Colors, Lora Carlson [best book club books of all time txt] 📗

Raisa The Faery

Raisa knelt at the edge of the river, her bright red hair falling in waves around her shoulders and down her back. She covered her bare chest with one arm while using the other to feel the surface of the cool water. As her finger slightly broke the surface of the river, her orange and magenta wings fluttered involuntarily. The water under her fingertip rippled and shone with a slight pink shimmer. The Faery adjusted her legs, switching from kneeling to standing on the edges of her feet. The water shimmered brighter and started to swirl around her finger. Raisa brushed her fiery hair out of her sky blue eyes. Her finger broke contact with the water as a twig snapped and the sound of boots could be heard. She quickly stood up, her skirt of leaves and string sitting low around her waist. A young man with a bow in his hand and a quiver on his back broke through the trees. His warm brown eyes caught her gaze. A blush rose in his cheeks as his eyes looked down, noticing her bare chest. He glanced away.

 

“E-Excuse me Miss, I did not mean to bother you.” He politely stammered. Raisa turned away from him and snorted. She could feel his gaze on her pointy wings. She smirked as she heard the whisper of her name on his lips.

 

“Lady Raisa?” He asked quietly. She fluttered her wings in response. As Raisa turned around the young man bowed to her. She twirled her hand and a gust of wind blew around him.

 

“Do not bow to those you do not respect.” The Faery said through her teeth. He silently stood straight.

 

“You’ve come to kill me and bring my corpse before your precious king, correct?” Raisa asked sweetly. The man nodded and drew an arrow, setting it against the bow. Raisa hissed and flew into the air, flying over the river. The man ran forward and pulled the arrow back. As he shot at her, The Faery brought up a wall of water. The arrow broke against the water and Raisa flung the snapped arrow back at the man. He rolled to the side and pulled another arrow from his quiver. Raisa bared her teeth.

 

“Why does your king want me dead? I have not been bothersome or harmful to anyone in his kingdom.” She yelled. The young man stayed silent as he fired at her again. She dodged his attack and flew straight toward him, her pale hands grasping his shoulders.

 

“Answer me human!” She pleaded. The young man studied the noble Faery. Her blue eyes wide in confusion, her wings beating at a steady pace to keep her afloat. She was a beautiful creature. He dropped his bow and set a hand on her arm. She lowered to the ground, now kneeling in front of him. Raisa moved her hands from the man's shoulders to his face.

 

“His Majesty does not trust the Fae anymore. Since you are one of the more powerful Faery’s, he wants you killed to end a rebellion in the Fae ranks. He put a price and spot on his guard on your head. I need the reward.” The young man explained softly. Raisa froze in shock. The man watched in fear as her features melted into pure rage. She stood up, her Magik sizzling in the air surrounding them.

 

“That bastard! Does he not remember what I’ve done for him? I saved his son from Death herself.” She turned her attention to the now terrified young man.

 

“Tell your King,” She spat the title, “That I can give his son back to Death with ease.” The young man nodded and scrambled to his feet. She roared and pink flames broke through the ground. The man ran back into the forest. Raisa’s anger did not diminish at the sight of the young hunter’s retreat.

Izora The Queen of Vampyres

 

Izora twirled her deep purple hair around her pale finger. Her eyes shone blood red with lust. She sat upon her throne of bones and steel. Before her lay a beautiful girl in shackles. Her Captain of Guard brought her this girl from a nearby village. The Queen of Vampyres stood, her black skirt flowing around her as she walked to the girl. Izora knelt, placing a hand upon the girls hair.

 

“What do you want?” The girl whispered. Izora smiled and ran her hand through her brown curls.

 

“What is your name, young one?” Izora asked sweetly. The girls eyes shone with tears.

 

“Madeline.” The girl said with a thick voice. Izora placed a hand on Madeline’s cheek.

 

“What a beautiful name for a beautiful girl.” The Vampyre murmured. Izora placed her ice cold lips to Madeline’s forehead. Madeline shuddered. Faint black lines started spreading across Madeline’s face. Izora stood, her pale skin glowing faintly in the gaslight.

 

“Captain!” She called. A tall man came in through the giant wooden doors a few moments later.

 

“Yes, Your Highness?” he asked while bowing. The Queen smiled.

 

“Please take Madeline to her rooms. She will be one of us in a few days time.” The Captain of Guard nodded and helped Madeline to her feet. Izora walked back to her throne as the Captain took Madeline away. The Queen settled, playing with her amulet. It glowed red in the darkened room. In a swirl of smoke and sparks, a Faery appeared in the throne room. The Faery’s red hair fell swiftly around her shoulders, covering her bare chest, Izora raised an eyebrow.

 

“Raisa? What an unexpected visit from my favorite noble.” Izora said slightly surprised. Raisa waved away the comment.

 

“I need your assistance, Izora. The Human King has put a price on my head. I need you to reclaim his son as one of your own.” She said, her hate creeping into her voice. Izora’s eyebrows rose in shock.

 

“After all the time you used to plead with me that it wasn’t the young prince's time? You want me to reclaim him as a child of the underworld?” Raisa nodded. Izora tapped her chin in thought. Raisa already owed her for sparing the prince all those years ago, and she could use the power of a Fae noble to expand her kingdom. Rasia watched the Queen of Vampyres intently.

 

“I will do as you wish, but I will not claim him until the full moon. I will give the King time to remove the bounty on you.”

Harmony The Werecat

 

“Are you okay?” Harmony asked the man with the bow. He jumped and looked around for the source of the voice. She giggled and meowed. The man looked up at the girl in the tree. Her cat ears twitched as they made eye contact. She smiled and jumped nimbly from the branch.

 

“You didn’t answer my question.” Harmony said playfully, swishing her blue tail. He smiled nervously.

 

“I am okay. I need to get back to the castle, but I seem to have lost my way.  My name is Verin.” He explained. Harmony smiled again at Verin. She could sense a Faery’s magic around him. He must have run into a Fae in his travels. Fae’s and Werecats, Harmony’s kind, have always been close. Werecats usually are familiars to Faerys. Harmony didn’t have a Lady or Master to serve. Harmony leaned towards Verin.

 

“My name is Harmony, I’m a Werecat.” She purred happily. Verin cautiously placed a hand on her head when she wiggled her ears.

 

“As can be seen.” He chuckled. She purred again as he scratched her blue ears. She sprung into action and skipped in front of him.

 

“I’ll show you the way to the castle if you tell me where you ran into a Faery.” She said. He froze at the word Faery. She stopped skipping and examined him. She noticed two missing arrows from his quiver and the look of fear in his eyes.

 

“I met Lady Raisa at the river just a few miles down that way.” He slowly pointed to his left. Harmony’s ears swiveled forward at the sound of Lady Raisa’s name. Her pink eyes lit up.

 

“Lady Raisa,” She breathed. Lady Raisa was a noble. Harmony hadn’t heard anything about Lady Raisa having a familiar. If she became Lady Raisa’s familiar, she would be so happy! Harmony reached out and took Verin’s hand in her own.

 

“I’ll show you the way to the castle, Verin. You needn’t be afraid of Lady Raisa.” The Werecat smiled again and led Verin through the forest. 

Silvana The Seer Elf

 

Silvana watched as the Human King paced back and forth. A young man and a Werecat had just arrived at the castle, bringing with them troublesome news. The Prince sat next to Silvana, his eyebrows pushed together in thought.

 

“Silvana, will you explain what all of this means?” He asked the Seer Elf. Silvana nodded and motioned for him to follow her. She needed to use her Crystal to look into this further. As they walked down the halls of the castle, Silvana explained to the prince.

 

“When you were first born, you had a terrible illness. The Healers could do nothing, for your illness was a curse from The Vampyre Queen. The Vampyre Queen is also the incarnation of Death, therefore no one but her could remove the curse. So your father requested Lady Raisa, a Fae noble. Lady Raisa is known as a close friend of The Vampyre Queen. Lady Raisa agreed to help try to convince The Vampyre Queen to lift the curse. It took seven days and seven nights for The Queen to finally agree to spare you.

 

After you were healed, Lady Raisa and the King agreed that he would leave the