When the meal was over and it was time to go to sleep, Rachel asked about posting a guard. What exactly she was worried about I don’t know, but I assured her that there was no need and she did not question me further.
It did not take long for them both to fall asleep and I stayed awake for a while, watching Rachel breathe as she slept. I thought about visiting Death to give him an update, but was worried how Rachel would react if she woke up and found that I was not there. After a while I lay down, closed my eyes and drifted off.
Fairy
Part way through the next day we spotted a light up ahead. It was only a faint glow, but Rachel’s hand twitched in mine as she resisted the urge to run toward it. I understood how she felt, but I needed to investigate it before allowing her any closer.
“Stay here,” I said, dropping her hand and moving away. I headed toward the light and soon found myself in a huge cave filled with fairies. As I had been expecting they were all very busy, silently going about their business, and it took a while for any of them to notice me. When one did, I recognised her and forced myself to suppress a grimace.
“Kris, how good to see you,” she said as she flew up to me. In typical fairy style she was dressed in what resembled a sparkling leotard which emphasised her slim, athletic figure. At first glance she looked like a normal human being, until you noticed her wings. There were two sets of them protruding from her back and they were covered in multi-coloured patterns. With long blonde hair, bright blue eyes and pale skin she was a beautiful creature and she knew it.
“Fee.” I nodded my head at her by way of greeting.
“To what do we owe this pleasure?” Her voice was soft and musical and many men found it appealing. I was not one of them. Any attraction I could ever have had for her was dispelled by her personality. I momentarily contemplated lying to her about my reason for being there, but if she found out that I was leading strangers through the tunnels she might cause a lot of trouble.
“I am escorting some humans to my uncle’s place and this is the quickest route. One of them is on a quest to rescue his girlfriend and he brought a friend along to help. We will not cause you any bother and promise to keep away from any inhabited areas.”
“Nonsense,” she said, smiling sweetly at me. “My mother would be most upset if she did not get to meet our visitors. Bring them here and we will provide refreshments.”
Without waiting for a response she flew off to where an elderly lady sat at the other end of the cavern and eagerly gave her mother the news. I sighed and walked back down the dark tunnel, away from the cave. I was surprised to find both Rob and Rachel where I had left them; neither had attempted to follow me.
“Fairies,” I said when I saw them. “One of their caves is up ahead and they have invited us to join them for a meal.”
In the darkness I saw Rachel go pale. “What do fairies eat?” she asked. “When you say ‘join them for a meal’, you do mean share a meal with them as opposed to us being the meal, don’t you?”
“Of course.” I was somewhat taken aback by the question. “Why would you think they would want to eat you? Fairies never eat meat.”
“I don’t know,” she snapped. “Maybe because until yesterday I never knew that fairies actually existed. I have no idea what they are really like and wandering around in the dark has made me paranoid. Okay?”
“Calm down,” Rob said, pulling her toward him and hugging her tight.
“I just want to get out of here,” she said into his chest.
“I know. Me too,” he said soothingly. “Me too.”
“Come on you two. Just head toward the light.” I was not looking forward to introducing Rachel to Fee, but I could see how desperately she wanted to be out of the dark so I did nothing to delay them. I noticed that Rob took hold of Rachel’s hand and felt a momentary stab of jealousy.
As soon as they entered the cave Rob and Rachel both stared in wonder. “Welcome to our home,” Fee said, smiling sweetly. She could really look angelic when she wanted to, but I knew it was all an act.
Rob gaped at her and I had to hide a smile when Rachel rolled her eyes. “Thank you,” she said politely to the fairy, sounding a little timid.
‘Rachel, Rob, this is Fee. Her mother is in charge of this particular colony.”
“Follow me,” Fee said. “Kris has told us all about your quest and my mother is dying to meet you.”
She led us through the throng of fairies to the alcove on the far side where her mother was sitting behind a table. “Please, take a seat,” she said, indicating the cushions surrounding the table with her arm. She was sitting cross legged and we all chose to do the same. The table was laden with fresh fruit and steaming vegetables and a loaf of bread was to one side.
“Wine?” the elderly fairy asked and we all willingly accepted the offer.
As they ate, Rob and Rachel told Fee and her mother all about their travels so far. Rachel almost referred to the underworld as Hell once or twice, but she caught the warning look I directed at her and managed to stop herself in time. I noticed that she glanced my way frequently, almost as if she was checking with me that she was not saying or doing anything wrong.
Fee and her mother seemed fascinated and the fairies kept interrupting with questions, though Fee only ever spoke to Rob. She did not take her eyes off him the entire time. I remained quiet. I was tense, unsure exactly what problems Fee would create, but ready to face whatever proverbial spanner she threw our way.
“Thank you for your hospitality,” I said as soon as the meal was over. “We wish we could stay longer, but we really need to be on our way.”
Fee leaned over and whispered something in her mother’s ear. The elderly fairy shook her head. Fee whispered something else and her mother sighed. “Oh very well then. If you insist.” She turned to address me. “My daughter has volunteered to guide you through the caves,” she said. “She also wishes to accompany you until you have completely passed out of our lands.”
“I am not sure that is a good idea,” I said.
“I agree with you, but she insists. You know how the young are. But the decision to allow her to accompany you is entirely yours.”
“Will she provide light?” Rachel asked before I could turn down the offer.
“Of course I will,” Fee replied. “That is the whole point of me going with you.” The way she said it made me think she was up to something.
“With light we will be able to go faster,” Rob said. “I vote she comes. Rachel?”
She looked uncertain, but agreed with him.
“I didn’t realise this was a democracy,” I muttered, but didn’t object. I knew how uncomfortable Rachel was in the dark and could not bear the thought of making her go through that again. I would, however, miss holding her hand and leading her, but I should be putting her needs before my own.
Fee stood up, clapping her hands together in glee. “I just need to pack a bag. I’ll be right back.” She took to the air and flew away.
Her mother looked at me, a strange expression on her face. “Keep an eye on her.”
“I will,” I said, knowing full well it was a warning, not a request.
Fee soon returned and led us to a tunnel on the far side of the cave. It was very dark inside and Rachel hesitated before entering. Fee took hold of Rob’s hand and walked into the tunnel, pulling him in after her. As soon as Fee entered the darkness it was filled with the same faint glow that was in the cave. I was about to follow, but Rachel grabbed hold of my arm. “What’s the problem?” she asked quietly. “Why don’t you want her with us?”
I looked around to make sure that nobody was close enough to hear before answering. “I don’t trust fairies. They always have a hidden agenda. And as I said earlier, they can become very vicious when they don’t get what they want. They are magical creatures so are very dangerous when crossed.”
“Are we in any danger?” she asked in concern.
“I don’t know yet,” I replied, then walke
d into the tunnel after Fee and Rob.
We stopped regularly for water and Fee took us through many beautiful caves, some filled with sparkling gems, others with waterfalls and other scenic features. I was sure she was taking us the long way, but Rachel seemed to enjoy what she was seeing, so I kept my suspicions to myself.
Whenever we took a break, Fee always sat close to Rob and insisted on holding his hand whenever we were moving. She seemed to take an extreme delight in showing off the more beautiful parts of her home to him. She practically ignored Rachel and me.
When we entered a particularly large and splendid cave Rachel took me to one side. “I think we have a problem,” she whispered, glancing across to where Fee was talking animatedly with Rob.
“I noticed.” I was pleased that she had as well. “I think we now know the real reason for Fee joining us. She is rather enamoured with your friend.”
“Do you think he knows?”
I shook my head. “It doesn’t look like he has a clue. And we had better leave it that way. Fee knows that we are on a journey to find the love of his life, but we don’t want him reminding her of that fact, at least not until we are out of these caves. She may end up leading us in circles so we are stuck down here forever if he upsets her.”
“What do we do when he finds out? We both know he is going to reject her if she makes any advances toward him.”
I frowned in concern. “We will have to cross that bridge when we come to it. Until then, all we can do is keep an eye on her and pray that we get out of here before he says anything to upset her.”
Rachel grinned at me. “And which particular god do you want me to pray to?”
Under other circumstances the comment would have amused me. “We are in the underworld so I guess it had better be my grandfather,” I replied, but found I was unable to smile back at her.
Later in the day we stopped for a meal. Fee provided the food, handing round bowls filled with fruit and other such tit-bits. No meat though, unfortunately.
“If you don’t mind me asking, what is this?” Rachel asked, holding up one of the items in her bowl.
“Mongongo,” Fee said. Rachel frowned.
“Huh?” she said, making me chuckle.
“It’s a type of nut found in parts of Africa,” I said. “It’s very nutritious.”
The blood drained from her face and she began to panic.
“Robert,” she shouted out. “Don’t eat it.” But she was too late. She watched in horror as he took a handful out of his bowl and placed them in his mouth, chewed and swallowed.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as soon as his mouth was empty.
“Nuts,” she said. He went pale.
“What is the problem?” Fee asked with concern. “You act as if I am trying to poison Rob. I would never do such a thing.”
“He’s allergic to nuts.” Rachel said. Before our eyes Rob’s face started to swell. He looked toward her, his face filled with terror and his eyes pleading with her to help him. His hands instinctively clutched at his throat as breathing became harder and harder. He collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air.
“What is happening?” Fee screeched, her wings fluttering nervously.
“He’s going into anaphylaxis shock,” Rachel explained as she ran over to him and picked up his bag from where he had left it on the ground. “He needs epinephrine.”
Fee and I both stared at her with blank faces. Neither of us knew what she was talking about.
“What are you looking for?” I asked as she searched through Rob’s bag.
“His EpiPen,” she said as she tipped the contents of the bag onto the ground and spread them apart. “Damn. It’s not here. He must have forgotten to bring it with him.”
Robert’s breathing became even more laboured and he passed out.
Rachel moved closer to him and placed his head into her lap, clutching his body tight and rocking to and fro as tears streamed down her face.
“Kris, help him, please,” she begged.
“Alright,” I said calmly. “I need you to tell me exactly what is happening to his body.”
She swallowed, visibly trying to get herself under control. “His blood vessels are widening, his blood pressure is on its way to becoming fatally low and his throat has swollen so much that it is blocking his airway.”
“I will see what I can do.” I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. I was confident I would be able to save Rob and was impressed that Rachel managed to give such a precise and detailed account as to what the problem was, despite her panic. She had impressed me a lot lately I realised.
“Please hurry.”
I placed my hands on Rob’s chest and closed my eyes. Concentrating hard I willed Rob’s body to start to repair itself. It took a long time, but eventually his breathing became less laboured and his eyes fluttered open.
I collapsed onto the ground and lay beside him, breathing heavily. I was completely exhausted.
“That was hard work,” I said. I wasn’t exaggerating. I have never had to heal someone whose body is fighting against me before.
“Will he be alright?” Rachel asked, wiping tears from her face.
“Yes.” She breathed a sigh of relief. “Let us both rest for a couple of hours, then we can continue on our journey.”
“Thank you,” she said and hugged Rob tightly. He took hold of her hand and squeezed it.
“I will be fine,” he said.
“I’ll look after him,” Fee said. “You can fuss over Kris.” I liked the sound of that, but was too tired to react.
“I think you have done quite enough already, don’t you?” Rachel snapped at her. I raised my head enough to see her lean over and lay her head on Rob’s chest as she started to sob. Rob gently caressed her hair comfortingly.
I glanced toward Fee and was not surprised to see a dark look cross her face. I was too exhausted to do anything about it, so I closed my eyes and went to sleep.
When I awoke Rob confirmed he was able to continue, so Fee took him by the hand once more and led the way. Before Rachel could follow, I grabbed her shoulder.
“Fee was not happy when you yelled at her earlier, blaming her for Rob’s near-death experience,” I said. “If looks could kill, you would be a corpse right now.”
“Should I be concerned?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” I replied. “I honestly don’t know.”
Attack
It took 5 days to travel through the tunnels and Rachel was so pleased to finally see sunlight that she ran out of the tunnel we were in as soon as the exit came into sight.
Other than never letting Rob wander far from her, Fee had behaved herself and Rachel was grateful for the light she had provided, so I tried to be pleasant to the fairy.
“Thank you for your help,” I said as soon as we were out in the fresh air. “You should go back to your mother now.”
Fee shook her head. “I can guide you for a while longer.” I considered arguing with her, but decided that having her close might be a good thing. At least that way I could keep an eye on her.
“I’m starving,” Rob said once it had been agreed that Fee would stay. “My body is craving meat of some kind. Any chance you can magic some up?”
“No, but I’m sure we will be able to catch something if you feel up to a little hunting.” Having been in the cave system for so long I wanted to surround myself with nature and hunting was a good excuse.
I debated whether it was safe to leave Rachel alone with Fee, eventually deciding to take the chance. Fee had not said or done anything to make me think Rachel was in any danger, but I still had an uneasy feeling that I could not shake.
I pulled a bow and some arrows from my bag and began to lead Rob away. Looking back I noticed that Rachel had already begun to write in her diary and I smiled to myself. I was desperate to read it and wondered if she would allow me to one day. Probably not.
“Ever used a bow before?” I asked Rob as we approached some trees. Rob shook hi
s head.
“No and now is not the time for me to be learning. I want to eat this side of nightfall.”
I laughed. “Another time then.” It did not take me long to spot a group of rabbits and moments later I had killed one, shooting it through the neck so that death was instantaneous. I kill for food, not sport, and never allow an animal to suffer.
I instructed Rob to strip and gut the creature while I hunted for sticks in order to make a spit. It took a surprisingly short time to roast and the meat made a welcome addition to the fruit and vegetables Fee supplied. Fee, of course, refused to even try it.
I watched Fee and Rob closely while we ate. Thankfully Rob was still oblivious to her interest in him and he had absolutely no idea that she slept cuddled up to him each night. A few days ago I had explained to Rachel that a fairy’s natural state is the smaller version of themselves and that it takes up a lot of their energy to maintain being human sized. I have never known of one stay big for so long. Each night, as soon as she was sure that Rob was asleep, she would reduce in size and snuggle down against him. I wondered how he would react if he knew.
After our meal we walked for a few hours with the sun blazing down on us. While Rob, Rachel and I made comments on how wonderful it was to be out of the dark tunnels, Fee seemed uncomfortable in the daylight, but she refused to make herself small so she could be carried in one of the backpacks. Instead she pulled a parasol from her bag and used it to shade herself from the sun.
“At least we don’t have to carry her bag for her,” Rachel whispered to me. “There is no way she would be able to lift it when she is small enough to fit into my hand.”
I chuckled. For someone who usually notices so much, she misses some pretty obvious things. “Fairies are magic creatures. Her bag, clothes, everything shrinks when she does or hadn’t you noticed?”
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