Hi, all! Annabelle Hawthorne here, and I have once again returned to demand stars in exchange for new chapters of HFHM!
(I was addicted to those shiny star stickers as a child, my therapist said it wasn't a bad thing inherently, but it was really unusual that I kept eating them)
New Reader? Welcome to the madness! We've got a little bit of everything for you, but the best way to consume it all is to start at Chapter 1 and gobble down several books worth of backstory until you get back to this point. It took me 6 years to write it, but you can absorb it all in just 6 days if you push yourself!
Returning Reader? Welcome back, I missed you! The last month has been pretty busy for me, but I've kept up the grind. I always slow down a bit over the holiday season, but that's usually due to spending time with family and being unable to sneak away and churn out more words away from prying eyes.
I want to take a moment to thank those of you who took the time to send me letters this last month. I'm not going to lie, the holidays stress me out, and that's when self doubt finds me at my weakest. Getting those little feedback forms usually puts a smile on my face, especially when it's someone who just discovered the story and they're 30/40/50 chapters in and simply can't put it down. Those people never would have found me without the help of my Returning Readers. Your enthusiasm for my work and all those lovely stars you once left me became an investment in my future career as a writer, and I can't thank you all enough!
We've officially reached the third act of Book 7, which means things are going to heat up in more ways than one. As with every story that requires rising tension, allow me to present to you my
Opening Salvo
Mike frowned at the Queen of the Fae. Though her entrance was dramatic, he was far more concerned with the mysterious visitors who had poked a hole in the sky directly up above. The amorphic entities squeezed around each other like beads of oil trapped between panes of glass fighting for a better view.
"So those things were in Ingrid's head because of you?" he asked.
"No. They were in the mortal's head of their own accord and natural curiosity. They are attracted to madness. It calls to them like a beacon. However, their proximity meant they sensed my arrival." She looked at Mike meaningfully. "The less we acknowledge or interact with them, the better."
"What even are they?" he asked.
Titania smirked. "I could tell you for a price," she said. "But I know that you would feel cheated. This is a mystery that you are quite capable of solving on your own."
Mike looked up at the eyes again, then remembered he was supposed to ignore them. Dropping his gaze back to the regal figure on the beach, he thought about what Lily had told him regarding the strange entities she had encountered in the Dreamscape. They typically lurked in dark, undefined locations, and rarely interacted with the dreamer. On the few occasions that they did, it was typically to pull them away into the dark and expose them to sheer terror.
The Dreamscape was a place that hovered right on the edge of reason. Time and space were malleable, and he could only think of one thing that would exist just past its boundaries. With their current interest in a divine being, they could only be--
"Don't say it aloud," cautioned Titania. "Nor even think it, not under such inauspicious stars. To do so may bring further attention upon yourself."
He nodded his understanding. "Under these circumstances, is any conversation here actually safe?"
The faerie queen moved toward him, her wings fluttering briefly as she hopped down a dune. "The things we would speak of are beneath notice. Predators care not what sheep think unless the sheep conspire against them. I have two concerns that I would share with you."
"Is one of them the army on my lawn?" Mike asked. "Because that's a concern I have."
Titania's lips became thin like ribbons as she studied him. "That is one of my concerns, yes. I have many subjects who have brought official complaints to my court in regards to their behavior. The Order and the Sons of Sin have not treated my people very well."
Mike nodded, but didn't apologize. Taking the blame for the actions of others was always a terrible idea in regards to the fae. "The Order agreed to stay on my lawn and keep my home safe from harm in my absence," he replied. "So while my hospitality extended to the grounds of my property, it did not include my home."
"But you were aware that they would betray you?" Titania lifted an eyebrow and walked past him, the churning surf of the Dreamscape swirling around her ankles.
"I was." Mike turned and followed the Queen of the Fae. "They gave their word, after all. Have they brought any harm to your subjects who live in my gardens?"
"Not yet. However, these mortals have been quite pushy, and more than a few have harassed the Little People. I took it upon myself to invite some to my realm. I hope you don't mind."
"What transpires between you and my guests is none of my business as long as they were given the choice to leave." Mike thought his statement over, making sure he hadn't left any technical landmines for himself. He also wanted to ask what had happened to them, but wondered if that would cross some sort of boundary. Ah, the fae. "In all honesty, the Sons of Sin were never invited. The Order took advantage of my hospitality. As far as I am concerned, the mercenaries are uninvited pests. If not for very pressing matters here, I would have given them more of my attention. I had to make a choice between two difficult tasks and only I could properly attend to the one I decided upon."
Titania nodded. "On this, we agree." The queen knelt down and picked up a seashell that looked like a child had bedazzled it. "You are perfectly aware that the fae take the rules of Hospitality very seriously?"
"I am." Mike and Beth had poured over several tomes with Sofia before allowing any of the smaller fae creatures to even consider taking up residence in his yard. It was meant to be a relationship of mutual benefit, the natural magic of his home giving the fae a chance to return and live on Earth for as long as they chose. In return, they helped to care for the land along with the centaurs. "If you believe I have erred in this matter--"
"Stop." Titania's voice chilled him. "There is little you could say next that would not bind you."
"I was going to say that I would not mind hearing your wisdom on the matter should you offer it freely." He was at the queen's side now.
"Hmm." Titania tucked the shell into one of her sleeves and turned to face him. "In some ways, you think very much like my people."
"Your words are kind," he replied. This made Titania smirk. "You said you had two concerns. Certainly you did not come all this way to speak of the bad behavior of my guests."
"I did not. I speak now of the..." Titania paused, then her golden eyes flicked toward the sky. "Hmm. Perhaps I've underestimated them. How odd."
Mike looked up to see that the hole in the sky had been stretched wider, and was packed full of shapeless entities. He reached out with his will to pull the hole shut, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"I wouldn't," she said. "Don't let them know you are aware they're here."
