Page 1 of Last Ride of the Umbra Fae

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Vessa

Sometimes I forgot the scent of rain, from the way it lifted the smell of upturned soil and dust to fill the air, to how the first drop always felt upon my skin. It was a call to cast our gaze to the skies and remember what was beyond the veil of clouds. The Vale was a beautiful place, so I’d heard; a place where all souls went to rest, to stake a claim upon their final destination, even if they didn’t want to. It was an honor to be called back to the stars. The only thing was, I didn’t believe in any of it.

All hope had been taken away from me the day our entire village had been destroyed and burned to the ground. The stories of the Vale were gifts, drifting down from the heavens by our ancestors to remind us of who we were. And while the rain offered a reprieve from the blazing hot sun, a peace offering from the gods, I saw none. And there would be no peace or acceptance from me. Where had the rain been to stop the embers from falling? Where had these gods been when everything around us had come crashing down? Children had run wild, wide-eyed, and barefoot onto roads full of smoldering remains.

I remembered that day like the scars that marred my arm; the smell of burning flesh as I’d stood outside my home, stunnedand seized by fear as I’d waited. There had been no gods coming to save us, we’d been left behind to die. I’d screamed until I couldn’t, praying until two strong, familiar arms came and pulled me off the ground, hauling me onto our horse with wings of shadow to carry me to safety. By the time I felt his grip, my lungs had succumbed to the thick clouds of smoke and whisked my breath away. Then, everything had gone black, and almost every familiar face I’d ever known had been gone with it.

That had been the last time I’d seen my home, my family and friends; the animals we’d tended had all vanished as hell rained down upon us. No power had been summoned as a last resort of magic, because death had already claimed them. Those names would die on our lips, never to be spoken again.

Pa was my savior, the man who now rode beside me with a sullen face and dark stare. His rare, simple, peek of a smile still reminded me of the sun. Though we thrived in the dark, it was his light that continued to remind me of home. He was my hope, he was resilient, and he was the last elder of our village. Though the memory of that fateful night was distant, it still tasted like ash on our tongues, so we rarely ever spoke of it or the scars it had left behind, inside and out. We were alone in this world, the last of the Umbra Fae, but at least we had each other in the hell we’d been forced to live in.

I’d like to remain what I am now, a shadow moving under the wing of night.

“Always so swift, not even the stars can keep you,”Mawould say, and I didn’t know why, but I’d always liked that.

The skies would never remind me of any peace coming for us, only death chasing at our heels, promising great pain and suffering. All this for what? In hopes to go to a place we really didn’t know existed? All because our ancestors had passed down stories from the stars to help us sleep at night? I would not wait on a whim nor fall victim to such a fantasy.

To hells with that.

I made my own fucking destiny.

I would ride into the dawn before I’d ever take a seat upon the stars. I’d earned my name, just as Pa had.

Hellions in the guise of cowboys riding into the dark.

We’d become the new stories humans told at night. We were the fear they invoked to whisk their children to bed.

They’d made us into monsters, but we just wanted to survive.

Somewhere inside this calloused heart lay the remnants of a female who still had dreams. But as long as humans ran this world and hid our healing source, our Eternal stone, there would never be any peace. They stood in the way of my freedom, and for that, I became the shadow that curled around their throats before claiming their lives.

They might have taken everything from us, but they would never lay a hand on me again without choking on their final breath soon after. If their faith was the same as ours, they’d better hope their souls embarked upon the stars, because I’d be keeping their seat warm, right next to me in hell. They wouldn’t want to spend eternity with us, not the monsters we’d been forced to become.

Word had spread of what the humans had done to the Umbra Fae, and the Elemental Fae who had survived had disappeared as if wiping themselves off these lands. Our Eternal stone had been gone for quite some time, but something else had set us on this specific path as we embarked on a new vendetta.

It wasn’t good to remain staring into the moment we’d lost ourselves, but I couldn’t look away from it nor from the person I’d once been. It allowed the poison to make a home in my veins, and it was the reason I chose to take each breath as a promise. I would find who had sold us out to those humans and seek revenge for what they’d taken. I would burn every bridge until I faced the one who had betrayed us all.

We followeda lead south to a little town called Grand Dusk, which was more of a chasm beneath a mountain. A few small buildings led the way to an odd little place, as if it were something promising, something special. All I saw was a hole for men and women to merge together to get wasted. They claimed the whiskey was good, but humans were always so easily impressed. For a moment, it had piqued my interest. There’d been a small glimmer of hope I’d enjoy something for a mere moment, but once I downed my drink, the lack of burn I so desperately craved grew aggravating, which drew my attention to the doors. The bustle of life and bodies swayed to the music, but all I could see was the exit.

Dawn crept through the windows, casting rainbows around the entire room. Everyone continued to dance, not taking any notice of the array of lights shining in. I glanced down at the top of my hand, watching as one reflected off my dark leather glove, but the patrons’ silhouettes were a constant eclipse of its luminosity.

Glaring at the windows once more, the light caught my eye as a searing memory took hold, one that clenched my heart so tight, I couldn’t breathe. I swallowed the memory, catching sight of the one I was bound to weaving through the room in a darkened mist while Pa stood at the other end of the bar. The music was fast-paced and had an upbeat rhythm that would have made anyone want to dance; anyone except for Pa, myself . . . and him.

I stood idly among the crowd, observing the simple joys this place seemed to bring the humans, ignoring the vibrating hum of annoyance brushing up against my arm as Pa took the seat next to mine.

“This place is a shithole,” he said beneath the brim of his black felt cowboy hat as he faced the bar. Which was his way of saying there were no leads, no remedy for me.

Drawing in a deep sigh, I dipped my chin and called to the shadows, begging for a release. I pulled it from the dark spaces of my mind until I felt its cold death grip wrapping around my throat. Gasps filled the room in unison as instruments fell from the hands of those who had played them. Only then, I caught sight of that rainbow one final time as it reflected off the window. Caught in a memory, I saw her chasing light through the forest, both of us barefoot as laughter filled the air. I gripped tighter, snuffing out her voice as everyone in the room continued gasping for air. Gritting my teeth, in one synchronous sound, they all fell to the ground.

“Just like that,” Pa said in a deep tone that held no emotion.

Just like that . . .

They were gone.

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