by J Battle
‘Are you ready, my dear?’ said Lady Elvensong, softly.
Sally Sadly gripped the Sparkly Thing tightly through her blouse.
‘Yes, my lady, as ready as I will ever be.’
Lady Elvensong threw the door open.
**********
They spied him almost immediately, and Sally fought back a sob. The lady hissed and strode forward.
He was standing within a dark swirling cloud, with sparks of lightning flashing here across is unnatural depths. His body was bent forward slightly, as if he was leaning into a fierce wind, and his fists were clenched with the effort.
‘What is this foul thing?’ snapped Lady Elvensong.
‘My lady, it is a Fog of Dismay, an evil sorcerous construct, and I fear he will be lost to us for all eternity.’
‘Why? Can the Sparkly Thing not banish it in a flash?’
‘If only it could, my lady. I would not hesitate, but alas, the Fog of Dismay is of Tor-Esseldon; ancient and twisted, and impervious to magic of the Light. Time has no meaning for him now, my lady. He is lost to us.’
‘That cannot be! He will find a way.’
‘My dear lady.’ The tone was offensive and the voice was so familiar to Sally Sadly.
‘The Lord of the Esseldon!’ she gasped.
‘He can do nothing against the Fog of Dismay, so bow to me and return to me grasp, and I will see to his release.’
‘No, my lady! Don’t listen to him!’ She took her lady’s arm, to stop her from stepping forward.
‘But…I can’t allow this to happen to Prince Lexicana. Not when he has been caught in an attempt to save me.’
‘Let me deal with this, my lady. I can’t save the prince, but I can send that evil lord back from whence he came.’
‘My dear girl, you make me laugh, with your courage and your folly.’ The Lord of Esseldon stepped from behind the Fog of Dismay.
Sally gasped, because she could see the silvery glow that surrounded him.
‘He is warded by one of The Seven Seals of Ragnar. I cannot touch him.’
‘You must make the attempt, my dear,’ said Lady Elvensong, her voice so quiet and sad.
‘But…’
‘Challenge him, but be careful to keep you distance.’
Sally looked into the face of her lady, trying to gauge her intent. Then she set her chin and moved ahead of her.
‘Trust me,’ whispered Lady Elvensong, with a gentle touch to her shoulder.
The Lord of Esseldon withdrew his sword and prepared for whatever onslaught would come.
Sally Sadly held up the Sparkly Thing as lightning bolts of red and gold sprang across the short distance between the combatants.
Each time he was struck, the silver glow flared, and he laughed.
‘You tickle me, my dear. Come closer and I’ll tickle you back.’
Sally redoubled her efforts, yet still he was safe within his shield of silver.
Deep inside the confines of the Fog of Dismay, Prince Lexicana was aware of the events occurring outside, but his mind was clouded, and the will had leaked from his body.
Another pixie would truly have been lost for as long as the Fog was sustained, but not Prince Lexicana, for his boots were twice-named Kilron the Well-shod by the Silesion cobblers of Des-Ray, and Prince Lexicana believed that they would always keep him on the right path.
They knew exactly where he wanted to be, and they would not allow a mere clouding of sorcery to prevent him from arriving safe and sound at his intended destination, so they walked forward for him.
Lady Elvensong had caught this movement from the corner of her eye, and thus sent Sally Sadly to distract the evil lord.
As Sally put the last of her strength into her attack, the Lord of the Esseldon found himself forced back, to the very edge of the Fog of Dismay.
Yet still he laughed at her efforts.
His laughter was cut short when a strong arm was wrapped around his neck and he was dragged into the eager grasp of the Fog of Dismay.
With a grunt and a shake of his handsome head, Prince Lexicana strode into the good clear air.
With a laugh, he slapped his hands against the smooth red leather of his boots.
‘Remind me to send a case of good wine to the Silesion cobblers of Des-Ray, for they have proved their worth this day.’
‘Prince Lexicana, you are saved,’ gushed Sally Sadly, and only her innate sense of propriety stopped her from rushing over to wrap her arms around him.
‘Indeed I am, my dear young Sally, and I owe it all to you, and to you, Lady Elvensong.’ He turned to the lady, with a half-smile on his lips.
She met his eyes, and she held him for a second, before she dismissed him with a nod of her elegant head.
Go to [email protected] to get the rest of this epic tale…
(NF. Now come on, you enjoyed that, didn’t you? It surely deserves more than a one star rating!
Right, now I’m off to begin my next epic work. THE ECHO OF WOE will be a fabulous tale of elves and pixies, with giants and ogres and strange, strange creatures. If I have any success, then I tell you now, I’ll never write another book about Phil the idiot PI, and for that, you should be eternally grateful. Yours for the very last time, NF.)
Copyright © 2017 by J.Battle
All rights reserved.
Acknowledgements
Thanks as always to Deirdre for putting up with my distractions and concerns.
Thanks also to the eagle-eyed members of Phil’s Fools, my excellent launch team, who scoured the manuscripts for errors. Any errors that are still there are mine own, and just there to mess with you.
Phil’s Fools
Corinne
Tom
Brian
Virginia
Andrew
Lynda
Harmon
Susan
Thanks also to my readers— I’m just sitting in a dark room, making things up without you.
If you want to check out what else I’ve written, you can go to:
http://jpbattle.wix.com/battlewrite
I give you fair warning – despite what the NF says, there will be a new book of Phil’s travails and follies in the Spring of 2017 – look out for No, You’re the Fool! – you’d be a fool to miss it. It will contain Excalibur, Thor’s hammer, the jaw of an ass, and a guest appearance from…no, you’ll just have to wait and see.