The Last Fairy Tale

by Lowell, E. S.

  “Oh, it looks so fun!” Olivia exclaimed.

  “It is!” Locke said. “But you heard what Jin said…”

  “I know,” Olivia said sadly. She had started the journey with a single purpose: to rid Aeldyn of the Lich King. But, along the way, she had fallen in love with the land and its people and wanted nothing more than to live a peaceful life among them. Of course, the fact that Aeldyn even existed and that it was so different from her dying world still bewildered her, but she had learned to look past her disbelief. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something appear in the direction of Stonehaven Lake.

  Walking at a brisk pace around the edge of the lake was a chubby creature with a wide umbrella. Olivia couldn’t quite make out what type of creature it was. She nudged Locke and pointed toward it.

  “What is that?” she asked.

  “If I’m not mistaken, I’d say it was a cat from Okenton,” Locke replied. “Seeing it in this area at a time like this doesn’t baffle me half as much as seeing it out in this weather.”

  As the cat neared the Nocturnal Archives, Olivia could see that it was a rather large black cat walking on its hind legs, wearing a red velvet waistcoat fastened with only one golden button. Olivia guessed that the others had long gone missing because of the strain they had to endure from the cat’s lower belly. Soon the cat reached the stone staircase leading up to the main doors of the Archives. Olivia and Locke watched as it slowly took each step one by one, trying its best to hold the umbrella steady. When it finally made it to the top, Olivia stepped aside to allow it in.

  The cat slowly closed the umbrella and looked over at Olivia and Locke with half-closed eyes.

  “Might you be the hue-man I’ve travestied so far to locate?” the cat asked in a low, aristocratic voice. It began to make a low purring sound.

  “Well, I…yes, I suppose. I’m Olivia,” she said, confused.

  “Hmm, yes,” the cat said. “You may call me Haunches. I am rather appeased to be meeting with you, Olive.”

  “I’m, uh, pleased to meet you, too, Haunches,” said Olivia. She wasn’t sure if Haunches was deliberately trying to confuse her, or he genuinely didn’t know he was using the incorrect words.

  “I have travestied from Okenton,” Haunches said. “The somniverous, Ink, attended our town and told us of your omission.” He stopped for a moment and purred, twirling his long whiskers with his paw. “I decided that I would like to persist.”

  “That’s…great!” said Olivia, unsure of what to think of Haunches.

  “The truth of the matter is that I, Haunches, the fanciest of them all, am treated like an outlast at the township Okenton.” He bowed his head, shaking it, before he started to cry loudly. “Why can’t I become like the other cats?” he wailed. “They’re so goodness at what they do! And I…I am just a useless hairball with no propose!”

  “Calm down, Haunches, it’s okay!” Olivia said softly. She took one of Haunches’ paws and patted it gently. “You don’t have to struggle to be like everyone else. And you do have a purpose; perhaps you just haven’t found it yet.”

  Haunches looked at her through his watery eyes. He suddenly lunged forward, hugging Olivia tightly.

  “Oh, thank you, Oliver!” Haunches said, sobbing.

  “No problem…” Olivia said, patting his back as best she could. After a moment, he released her and stood up straight, clearing his throat.

  “Sorry,” he said, his eyes half-closed again. “I lost my exposure for a moment.” He tucked his still-dripping umbrella underneath his arm and bowed low. “I would be honored to accomplish you on this journey, Olivia. Perchance I shall be able to dislocate my propose.” The final button holding his waistcoat together popped off as he bowed and shot halfway across the tower floor, narrowly missing a hjorthovin’s ear.

  “I’m pleased you’ve decided to come,” said Olivia, smiling.

  Haunches rose from his bow, his waistcoat now hanging open. He leaned down to Olivia and whispered, “I haven’t eaten in nearly two hours… Might there be any food around?”

  Olivia giggled. “You can find some sandwiches over by the main desk.”

  Haunches’ eyes widened and he teetered toward the main desk. Olivia and Locke looked at each other, grinning.

  “Cats from Okenton are supposed to be fancy…” said Olivia.

  “Okenton just happens to be the largest cat town,” Locke said. “Every cat I’ve ever met has been fancy. I think it’s just in their nature.”

  “I see.” Olivia turned and took one last look at the rain before slowly closing the door. “Well, I suppose I should begin studying. Where do you think I should go?”

  “You can go anywhere you want,” Locke said. “I know of a couple of books you might want to take a look at. Follow me. I’ll show you.”

  Locke led Olivia down a hallway to a spiral staircase that wound its way around the walls of the tower all the way to its top. They began to climb the stairs, their footsteps echoing loudly. When they had gone up a few floors, Locke turned and stepped out onto a large balcony.

  Out on the balcony, Olivia looked down over the mahogany rails. Far below, she could see the main desk and the hjorthovin lying about. She could also see Haunches and watched as he stuffed sandwiches into his mouth. She turned and gazed in awe at the massive shelves filled with books that lined the wall along the balcony. Locke was looking for a particular book in a row of shelves.

  “Ah, here it is,” he said, standing on his tiptoes to grab a book and heave it down. He carried it over to a small round table that was flanked by two large, soft chairs. Olivia followed him, eager to read what he had picked out for her.

  “So what’s this?” she asked, taking a seat in one of the chairs.

  “It’s basically a beginner’s guide to the different studies of magic and whatnot.” He spun the book around and pushed it across the table toward Olivia. It was titled Understanding the Magics, Volume One: A Guide to Focusing and Channeling by Leslie of Whitewood. “You’ve probably already learned most of what it teaches from the Great Fairy. The Understand the Magics books are really meant for people who want to pursue more knowledge in the different areas of magic, usually those in which a person isn’t naturally inclined.”

  “Maybe this will help me understand a few things.” Olivia opened the worn book and scanned the first page. “Although I don’t think I’ll be able to read the whole thing before we have to leave.”

  “Well, you’re smart,” said Locke, smiling. “Just pick out what you think is important, and that’ll have to do.”

  “That’s actually a good idea.” Olivia pulled her sack from her shoulder and set it on the table. “I’ll take notes in my journal.”

  “Great idea. Now, I’m going to go see if the hjorthovin will let me borrow a couple of those children’s books they’re studying. It’s funny that some of the most intelligent people in Aeldyn are now raiding the children’s section for information.”

  Olivia laughed and watched as Locke left the balcony. She opened her father’s journal and saw the last entry she had written about Ms. Canterbry’s rules. It gave her an eerie feeling to look down at the words and think about the time she had written them. She stared at the notes for a while and then shook her head and quickly turned the page. At the top of the new page she wrote MAGIC. Then underneath she wrote Basics and underlined it. She opened the cover of the book that Locke had given her and began to read.

  * * * * *

  Many hours passed with Olivia reading and taking notes. She was growing hungry again and wondered how late it was. She had made it through Understanding the Magics, Volume Two: A Guide to the Magics of the Elements and taken notes on the most important parts, skipping through the historical facts and other such things. Even though she wanted to read every book from cover to cover, she knew her time there was precious and that she couldn’t afford to waste any of it. Locke returned with sandwiches when she was halfway through volume three: A Guide to the Magics of the Spiri
t.

  “You must be hungry,” he said, handing her a sandwich on a plate. “Lucky for you, Haunches got full before they were all gone.” He sat in the empty chair. “You’ve been up here for almost seven hours now. Are you understanding things?”

  “Yes, these books are extremely helpful,” she replied, taking a hefty bite of the sandwich. “I wish I could stay and read every one of them.”

  “Well, maybe you can come back after we’ve dealt with the Lich King,” Locke said. “Anyway, Jin wanted me to tell you that you should come down and take a break. He says that you shouldn’t study without practicing, because you won’t remember anything.”

  “Fair enough.” Olivia finished the sandwich, stood up, and stretched her arms. “Wow, it does feel like I’ve been up here for a long time.” She grabbed her father’s journal, placed it carefully back into her sack, and tossed the sack over her shoulder. She reached to put the books back on the shelves when they suddenly rose into the air. She watched as the books floated back to the shelves and slid back into the correct spots. She looked at over at Locke, amazed.

  “I forgot to tell you; the books put themselves back,” he said, laughing. They turned and left the balcony to return to the main floor.

  When they made it back to the group, Olivia saw that Rufus and Holli had woken up. They were talking to Haunches about his journey to the Nocturnal Archives. The rain had finally let up, so Thunc and Kili had come back inside. Kai-Tu must have still been up in the tower reading, because he wasn’t with the group. Grimwitch and Gauntlet had finally settled down and were sitting cross-legged on the rug, looking rather droopy.

  “So you’ve returned,” Jin said as Olivia approached them. “It’s getting late and we need to be getting to bed soon. Tomorrow we will leave early in the morning. However, I think we still have a little time before bed for you to show us what you’ve learned.” He smiled down at her kindly. “I’m not trying to pressure you. I just want to make sure that you’ve learned a thing or two before we leave.”

  “I don’t feel pressured at all,” said Olivia, shaking her head. “I’ll be happy to practice. I’d like to try some techniques hands-on anyway.”

  “Ha! Told ya, Jin!” Bren shouted. “Nothin’ can bring our little Olivia down. Not even this…” He paused, holding a book up by its corner. “Studyin’ nonsense.”

  “Very true, Bren,” Jin chuckled. “Well, go ahead, Olivia. Just remember to save the more, well, robust magics for tomorrow when we’re outside.”

  Olivia set down her sack on the couch, pulled her father’s journal from it, and walked over to a vacant spot on the stone floor. To begin, she willed a small flame into being and held it steadily above her staff, which was one of the simplest things she had wanted to try. She had learned a little more about the concept Bren was trying to explain on their way to the Archives. Willing the flame into being was only the beginning; controlling and manipulating it after it had been created was the next thing to master.

  “Ah, that’s very good, Olivia,” said Bren as he stared up at the flame. “Lots of control. I see you understand what I was tellin’ ya.”

  After letting her flame sputter out, Olivia flipped through a couple of pages in her father’s journal and read for a moment. She tucked the book underneath her arm and then conjured a sphere of water. She held it above her outstretched hand, watching as the water flowed gently within the sphere. Next, after consulting the journal once again, Olivia caused a small but strong whirlwind on the rug. Everyone was impressed by her skill. In a single day, she had learned the basics of many different types of magic, which was typically a difficult task for an Aeldynian.

  As a last show of her skill with elemental magics, Olivia willed a flame in one hand and a sphere of water in the other. Everyone watched in amazement; performing different types of magic simultaneously required a great amount of power and focus.

  “Oh my…” said Rufus in awe. “Why, I’ve never seen anyone perform such a feat, especially at such a young age.”

  “Aye,” Bren agreed. “Neither have I!”

  Olivia slowly brought her hands together to combine the flame and the water, causing them both to disappear in a cloud of steam. Everyone was still staring at her, eyes wide with wonder. Olivia smiled to herself; she still had one last thing to show them.

  Closing her eyes, Olivia focused on grabbing a sandwich from the table across the room. The books had taught her that moving objects was a type of force magic that sent a spiritual form of your body out. It was one of the most difficult types of magic to master, aside from mind magic. A sandwich on the table suddenly rose into the air. It floated directly in front of Haunches, whose mouth hung open in surprise, came slowly across the room to the group, and stopped to hover in front of Locke. He reached out and grabbed it.

  “Wow!” Locke exclaimed. “Olivia, that’s really something! You’re like a child prodigy or something!” He laughed. Everyone shared their praises of Olivia. Bren and Jin told her how proud they were of her accomplishments, Rufus and Holli asked her about the notes she had taken, Thunc and Kili excitedly retold her astounding feats to one another, Grimwitch and Gauntlet shook her hands vigorously, Haunches gave an amusingly worded speech about her skill, and even Kai-Tu muttered, “That was pretty cool.”

  That night Olivia lay in her bed, wondering what to expect the next day. She was much more confident in her magical abilities, but she still felt uneasy when she thought about the Lich King. The closer she got to actually meeting him, the more afraid and unsure she became. She wasn’t in a dream, and she constantly reminded herself of that fact. Every moment that passed became more and more real to her.

  She tossed and turned in the bed, unable to sleep. Her mind danced back and forth between the Lich King, her companions, and the other children back in her world. It was up to her—an ordinary human girl—to use her new knowledge to stand up against a man who was far more powerful than she could possibly imagine. The fate of Aeldyn, and possibly the human race, weighed heavily on her shoulders.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Whitewood

  “It’s been lovely seeing you all,” Walter said early the next morning as Olivia and the group of travelers gathered their things, preparing to continue northwest. Walter yawned. “Hoo! Sorry, I’m so sleepy! I shall be needing a good roost soon. Anyhow, I suggest you have a word with the hjorthovin about which path you should take in order to reach the Lich King’s domain.”

  “We will,” said Jin, resting his scythe on his shoulder. “Thank you again for allowing us to rest here.”

  “Oh, it’s the least I could do, friend!” Walter said. “You and your companions are always welcome to stay at the Nocturnal Archives.”

  “Thank you, Walter,” said Bren. “I don’t read much, but I’d sure like to sit in those chairs again sometime.” Everyone laughed.

  “Well, we’d best be off,” said Jin. “Is everyone ready? Everyone has all of their things?” After seeing that they did, Jin called for everyone to leave.

  “Olivia,” Walter said, lowering his voice. “Keep your wits about you, my girl. Strange things are happening out there…” He peered at her with the same stern glare he had given her when they arrived. “I believe you are special, indeed. I have the utmost faith in you. Go and bring peace back to Aeldyn.”

  With that, Walter spread his wings and flew up into the tower. Olivia watched as he rose higher and higher until he disappeared into the darkness of the upper levels. She slung her sack across her shoulder, picked up her staff, and ran to join the group as they walked toward the entrance.

  Before they reached the doors, Jin stopped and turned to the group of hjorthovin that Olivia had spoken with during the first evening.

  “Excuse me,” Jin said, bowing. “We ask for your opinion on how we should go about reaching the Lich King’s domain.”

  Celestim stepped forward, returning Jin’s bow. “We have sought refuge here because the forest has become untrustworthy, even to us,”
he said. “I would advise you never to stray from the road.” He paused and looked at Olivia. “I would also advise you to take extreme caution during the remainder of your journey. It has become clear to us that the man has discovered forbidden magics. He has even learned to block our telepathic probes, which is most concerning.”

  “That would mean he is proficient in mind magic, wouldn’t it?” Rufus asked.

  Celestim turned his gaze to Rufus. “Indeed,” he said.

  “Then do you think he is powerful enough to know that we are coming?” Rufus asked.

  “Yes, I am sure it would be exceedingly simple for him to detect your presence. However, we believe that he is currently preoccupied by some other matter.”

  “What do you mean?” Olivia asked.

  “We cannot say for certain,” Celestim replied. “Therefore, we will not say at all.”

  “Well, we’re wastin’ time standin’ around here!” said Bren.

  “The dwarf speaks true,” said Celestim. “Every moment that passes, the Fabric becomes darker. Grim times are indeed ahead.”

  “Let’s be on our way, then,” said Jin, a serious, hardened expression on his face. “Thank you for the advice, my friend.”

  “You are welcome,” said Celestim, lowering his head in a bow. He then rose and looked at all of them. “Be wary. Be safe.”