Feyland: The Dark Realm

Chapter Sixteen

It took longer than usual for Tam to soothe his mom back into sleep. Maybe it had been his argument with Jennet, or just having someone else in their house, but she was restless and manic. He’d coaxed her back onto her meds, but it always took a while for them to kick in and stabilize her crazy mood swings.

He swept up the shards of the plate she’d broken. Next time he’d remember to bring her food on plastic dishes. It would be another two, three days before she’d be back to functioning. Then he and the Bug would have a mom for a while.

His brother was still young enough to treasure those times, but Tam had learned to hate them. A week or two, maybe a month, and she’d stop taking the drugs that made her sane. Then she’d steal whatever money was left and leave - only to stumble home a few days or weeks later. And then the cycle repeated.

He still couldn’t forgive her for taking the travel money he’d worked so hard to earn. The money that would have gotten him to the national gaming tournament. It had been his ticket out - prize money, sponsorships, a little fame. All gone. He still felt sick when he thought about it.

At least this time she had brought some cash. Tam didn’t ask where or how she got it, he just hid most of it. They needed food, and cheap fuel for the generator, and anything else they couldn’t put off. This time around, it would be a trip to the clinic for the Bug, to get his quarterly shot.

Would there be enough for a new system? Yeah, right. No way was that going to happen. Tam laughed bitterly at himself for even having the thought.

Not only did he have no system, he’d just ended his friendship with the girl who had the best set-up he’d ever played. He was an idiot.

Forget about her sparked system, and her blue eyes. He’d go back to Zeg’s - when he got some time and some extra coins.

Not soon, that was for sure.

He didn’t have anything else to do, other than stare at the mess of his gaming gloves, so Tam picked up the book Jennet had brought. What a nutcase.

What about that cut on your arm? a voice inside him whispered. He ignored it. There was no overlap from virtual reality to real life. None. To think there might be - that was craziness waiting to happen. It was surprising the authorities hadn’t taken Jennet in for psych testing.

Or maybe they had. What did he know about her, after all? She was new in town. She could be hiding all kinds of things.

Well, he’d never know. They were done. Though at some point he supposed he’d have to return her stupid book. Might as well take a look, now that he had it.

It was old - she hadn’t been lying about that. The few color illustrations had a dreamy, saturated feeling, similar to Feyland. Jennet said the lead programmer had owned this book. Obviously he’d used it for some serious inspiration.

There were black-and-white drawings, too. Gnarled figures perched in tree-branches, lovely women who called men to their deaths in deep water, winged sprites darting through a clearing. And the Black Knight. Tam’s gut clenched as he stared at the picture of the knight. The cut on his arm started hurting. Hastily, he turned the page.

The Faerie Queen.

For a second, Tam couldn’t breathe. So, this was the queen. Her face was delicate, her eyes haunted and compelling. She wore clothing that looked insubstantial as mist, the flowing gown revealing the curve of her hip and baring one shoulder. Pointed ears were just visible through her midnight-dark hair, gems tangled like stars in its silky blackness.

She was beautiful. He couldn’t imagine wanting to fight her, even as the final boss in a game.

“Tam?” It was the Bug, home from school. Tam hadn’t heard him coming up the stairs.

“Hey there. Want a snack?” He shoved the book under his sleeping bag and went to distract his brother.

## #

 That night the Dark Queen moved through his dreams. She whispered to him of his bravery and offered him a goblet of deep red liquid. His lips touched the edge - and he woke, tangled and sweaty in his sleeping bag. First light was sifting through the windows. He got himself a drink of water, and then went to check on Mom.

She was sleeping - a restless, unhappy sleep from the looks of it. He could sympathize. Even though he was tired, he wasn’t going back to bed. The alarm to get the Bug off to school would ring in an hour, and it wasn’t worth it to lie there trying to rest for most of that time, only to get yanked back out of sleep again.

He missed gaming. It had only been two days since simming at Jennet’s, and there was a big aching hole in his chest.

He’d told Jennet to stay out of his life. Remembering the look on her face made him wince. Maybe he’d been a little harsh. But it had been too much - her just coming over, showing up while he was trying to deal with Mom, looking around his house like it was no better than a cardboard box some street bum slept in.

And then that freaky talk about Feyland and some guy named Thomas. Obviously his death had hit her hard, but that was no excuse to go off the deep end about what was real, and what wasn’t.

Still, maybe he shouldn’t have told her off. Even if that game had made her crazy, she was a nice person. Too good for him, really, with her fancy life and all. Not to mention that amazing system.

He let out a deep breath, then went into the kitchen to heat water for instant coffee. It was going to be another long, tough day.

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