Heart and Soul

Waking up in darkness for a moment I panicked. Surely I hadn’t slept a full 24 hours? Disorientated and lost I slipped out the side of the bed and hit the unfamiliar carpet with a loud bang.

Cursing as I stood I stumbled to the window with bleary eyes. Wiping the memories of sleep from face, I ripped open the curtain and looked out at the unfamiliar world. This place was not my home, with its never ending darkness. My skin itched to bathe in the sunlight and my eyes were sick of the dark.

I couldn’t imagine never seeing the sun again. It affected me more than I thought possible.

Turning and grabbing my bag I left my room, not caring for my appearance, eager only to find Madon to help me with the tracking spell. I could hear the distant clink of china and I could smell the slightest hint of bacon.

My stomach growled before my brain realised what I was smelling and took the steps two at a time until I was back in the bar, spinning in the direction of the food. I looked longingly as Madon sauntered past me with two plates piled high with food.

Placing one either side of a table that I now noticed was the only one to be laid up with cutlery, glasses of juice and mugs of coffee. “I heard you fall out of bed, figured you were up. Take a seat, I’ll just go and grab the toast.”

I didn’t even acknowledge that she’d spoken, I simply slid onto the bench seat, my eyes still fixated on the plate in front of me. Piled with bacon, eggs, and all things breakfast, I was beginning to dribble. I had no idea how hungry I was until this point.

She walked back into the room, dropping the folding bar top back into place as she went. Placing the toast onto the table she slid in opposite me and grabbed her coffee, taking a long drink.

Tucking in she began to devour the breakfast in front of her, I eagerly followed suit. “Thank you.” I mumbled around my food. “I really needed this.”

She waved her hand to dismiss the thanks and took a pause, leaning back and grabbing a slice of toast, tearing it apart absent-mindedly. I could tell she wanted to say something, this was a different Madon than the brash woman I’d met last night.

“I think I owe you an apology Annika. I-I didn’t mean to scare you last night with the whole ‘soul-stealer’ bit. I just- I saw your eyes….I assumed…either way, I’m sorry. And as promised I will help you with the spell this morning so that you can go get your creature, but – you do realise how dangerous it is, don’t you?”

Taking a sip of orange juice I shifted slightly on the seat, I hadn’t necessarily focused on the danger, tried not to anyway. “I have to believe that I can get my soul back. I may as well die trying because everyone I’ve met so far has told me I should be dead anyway.” I admitted whilst using a piece of toast to mop up the last of the baked beans on my plate.

“You should. My Father – he had his soul stolen. He was dead within the hour, right here in this very pub.” Her voice caught and I looked up in time to see her brush away a tear. I took a quick glance around the empty pub, chairs rested on tables and glasses gleamed from the top shelf. This was a big place, a big responsibility, one that Madon had obviously expected her dad to help her run.
“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“It’s OK, it happened many years ago now when I’d just turned 21. I got into a little bit of trouble, most fairies do at that age. I’m a good fairy by the way, though I won’t sound like it. I’ve always lived down here, so have my ancestors. In fact it was my Great, great, great, great Grandmother who came up with the idea for the orbs of light outside to light up the Underlands. Before that we lived in pitch black darkness! But anyway, when I was younger, I got a little rebellious, wanted to know what life was like. I used to sneak up to the Topworld with some friends, we’d appear late at night and try to stay until the sunrise, but never quite managed it. As part of my rebellion I thought it’d be funny to cause a little damage, like you do…”

I cleared my throat uncomfortably, her story echoing mine a little too closely, “the pub wasn’t doing too well, I was racking up the bills coming in from annoyed neighbours, so my father went to the richest man down here and borrowed some money. It was fine at first, it got us back on track, gave us enough to give this place a new lease of life…but then business didn’t pick up like we’d hoped. Bills kept coming in as I continued causing havoc….it didn’t take long before the Boss and his men came calling, wanting their money back.” She choked on the last word, tears flowing freely now. I hesitated, not sure whether to reach out and take her hand or not.

She seemed to pull herself together slightly, wiping her tears away, she still hadn’t looked me in the eye since she’d begun her story, but now she did. Her piercing blue eyes clear as day, all the pain and anguish in them clear for all to see. “When he couldn’t pay, they took his soul. Just sucked it right out of him, right here.” She pointed to the centre of the floor and a shiver ran up my spine. For a moment I couldn’t focus on her words, a sharp pain darted across my forehead.

I slammed my eyes shut and massaged my forehead with my hands. Pain and darkness echoed inside my head, which felt like it was in a vice. Eyes, dead eyes, staring. Watching. Waiting. He can see me. Cacophony of colours, a rainbow spectrum from the left to the right and back again. Eyes, so cold and darkness. Pain and burn with a hint of longing? Just like that the pain went.

Blinking open my eyes I focused back on the room, my head now back to normal. My mind span with the memories from the darkness, but I struggled to regain composure before focusing back on Madon. “He died not long after they’d left. My Mum had died a few years earlier, when he passed I was the only one left. That was eight years ago now, I’ve run the Willow since….when I saw you, I thought-Well I thought you were one of them.”

I nodded in understanding as she shook her head to herself, wiped her face once more and then began piling our empty plates before standing up and beginning to clear the table. “I’m sorry for reminding you of that, Madon. I just needed somewhere safe and thank you for all you’ve done. You must tell me how much I owe you, or I guess; what I owe you.” I finished with confusion, as she walked across the room and left the plates on the bar, before coming back for the glasses.

As she placed the glasses onto the bar she paused. Glass hitting wood echoing around the otherwise empty room. She didn’t turn as she spoke but I could see her determination in the clench of her jaw and the grip she had on the glasses.

“I don’t want anything, and I will help you with spell and I’ll give you any advantage I can, but promise me one thing,” now she turned, closing the distance between us in seconds, until she was right in front of me, hints of desperation in her eyes, “kill him. Kill that monster if you get a chance.”

Wildly nodding, eager to get her to calm down I agreed to her terms, “I will, I promise, I’ll kill him.”

She seemed satisfied and nodded to confirm before sliding back onto her seat, “now then, let’s get this tracking spell underway, shall we?”

***

Three hours later I was walking down the cobbled street, a pouch of fairy dust in hand courtesy of Madon, who claimed that it would give me powers to help fight the ‘Boss’ as she kept calling him, who she’d later explained to be the leader of the biggest group of ‘soul-stealers’, though she had no idea what powers I would gain from the dust.

When Madon and I had cast the spell it had been similar to last time, except for when the map appeared, it didn’t fade. In fact I had time to draw out the map, thank Madon for her help, knock over the spell vessel (essentially a pint glass), which should have in turn ended the spell.

Instead however, the pink smoke had rolled itself up into a ball and begun to drift, aimlessly I thought at first, but if I didn’t follow it, it would come back towards me and float around my head. Madon had been as confused as I was, but in the end decided that it might be a side effect of me having lost my powers, and her good fairy magic, all whilst in the home of all evil, the Underlands.

So now, wandering down nameless cobbled streets, I followed the path of the floating smoke, hoping it would lead me to where I need to be. Clutching my hand drawn note in the my right hand for comfort, though I feared I’d never be able to guide myself using it, I pressed on, my heart thumping hard. I was on my way – on my way to get my soul. And I was near; I could feel it.