I am proud to announce that this is the final episode of the Quests Series. After this I will be taking a long break from blogging and story writing. Enjoy!
Read the series prologue here.
Read episode twenty-two here.
Episode Twenty-three: Rise of a Sleeping Power
Just as night took hold of the land, Fedrick's division reached the leafy depths of the forest. The woods seemed eerily quiet; there was very little activity in them. Several goblins stopped and glanced nervously over their shoulders.
“Keep marching, cave slime!” snarled their captain.
The goblin warriors resumed marching, still uneasy. They slowly crept through the tangled undergrowth, expecting to be attacked by elvin and fairy warriors at every turn. They came to a small clearing where they stopped short in surprise. The elvin princess sat on a rock in the center of the grassy area. Her sword lay across her knees but her eyes were closed. Fedrick wondered if she was sleeping. He took a small step forward to get a better look. Though he made almost no noise when he moved, the elf opened her eyes, and turned her head to look directly at him. In her eyes was a look of terrible wild power which filled Fedrick with dread.
The Fairy Queen herself stepped out from the shadows behind the princess and uttered a terrible cry full of words Fedrick could not understand. No sooner had she stopped speaking then a biting cold wind came from all directions, ripping through the goblin ranks, while large sleety raindrops spattered them. Branches whipped at them, vines twined around their feet and flames danced to life like wildfire come to purge the forest.
At the same moment the elf princess leaped to her feet and raised her sword. Elvish warriors charged from every side. The goblins screamed in terror and fled as the elements and elves closed in on them. As Fedrick ran, he noticed other goblins falling all around him, overwhelmed by one or more of the natural forces. Others were cut down by the pursuing elves. Fedrick didn’t dare stop, sure that if he did he would never make it out of the woods.
Only a small ragged group of goblins stumbled out of Fairy Wood and up the mountain path. High above the forest Fedrick stopped to catch his breath and finally dared to look back. The edge of the woodlands shimmered as though it were not quite solid.
Fedrick heard cries from farther up the path, and looked to see that the remains of the goblin company had joined a division of trolls. The goblins urged the trolls back toward the underground city and away from the enchanted forest. Goblins and trolls tripped over each other trying to make it back to the city first. When Fedrick finally staggered into the city’s entrance, he found himself standing next to Felnar.
“What happened?” panted the troll.
“We were defeated by the combined magic of the Fairy Queen and the elf princess,” said Fedrick. The full weight of the Dark’s army’s loss hit him. “What’s worse, whatever they did seemed to have repaired the forest’s defense spells. They’ve made it unsafe for our kind to enter Fairy Wood again.”
“I thought you hated that forest anyway,” said Felnar.
“It holds prime hunting ground that is now lost,” Fedrick replied. “What’s more Wilderlah is cut off from us as well. If we try to enter it we will be hunted down by that cursed elf princess! Only the mountains are safe to Dark creatures now. We have lost.”
***
Fate paused to look at the swirling colors on her tapestry. She fingered the beautiful pattern at the bottom, a band of black held in place by silver on one side and gold on the other. The Lord of Light was right, this had become a fine tapestry indeed. She sighed in contentment and continued her work.
The End
Showing posts with label Irowasan Legends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Irowasan Legends. Show all posts
Friday, June 17, 2016
Monday, April 25, 2016
Quests Episode Twenty-two: Forest Whispers
Read the series prologue here.
Read episode twenty-one here.
Episode Twenty-two: Forest Whispers
Beritta grabbed a handful of Mist's mane and swung her sword at the goblin hordes. Mist lowered her horn, using it to toss enemies as she advanced. The elvin warriors moved forward to assist and protect Beritta. Lilac, Lilly and Reuben flew up from lower on the peak and dropped rocks on the heads of the goblins surrounding the elves. As the goblins dodged these missiles, Lilac hovered in front of Beritta and cried, “Oakley's been wounded by a strellogroth. We have to get him to a healer!”
“Did you say a strellogroth?” asked Beritta, hoping she had heard wrong.
Lilac pointed at the sky. Beritta looked where she was indicating and saw the great bat monster with Faralasa pursuing it. Lasa jumped, then kicking off from the strellogroth’s head, launched herself into a flip and regained her balance midair behind the monster, facing its back. She whipped her sword through the air, making noises to intimidate it into flying higher. The strellogroth tried to retreat to the underground city but Lasa blocked it and slashed the monster's wings. Screeching, the strellogroth flapped her tattered wings wildly, trying to stay aloft. The edge of a wing caught Lasa under her chin, throwing her onto the clouds.
Beritta turned to two warriors standing beside her and ordered, “Follow the fairy and get her and her companions, especially the wounded elf, to safety.”
As Lilac and the warriors moved to obey, Beritta turned to another group of warriors and cried, “Cover me!”
She then sheathed her sword, signaled Mist to turn slightly and summoned a flame to hover over her right palm. The flame grew for a minute until, satisfied it was large enough, Beritta formed it into a fireball and shot it a the strellogroth. She then summoned a second flame and repeated the process. The creature's torn wings caught fire just as Faralasa dove out of the clouds. With a great yell Lasa stabbed her sword with all her might into the strellogroth’s chest. The monster’s scream was earsplitting. Grasping the hilt firmly with both hands, Lasa kicked the strellogroth, freeing her sword.
The once frightening monster fell from the sky like a giant fire-ball surrounded by tattered batwings. Beritta used one last fireball to redirect the strellogroth’s body so that it crashed into the thick of the goblin army pouring out of the mountain.
In the confusion that followed she ordered, “Retreat to Fairy Wood!”
As the elves scrambled down the rocky path, she glanced over her shoulder several times to see if they were being pursued. The fall of the strellogroth had created enough confusion to allow the elves a head start, but it was only a matter of time before the goblins organized their forces enough to give chase. There was still no sign of the goblins on the path behind them when they passed beneath first trees of the forest. Beritta noted that the sky in front of her to the east was lightening, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Once they were well into the forest she ordered her warriors to halt.
“We will make camp here and rest during the day. The Dark army will not attack again until nightfall.”
She then dismounted Mist and rushed through the camp until she found the healer who was tending Oakley. Faralasa and the fairies were also gathered watching as the healer, a red haired elf woman, cleaned and bound the gashes on Oakley's chest.
“Is he going to be alright?” Beritta asked.
“His chest may scar a little but otherwise he should recover,” the healer answered.
Relief washed over Beritta. She noticed a scowl on Faralasa's face and said, “I'm sorry. I was reckless and made some horrible mistakes.”
“I just hope those mistakes don't cost us Fairy Wood!” Lasa snapped. “Come on everyone, let's get some rest while we can.”
Beritta felt heat rise in her face, but followed the others without further comment. She found a mossy spot to lie down and soon fell asleep.
As she slept she once again felt the strange tug of the earth, only this time it was far stronger. The natural sounds of the forest formed a pattern which seemed liked a language. It was the language of bird song, animal sounds and wind whispering through leaves. Suddenly, the sounds formed words and Beritta understood them. She felt as though the forest had been speaking to her all along, but only now did she understand. The urgency of the forest’s message woke Beritta. She felt a rush of energy and leaped to her feet, running through the cool shadows of the woods until she came to a sun drenched meadow. In this meadow stood the dark haired, silver winged fairy queen.
“Your majesty,” Beritta cried. As the queen turned she continued, “I know how to rebuild Fairy Wood's defense spells and drive out the Dark army. The forest simply awaits a command from you.”
Read episode twenty-one here.
Episode Twenty-two: Forest Whispers
Beritta grabbed a handful of Mist's mane and swung her sword at the goblin hordes. Mist lowered her horn, using it to toss enemies as she advanced. The elvin warriors moved forward to assist and protect Beritta. Lilac, Lilly and Reuben flew up from lower on the peak and dropped rocks on the heads of the goblins surrounding the elves. As the goblins dodged these missiles, Lilac hovered in front of Beritta and cried, “Oakley's been wounded by a strellogroth. We have to get him to a healer!”
“Did you say a strellogroth?” asked Beritta, hoping she had heard wrong.
Lilac pointed at the sky. Beritta looked where she was indicating and saw the great bat monster with Faralasa pursuing it. Lasa jumped, then kicking off from the strellogroth’s head, launched herself into a flip and regained her balance midair behind the monster, facing its back. She whipped her sword through the air, making noises to intimidate it into flying higher. The strellogroth tried to retreat to the underground city but Lasa blocked it and slashed the monster's wings. Screeching, the strellogroth flapped her tattered wings wildly, trying to stay aloft. The edge of a wing caught Lasa under her chin, throwing her onto the clouds.
Beritta turned to two warriors standing beside her and ordered, “Follow the fairy and get her and her companions, especially the wounded elf, to safety.”
As Lilac and the warriors moved to obey, Beritta turned to another group of warriors and cried, “Cover me!”
She then sheathed her sword, signaled Mist to turn slightly and summoned a flame to hover over her right palm. The flame grew for a minute until, satisfied it was large enough, Beritta formed it into a fireball and shot it a the strellogroth. She then summoned a second flame and repeated the process. The creature's torn wings caught fire just as Faralasa dove out of the clouds. With a great yell Lasa stabbed her sword with all her might into the strellogroth’s chest. The monster’s scream was earsplitting. Grasping the hilt firmly with both hands, Lasa kicked the strellogroth, freeing her sword.
The once frightening monster fell from the sky like a giant fire-ball surrounded by tattered batwings. Beritta used one last fireball to redirect the strellogroth’s body so that it crashed into the thick of the goblin army pouring out of the mountain.
In the confusion that followed she ordered, “Retreat to Fairy Wood!”
As the elves scrambled down the rocky path, she glanced over her shoulder several times to see if they were being pursued. The fall of the strellogroth had created enough confusion to allow the elves a head start, but it was only a matter of time before the goblins organized their forces enough to give chase. There was still no sign of the goblins on the path behind them when they passed beneath first trees of the forest. Beritta noted that the sky in front of her to the east was lightening, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Once they were well into the forest she ordered her warriors to halt.
“We will make camp here and rest during the day. The Dark army will not attack again until nightfall.”
She then dismounted Mist and rushed through the camp until she found the healer who was tending Oakley. Faralasa and the fairies were also gathered watching as the healer, a red haired elf woman, cleaned and bound the gashes on Oakley's chest.
“Is he going to be alright?” Beritta asked.
“His chest may scar a little but otherwise he should recover,” the healer answered.
Relief washed over Beritta. She noticed a scowl on Faralasa's face and said, “I'm sorry. I was reckless and made some horrible mistakes.”
“I just hope those mistakes don't cost us Fairy Wood!” Lasa snapped. “Come on everyone, let's get some rest while we can.”
Beritta felt heat rise in her face, but followed the others without further comment. She found a mossy spot to lie down and soon fell asleep.
As she slept she once again felt the strange tug of the earth, only this time it was far stronger. The natural sounds of the forest formed a pattern which seemed liked a language. It was the language of bird song, animal sounds and wind whispering through leaves. Suddenly, the sounds formed words and Beritta understood them. She felt as though the forest had been speaking to her all along, but only now did she understand. The urgency of the forest’s message woke Beritta. She felt a rush of energy and leaped to her feet, running through the cool shadows of the woods until she came to a sun drenched meadow. In this meadow stood the dark haired, silver winged fairy queen.
“Your majesty,” Beritta cried. As the queen turned she continued, “I know how to rebuild Fairy Wood's defense spells and drive out the Dark army. The forest simply awaits a command from you.”
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Quests Episode Twenty-one: Dark Wings
Sorry for my long unexplained absence. I have been busy with some real-life adventures which took me away from my writing. Shortly after having my second baby, my husband and I chose to move across the country to be closer to his family and begin learning the skills for what you might call "backyard homesteading". As interesting as all of that is, I will not be telling those stories here as this blog is dedicated to fantasy stories. The way these lifestyle changes will effect this blog and my writing in general is that I plan to spend much of the year gardening and will probably make writing more of winter project in the future. For now I will wrap up the Quests series in a couple more posts. I'm hoping for another episode at the end of April and the final episode some time in May. After that I will take a break from writing and blogging until the late fall or winter.
Now without further ado, on to Quests!
Read the series prologue here.
Read episode twenty here.
Episode Twenty-one: Dark Wings
Tap, tap, tap! The knocker’s noises led into a wide cave then died away. Oakley slipped inside and whispered, “Lilac, are you alone?”
“Oakley!” Lilac cried. “I heard you were here. The goblin said the guards were going to kill you and then he and the troll went to look for intruders…”
“Shh!” Oakley warned. “I’m all right. We made it passed the guards. Lasa and the others are waiting for us on the mountain.”
He moved closer to the cage and inspected it.
“You’re hurt!” Lilac exclaimed pointing to the scratch on Oakley’s neck.
“It’s nothing,” he said touching it briefly with his left hand. Then he asked, “Where’s the key to this cage?”
“The troll took it with her when she left.”
Oakley tugged at one of the bars with a finger then bent to look at it closer. He looked back at Lilac and spoke slowly, “I might be able to break the gate open, but it’s a bit risky. I’m not sure I can do it without hurting you.”
“I want to get out of here. Now tell me what I need to do.”
“Okay,” said Oakley. “Go to the far side of the cage and hold on as tight as you can.”
Lilac obeyed. Oakley lifted the sword he had taken from the goblin guard and slammed it against the lock. Lilac held on even tighter. Oakley alternated between trying to snap the lock and pry the on gate itself, until he got the cage open.
“Hurry, they might have heard that,” he said as he pulled away the last piece of the ruined door. Lilac shot out of the cage. The two friends hurried out the entrance which led to the outdoors. The fresh mountain air filled their lungs. They breathed in deeply. It was easy to find the path even in the dim moonlight. They hurried along it, stopping when they came to the place where Oakley had left his winged horse.
“Lilac, fly a little higher,” said Oakley. “See if you can spot Lasa and the others but don’t let any enemies see you. I have to find my winged horse then we’ll leave.”
“All right,” said Lilac and flew into the air.
As soon as she was gone Oakley turned and softly called the horse's name. There was no response. The animal must have wandered. Oakley called again more urgently but still there was no sign of the winged horse. Slowly the elf moved onto the rocks near the path, continuing to look for his mount and watching for enemies. He became more worried with every passing minute.
The wind seemed to turn colder as it brushed against his cheek. The sky darkened momentarily. Oakley glanced up and gasped in surprise when he saw huge bat wings blocking the moon. A new fear filled him as his mind registered what it was seeing. The strellogroth dove at him just as he started to run. His foot bumped a jagged place on the rock and he fell. The strellogroth flew toward him, claws extended. Oakley twisted and slashed upward with the sword. He sliced open one of the creature’s claws. The strellogroth let out a high pitched cry which made Oakley’s ears ring. The monster wrenched the sword out of the elf’s hands before he could react.
While the strellogroth was distracted by the sword, Oakley crawled away from its scrabbling claws. He stood, and was about to run again when he heard the sound of something whistling through the air. He ducked as the sword flew over his head and clattered over the rocky edge of the mountain. Another high pitched screech told him the strellogroth was still chasing him. He noticed a small depression in a boulder in front of him. He dropped and rolled into it.
The monster dropped a few feet to be in a better attack position, but Oakley was ready for it. He gathered up bits of loose rock and hurled them at the creature’s face yelling, “Get back you big bat!”
He was too frightened to care who else heard him. With a few mighty beats of its wings the strellogroth flew higher to avoid the stones Oakley was throwing. Oakley waited a few minutes, listening for the beast's return but he heard nothing. Slowly and cautiously, he came out of his hiding place. When nothing happened, he picked his way across the rocks.
He was halfway to the path when he heard the noise of wind rushing under giant wings. He froze in fear, but the sound continued to grow. He dropped to all fours slamming his hands against the hard stone. Huge bat-like wings passed inches above his head before the monster returned to the air. It was clearly toying with him. Oakley pushed himself into a kneeling position.
“Stop!” he screamed at the top of his lungs. “Leave me alone!”
Out of the corner of his eye Oakley saw the strellogroth turn to circle back toward him. Something about the way the creature moved made it clear that it had become serious. It was coming in for the kill. Oakley scrambled to his feet as panic made his heart beat faster. The strellogroth slammed into his back, knocking him to the ground. He screamed as wave of pain shot through him. As the monster attempted to wrap its claws around him, Oakley reached out blindly, grasping for something to keep him sane. His hand closed around a jagged rock and his mind snapped back into focus. He twisted and stabbed the rock into its leg. The creature gave a sharp noise that was almost a scream and pulled back to dislodge the makeshift weapon. The strellogroth charged him and slashed his chest with its claws, leaving a set of deep scratches. Before he could even attempt to retaliate, the beast pushed him backwards and pinned him to the ground. The monster’s great wings seemed to block out all light. It opened her mouth showing large fangs. Oakley realized he was hyperventilating. This was it, the strellogroth would kill him now. He hoped that his quest had been successful and the others had escaped. He shut his eyes and prayed it would end quickly.
Thwack! This new sound rang through the darkness and was followed by a sharp voice.
“Let him go, bat-brain!”
Lasa, it was Faralasa’s voice! There was another thwack, and the strellogroth shrieked. Oakley opened his eyes to see Lasa hovering near the great bat’s head. She brought down her stolen goblin sword once more on the monster’s already bleeding ear. The strellogroth forgot Oakley. It took to the air to battle Faralasa. Oakley dragged himself away from the fight.
“Over here!” someone hissed.
Oakley turned to see the fairies crouching on the rocky slope above him. Removing the tattered remains of his party shirt, he used it to bind his bloody chest. He then pulled himself into a hiding place beside the fairies, grunting as the effort caused pain to spread from the wounds. “You made it,” he whispered turning to Lilac. “I was afraid it might have got you.”
“I found Lasa and the others before it came,” Lilac replied. “We heard you scream came back to help.”
Oakley nodded and turned to watch as strellogroth and airwalker circled each other. Faralasa somersaulted to avoid the monster’s snapping jaws, then sliced off the strellogroth’s bleeding left ear. The strellogroth screeched and flapped its wings wildly in front of it.
Lilac flew a little higher then suddenly shouted, “Lasa, there’s a group of elvin warriors below us.”
“Is Beritta with them?” asked Faralasa while still slashing at the strellogroth.
“I can’t… wait yes! She's at their head riding Mist!”
Oakley turned in time to see a number of goblin and troll warriors pour out the front gate of the underground city.
“Beritta, look out!” he shouted.
He jumped to his feet, intending to launched himself into the path between the elvin princess and the enemy warriors, but a wave of pain and dizziness washed over him, forcing him to his knees.
Continue to episode twenty-two.
Now without further ado, on to Quests!
Read the series prologue here.
Read episode twenty here.
Episode Twenty-one: Dark Wings
Tap, tap, tap! The knocker’s noises led into a wide cave then died away. Oakley slipped inside and whispered, “Lilac, are you alone?”
“Oakley!” Lilac cried. “I heard you were here. The goblin said the guards were going to kill you and then he and the troll went to look for intruders…”
“Shh!” Oakley warned. “I’m all right. We made it passed the guards. Lasa and the others are waiting for us on the mountain.”
He moved closer to the cage and inspected it.
“You’re hurt!” Lilac exclaimed pointing to the scratch on Oakley’s neck.
“It’s nothing,” he said touching it briefly with his left hand. Then he asked, “Where’s the key to this cage?”
“The troll took it with her when she left.”
Oakley tugged at one of the bars with a finger then bent to look at it closer. He looked back at Lilac and spoke slowly, “I might be able to break the gate open, but it’s a bit risky. I’m not sure I can do it without hurting you.”
“I want to get out of here. Now tell me what I need to do.”
“Okay,” said Oakley. “Go to the far side of the cage and hold on as tight as you can.”
Lilac obeyed. Oakley lifted the sword he had taken from the goblin guard and slammed it against the lock. Lilac held on even tighter. Oakley alternated between trying to snap the lock and pry the on gate itself, until he got the cage open.
“Hurry, they might have heard that,” he said as he pulled away the last piece of the ruined door. Lilac shot out of the cage. The two friends hurried out the entrance which led to the outdoors. The fresh mountain air filled their lungs. They breathed in deeply. It was easy to find the path even in the dim moonlight. They hurried along it, stopping when they came to the place where Oakley had left his winged horse.
“Lilac, fly a little higher,” said Oakley. “See if you can spot Lasa and the others but don’t let any enemies see you. I have to find my winged horse then we’ll leave.”
“All right,” said Lilac and flew into the air.
As soon as she was gone Oakley turned and softly called the horse's name. There was no response. The animal must have wandered. Oakley called again more urgently but still there was no sign of the winged horse. Slowly the elf moved onto the rocks near the path, continuing to look for his mount and watching for enemies. He became more worried with every passing minute.
The wind seemed to turn colder as it brushed against his cheek. The sky darkened momentarily. Oakley glanced up and gasped in surprise when he saw huge bat wings blocking the moon. A new fear filled him as his mind registered what it was seeing. The strellogroth dove at him just as he started to run. His foot bumped a jagged place on the rock and he fell. The strellogroth flew toward him, claws extended. Oakley twisted and slashed upward with the sword. He sliced open one of the creature’s claws. The strellogroth let out a high pitched cry which made Oakley’s ears ring. The monster wrenched the sword out of the elf’s hands before he could react.
While the strellogroth was distracted by the sword, Oakley crawled away from its scrabbling claws. He stood, and was about to run again when he heard the sound of something whistling through the air. He ducked as the sword flew over his head and clattered over the rocky edge of the mountain. Another high pitched screech told him the strellogroth was still chasing him. He noticed a small depression in a boulder in front of him. He dropped and rolled into it.
The monster dropped a few feet to be in a better attack position, but Oakley was ready for it. He gathered up bits of loose rock and hurled them at the creature’s face yelling, “Get back you big bat!”
He was too frightened to care who else heard him. With a few mighty beats of its wings the strellogroth flew higher to avoid the stones Oakley was throwing. Oakley waited a few minutes, listening for the beast's return but he heard nothing. Slowly and cautiously, he came out of his hiding place. When nothing happened, he picked his way across the rocks.
He was halfway to the path when he heard the noise of wind rushing under giant wings. He froze in fear, but the sound continued to grow. He dropped to all fours slamming his hands against the hard stone. Huge bat-like wings passed inches above his head before the monster returned to the air. It was clearly toying with him. Oakley pushed himself into a kneeling position.
“Stop!” he screamed at the top of his lungs. “Leave me alone!”
Out of the corner of his eye Oakley saw the strellogroth turn to circle back toward him. Something about the way the creature moved made it clear that it had become serious. It was coming in for the kill. Oakley scrambled to his feet as panic made his heart beat faster. The strellogroth slammed into his back, knocking him to the ground. He screamed as wave of pain shot through him. As the monster attempted to wrap its claws around him, Oakley reached out blindly, grasping for something to keep him sane. His hand closed around a jagged rock and his mind snapped back into focus. He twisted and stabbed the rock into its leg. The creature gave a sharp noise that was almost a scream and pulled back to dislodge the makeshift weapon. The strellogroth charged him and slashed his chest with its claws, leaving a set of deep scratches. Before he could even attempt to retaliate, the beast pushed him backwards and pinned him to the ground. The monster’s great wings seemed to block out all light. It opened her mouth showing large fangs. Oakley realized he was hyperventilating. This was it, the strellogroth would kill him now. He hoped that his quest had been successful and the others had escaped. He shut his eyes and prayed it would end quickly.
Thwack! This new sound rang through the darkness and was followed by a sharp voice.
“Let him go, bat-brain!”
Lasa, it was Faralasa’s voice! There was another thwack, and the strellogroth shrieked. Oakley opened his eyes to see Lasa hovering near the great bat’s head. She brought down her stolen goblin sword once more on the monster’s already bleeding ear. The strellogroth forgot Oakley. It took to the air to battle Faralasa. Oakley dragged himself away from the fight.
“Over here!” someone hissed.
Oakley turned to see the fairies crouching on the rocky slope above him. Removing the tattered remains of his party shirt, he used it to bind his bloody chest. He then pulled himself into a hiding place beside the fairies, grunting as the effort caused pain to spread from the wounds. “You made it,” he whispered turning to Lilac. “I was afraid it might have got you.”
“I found Lasa and the others before it came,” Lilac replied. “We heard you scream came back to help.”
Oakley nodded and turned to watch as strellogroth and airwalker circled each other. Faralasa somersaulted to avoid the monster’s snapping jaws, then sliced off the strellogroth’s bleeding left ear. The strellogroth screeched and flapped its wings wildly in front of it.
Lilac flew a little higher then suddenly shouted, “Lasa, there’s a group of elvin warriors below us.”
“Is Beritta with them?” asked Faralasa while still slashing at the strellogroth.
“I can’t… wait yes! She's at their head riding Mist!”
Oakley turned in time to see a number of goblin and troll warriors pour out the front gate of the underground city.
“Beritta, look out!” he shouted.
He jumped to his feet, intending to launched himself into the path between the elvin princess and the enemy warriors, but a wave of pain and dizziness washed over him, forcing him to his knees.
Continue to episode twenty-two.
Friday, August 28, 2015
Quests Episode Twenty: Intruders
I'm back! After starting edits on the next few episodes, I've decided to try to wrap up the Quests series in the next few months. I'm still working on the ending, but I estimate there are about 3 episodes left. Please enjoy this month's episode and check back in the coming months for the conclusion.
Read the series prologue here.
Read episode nineteen here.
Episode Twenty: Intruders
Fedrick stopped outside the entrance to Felnar’s cave and watched as the troll approached a small bird cage containing a purple winged fairy. Felnar tapped lightly on the cage door with one claw.
“I brought you some food little fairy,” she said. “It’s fairy food, I made sure.”
She opened the cage door just enough to push a small bowl inside it.
“You have a nice cave,” the fairy said.
Fedrick rolled his eyes, hoping such flattery would not make Felnar consider releasing her pet.
“Why thank you!” said Felnar grinning.
“You’re not a bad troll either,” the fairy girl added. “Maybe we could be friends.”
“Okay,” said Felnar, grinning. “I’m really glad I get to keep you.”
“Since we’re friends you could let me out of this cage sometimes. If you let me come outside with you I could show you good places to hunt.” Felnar shook her head. “Fedrick said you might say something like that. He said I’m not to let you out for any reason. Sorry.”
Fedrick smirked as the fairy crossed her arms over her chest and pouted.
“Don’t be sad,” Felnar pleaded.
She opened her mouth to say something else but, unable to stand such nonsense any longer, Fedrick interrupted. “What are you doing you foolish fairy lover?”
Felnar turned to face him.
“I was getting my fairy some food.”
“We have more important things to worry about!” Fedrick snapped. “There are intruders in the city. There was an elf boy in the dungeons. He was trying to rescue the prisoners. The guards are taking care of him. There are probably more of them. We should join the search.”
“Trouble makers!” Felnar snarled turning to follow Fedrick.
“Hey!” the fairy yelled slamming her fist against the bars to get their attention. “I’ll never forgive you if you hurt them!”
Felnar hesitated but Fedrick just snorted.
“Don’t listen to her,” he said. “She’s just a stupid fairy. Come on, let’s go.”
In one of the smooth stone passageways leading to the goblin portion of the city, Fedrick and Felnar met a group of other goblins and trolls who were searching for the intruders.
“Did you hear? The prisoners escaped,” said one of the goblins. “They left the guards chained up in the dungeon.” Fedrick gave a small laugh then became serious.
“They can't have gotten far. Come on, we don’t have time to waste.”
They spread out to search every corner of the city, Fedrick in one group and Felnar in another. After several minutes of searching, Fedrick heard a faint sound in the distance. He signaled those behind him to be quiet as they crept down the passage. In a few minutes Fedrick saw the faint shadow of a moving figure. He turned the corner, drew his sword and stopped short in surprise.
A small orange haired hobgoblin was bouncing a rubber ball up and down the tunnel. It took the creature a minute to notice the newcomers. When he did he simply said, “Oh, hello,” and kept bouncing his ball. Fedrick watched in silence for a minute until the hobgoblin came near him. As the ball bounced past, Fedrick caught it.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked.
Just then the ball turned into a hornet and bit Fedrick’s hand.
“Ouch!” cried Fedrick letting it go.
The hornet flew to the hobgoblin’s shoulder and landed there.
“I’m playing with Bubble,” said the hobgoblin as though nothing had happened.
He pointed to the hornet. It flew off his shoulder, turned into a little man and stood grinning at them.
“Oh right, our boggart,” said Fedrick. Suddenly his temper flared. “If you idiots had any sense you’d be helping search for the fairies and elves who escaped from our prison!”
“I guess we can do that,” said Bubble, exchanging a look with Glibbin.
“What do you mean you guess?” cried Fedrick. “Start looking, NOW!”
In their surprise, Glibbin and Bubble turned and bumped into each other. They fell, got back up and ran down the passage away from Fedrick. The goblins and trolls resumed their search. Before long they came across Glibbin and Bubble again. They were sitting in the middle of the passage but it was unclear what they were doing there.
“Did you find anything?” asked Fedrick.
“Were we looking for something?” Glibbin asked Bubble. The boggart shrugged.
Fedrick reminded them of the search which was taking place.
“We can help look,” said Bubble. “Come on Glibbin, let’s go.”
They set off again, leaving Fedrick wondering how they could have forgotten their task in so short a time.
About five minutes later, Fedrick once more found them lounging in the center of a tunnel. He grabbed Glibbin and demanded, “Do you think this is funny? Keep searching and quit your nonsense!”
Just then Felnar’s group approached.
“The leaders are releasing the strellogroth to hunt down the prisoners,” Felnar told Fedrick. “They want everyone but her trainers to clear the passages until she passes.”
Fedrick smiled and let go of Glibbin, all thoughts of the two fools slipping from his mind.
“I want to see the beast in action,” he said. “Where’s she going to start?”
“The prison so she can catch their scent,” Felnar replied. “You can’t go close, she’s too dangerous.”
“We won’t get too close, we'll just follow her to see what happens,” Fedrick promised.
“We?!”
“Come on,” Fedrick retorted. “You helped us catch her. You must be curious to see what she can do.”
Felnar gulped as Fedrick grabbed her hand and pulled her down the passage behind him, leaving Glibbin and Bubble to their forgetful ways.
The strellogroth was already in the dungeons with one of her trainers when Fedrick and Felnar arrived in the company of a few other bold and curious goblins and trolls. Someone had freed the guards from the chains. The group watched from a safe distance as the trainer released the monster with a seeking command. The great bat took off, flying through twisting tunnels which had been cleared for her. Fedrick, Felnar, and the rest of the group followed at a distance. The strellogroth seemed sure of the scent; she never hesitated at an intersection of the tunnels. Near the entrance, she stopped briefly and clawed at a thin crevice which She could not fit inside. Seeming to catch a new scent she headed toward the troll caves.
“What’s she doing?” asked Felnar in alarm. “She just went inside my cave!”
“Maybe she wants to eat your fairy as a snack,” Fedrick teased.
“Oh no!” cried Felnar throwing up her hands in alarm.
“I was joking. Let’s see if she found one of the escaped prisoners in there.”
When they reached Felnar’s cave, the strellogroth had flown out the entrance which led to the mountainside. The gate of the bird cage was a smashed wreck and the fairy gone.
“She did eat my fairy!” Felnar wailed.
“Felnar, I don’t think it was the strellogroth who broke the cage,” said Fedrick.
“You think the intruders took my fairy?”
Fedrick nodded.
“Then I hope the strellogroth gets them!” Felnar snarled.
“I don’t think you have to worry about that,” Fedrick reassured her.
As if to confirm his words, a scream rang through the night.
Continue to episode twenty-one.
Read the series prologue here.
Read episode nineteen here.
Episode Twenty: Intruders
Fedrick stopped outside the entrance to Felnar’s cave and watched as the troll approached a small bird cage containing a purple winged fairy. Felnar tapped lightly on the cage door with one claw.
“I brought you some food little fairy,” she said. “It’s fairy food, I made sure.”
She opened the cage door just enough to push a small bowl inside it.
“You have a nice cave,” the fairy said.
Fedrick rolled his eyes, hoping such flattery would not make Felnar consider releasing her pet.
“Why thank you!” said Felnar grinning.
“You’re not a bad troll either,” the fairy girl added. “Maybe we could be friends.”
“Okay,” said Felnar, grinning. “I’m really glad I get to keep you.”
“Since we’re friends you could let me out of this cage sometimes. If you let me come outside with you I could show you good places to hunt.” Felnar shook her head. “Fedrick said you might say something like that. He said I’m not to let you out for any reason. Sorry.”
Fedrick smirked as the fairy crossed her arms over her chest and pouted.
“Don’t be sad,” Felnar pleaded.
She opened her mouth to say something else but, unable to stand such nonsense any longer, Fedrick interrupted. “What are you doing you foolish fairy lover?”
Felnar turned to face him.
“I was getting my fairy some food.”
“We have more important things to worry about!” Fedrick snapped. “There are intruders in the city. There was an elf boy in the dungeons. He was trying to rescue the prisoners. The guards are taking care of him. There are probably more of them. We should join the search.”
“Trouble makers!” Felnar snarled turning to follow Fedrick.
“Hey!” the fairy yelled slamming her fist against the bars to get their attention. “I’ll never forgive you if you hurt them!”
Felnar hesitated but Fedrick just snorted.
“Don’t listen to her,” he said. “She’s just a stupid fairy. Come on, let’s go.”
In one of the smooth stone passageways leading to the goblin portion of the city, Fedrick and Felnar met a group of other goblins and trolls who were searching for the intruders.
“Did you hear? The prisoners escaped,” said one of the goblins. “They left the guards chained up in the dungeon.” Fedrick gave a small laugh then became serious.
“They can't have gotten far. Come on, we don’t have time to waste.”
They spread out to search every corner of the city, Fedrick in one group and Felnar in another. After several minutes of searching, Fedrick heard a faint sound in the distance. He signaled those behind him to be quiet as they crept down the passage. In a few minutes Fedrick saw the faint shadow of a moving figure. He turned the corner, drew his sword and stopped short in surprise.
A small orange haired hobgoblin was bouncing a rubber ball up and down the tunnel. It took the creature a minute to notice the newcomers. When he did he simply said, “Oh, hello,” and kept bouncing his ball. Fedrick watched in silence for a minute until the hobgoblin came near him. As the ball bounced past, Fedrick caught it.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked.
Just then the ball turned into a hornet and bit Fedrick’s hand.
“Ouch!” cried Fedrick letting it go.
The hornet flew to the hobgoblin’s shoulder and landed there.
“I’m playing with Bubble,” said the hobgoblin as though nothing had happened.
He pointed to the hornet. It flew off his shoulder, turned into a little man and stood grinning at them.
“Oh right, our boggart,” said Fedrick. Suddenly his temper flared. “If you idiots had any sense you’d be helping search for the fairies and elves who escaped from our prison!”
“I guess we can do that,” said Bubble, exchanging a look with Glibbin.
“What do you mean you guess?” cried Fedrick. “Start looking, NOW!”
In their surprise, Glibbin and Bubble turned and bumped into each other. They fell, got back up and ran down the passage away from Fedrick. The goblins and trolls resumed their search. Before long they came across Glibbin and Bubble again. They were sitting in the middle of the passage but it was unclear what they were doing there.
“Did you find anything?” asked Fedrick.
“Were we looking for something?” Glibbin asked Bubble. The boggart shrugged.
Fedrick reminded them of the search which was taking place.
“We can help look,” said Bubble. “Come on Glibbin, let’s go.”
They set off again, leaving Fedrick wondering how they could have forgotten their task in so short a time.
About five minutes later, Fedrick once more found them lounging in the center of a tunnel. He grabbed Glibbin and demanded, “Do you think this is funny? Keep searching and quit your nonsense!”
Just then Felnar’s group approached.
“The leaders are releasing the strellogroth to hunt down the prisoners,” Felnar told Fedrick. “They want everyone but her trainers to clear the passages until she passes.”
Fedrick smiled and let go of Glibbin, all thoughts of the two fools slipping from his mind.
“I want to see the beast in action,” he said. “Where’s she going to start?”
“The prison so she can catch their scent,” Felnar replied. “You can’t go close, she’s too dangerous.”
“We won’t get too close, we'll just follow her to see what happens,” Fedrick promised.
“We?!”
“Come on,” Fedrick retorted. “You helped us catch her. You must be curious to see what she can do.”
Felnar gulped as Fedrick grabbed her hand and pulled her down the passage behind him, leaving Glibbin and Bubble to their forgetful ways.
The strellogroth was already in the dungeons with one of her trainers when Fedrick and Felnar arrived in the company of a few other bold and curious goblins and trolls. Someone had freed the guards from the chains. The group watched from a safe distance as the trainer released the monster with a seeking command. The great bat took off, flying through twisting tunnels which had been cleared for her. Fedrick, Felnar, and the rest of the group followed at a distance. The strellogroth seemed sure of the scent; she never hesitated at an intersection of the tunnels. Near the entrance, she stopped briefly and clawed at a thin crevice which She could not fit inside. Seeming to catch a new scent she headed toward the troll caves.
“What’s she doing?” asked Felnar in alarm. “She just went inside my cave!”
“Maybe she wants to eat your fairy as a snack,” Fedrick teased.
“Oh no!” cried Felnar throwing up her hands in alarm.
“I was joking. Let’s see if she found one of the escaped prisoners in there.”
When they reached Felnar’s cave, the strellogroth had flown out the entrance which led to the mountainside. The gate of the bird cage was a smashed wreck and the fairy gone.
“She did eat my fairy!” Felnar wailed.
“Felnar, I don’t think it was the strellogroth who broke the cage,” said Fedrick.
“You think the intruders took my fairy?”
Fedrick nodded.
“Then I hope the strellogroth gets them!” Felnar snarled.
“I don’t think you have to worry about that,” Fedrick reassured her.
As if to confirm his words, a scream rang through the night.
Continue to episode twenty-one.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Quests Episode Nineteen: Into the Depths
Just a quick note before I continue to May's episode: I will most likely be taking a short break after this as my baby is due next month and the rest of the story is going to need some work. Please enjoy this episode and watch for an announcement letting you know when I will resume the story. Sorry that I'm going to leave you with a bit of cliff-hanger!
Read the series prologue here.
Read episode eighteen here.
Episode Nineteen: Into the Depths
The wings of Oakley's mount beat against the air with a loud whooshing sound. Oakley strained his eyes in search of the path he had walked with Beritta not long ago. Wind whipped his face causing his eyes to water, but still he forced himself to concentrate on the dark landscape below him. Oakley urged the winged horse to fly even lower over the looming mountains, lower than was truly safe. He was grateful that he had trained the animal to trust him so completely. The clouds moved even faster now than they had earlier in the night. The shadows they cast made it harder to see the landscape below.
A gap appeared in the cloud cover for a moment, allowing the moon to briefly illuminate the mountains. In that instant, Oakley caught a glimpse of the trail for which he was looking. He signaled his horse who circled before descending to land lightly on a rocky patch near the place Oakley indicated. Once the animal tucked in his wings, Oakley dismounted and took in his surroundings. He was above the tree line in the area covered by short grass and large rocks. He spotted the worn pathway cutting through the rocks on his right. The winged horse snorted softly in irritation.
“I’ve got to go, but I’ll be back soon,” said Oakley softly. “Stay in the area and don’t follow me.”
The horse bobbed his head and trotted off to graze. After watching for a minute, Oakley turned with a resolute step and started up the path. Driven by anxiety, Oakley moved from one switchback to the next at a hurried pace. A huge nearly vertical rock face loomed over the lower parts of the mountain. The higher Oakley went, the more menacing these cliffs seemed. The path took one last sharp turn and ended at the dark entrance of the underground city.
Oakley stopped short behind the last bend, staring out from behind it at the gaping hole. He scanned the darkness, trying in vain to locate the guards patrolling there. A sudden wave of fear swept over him and he felt as though he were frozen in place. What are you thinking? asked a small voice in his head, You can’t go in there alone! Wait for the rest of the warriors from Wilderlah. Do you want to be killed in the darkness of an evil city? That’s what will happen if you go in there by yourself.
Oakley took a deep breath and closed his eyes. It didn’t help. He thought of his friends trapped somewhere inside the mountain. An image of Faralasa saluting as she rose into the air came to mind. He thought of Beritta’s reckless leadership and was convinced all over again that this was a trap.
I have to try and save them, he argued with himself. I can’t leave them in the dark. If I die I will return to the Kingdom of Light, but I have to do what I can for my friends first.
He opened his eyes and stared again at the front gate. He repeated to himself that he was here to save his friends. Still, his fear was so great that he couldn’t force himself to move. He shut his eyes again and prayed for the Lord of Light to give him strength. A cold breeze swept over the mountain. Oakley shivered, pressed his eyelids tighter and made his prayer more pleading. A sudden unexpected peace came over him and he felt the presence of the Lord of Light. The wind brushed against his cheek.
Oakley slowly opened his eyes, this time keeping them open. A shaft of moonlight pierced the cloud cover, landing on a small cave high on the rock face to the right of the main gate. He realized that the Lord of Light was showing him a safer way into the underground city. He sighed and muttered a grateful prayer. Crouching to avoid drawing the attention of goblin and troll guards, Oakley moved off the path and over the rocks in the direction of the cave. He realized as he got closer that it was higher on the cliff then he had first thought. He scanned the rocks for a minute until he found several small cracks and ledges which he used to climb. There was barely any ledge in front of the cave but Oakley managed to pull himself up and inside the crack.
The passage was narrow and the roof low. Oakley ducked and trailed his right hand against the rough stone wall. Cold air blew up from somewhere below, chilling him as he made his way down the sloping cavern into the city in the mountain. Before long, Oakley’s passage joined a wider tunnel which was dimly lit by an unknown source. Oakley stopped for a minute to take in the high smooth walls. The roof of the tunnel was lost in darkness. Doubt crept into Oakley’s mind again. He had no idea where to look for his friends, and a wrong turn could be disastrous. He heard a soft tapping noise in front of him. At the sound Oakley realized The Lord of Light had sent a Tommy-knocker to help him. Tommy-knockers were a kind of spirit who lived in caves and mines. They knocked on the walls, usually to warn of coming danger such as cave-ins but in this case the Tommy-knocker was tapping to guide him through the city.
With a cautious glance to either side, Oakley stepped into the tunnel. The soft sounds of the knocker led him a short distance down the passage before the tapping switched to another tunnel on his left. He turned in that direction. The tapping noises continued in this way, leading him through the maze-like corridors of the subterranean city.
Once, as Oakley came to a branch in the passages, the knocker made a series of loud quick taps on the wall beside him. Oakley stopped for a minute in confusion. Then he heard footsteps coming in his direction. He flattened himself against the wall and waited with a pounding heart as a troll passed a few feet from him. Thankfully, the troll seemed absorbed in thought and paid little attention to the tunnel around him. When he could no longer hear footsteps, Oakley relaxed. He started breathing again, realizing with surprise that he had been holding his breath. A soft tapping came from a nearby passage ahead and to the right. He turned down that corridor and continued on his way. This routine continued until Oakley was deep in the heart of the mountain city. He had a few more close calls with goblins and trolls, but each time managed to get safely past them. At last Oakley came to a part of the city which seemed darker and more menacing. The knocker led him down a tunnel lined with caves covered in thick metal bars. Three slow taps drew Oakley’s eyes to a larger cave covered by a gate which spanned the entrance like a giant metal spider web.
This must be where the goblins and trolls had brought their prisoners. Still, Oakley wanted to be sure. He grabbed the bars of the gate and stared into the darkness within.
“Lasa,” he called in a loud whisper. “Faralasa, can you hear me?”
“Oakley!” Faralasa’s voice was high pitched with relief. “Is that you? We’re here!”
“Not so loud!” Oakley warned glancing over his shoulder. “Let’s try not to alert the guards. Where’s the key to this gate?”
“One of the guards has it,” Faralasa replied this time also speaking in a loud whisper.
Before Oakley could say anything else, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see a large goblin approaching. A ring of keys jingled as the goblin moved.
“What’s all this noise?” the goblin demanded. “Quiet in there!”
The guard moved so that the gate was in plain sight and noticed Oakley. Oakley tackled him before he had time to react. He slammed the goblin’s head against the wall until the creature crumpled and slumped to the floor, unconscious. Quickly, Oakley slipped the keys off the goblin’s belt, unlocked the gate and slipped inside the prison.
For a moment Oakley stood still, taking in a million details. The cavern where he now stood was large but dimly lit and had a strange rancid odor. Chains hung from all the walls. Faralasa was kneeling near the far wall and Oakley realized that her legs were chained to it. Dark objects hung from the ceiling. Oakley glanced up to see what looked like tiny wire bird cages hung throughout the room. Rueben and Wispen were in two of these cages. Rueben pulled himself up, clutching the bars of his cage. He was about to say something when the group heard more footsteps and voices in the tunnel.
“It’s the guards,” Faralasa whispered.
Oakley turned back to the gate just as three armed goblins came into view.
“What’s going on, Felix?” asked one of the goblins.
Then he saw the unconscious guard, the open gate and Oakley standing in the middle of the prison holding the keys.
“Sound the alarm,” said the goblin. “Tell them to search the city for intruders. Terrance and I will handle this.”
One of his companions nodded and ran down the passage. In a moment of panic Oakley wondered if Beritta and the warriors had reached the city yet. If so, he realized he had just alerted the goblins to their presence. He moved toward the guards as though to stop them. Just then the goblin called Terrance moved inside the gate, pushed Oakley roughly backward and drew his sword. The first goblin also drew his weapon and followed his companion into the prison, pulling the gate shut behind him with an ominous clang.
“This should be fun,” said Terrance with a nasty grin. “I’ve been wanting to spill some elf blood. It was disappointing when the leaders told us not to kill the prisoners.”
“Yeah,” agreed the first goblin. “Thankfully we don’t have any orders about the new one.”
They shared an evil laugh then closed in on the elf. Oakley retreated to the far wall with a pounding heart. Snarling, the goblins ran at him, one from the right while the other blocked him from the left. In desperation, Oakley glanced between them trying to find an escape. Faralasa crawled in front of Oakley, chain rattling as it dragged behind her.
“Stay away from him!” she cried.
The goblins just laughed and the one on the right lunged at Oakley. Faralasa jumped in front of him pulling the chain tight across his path. The goblin tripped, fell flat on his face and dropped his sword. Lasa gritted her teeth as the chain yanked at her legs. The goblin got to his feet and hit Faralasa, making her head ring. Oakley picked up the goblin’s sword and ran to aid her.
“Look out!” Wispen yelled just as the other goblin slammed Oakley against the wall, knocking the wind out of him. The goblin wrapped a hand around the elf boy’s throat, choking him.
“Drop the sword!” the goblin ordered.
When Oakley hesitated the goblin squeezed harder against his neck, nearly strangling him. Oakley let the weapon clatter to the floor. The goblin’s companion moved away from Lasa and stood watching.
“Hand over the keys!” said the first goblin.
Oakley’s eyes darted to the side. He took in the terrified expressions on Faralasa and the fairies’ faces. Oakley gasped as the goblin continued to press his hand against his throat.
“Lasa,” he managed to choke out.
He flung the keys in her direction. She caught them as they skidded across the floor. The goblin holding Oakley cursed, gave the elf’s throat one last squeeze and threw him to the floor. Oakley lay there gasping and coughing until the goblin grabbed him again, this time pinning his arms behind his back.
The goblin turned Oakley so he was facing Faralasa. Keeping the elf’s arms pinned with one hand the goblin sheathed his weapon and grasped a fistful of Oakley’s hair, pulling his head back. The other goblin picked up his sword and held it level with Oakley’s exposed neck.
“Give us the keys,” said the goblin with the sword, addressing Lasa, “or we’ll kill him.”
“You said you were going to kill him anyway!” cried Faralasa trying hard to be brave.
“If you give us the keys we’ll leave him here with you alive,” the goblin replied.
“Why should I believe you?” Lasa cried clutching the keys tighter. “You’re rotten liars! If I give you the keys you’ll probably kill him anyway!”
“If you don’t hand them over his death will be your fault,” said the goblin moving the sword even closer to Oakley.
“Don't listen to them!” Oakley called struggling fruitlessly against his captors. “You have the keys. Free yourself.”
“Shut up!” yelled the goblins.
The second goblin placed the tip of his sword against Oakley’s jaw, making it impossible for him to talk. He turned pleading eyes to Faralasa. She was sure she was the only one who noticed his anger. He wasn’t giving up yet. She felt as though she had to fight with him, defying Darkness, even if it meant the death of them both.
“Light help us,” she whispered.
The goblins looked angry. A spark of hope appeared in Oakley’s eyes and he silently repeated the prayer. Both elves felt a surge of strength. With shaking hands Lasa lowered a key to the chains on her legs.
“Stop!” shouted the goblin with the sword.
His weapon slipped a little lower. Knowing this was the best opportunity he would get, Oakley thrust his foot into the leg of the goblin behind him. The goblin’s hand on his hair slipped. With an unexpected quick movement Oakley flipped the goblin over his head and into the armed guard in front of him. The tip of the blade barley nicked Oakley’s throat as the goblins fell in a tangled heap. Oakley grabbed the sword as the goblin dropped it. He smacked the guards over their heads with it, knocking them out. By this time Faralasa had freed herself from the chains. She stumbled to Oakley’s side. He held out a hand to support her.
“You’ll have to finish them off you know,” said Lasa glancing at the goblins at her feet.
“I have a better plan,” Oakley replied. “Why don’t we give them a taste of their own medicine?”
He gestured to the room around them.
Faralasa smiled. “I like that idea.”
They dragged the two goblins to one of the walls and clapped chains on their wrists.
Oakley relieved the second goblin of his sword then said, “Now let’s free the fairies and get out of here.”
As Lasa unlocked Wispen’s cage, Reuben pressed his face against the bars and called, “Oakley, a troll took Lilac to her cave to be a pet. We have to get her back!”
Oakley turned a questioning gaze on Faralasa. She nodded grimly.
“I still don’t understand,” said Oakley. “Where is Lilac exactly?”
“Somewhere in the troll caves,” Lasa replied as Wispen jumped onto her shoulder. “I think they’re near the entrance to the city.”
“Then we’ll look for her on our way out,” said Oakley.
A frenzied tapping from the walls caught his attention.
“More enemies are coming,” said Oakley. “We need to go.”
Faralasa unlocked Reuben’s cage and he flew out of it. As they opened the gate and made their way out, Oakley held one of the goblin swords out to Lasa.
“Here,” he said. “You might need this.”
They made their way back toward the surface following the guidance of the Tommy-knocker. Groups of goblins and trolls passed in their search for intruders, forcing the group to hide in side caverns. Faralasa dropped the keys in a small cave which seemed to be a supply room. Near the front gate the knocker again warned of danger. Oakley ushered the group into the thin passageway through which he had entered as more goblins passed.
Once they were gone he turned to Faralasa and whispered, “Lasa, I think you should get the fairies out now. This way leads onto the mountainside. It’s easier than trying to slip out the main gate. There’s a bit of a drop, though, so be prepared.” “What about Lilac?” Lasa whispered back. “We can’t just leave her.”
“I’ll go to the troll caves and find her then meet you lower on the slopes.”
“I don’t think we should split up,” said Faralasa. “Isn’t that what got us into this mess?”
“Yes, I know,” Oakley snapped, “but I want us to make it out of here alive. It’s easier for the soldiers to spot a group of us than one or two. Please go with Reuben and Wispen. I promise I’ll meet you somewhere farther down the mountain once I find Lilac.”
Lasa was silent for a minute, thinking it through. At last she nodded and turned to explain the new plan to Reuben and Wispen. Oakley heard a soft tapping across from the gate and knew it was time to move. He turned to look at Faralasa one last time.
“Light go with you,” she whispered not even trying to hide her fear. Oakley took a deep breath to control his own dread.
“Light be with you too,” he said and headed toward the troll caves.
Continue to episode twenty.
Read the series prologue here.
Read episode eighteen here.
Episode Nineteen: Into the Depths
The wings of Oakley's mount beat against the air with a loud whooshing sound. Oakley strained his eyes in search of the path he had walked with Beritta not long ago. Wind whipped his face causing his eyes to water, but still he forced himself to concentrate on the dark landscape below him. Oakley urged the winged horse to fly even lower over the looming mountains, lower than was truly safe. He was grateful that he had trained the animal to trust him so completely. The clouds moved even faster now than they had earlier in the night. The shadows they cast made it harder to see the landscape below.
A gap appeared in the cloud cover for a moment, allowing the moon to briefly illuminate the mountains. In that instant, Oakley caught a glimpse of the trail for which he was looking. He signaled his horse who circled before descending to land lightly on a rocky patch near the place Oakley indicated. Once the animal tucked in his wings, Oakley dismounted and took in his surroundings. He was above the tree line in the area covered by short grass and large rocks. He spotted the worn pathway cutting through the rocks on his right. The winged horse snorted softly in irritation.
“I’ve got to go, but I’ll be back soon,” said Oakley softly. “Stay in the area and don’t follow me.”
The horse bobbed his head and trotted off to graze. After watching for a minute, Oakley turned with a resolute step and started up the path. Driven by anxiety, Oakley moved from one switchback to the next at a hurried pace. A huge nearly vertical rock face loomed over the lower parts of the mountain. The higher Oakley went, the more menacing these cliffs seemed. The path took one last sharp turn and ended at the dark entrance of the underground city.
Oakley stopped short behind the last bend, staring out from behind it at the gaping hole. He scanned the darkness, trying in vain to locate the guards patrolling there. A sudden wave of fear swept over him and he felt as though he were frozen in place. What are you thinking? asked a small voice in his head, You can’t go in there alone! Wait for the rest of the warriors from Wilderlah. Do you want to be killed in the darkness of an evil city? That’s what will happen if you go in there by yourself.
Oakley took a deep breath and closed his eyes. It didn’t help. He thought of his friends trapped somewhere inside the mountain. An image of Faralasa saluting as she rose into the air came to mind. He thought of Beritta’s reckless leadership and was convinced all over again that this was a trap.
I have to try and save them, he argued with himself. I can’t leave them in the dark. If I die I will return to the Kingdom of Light, but I have to do what I can for my friends first.
He opened his eyes and stared again at the front gate. He repeated to himself that he was here to save his friends. Still, his fear was so great that he couldn’t force himself to move. He shut his eyes again and prayed for the Lord of Light to give him strength. A cold breeze swept over the mountain. Oakley shivered, pressed his eyelids tighter and made his prayer more pleading. A sudden unexpected peace came over him and he felt the presence of the Lord of Light. The wind brushed against his cheek.
Oakley slowly opened his eyes, this time keeping them open. A shaft of moonlight pierced the cloud cover, landing on a small cave high on the rock face to the right of the main gate. He realized that the Lord of Light was showing him a safer way into the underground city. He sighed and muttered a grateful prayer. Crouching to avoid drawing the attention of goblin and troll guards, Oakley moved off the path and over the rocks in the direction of the cave. He realized as he got closer that it was higher on the cliff then he had first thought. He scanned the rocks for a minute until he found several small cracks and ledges which he used to climb. There was barely any ledge in front of the cave but Oakley managed to pull himself up and inside the crack.
The passage was narrow and the roof low. Oakley ducked and trailed his right hand against the rough stone wall. Cold air blew up from somewhere below, chilling him as he made his way down the sloping cavern into the city in the mountain. Before long, Oakley’s passage joined a wider tunnel which was dimly lit by an unknown source. Oakley stopped for a minute to take in the high smooth walls. The roof of the tunnel was lost in darkness. Doubt crept into Oakley’s mind again. He had no idea where to look for his friends, and a wrong turn could be disastrous. He heard a soft tapping noise in front of him. At the sound Oakley realized The Lord of Light had sent a Tommy-knocker to help him. Tommy-knockers were a kind of spirit who lived in caves and mines. They knocked on the walls, usually to warn of coming danger such as cave-ins but in this case the Tommy-knocker was tapping to guide him through the city.
With a cautious glance to either side, Oakley stepped into the tunnel. The soft sounds of the knocker led him a short distance down the passage before the tapping switched to another tunnel on his left. He turned in that direction. The tapping noises continued in this way, leading him through the maze-like corridors of the subterranean city.
Once, as Oakley came to a branch in the passages, the knocker made a series of loud quick taps on the wall beside him. Oakley stopped for a minute in confusion. Then he heard footsteps coming in his direction. He flattened himself against the wall and waited with a pounding heart as a troll passed a few feet from him. Thankfully, the troll seemed absorbed in thought and paid little attention to the tunnel around him. When he could no longer hear footsteps, Oakley relaxed. He started breathing again, realizing with surprise that he had been holding his breath. A soft tapping came from a nearby passage ahead and to the right. He turned down that corridor and continued on his way. This routine continued until Oakley was deep in the heart of the mountain city. He had a few more close calls with goblins and trolls, but each time managed to get safely past them. At last Oakley came to a part of the city which seemed darker and more menacing. The knocker led him down a tunnel lined with caves covered in thick metal bars. Three slow taps drew Oakley’s eyes to a larger cave covered by a gate which spanned the entrance like a giant metal spider web.
This must be where the goblins and trolls had brought their prisoners. Still, Oakley wanted to be sure. He grabbed the bars of the gate and stared into the darkness within.
“Lasa,” he called in a loud whisper. “Faralasa, can you hear me?”
“Oakley!” Faralasa’s voice was high pitched with relief. “Is that you? We’re here!”
“Not so loud!” Oakley warned glancing over his shoulder. “Let’s try not to alert the guards. Where’s the key to this gate?”
“One of the guards has it,” Faralasa replied this time also speaking in a loud whisper.
Before Oakley could say anything else, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see a large goblin approaching. A ring of keys jingled as the goblin moved.
“What’s all this noise?” the goblin demanded. “Quiet in there!”
The guard moved so that the gate was in plain sight and noticed Oakley. Oakley tackled him before he had time to react. He slammed the goblin’s head against the wall until the creature crumpled and slumped to the floor, unconscious. Quickly, Oakley slipped the keys off the goblin’s belt, unlocked the gate and slipped inside the prison.
For a moment Oakley stood still, taking in a million details. The cavern where he now stood was large but dimly lit and had a strange rancid odor. Chains hung from all the walls. Faralasa was kneeling near the far wall and Oakley realized that her legs were chained to it. Dark objects hung from the ceiling. Oakley glanced up to see what looked like tiny wire bird cages hung throughout the room. Rueben and Wispen were in two of these cages. Rueben pulled himself up, clutching the bars of his cage. He was about to say something when the group heard more footsteps and voices in the tunnel.
“It’s the guards,” Faralasa whispered.
Oakley turned back to the gate just as three armed goblins came into view.
“What’s going on, Felix?” asked one of the goblins.
Then he saw the unconscious guard, the open gate and Oakley standing in the middle of the prison holding the keys.
“Sound the alarm,” said the goblin. “Tell them to search the city for intruders. Terrance and I will handle this.”
One of his companions nodded and ran down the passage. In a moment of panic Oakley wondered if Beritta and the warriors had reached the city yet. If so, he realized he had just alerted the goblins to their presence. He moved toward the guards as though to stop them. Just then the goblin called Terrance moved inside the gate, pushed Oakley roughly backward and drew his sword. The first goblin also drew his weapon and followed his companion into the prison, pulling the gate shut behind him with an ominous clang.
“This should be fun,” said Terrance with a nasty grin. “I’ve been wanting to spill some elf blood. It was disappointing when the leaders told us not to kill the prisoners.”
“Yeah,” agreed the first goblin. “Thankfully we don’t have any orders about the new one.”
They shared an evil laugh then closed in on the elf. Oakley retreated to the far wall with a pounding heart. Snarling, the goblins ran at him, one from the right while the other blocked him from the left. In desperation, Oakley glanced between them trying to find an escape. Faralasa crawled in front of Oakley, chain rattling as it dragged behind her.
“Stay away from him!” she cried.
The goblins just laughed and the one on the right lunged at Oakley. Faralasa jumped in front of him pulling the chain tight across his path. The goblin tripped, fell flat on his face and dropped his sword. Lasa gritted her teeth as the chain yanked at her legs. The goblin got to his feet and hit Faralasa, making her head ring. Oakley picked up the goblin’s sword and ran to aid her.
“Look out!” Wispen yelled just as the other goblin slammed Oakley against the wall, knocking the wind out of him. The goblin wrapped a hand around the elf boy’s throat, choking him.
“Drop the sword!” the goblin ordered.
When Oakley hesitated the goblin squeezed harder against his neck, nearly strangling him. Oakley let the weapon clatter to the floor. The goblin’s companion moved away from Lasa and stood watching.
“Hand over the keys!” said the first goblin.
Oakley’s eyes darted to the side. He took in the terrified expressions on Faralasa and the fairies’ faces. Oakley gasped as the goblin continued to press his hand against his throat.
“Lasa,” he managed to choke out.
He flung the keys in her direction. She caught them as they skidded across the floor. The goblin holding Oakley cursed, gave the elf’s throat one last squeeze and threw him to the floor. Oakley lay there gasping and coughing until the goblin grabbed him again, this time pinning his arms behind his back.
The goblin turned Oakley so he was facing Faralasa. Keeping the elf’s arms pinned with one hand the goblin sheathed his weapon and grasped a fistful of Oakley’s hair, pulling his head back. The other goblin picked up his sword and held it level with Oakley’s exposed neck.
“Give us the keys,” said the goblin with the sword, addressing Lasa, “or we’ll kill him.”
“You said you were going to kill him anyway!” cried Faralasa trying hard to be brave.
“If you give us the keys we’ll leave him here with you alive,” the goblin replied.
“Why should I believe you?” Lasa cried clutching the keys tighter. “You’re rotten liars! If I give you the keys you’ll probably kill him anyway!”
“If you don’t hand them over his death will be your fault,” said the goblin moving the sword even closer to Oakley.
“Don't listen to them!” Oakley called struggling fruitlessly against his captors. “You have the keys. Free yourself.”
“Shut up!” yelled the goblins.
The second goblin placed the tip of his sword against Oakley’s jaw, making it impossible for him to talk. He turned pleading eyes to Faralasa. She was sure she was the only one who noticed his anger. He wasn’t giving up yet. She felt as though she had to fight with him, defying Darkness, even if it meant the death of them both.
“Light help us,” she whispered.
The goblins looked angry. A spark of hope appeared in Oakley’s eyes and he silently repeated the prayer. Both elves felt a surge of strength. With shaking hands Lasa lowered a key to the chains on her legs.
“Stop!” shouted the goblin with the sword.
His weapon slipped a little lower. Knowing this was the best opportunity he would get, Oakley thrust his foot into the leg of the goblin behind him. The goblin’s hand on his hair slipped. With an unexpected quick movement Oakley flipped the goblin over his head and into the armed guard in front of him. The tip of the blade barley nicked Oakley’s throat as the goblins fell in a tangled heap. Oakley grabbed the sword as the goblin dropped it. He smacked the guards over their heads with it, knocking them out. By this time Faralasa had freed herself from the chains. She stumbled to Oakley’s side. He held out a hand to support her.
“You’ll have to finish them off you know,” said Lasa glancing at the goblins at her feet.
“I have a better plan,” Oakley replied. “Why don’t we give them a taste of their own medicine?”
He gestured to the room around them.
Faralasa smiled. “I like that idea.”
They dragged the two goblins to one of the walls and clapped chains on their wrists.
Oakley relieved the second goblin of his sword then said, “Now let’s free the fairies and get out of here.”
As Lasa unlocked Wispen’s cage, Reuben pressed his face against the bars and called, “Oakley, a troll took Lilac to her cave to be a pet. We have to get her back!”
Oakley turned a questioning gaze on Faralasa. She nodded grimly.
“I still don’t understand,” said Oakley. “Where is Lilac exactly?”
“Somewhere in the troll caves,” Lasa replied as Wispen jumped onto her shoulder. “I think they’re near the entrance to the city.”
“Then we’ll look for her on our way out,” said Oakley.
A frenzied tapping from the walls caught his attention.
“More enemies are coming,” said Oakley. “We need to go.”
Faralasa unlocked Reuben’s cage and he flew out of it. As they opened the gate and made their way out, Oakley held one of the goblin swords out to Lasa.
“Here,” he said. “You might need this.”
They made their way back toward the surface following the guidance of the Tommy-knocker. Groups of goblins and trolls passed in their search for intruders, forcing the group to hide in side caverns. Faralasa dropped the keys in a small cave which seemed to be a supply room. Near the front gate the knocker again warned of danger. Oakley ushered the group into the thin passageway through which he had entered as more goblins passed.
Once they were gone he turned to Faralasa and whispered, “Lasa, I think you should get the fairies out now. This way leads onto the mountainside. It’s easier than trying to slip out the main gate. There’s a bit of a drop, though, so be prepared.” “What about Lilac?” Lasa whispered back. “We can’t just leave her.”
“I’ll go to the troll caves and find her then meet you lower on the slopes.”
“I don’t think we should split up,” said Faralasa. “Isn’t that what got us into this mess?”
“Yes, I know,” Oakley snapped, “but I want us to make it out of here alive. It’s easier for the soldiers to spot a group of us than one or two. Please go with Reuben and Wispen. I promise I’ll meet you somewhere farther down the mountain once I find Lilac.”
Lasa was silent for a minute, thinking it through. At last she nodded and turned to explain the new plan to Reuben and Wispen. Oakley heard a soft tapping across from the gate and knew it was time to move. He turned to look at Faralasa one last time.
“Light go with you,” she whispered not even trying to hide her fear. Oakley took a deep breath to control his own dread.
“Light be with you too,” he said and headed toward the troll caves.
Continue to episode twenty.
Friday, April 17, 2015
Quests Episode Eighteen: Disastrous News
Sorry for the lack of post in March, I got busy planning an Easter trip which was awesome in case you were wondering. I will be posting this episode for April as well as the next in May. In June I will be having a baby and plan to see how I'm feeling and how much editing I can really get done with a newborn before deciding whether to proceed with the story or take a little time off. At any rate I may not post a new episode in June. In the meantime please enjoy the next two episodes.
Read the series prologue here.
Read episode seventeen here.
Episode Eighteen: Disastrous News
Beritta, Oakley and Mist reached the elvin capital by sunset, just before the midsummer festival began. They entered the city from the south, skirting the edge of the Sapphire Lake, where the colors of the west were reflected in dark blue water. A small bat flew over their heads, moving across the lake to begin hunting for the night. Lights winked at the trio from among the trees and soft voices drifted on the cool breeze.
Beritta and Oakley changed into party clothes. Beritta wore a dress of silver and white while Oakley wore a shirt of purple silk, embroidered with gold. Once they were thus attired, they joined the celebrations taking place in the meadows between the Sapphire Lake and the Emerald Lake. Pale lanterns were strung from tree to tree, and here and there tables had been laden with the finest delicacies. Musicians played haunting melodies and everywhere elves wandered, laughing, talking and dancing.
“I’m going to find the elders,” Beritta told Oakley over the noise. “The sooner I talk to them the sooner we can get back to Fairy Wood and start our attack.”
“What do you want me to do?” Oakley asked.
“Just enjoy yourself while you have the chance!”
Beritta moved off and Oakley joined the party. He tried to enjoy the festival as Beritta had directed, but he had always liked the quiet peace of the woodlands and the company of animals over that of people. Before long, he was overwhelmed by the celebration and moved onto the nearby hillside for a few minutes of quiet.
On the hills sound seemed strangely muted after the noise of the party. There were only the sounds of the wind blowing through the trees and small animals moving in the undergrowth. A slight cloud cover moved in, partially obscuring the moon and making even its pale glow seem faint. Oakley sat on a rock, drinking it in. He felt a strange anticipation, as though the world were waiting for something to happen. He couldn’t shake the thought that he too was waiting, though he couldn’t say whether what he was waiting for was good or bad.
Oakley stood, trying to shake this strange feeling. He was about to head back to the meadows when out of the corner of his eye he saw something fly toward him from his right. It landed on the rock where he had been sitting. He turned to see a scaly-skinned sprite girl panting as though she had flown very far very fast.
“Lilly?” Oakley called as he recognizing her. “What are you doing here? Did something happen?”
Lilly let out a cold laugh.
“Yes something happened,” she replied once she caught her breath. “Several members of our group were captured by goblin and troll soldiers. Wispen found the army, but then a troll caught him. Lilac, Reuben and I tried to free him but…” she sobbed. Oakley waited until she calmed down enough to continue. “Lasa tried to help, but they got her too. They said something about taking us to an underground city. I managed to escape and flew here as fast as I could to find help.”
“Did they say what would happen to you once you were inside the city?” asked Oakley kneeling so that he could look into Lilly’s eyes.
“No,” Lilly replied meeting his eyes with a helpless expression. “The only thing I heard was that a troll wanted to keep Lilac as a pet.”
Oakley wrinkled his brow in confusion. “That’s weird. They didn’t say anything about the others?”
Lilly shook her head.
Oakley stood and ran a hand over his face. He didn’t want to say so, but it didn’t seem likely that the goblins and trolls would keep their prisoners alive very long. He paced, thinking about this. If the goblins and trolls wanted to kill the fairies and Lasa they surely could have done it, so why hadn’t they? What point was there in taking them to the city? Unless they had learned that the princess of Wilderlah was leading the group and had discovered the location of that city. Maybe they took the fairies and Lasa so that Beritta would come to rescue them. She would too, it was her responsibility. The thought filled him with dread. He stopped pacing, thinking fast. He turned back to Lilly who was watching him in silence.
“Fly through the meadows and find the elders,” Oakley told her. “Beritta should be with them. They’ll know what to do.”
Lilly took a deep breath to calm herself and flew off again. Oakley watched her for a minute before turning and running down the hill in a different direction. He knew what he had to do but that didn’t make it easy. The elders must learn about this new development. Still, they would most likely send Beritta to the rescue and if she entered the underground city she would fall into the trap. In order to save his friends, Oakley would have to be fast. He had to get the prisoners out of the enemy city before Beritta reached it. That didn’t give him much time. Beritta would set out for the city as soon as she learned what had happened. There was only one way Oakley could get to the mountains in time to stop this disaster from getting worse. He flung open the door to the stables where the winged horses were housed and walked to the stall of an animal he had recently trained.
“Come on, boy,” he coaxed. “We’ve got a job to do.”
The brown and white paint snorted, but obediently followed the elf out of the barn. Oakley mounted and took off, flying over the festivities in the capital, toward the mountains and almost certain doom.
****
It was hard for Beritta not to let her anger show. Not only had the elders denied her request to send warriors to attack the underground city, but they had also accused her of recklessness in splitting up the group and then journeying to the capital.
“You must return to Fairy Wood with all haste and rendezvous with your scouting party,” one of the elders lectured. “The sole job of your advance team is to find the location of that Dark army. It is not your place, nor would it benefit our mission to protect the forest to mount an offensive against the Dark city now.”
Beritta opened her mouth to protest but the elder waved his hand dismissively.
“I will not hear another word on this matter. Rest in the city tonight and calm yourself. At dawn you must begin your return journey to Fairy Wood.”
Beritta balled her hands into fists.
A strong gust of wind pushed against her back, setting the dangling lanterns dancing and whipping locks of her hair around her face. The wind carried a mournful, pleading cry to her ears.
“Princess Beritta, are you here?”
Beritta turned along with the elders to see Lilly the sprite hovering in the dim lantern light.
“Lilly!” Beritta cried. “What are you doing here?”
The sprite flew toward the princess and poured out her terrible news while the elders moved closer to hear over the breeze.
When Lilly finished, one of the elders said, “There is only one thing to be done. Princess Beritta must mount a rescue at once.”
“She cannot go alone and she is still in party clothes,” said another elder trying to sound calm. “Beritta, change quickly. We will gather a few warriors to accompany you.”
“Yes, of course,” said Beritta attempting to clear her racing thoughts. “Find Oakley!” she added as she spend toward the royal hut.
It took her only a few minutes to change and grab her weapons. As she dashed back to the meadows she mentally called, “Mist, our friends are in trouble. I have to rescue them. Will you come with me?”
In her mind she heard the unicorn reply, “Of course I’m coming with you!”
“Then I’ll meet you in the meadows,” Beritta concluded.
Mist reached the elders before Beritta did. As the princess skidded to a stop, the group turned to her, concern on their faces.
“Have you gathered the warriors?” asked Beritta.
“They are on their on their way,” the elders assured her. “Princess Beritta, no one can find Oakley. The sprite says she spoke to him before she came to us. No one seems to have seen him since.”
“Light help us! I hope he’s not doing something stupid,” said Beritta in alarm.
Just then the warriors arrived and Beritta’s attention was taken by organizing them. She had just finished giving her orders and was mounting Mist when a stable hand approached her.
“Excuse me, Princess Beritta, but I heard you were looking for Oakley,” he said.
“Yes, have you seen him?” Beritta asked.
“He came to the stables not long ago. I saw him take off on a winged horse. I thought it was strange that he was riding at this time of night. What was even stranger was that he was still in his party clothes. Then I heard you were looking for him so I thought I should tell you.”
Beritta felt her heart speed up a few paces. Oh Oakley, what are you doing? She thought. Out loud she thanked the stable hand and called to the warriors, “Come on, we don’t have time to waste!”
She urged Mist forward at a run, not even checking to be sure the others followed.
Continue to episode nineteen.
Read the series prologue here.
Read episode seventeen here.
Episode Eighteen: Disastrous News
Beritta, Oakley and Mist reached the elvin capital by sunset, just before the midsummer festival began. They entered the city from the south, skirting the edge of the Sapphire Lake, where the colors of the west were reflected in dark blue water. A small bat flew over their heads, moving across the lake to begin hunting for the night. Lights winked at the trio from among the trees and soft voices drifted on the cool breeze.
Beritta and Oakley changed into party clothes. Beritta wore a dress of silver and white while Oakley wore a shirt of purple silk, embroidered with gold. Once they were thus attired, they joined the celebrations taking place in the meadows between the Sapphire Lake and the Emerald Lake. Pale lanterns were strung from tree to tree, and here and there tables had been laden with the finest delicacies. Musicians played haunting melodies and everywhere elves wandered, laughing, talking and dancing.
“I’m going to find the elders,” Beritta told Oakley over the noise. “The sooner I talk to them the sooner we can get back to Fairy Wood and start our attack.”
“What do you want me to do?” Oakley asked.
“Just enjoy yourself while you have the chance!”
Beritta moved off and Oakley joined the party. He tried to enjoy the festival as Beritta had directed, but he had always liked the quiet peace of the woodlands and the company of animals over that of people. Before long, he was overwhelmed by the celebration and moved onto the nearby hillside for a few minutes of quiet.
On the hills sound seemed strangely muted after the noise of the party. There were only the sounds of the wind blowing through the trees and small animals moving in the undergrowth. A slight cloud cover moved in, partially obscuring the moon and making even its pale glow seem faint. Oakley sat on a rock, drinking it in. He felt a strange anticipation, as though the world were waiting for something to happen. He couldn’t shake the thought that he too was waiting, though he couldn’t say whether what he was waiting for was good or bad.
Oakley stood, trying to shake this strange feeling. He was about to head back to the meadows when out of the corner of his eye he saw something fly toward him from his right. It landed on the rock where he had been sitting. He turned to see a scaly-skinned sprite girl panting as though she had flown very far very fast.
“Lilly?” Oakley called as he recognizing her. “What are you doing here? Did something happen?”
Lilly let out a cold laugh.
“Yes something happened,” she replied once she caught her breath. “Several members of our group were captured by goblin and troll soldiers. Wispen found the army, but then a troll caught him. Lilac, Reuben and I tried to free him but…” she sobbed. Oakley waited until she calmed down enough to continue. “Lasa tried to help, but they got her too. They said something about taking us to an underground city. I managed to escape and flew here as fast as I could to find help.”
“Did they say what would happen to you once you were inside the city?” asked Oakley kneeling so that he could look into Lilly’s eyes.
“No,” Lilly replied meeting his eyes with a helpless expression. “The only thing I heard was that a troll wanted to keep Lilac as a pet.”
Oakley wrinkled his brow in confusion. “That’s weird. They didn’t say anything about the others?”
Lilly shook her head.
Oakley stood and ran a hand over his face. He didn’t want to say so, but it didn’t seem likely that the goblins and trolls would keep their prisoners alive very long. He paced, thinking about this. If the goblins and trolls wanted to kill the fairies and Lasa they surely could have done it, so why hadn’t they? What point was there in taking them to the city? Unless they had learned that the princess of Wilderlah was leading the group and had discovered the location of that city. Maybe they took the fairies and Lasa so that Beritta would come to rescue them. She would too, it was her responsibility. The thought filled him with dread. He stopped pacing, thinking fast. He turned back to Lilly who was watching him in silence.
“Fly through the meadows and find the elders,” Oakley told her. “Beritta should be with them. They’ll know what to do.”
Lilly took a deep breath to calm herself and flew off again. Oakley watched her for a minute before turning and running down the hill in a different direction. He knew what he had to do but that didn’t make it easy. The elders must learn about this new development. Still, they would most likely send Beritta to the rescue and if she entered the underground city she would fall into the trap. In order to save his friends, Oakley would have to be fast. He had to get the prisoners out of the enemy city before Beritta reached it. That didn’t give him much time. Beritta would set out for the city as soon as she learned what had happened. There was only one way Oakley could get to the mountains in time to stop this disaster from getting worse. He flung open the door to the stables where the winged horses were housed and walked to the stall of an animal he had recently trained.
“Come on, boy,” he coaxed. “We’ve got a job to do.”
The brown and white paint snorted, but obediently followed the elf out of the barn. Oakley mounted and took off, flying over the festivities in the capital, toward the mountains and almost certain doom.
****
It was hard for Beritta not to let her anger show. Not only had the elders denied her request to send warriors to attack the underground city, but they had also accused her of recklessness in splitting up the group and then journeying to the capital.
“You must return to Fairy Wood with all haste and rendezvous with your scouting party,” one of the elders lectured. “The sole job of your advance team is to find the location of that Dark army. It is not your place, nor would it benefit our mission to protect the forest to mount an offensive against the Dark city now.”
Beritta opened her mouth to protest but the elder waved his hand dismissively.
“I will not hear another word on this matter. Rest in the city tonight and calm yourself. At dawn you must begin your return journey to Fairy Wood.”
Beritta balled her hands into fists.
A strong gust of wind pushed against her back, setting the dangling lanterns dancing and whipping locks of her hair around her face. The wind carried a mournful, pleading cry to her ears.
“Princess Beritta, are you here?”
Beritta turned along with the elders to see Lilly the sprite hovering in the dim lantern light.
“Lilly!” Beritta cried. “What are you doing here?”
The sprite flew toward the princess and poured out her terrible news while the elders moved closer to hear over the breeze.
When Lilly finished, one of the elders said, “There is only one thing to be done. Princess Beritta must mount a rescue at once.”
“She cannot go alone and she is still in party clothes,” said another elder trying to sound calm. “Beritta, change quickly. We will gather a few warriors to accompany you.”
“Yes, of course,” said Beritta attempting to clear her racing thoughts. “Find Oakley!” she added as she spend toward the royal hut.
It took her only a few minutes to change and grab her weapons. As she dashed back to the meadows she mentally called, “Mist, our friends are in trouble. I have to rescue them. Will you come with me?”
In her mind she heard the unicorn reply, “Of course I’m coming with you!”
“Then I’ll meet you in the meadows,” Beritta concluded.
Mist reached the elders before Beritta did. As the princess skidded to a stop, the group turned to her, concern on their faces.
“Have you gathered the warriors?” asked Beritta.
“They are on their on their way,” the elders assured her. “Princess Beritta, no one can find Oakley. The sprite says she spoke to him before she came to us. No one seems to have seen him since.”
“Light help us! I hope he’s not doing something stupid,” said Beritta in alarm.
Just then the warriors arrived and Beritta’s attention was taken by organizing them. She had just finished giving her orders and was mounting Mist when a stable hand approached her.
“Excuse me, Princess Beritta, but I heard you were looking for Oakley,” he said.
“Yes, have you seen him?” Beritta asked.
“He came to the stables not long ago. I saw him take off on a winged horse. I thought it was strange that he was riding at this time of night. What was even stranger was that he was still in his party clothes. Then I heard you were looking for him so I thought I should tell you.”
Beritta felt her heart speed up a few paces. Oh Oakley, what are you doing? She thought. Out loud she thanked the stable hand and called to the warriors, “Come on, we don’t have time to waste!”
She urged Mist forward at a run, not even checking to be sure the others followed.
Continue to episode nineteen.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Quests Episode Seventeen: The Capture
Read the series prologue here.
Read episode sixteen here.
Episode Seventeen: The Capture
As night fell over the forest, Fedrick the goblin boy and Felnar the troll girl took up positions as guards at the edge of a series of deep of ravines completely overhung with trees and vines. Within these crevasses was camped the army of the underground city. The camp was well hidden; fairies and elves had passed many times without noticing it. Fedrick kicked a tree restlessly.
“I hate this place,” he said. “It makes me uncomfortable. We better have a real fight with those hateful meddling fairies soon. I don’t think I can stand this waiting much longer. We came here to kill fairies. I say we should get to it!”
Felnar sniffed the air. She wasn’t really paying attention to what Fedrick was saying; he had made the same complaints many times. “I smell fairies,” she said.
“Of course you do. They’re all over this place,” Fedrick snapped. “Why do you think it’s called Fairy Wood?”
“I mean they smell closer tonight,” said Felnar.
“There may be a few nearby,” Fedrick agreed. “Let’s keep our eyes open.”
He turned and walked along the edge of camp. He hadn’t gone far when Felnar gave an angry cry and dove at something in the undergrowth. Fedrick turned in surprise.
“Felnar, What is it?”
“It’s that stupid gnome!” Felnar snarled. “The one who helped turn some of my people to stone. Quick, help me catch him.”
Fedrick moved closer in an attempt to understand what was happening. Felnar scuffled on the ground for several minutes as her small enemy avoided her grasp. The gnome kicked pebbles into the troll’s face. With an outraged roar Felnar swiped the ground, knocking the tiny man off his feet. By the time Fedrick saw the gnome, Felnar was scooping him up to hold him tightly in her claws. With a mean grin, the troll raised the gnome to the level of her eyes.
“I hoped I would be the one to catch you,” she whispered, showing her fangs.
Just then a small voice yelled, “Let him go!” and Felnar was dive-bombed by streak of red light which materialized into a red-haired pixie boy. The pixie was followed by a scaly-skinned water sprite and a purple winged flower fairy.
“Fairy scouts!” Fedrick shouted, sounding the alarm.
He drew his sword, though he was unsure how much good it would do against such small enemies. A stream of goblin and troll soldiers poured out of the ravines behind him to join the fight. It took them only a second to notice the fairies. The soldiers spread out in a wide circle, blocking the tiny creatures, keeping them in the center of the circle so that escape was impossible. Felnar swatted at the pixie with her free hand as he pulled her hair. He dodged her, but was immediately grabbed by another troll. Goblins also caught the sprite and flower fairy out of the air. The soldiers and held the fairies with their wings pinned against their bodies, causing them to cry out in pain.
“Good work,” said the captain. “Looks like we caught ourselves some fairy spies. We know just what to do with them.”
The soldiers laughed. Fedrick grinned. This moment made his stay in the horrible forest seem worthwhile. Something moved in the branches of a tree overhead. Curious, Fedrick glanced up and tried to make out what was hidden among the leaves. Suddenly, a tall elvin figure dropped from the tree, smashing into the ring of soldiers. Fedrick saw the blade of a rapier flash in the moonlight and held up his own sword in defense.
“It’s an Airwalker,” shouted the captain. “Get her!”
Fedrick and a few other goblins moved to obey, but the Airwalker dodged between them, slashing with her thin sword. The soldiers snarled when her blade hit them, leaving small gashes on their skin. They attempted to surround her, but the elf jumped back into the air, kicking several of them out of her way. Fedrick sheathed his sword and grabbed at her legs as she rose. The Airwalker twisted, smacking him hard in the face so that he fell back, releasing her. Fedrick jumped again. This time he used all his force to yank on her ankle hard enough that the girl fell forward onto the ground, dropping her sword. Before she could escape, Fedrick grabbed her shoulders and slammed her head into the earth.
The sprite screamed, “Lasa!”
The Airwalker tried to stand but fell, dizzy and stunned. As she lay at his feet trying to recover, Fedrick picked up her rapier and pointed it at her chest. The elf glared at him then winced and turned her aching head to one side. Fedrick guessed she was probably seeing stars and was pleased by this sign of his strength. Two other goblins moved to stand on either side of the Airwalker. Fedrick lifted the rapier as they each grabbed one of her arms, pulled her roughly to her feet, and held her between them, facing the goblin captain.
“Search the area. Make sure there aren’t any more of them,” ordered the captain. Then pointing to the soldiers holding the fairies he said, “You there, take the prisoners to the city.”
Just then Felnar broke in, “May I have one of the fairies? I’ve always wanted to have a pet fairy.”
Fedrick rolled his eyes. He had known about this secret wish of Felnar’s for a long time.
The captain hesitated for a minute, considering the odd request.
At last he said, “Very well. It should be all right so long as you never let it escape. Which one do you want, troll?”
Fedrick took the gnome from her hands as Felnar looked at the other fairies.
“They’re not for sale!” the Airwalker snapped.
“Shut up, you!” the captain yelled.
One of the goblins holding the elf smacked her hard in the jaw. She fell silent, resigning herself to dagger glares.
After a minute Felnar pointed to the purple winged fairy and said, “I want this one.”
The goblin holding the flower fairy handed her to Felnar.
“Get your slimy hands off her!” screamed the pixie, but Felnar ignored him.
The soldier holding the pixie shook him roughly, until he too fell silent. Yet as he looked at the fairy in the troll’s grasp, tears streamed down the pixie’s cheeks.
Just then the sprite wriggled free of her captor's claws. The goblin swatted and snatched at her, but she zipped over his head and into the nearby trees.
“After her!” yelled the captain.
Several goblin and troll soldiers rushed into the forest after the sprite, crashing loudly.
“Go, Lilly, go!” shouted the flower fairy. The pixie, gnome and Airwalker joined in the cry. The angry soldiers tried to silence them once more.
“Great job, beetle-brain!” Fedrick snarled at the goblin who had been holding the sprite. The other goblin bared his fangs. Fedrick ignored him and moved to join the group taking the remaining fairies and elf to the city. He was glad for the opportunity to return to a familiar environment, but more than that, he was proud that he had been an important part of capturing the enemies.
Continue to episode eighteen.
Read episode sixteen here.
Episode Seventeen: The Capture
As night fell over the forest, Fedrick the goblin boy and Felnar the troll girl took up positions as guards at the edge of a series of deep of ravines completely overhung with trees and vines. Within these crevasses was camped the army of the underground city. The camp was well hidden; fairies and elves had passed many times without noticing it. Fedrick kicked a tree restlessly.
“I hate this place,” he said. “It makes me uncomfortable. We better have a real fight with those hateful meddling fairies soon. I don’t think I can stand this waiting much longer. We came here to kill fairies. I say we should get to it!”
Felnar sniffed the air. She wasn’t really paying attention to what Fedrick was saying; he had made the same complaints many times. “I smell fairies,” she said.
“Of course you do. They’re all over this place,” Fedrick snapped. “Why do you think it’s called Fairy Wood?”
“I mean they smell closer tonight,” said Felnar.
“There may be a few nearby,” Fedrick agreed. “Let’s keep our eyes open.”
He turned and walked along the edge of camp. He hadn’t gone far when Felnar gave an angry cry and dove at something in the undergrowth. Fedrick turned in surprise.
“Felnar, What is it?”
“It’s that stupid gnome!” Felnar snarled. “The one who helped turn some of my people to stone. Quick, help me catch him.”
Fedrick moved closer in an attempt to understand what was happening. Felnar scuffled on the ground for several minutes as her small enemy avoided her grasp. The gnome kicked pebbles into the troll’s face. With an outraged roar Felnar swiped the ground, knocking the tiny man off his feet. By the time Fedrick saw the gnome, Felnar was scooping him up to hold him tightly in her claws. With a mean grin, the troll raised the gnome to the level of her eyes.
“I hoped I would be the one to catch you,” she whispered, showing her fangs.
Just then a small voice yelled, “Let him go!” and Felnar was dive-bombed by streak of red light which materialized into a red-haired pixie boy. The pixie was followed by a scaly-skinned water sprite and a purple winged flower fairy.
“Fairy scouts!” Fedrick shouted, sounding the alarm.
He drew his sword, though he was unsure how much good it would do against such small enemies. A stream of goblin and troll soldiers poured out of the ravines behind him to join the fight. It took them only a second to notice the fairies. The soldiers spread out in a wide circle, blocking the tiny creatures, keeping them in the center of the circle so that escape was impossible. Felnar swatted at the pixie with her free hand as he pulled her hair. He dodged her, but was immediately grabbed by another troll. Goblins also caught the sprite and flower fairy out of the air. The soldiers and held the fairies with their wings pinned against their bodies, causing them to cry out in pain.
“Good work,” said the captain. “Looks like we caught ourselves some fairy spies. We know just what to do with them.”
The soldiers laughed. Fedrick grinned. This moment made his stay in the horrible forest seem worthwhile. Something moved in the branches of a tree overhead. Curious, Fedrick glanced up and tried to make out what was hidden among the leaves. Suddenly, a tall elvin figure dropped from the tree, smashing into the ring of soldiers. Fedrick saw the blade of a rapier flash in the moonlight and held up his own sword in defense.
“It’s an Airwalker,” shouted the captain. “Get her!”
Fedrick and a few other goblins moved to obey, but the Airwalker dodged between them, slashing with her thin sword. The soldiers snarled when her blade hit them, leaving small gashes on their skin. They attempted to surround her, but the elf jumped back into the air, kicking several of them out of her way. Fedrick sheathed his sword and grabbed at her legs as she rose. The Airwalker twisted, smacking him hard in the face so that he fell back, releasing her. Fedrick jumped again. This time he used all his force to yank on her ankle hard enough that the girl fell forward onto the ground, dropping her sword. Before she could escape, Fedrick grabbed her shoulders and slammed her head into the earth.
The sprite screamed, “Lasa!”
The Airwalker tried to stand but fell, dizzy and stunned. As she lay at his feet trying to recover, Fedrick picked up her rapier and pointed it at her chest. The elf glared at him then winced and turned her aching head to one side. Fedrick guessed she was probably seeing stars and was pleased by this sign of his strength. Two other goblins moved to stand on either side of the Airwalker. Fedrick lifted the rapier as they each grabbed one of her arms, pulled her roughly to her feet, and held her between them, facing the goblin captain.
“Search the area. Make sure there aren’t any more of them,” ordered the captain. Then pointing to the soldiers holding the fairies he said, “You there, take the prisoners to the city.”
Just then Felnar broke in, “May I have one of the fairies? I’ve always wanted to have a pet fairy.”
Fedrick rolled his eyes. He had known about this secret wish of Felnar’s for a long time.
The captain hesitated for a minute, considering the odd request.
At last he said, “Very well. It should be all right so long as you never let it escape. Which one do you want, troll?”
Fedrick took the gnome from her hands as Felnar looked at the other fairies.
“They’re not for sale!” the Airwalker snapped.
“Shut up, you!” the captain yelled.
One of the goblins holding the elf smacked her hard in the jaw. She fell silent, resigning herself to dagger glares.
After a minute Felnar pointed to the purple winged fairy and said, “I want this one.”
The goblin holding the flower fairy handed her to Felnar.
“Get your slimy hands off her!” screamed the pixie, but Felnar ignored him.
The soldier holding the pixie shook him roughly, until he too fell silent. Yet as he looked at the fairy in the troll’s grasp, tears streamed down the pixie’s cheeks.
Just then the sprite wriggled free of her captor's claws. The goblin swatted and snatched at her, but she zipped over his head and into the nearby trees.
“After her!” yelled the captain.
Several goblin and troll soldiers rushed into the forest after the sprite, crashing loudly.
“Go, Lilly, go!” shouted the flower fairy. The pixie, gnome and Airwalker joined in the cry. The angry soldiers tried to silence them once more.
“Great job, beetle-brain!” Fedrick snarled at the goblin who had been holding the sprite. The other goblin bared his fangs. Fedrick ignored him and moved to join the group taking the remaining fairies and elf to the city. He was glad for the opportunity to return to a familiar environment, but more than that, he was proud that he had been an important part of capturing the enemies.
Continue to episode eighteen.
Monday, January 19, 2015
Quests Episode Sixteen: Hidden Threat
Quests Part Two
Read the series prologue here.
Read episode fifteen here.
Episode Sixteen: Hidden Threat
“Lilac, are you absolutely sure this is where you and Reuben saw the goblin and troll army?” Beritta asked.
“Yes, I’ve told you a thousand times, this is where we were when we saw them,” said Lilac, flapping her purple butterfly wings to keep her small body hovering at the eye level of the tall elf.
“I believe you, it’s just that the scouts have been searching for days and haven’t found any sign of an army,” Beritta explained. She brushed a lock of long blond hair behind her pointed ear with an irritated gesture. “Where did they go after you saw them? Where are they now?”
“I wish I knew. I might have found out if they hadn’t come after Reuben and me.”
“I understand,” said Beritta. “I’m just surprised we haven’t found any sign of them yet. It’s like they vanished.”
“More like they’re waiting for an opportunity to strike,” said Oakley. He and Faralasa, were standing nearby. Beritta turned to him.
“That’s what worries me. I want to find them quickly. I feel like time is running short.” she glanced up at a winged horse circling overhead.“There’s one of our forward scouts. Let’s hope he has something to report.”
The group followed Beritta as she made her way through the trees to the place where the scout landed his mount on the soft grass of a small meadow.
“What did you find?” Beritta asked.
“Not much,” the elf boy replied replied. “The goblins are hiding all trace of their presence pretty well. I can’t spot any sign of an army from the air.”
Beritta kicked a rock at her feet. It flew a short distance before hitting a tree and falling to the ground.
“I hate this!” she cried. “It feels like we’re just waiting for them to attack us.”
“There’s not much else we can do unless we find their army,” Faralasa pointed out. “They can’t hide forever. It’s just a matter of time before we find them.”
“Well I think we should try to speed things up,” said Beritta. “We’re going to spit up so we can search more of the forest at a time. Lilac will fly between everyone with news.”
“I don’t think spreading out is a good idea,” Oakley commented. “It will make us more vulnerable.”
“Keeping together we've found nothing,” Beritta retorted. “Maybe this way we’ll actually find the Dark army's location.”
“If we split up I’m staying with you,” said Oakley. “Since you’re our leader you should never be alone.”
“Fine, but you’ll have to keep up with me. I’ll be riding Mist.”
She nodded to one side as the grey unicorn approached.
“I’ll manage,” said Oakley.
“Okay,” said Beritta turning to give her orders. “Lasa, I want you, the other Airwalkers and winged horse riders to spread out and see what you can find in the air.”
“You got it,” said Faralasa. Using her new found airwalking skills, she floated over the treetops, saluting Beritta as she rose.
“Lilac, tell the other fairies to fly low under the trees and report what they see,” Beritta continued. “Oakley and I will search the ground.”
“Okay,” called Lilac as she flew to obey her orders.
Beritta beckoned to Mist and mounted her then turned to Oakley and snapped, “Come if you’re coming.”
By nightfall Beritta, Oakley and Mist found themselves near the foot hills of the Emerald Mountains. They were worn out and had made very little progress. They rested, taking turns standing watch. The night passed uneventfully.
In the morning Oakley suggested, “Why don't we scout the lower slopes of the mountains? It's possible the goblins and trolls camped there rather than staying inside Fairy Wood. After all, the elders say the forest makes goblins nervous.”
Beritta shrugged. “Sounds like as good a plan as any.”
They spent much of that day climbing the rocky peaks and exploring winding trails. As they moved onto the higher slopes a strange feeling tugged at Beritta and the wind seemed to whisper words of a half forgotten language. Something about this new sensation gave her the nagging feeling that she should tell her friends to regroup. She suppressed this thought. Oakley pointed out a thin path leading steeply uphill. Beritta nodded and focused her attention on climbing again before she could make sense of her strange feelings. They followed the trail as it wound its way over the peaks. Often the ground dropped vertically to one side or the other, revealing deep valleys and canyons between the mountains. They had almost crested a particularly steep hillside when Oakley stopped.
“What’s wrong?” asked Beritta.
“This path leads to the goblin city,” he said.
“How do you know?”
Oakley shrugged. “I just know.”
Beritta dismounted Mist and said, “Let's find out for sure.”
Crouching low they moved a little farther up the path until they were past the tree line. Here there was only a little short grass and lots of large rocks. The path became a well worn walkway which cut a rut through the rocks and disappeared behind a boulder. Peaking out from behind the boulder, they could see that the trail turned into a series of switchbacks leading steeply uphill. Several feat above them the path took one last sharp turn and ended at a dark entrance like a yawning mouth in the rock face. Straining her eyes Beritta spotted shadowy figures standing inside the archway.
“You were right,” she whispered to Oakley. “I think I can see some goblin guards.”
“Let's get farther down the mountain before they spot us,” Oakley whispered back.
They moved hurriedly down the slope until they were once more within the tree line. Beritta beckoned them off the path. Once they had put several hills between them and the goblin city Beritta spoke.
“This changes everything! I'm going to personally report our finding to the elders and ask them to provide us with warriors to mount an assault on the goblin city.”
Oakley looked shocked as he replied, “That's a terrible idea! I admit, knowing where they came from gives us an advantage; now we can cut off their reinforcements, but why would you want to attack their city?”
“We have the chance to take them by surprise and strike a terrible blow which could crush the moral of the army in Fairy Wood thus crippling their whole campaign against the fairy kingdom,” Beritta replied. “I will not let this opportunity pass.”
“Our job is to find the goblin and troll army and defend Fairy Wood,” argued Oakley, “not to invade goblin territories. No matter how many warriors the elders send there is a high chance we will be outnumbered. What good will we be to the fairies if we are killed trying to conquer a goblin strong hold?”
“The advantage of surprise we have in my plan gives us a much better chance of defending Fairy Wood than we would have waiting for the Dark army in the forest to materialize,” snapped Beritta. “I would much rather be the one leading a surprise attack than the one who dies in one!”
“I have to agree with Oakley,” Mist broke in. “Your plan seems dangerous.”
Beritta crossed her arms and said, “Why don't we let the elders decide? Mist, if you and I start now we can make it to the lake city in time for the midsummer festival. All the elders from the capital should be gathered for it, it would be a perfect opportunity for me to talk to them.”
“Very well,” replied the unicorn. “I suppose if anyone can talk some sense into you it would be the elders.”
“What about me and the rest of the group?” asked Oakley.
“You will pass the news of our discovery on to the others and then all of you will stay on the look-out for both the Dark army and any help coming to it from the goblin city.”
“And let you travel to Wilderlah alone? No, I'm still staying with you. Besides you should have the scouts regroup. It's too dangerous to leave our forces spread thin.”
“I will do no such thing,” said Beritta.“And if you come with me how will I get news of our finding and my plan to the rest of the group?”
“Lilac should still be making her rounds. Let's head back to the edge of the forest and wait until she passes. She will be able to spread the news faster than I could anyway.”
“It will give us a later start, but very well!”
It seemed like hours to Beritta before they spotted Lilac, waved her over and passed their news on to her. Lilac sped into the depths of the forest to spread the word while Beritta's group made their way in the direction of the elvin capital with all possible speed.
As she journeyed over mountain crags and the pains of Wilderlah with Oakley and Mist, Beritta continued to feel the tug of the earth and hear the whispers in the wind. She tried to suppress the feeling that they were telling her she should have stayed in Fairy Wood.
****
Faralasa moved easily through the air above Fairy Wood. She loved being an Airwalker. At times it seemed as though an inner force lifted her, making her weightless. Before returning to Fairy Wood after the ability tests, Lasa had trained under one of the older Airwalkers until she knew the basic tricks of the trade. She no longer had to jump to get into the air as she once had. She knew how to “walk the air” which was more like floating in the direction you needed to go. Also, she knew the proper way to fight a battle in midair or attack enemies by coming at them from above. Faralasa was itching to fight using her new abilities. She touched the rapier at her side.
Lasa searched for about two days, covering a good portion of Fairy Wood before the sun set on the second day. As evening fell, she took a brief rest and ate. Lilac met up with her during this break.
“Did you find anything?” asked the fairy.
“Not yet,” said Faralasa. “I’m going to circle back toward the place you said you saw the army. I’m hoping to see a few goblins or trolls roaming the woods when it gets dark.”
“Good idea,” said Lilac.
She told Lasa about the discovery Beritta, Oakley and Mist had made, their trip to Wilderlah and Beritta's plan to launch a surprise attack against the goblin city.
“Beritta said to tell you to keep a look out for the Dark army and any supplies or reinforcements coming from the mountains. She’ll return as soon as she can.”
“Well that's quite the turn of events,” said Lasa. “Maybe we’ll also find the location of the Dark army here in the forest by the time Beritta returns.”
“I hope so,” Lilac agreed. “Wispen, Lilly and Reuben were investigating another part of the woods. I’ve got to pass the news on to them.”
“Okay. Let me know if they found anything.”
Lilac nodded and flew off to find her friends while Lasa got to her feet, stretching.
Calling upon her strange inner power, Lasa moved into the air once again. This time she floated closer to the treetops, straining her eyes to see anything unusual in the failing light. Before long, the moon rose, casting a silvery glow across the forest which mixed with the shadows in speckled patterns of black and white. Movement on the ground caught Faralasa’s attention. She saw a tiny point of red light and realized it was made by Reuben, the pixie boy. She was about to move on when she realized that something about the scene wasn’t right. Confused, she turned to look again. As she watched, Lasa realized what was wrong. Reuben was moving very fast. He look like he was dive bombing a…was that a troll? She decided to move lower to get a closer look. She was only a few feet above them, hidden by the branches of a tree, when she realized what she was seeing. The fairies had found the goblin and troll army and they were in trouble!
Continue to episode seventeen.
Read the series prologue here.
Read episode fifteen here.
Episode Sixteen: Hidden Threat
“Lilac, are you absolutely sure this is where you and Reuben saw the goblin and troll army?” Beritta asked.
“Yes, I’ve told you a thousand times, this is where we were when we saw them,” said Lilac, flapping her purple butterfly wings to keep her small body hovering at the eye level of the tall elf.
“I believe you, it’s just that the scouts have been searching for days and haven’t found any sign of an army,” Beritta explained. She brushed a lock of long blond hair behind her pointed ear with an irritated gesture. “Where did they go after you saw them? Where are they now?”
“I wish I knew. I might have found out if they hadn’t come after Reuben and me.”
“I understand,” said Beritta. “I’m just surprised we haven’t found any sign of them yet. It’s like they vanished.”
“More like they’re waiting for an opportunity to strike,” said Oakley. He and Faralasa, were standing nearby. Beritta turned to him.
“That’s what worries me. I want to find them quickly. I feel like time is running short.” she glanced up at a winged horse circling overhead.“There’s one of our forward scouts. Let’s hope he has something to report.”
The group followed Beritta as she made her way through the trees to the place where the scout landed his mount on the soft grass of a small meadow.
“What did you find?” Beritta asked.
“Not much,” the elf boy replied replied. “The goblins are hiding all trace of their presence pretty well. I can’t spot any sign of an army from the air.”
Beritta kicked a rock at her feet. It flew a short distance before hitting a tree and falling to the ground.
“I hate this!” she cried. “It feels like we’re just waiting for them to attack us.”
“There’s not much else we can do unless we find their army,” Faralasa pointed out. “They can’t hide forever. It’s just a matter of time before we find them.”
“Well I think we should try to speed things up,” said Beritta. “We’re going to spit up so we can search more of the forest at a time. Lilac will fly between everyone with news.”
“I don’t think spreading out is a good idea,” Oakley commented. “It will make us more vulnerable.”
“Keeping together we've found nothing,” Beritta retorted. “Maybe this way we’ll actually find the Dark army's location.”
“If we split up I’m staying with you,” said Oakley. “Since you’re our leader you should never be alone.”
“Fine, but you’ll have to keep up with me. I’ll be riding Mist.”
She nodded to one side as the grey unicorn approached.
“I’ll manage,” said Oakley.
“Okay,” said Beritta turning to give her orders. “Lasa, I want you, the other Airwalkers and winged horse riders to spread out and see what you can find in the air.”
“You got it,” said Faralasa. Using her new found airwalking skills, she floated over the treetops, saluting Beritta as she rose.
“Lilac, tell the other fairies to fly low under the trees and report what they see,” Beritta continued. “Oakley and I will search the ground.”
“Okay,” called Lilac as she flew to obey her orders.
Beritta beckoned to Mist and mounted her then turned to Oakley and snapped, “Come if you’re coming.”
By nightfall Beritta, Oakley and Mist found themselves near the foot hills of the Emerald Mountains. They were worn out and had made very little progress. They rested, taking turns standing watch. The night passed uneventfully.
In the morning Oakley suggested, “Why don't we scout the lower slopes of the mountains? It's possible the goblins and trolls camped there rather than staying inside Fairy Wood. After all, the elders say the forest makes goblins nervous.”
Beritta shrugged. “Sounds like as good a plan as any.”
They spent much of that day climbing the rocky peaks and exploring winding trails. As they moved onto the higher slopes a strange feeling tugged at Beritta and the wind seemed to whisper words of a half forgotten language. Something about this new sensation gave her the nagging feeling that she should tell her friends to regroup. She suppressed this thought. Oakley pointed out a thin path leading steeply uphill. Beritta nodded and focused her attention on climbing again before she could make sense of her strange feelings. They followed the trail as it wound its way over the peaks. Often the ground dropped vertically to one side or the other, revealing deep valleys and canyons between the mountains. They had almost crested a particularly steep hillside when Oakley stopped.
“What’s wrong?” asked Beritta.
“This path leads to the goblin city,” he said.
“How do you know?”
Oakley shrugged. “I just know.”
Beritta dismounted Mist and said, “Let's find out for sure.”
Crouching low they moved a little farther up the path until they were past the tree line. Here there was only a little short grass and lots of large rocks. The path became a well worn walkway which cut a rut through the rocks and disappeared behind a boulder. Peaking out from behind the boulder, they could see that the trail turned into a series of switchbacks leading steeply uphill. Several feat above them the path took one last sharp turn and ended at a dark entrance like a yawning mouth in the rock face. Straining her eyes Beritta spotted shadowy figures standing inside the archway.
“You were right,” she whispered to Oakley. “I think I can see some goblin guards.”
“Let's get farther down the mountain before they spot us,” Oakley whispered back.
They moved hurriedly down the slope until they were once more within the tree line. Beritta beckoned them off the path. Once they had put several hills between them and the goblin city Beritta spoke.
“This changes everything! I'm going to personally report our finding to the elders and ask them to provide us with warriors to mount an assault on the goblin city.”
Oakley looked shocked as he replied, “That's a terrible idea! I admit, knowing where they came from gives us an advantage; now we can cut off their reinforcements, but why would you want to attack their city?”
“We have the chance to take them by surprise and strike a terrible blow which could crush the moral of the army in Fairy Wood thus crippling their whole campaign against the fairy kingdom,” Beritta replied. “I will not let this opportunity pass.”
“Our job is to find the goblin and troll army and defend Fairy Wood,” argued Oakley, “not to invade goblin territories. No matter how many warriors the elders send there is a high chance we will be outnumbered. What good will we be to the fairies if we are killed trying to conquer a goblin strong hold?”
“The advantage of surprise we have in my plan gives us a much better chance of defending Fairy Wood than we would have waiting for the Dark army in the forest to materialize,” snapped Beritta. “I would much rather be the one leading a surprise attack than the one who dies in one!”
“I have to agree with Oakley,” Mist broke in. “Your plan seems dangerous.”
Beritta crossed her arms and said, “Why don't we let the elders decide? Mist, if you and I start now we can make it to the lake city in time for the midsummer festival. All the elders from the capital should be gathered for it, it would be a perfect opportunity for me to talk to them.”
“Very well,” replied the unicorn. “I suppose if anyone can talk some sense into you it would be the elders.”
“What about me and the rest of the group?” asked Oakley.
“You will pass the news of our discovery on to the others and then all of you will stay on the look-out for both the Dark army and any help coming to it from the goblin city.”
“And let you travel to Wilderlah alone? No, I'm still staying with you. Besides you should have the scouts regroup. It's too dangerous to leave our forces spread thin.”
“I will do no such thing,” said Beritta.“And if you come with me how will I get news of our finding and my plan to the rest of the group?”
“Lilac should still be making her rounds. Let's head back to the edge of the forest and wait until she passes. She will be able to spread the news faster than I could anyway.”
“It will give us a later start, but very well!”
It seemed like hours to Beritta before they spotted Lilac, waved her over and passed their news on to her. Lilac sped into the depths of the forest to spread the word while Beritta's group made their way in the direction of the elvin capital with all possible speed.
As she journeyed over mountain crags and the pains of Wilderlah with Oakley and Mist, Beritta continued to feel the tug of the earth and hear the whispers in the wind. She tried to suppress the feeling that they were telling her she should have stayed in Fairy Wood.
****
Faralasa moved easily through the air above Fairy Wood. She loved being an Airwalker. At times it seemed as though an inner force lifted her, making her weightless. Before returning to Fairy Wood after the ability tests, Lasa had trained under one of the older Airwalkers until she knew the basic tricks of the trade. She no longer had to jump to get into the air as she once had. She knew how to “walk the air” which was more like floating in the direction you needed to go. Also, she knew the proper way to fight a battle in midair or attack enemies by coming at them from above. Faralasa was itching to fight using her new abilities. She touched the rapier at her side.
Lasa searched for about two days, covering a good portion of Fairy Wood before the sun set on the second day. As evening fell, she took a brief rest and ate. Lilac met up with her during this break.
“Did you find anything?” asked the fairy.
“Not yet,” said Faralasa. “I’m going to circle back toward the place you said you saw the army. I’m hoping to see a few goblins or trolls roaming the woods when it gets dark.”
“Good idea,” said Lilac.
She told Lasa about the discovery Beritta, Oakley and Mist had made, their trip to Wilderlah and Beritta's plan to launch a surprise attack against the goblin city.
“Beritta said to tell you to keep a look out for the Dark army and any supplies or reinforcements coming from the mountains. She’ll return as soon as she can.”
“Well that's quite the turn of events,” said Lasa. “Maybe we’ll also find the location of the Dark army here in the forest by the time Beritta returns.”
“I hope so,” Lilac agreed. “Wispen, Lilly and Reuben were investigating another part of the woods. I’ve got to pass the news on to them.”
“Okay. Let me know if they found anything.”
Lilac nodded and flew off to find her friends while Lasa got to her feet, stretching.
Calling upon her strange inner power, Lasa moved into the air once again. This time she floated closer to the treetops, straining her eyes to see anything unusual in the failing light. Before long, the moon rose, casting a silvery glow across the forest which mixed with the shadows in speckled patterns of black and white. Movement on the ground caught Faralasa’s attention. She saw a tiny point of red light and realized it was made by Reuben, the pixie boy. She was about to move on when she realized that something about the scene wasn’t right. Confused, she turned to look again. As she watched, Lasa realized what was wrong. Reuben was moving very fast. He look like he was dive bombing a…was that a troll? She decided to move lower to get a closer look. She was only a few feet above them, hidden by the branches of a tree, when she realized what she was seeing. The fairies had found the goblin and troll army and they were in trouble!
Continue to episode seventeen.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Quests Episode Fifteen: “They’re in the Woods!”
Just a couple news items and reminders before I proceed to today's story:
After this post I will be taking a break to prepare for and celebrate the Christmas season. When I return to blogging I will begin posting part 2 of Quests.
Also, when I resume the story after New Year's I will be switching to a new episode every month rather than every week, though I may have an additional post every few months.
This is the last episode of Quests part 1. I hope you have enjoyed reading it here on the blog.
Now back to the story...
Read the series prologue.
Read episode fourteen.
Episode Fifteen: “They’re in the Woods!”
“Lilac, wake up.”
It was late at night with only the smallest sliver of the moon casting light on the sleeping depths of Fairy Wood but someone was shaking Lilac’s shoulder. She woke and turned to look into a freckled face.
“Reuben!” she cried in a loud whisper. “What are you doing here?”
“I was out flying and I saw something,” Reuben replied. “I wanted to tell you.”
“Come back in the morning,” Lilac growled, rolling over.
“It can’t wait ’till the morning. It’s really important.”
“Well then hurry up and tell me!” snapped Lilac, impatient to get back to sleep.
“An army of goblins and trolls is marching into the woods.”
“What!” cried Lilac pulling herself into a sitting position. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I saw them.”
“Do you remember where they were? Could you show me?”
“I think so,” Reuben replied.
“Then let’s go,” said Lilac jumping to her feet.
“Right now?”
“Yes,” she said turning to face him. “You were right. This can’t wait for morning.”
A little later, Lilac and Reuben perched on a tree branch overlooking a large group of marching goblins and trolls.
“How many do you think there are?” Lilac whispered.
“I can’t tell,” Reuben whispered back.
“This isn’t good,” said Lilac. “They must have found out that we know they were the ones who poisoned the water.”
They watched in silence for a minute before Lilac added, “They’ll have to camp somewhere out of the sun during the day. They have trolls with them.”
“Yeah,” agreed Reuben. “I hadn’t thought about that.”
“I’m sure they did. Come on, let’s see if we can find out where they’re going.”
They flew out of the tree and moved toward the front of the army. Suddenly a goblin cried out, “Look there, it’s a pixie!”
His captain cried, “Quick, catch it!”
Lilac looked at Reuben in alarm, wondering why the goblins hadn’t seen her also. Suddenly she understood.
“Reuben they can see your light!” she cried. “We have to get out of here, fast! Take my hand. I don’t want us getting separated.”
Obedient for once, Reuben grabbed the hand Lilac held out to him. They flew into the thicker parts the woods as fast as they could. Behind them, goblins crashed through the trees and undergrowth trying to find the fairy spies. As they passed a hollow log Lilac tugged on Reuben’s arm, pulling him inside the small space with her. They landed at the bottom of the log, hiding Rueben’s tell-tale light.
Lilac waited until the sounds of shouting and stomping faded into the distance before whispering, “So long as they don’t find us we’ll wait here until morning. They should make camp when the sun comes up, so it will be safe to go out then.”
Reuben nodded. He glanced at the opening in the log as if he expected a goblin to reach in and grab him. With a shudder he pulled his legs to his chest trying to hide the fact that he was trembling. Lilac regarded him for a minute, taking note of all this.
“When the light comes,” she said at last, “we have to fly as fast as we can to find the fairy queen. A Dark army in the woods means only one thing.”
“What?” asked Reuben with a mixture of fear and fascination.
“War,” Lilac replied.
End of Part 1
Continue to episode sixteen.
After this post I will be taking a break to prepare for and celebrate the Christmas season. When I return to blogging I will begin posting part 2 of Quests.
Also, when I resume the story after New Year's I will be switching to a new episode every month rather than every week, though I may have an additional post every few months.
This is the last episode of Quests part 1. I hope you have enjoyed reading it here on the blog.
Now back to the story...
Read the series prologue.
Read episode fourteen.
Episode Fifteen: “They’re in the Woods!”
“Lilac, wake up.”
It was late at night with only the smallest sliver of the moon casting light on the sleeping depths of Fairy Wood but someone was shaking Lilac’s shoulder. She woke and turned to look into a freckled face.
“Reuben!” she cried in a loud whisper. “What are you doing here?”
“I was out flying and I saw something,” Reuben replied. “I wanted to tell you.”
“Come back in the morning,” Lilac growled, rolling over.
“It can’t wait ’till the morning. It’s really important.”
“Well then hurry up and tell me!” snapped Lilac, impatient to get back to sleep.
“An army of goblins and trolls is marching into the woods.”
“What!” cried Lilac pulling herself into a sitting position. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I saw them.”
“Do you remember where they were? Could you show me?”
“I think so,” Reuben replied.
“Then let’s go,” said Lilac jumping to her feet.
“Right now?”
“Yes,” she said turning to face him. “You were right. This can’t wait for morning.”
A little later, Lilac and Reuben perched on a tree branch overlooking a large group of marching goblins and trolls.
“How many do you think there are?” Lilac whispered.
“I can’t tell,” Reuben whispered back.
“This isn’t good,” said Lilac. “They must have found out that we know they were the ones who poisoned the water.”
They watched in silence for a minute before Lilac added, “They’ll have to camp somewhere out of the sun during the day. They have trolls with them.”
“Yeah,” agreed Reuben. “I hadn’t thought about that.”
“I’m sure they did. Come on, let’s see if we can find out where they’re going.”
They flew out of the tree and moved toward the front of the army. Suddenly a goblin cried out, “Look there, it’s a pixie!”
His captain cried, “Quick, catch it!”
Lilac looked at Reuben in alarm, wondering why the goblins hadn’t seen her also. Suddenly she understood.
“Reuben they can see your light!” she cried. “We have to get out of here, fast! Take my hand. I don’t want us getting separated.”
Obedient for once, Reuben grabbed the hand Lilac held out to him. They flew into the thicker parts the woods as fast as they could. Behind them, goblins crashed through the trees and undergrowth trying to find the fairy spies. As they passed a hollow log Lilac tugged on Reuben’s arm, pulling him inside the small space with her. They landed at the bottom of the log, hiding Rueben’s tell-tale light.
Lilac waited until the sounds of shouting and stomping faded into the distance before whispering, “So long as they don’t find us we’ll wait here until morning. They should make camp when the sun comes up, so it will be safe to go out then.”
Reuben nodded. He glanced at the opening in the log as if he expected a goblin to reach in and grab him. With a shudder he pulled his legs to his chest trying to hide the fact that he was trembling. Lilac regarded him for a minute, taking note of all this.
“When the light comes,” she said at last, “we have to fly as fast as we can to find the fairy queen. A Dark army in the woods means only one thing.”
“What?” asked Reuben with a mixture of fear and fascination.
“War,” Lilac replied.
End of Part 1
Continue to episode sixteen.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Quests Episode Fourteen: The Giant Bat and Odd Friends
Read the series prologue.
Read episode thirteen.
Episode Fourteen: The Giant Bat and Odd Friends
Fedrick sat tense, clutching a crossbow and waiting in the moonlight outside the entrance to a large cave. A few days earlier goblin scouts had reported that deep within this cave was a creature which looked like a giant bat. This creature was called a strellogroth. The goblin council thought that if they could catch a strellogroth and keep it in the city they might be able to use it as a secret weapon against the fairies and elves. They chose a small group of goblins warriors to carry out their plan.
Fedrick was part of this group. The other warriors were spread out on the mountainside, crouching in bushes and behind rocks, also waiting. Finally, the great bat monster emerged to hunt.
The strellogroth opened its mouth and let out a call too high pitched for Fedrick’s ears to catch. As the sound bounced off the surrounding objects, the monster discovered their presence. The strellogroth wheeled in a tight circle over their heads then began to descend. It opened its mouth, showing large fangs. Fedrick jumped up and taking a deep breath to steady his aim, shot a tranquillizer dart into the strellogroth’s neck. For a moment the creature continued on its course, then the drug took effect. The strellogroth’s wings locked and it dropped harmlessly into some bushes.
Once they were sure the strellogroth was unconscious, the other goblins came out of hiding. A few of them pulled out a cart which had a cage on it. The captain of the group clapped Fedrick on the back as he passed him and commented, “Nice shot.”
The warriors gathered around the body of the strellogroth and each grabbed some part of the huge body. Then the captain cried, “All together, now!” Staggering, grunting and by the end of the task sweating they heaved the monster into the cage. They then took positions around the cart, some pulling it from the front some pushing the wheels, and slowly rolled it toward the underground city.
As he heaved and puffed his way home, Fedrick thought how pleased the goblin council would be with his night’s work. He imagined how terrified the fairies would be when they discovered this secret weapon of the underground army. A malicious grin spread across his face.
****
Bubble, the boggart, became bored with Fairy Wood. He decided to take a short vacation. He turned into a bird and flew to the plains of Wilderlah. Far below him, he saw a strange man with green skin and orange hair. Bubble hadn’t scared anyone in a long time. He decided to see if he could scare this person.
Glibbin was also bored. The elves were busy and could not play with him. He wandered out of the protective hills of the lake capital and into the fields beyond. The guards were used to Glibbin coming and going by that time, so they made no attempt to stop him. Glibbin was so busy watching a beetle climb a stem of grass that he hardly noticed when a bird landed nearby him. He turned away before he could see the bird change into something else. A minute later Glibbin heard something buzzing in his ear and turned to see a very large bumble bee hovering at his elbow.
He screamed and began running in circles crying, “A bee, a bee! It’s going to sting me!”
Bubble was so pleased that he had actually scared someone that he turned into a little man and laughed. “Got ya!” he shouted. “That was a good one. No one has been that scared of me in a long time.” He laughed again.
“That’s not fair!” cried Glibbin. “I didn’t know you weren’t a real bee. You could have warned me.”
“No way!” said Bubble. “That would spoil the fun.”
“It still isn’t fair!” Glibbin whined.
“Okay, I’ll give you another chance. Now that you know that I can change into things you’ll be prepared.”
“Like a game?” asked Glibbin.
“Sure,” Bubble replied.
“You mean you’ll play with me?”
“If you want me to.”
“Yippee!” shouted Glibbin. “I’ve been wanting someone to play with me for a long time.”
“You wanted someone to play with, I wanted someone to scare,” said Bubble happily, “It’s a good thing we met each other!”
They introduced themselves then proceeded to play. It turned out that knowing Bubble could turn into things didn’t help Glibbin much. Bubble was still able to scare Glibbin most of the time. Despite this, the two quickly became friends. They didn’t know that they were really supposed to be enemies. However, even if they had known, they probably wouldn’t have cared.
Continue to episode fifteen.
Read episode thirteen.
Episode Fourteen: The Giant Bat and Odd Friends
Fedrick sat tense, clutching a crossbow and waiting in the moonlight outside the entrance to a large cave. A few days earlier goblin scouts had reported that deep within this cave was a creature which looked like a giant bat. This creature was called a strellogroth. The goblin council thought that if they could catch a strellogroth and keep it in the city they might be able to use it as a secret weapon against the fairies and elves. They chose a small group of goblins warriors to carry out their plan.
Fedrick was part of this group. The other warriors were spread out on the mountainside, crouching in bushes and behind rocks, also waiting. Finally, the great bat monster emerged to hunt.
The strellogroth opened its mouth and let out a call too high pitched for Fedrick’s ears to catch. As the sound bounced off the surrounding objects, the monster discovered their presence. The strellogroth wheeled in a tight circle over their heads then began to descend. It opened its mouth, showing large fangs. Fedrick jumped up and taking a deep breath to steady his aim, shot a tranquillizer dart into the strellogroth’s neck. For a moment the creature continued on its course, then the drug took effect. The strellogroth’s wings locked and it dropped harmlessly into some bushes.
Once they were sure the strellogroth was unconscious, the other goblins came out of hiding. A few of them pulled out a cart which had a cage on it. The captain of the group clapped Fedrick on the back as he passed him and commented, “Nice shot.”
The warriors gathered around the body of the strellogroth and each grabbed some part of the huge body. Then the captain cried, “All together, now!” Staggering, grunting and by the end of the task sweating they heaved the monster into the cage. They then took positions around the cart, some pulling it from the front some pushing the wheels, and slowly rolled it toward the underground city.
As he heaved and puffed his way home, Fedrick thought how pleased the goblin council would be with his night’s work. He imagined how terrified the fairies would be when they discovered this secret weapon of the underground army. A malicious grin spread across his face.
****
Bubble, the boggart, became bored with Fairy Wood. He decided to take a short vacation. He turned into a bird and flew to the plains of Wilderlah. Far below him, he saw a strange man with green skin and orange hair. Bubble hadn’t scared anyone in a long time. He decided to see if he could scare this person.
Glibbin was also bored. The elves were busy and could not play with him. He wandered out of the protective hills of the lake capital and into the fields beyond. The guards were used to Glibbin coming and going by that time, so they made no attempt to stop him. Glibbin was so busy watching a beetle climb a stem of grass that he hardly noticed when a bird landed nearby him. He turned away before he could see the bird change into something else. A minute later Glibbin heard something buzzing in his ear and turned to see a very large bumble bee hovering at his elbow.
He screamed and began running in circles crying, “A bee, a bee! It’s going to sting me!”
Bubble was so pleased that he had actually scared someone that he turned into a little man and laughed. “Got ya!” he shouted. “That was a good one. No one has been that scared of me in a long time.” He laughed again.
“That’s not fair!” cried Glibbin. “I didn’t know you weren’t a real bee. You could have warned me.”
“No way!” said Bubble. “That would spoil the fun.”
“It still isn’t fair!” Glibbin whined.
“Okay, I’ll give you another chance. Now that you know that I can change into things you’ll be prepared.”
“Like a game?” asked Glibbin.
“Sure,” Bubble replied.
“You mean you’ll play with me?”
“If you want me to.”
“Yippee!” shouted Glibbin. “I’ve been wanting someone to play with me for a long time.”
“You wanted someone to play with, I wanted someone to scare,” said Bubble happily, “It’s a good thing we met each other!”
They introduced themselves then proceeded to play. It turned out that knowing Bubble could turn into things didn’t help Glibbin much. Bubble was still able to scare Glibbin most of the time. Despite this, the two quickly became friends. They didn’t know that they were really supposed to be enemies. However, even if they had known, they probably wouldn’t have cared.
Continue to episode fifteen.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Quests Episode Thirteen: New Orders
Read the series prologue.
Read episode 12.
Episode Thirteen: New Orders
Beritta woke early. Her mind was filled with thoughts of the day to come. The day before she and Faralasa had briefed the king and elders on all they knew about the situation in Fairy Wood. The council had spent the rest of the day debating the best course of action and had informed her that they would be summoning her and Faralasa sometime this morning to inform them of the decision which had been reached.
Beritta dressed quietly, grabbed a handful of nuts to munch and went outside, walking aimlessly down the hillside until she came to the southern lake. The sun had just risen. A reverent silence hung over the land as it always does at the times of the sun’s coming and going. An early morning mist hung over the lake, rising in ever thinning wisps to the heavens. Beritta stood still at the water’s edge letting the peace of the morning sweep over her. She continued to stand there even as the world around her began coming to life. Birds trilled happily in the trees, small animals moved through the grass, a few deer walked to the lake to drink.
As the deer moved into the woods, Beritta heard another animal coming up behind her. She turned and saw Mist.
“It’s a beautiful morning,” Mist’s words floated into her mind.
“Yes, it’s wonderful,” Beritta replied sighing with pleasure.
On the hillsides the elves were rising and starting their day. Before long Faralasa and Oakley appeared, trailed by Glibbin.
“I was informed late last night that I will be working as an animal handler for a group of scouts which will be using winged horses to patrol along the edge of Fairy Wood,” Oakley announced as the friends moved into a large meadow behind the southern lake.
“That’s wonderful!” said Beritta.
“Yeah, I’m glad you may finally be joining us on a quest in Fairy Wood,” agreed Lasa.
“Well, that all depends on what the elders tell us this morning,” Beritta warned.
The others nodded.
A noise behind them caught their attention and they turned to look. Mist was absently running her horn through a stream which ran through the center of the meadow. Beyond the unicorn Glibbin had moved into the woods where he was playing, which explained the noise.
“You okay Glibbin?” Beritta called.
His smiling green face appeared between the trees.
“There’s a little animal with a big fury tail,” said Glibbin.
“It’s called a squirrel,” said Beritta.
“I’m going to catch it so it can play with me.” cried Glibbin and ran back into the trees.
Lasa snorted.
Just then a young golden-haired elf boy in a green tunic trimmed with gold appeared at the end of the meadow. He bowed and said, “The council of elders wishes to speak to Lady Faralasa.”
With an excited glance at her friends, Lasa followed the messenger out of the meadow and around one edge of the southern lake. On the far side of the water they entered the woods and followed a well-worn path. They continued on this trail until they came to the place where the elders sat on chairs of exposed roots around a table of melded stumps beneath a canopy of short leafy trees. A cool breeze drifted to them off the lakes, setting the leaves rustling.
After formally greeting Faralasa one of the elders said, “In reviewing the happenings in Fairy Wood we have received reports of a few strange and amazing acts you performed. We would like you to do something for us. Jump into the air. See how long it takes you to come back down.”
With an uncertain glance at the faces surrounding her, Lasa leapt into the air. To her surprise, she hung there for three minutes. It was as though gravity had lost its hold on her.
Intimidated by this strange new ability Faralasa dropped back to the ground.
“Excellent,” said the elder who had made the suggestion. “Now I want you to do one more thing. Jump into the air again but this time, instead of hovering, see if you can move.”
“Move, you mean in the air?” Faralasa clarified wondering if she had heard him correctly.
“That’s right.”
Lasa jumped into the air again, this time moving slightly to the right. Suddenly she found that she was floating, moving easily through the air as though some unseen force lifted her. She dropped to the ground once more staring in confusion at the elders.
“It is as we thought,” one of them said. “She’s been showing signs of it for months.”
“They always do,” murmured another.
“Showing signs of what?” asked Faralasa in frustration. None of this made any sense to her.
“You’ve been showing signs that you are light enough to walk on air,” one of the elders explained. “You have graduated to the level of Airwalker. Barely anyone ever does.”
“I’m an Airwalker, really?” Lasa asked in excitement.
“Yes indeed. You will have to be trained by one of the older Airwalkers in aerial fighting and how to get airborne without jumping, but there is plenty of time for that. To begin with you will train for the following week after which you will join a scouting group heading to Fairy Wood. However, whenever you are not engaged in scouting operations you should use all your time to learn from the older Airwalkers and hone your new skills.”
“This is amazing!” cried Lasa. “I can’t wait to tell my friends!” she stopped and looked uncertainly at the elders. “I can tell them can’t I?”
“By all means,” the elders replied. “May Light bless you as you discover how to use your new ability. You may go.”
“Thank you,” said Lasa and dashed to rejoin Oakley and Beritta.
“I’m going to be part of the group that will be scouting to find the goblins,” she said, “and I’m an Airwalker!”
She hovered in the air above them just to prove she could. Beritta and Oakley were still congratulating her when the messenger reappeared.
“The council now wishes to speak to Princess Beritta,” he announced.
When Beritta came before them the elders proceeded to tell her, “We have heard how you acquitted yourself in Fairy Wood. You have shown great leadership potential. However, we cannot forget that some of your recent actions here in Wilderlah have been reckless and irresponsible. You see, we would like to assign you leadership of the scouting group which will be sent to find the goblins invading Fairy Wood but we need to know we can trust you. Can we?”
Beritta took a deep breath and let it out before speaking.
“I understand how important this quest is. I’ll do my best to act the part of a responsible leader and live up to your expectations.”
“So be it,” said an elder. “You will lead your scouting group to Fairy Wood in a week. Use the intervening time to make all necessary preparations.”
Continue to episode fourteen.
Read episode 12.
Episode Thirteen: New Orders
Beritta woke early. Her mind was filled with thoughts of the day to come. The day before she and Faralasa had briefed the king and elders on all they knew about the situation in Fairy Wood. The council had spent the rest of the day debating the best course of action and had informed her that they would be summoning her and Faralasa sometime this morning to inform them of the decision which had been reached.
Beritta dressed quietly, grabbed a handful of nuts to munch and went outside, walking aimlessly down the hillside until she came to the southern lake. The sun had just risen. A reverent silence hung over the land as it always does at the times of the sun’s coming and going. An early morning mist hung over the lake, rising in ever thinning wisps to the heavens. Beritta stood still at the water’s edge letting the peace of the morning sweep over her. She continued to stand there even as the world around her began coming to life. Birds trilled happily in the trees, small animals moved through the grass, a few deer walked to the lake to drink.
As the deer moved into the woods, Beritta heard another animal coming up behind her. She turned and saw Mist.
“It’s a beautiful morning,” Mist’s words floated into her mind.
“Yes, it’s wonderful,” Beritta replied sighing with pleasure.
On the hillsides the elves were rising and starting their day. Before long Faralasa and Oakley appeared, trailed by Glibbin.
“I was informed late last night that I will be working as an animal handler for a group of scouts which will be using winged horses to patrol along the edge of Fairy Wood,” Oakley announced as the friends moved into a large meadow behind the southern lake.
“That’s wonderful!” said Beritta.
“Yeah, I’m glad you may finally be joining us on a quest in Fairy Wood,” agreed Lasa.
“Well, that all depends on what the elders tell us this morning,” Beritta warned.
The others nodded.
A noise behind them caught their attention and they turned to look. Mist was absently running her horn through a stream which ran through the center of the meadow. Beyond the unicorn Glibbin had moved into the woods where he was playing, which explained the noise.
“You okay Glibbin?” Beritta called.
His smiling green face appeared between the trees.
“There’s a little animal with a big fury tail,” said Glibbin.
“It’s called a squirrel,” said Beritta.
“I’m going to catch it so it can play with me.” cried Glibbin and ran back into the trees.
Lasa snorted.
Just then a young golden-haired elf boy in a green tunic trimmed with gold appeared at the end of the meadow. He bowed and said, “The council of elders wishes to speak to Lady Faralasa.”
With an excited glance at her friends, Lasa followed the messenger out of the meadow and around one edge of the southern lake. On the far side of the water they entered the woods and followed a well-worn path. They continued on this trail until they came to the place where the elders sat on chairs of exposed roots around a table of melded stumps beneath a canopy of short leafy trees. A cool breeze drifted to them off the lakes, setting the leaves rustling.
After formally greeting Faralasa one of the elders said, “In reviewing the happenings in Fairy Wood we have received reports of a few strange and amazing acts you performed. We would like you to do something for us. Jump into the air. See how long it takes you to come back down.”
With an uncertain glance at the faces surrounding her, Lasa leapt into the air. To her surprise, she hung there for three minutes. It was as though gravity had lost its hold on her.
Intimidated by this strange new ability Faralasa dropped back to the ground.
“Excellent,” said the elder who had made the suggestion. “Now I want you to do one more thing. Jump into the air again but this time, instead of hovering, see if you can move.”
“Move, you mean in the air?” Faralasa clarified wondering if she had heard him correctly.
“That’s right.”
Lasa jumped into the air again, this time moving slightly to the right. Suddenly she found that she was floating, moving easily through the air as though some unseen force lifted her. She dropped to the ground once more staring in confusion at the elders.
“It is as we thought,” one of them said. “She’s been showing signs of it for months.”
“They always do,” murmured another.
“Showing signs of what?” asked Faralasa in frustration. None of this made any sense to her.
“You’ve been showing signs that you are light enough to walk on air,” one of the elders explained. “You have graduated to the level of Airwalker. Barely anyone ever does.”
“I’m an Airwalker, really?” Lasa asked in excitement.
“Yes indeed. You will have to be trained by one of the older Airwalkers in aerial fighting and how to get airborne without jumping, but there is plenty of time for that. To begin with you will train for the following week after which you will join a scouting group heading to Fairy Wood. However, whenever you are not engaged in scouting operations you should use all your time to learn from the older Airwalkers and hone your new skills.”
“This is amazing!” cried Lasa. “I can’t wait to tell my friends!” she stopped and looked uncertainly at the elders. “I can tell them can’t I?”
“By all means,” the elders replied. “May Light bless you as you discover how to use your new ability. You may go.”
“Thank you,” said Lasa and dashed to rejoin Oakley and Beritta.
“I’m going to be part of the group that will be scouting to find the goblins,” she said, “and I’m an Airwalker!”
She hovered in the air above them just to prove she could. Beritta and Oakley were still congratulating her when the messenger reappeared.
“The council now wishes to speak to Princess Beritta,” he announced.
When Beritta came before them the elders proceeded to tell her, “We have heard how you acquitted yourself in Fairy Wood. You have shown great leadership potential. However, we cannot forget that some of your recent actions here in Wilderlah have been reckless and irresponsible. You see, we would like to assign you leadership of the scouting group which will be sent to find the goblins invading Fairy Wood but we need to know we can trust you. Can we?”
Beritta took a deep breath and let it out before speaking.
“I understand how important this quest is. I’ll do my best to act the part of a responsible leader and live up to your expectations.”
“So be it,” said an elder. “You will lead your scouting group to Fairy Wood in a week. Use the intervening time to make all necessary preparations.”
Continue to episode fourteen.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Quets Episode Twelve: The Enemy Discovered
Read the series prologue.
Read episode eleven.
Episode Twelve: The Enemy Discovered
In the days and nights following their battle with the trolls, the elves stood guard and the fairies patrolled the forest, watching for any sign of intruders. Lilac, Lilly and Reuben were on evening patrol duty near the mountains.
Reuben, who was tired of keeping watch, asked the others, “Aren’t we pretty near the dwarf mines?”
“Yeah,” Lilly replied. “They’re practically right up the mountain from us.”
“I wonder how they’re doing,” said Reuben. “I bet Griffona has grown a lot. We should go see her.”
“Forget it, Reuben,” said Lilac.
“Well, why shouldn’t we visit her?” asked the pixie indignantly. “After all, if it weren’t for us the dwarves wouldn’t have Griffona.”
“That’s not the point,” said Lilac. “We’re supposed to be watching for trolls.”
“None of them are going to come here after what we did to the last ones.”
The girls knew this was probably true but didn’t tell Reuben so.
“Come on,” he continued. “I’ll race you both to the mine!”
Lilly cried, “No, Reuben!” at the same time Lilac yelled, “Don’t you dare!” but it made no difference. Reuben shot off, a stream of red light cutting through the twilight in his wake.
“Should we go after him?” asked Lilly.
“Yeah,” said Lilac. “You know how he is. It will probably take both of us to bring him back.”
They chased the pixie over the foothills, with the cooling air rushing over their backs. Reuben dodged them, laughing, as they yelled at him. In a few short minutes they were racing above the mine. Lilac and Lilly tried in vain to catch the pixie, who flew in zigzag patterns occasionally turning to make raspberries at the other two fairies. Lilac flew in a different direction, hoping to cut Reuben off, when someone below her shouted something. She looked down and saw a dwarf standing in front of the mine.
“What?” she called to him.
“Come down here,” the dwarf called back, cupping his hands around his mouth. “I have to show you something.”
“Lilly, Reuben come here, it’s important!” Lilac yelled. Then she dove and landed next to the dwarf. Looking at him more closely, Lilac realized the dwarf was Farushin. A minute later Lilly and Reuben also joined them.
“What’s going on?” asked Lilly.
“Yeah, Lilac, what’s up?” Reuben said.
“Farushin called me over.” Lilac turned to the dwarf adding, “Did you say you had something to show us?”
“Yeah, I do,” replied the dwarf. “But it ain’t a pretty sight. You see, I think Griffona found how your water got so dirty.”
“How?” asked the three fairies in unison.
“It was magically poisoned,” said Farushin, “by the goblins. Griffona caught one of um prowlin’ around and, well… you should see for yourself. I know it ain’t nice. She clawed him up pretty bad.”
“But how can one dead goblin prove it was the goblins who poisoned the water?” asked Lilac.
“I’ll show you,” Farushin replied.
He walked to the entrance of the mine and beckoned them to follow. The fairies exchanged an uneasy glance then entered the mine after the dwarf.
Farushin lit a tiny lamp on his cap and led them down a dark tunnel near the entrance. The passage was tall enough that the fairies could fly as they followed. Tension grew as they moved deeper under the mountain. They stayed close together, silently lending each other support. Eventually, Farushin turned from the tunnel they had been following into a small side chamber.
“In here,” he said his voice echoing on the cave-like walls. The fairies entered, hovering a few feet above the floor. The dwarf turned his head to shine the light on a heap on the floor. In the dim light the fairies quickly realized that they were looking at the mangled body of a goblin, covered with dark streaks of blood. Beside the goblin was a large bag which had been opened to reveal some kind of garbage. Both items gave off a putrid stench. Lilac gasped, Reuben flew a few feet backward and Lilly gagged.
“Must have been on his way to Fairy Wood when Griffona attacked him,” said Farushin. “We drug him down here so he’d be out of the way but we could show ya later.”
“I still don’t understand why goblins would poison our water,” said Lilac finding her voice before the other two.
“I reckon it’s ’cuz of Griffona,” Farushin replied. “They’re probably sore at you for givin’ her to us. Must have thought you was interfering.”
“You think all of this started with that old quarrel?” asked Lilac in disbelief.
“Goblins be the worst for carrying a grudge.”
“It’s payback time!” cried Reuben viciously.
“No, Reuben. The goblins were paying us back,” said Lilac irritated. “Paybacks are what got us into this mess. We don’t need to pay them back, we need to finish this. We have to get the goblins out of our forest and keep them out.”
“Can we go?” asked Lilly speaking for the first time since they had gone underground. “The smell is making me sick.”
“Yeah, we can go,” Lilac replied, “but we’ll have to report this to the rest of the fairy kingdom and to our allies from Wilderlah. The queen and her court will most likely want to see this for themselves.”
They all agreed.
“I’ll show the evidence to any of your officials who wish to see,” Farushin promised.
After expressing their thanks to the dwarf, Lilac,Lilly and Reuben returned to Fairy Wood to make their discovery known.
****
“The dwarf was right,” said Beritta a few days later. “I found traces of garbage and poison in a dirty pool before Mist purified the water. What’s more, after a little hard investigating I identified the spells on the pool as goblin in origin. It wasn’t easy. The goblin magicians added lots of wards to try to keep us from tracing the magic back to them.”
“Do you think it’s what Farushin said?” asked Lilac. “Did they poison the water because we helped protect the dwarves?”
“We don’t know for sure,” Faralasa replied, “but that seems the most likely motive.”
“News of the state of affairs here has reached my father and the elders,” Beritta continued. “We have been summoned back to Wilderlah to make a full report, after which they will decide on the best course of action for sending aid to the fairy queen in this matter.”
“On behalf of all the fairies, I’d like to wish you safe travels,” said Lilac. “I hope your king and elders reach a decision quickly; all help Wilderlah sends is most welcome in a crisis such as this.”
The elves bid farewell to the rest of their fairy friends shortly after this. Beritta tried to say good-bye to Mist as well, but the unicorn insisted on going with the elves. Surprised by this, Beritta asked Mist why she wished to stay with them.
“You’re not in danger from the trolls anymore you know,” the elf pointed out.
“I know,” Mist replied. “It’s just that I like you. I’d like accompany you a little longer if that’s all right.”
Beritta agreed.
Next, the elves had the task of finding Glibbin. Beritta and Faralasa searched the woods for several hours, unsure where he had gone.
“Maybe he forgot about us. Maybe we’ll never find him,” said Lasa hopefully.
She had no sooner said this, however, then Beritta pointed to a sunny meadow shouting, “There he is!”
The hobgoblin was more than ready to return to Wilderlah for, he did not hesitate to tell them, “There is no one to play with in Fairy Wood.”
So, with the blessing of the fairy queen and the good will of the little people, the group set out for the elvin capital.
Continue to episode 13.
Read episode eleven.
Episode Twelve: The Enemy Discovered
In the days and nights following their battle with the trolls, the elves stood guard and the fairies patrolled the forest, watching for any sign of intruders. Lilac, Lilly and Reuben were on evening patrol duty near the mountains.
Reuben, who was tired of keeping watch, asked the others, “Aren’t we pretty near the dwarf mines?”
“Yeah,” Lilly replied. “They’re practically right up the mountain from us.”
“I wonder how they’re doing,” said Reuben. “I bet Griffona has grown a lot. We should go see her.”
“Forget it, Reuben,” said Lilac.
“Well, why shouldn’t we visit her?” asked the pixie indignantly. “After all, if it weren’t for us the dwarves wouldn’t have Griffona.”
“That’s not the point,” said Lilac. “We’re supposed to be watching for trolls.”
“None of them are going to come here after what we did to the last ones.”
The girls knew this was probably true but didn’t tell Reuben so.
“Come on,” he continued. “I’ll race you both to the mine!”
Lilly cried, “No, Reuben!” at the same time Lilac yelled, “Don’t you dare!” but it made no difference. Reuben shot off, a stream of red light cutting through the twilight in his wake.
“Should we go after him?” asked Lilly.
“Yeah,” said Lilac. “You know how he is. It will probably take both of us to bring him back.”
They chased the pixie over the foothills, with the cooling air rushing over their backs. Reuben dodged them, laughing, as they yelled at him. In a few short minutes they were racing above the mine. Lilac and Lilly tried in vain to catch the pixie, who flew in zigzag patterns occasionally turning to make raspberries at the other two fairies. Lilac flew in a different direction, hoping to cut Reuben off, when someone below her shouted something. She looked down and saw a dwarf standing in front of the mine.
“What?” she called to him.
“Come down here,” the dwarf called back, cupping his hands around his mouth. “I have to show you something.”
“Lilly, Reuben come here, it’s important!” Lilac yelled. Then she dove and landed next to the dwarf. Looking at him more closely, Lilac realized the dwarf was Farushin. A minute later Lilly and Reuben also joined them.
“What’s going on?” asked Lilly.
“Yeah, Lilac, what’s up?” Reuben said.
“Farushin called me over.” Lilac turned to the dwarf adding, “Did you say you had something to show us?”
“Yeah, I do,” replied the dwarf. “But it ain’t a pretty sight. You see, I think Griffona found how your water got so dirty.”
“How?” asked the three fairies in unison.
“It was magically poisoned,” said Farushin, “by the goblins. Griffona caught one of um prowlin’ around and, well… you should see for yourself. I know it ain’t nice. She clawed him up pretty bad.”
“But how can one dead goblin prove it was the goblins who poisoned the water?” asked Lilac.
“I’ll show you,” Farushin replied.
He walked to the entrance of the mine and beckoned them to follow. The fairies exchanged an uneasy glance then entered the mine after the dwarf.
Farushin lit a tiny lamp on his cap and led them down a dark tunnel near the entrance. The passage was tall enough that the fairies could fly as they followed. Tension grew as they moved deeper under the mountain. They stayed close together, silently lending each other support. Eventually, Farushin turned from the tunnel they had been following into a small side chamber.
“In here,” he said his voice echoing on the cave-like walls. The fairies entered, hovering a few feet above the floor. The dwarf turned his head to shine the light on a heap on the floor. In the dim light the fairies quickly realized that they were looking at the mangled body of a goblin, covered with dark streaks of blood. Beside the goblin was a large bag which had been opened to reveal some kind of garbage. Both items gave off a putrid stench. Lilac gasped, Reuben flew a few feet backward and Lilly gagged.
“Must have been on his way to Fairy Wood when Griffona attacked him,” said Farushin. “We drug him down here so he’d be out of the way but we could show ya later.”
“I still don’t understand why goblins would poison our water,” said Lilac finding her voice before the other two.
“I reckon it’s ’cuz of Griffona,” Farushin replied. “They’re probably sore at you for givin’ her to us. Must have thought you was interfering.”
“You think all of this started with that old quarrel?” asked Lilac in disbelief.
“Goblins be the worst for carrying a grudge.”
“It’s payback time!” cried Reuben viciously.
“No, Reuben. The goblins were paying us back,” said Lilac irritated. “Paybacks are what got us into this mess. We don’t need to pay them back, we need to finish this. We have to get the goblins out of our forest and keep them out.”
“Can we go?” asked Lilly speaking for the first time since they had gone underground. “The smell is making me sick.”
“Yeah, we can go,” Lilac replied, “but we’ll have to report this to the rest of the fairy kingdom and to our allies from Wilderlah. The queen and her court will most likely want to see this for themselves.”
They all agreed.
“I’ll show the evidence to any of your officials who wish to see,” Farushin promised.
After expressing their thanks to the dwarf, Lilac,Lilly and Reuben returned to Fairy Wood to make their discovery known.
****
“The dwarf was right,” said Beritta a few days later. “I found traces of garbage and poison in a dirty pool before Mist purified the water. What’s more, after a little hard investigating I identified the spells on the pool as goblin in origin. It wasn’t easy. The goblin magicians added lots of wards to try to keep us from tracing the magic back to them.”
“Do you think it’s what Farushin said?” asked Lilac. “Did they poison the water because we helped protect the dwarves?”
“We don’t know for sure,” Faralasa replied, “but that seems the most likely motive.”
“News of the state of affairs here has reached my father and the elders,” Beritta continued. “We have been summoned back to Wilderlah to make a full report, after which they will decide on the best course of action for sending aid to the fairy queen in this matter.”
“On behalf of all the fairies, I’d like to wish you safe travels,” said Lilac. “I hope your king and elders reach a decision quickly; all help Wilderlah sends is most welcome in a crisis such as this.”
The elves bid farewell to the rest of their fairy friends shortly after this. Beritta tried to say good-bye to Mist as well, but the unicorn insisted on going with the elves. Surprised by this, Beritta asked Mist why she wished to stay with them.
“You’re not in danger from the trolls anymore you know,” the elf pointed out.
“I know,” Mist replied. “It’s just that I like you. I’d like accompany you a little longer if that’s all right.”
Beritta agreed.
Next, the elves had the task of finding Glibbin. Beritta and Faralasa searched the woods for several hours, unsure where he had gone.
“Maybe he forgot about us. Maybe we’ll never find him,” said Lasa hopefully.
She had no sooner said this, however, then Beritta pointed to a sunny meadow shouting, “There he is!”
The hobgoblin was more than ready to return to Wilderlah for, he did not hesitate to tell them, “There is no one to play with in Fairy Wood.”
So, with the blessing of the fairy queen and the good will of the little people, the group set out for the elvin capital.
Continue to episode 13.
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