A Place Beyond The Map by Samuel Thews Read Free Book Online Page A

well. Once, a few years back at the beginning of this mess, when Vermillion first proclaimed himself as some sort of prince-in-waiting, he commissioned a statute to be made in our capital city of himself.” The Faë chuckled. “When it is was all finished, I made a few improvements.”
    “Well? What did you do?”
    “I’m getting to it. Let’s just say that Vermillion didn’t like the looks of himself in a dress.”
    Phinnegan smiled to himself in the darkness and a small giggle escaped his lips.
    “You painted a dress on the statue?” Phinnegan tried to imagine the statue of a tyrant, painted over with a dress
    “Oh, I did more than paint, mate. It was a real dress. Bit of an evening gown, really, some shimmer and some sheer. Quite lovely, actually, on the right person. Of course Vermillion didn’t quite see it that way, as you might expect.”
    While Phinnegan found the story quite funny, he thought it was a stretch to call such an act of defiance, while humiliating for Vermillion, treason. He sensed there was more to the Faë’s “criminal” activities than Periwinkle let on.
    “But are you sure that’s all you have done, then? Stealing a few treasures and dressing up a statute is enough to be labeled a traitor? I don’t know if I like the sound of your world. Sounds a bit…mean.”
    Though Periwinkle did not speak, Phinnegan could feel him shuffling in the darkness. He assumed that the Faë did not want to speak about anything else that may have happened. When he did speak, his voice was hollow and empty.
    “There is one other thing that Vermillion holds against me.” He sighed. “And I hold it against him as well, rotten oaf that he is. Emerald Wren.”
    “Emerald Wren? What – er, who’s that? Is that another Faë? A girl?”
    “A girl yes, but not just another Faë. The most beautiful Faë that I’ve ever seen. We loved each other.”
    Loved?
    “Is she all right?”
    “All right?” Periwinkle repeated. “Yes, she’s all right. At least I think she is. She’s Vermillion’s daughter, and I don’t know what he has done with her. He doesn’t approve of us, never has. Not even when we were young and just innocent friends catching starflies together.” The Faë again became silent.  Before Phinnegan could prod further, Periwinkle continued.
    “He forbade us to be together or even see one another. I ignored him, of course. And now she is gone and I am a traitor.”
    Phinnegan, who understood little about love - other than what he read about in his books - could not comprehend the Faë’s situation, but he could hear the sadness in Periwinkle’s voice.
    “I’m…uh… I’m sorry. Do you know where she is now? Surely Vermillion would not have harmed his own daughter, right?”
    “Well there’s a bit of the difficulty, mate. I have no way to know what he has done with her. I haven’t a clue. After I took her away-“
    “Wait,” Phinnegan interjected. “You took her away? You mean you kidnapped her?”
    “You could say that. She was willing, of course. As I said, we loved each other.”
    “Well, I guess that’s all right then,” Phinnegan mused. “If she went with you willingly I guess it wasn’t really kidnapping.” But one thing still puzzled him. “Why do you keep saying ‘loved’? Don’t you still love her?”
    “Of course I do!” Periwinkle cried, his voice filling with emotion for a moment.  When he continued though, he again sounded flat and hollow.
    “I just figure it’s easier to think of her as in the past. Makes the loss easier to swallow, you know?”
    “You mean you are giving up on her? Just like that?”
    “I’m not giving up on anything,” Periwinkle retorted.  “I’m just being realistic.”
    “Maybe if you just talked to him –“
    “Have you not been listening?” the Faë interrupted. “He bloody well owns this world and he has no fond feelings towards me.”
    “Well, if a way existed that you could be with her, would you do