Eliza's
Fancy
a faery romance
Parts Four and Five
Zachary
Harper
Published by Zachary Harper
Smashwords Edition
Copyright
2012 Zachary Harper
Discover other titles by Zachary Harper
at
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/zeharper
Cover
art by Tia Rodemeyer
Eliza's Fancy
Part Four
Chapter XXVIII
Dearest Eliza!
How
sweet was the ground
when
you lay your head down
on
a bed of leaves
fresh
fallen, still green,
and
as warmly comforting
as
your loyal friends
who,
through dangers yet untold,
had
recklessly traveled
under
angry stars
and
glowering moon
to
pluck you safe
from
unseen doom.
But once more the night
brought
restless sleep,
like
a meadow filled
with
unwitting sheep
who
smell on once sweet air
a
wolf’s bloody breath
and
with sudden fear,,
having
thoughts of death,
break
the serenity
with
bleats like screams
though
the shepherd can
no
danger yet see.
So Eliza’s dream seemed quiet,
calm,
tranquil
as the dawn,
as
she walked a road
through
emerald-hued hills
that
weaved and wavered,
vague
in its infinite aim,
and
Eliza sleepily savored
the
friendly breeze
and
smiling sky
until
she slowly arrived
at
a branch in the path
one
left,
one right.
To the left the beauteous idyll continued
as
blue-jays twittered lazily from the trees,
and
prairie-dogs happily sauntered
from
hole to hole in careless ease,
and
on the subtle breeze
floated
a swarm of honey-bees
laden
with pollen
for
their honeycombed city.
But to the right the land died
and
blackened with a turbid blight;
dead
branches littered the dusty road,
their
leaves unable to hold the load
of
a thick fungus that turned bark gray
as
once proud oaks rotted away,
their
budding leaves ruthlessly flayed;
no
animals crawled through the murky smog
and
no sound rebounded through the cavernous fog
as
all seemed still as the rotting logs.
Yet there!
Three
forms walk!
The
drifting smoke clears ever so slightly
revealing
Quenton, Deilos and Lupo
laughing
carelessly,
waving
to Eliza,
“Join
us here!”
Their
joy seemed to push away the foggy drear
as
their steps left prints of vibrant grass
and
wherever the sound of their laugh passed
the
trees shook like a dog in the rain
and
cleared that spot of the dirty stain;
but
Eliza still feared the ominous terrain
and
turned once again to the left.
Now there!
A
form walks!
His
booted feet kick up happy dust
and
the jays sing as if to him they talk
while
the prairie-dogs wave from their hiding holes
and
the bees bring him honey to sweeten his stroll!
Her
Black Knight,
gaunt
cheeked, fair-eyed,
with
body formed to dance, court, or fight;
no
man Eliza had ‘til now seen
made
her back shiver,
her
knees quiver,
her
heart rip at its very seam,
and
so she set at a run
down
the dusty stream.
All at once
the
peace collapsed,
and
the wolf’s breath smell hit Eliza
like
a mast that snapped
and
sent an entire boat into an endless spin,
the
sailor’s lives now depend
on
the twisted sail’s destructive whim;
with
each step she took
the
sun set ever faster
and
the Cyclops’ eyes rose
jolly
as a jester
as
the trees turned to hands
made
of rough, shadowed strands,
and
the birds and the dogs and the honey-bees
began
to wheeze and sneeze
and
burst into flame,
each
one a fury
of
laughter untamed;
the
Black Knight reached out an ungloved hand
his
eyes blank, but his demeanor grand,
yet
at his side
stood
a figure,
tall
and formed with a terrific grace
but
with the black of night covering his face.
In voice smooth,
soothing,
familiar,
yet
perilously wicked,
the
figure spoke
to
Eliza.
“Here lies Love,
and
thus inevitable Hate.
I,
not he,
can
eternally sate
the
desire that grows
and
the passion that flows
if
you will but embrace this Fate.”
And though Hell grew about Eliza’s feet,
the
words pricked her ears ever so sweet
so
still forward she walked
as
the voice seductively talked,
her
heart unchanged by the daemonic deceit.
As she grasped the Black Knight by the hand
the
transformation of the surrounding land
completed
itself,
Hell
risen grand;
and
the darkness in the figure’s face
seemed
to smile,
as
subtle as a picture sketched in sand,
but
it grew and grew
‘til
the black swallowed the loving two
and
the dream shattered;
the
Black Knight’s face scattered
as
her mind was endlessly battered
by
the formless grin
twisted
with sin
and a
dank joy.
Eliza woke.
Chapter XXIX
Her breath came quick,
uneven,
and
her heart beat swift,
its
tone deepened,
and
she shivered from cold
though
the morning air did hold
no
nip in its jaws
but
warmth wrapped in gold
as
light filtered through the rustling leaves.
A soft hand touched her shoulder
and
Eliza (poor girl!)
was
startled as a doe
and
scrambled shouting to her feet
to
turn to a surprised Deilos
who,
with concern-ed look,
had
hastily begun to retreat.
“Dearest Eliza!
You
are safe!
There
is no need to worry so!
The
sun has risen
and
its light has bidden
the
shadows to slink away.
Are
you well?
Are you
whole?”
“My Deilos!
Yes,
I am well enough,
though
my dreams still haunt me.”
“Dreams are ‘oft the heart’s method
of
warning the mind.
Heed
them well.
But,
dear girl,
we
have need to go.
The
heavens melt
the
shadows like snow,
but
by night we have need
to
hide from the evil in our tow.”
“Then let us flee
as
fast as can be;
but
once safely on
you
must fill me in
with
the brave story
of
my rescue!
A
happy tale
to
wash away
the
haunting veil
of
the Cyclops’ face.”
“Most certainly,
dearest
Eliza.”
Thus Deilos led her
to
the edge of the trees
where
the rest of the party
were
packing their belongings
as
the two laughing faeries
from
the Cyclops’ fight
were
giggling and teasing
Quenton’s
height
as he
puffed up his chest
and
(with sly grin on his face!)
lept
quick and true
to
grab each fay by the waist;
they
burst into laughter,
exclaiming
surprise
as
Quenton laughed and let go
of
his grip on their thighs.
“His back is bent!
His
legs are short!
But
he moves like a lion
in
the midst of its sport!”
“Aye,
like
a lion I am!
Tease
me so
and I’ll
gobble you up!”
“Is he dwarf
or
is he ogre?
He is
like a fat little child,
but
perhaps a bit stronger!”
Quenton grinned,
then
saw Eliza arrive,
and
his face broke into even happier shine
twice
as bright as before;
Reuel
walked up to her side
and
with a low bow
(for
he was gentleman as well as knight!),
said,