“They destroyed it” Vince said as they landed back on their nest. Pinly began pacing back and forth, ruffling his own hair, trying to hold back tears, his eyes were full of them
“Pinly I know how you feel…” Ayloo put a hand on his shoulder “you cannot let it consume you”
“I can't stay here anymore, I can’t wait for Miss Poli, I have to go look for my brother” Pinly said, he was done waiting and training, all he wanted was to get Lion back and be done with it all
“Where are you going?” Ayloo asked, but Pinly didn’t know the answer to that, how was he supposed to find Lion? Ayloo looked at them both for an answer
“Not here, in there” Vince pointed at his booleaf, the petals opened with a snap of his fingers and they sat in the middle of it, the petals then closed on them at once, squeezing them inside. Tears began to fall down Pinly's cheeks, he had missed his family terribly over the past year but seeing the skull today had made it unbearable, his heart was numb and heavy, words came out with great difficulty.
“Who knows what they’re doing to him? I don’t even know where to go to get him back” pinly cried, Ayloo put a arm around his shoulders.
“I told you I will help you, we will find your brother and your people... Our people and we'll bring them back” Ayloo said, Vince nodded.
“We're brothers now” Vince said “the three of us, it's us against the world”
“I think you should know my story too, since we are brothers now…” Ayloo hadn't shared anything about himself, nothing they couldn't see for themselves anyway “I was born south of Mendy in a village called Bomri. The war to get rid of the leprechauns in Mendy had just started, fairies all over the country were battling fiercely, including my parents... They died not far from here, trying to protect the humming fairies, the war lasted six years. The humming fairies brought me to this city and I've been here ever since… I never really belonged, the humming fairies are only awake at night and everyone else runs away from me”
“But why?” Vince asked, Ayloo shrugged “You're no different than they are”
After telling each other their stories, the boys emerged out of the booleaf to find that Meno was waiting right outside. He had a long stick with a curved end.
“What do you want?” Vince asked sharply, Meno quickly glanced at him in his usual spiteful way, then ignored him to focus on Ayloo. Meno tossed the stick at him “Lomou has fallen with a sickness, you will take care of the stupid birds until he is better” Meno having said what he had to say, just flew away from them
“Stupid birds?” Vince asked
“Dodos he means” Ayloo replied
“Leave it” Pinly said “we need to go”
“We cannot go just like that, we need a plan and a map, I think I know where your brother was taken” Pinly's heart leaped
“Where?”
“Shh” Ayloo gestured “not here, we will get the map tonight and I will explain everything tomorrow, then we go”
“Where is the map?” Pinly asked
“In his nest” Ayloo nodded towards Meno
Night fell and the boys were ready to execute the first part of their plan; acquire the map. Meno's nest was in a hidden part of the island Pinly and Vince hadn't seen yet. It was in the middle of a clump of trees. It was too difficult to access for Ayloo as there were too many branches in the way of his wings, he had to stay back if they wanted to succeed or they'd risk waking everyone up. Vince stayed behind because of the golden light his wings produced. Only Pinly was up to the task at hand. Ayloo had clearly described it to him; the map was drawn on deer skin, it was old, probably dusty with a few holes in it. There was also the trouble of finding which nest was Meno's. It's not like Pinly would see him sleeping on the twigs of his nest, Meno was inside his booleaf like every other fairy. But apparently, that too wouldn't be too hard. Meno's nest was meant to be messy. Ayloo said that Meno liked to show off what he owned so it would be obvious which one was his nest. There was one thing that Ayloo had forgotten to mention; how close together the nests were on that part, and how big, they were at least five times bigger than Ayloo's one and so were the booleafs. They had space for ten fairies each. It wasn't long until Pinly found Meno's nest and what a mess it was. He glided quietly over it. One thing that stood out other than the mess, was that Meno's enormous booleaf was placed in the middle of the nest, rather than in a corner of it, like all the others. Even Cammo's was in a corner. There were golden chests, fur from animals he had probably killed, different swords and strange weapons. Pinly descended onto the nest, flying low enough to search it but not step on it. He could hear Meno talk in his sleep. It sounded like he was making threats. He sometimes even flapped his wings, it seemed to be quite a vivid dream. Even asleep he was a terrible fairy Pinly thought. He looked under the weapons and under the hay. He opened the chests to find gold, precious stones, horns, fangs from strange beasts and daggers with dry blood on them, but no map. The chests were a dead end. The sudden sound of hay being crushed under someone’s steps alerted him that someone else was in the nest. When Pinly turned around, a figure was standing by the pile of fur. His heart stopped. It was a feminine figure. She didn't look hostile, just curious, she seemed to know who he was. When she got closer, he realised it was Caleen, the moonlight caught her delicate face as she stepped forward.
“What are you doing in my brother's nest?” she asked quietly
“Ayloo sent me to look for a map of Mendy” he whispered
“Why?” she asked
“I can't tell you that... Just trust me, or trust him if you'd rather”
“I will trust him, not you” she said
“Can you help me find it then?”
“I know where it is” she said pointing back at her brother's fur collection. She snapped her fingers. In the silent night, that simple action was like beating on a drum, Pinly pivoted to see if she had awakened Meno. The pile of fur began to move as something tried to find its way out of it. Finally the map went gliding to her hand. “Hide” she said suddenly before throwing the map at him. Pinly was buried under the pile of fur, but could still see what was happening. Meno's booleaf suddenly opened, he stood tall in the middle of it, his wings fully opened. They dropped when he saw Caleen. His sister pretended to be looking for something
“Caleen!” Meno interrupted. They spoke in Mendian so Pinly couldn't understand. Caleen pretended to be upset about something. Meno had to shush her a few times and Pinly also wished she would take it down a notch, otherwise she would wake everyone up. Suddenly he heard Meno step onto the nest and in his direction. His heart pounded as Meno got closer, he was now within his reach, but before the fairy could reach down
“Nala” Caleen said
“Caleen!” Meno sounded annoyed, he then heard Meno’s booleaf close again. Caleen's wings flapped towards him.
“You need to go now” Pinly heard her say. He left the nest, sped through the leaves and branches without looking back until he reached the main part of the village where Ayloo and Vince were waiting.
“Is that it?” Vince pointed at the skin Pinly was holding tightly in his hand.
Ayloo took it off him “Yes, this is the map of Mendy” he whispered, he folded the thin piece of leather and shoved it in his waistband “tomorrow we will talk about it in the farm, far from the village. They all nodded before going back to their booleafs to catch a few hours of sleep.
Chapter 34
The plan
T he boys were sitting around the map, scrutinising it. Pinly even squinted as he tried to decipher the foreign names. Most of the writing on the map was covered by smudges. Now that the sun shone upon it, Pinly could see that the map was even older than he thought and was definitely one of those things that couldn't be conjured. It had to be handmade, a deer had been killed and its skin was then stained with ink to make that map. They were surrounded by strange looking birds, Dodos; they were at least three feet tall, fat round bodies with tiny wings, too tiny to fly, sh
ort legs with feet that weren't even webbed so they couldn't swim either. They also had tiny tails at one end and a hook shaped beak at the other. Vince didn't like those birds and pushed them at arm’s length whenever they were too close to him. The dodos made it hard for the boys to concentrate, one of them sat on the map and laid an egg on it before leaving as if nothing had happened. That seemed ludicrous to Pinly when Ayloo told him that dodos only laid one egg a year, if that. Ayloo then took the egg and put it in a basket full of hay.
“They have to be protected from themselves” Ayloo said a few times, he repeated it when they were particularly irritating him. They pinched at his wings with their long beak when they wanted to be fed, Ayloo would then pick up a heavy bag he kept by his side filled with nuts, seeds and fruits and throw handfuls far enough to give the boys a few minutes of peace.
“So tell us, what did you hear yesterday?” Pinly asked
“After you were taken away, they were talking about the skull again, they said there have been groups of them in Fiby and here in Mendy. They attack small villages, kill and kidnap fairies, they are not sure what they want them for, but it is probably…”
“To take their powers” Pinly interrupted
“Yes, to take their powers” Ayloo confirmed “they think the skulls are coming from Jahny, the land of leprechauns because they are part elmers”
“But how did they get into Mendy” Vince asked
“That is what we are about to find out” Ayloo glanced at them, both Pinly and Vince nodded “we need to go south, where I was born; in Bomri” Ayloo pointed at an extremity of the map
“That's quite a journey” Pinly said “can't we just open a gate?” he asked
“We could, but Cammo would know about it immediately and will close it before we can even think about going through, but if we use the gates that are in Bomri, it is just like the gates you came from, Cammo has no control over them and it is most likely that gate that the skulls are using to come into Mendy, it should lead us straight to their hideout in Jahny”
"At least we won't have to look far for them” Vince said
“So when do we leave... We have to leave as soon as possible, I can't wait around anymore” Pinly said
“We leave tonight” Ayloo said. That was what Pinly had been waiting to hear for a while. He was finally going to try and get his brother back. He did think about what Miss Poli would say, but she had taught them well enough, and now that they knew how to use their powers correctly, they were even better. He hoped that Miss Poli would finally make her appearance, but it seemed very unlikely at that point. What could have happened to her? Did the wizards manage to overpower her? He knew his parents or even Lion wouldn't agree to him going to Jahny, but they weren't there to stop him and if they were, he wouldn't have any reason to. It was night time when the boys returned to the village, fairies were sitting in circles around huge fires, big sticks with big pieces of meat were planted all around the fires, fairies picked at them as they ate. Humming fairies were there too, their tiny lights outshone the bonfires. Caleen waved her hand vigorously as the boys walked by. She gestured for other fairies to make some space for them. They sat next to her. It reminded Pinly of the feasts that happened every so often back home, where there was only laughter and good fairies. Where his brother and friends planned their next adventure which Pinly was always happy to help turn into a misadventure if he wasn’t invited. Where his father hugged his mother. Where he first practiced magic. Where he was loved and known by all. This was what he was doing all this for. He wanted it all back, no matter what. As Pinly remembered what it was like back home, he realised that he had found some of it on the road as he watched Vince laughing with his tiny friend; Dilling and Ayloo sharing food with Caleen. He was grateful for them.
“It is lovely isn't it?” Caleen broke the silence
“Very” Ayloo replied, the others nodded
“Are you boys going to take over the dodo's farm until Lomu comes back?” She looked Ayloo deep in the eyes, then glanced at the other two boys. Being the one that helped get the map, she knew more than she let on
“We are” Ayloo nodded, there was another moment of silence
“When are you two going back to where you're from?” She asked
“Soon enough” Pinly replied
“It is hard to get words out of you three, isn't it” she said rubbing her full belly
“It's been a long day I suppose, looking after the birds” Vince slouched back on his elbows “A feast like this calls for a song, but I'm too full to even…” before he could finish, Dilling started whistling a song. It was the sweetest, most gentle sound Pinly had ever heard. It was as if she didn't need to catch a breath. It was different to the whistling she did when talking, this whistling resonated deep into his heart. The little humming fairy sang her heart out. All the other fairies on the island stopped what they were doing to listen to her. Pinly wished it would never stop and by the look on Vince’s face, he probably thought the same too. There was no need to understand the song to appreciate it. Then, the song slowly ended. It was followed by soft claps all around. Not that the other fairies didn't appreciate it, but gentle claps felt right, the song had put the busy village into a peaceful state that everyone seemed to want to keep. Dilling left to go with the humming fairies, despite Vince begging her to stay and sing again.
“Caleen!” An angry voice shouted, Pinly and the others turned around to find Meno “Your family is sitting over there!” He pointed back at the biggest fire where Cammo and his whole family was. Caleen turned her back to him and grabbed Ayloo’s “Caleen!” Meno shouted again
“Are not all Kahoories my family?” She said
“Your insolence is becoming a problem” Meno said as he reached for his sister but his hand was slapped away by Ayloo. The young fairy stood tall, his wings fully opened. Meno opened his wings too. Caleen, Pinly and Vince hurried to stand by Ayloo’s side. Whispers began to spread all around as fairies watched. “You should know better than to defy higher your elder’s command, now he will pay for your insolence” a leather whip appeared in Meno’s hand
“Like hell he will” Pinly conjured his sword and so did Vince. Meno’s eyes burned with rage at their defiance.
“You do not have the authority to whip” Caleen said, but Meno did not listen, His arm was already drawn back making the whip whistle. Pinly had his sword raised, ready to cut it to bits. But before Meno could even bring his arm forward, it was held back by strong force.
“What do you think you are doing?” Cammo pulled the whip out of Meno’s hand, it made Meno stumble back, Cammo grabbed him by the neck and began to squeeze.
“I cannot let him defy my family” Meno struggled to say. Caleen’s father rushed to his son’s aid.
“Please Cammo!” he begged “forgive my son” he didn’t seem to dare take Cammo’s hand off his son’s neck.
“You want to enforce Kahoory law…” He shoved Meno to the ground “lead by example” he stared at him. The old fairy rolled the whip around his hand. Meno crawled back on his elbows
“Cammo no!” Atili begged
“No one will be whipped tonight” Camo said, his eyes turned to Ayloo and Caleen. The whole village was now looking at them. “No fairy here is exempt from Kahoory law…” with one flick of his hand, Cammo raised a wind powerful enough to separate Ayloo from Caleen.
“Cammo…” Caleen began
“Hold your tongue!” He shouted, the two lovers tried to reach for each other again but they were held back on both sides. Swords were pointed at Pinly and Vince. “If the father does not approve of the union…”
“No!” Caleen screamed and fought
“Caleen!” Ayloo shouted, unable to free himself
“Therefore, I too forbid it,” Cammo said. Fairies took Caleen away as she screamed. Ayloo did not scream, he only looked at her being dragged away, his face drenched with tears. Later that night. The boys did not look back as they flew away, even thoug
h they were not sure they would ever see Bonhill again.
Chapter 35
The weather farm
T he boys had been flying through Mendy, night and day, rarely taking a break on their way to the south. They had to put as much distance between them and Bonhill. The only times they stopped was to hunt for food during which they would sometimes stumble upon forests infested with enormous insects; ants the size of dogs and praying mantises the size of horses. Other times they would have a hard time catching red rabbits which were a lot faster than humming fairies, but once caught tasted better than any other meat. They went past fields of flowers, wheat and giant farms packed full with cattle. When they were too tired they would land and summon their golems, sit on their shoulders and let them do the walking for them.
“Have you ever met anything else other than fairies, wizards or leprechauns before?” Vince asked one evening as their golems carried them.
“I fought a faun once”Ayloo replied
“A what?” Vince asked
“A faun… Half goat half human” Ayloo said, Pinly remembered seeing one of those in Miss Poli’s blue flamed story
“Where did it come from?” Pinly asked
“Your world”
“No! Our world?” Vince asked, Ayloo nodded “Surely we would know if there was such creatures living close to home”
“Would you? You didn’t know about my folks” Pinly said
“That’s true…”
“Humans have much to learn about their neighbours, there are many creatures living in the world”
“Why is it that we don’t know anything? I mean leprechauns and fairies are well aware of each other’s existence, but humans barely know a thing... Well we know somethings, but most of it passes for tales and jokes” Vince said
Made of Magic and True Grit Page 24