The Last Fairy Tale

by Lowell, E. S.

  * * * * *

  Later that night, after everyone had finally drifted into an uneasy sleep, Olivia jerked awake. She had been having a terrible dream about the arachon they had encountered. It was attacking the children at the orphanage. She walked outside of the hollow hill to get her mind off the dream.

  Wrapping Locke’s cloak around her, Olivia walked over to Bren’s jar, which held only a small, flickering flame. She turned her gaze to the east, where they would be traveling the next day. A gust of cool air blew past her, causing her hair to blow wildly. She had the sudden odd thought, probably due to her grogginess, that it was Briiz trying to urge her onward. She smiled at the thought and decided she should try to go back to sleep.

  Olivia turned back toward the hollow hill, but glanced over at the oak trees beside her. Something had caught her eye. She saw that Grimwitch and Gauntlet were hanging upside down from a limb, asleep. Their black wrappings had fallen to the ground, showing two more pairs of spidery arms on their torso and four more black eyes on their faces. Olivia gasped in surprise.

  Grimwitch and Gauntlet suddenly awoke. Their eyes slowly opened to find Olivia staring up at them in horror.

  “The human,” said Grimwitch, yawning.

  “Awake. Frightened,” Gauntlet said.

  “Why?” asked Grimwitch as he stretched all six of his arms. His eyes immediately widened as he noticed his wrappings were missing. He quickly dropped from the tree limb, scrambling to get the wrappings back on.

  “No…” Olivia said, putting a hand out toward him. “It’s okay. You don’t have to.”

  Gauntlet dropped from the limb, too. He reached down with his lower arms and grabbed his wrappings. “The human doesn’t find us disturbing,” said Gauntlet curiously.

  “Or does it?” Grimwitch asked.

  “Yes! No! I mean…” Olivia stammered. She reminded herself that they had been offended earlier because she said they were odd. She sighed and said, “I’m sorry. You can put them back on if you’d like. It’s just…I’m curious about why you cover yourselves up like that.”

  “Spindelum are grotesque,” Grimwitch said.

  “Spindelum never leave Wikkwood,” said Gauntlet.

  “Grimwitch and Gauntlet are too curious,” Grimwitch said.

  “Want to see the world,” said Gauntlet.

  “And the human,” added Grimwitch.

  “So it’s not often that spindelum leave their home because the Aeldynians find you…grotesque?” asked Olivia.

  “Yes,” Grimwitch answered.

  “And no,” Gauntlet chimed in.

  “Aeldynians are disturbed,” Grimwitch said.

  “By spindelum’s appearance,” Gauntlet said.

  “But wrappings aren’t required,” Grimwitch said.

  “Worn out of consideration,” Gauntlet said.

  “I see.” Olivia watched as they began to wrap their extra arms and eyes in the black wrappings. “Well, I don’t find you disturbing or grotesque. I suppose you could be at first, but now that I know you, you don’t frighten me at all.”

  “Oh,” said Grimwitch quietly.

  “Thank you,” Gauntlet said.

  “I enjoy having you guys around,” said Olivia, smiling. “And if the wrappings make you feel more comfortable, then wear them. But, if you don’t want to wear them, then don’t. I won’t mind, and I’m sure the others won’t mind, either.”

  Grimwitch and Gauntlet paused for a moment and looked at each other. Then they nodded and continued to wrap their extra arms and eyes. When they were finished, they put an arm around each other’s shoulders.

  “The human is…” Grimwitch began.

  “Very nice,” finished Gauntlet.

  They held out their free hands for Olivia to shake. She reached out and shook them both.

  “We would like the human,” Grimwitch said.

  “To be our friend,” Gauntlet added.

  Olivia smiled. It felt good to be accepted by the spindelum twins. They were mysterious but mischievous creatures, and Olivia was happy to finally get the opportunity to learn more about them.

  “And I would like for Grimwitch and Gauntlet to be my friends,” said Olivia happily.

  Interlude

  A pale ungulhak and a sickly-looking gnome travelled down the main road toward the Hall. Two imps were on the ungulhak’s back. They lay limp, their heads bobbing up and down with the ungulhak’s stride. They would have proven a very difficult catch if it hadn’t been for the gnome’s sedative potions.

  They continued along the road, looking here and there at the pleasantly symmetrical homes their King had so lovingly provided. Each home had its own yard, perfectly manicured by its owner. All citizens had their own shrubs and flowers. They even had their own time on the weekends. Life in New Aeldyn was simply wonderful, according to its citizens.

  It was late in the afternoon, so the Grimoire would be pleased that they had completed their task so quickly and efficiently. With two more imps, the lumber industry would soon be up to speed. The Grimoire would surely give them extra pay.

  Soon they came to the stairs that led up to the Grimoire’s Hall and climbed them quickly. At the top, two large automatons opened the massive black doors that led into the Hall. The sentient metal creatures were the Grimoire’s latest invention, made possible with the aid of his new associate, SAGAX. A large ball of lightning in the automatons’ chests served as the source of their power. It surged in pulses, like the beating of a heart.

  The ungulhak and the gnome stepped through the doors into the Hall and down the long black carpet that lined it. When they arrived at the throne, they bowed.

  “Your Majesty…” the gnome said. His voice was young and high-pitched. “We bring you two Unenlightened. We hope that they’ll serve your Majesty well.”

  “Awesome,” the man on the throne said. “Put them over there.” A long, pale finger ending in a black nail pointed over in the direction of a holding cell. “I’ll welcome them to our humble kingdom when they wake up.”

  “As you wish, my King,” the ungulhak said. He walked into the holding cell and dropped the imps onto the floor.

  “Shut the door behind you,” ordered the man.

  The ungulhak did as he was told and then returned to the throne. He bowed beside the gnome.

  “Rise,” said the man. “You’ll receive extra pay as a reward for your hard work. You two seem to be climbing your way to the top.” He laughed a low, deep laugh. “You’ll be part of the upper class before you know it.”

  The gnome and the ungulhak rose and held out their hands. The man dropped two gold coins into each, then shoved his hands into his pockets.

  “We are ever so grateful, Grimoire!” said the gnome, bowing low once more.

  “Cool,” said the man. “Now go and spend your pay wisely.” He paused and waited for them to begin leaving. “Remember, efficiency is the key to a strong future.” The two creatures turned and bowed. Then they left the Hall.

  “SAGAX,” said the man. A cloud of angular fog rose from near the floor. It turned so that a pair of hollow black eyes faced the man. “Let’s begin the conversion on these two poor, unenlightened imps. I’d rather do it while they’re knocked out.”

  SAGAX moved jerkily over to the holding cell, and the man rose from the throne and floated over to the cell behind SAGAX. He forced the door open with a flick of his wrist and pulled an imp out. The imp dangled a few feet above the marble floor.

  “Scan it,” the man ordered.

  SAGAX floated in front of the imp and scanned it with its hollow eyes.

  “Imp,” said SAGAX. “We now have fifteen imps in New Aeldyn. Lumber production will increase by twelve percent. You may take fifty-six percent of this imp’s life and magic force.”

  “Nice,” said the man. He held up the talisman around his neck with one hand. With the other hand hovering above the imp’s chest, the man closed his eyes. Color began to drain from the imp’s body. Its eyes opened, and it cried
out in pain. When the man pulled his hand away, the imp closed its eyes again, going limp once more. The man placed it back into the cell and brought the other forth.

  “Scan it,” he said.

  “Imp,” said SAGAX. “We now have sixteen imps in New Aeldyn. Lumber production will increase by fifteen percent. You may take forty-five percent of this imp’s life and magic force.”

  The man did as before and drained the imp. He took a deep breath when he was finished. He tucked the talisman safely away under his pullover and floated back to his throne. He sat for a while, stroking his long, spiked goatee.

  “SAGAX,” he said, “I gotta say, those trees in that forest to the west were an awesome idea. They’ll provide some natural defenses for New Aeldyn as soon as they arrive.” He laughed. “If I could pay you, I would.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Kai-Tu’s Secret

  “Everyone, wake up!” Jin shouted. “We must move, now.”

  Olivia scrambled to her feet and stumbled out of the hollow hill. All around her were the white birch trees from Whitewood. Somehow, they had moved east during the night. Her mouth fell open.

  “It’s a good thing we decided to camp beside the river,” Bren said as he stepped out of the hollow hill. “At least we’ll be able to stay alongside it and not get lost in these trees.”

  “True,” said Jin, swinging his sack up on his back and his scythe on his shoulder. “We should go immediately.”

  Everyone gathered their things and prepared to leave as quickly as they could. The cool air from the night before was still present, and the trees surrounding them seemed to make the chill worse. The company shivered as they weaved through the trees to the riverside.

  They walked for a while alongside the river in silence. The trees from Whitewood had stretched as far east as they could see. The meadow had now become a forest. Olivia looked over at the river beside her. The Weeping River wasn’t as calm as the Elder Brook that flowed through the valley past the Elder Forest or the Fae River that led into the Great Fairy’s hollow. It flowed swiftly and looked quite dangerous. Soon the group came to a pier that looked much like the one where Olivia had met Gaw. They stepped out onto it and waited.

  “Kin and Tol used to be the kappas of this river, didn’t they?” asked Jin, after they had waited for quite a while.

  “Aye. They’re the strongest and fastest of ‘em all,” Bren said, looking over the edge of the pier. “Although it doesn’t look like they’re here anymore.”

  “Do you think it has something to do with the Lich King?” Rufus asked. “I am certain Whitewood has never wandered about before, so I believe it’s safe to say that things are obviously awry in these parts.”

  “I’m sure it does have something to do with the Lich, but if we want to get to his domain before tomorrow, we’ll have to take the river,” Jin said.

  “I believe there are usually boats kept underneath the pier,” Holli said. “We could take those, although it would be very frightening because this river moves quite quickly.”

  “Do not fear, Holli,” Jin said. “We have come this far and can’t give up now!”

  “Aye! By tomorrow, we will have saved Aeldyn!” Bren shouted.

  “Or at least tried to,” said Kai-Tu.

  “Hai-Ku, you should keep your hopefuls up,” Haunches said, looking over at him with his half-closed eyes.

  “Yeah, whatever,” muttered Kai-Tu. “At least you aren’t having to go back to being chief’s son when all this is over.”

  “Kai-Tu, please, we need for everyone to work together and be supportive,” Jin said wearily. “Bren, help me get these boats.”

  Bren and Jin walked off to the edge of the river and eased under the pier to drag out two small boats. After they had them positioned on the bank, they called for the others to come.

  “Thunc,” shouted Jin over the rush of the river. “I’m not sure if you will fit…” Everyone took a seat in the boats with Jin, Olivia, Locke, Kai-Tu, and Haunches in one boat and Bren, Rufus, Holli, Grimwitch, and Gauntlet in the other. It was already quite a tight fit.

  “Thunc not like boat anyway,” said Thunc, waving his hand at them. “Thunc travel through ground. Much faster than boat.”

  “Sounds good!” Jin shouted from the boat. “I take it you will fly, Kili?”

  “Cheep! Yes,” Kili chirped. “Tweet tweet! I will follow boats overhead!”

  “Let’s get going, then!” Jin pushed the boat out into the water using an oar found on the boat’s floor. Bren pushed his boat out after Jin. It wasn’t long before the strong current grabbed the boats and moved them quickly down the river.

  The sun rose higher into the sky as they sailed swiftly down the river. The sunlight was warm and comforting and took the chill out of the water. Aside from the initial frightening burst of speed, Olivia enjoyed the ride. As they sailed further away from the Camicara Mountains, the current became calmer and the boats slowed to a controllable pace.

  “The trees of Whitewood have moved far,” Olivia said as she looked out at the meadow. Even though they had traveled a couple of miles down the river, Whitewood was still beside them.

  “It’s definitely weird,” Locke said. “I’ll feel a lot better when Aeldyn goes back to normal!”

  “Me too,” Olivia agreed. She looked around at the people in the boat with them. Kai-Tu was sitting next to Haunches, his arm propped on the side of the boat. He looked depressed. “Kai-Tu, what exactly is it like to be a kettu? Why do you dislike it?”

  “Huh. Why do you care?” Kai-Tu said, not looking at her. “It’s boring. You wouldn’t be interested.”

  “But I am,” Olivia insisted.

  “I guess it’s a life like any other, except that everyone around you is great at being a kettu.”

  “Well, it’s okay to be different, you know,” Olivia said. “Where I came from, everyone around me followed the rules so closely that they didn’t even know who they were.”

  Kai-Tu glanced at her, but quickly turned away. “Well…it’s probably not like that,” he said. “Every day I get picked on because I’m not good at camouflage magic and I’m awkward. All I ever hear from my father is, ‘Keep your back straight and your arms tucked in! Don’t be so clumsy! You’ll be chief one day, so I suggest you start acting like a chief!’ Well, I got news for him. I can’t do that stuff, and I don’t want to.”

  “But I think that’s okay,” said Olivia. “What do you like to do?”

  Kai-Tu’s expression changed from one of anger to one of confusion. “Well…nobody ever asks me that,” he said, returning to his usual sour expression.

  “Now is your chance to tell someone, then,” Olivia said, smiling.

  Kai-Tu scratched his head. “Well, I…I dunno…it’s kinda weird for a kettu I guess…”

  “Go ahead, it’s alright,” said Olivia.

  Suddenly, the boat dropped hard. The current was picking up speed again and Jin was having a difficult time controlling the boat. Everyone shouted in surprise. Jin looked back to make sure everyone was alright, and continued to steer the boat as best he could. Bren and the others had managed to sail ahead of them and were picking up speed with every second.

  “Try to slow it down!” Jin shouted toward the other boat, but it was too far away for any of its passengers to hear. He looked ahead in horror when he saw a fork in the river ahead. The path to the right looked calm and narrow, but the path to the left—the one they would be taking—was wide, and the water was raging. “Everyone brace yourselves. This may get rough!”

  The boat began to rock back and forth as they came to the fork. With all his might, Jin steered the boat to the left. Olivia watched nervously as Bren did the same. The river tossed Bren’s boat, which was traveling downhill and gaining more speed. Suddenly, Bren’s boat caught a rock jutting from the center of the river and smashed the front of the boat to pieces, flinging its passengers into the water.

  “No!” Jin screamed. He forced his boat forward with the
oar to gain speed. Olivia put a hand to her mouth and tried to stand as she saw Rufus and Holli’s bodies tossed into the air by the river’s waves. Locke grabbed her arm and made her sit. If any of them were caught off balance, they would surely be tossed out of the boat.

  Olivia and the others flew past the rock that had shattered Bren’s boat, and Jin locked his knees as he paddled with all his strength. He switched his stance fluidly with the boat as he steered it from side to side. Just ahead, Olivia saw Grimwitch floating on the surface of the water.

  “There!” she shouted, pointing to Grimwitch. “Help him into our boat!”

  Jin forced the boat over to Grimwitch. With careful footing, Locke rose from his seat and leaned over the side of the boat. He grabbed Grimwitch’s arm and heaved him up as they zoomed past.

  Grimwitch was stunned but okay. He was breathing heavily and shaking, but didn’t appear to be injured.

  “Gauntlet!” Grimwitch cried out. He shivered, looking into to the water. “Gauntlet!”

  “It’s okay, Grimwitch,” Olivia shouted as Locke sat him down next to her. “We’ll find him.” She put her arm around him, trying to keep him warm.

  They continued on, sailing down the river at dangerous speeds. A moment later, Jin pointed to the bank.

  “They seem to have washed up there!” he shouted. “I will steer us over.”

  When they reached the bank, their boat hit hard on the grassy slope. Everyone screamed as they were thrown forward onto the bank. Olivia coughed, moved her wet hair out of her face, and scrambled to her feet to check on the others.