Dreams and Shadows - By C. Robert Cargill Page 0,46
that it was this shame that forced them beneath the hills from which they would later claim their name: Sidhe. What is known is that the first Tithe Child sealed the bargain forever and that, unbeknownst to the descendants of the first dealmakers, the Devil had included a clause stating that if ever a being not born of fae blood was offered up, fairies would spend eternity out of time, loosed from its stream. Thus fairyland, and fairy time with it, was born.
While there are a number of tales that dispute various aspects of the story, what is certain are the rules and how they are presently meted out. Children are taken as infants, often replaced by changelings to disguise the kidnapping, and brought to live amongst the fairies. There they are raised on fairy milk and food handled only by the fairies themselves. This has two effects. The first is that over time the magic of the fae seeps into the essence of the child and allows them, if they so choose, to become a fairy when they are old enough—usually about nine or ten. The second is that consuming fairy food prevents them from ever leaving without the consent of the head of the court (usually a king).
The ritual changing of a child into a fairy is often carried out on the same night as the Tithe. The reasons for this are unclear and are said to vary from court to court. Regardless, once the child is a fairy, they are sacrificed, their soul offered up to the Devil.
As each court is liable for its own tithing, fairies tend to group together geographically in as large a group as possible to limit both their responsibility as well as their odds of being selected if the tithing does not go as planned. This is the core principle behind any governing fae body and the reason so many fairies of different type and disposition will allow themselves to be ruled by a single figure or council. Fairies that go it alone quickly find themselves collected and dragged unwillingly to Hell.
Children raised for this purpose are rarely aware of their role in the community and often believe that they will live out long lives among the fairies they are raised with. It is only in the last moments of their lives that they are afforded a glimpse into the true hearts and intentions of the fairy court they serve.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
THE BOY COLBY ARRIVES
Colby Stevens and his friend Yashar had walked untold miles to get to where they were now, the city several weeks behind them. And while occasionally tedious, with hardly anything of interest in sight, the promise of what was just within their reach excited Colby more with each passing step. Yashar had been true to his word: he had at the ready unending supplies of sunblock, refreshments, and delicacies of all kind. Were they not walking almost every moment of the day, it would have been a vacation. But they were walking.
They found themselves trekking through an abandoned stretch of state highway—a more than generous description given its patches of broken asphalt, its fading white dashes, and the overgrown brush along both sides that thickened straightaway into a dense tree line. It was the very definition of middle-of-nowhere Texas, a relatively uninhabited area of the world full of beauty, wildlife, and a complete lack of recognizable civilization. The road was driven enough to be clear of branches and debris, but not so often that they saw a passing car more than once or twice an hour.
“Mommy says my daddy is a fairy,” said Colby, from out of the blue.
“What?” asked a blindsided Yashar.
“My mommy says Daddy’s a fairy. It’s why he goes on so many business trips without her.”
Yashar nodded. “I don’t think that’s what she meant.” He laughed a little.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean . . .” Sigh. “She probably meant . . . because he flies around. Like a fairy.”
“Oh.” Colby paused, mulling over that little piece of information. “So fairies fly?”
“Some do.”
“Not all of them?”
“No. Pixies and will-o’-the-wisps fly all the time. Some creatures float. But most walk around like us.”
“But then why would Mommy think that Daddy flies like a fairy?”
“Because people have forgotten more about fairies than they actually remember. They think of them as cute, fun little creatures like Tinkerbell; they’ve forgotten all the bad things they can do, the evil that some of them are capable of.”