Richard Tuttle - Sapphire of the Fairies

“It’s magical!” Kalina shoutedas she hurriedly tried to erect a shield over the entireparty.

Tanya dropped to her knees as Garthheard another thump behind him and turned to find both of the Lorgoboys stretched out on the ground. He pulled his sword from itssheath as he turned back to see Kalina collapse. His arms grewheavy under the weight of the sword and it dropped to the ground asthe trees above his head swirled in flashes of green and gray. Hestruggled to grab onto something to hold him upright as hiseyeballs rolled up into his head and his body collapsed beneathhim.

Nothing moved on the forest trail wherethe Rangers lay crumpled in heaps on the ground. Down from the skyfloated a small, blue fairy no taller than a man’s index finger.The fairy’s wings fluttered as she landed on the back of Tedi’shorse and surveyed the sleeping party.

“Why did you attack them,Pixy?” the blue fairy asked. “They would have passed throughwithout ever knowing we were here.”

A green, and slightly larger, fairyswooped down and soared along the trail over the unmoving forms,finally landing next to the blue fairy with a dazzling flourish ofoutstretched wings.

“Bah, Nixy,” he grumbled.“Humans are always trouble. It is better that we have stopped thembefore they went any farther.”

“I think you just enjoy beingmischievous,” Nixy pestered. “What if they are friends or an envoyfrom another land?”

“The fairies have no humanfriends,” rebutted Pixy. “It will be best for all if we dispose ofthem now. We can levitate them into the acid pits of theogres.”

“Do you speak for Queen Mitanow?” Nixy persisted. “Besides, we can never levitate them that farby ourselves. We will need a great deal of help, especially withthat big one. You had trouble getting him to lie down.”

“It would have been easier ifyou had decided to help earlier,” growled Pixy. “That female withthe long, black hair was trying to use some magic to shieldherself. She distracted me. If I hadn’t been distracted, the bigone would have gone down easy enough.”

“I’m sure,” Nixy drawledsarcastically. “Still, I think we need to get them into the StayBushes as soon as possible. If one of them has the power to breakyour sleep spell, they could be dangerous to us. I will get othersto help with the levitation.”

“I’ll go,” Pixy offered. “Youkeep a watch for any signs of wakening and don’t let any of themget away.”

Without waiting for a reply, Pixyforcefully spread his wings and soared down towards the trail belowbefore fluttering off through the apple trees. Nixy stood watchingthe strange party of humans for what seemed to be a long timebefore Pixy returned with scores of other fairies to help transportthe invaders to the Stay Bushes.

“You are taking them to theStay Bushes and not the acid pits, aren’t you?” Nixyinquired.

“Yes, yes,” Pixy sighed. “Ithink they ought to be disposed of, though. One human in the StayBushes is all right, but all of these can be dangerous. Midge foundout somehow and demanded that they be taken to the Stay Bushes andthat I report immediately to Queen Mita. You will have to supervisethe moving. Make sure they are kept asleep even after you havedelivered them.”

Pixy left the mass of fairies assignedto deal with the invaders and flew into the orchard. Soaringbetween apple trees which held the homes of his fellow fairies,Pixy angled towards the very center of the orchard where the greatFather Tree stood, the tree that the Mage had used to restore theorchard after the blight caused by Alutar and his ogres. FatherTree had a hole through its bark, level with a human’s head andsporting a wide protrusion outside of it. It was on this lip thatQueen Mita held court and Pixy set down on it with the precision ofan acrobat.

“Your Highness,” bowed Pixy tothe blue fairy. “We have captured a large band of humans bent oninvading our homeland. Nixy, at this very moment, is escorting theinterlopers to the Stay Bushes. There is one among them that usesoutlander magic and I think we should send them off to acid pits atour earliest opportunity.”

“I did not know that your headwas large enough to accommodate an ogre brain, Pixy,” Queen Mitarebuked. “Would you send every human who comes close to our homedirectly off to the acid pits? Would you have handled the Mage in alike manner when he showed up to restore this orchard?”

Flushing with embarrassment, Pixyresponded, “Of course not, Your Highness, but these invaders arewarriors and come heavily armed.”

“What do the humans looklike?” quizzed the Queen.

“They are all dressed in blackand carry great swords and large bows,” Pixy answered.

“And what were they sayingwhen you observed them?” prompted the Queen.

“He does not know,” answered agreen fairy upon landing on the platform. “According to Nixy, heissued the Sleep Spell before any of them had uttered aword.”

“Thank you, my son,” QueenMita greeted Midge.

“Of course they were sayingnothing,” protested Pixy. “They were trying to sneak up onus.”

“We have a furthercomplication, Queen Mita,” Midge interjected. “We have transportedsix humans, but there are seven horses and they were all beingridden.”

Nixy arrived at that moment and settleddown next to Pixy. “The blond female is the one that is missing,Prince Midge,” she said as she bowed to the Queen.

“How could you lose her?” Pixyblurted out. The Sleep Spell you put on her must not have beenstrong enough.”

“I did not put a Sleep Spellon her,” frowned Nixy. “I thought you had already doneso.”

“I was,” Pixy respondedsheepishly, “until I got distracted by the witch. I thought yourealized that and finished her.”

“Enough!” demanded the Queen.“Midge, we are losing light already. Send out patrols to locatethis missing human and retrieve her. Have them be careful. Pixysays that they are dressed in black and use outlander magic. We maybe facing a band of Black Devils. I would prefer that she besubdued and placed in the Stay Bushes, but kill her if youmust.”

Prince Midge threw himself off thebalcony in a dive and soared towards a large group of green fairiesclad in shiny mail and tiny helmets. The Queen turned to Nixy andfixed her with a look of despair.

“Nixy this is not the firsttime that you have lost a delivery,” rebuked the Queen. “You shallbe in charge of watching over the captives to ensure that they donot wake. Pixy, you shall have the dubious honor of determining whothey are and why they are here. I will not accept any mishandlingof the prisoners, but you will remain within the Stay Bushes untilyou have accomplished your task.”

With a wave of her tiny hand, QueenMita dismissed the other two fairies.

* * * *

Tanya lay under the windswept pile ofoak leaves from last fall’s dropping and watched with fascinationas the fairies levitated the other Rangers away. She wasn’t surewhy she had not fallen prey to their magic, but it was apparentthat her friends were being taken captive and not harmed. Shestarted to fall asleep like the others, but suddenly the feelinghad just departed. At first she had thought to lash out at thefairies and free her comrades, but, thankfully, she remembered thereason for their journey. It was the Sapphire of the Fairies thatthey were after and they had found the fairies, no matter theircurrent predicament, so Tanya slid off the trail and quietlycrawled away.

Tanya cringed involuntarily as anotherslimy thing crawled across her leg. The half-year-old leaves stillheld the moisture of winter and decomposition and she shuddered atthe thought of what type of creatures inhabited them.

When the last of the fairies left shethought about following them, but quickly decided to wait for thecoming darkness. She spent the time trying to remember Uncle Boris’tales about the fairies. She shoved her face further out of thesmelly pile of leaves and was rewarded with the sweet, fresh smellof the apple orchard nearby.