Fairest (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale 2)

“I am Maeve, and I have come to make a bargain with you,” she said simply, without emotion.

Mina looked over the woman carefully. She knew better than to make bargains with the Fae. She shook her head no, but the Fae woman raised one finger carefully. Mina felt her head immediately stop shaking. She no longer controlled her own body.

“I would be careful before answering without hearing my terms. Once a bargain has been made it cannot be undone.” She stretched her pale white hand and pointed with a polished finger toward the wrecked car and the emergency team, working hard on rescuing her friends. Mina could see car lights coming down road from the lodge and had to assume it was Dr. Martin and Veronica.

“Okay,” Mina whispered nervously. “Let me hear your terms. But I’m warning you, if you are trying to delay me from saving my friends, then I will hear none of it.”

Maeve lowered her arm, closed her eyes and a slight glow appeared around the beautiful Fae woman, she opened her eyes and spoke without emotion, “The girl is already dead, the boy has a slight concussion but will live.”

“You lie!” Mina argued, sliding to her knees in the dirt of the forest. “Nan can’t be dead. It can’t be true.”

“But it is, my child. You’ve failed your quest, and failed in your duties as the keeper of the Grimoire,” Maeve answered. “But I can give you hope, if you agree to my bargain.”

Mina stiffened at Maeve’s words. “My mother told me never to trust the Fae.”

“Then your friend is lost for all eternity.” The Fae queen spoke firmly; her eyes glowing in anger. She turned, and reaching her hand into her dress; she pulled out a silver tube to create the doorway to leave.

“Wait, what is it that you want?” Mina was desperate, willing to do anything if it could bring Nan back.

Maeve turned around and stared at Mina. It was easy to see that she was starting to lose her hold on her emotions. “I will make you a bargain that has never been offered to a Grimm before, but never before has a Grimm made such a grave error and done the unthinkable.”

“You mean lose the Grimoire,” Mina answered angrily. “I would think that would make you happy, seeing that it makes it almost impossible for me to complete my quests.”

Maeve’s eyes flared and a cold wind blew whipping Mina’s hair around her face. “Silence, you insignificant human. Your ignorance is costing innocent Fae their lives. The Grimoire is a prison. It is being used to trap Fae within its pages.”

Mina felt slighted, and her anger rose to match Maeve’s. “Yes, I know all of that. Jared explained it to me. He also told me that you and the Story manipulate the quests so that the Grimms trap your enemies for you. You use me and my family, to do your dirty work. And we have died doing it.”

The wind quit attacking Mina as Maeve calmed down. “Yes, when a Queen is cornered she must sacrifice pawns to protect her King.”

The chessboard analogy made Mina pause in thought. Someone else had spoken similar words, but at the moment she couldn’t remember who.

“The Grimoire has fallen into the hands of an enemy. I know not who, but they are using the Grimoire to trap innocent Fae. Even you cannot plead ignorance to these circumstances because it was you who lost it. And it is you who must pay for those lives that are lost. It is only a matter of time before more disappear. You know of whom I speak, don’t you?”

Mina pondered, unsure of what Maeve was talking about, and then it came to her. “You mean the missing people, the UPS delivery guy, the DMV worker and the coffee girl?”

“Even your teacher,” she answered solemnly.

“Mrs. Porter, my homeroom teacher? I thought she just retired?”

Maeve shook her head. “All innocents, all imprisoned unjustly.”

“I wouldn’t say all are innocent,” Mina said out loud, thinking of how cruel Mrs. Porter was to her. But if she were Fae, then it made sense why she hated Mina, she was a Grimm.

Maeve became angry again. “ALL were INNOCENT. All imprisoned because of your mistake and they are paying the price. Especially my son.”

“Your son?” Mina asked, but Maeve ignored her.

“I cannot undo what has been done, but I can change the outcome. The rest is up to you, as long as you promise to find the Grimoire and not lose it again. For it holds that, which is most precious to me.”

“Do you mean, you can save Nan?”

“No, I cannot save her fully, but I can give you a fighting chance to save her. If you are willing?”

“YES!” Mina cried out, tears flowing down her face. “I am willing. I will try anything to save her.”

“So you agree?” Maeve asked.