#project fae

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Project Fae Excerpt (that may be cut):

The fairy was old, but he was fast. Before Kinley even knew what had happened, he had reached out and grabbed one of her hands, pressing it hard against the iron ingot on the table. 

Kinley gasped and winced at the contact as the metal dug into her skin; fought against the fairy as he lifted her hand and stared at it. His gaze slowly turned back to her. 

‘You lie.’

Kinley grabbed her hand back, glancing over it to see that, once again, there was no burn. It was impossible. She turned to the small string of bells as they tinkled in a non existent wind. Her eyes grew wide, and the fairy chuckled. 

‘You know something you shouldn’t.’

Kinley shook her head. ‘I don’t-’

‘You are a changeling,’ the fairy began, standing on shaky legs. He turned to the shelves behind him and started tinkering with the bottles.  ‘A newborn human babe stolen from your crib and replaced with one of us. The fairies live in the human world, assimilate to their new lives and await instruction. The humans become the Usaile Fola. One of us. Imbued with the blood of the elder fairies before you. Brought here to serve our Queen.’

Kinley inhaled sharply, and shook her head. ‘That’s not true, it can’t be.’

‘I cannot lie,’ the fairy said. He glanced back at her with a raised eyebrow, before turning back to the shelves. ‘Fairies cannot lie. Fairies cannot serve our Queen. There is a reason that you and your friends were brought here Kinley. You have a duty to fulfil, and you shall fulfil it until until your dying breath.’

Kinley closed her eyes, lightheaded and dizzy. This wasn’t right, it couldn’t be. Her hands gripped the table and she took a deep breath before attempting to stand. She couldn’t be here anymore. Not in this room, and not at the celebration. She needed to leave. 

The fairy slammed a bottle down on the shelf. ‘Don’t run,’ he said. ‘It won’t do you well to run.’

Kinley ran.

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Caelan | 15 |

Human

Values: Community

Flaws: Stubborn, compulsive

Traits: Perceptive, reliable, loyal

Caelan was born and raised in Ireland.

Fairies are a myth. That’s what Caelan had always been told, but he knows the truth. He was born blind, but somehow, he can see them. And only them, bathed in a shimmery light. And he hates it.

He lives a simple life with his Uncle in the small village of Kilmairin, hiding his secret from the one person who would believe him; doing his best not to get caught, keeping his friends from falling into the fairies traps. All he wants is a normal life, one that doesn’t involve fairies.

But then a fairy who claims she is human shows up at his house, and somehow, he’s more involved than ever.

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Kinley | 16 |

Human Changeling

Values: Independence

Flaws: Selfish, impulsive

Traits: Modest, graceful, determined

Kinley grew up in UnderErth- home of the fairies of the Daoine Sidhe.

Responsibility is so not her thing, but she’s drowning under the weight of it. A revered member of the Usaile Fola, she is one of the eight most important fairies in the Court, born to serve the Queen.

She has a duty, but no one will tell her what it is. She holds importance to the Queen, but no one will tell her why. She lives a repetitive life of grandeur- of training and lessons and balls, and constant guard. And she’s bored. Sneaking out at night only provides so much entertainment.

Things get shaken up when she finds out she’s actually a human...

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Some super random doodles for potential character designs in Project Fae.

I’m shocked decent art was created by me.

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CampNaNoWriMo Project Intro | Project Fae

YA Urban Fantasy | 70k in 7 days | Pantsing

Tagline: ‘A fairy discovers that she is really a human, and escapes into our world in order to find her fairy counterpart.’

Taglist is open. I intend to post daily excerpts once April hits. And once I know more about the plot and characters. 

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CampNaNoWriMo

Day one: 10,219 words

It was a struggle. I hate pansting. 

Excerpt:

The woods had always been quiet. The oldest often went hunting for rabbits with his father, chased foxes through the underbrush those early mornings they were spotted by the hen houses. But there was something different that morning. The woods weren’t just quiet, they were… still. No birds flew through the trees, no branches rustled. But still, they ran on. 

There was an old house down by the creek at the edge of the woods. It used to belong to a man and his wife until one day it didn’t. His father said the couple had moved on, but the eldest always believed they had died and no one wanted to tell him. The house had stayed empty since; white walls with the window frames painted yellow. A thatched roof and a chimney with a birds nest on top. They splashed their way down the length of the creek, jumping from stone to creek bed. The water was cold, but they didn’t mind. The old house sat a little further up, looking as interesting as it always did. 

Something moved in the window. 

The eldest stood in the creek, the water rippling past his boots as he stared. Something moved, right? He waded out of the water and onto the sloping bank, the house a stones throw away. The youngest kept splashing, shrieks of laughter every time he jumped. 

Beware the woods

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CampNaNoWriMo 

Day two: 10,253

A little easier. Floudered with casual conversation. 

Excerpt:

Kinley shook her head at the question. She wasn’t really familiar with the human world. It had mostly been warnings and fables she was taught. How to spot a human, how to charm a human. How to bend the truth and how to avoid them if necessary. A nice way to bless them, and the best ways to curse them.

‘Old village in the heart of the Irish countryside,’ Gilroy continued. ‘I’ve lived here all my life, quite a few families have.’

‘Must be nice.’

‘It’s alright. Friendly neighbours. Real community.’

Kinley shifted on her knees and reached for the mug behind her. Peppermint tea. She had never tried it before, so she blew on the liquid before taking a small sip. It wasn’t as sweet as she imagined it to be, a sharp mint flavour with a bitter under taste. 

‘Why do you live all the way out here then?’ She hadn’t seen any other houses nearby. Just the woods surrounding the property and a creek that ran through the grass. 

‘I’m being cautious,’ Gilroy said, his eyes dark, voice rough. ‘No telling what might crawl out of the earth and steal you away.’

A shiver ran down Kinley’s spine, and she took a sip instead of answering. Gilroy must have mistaken her silence for something else, because he smiled, the wrinkles near his eyes deepening with the gesture. 

‘Most think it myth or fables,’ he said, as if trying to convince her otherwise. ‘Ah, but you can never be too careful.’

He was warding against fairies then. Kinley was right to think the Hawthorn tree was one of theirs. 

‘Anyway, enough about me.’ Gilroy slapped his knees. ‘You’re just a kid. What are you doing all the way out here?’

‘I told you, I got lost.’

‘How?’

Kinley ran her fingers through her hair, trying to get rid of the knots. She couldn’t tell him the truth. She didn’t want to think about the truth. So she decided to tell him a half-truth. ‘I ran away.’ 

‘Ah,’ Gilroy said with another nod. He didn’t seem surprised, or concerned. He reached just for his mug and took a sip. ‘You’re not the first.’

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CampNaNoWriMo

Day five: 10040 words

Good start. Terrible finish. 

Excerpt, TW implied violence:

‘If you see Patrick again, wish him well,’ she heard Mudgeon say, strong but muffled on the other side of the wall. ‘And shut your mouth. If you want to live, they can’t know you’re here.’

Kinley backed into the wall behind her, the dirt soft beneath her back. Who had followed her here? And why? What could Mudgeon have possibly done to offend anyone? He worked for the courts, which meant that he worked for Queen Orlaith; he had probably done so for a very long time. 

There was a loud bang from somewhere on the other side of the wall, and Kinley jumped. She couldn’t see anything, nothing but the darkness around her, not even her own hand but she could hear. Not very well, but she could hear. 

She could barely make out anything at first; voices talking, but about what, Kinley had no idea. The conversation started calmly, but it slowly grew in anger and volume. She rested her head against the dirt wall, trying to make out what they were saying, trying to figure out who it was that had been following her. 

She wasn’t prepared for the loud growl that tore through the room beyond, or the panicked tone in Mudgeon’s voice. There was a thud, more shouting and then a scream. Followed by another.

Kinley didn’t want to listen, not anymore. She slammed her hands over her ears and closed her eyes tightly, trying to drown out the growls and the screams and the wet squelch that punctuated a breath of silence. Then it was over, and what followed was a long, terrifying moment as whoever it was crashed around the room, quiet murmurs and angered yells as they…what? Looked for something? Destroyed something? Searched for her?

Kinley covered her mouth as she tried to quiet the sob that threatened to spill from her lips. Don’t make a sound. Don’t make a sound.