name is Brae. Though sometimes, it’s Braela.”

“You have two names?” Tomerys asked curiously.

“I can switch my disposition. At least that’s what my mother calls it. Basically, I can switch from faelin to faedra if I want.”

“Oh, that’s amazing!” Tomerys exclaimed.

Tomerys floated over to the utalius. The halfling changed once more, adapting orange hair and green skin. Tomerys saw what they meant by disposition. The halfling now had more feminine facial features. They grew their hair long and curly at the wink of an eye.

“I’m glad you think so. My parents think I need to choose one and stick to it. But I can’t explain it. Sometimes, I just feel like a faelin. Other times, I feel like a faedra. I also feel like both at times.” Brae explained.

“I wish I could choose not to have fangs.” Tomerys told them. “Apparently, I’m a halfbreed.”

Brae looked upon her with sympathy. “In my old hamlet, we had many halfbreeds. But they were just called hybrids.”

“Do you attend the day school or night school?” Tomerys asked Brae.

“Oh, I don’t attend school. My mother says she prefers to teach me, but I think the school wouldn’t let me attend.” Brae answered morosely.

“Why not?” Tomerys wondered.

“’Cause I’m different. They don’t like my powers.”

Tomerys smiled at Brae. “I like your powers. They’re really awesome!”

Brae returned a toothy grin, showing a gap between their teeth. “Thanks.”

The high grass rustled beyond the stump. Suddenly, two halflings appeared, both identical faelin. They had lilac skin and wild silver hair. Their wings were bright gold with ruby accents that sparkled in the sunlight.

“Mother’s looking for you, broccoli.” one faelin said. “She didn’t look pleased.”

“She’s never pleased. “ Brae responded.

“Who’s your friend?” asked the other faelin, looking Tomerys up and down. “Oh, you’ve befriended the halfbreed freak. Suits you, broccoli. You having a freak club meeting?”

“Shut up, Eyrick!” Brae shouted. “Am I not allowed to have friends?”

The faelin named Eyrick chuckled darkly. “You never had them before, broccoli.”

“Just as well. Nobody knows who or what you are ‘cause you’re such a freak!” the other brother ridiculed.

“I will tell Father about this, Elypheus!” Brae yelled louder, their hair turning brilliant scarlet in her rage.

“Oh, no. Whatever will he do, drink at us?” Elypheus said sarcastically. “He’s been draining the pub dry since you were born! You embarrass him at the Elf Lodge with your freakiness!”

In an instant, Brae cast a spell at Elypheus, enlarging his wings until they were the size of ship sails. Brae then blew across their palm, sending a whirlwind spell at the faelin, catching the overlarge wings, lifting him off the ground and high into the air. He screamed in panic, unable to control his wings as they sent him soaring around the meadow.

A steely-faced faedra appeared in the clearing, holding her hand up, easily shrinking the faelin’s wings, bringing him slowly back down to the ground. She was also lilac-skinned but had fuchsia hair. Her expression darkened, fixing her cold, crystal blue eyes on Brae.

“It’s enough that I have to deal with the entire village condemning me for your abnormality and you do things like that to your own brothers?” the faedra scolded Brae.

“My abnormality is not my fault!” Brae screamed. “I didn’t choose to be born!”

The stern faedra snapped her fingers and Brae buckled under the magic blow directed at their head.

“Hey! Stop it!” Tomerys yelled angrily. “You can’t do that!”

“Don’t you tell me what I can and can’t do with my own daughter, you filthy little halfbreed!” the faedra hissed.

“Don’t you call her a halfbreed, Gywneviere.”

Tomerys whirled around to see Mrs. Brieda marching into the clearing. Many other older faedra and faelin were gathering around the meadow, alerted to the shouting and magick. Tomerys had never seen Mrs. Brieda look so cold. She stared at the faedra named Gywneviere with a fury in her eyes Tomerys hoped she never would direct at her.

“Oh, we were both punished, Jacquelina. Having an accursed halfling a piece. I may have been cursed due to my infidelity, but your sister doomed you from the start.” Gwyneviere stated sinisterly.

“Don’t you dare talk about my sister! Don’t you dare even mention her name!” Mrs. Brieda warned viciously.

“We all know what she did. The high-strung harlot, mating outside her race! Letting any monster into her bed as long as he paid well!”

Mrs. Brieda hands became orbs of magick fireballs but Mr. Brieda countered them with frost spells from his own hands, gripping hers firmly from behind. He had arrived only just in time because Mrs. Brieda looked as though she would breathe fire in her anger.

Tomerys also brewed in rage, not just at Gywneviere, but at Mrs. Brieda, because she wasn’t told that Mrs. Brieda was her aunt. She always thought she was an orphan taken in by adopted parents. Why hadn’t Mrs. Brieda told her the truth?

Constable Briggart arrived on the scene to disperse the crowd. He was a broad faelin with bright yellow skin and pearlescent white hair. His left wing was bandaged due to an incident that occurred when breaking up a fight at the pub.

“Faedras, let’s keep civilized, please.” the constable pleaded, sounding almost bored.

Tomerys tugged on the constable’s navy blue robes, getting his attention.

“That lady just used a whacking spell on her child!” Tomerys complained.

The constable glanced to Gywneviere, who was obviously offended by the accusation.

“While it’s not exactly advised, it’s not illegal, young faedra.” the constable answered. “Better get a move on, night school begins soon.”

Tomerys glared at Mrs. Brieda, who was now looking at her worriedly.

She had a lot of explaining to do.