The Last Fairy Tale

by Lowell, E. S.

  Rufus closed his eyes, placing his hands above Jin’s wound. He stood that way for a moment, furrowing his eyebrows. Then, green slime erupted from the wound, spilling out over Jin’s arm. Jin winced at the pain, but didn’t open his eyes.

  “I’ve removed as much of the venom as I can,” Rufus said. “Now, to lessen the pain and slow the reaction of the venom, I’ll need a ginger root.”

  He reached up and removed his hat, revealing a bald head. Kili flew from the hat and over to a tree limb, catching Thunc’s attention. Thunc slowly walked over to the tree and stared up at Kili for a while.

  Rufus sat his hat on the ground next to himself. When he raised it again, a small rack with bottles of herbs and powders was sitting in its place. He placed his hat back on his head and quickly searched the rack for a ginger root. When he found the correct bottle, he took it from the rack and popped the cork from the top, dumping the root out in his hand.

  Olivia watched wide-eyed as Rufus worked. His small hands moved with such skill that she had trouble keeping up with them. She noticed that Kai-Tu had come up next to her and was also watching intently.

  “Now, Olivia,” Rufus said, “I will transmute the ginger, transforming it into a fine powder. As I do this, I will also extract the specific ingredients that help to lessen pain and make them more potent.” He closed his eyes once more and held his hands out, the ginger root lying on his left hand. Within seconds, the root had been broken down before Olivia’s eyes and formed into a pile of tan powder. Then a white powder rose from the pile and floated to his right hand. He opened his eyes.

  “This is what we need,” Rufus said, holding up the white powder. “This has its uses and shouldn’t be wasted.” He held up the tan powder in his other hand. He carefully poured the tan powder back into the bottle the root had come from and corked it. “We are almost finished. We just need to mix this with a liquid so that I can insert it into the wound.”

  Rufus closed his eyes once more, bent down, and placed his free hand on the grass. After a moment, he raised his hand back up, showing Olivia the small ball of water that he now held in it. He brought his hands together to fuse the powder with the water, making a paste. Then, just as before, he held his hands over Jin’s wound, closing his eyes to concentrate. The paste left his hands and entered the wound. Olivia and Kai-Tu watched in amazement.

  “You, Olivia, have just seen a basic, but fundamental, act of remedology,” Rufus said, getting to his feet. “I said I would teach you a bit of it so you can use those bottles I gave you, remember?”

  “I do,” Olivia said, looking down at Jin’s wound. The enflamed skin around it was no longer swelling, and the puncture seemed to be healing. “Will he be okay?”

  “Well, I should say so,” Rufus said. “That is, assuming that pulling out the venom and tending to the wound is sufficient until we can get to the Nocturnal Archives.” He removed his hat and placed it over the rack of bottles. Then he lifted the hat again and the rack was gone. He placed the hat back on his head and sighed. “Is everyone else okay? I’m still a bit shaken by the whole situation myself.”

  “A bit?” Bren said. He was still lying on the ground next to Jin. He sat up and put his head in his hands. “I… don’t know what got into her. An arachon, somethin’ so wise and ancient, turned into a monster by that…king.” He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I fear I may go mad meself if I have to do that again…”

  “But you saved us,” said Olivia.

  “Aye, that may be true,” he said, looking over at her. His eyes were red and filled with tears. “But in the process, I killed another. It’s horrible.” He buried his face in his hands again.

  “I know. I’m sorry, Bren,” said Olivia with a sigh. “But we will put an end to this.”

  “I hope so,” said Bren. “The guilt is really weighin’ on me.”

  Olivia walked over to Bren and laid a hand lightly on his bandana. She felt horrible, too, and still frightened, but she also felt that it was her fault they were all in this mess and that it was her job to comfort them. “It’s okay, Bren,” she said, patting his head.

  “I don’t know, Olivia,” Bren said, shaking his head. “I don’t mean any disrespect, but I don’t think you understand. I mean, did you feel it? Morragin is gone, Olivia.”

  Olivia took a moment to let Bren’s words sink in. She didn’t quite know how to respond.

  “I believe what Bren is trying to say is that you, as a human, may not be able to feel the balance of the world being disrupted as we do,” said Rufus. “It may be quite comical to believe such a thing, considering it’s based only on our tales of humans. However, we also once believed that humans were only a myth. The fact that you exist means that Bren could be correct.”

  Although Olivia felt terrible, perhaps the others were feeling a deeper emotion than even she was feeling.

  “We don’t mean to judge you, my dear,” Holli said. “I think Bren just wants you to see that being forced to take the life of another affects us greatly. What happened today will likely haunt us forever. It’s said in our old tales of humans that they aren’t connected to the world as we are and that they don’t understand the fragile balance of action and consequence as we do. Morragin was a part of that balance, and we feel as though she has left behind a hole that can’t be mended. Her death has left behind an unraveled spot in a tapestry. We do apologize greatly for making assumptions, dearie.”

  “No, it…it’s fine,” Olivia said remorsefully.

  Suddenly, Jin’s eyes snapped open, and he began struggling to get to his feet.

  “Take it slow, my good ungulhak,” said Rufus. “You’ve been patched up, but not completely healed. We’ll need to get you to the Nocturnal Archives so that Holli and I may research an antidote to arachon venom.”

  “Oh, my head,” Jin said wearily. “So all that back there really did happen?”

  “Aye, it did,” replied Bren, shaking his head. “I know what you’re feelin’ Jin, but the sooner we get Olivia to the Lich King, the sooner we can end this madness.”

  “And we should probably be doing that soon,” said Locke, looking up at the sun. “We only have a few hours left before dusk. By the way, is anyone hungry?”

  “I am,” stated Kai-Tu. Everyone turned to him. He hadn’t said much on the journey so far, so hearing him suddenly speak was odd. He quickly looked down at his feet, embarrassed.

  “Well, let’s have a quick meal before we keep moving,” said Locke, pulling his sack from his shoulder. “We all need to get a hold of ourselves and rest. I have some apples from the Great Fairy’s hollow and some rolls from the celebration. Grab what you’d like.” He spread open the sack, revealing the food.

  Everyone except Thunc and Kili took either an apple or a roll from the sack. They sat under a tree, Kili now perched on Thunc’s head instead of Rufus’s hat. Thunc ate stones he dug from the ground, while Kili ate some berries plucked from a nearby bush.

  “So, Kili, you’ve found a new hat to rest on, eh?” Rufus said, breaking the silence.

  “Cheep! Sorry!” Kili exclaimed. “Tweet tweet. Thunc has cozy hat.” She nestled down in the grass on Thunc’s wide hat while everyone laughed.

  Shortly after finishing the small meal and helping Jin back to his feet, they began moving northwest again. The encounter with the arachon had everyone on edge as they continued to the Nocturnal Archives. They became especially fearful when they came to another bridge over a river.

  “Hopefully we can cross this one without too much trouble,” Bren said nervously as they stood in front of the bridge. They crossed it slowly, holding their breath and peering around for any suspicious creatures. None appeared, and they were at the other end in no time.

  “Well, that went better than expected,” Jin said. He was still having difficulty keeping his pace up, but he looked much better. He turned to the west, in the direction of the setting sun. “I’d say if we press on, we can make it to the Nocturnal Archives just after dark. O
r, we could stop and camp halfway between here and there.”

  “I don’t fancy the thought of camping out here with mad creatures out and about,” Rufus said.

  “I agree. I’ve never feared being out at night until now,” Locke said.

  “Aye, same here,” Bren added. “And I stay deep in the mountains, anyway. Campin’ isn’t exactly my favorite thing to do, if you know what I mean.”

  “Shh!” Kai-Tu hissed. “I hear something. Something is following us.”

  Everyone immediately halted. They listened intently, but they could only hear the sounds of the occasional bird and the wind blowing through the trees. Everyone held their breath.

  “Well, what is it, Kai-Tu?” whispered Bren after a few moments had passed.

  “I don’t know, I–”

  Suddenly, two dark shapes dropped from the trees behind the group. Everyone jumped and spun around in case they had to defend themselves. The two black spindelum that had agreed to come with Olivia on the journey the night before stood with their hands behind their backs, blinking at the company with their large black eyes.

  “What the flamin’ furnaces are you doin’ here?” Bren exclaimed. “And at a time like this? Where were you this mornin’, eh?”

  The spindelum didn’t respond for a moment. They just stood, eyeing the company. Then they looked at each other and nodded.

  “Sorry,” said one of them in a soft, grating voice, almost like a whisper.

  “Got distracted,” the other one said. They sounded nearly identical.

  “Well, let’s hope that doesn’t happen again too soon!” Bren shouted. “We can use all the help we can get, especially considerin’ recent events.”

  “Bren is right,” said Jin. “If you’re coming with us, then you’d better try to keep up. Also, try not to get so distracted that you miss half of the journey again.”

  The two spindelum bowed low. When they rose, they looked at each other and nodded again.

  “We will keep up,” one of them said.

  “And stay focused,” the other said.

  “Good, now, we really need to get moving. We’re already going to be making it to the Nocturnal Archives after dark. Let’s try not to make it any later than that,” Jin said.

  As the group pressed onward, the spindelum moved silently behind them. Kai-Tu, who was still near the back of the group, looked especially uneasy. He turned back frequently to look at the spindelum. Olivia was glad to see them, but wondered if they would be put into the same danger the others had already faced. She slowed so that she could get a better look at them.

  Short black hairs covered their spindly arms and legs, vaguely reminding Olivia of Morragin’s legs. They wore black cloth wrappings around their torso and face. As they moved along with the group, they stepped lightly, walking exactly at the same pace as one another. Their heads turned in different directions as they gazed at all that was going on around them. When they noticed Olivia next to them, they turned and focused on her, blinking their eyes as they studied her.

  “I’m glad you decided to come,” Olivia said nervously. Their gaze was somewhat frightening. They continued to stare at her without responding. “Do you have names?”

  “Grimwitch,” the one closest to her said.

  “Gauntlet,” the other said.

  “Oh,” said Olivia, somewhat surprised. She hadn’t expected a reply. “Those are nice names. They sound… neat.” They stared at her silently. “I’m trying to get to know everyone in the group and where they come from. It helps me learn about Aeldyn. Can you tell me about yourselves? Where is it that you come from?”

  “Wikkwood,” Grimwitch said.

  “Far west,” Gauntlet added.

  The spindelum glanced at each other and nodded. They then began to circle Olivia, inspecting her from head to toe. She clutched her staff, frightened. They immediately resumed walking beside her, staring over at her.

  “Curious,” said Grimwitch.

  “Human?” asked Gauntlet.

  “Yes,” said Olivia. “I know it must be odd for you, but you’re odd to me, too.” Grimwitch and Gauntlet suddenly looked down, as if offended. “But I mean that in a good way! I just want to get to know you…”

  “We tried,” Grimwitch said.

  “Wrappings not working,” Gauntlet said.

  “Human finds us odd,” said Grimwitch.

  “Frightening?” asked Gauntlet.

  Olivia was confused. Grimwitch and Gauntlet’s way of communication was strange, and she had difficulty keeping up. She saw that they had misunderstood her and thought that she was making fun of them. “No, not frightening. What do you mean, wrappings not working?”

  Olivia didn’t receive an answer. Grimwitch and Gauntlet no longer spoke to her. She wondered if she had offended them and tried to apologize, but they still didn’t respond. Eventually, she gave up, apologized one last time, and caught back up with Locke. She had become tired and her legs were sore. On the horizon she saw the sun painting the sky in shades of red and orange as it slowly sunk behind the hills. Soon it would be dark, and she wondered whether they would make it to the Nocturnal Archives before it became late.

  * * * * *

  After the sun had set and the stars began to appear, Bren called for Olivia to come to the front of the company.

  “How much have you learned about emberology?” Bren asked Olivia.

  “Which do you mean, Bren? With an ‘e’ or an ‘i’?” asked Jin from beside them.

  “With an ‘e,’ of course!” Bren answered. “I don’t know the first thing ‘bout that imberology with an ‘i’! Who on Aeldyn came up with that namin’, anyway? Makes conversations like this difficult.”

  Olivia assumed that Bren was asking about fire magic, and she answered, “I only learned the very basics from the Great Fairy, but I was able to light a candle.”

  Bren laughed loudly. “Well, that’s a fine start, my girl! But to light our way you’ll need a much stronger flame. How ‘bout I show you a thing or two to help you focus a better flame?”

  “Sure, that sounds great,” said Olivia. She wanted to learn the art of emberology, but what she wanted most of all was to sit down and rest.

  “First, you have to know how to control your flame,” Bren said. “Fire is destructive. If it gets out of hand, it can consume everything!” He made a circle in the air with his hands. “But bein’ a dwarf, who is naturally skilled at shapin’ stone and craftin’ different materials, I’ve also become somewhat skilled at fire magic. Helps with runnin’ the forge, you see?”

  Olivia nodded. She strained to keep her mind on what Bren was saying and not on the fact that her legs were becoming wobbly.

  “In those old tales, the humans recreated fire by burnin’ wood and coal and such,” Bren said. “Is that true, Olivia?”

  “Yes, actually,” she said. She hadn’t thought about the fact that when she created fire to light the candle, she hadn’t used any resources.

  “That’s so hard to believe!” Bren laughed. “Well, fire can be used in that way, but it’s destructive and wasteful. Flame can be willed into being from the Stream.” Suddenly he held his hand out and a ball of fire appeared above it, lighting the trail before the group. Then Bren closed his hand, and the flame went out. “You see? Fire isn’t hard to will into being. Actually, it’s really easy, unlike some of those deeper magics like those hjorthovin perform. But anyway, that’s why it’s extremely important to know how to handle it once it’s willed. You got it?”

  “Yes,” said Olivia, still dazed by the ball of flame Bren had just created.

  “Good,” said Bren. “Now, I’m gonna light the way for now, but I want you to be lightin’ it before we get to the Nocturnal Archives.” He reached into his beard and pulled out a large jar. He removed the lid and held the jar upside down above his hand. Then, like before, a bright ball of flame suddenly appeared, but this time, it was trapped inside the jar. He placed the lid back on the jar and hung it from a loop on h
is belt. “There! That should light the way good enough. That is, until you make us one.” He chuckled.

  For a while, Olivia walked by Bren, clutching her staff with both hands and focusing on the fire in the jar. Bren explained again and again how to control the flame after she willed it into being. After a while, Olivia was forming a much better understanding of emberology and managed to make the flame in the jar burn a little brighter. Bren was right; it wasn’t difficult.

  The staff that Locke made for her was also much easier to work with than the Great Fairy’s old cane, which felt foreign and unfamiliar. Unlike the cane, the staff felt as if it were a part of her and she could focus her will through it much more naturally. She focused again, this time blocking out all other thoughts. She saw a flame in her mind and willed it into being with all the focus she could muster.

  Bren’s jar suddenly filled with a white flame as bright as the afternoon sun. The jar expanded and made loud cracking sounds as if it would shatter. Everyone in the group, including Olivia, yelled and shielded their eyes. After a moment, the flame died down and the jar returned to its normal shape.

  “My, my, Olivia! That was the hottest flame I’ve ever seen comin’ from a child!” Bren shouted. “By me beard, I’d say that was just about as powerful as mine at the forge. You almost shattered me jar!”

  “I’m sorry,” Olivia said, putting a hand to her mouth.

  “Don’t be sorry, my girl,” he said, thumping her heartily on the back. “But you have to remember that if it wasn’t in this jar, it would have engulfed this entire group in flames! Let that be a lesson to you!” Olivia nodded in understanding. The rest of the group stood frozen behind them, wide-eyed with fear.