Chapter Eleven

                                 Chapter 11: Pixie Hospitality,
                                              Feathers, and
                                       Directions


Falion - Illumination Forest

The outcast gang was silent when all of the Pixies flew in around them. They weren't quiet sure what to make of it all, or how to react to it either.
The Pixies flocked in by the millions, until they were surrounded on all sides by the hum of wings and the giggles of the small creatures.
   "Impossible." Sonera gasped.
   "Not impossible," Merek muttered. "Just improbable."
Elowen prayed that they would all keep their hearts and minds open, other wise they would never last long down on Falion. And there were many more wonders to be discovered!
Lorem was still by her side, though he was starting to paw at the little Pixies that darted in and out of his personal space. She gritted her teeth, not wanting him to hurt any of them, so she called him back into the Gem where everyone could be safe.
She then turned back to the Pixies, not sure of what to say or what to do. She had wanted to show them the Pixies, but now that they were here, she wasn't sure what to do next.

That's when one of them flew extremely close and peered at her, while cocking his head.
   "You called?" He asked in a squeaky voice.
She smiled and nodded.
   "Yes. Indeed I did. I was wondering if you may be hospitable to us for the night. Maybe even escort us to the edge of the Forest?"
Laughter rippled through the sea of Pixies. Elowen sighed, she should have known that this would happen. The Pixies weren't known for their hospitality. To get anything from them, it usually meant that one had to give them something in order to gain their trust and their hospitality.
   "You are brave little Magi. Very brave indeed. But it doesn't work that way, and you know it."
She then began to chew on her bottom lip while rubbing Stargazer with her thumb, these negotiations would be tricky.
   "I'm sure there's something we can do. We are in need of at least directions to the edge of the forest near the Arriescent Ruins."
The Pixie rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment.
   "Hmm...The Arriescent Ruins you say? Well that's not exactly a pretty spot to see. Why do you need to go there?"
Ellie knew that the Pixie was trying to pry information out of her, she'd have to tread carefully.
   "Our business is our own, but I swear it will bring no harm on your people."
The Pixie seemed to doubt her.
   "You know they say a demon lives in those ruins. Nasty little bugger if there ever was one." He said loud enough for everyone to hear. Ellie cringed inwardly. She hadn't wanted to tell them that. Terryn and Dreyden's eyes swung to her in confusion, Sonera and Ysmay's eyes grew wide, and Kade looked like he could drive his sword through her. Merek on the other hand, didn't seem fazed by this.
   "There's a demon?" Terryn mouthed.
Ellie hung her head, her hair falling into her crimson face.
   "It's hardly a demon, just superstition Terryn. Of course, there is no demon."
The Pixie chuckled.
   "Ah so you didn't tell your little friends what you were leading them into, what they were going to be facing? Some friend you are."
No, she couldn't let him manipulate her words, or bring her friends against her.
   "Everyone is scared to go near there because they say that if one was to pass the walls into that ancient castle, the ghost would descend upon them in a rage." The Pixie continued.
Most of the gang was appalled by the fact that Elowen had failed to mention this bit.
Ysmay, however, was eager to trust Elowen, and hated to see her humiliated. She was also familiar with the tales of Pixies and how they tend to twist one's words around to fabricate a story that was never true.
   "Yeah!" Another Pixie joined in, coming up to the first. "And they say he has claws! And is as big as any Talon-bear seen and known! His eyes are red, his teeth are five inches long! They'll tear through you in less then a matter of seconds -"
Ah! There was his flaw!
   "Oh but excuse me sir," Ysmay spoke up. Stepping forward, away from Merek and towards Elowen. Smiling at her reassuringly, telling the poor girl she could handle this. Elowen's relief showed in her deep forest green eyes.
   "I thought you said was a demon."
The Pixie man drew himself up to his full height, which was roughly four inches tall.
   "’Tis a demon! A nasty demon."
   "But then," She continued in her quiet, and even tone. "you said it was a ghost."
The Pixie shrugged.
   "It can be both."
   "Ah! but you see, a ghost can not tear though you because they are simply phantoms. And a demon and a ghost are not the same thing and therefore, it cannot be both." The first Pixie man grinned as he looked from his friend to the dark haired girl. Enjoying the humiliation his friend was suffering. It wasn't often that someone could humiliate a Pixie. Especially a human!
The second Pixie stumbled over his next words, not quiet sure how this person could have out witted him.
   "It is very possible -"
   "No, it's not, I'm afraid." She broke in. "A demon is a damned creature, they live in the..." She actually didn't know where they would live. Elowen mouthed 'abyss' to her behind a veil of hair.
   "Abyss. So they couldn't possibly tread where Eleyos has. And a ghost, for the most part, is just a figment of one's imagination and smoke. Neither of these could possibly exist! There is a very logical explanation to all this, which is not contributed to the supernatural."
Ultimately, everyone was flabbergasted by her statement and quick thinking.
   "I didn't know she knew words that big. Let alone how to string them together so they could actually form a smart sounding sentence." Merek marveled quietly. Dreyden punched his arm playfully, but shot him a glare.
   "What?" Merek asked. His ignorance, blindingly obvious.
   But Ysmay's attention was not on Merek's snide remarks, but on the first Pixie who was laughing.
   "I like you." He stated. Hovering close to her. "I like you very much. You have proved that you are both smart with the tongue and with your wits. We shall show hospitality to you, but first! A small test perhaps?" He looked at his fellow Pixie friends and they all showed white teethed grins.
   "Yes, a test. Now choose one of your friends to participate."
   "To participate in what?!" Terryn spoke up. The Pixie just starred blankly at him.
   "It'll most likely be a test of wits. They will ask you a riddle of some sort. I'm not entirely sure, however." Elowen explained.
   "And it can't be this girl." The little Pixie tugged on a strand of Ysmay's dark hair.
   "Ouch!" She muttered, yanking her hair away from his tiny grasp.
Elowen turned to the rest of the group.
   "Anyone particularly good at solving riddles?" She asked. They all looked at each other, passing each the look that said 'you'. Finally Dreyden got fed up with it.
   "I'll do it for Eleyos' sake. Gosh you guys are a bunch of lasses scared of your own shadows!" He growled.
Elowen hid her smile by the sudden fear that he might get himself killed.
   "Are you sure? There's no telling what the Pixies'll do if you answer it wrong." She said as he started to move past her. He paused and looked down at her, and shrugged.
   "I'll be fine. Besides, I've got a Magi on my side."
She was a little reluctant to tell him that she didn’t know any spells that would benefit him in battle, it didn’t seem like the time to bring that up.
   Dreyden turned to the small Pixie and gestured with open arms.
   "Choose your riddle."
The Pixie nodded, a mischievous grin on his face for all to see.
   "Alright human. Listen carefully; if you feed me, I grow. If you water me, I die. What am I? You have fifteen seconds to guess once."
A memory over took Drey's mind.
His mother was in the kitchen, singing, as usual. The fire crackled in the background, casting shadows on her face. He came in asking her if he could have a cookie. She smiled at him and asked him a riddle like she always did.
'Feed me I grow, water me I die. What am I Little Knight?' He hadn't been able to figure it out then - "Thirteen seconds" - and he couldn't figure it out now! There was no way after all these years he'd know the answer. His mother had never told him! He gritted his teeth and tried to think.
   "Eleven seconds."
The Pixie's clock didn't help matters at all.
   "Think, Dreyden. Think!" Merek said in his urgent but not too pushy tone. Though that still didn't help anything.
   "Nine."
Feed me I grow, water me I die. What could that possibly be?!?! He shouted at himself.
   "Eight."
It's obviously not a plant....It can't be the sun because it can never rain there -
   "Seven."
Plant's need both water and food. So what needs only food?? Not trees, not branches -
   "Six."
No but what do you do with branches? Cut them down, make houses, make -
   "Five."
Make - you make fences, you make that all out of wood. Wood can also be used -
   "Four."
   "Come on Dreyden, think." It was Elowen this time, panic clearly in her voice. This broke his concentration and his train of thought.
   "Three."
He saw his mom again in the kitchen the same day she asked him the riddle. The fire light always made her skin look golden.
   "Two."
   "Dreyden!!"
His eyes grew wide as it dawned on him. Of course! How could he have been so stupid!
   "On -"
   "Fire!" He shouted. "The answer, to your riddle, is fire." He found that his heart pace was higher, and his breathing was a little bit heavy. The group around him sighed with relief in unison.
The Pixie groaned and stomped his foot. (Figuratively speaking of course.)
   "Why is it that you all are so smart?! This should be illegal!" He whined.
   "We answered your question Pixie," Ysmay said, her quiet tone suddenly calming Dreyden's nerves. "now uphold your end of the deal."
The Pixie straitened and turned his blue head towards the girl, he placed his fist over his small little heart and dipped his head.
   "Of course. I'm afraid we cannot bring you to our home, but we will bring you food and drink here. Then as you made me promise, I will show you a route to the Arriescent Ruins. Does this meet your satisfactions?"
Ysmay cocked an eyebrow.
   "I do believe we stated that you are to escort us to the edge of the Forest, did we not?"
The Pixie groaned slightly, but it quickly turned into a smile.
   "Oh your good." He remarked.
Ysmay couldn't help the color from showing up on her pale cheeks when she turned away.
The Pixies began to flitter away in a large line of blue and flashing white. They became a stream. A constant moving river that glinted in the sunlight like thousands of diamonds. Elowen took a moment just to appreciate it.
But then Dreyden tapped her arm to gain her attention.
   "You've got some explaining to do missy." It was actually Merek that spoke up, stepping in front of Drey.
   "What demon, ghost, phantom, or what ever is it that guards these Ruins that we're going to?"
Elowen bit her bottom lip and threw her hands up in a gesture of defeat.
   "It's truly a superstition. They say that the last king of the Arriescent city still guards the Gem, and that he'll kill anyone who can't pass the test."
Sonera shoved past Kade and Dreyden, getting close enough to see Elowen's face clearly.
   "There's a test?"
Ellie nodded.
   "That's one thing the Pixie's failed to mention. The king only kills you if you fail to pass it. So I figured there was a good chance that we'd pass it."
   "And you didn't think to tell us about this king?!" Kade spat at her.
Ellie cringed back instinctively, still wounded with the fact that he had murdered her. She longed to forgive him for that, but the way he treated her didn't allow it.
   "I was going to! But then the Pixie's showed up -"
   "Only because you called them!"
   "Oi! Shut. Up!" Dreyden spun on his heel towards Kade and punched him in the face so loud the sound of breaking bone filled the air and nothing else.
Elowen cried out and jumped back, and everyone else was stunned into silence.
Drey was actually a bit startled himself, he didn't know why he had punched Kade, or what had over come him either. He just felt protective.
   "Drey, go walk it off." Merek ordered, his tone stern. "Now." he snapped, pointing to the forest.
Drey sighed and walked away. Elowen and Sonera knelt around Kade. Elowen was starting to use a spell to mend his broken nose despite his protests.
Terryn watched Dreyden stalk off into the woods.
   "Should - should someone go after him?" He said hesitantly.
Merek sighed. He should have seen that coming. Kade seemed to despise Elowen, and there was only so much Drey would be able to take.
   "I'll go -"
   "No." It was Ysmay that spoke up. "He needs advice from his sister."
She touched Merek's arm and smiled at him.
   "I'll only be a minute." She then walked off into the Forest after Drey.

He hadn't wandered far, so it was relatively easy for her to find him. He was sitting on a branch of a low hanging tree with his arms crossed and his legs swinging back and forth, reminding her of a child.
   "You look troubled." She sang. Jumping lightly onto the branch next to him, causing it to swing for a moment.
 Drey turned his head and regarded her for a moment then shrugged.
She chuckled and clapped her hands once loudly.
   "Oh dear. I'm getting the silent treatment. Is that really anyway to treat an old friend? Come on Dreyden, I know you well enough to know something's wrong." She bashed into his shoulder with her own lightly. "So let me in. Come on, I know it's about a particular lass that's got your knickers in a twist so you might as well let me in alright?"
Dreyden sighed in defeat.
   "Yes, yes, alright fine! You are so persistent! Yes, it's about a lass, and yes, I'm sure you know who it is as well."
She waited for him to continue, but when he did not, she was left to fill in the blanks.
   "Alright, so you like Ellie, that was obvious. But you are also very protective over her....aren't you?"
He shrugged.
   "I guess so."
   "Oh there is no 'I guess so'." She shot back.
   "I just didn't like the fact that he doesn't get off her back and leave her alone!" He cried. "Being a Magi isn't something one can choose to be! It's who ever Eleyos decides it to be. It's not like she can choose to be normal."
Ysmay smiled. Yes, now he was talking and letting her in.
   "What's normal Dreyden? If you think about it, nothing is 'normal'. Take this place for instance. We never thought this place even existed! But now look at it? We're here. It's real and we can touch it. Normal is just what's real to you Dreyden. If normal is going off on wild adventures everyday," They both chuckled half heartedly.
   "Then that's normal for you. If what's real to you is falling for Elowen, or trying to gain the privilege to start some kind of relationship with her, then I guess that's normal for you in some...sense. But may I give you some advice as to how to go about forming that relationship?"
Dreyden knew better then to try and deny the fact that he felt for Elowen. He knew he cared for her on some level, but he wasn't exactly sure what that level was.
So he nodded, he would need all the help he could get.
   "Well, from what I can see, and from what little I know, you two don't know much about each other do you?"
   "No we don't. She did open up though, she told me about a sister she had, Jedika was her name I think. But she's been gone for a number of years now and she hasn't seen or heard from her in a long time. In kind, I told her about my own family, though...she didn't seem too shocked by how they passed over...." he added thoughtfully.
   "Wow, it took me almost a year to get you to open up to me. I'll say she's good. Alright, here's a tip. Try to become her brother. That's the first step. Just get to know each other, don't go any farther then friends, just try to become family to her. And, don't jump on every guy that second glances her, with her pretty face there will be lots that do. While lasses appreciate the thought, we don't like it when lads actually act on them. So, just keep it to friends, find out about each other and then see if you actually want to go into a relationship with her, alright?"
   "You're actually suggesting that I wouldn't want to get into a relationship with her."
   "Well it's possible that the more you learn about her, the less you see that she's actually Eleyos' beloved match for you alright? I'm just pointing that out as a possibility! I'm not actually going to say anything because I don't know the poor lass that well. So, keep that in mind. Just be a really good friend okay?"
Dreyden nodded his agreement and jumped off the branch.
   "We might as well go back. I've got apologies to make, and honestly I don't like the thought of her being with that lieutenant with out me." He offered her a hand and helped Ysmay off the branch.
   "Merek and Terryn would never let him do something to her. They both -"
She cut herself off before she finished that particular sentence.
   "They both...What?" He asked. She landed lightly on the ground and smiled at him.
   "They both know how to deal with guards." She fibbed. Not feeling to well about it consciously.
   "Come on, lets beat those Pixies, I fear that no one in the camp is quiet sure as to how to deal with them."
Dreyden let go of her hand and nodded.
   "Speaking of which, how come you can negotiate so well? And with Pixies none the less! They're not exactly an easy task from what I've seen and heard."
Ysmay blushed a little. Being a usually humble girl, she hated to bring attention to herself.
   "But you were brilliant anyways. Always knew you couldn't get past those guards by just fighting."
Ysmay mimicked shock.
   "So your saying just because I'm a girl, I obviously must have had some other kind of tool to use other then my fast reflexes and battling skills?!" She asked in horror.
A smile crept onto Drey's face.
   "Well, a lass has many other tools a man does not."
Ysmay growled at him and slapped the back of his head none too gently.
   "Oh! you are horrid Dreyden! An absolute plot! Next time keep your mouth shut if you have nothing nice to say."
Dreyden chuckled.
   "Yes ma'am."

{+++}

The Pixies had returned when the two good friends came back into the clearing.
Kade was leaning against one of the fallen logs that were around the fire pit. Sonera was handing him a water flask that one (actually a couple) Pixies had given to her.
Terryn and Merek were huddled together watching the large swarm of Pixies that sat nestled in near by plants, or hovered above their heads. A thousand little voices became white noise to them all, only they were very high pitched.
Elowen was talking to the two Pixies that spoke to the gang earlier. When she turned and spotted them she let out a sigh of relief and a smile of a small joy. At first Dreyden thought it was for him, but then she rushed up to Ysmay and tugged on her arm.
   "Theses Pixies are going to make my mind turn into a puddle of slush, you needed to take over please? You were brilliant and you actually understand their talk and can catch them when they try to weasel their way out of promises."
So much for her glad to see Drey.
   "Of course I'll take over. Come on then lets see what they've brought and what they're going to provide for us shall we?" Ysmay said, leading Ellie to the leader.
Ellie glanced over her shoulder at Drey and shot him a sweet smile and a slight wave of her fingers.
Well, at least he hadn't been totally ignored.

Ysmay showed the Pixies kindness with introducing the gang, and the Pixies obliged to tell them their own names. The leader was known as Calistar, and the other Pixie that Ysmay had bested, was his lieutenant known as Tally.
   "Can you tell us how we are to get out of this forest?" Merek spoke up. He hadn't said much to the Pixies and he wasn't sure how to deal with them, but he wanted to know how to get out. And the Pixies would know the best way.
Calistar nodded and motioned for Tally to come over to the map with him that was still lying on the ground.
   "Yes, yes of course. Now we are here, and since no one goes near the bad, bad Abyss -"
   "Very bad." Tally broke in, his red curls bouncing every where. "Nasty place, full of demons and such."
   "- The only way to get out near the Arriescent Ruins," Calistar continued. "Is to go through the forest due east. Here. There you are, I have told you, I have brought you provisions and that is all you need to know. So! we shall be off now."
   "Oh no you don't!" Ysmay spoke up. "Our agreement was that you would escort us, to the edge of the forest to the east. This is just pointing it out on the map, which Elowen has already done for us. So therefore, you aren't going anywhere."
Calistar groaned, but met Ysmay's hard gaze.
   "Yes, yes. Alright! We'll escort you to the edge of the forest, but no farther!"
Ysmay smiled and dipped her head diplomatically.
   "Of course."

The gang, at first, was a little uneasy with all the hovering Pixies about, and they weren't quiet sure what to do about them all starring at them as they ate. Suddenly quiet, and the quiet wasn’t one that was welcomed.
For the most part, the Pixies were pretty friendly. Coming up, saying 'hello', nestling in their hair or on their shoulders, or in their laps if they were sitting. The boys found it quiet annoying and were constantly swatting blue and red bugs out of their hair, but the girls didn't mind since most of the Pixies that had been attracted to them were girls anyway.

Midnight found them still sitting around the logs, the lasses were giggling and talking amongst themselves, animating and emphasizing their points by the use of their hands.
"...So we had maybe a dozen or so Royal Guards chasing us through the sky, showering us with arrows every second, and I had no idea how we would have gotten out of it at all! I was praying to Eleyos like there was no tomorrow!" Sonera exclaimed. The boys were listening even if they weren't exactly part of the group, and Dreyden caught Kade chuckling slightly.
Wow. Didn't know he was capable of feeling stuff like happiness. He remarked to himself.
   "But that's when Elowen came in," Sonera continued. Causing Ellie to blush several shades darker then her hair.
   "She used her magic to fend off those Guards as if she could do it in her sleep! And not only that, but she was able to keep her head on through the entire thing! I was impressed, from just a normal girl that use to live in a peaceful monastery, you've got guts girl!"
   "I don't think I'm as impressive as all that. Most of the time I was just letting Eleyos guide me. It wasn't me." Elowen admitted, trying desperately to get the attention off her.
Ysmay smiled and squeezed her arm.
   "And everyone loves you because of your humility. In fact it's hard not too actually!"
Sonera chuckled.
   "Well, we'll have to give Kade credit for trying eh?" She whispered just loud enough for most of the lads to hear her.
Chuckles ran through them all, even Kade, to the mercenaries shock.
   A Pixie that had been sitting on Terryn's shoulder suddenly yanked on his blond hair.
   "Ouch! What'ch ya do that for?" He snapped, tugging his hair back.
   "Where ye feathers lad?"
Terryn glanced up at Merek, who shrugged, not knowing anymore then he did.
   "What do you mean 'feathers'?"
The Pixie nodded to Elowen, and one of the girl Pixies on her head bent down and pulled away her light ginger locks on the left side of her head. Behind her ear, woven into her hair, was a single, pure white feather.
Everyone automatically leaned in for a better look. All the faces in her own, caused her to lean back to try and keep them at a distance.
   "That, is a feather." The Pixie on Terryn's shoulder pointed out the obvious.
   "What are they for? Does everyone down here have them?" Terryn asked.
   "'Down here'? What do ye mean 'down here'?" The Pixie's inquired.
Elowen flashed a warning look to them, and they all kept their mouths shut.
   "They're not from around here. We had better be getting to bed Calistar." She called. Not sure where that particular Pixie was in the horde that hovered everywhere.
   "We'll see you in the morning."
She ushered everyone back into the cave.
   "You can start a fire in here. The fire wood is by the right hand wall towards the back." She said into the dark. She heard boots shuffling, and then yelping and whispered apologizing as people stepped on others.
After a few painful minutes, there was a sudden spark and the dry wood flamed up in the welcoming orange tongues.
Elowen snatched up her staff and muttered a protection spell to cover the door way of the cave to keep the mischievous Pixies out of their hair at night, and out of their stuff. She also added a muting spell just incase. Didn’t want nosy Pixies picking up bits and pieces of their conversations.

Once she was done, she walked back over to the fire, and noticed that the others were trying to occupy themselves to keep her from knowing that they had been watching her carefully.
   "So," Terryn broke the awkward silence as everyone prepared for bed by unrolling their blankets and gathering them around the warm fire.
   "Tell us about these feathers."
Ellie didn't feel the pressure of trying to come up with a cover story so the Pixies didn't know that this lot wasn't from around these parts. So, she found it easy to tell the story behind the feather in her hair.
   "Down here, feathers are a token of bravery or kindness. When someone recognizes a deed you've done, they present you with a pure white feather. Symbolizing Eleyos in his pure heart, and his free spirit." She explained, tucking her legs under her as she sat down on her rough blanket.
   "So which was yours?" Terryn questioned again. Elowen smiled at him, thinking it was blaringly obvious.
   "Kindness. I have had no need to be brave until quite recently, believe it or not." She remarked with a grin.
   "Oh but you must have been brave to learn Magic, and go off to a monastery on your own." Sonera pointed out.
   "Well...I suppose so, but at the time it was just something I had to do, and there wasn't anything to be brave about. It just was."
   "That's what bravery is." Kade spoke up. Everyone's heads jerked up to him as if they had completely forgotten he was there at all.
   "Bravery is doing what you have to whether you like it or not." He continued. His violet eyes gazing into the bright orange flames. He didn't seem aware of the fact that everyone was starring at him, or he was simply a lot more comfortable about having eyes on him then Elowen was.
   "You don't think 'oh this is what bravery is'. You just do it, and then other people recognize the bravery, not you. You try to struggle with the feeling that you could have done this better, or you could have done that a different way. You just see the flaws, while other people see the whole picture." He took a deep breath and looked down at his fingers that were fiddling with a stick. "But I guess that's what Eleyos has to show us. The whole picture. If he doesn't, we'll just be miserable for the rest of our lives, looking at the flaws in our selves and envying other people for what they've done, when they do the exact same thing as you."
From his tone, everyone could tell that he had come to the end of his speech.
No one was quiet sure what to say, Sonera was sure they were all thinking that Kade was the heartless guy that couldn’t feel any kind of emotion at all, and she felt kind of bad for them for not being able to see the kindness and goodness in Kade. But then, it had taken herself a long time to see that as well.
   “That’s one thing we all strive for.” Ysmay spoke up. Giving Kade a reassuring smile, along with everyone else.
   “And that’s what we should all pray for.”
Everyone murmured their agreements, and then another silence hung over them again. They weren’t sure what to do, and their minds were each in deep thought, mulling over the same things. Finally, one by one, they slipped under their blankets and went to sleep.
Casting up prayers before their mind drifted off into oblivion.