by Deirdra Eden
“Where are you going?” I couldn’t believe he planned to leave us alone with only a campfire to ward off the creatures of the woods.
“To find food,” was the only answer he gave before disappearing from sight.
Cassi and I sat next to the fire and watched the unfamiliar woods.
Shadows danced off the spiny trees as the fire flickered back and forth. The burning logs snapped in the heat. My lungs froze. For a moment I stopped breathing, but my heart raced erratically. Dark clouds rolled in, veiling the night lights in the sky. I fed the fire several times to keep it burning. Ruburt still had not returned. What if something awful happened to him? What if the wolves tracked us and attacked? The wind moaned through the treetops.
“Did you hear that?” I barely moved my mouth, but my eyes widened with terror.
“Sounds like spiders,” Cassi whispered.
“Spiders,” I stuttered. “Sounds like wolves to me.” The treetops cracked. A gale whirled around me and threatened to extinguish our weakening fire. Tall grass swooshed against my arm. I leapt to my feet and frantically brushed my skin.
“Something touched me. It felt like a spider or maybe a—” My voice quivered and paralyzed my tongue from speaking. The wolves were close, I just knew it. The dark forest swayed. The wind howled, giving me an even stronger sense that hungry wolves were waiting for me in the underbrush of the forest, just off the path. I crouched low to the ground and slid closer to the fire. Pulling the bedroll over my head, I peered out a small opening. Cassi clung to me like a leech.
“Something’s coming,” Cassi whimpered. I saw it too. The silhouette of a large hairy beast emerged from the woods. Heavy, hot breaths puffed into the cold night air as it growled.
The swelling terror burst inside me. I let out a high-pitched shriek and jumped to my feet.
“Are you tryin’ to give this poor dwarf a heart attack?” Ruburt stepped into the light and put his hand to his heart.
“Ruburt!” I shouted. My knees hit the ground. I bent over to catch my breath. “It’s only you.”
Ruburt put his finger to his lips, hushing me. “Do you want every dark creature in the forest to hear us?” Ruburt growled. “You two are so worked up ‘bout wolves and spiders when we should be worried ‘bout Hazella.”
I shook my head. “Why did you leave us?”
“I thought we should eat something other than bread. I caught us a fish.” He placed his skewered catch over the flames.
Cassi screamed and flew into a tree. “Ruburt is big, mean fish-killer!”
Ruburt ignored her and added more wood to the fire.
I couldn’t bring myself to eat someone who might have been Cassi’s friend. “I think I’ll stick with bread.”
“You need more than bread and water.” Concern flickered in Ruburt’s eyes.
“I’m used to it,” I reassured him. I wouldn’t take any chance of offending Cassi, even if I went a little hungry.
Ruburt grunted. “If the wind blows any harder, it’ll sweep you off your feet. I can tell Hazella didn’t feed you like she should’ve.” He rotated the fish over the fire.
I took a few small bites from a hard loaf of bread.
“We need to keep our strength. The rebel army hides in these woods,” Ruburt warned. “Erebus and his thugs.”
The Shadow Legion. I recognized the name of the Shadow King. Hazella had muttered Erebus’s name in reverence during storms and on foggy days.
Bitter wind blew past me. Shivers trickled down my spine like icy claws. I recalled Hazella saying something about Erebus, the one who sent the Shadow Wolf to kill me. Perhaps he knew of my abnormality and wanted me dead because of it. Creating fire wasn’t my fault. It just happened, and I didn’t plan on ever doing it again. I just wanted to be normal.
Ruburt continued, “The villagers think they’re demons. Personally, I don’t think even demons are capable of the carnage the Shadow Legion leaves behind. They’re something else, chameleons with the darkness and sometimes disguised as their own prey—humans.”
My chest rose and fell rapidly. “What do they do to people?” I asked, but didn’t know if I really wanted to know.
Ruburt laughed without humor. “Nothing I’ll say in front of a lady.” He pulled the fish from the fire and offered me half.
I discreetly pointed at Cassi. “It’s part of the fairy treaty with the water world.” I mouthed the words, “No fish.”
“Humph.” He took a bite out of the fish’s flesh and chomped on it. “I’m no fairy.”
I pressed my bedroll against my chest and watched the forest for any sign of movement. “Is there anything we can do to stop the rebels?” I asked.
Ruburt grunted. “The only thing humans can do is resist the Shadow Legion’s temptations ‘cause that’s how they take over. They bait humans in by offering power and comfort then, WHAM! It’s over. It’s like this fish.” He pointed to the remains on the stick. “All I had to do was hook a worm on the line to bait it in.” He licked his fingers. “Now I’ve consumed the fish’s body, just like the Shadow Legion disposes of humans. As long as humans keep taking the bait, the Rebellion will survive.”
My stomach turned. I pinched my nose and covered my mouth to muffle the smell of the fish.
“Now the Neviahans, that’s another story.” Ruburt put his hands behind his head and kicked off his boots. “Them Neviahans can take out a whole legion of Shadow Spirits. Some of them Immortal Neviahans can even kill a Shadow Lord. I heard that when the Lady of Neviah comes, even Erebus, himself, will be afraid of her.”
I looked down at my hair and picked at the split ends. “What do you think the Lady of Neviah is like?”
“Donno,” Ruburt answered. “She’s a warrior, so she’s gotta be strong.” Ruburt used one of the fish bones to pick at his teeth.
I secretly admired the woman that I had never met. I knew very little about her, but I knew that she was everything I wasn’t. The Lady of Neviah was strong and fearless. She wouldn’t be afraid of anyone, especially not someone like Hazella or a Shadow Wolf.
“Auriella, do you know what the ruby necklace is for?” Ruburt’s question caught me off guard.
I shrugged. “I’m not sure. Hazella talked about it renewing her body so she can get married.”
Ruburt held his breath, his eyes bulged, then he erupted in laughter. “That’s why Hazella seemed so eager to have it. I wonder what’s going to happen to the old hag, since Cassi insisted on taking it.”
“Not mean old witch’s,” Cassi defended. “Necklace made of Cassi’s dust.” A proud smile played on the pixie’s face.
“What does pixie dust do?” Ruburt wondered out loud.
A blue spark flew from Cassi’s fingers at Ruburt’s beard, making it curl into lovely locks. “It zaps fish-killers.”
I muffled my giggle.
Ruburt mumbled and gave Cassi a sideways glance. “Are you still mad about the fish?” He tried to smooth and straighten his beard without much luck.
“No, Cassi feel much happier now.” The pixie flashed a toothy smile.
Ruburt mused, “Well, why would the witch want pixie dust in the necklace?”
I smirked. “Maybe to curl her hair?” Cassi and I burst into laughter, and even Ruburt chuckled a little. I loved it when I could say witty things.
Ruburt rose to his feet and arched his back into a stretch. “Well, we can either stay here for tonight or keep moving.”
“Keep moving,” I said without question. I wanted to be far away by the time Hazella awoke. Besides, after Ruburt’s talk about the Rebellion, I wouldn’t sleep.
“Stay,” Cassi said. “Cassi so sleepy. Cassi cannot see in dark. Might fly into spider’s web. Then what would we do? What would we do?” Cassi stuck out her lower lip and shook her tiny head, making her antennae bob.
“You’ll be all right. You’ll be all right,” Ruburt repeated in a mocking tone. He lifted the coins and grunted.
I pulled my cloak closed to
hide my nightgown. “I know you are strong, but if you’d like me to help carry something, I can,” I offered, trying not to hurt his pride.
“Oh,” Ruburt shrugged, “are you sure?”
I nodded.
Ruburt handed me two of the four bags of coins. “It will help us make better time.”
I took the two bags of coins, tied the strings together and placed them around my shoulders. I squirmed under the weight of the coins. They were heavier than they looked.
I followed behind Ruburt and focused on the trail. The moonlight broke through the clouds and lit the path. The cool earth chilled my exposed toes as I stepped carefully around every sharp stone. I gripped my cloak tighter under my chin.
It didn’t seem long before the first light of day painted the sky with pastel hues. The sun rose over the hills and higher into the sky.
I took in the beauty of the surrounding woods. The trees here were different. We must have passed from one forest to the next during the night. Instead of branches fanned out in dusty green boughs, the glossy leaves shimmered in the sunlight whenever a breeze rustled them. I scanned the misty valley below before closing my eyes and taking in a deep breath. Despite all the walking, this was much better than being at the cottage.
“Don’t get too comfortable,” Ruburt said. I opened my eyes to see him frowning at me with a critical gaze. “Hazella will be after us before nightfall. We need to stay on our guard.” Ruburt pushed a branch from his face and pressed his way into the forest. “Shhh. From here on out you must be quiet and move quickly. We’re entering dangerous country.” Ruburt’s face lined with worry. “There’s another path that goes around this valley. It’s safer, but we don’t have a week’s worth of supplies for the journey. I hadn’t planned to go this far in the first place.”
I never intended to put him in danger. I cringed at my own selfishness. The sooner we got to the village, the better off Ruburt would be. At least we were making better time today through a lush forest of willow trees and overgrown fern.
“This is Clun Forest,” Ruburt whispered as if someone else could be listening. His eyes darted around the woods. Sunlight glittered through the canopy of leaves in brilliant patches, and butterflies floated from one bright flower to the next.
“What is so bad about this forest?” I asked.
Ruburt put his finger to his lips, hushing me. He spoke again in a mute whisper, “The elves and fairies live here. It’s heavily protected ‘cause the elves don’t like outsiders. The fairies also set traps for trespassers. We must be out of their territory by nightfall. Tonight, we’ll be near a town called Oswestry.”
“Is this where you live, Ruburt?”
“I live in the Golden Valley, where all the other dwarves live.” He sounded somewhat annoyed, but at least he answered my question.
“Do you have children?” I asked sociably.
“Nope!” The volume of his hasty reply startled me. “I need to find a wife first, and I’m not interested in looking for one.”
“Are they hard to find?” It sounded like a silly question, but I didn’t know how many dwarf women existed.
Ruburt paused. His body shook. I couldn’t tell if he was angry or laughing. “I just haven’t had the time to look, and I don’t think I’ll be going back to my village.” Sadness droned in his voice.
“Why not?” I asked.
Ruburt started to mumble something about the witch and a plague. I didn’t catch all of what he said, but by his tone, I could tell it wasn’t good. Of course he couldn’t return to his village. Hazella was probably on her way there now. I bit my lip. Ruburt not only put his life in danger to help me, but he left behind his people and everything he owned.
The path narrowed and disappeared altogether, but we continued to trudge through the dense forest. The thick treetops bore down on me with claustrophobic malice and blocked out the sunlight. Cassi glowed like a torch, lighting the way through the jungle of fern, willow, ash, and oak. I wrapped my arms around my middle. If I had any accidents with my fire in this forest, half of England would burn.
Cassi gasped and pointed at a ring of mushrooms along our path. “It be fairy trap.”
Ruburt stepped around it. “We don’t want to get caught in one of those.”
I eyed the colorful mushrooms. “Why not?”
The pixie sang and lithely fluttered along the path.
“Trapped in fairy ring for a thousand years,
You will not sleep, you will not eat,
But, you’ll dance to the fairy’s waltz.”
She stopped singing and added, “Cassi good at this game.”
I tiptoed over the fairy ring. “It’s a good thing we have Cassi to help us avoid these traps.”
Ruburt nodded in agreement.
Cassi spun through the air and chanted,
“They fell out of bed and landed on their head
‘Cause they stepped on our flowers and mocked our powers
Now they’re dancing to the fairy’s waltz.”
The tune was catchy and I found myself singing with Cassi.
“We’ll spook your horse and tease your cat
By the shadows we make on the barnyard wall.”
“Come on, Ruburt, sing with us.” I laughed.
The dwarf hummed low at first, then added to our chorus in his deep voice:
“We’ll raid the oatmeal chest and steal the brightest cherries.
Why do you put your fallen teeth under the pillows while you sleep?
We’ll steal those too, and hide one shoe, then wait to see what you do.”
We sung faster and louder. I spun in circles and Ruburt kept time with his hands.
“ Pull the pins from your favorite dress as it dries out in the sunshine.
Tickle your nose as you sleep and bite your mule like a swarm of fleas.
If you lose your way, you’ll never get back, stuck in our enchanted fairy trap.
You will not sleep, you will not eat, but forever be dancing to the fairy’s waltz.”
Ruburt stopped clapping and looked around the woods with narrowed eyes. “Wait a minute, something’s wrong. How do we all know this ridiculous song?”
Cassi and I continued to sing and blithely dance.
“Fairy magic,” Ruburt huffed. “No good can come from that deadly art. The fairies are not a race to trifle with.”
I spun and halted in my tracks. A fairy wand pressed against the tip of my nose.
Ruburt’s face turned chalky white. He held up his hands in a surrendering gesture.
One of the hundreds of fairies surrounding us held the wand at my nose like a sharpened sword.
Cassi continued to prance through the air.
I waved my arm to get the pixie’s attention. “Shhh, Cassi, stop singing.”
“Huh?” Cassi asked.
“Do not try to run away—unless you wish to become rabbits,” a petite, yet muscular, fairy man threatened.
The swarm of fairies herded us deeper into the woods.
Ruburt’s eyes shifted from the fairies to me. “Don’t talk to ‘em, and don’t touch ‘em, unless you want to be tainted with their fairy magic,” he whispered under his breath.
I nodded and watched the fairies float around us like unshackled stars. How could such beautiful creatures be dangerous?
The flowers and trees sparkled with fine, iridescent dust.
More fairies gathered along the trail to watch as the army paraded Ruburt, Cassi, and I toward the heart of the fairy kingdom.
Both young and old peered at us with amused and curious expressions. One small fairy smiled and waved at me. I waved back.
Ruburt let out a horrified gasp. “Don’t do that. Don’t encourage ‘em.”
I gave him a teasing glance. “Don’t be frightened, Ruburt. The fairies don’t bite.”
“Yes, they do, and so do pixies.” Cassi grinned, showing all her tiny teeth.
The trees shifted from behind, closing us in a tight cocoon. The complex
web of interlaced branches shut out earthly light, but a shining tree stood like a majestic sun in the center of the fairy galaxy. Crystal pears adorned the tree of light, garnishing the boughs like jeweled teardrops. Strands of white vines hung like spun silk and glowed brighter than moonlight.
