Page 9 of Dark Fae's Destiny

Lit by the glow of a nearby lamppost, they wear an array of dazzling Venetian masks—far more ornate than anything Quinn, Ariana, and I have on. Because their masks were made by Fae magic here in the Twilight Realm; they shimmer all around us now, vibrant and formidable in the night.

The Dark Fae—come to us, at last.

The costumes of our mysterious Dark Fae from the Hidden City of Venice are just as impressive as their masks, as we take them in now. The full regalia of Carnevale done in silks, satins, and lace, all are black, despite their ornate construction.

A man steps from the throng now, as I feel their vast magic surround us. Incredible, their power snuffs out Curio’s winter wind like it’s nothing. Their leader stands before us, imposing in a judge’s costume of all black with an all-black, long nose Venetian mask.

“The three of you, come with us,” the man says as he indicates Quinn, Ariana, and me. “This one stays here.”

As he motions that Curio is not welcome to accompany us, my heart grips. Because the only person who could truly help us navigate these complicated waters is being told to stay behind, as the man gestures to us silently now.

Inviting Quinn, Ariana, and me into the Hidden City of Venice.

4

GALLOWS

Power sweeps me, as we’re invited to join the twenty Dark Fae that surround us in the night. Because these aren’t just any Dark Fae, I feel now as Lucca, Quinn, and I rise from our bench; these are ancient Masters of their art, who were old when this city was young thousands of years ago.

I feel their balanced, truly formidable Light and Night sigh around me now, not hidden but not menacing, either. It’s a sensation of calm, because they know they could snuff out our trio’s magic with a wave of their hands, just like their leader did Curio’s.

As if our ability to raise the Music matters not at all to their ancient might.

I ponder that, as we’re invited into the Hidden City of Venice after their leader. We walk through a maze of alleys, stairs, and bridges now; I become lost in the tight warren that is Venice in the Twilight Realm, though I have a decent grasp of the city in the human world.

Before long, I even feel from Quinn how lost he’s become. It’s as if with every corner we turn and alley we traverse, and every set of stairs we rise then descend, we’re being taken deeper into an ancient magic that thoroughly confuses us, intentionally.

It’s then that I begin to see the city change. Where once the streets, bridges, and buildings of Venice in the Twilight Realm looked more or less like their human counterparts, albeit with a distinct Fae flare, everything around us seems wildly different now.

Like we’ve entered Carnevale in truth, the buildings corkscrew and spire up into impossible shapes; comedy and tragedy, and commedia dell’arte faces leer at us from the shadows everywhere.

Mythical creatures, both strange and fantastical, along with demons, writhe up every facade and lamppost, and across every bridge. Carnevale lights in thousands of colors are everywhere; in lampposts that sneer with forbidding faces, and in cascades of paper lamps that span the waters.

Buildings of white and black tower above us, each more ornate than the most infamous churches of Venice. Gargoyles are everywhere, waterspouts pouring incredible fountains of water to basins below, though there’s not a drop of rain in the night.

We’ve been walking for hours; with a sudden blink, I realize the night has passed and the sun is rising. A pink and gold glow takes the sky, then the sun blazes through the buildings and canal ways, hitting all those myriad waterspouts.

And I see the city become transformed with unearthly delight.

Where once everything was gargoyles and snarling faces, and tortured bodies in despair, the entire city shifts now into a shimmering mirage of cherubs, angels, and birds. A forbidding Venice of the Night gives way to an incredible Venice of the Light, as rainbows dazzle us everywhere the sun hits the fountains and canal ways.

As I marvel at the incredible beauty of the daytime city as opposed to the night, I realize we are in the Hidden City of Venice. We came through a maze of twists and turns, led along the only path that would get us here, which no one who was not an ancient denizen of this place could ever remember.

Now, the costumes of the twenty Dark Fae, plus their leader, blaze white. Sparkling with rainbows to complement the beautiful colors of their masks, they echo the rainbows everywhere, illuminated by the rising sun. As I stare at it all, amazed by the transformation, I realize something else.

That makes everything inside me bright.

“The city of sunlight, water, and rainbows!” I stare around in wonder, then turn to Quinn. “This is it! The Hidden City of Venice. This is where we’ll find the Wanderer’s mother. This is where she went.”

“My gods…!” None of us are wearing our masks anymore, idle in our hands, and Quinn stares at me in astonishment before gazing around.

“Ariana, you’re right.” Lucca looks around with us, as well. “Of all the places I’ve been in the human world and the Twilight Realm, nothing has ever shone with rainbows like this.”

“And no place ever will,” the man in the long-nose mask says now as he turns to us. “Because she who created the Dark Fae here, the Mother of Rainbows, made this place. As her own especial hideaway from her tragedies, long before our kind were ever born.”

Our Dark Fae escort removes his mask as he regards us now. A deeply handsome man with shoulder-length, curling black hair and dark, sparkling eyes, his masculine beauty is even more perfect than Quinn’s as I catch my breath to see our host.

He gives us each a sober nod, me last. He holds my gaze then, as I feel the subtlest magic bore into my very soul. A feeling like the brightest sun rises deep inside me, from his ancient power.

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