UnEnchanted (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale 1)

Jared nodded. “Grey Tail is very much a Fae wolf, and like all wolves, they do run in packs.”

Mina shivered and rubbed her hands together over the fire.

“And what do you look like on the next plane?”

“Imagine me now, except twice as handsome.”

“Yeah, right.” Mina smiled for a moment, but the thought of facing others like Grey Tail truly scared her. Swallowing, she tried to regain focus on what Jared was saying. The clue to beating the curse lay somewhere with him, she knew it. “So what about the Story? You, my mother, everyone keeps referring to the Story as if it’s a living breathing thing.”

“It wasn’t at first, but it is now. And it’s very dangerous.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Well, when the ruling Fates set forth the quests for Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, they kept a record of the tales on the Fae plane as their way to keep an eye on the brothers' progress. I told you the Fae love stories, and they loved to read the completed tales as the brothers finished each one. But anything that resides within the Fae plane that long eventually gains power, and it did. It became self-aware, a Fae in its own right, known as the Story. It liked the attention it was receiving from the Fae, so the Story began to interfere on its own and set up the tales for the Grimm descendants as a way to gain more power.”

“It doesn’t sound real. This sounds made up.” Mina bit the inside of her cheek.

“Believe me, I know how unbelievable it is. Over the years the Story grew on its own. It became obsessed with recreating the Fae tales, even forcing the occupants to participate so it could grow more powerful.”

“And the ruling Fates don't care?”

“Hardly. The Fates became bored after the Grimm brothers passed on and cared little about their descendants. Few were entertaining enough for them, they … petered out too quickly. Maybe if someone came close to breaking what you call the Grimm curse, they might peek their head out of the throne room and look, but not likely.

“Did my father know all of this?” she asked.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because he didn’t ask for help.”

“And I did? When did I ask for help?

“In the alley, you called and you got me.”

“And you are?”

“Not important. All you need to know is that you’re lucky you’re so cute, and I decided to help you.”

“But not prom queen cute.”

“Definitely not.”

They both smiled, but Mina realized with a start that he’d never answered her question.

“So about the Grimoire,” Jared continued. “It was initially a token bestowed upon the brothers by a sprite. She didn't agree with the Fae running amok in the human world – not all of us do, you know. So instead of impeding the brothers like so many other Fae, she became their ally. She stole the Story when it was new in power and split it, in an attempt to limit the damage. She essentially made its doppelganger and gave it to the Grimm brothers as a guidebook. Only when you split a powerful object, the lines of good versus evil aren't separated equally, and there are always side effects.”

“Let me get this straight. So you’re saying that the Grimoire is like the Good Witch of the East, here on the human plane, here to help me, and guide me. While the Story is the same Wicked Witch of the West, only more powerful and evil, and essentially wants to kill me?”

“More or less, that about sums it up.”

“Yikes. I really am doomed.”

“I wouldn't say it wants to kill you. It wants you to complete the tales. Remember, the more you complete, the stronger it becomes. I just don't think it wants you to complete all of them.”

“So how do I know how to complete the tales?”

“Some of it is based on intuition. The Grimm were always a smart bunch, or so they say. And through years of participating in the story, Grimm descendants seem to have their own kind of magic. You’ll pick up on things, notice coincidences. A coincidence is often a sign that something in the Fae world is interacting on this plane.”