“Challengers,” she grumbled. “Cocky, the whole lot of ya.”
She looked around. Then she glared at me again.
“Now what's this about Horde in me Woadlands?”
Her accent gave off a distinctly Celtic feel, sounding close to Scottish or Irish, but distinct enough to where I could still tell that it wasn't either. Not that I had heard a lot of Scottish or Irish people talk.
“Breena is looking to make sure that we got them all, but all the ones in this hole are dead. Including what looked like their leader. Also, I'm Wes. May I please know your name?”
I’m doing awesome, I thought. Even after a long day, I had caught someone sneaking up on me, kept my weapon ready, talked her down from a fight, and now I was remembering my manners and trading names. Mom would be proud of that, I figured.
She cocked her head at me, waves and braids of brown fluttering as she did so.
“Ya really don't know me name?”
“No ma'am,” I said, giving up on looking cool and leaning on a nearby stump. Sorry Mom. All tapped out. “So far I have talked to one brightly colored bird- courtesy of Breena translating, a handful of sprite-folk too injured to really talk, and one antlered creep that needed me to kill him too much for us to have a really healthy conversation. Not a single creature I've met here has had the courtesy to update me on introductions. If I had to guess though,” I leaned slightly forward. “You're either one of the two female Icons, or that Woad Princess my mind-screen told me about earlier. Merada, maybe? Can I guess Merada, the Woad Princess? Without getting stabbed?”
She blinked at me at me for a moment and didn't reply. Then a titter leaked out of her scowl. She clamped her mouth shut, but it leaked out again. Then her head tilted back, and she started chuckling. Her hand moved up to cover her mouth, but then it gave up and started clutching her side while her chuckle deepened. She laughed at me for a solid thirty seconds, occasionally raising a finger as if to say she needed to get serious, and failing each time. Finally, her laughter petered off, and she looked up at me.
“Guess I needed that. Thank ye. And ye're right. I'm Merada. A part of Stell down here, in charge of this local world. So everyone here's under me watch. Now,” her voice became serious. “I was late to the party, and I'll own that. How many of me little ones did I lose?”
I sighed, and her mouth twitched in response, her hard face quivering again for a moment.
“None,” I said. “And before you...”
Too late.
“What do ye mean none?” The brunette warrior princess demanded angrily. “Ye expect me to believe a wee one like you with just one Rise to his name swooped down and saved all me little ones in one hour? From something the Icons still have nightmares about, even after thousands of years? Are ye trying to puff yer chest up and impress me? Or spare me feelings?”
“Yeah, no,” I replied, my voice sagging with fatigue. “I’m not up for a second round of this. Breena!” I called out in a hoarse voice.
“Do ya not know this is serious?” The beautiful amazon growled at me.“I knew these little ones as well as she did! Watched them grow into their own. This was supposed to be the safest part of the Woad, where we could leave them to play and not even worry about beasts. And you tell me you were able to swoop down and save them, after the Horde's been here for over a day!”
“They were here that long?” I asked, then shook my head. Another thing that could be explained after a nap, a real one not brought on by blood loss. “Nevermind. Breena!” I called out again. “One of Stell's aspects is here! Come talk to her!”
“Aspects?” Merada asked, momentarily forgetting her anger.
“I was afraid 'sister,''daughter,' or 'clone' would be more offensive.”
“Good guess, though just use 'Satellite' in the future,” the amazon replied with a snort. Then, after a moment, she spoke again. “Are our little ones really okay?” Her voice took on a worried tone. “Are ye really telling me the truth?”
“As far as I know,” I said with another sigh. “Look, every sprite I talked to said there were only seven of them, and seven are all alive. They're hurt and traumatized, but Breena said they'll all make a full recovery.”
“Icons,” the brown-haired woman breathed. “How in the Lost Deeps did you pull that off? Usually the Horde starts putting people in its Pit with this much time.”
“I'm not sure,” I admitted, noting her use of the phrase 'Lost Deeps.' It sounded like there was a story behind that term that would have to be explained at a later time- especially since it wasn't the first time I'd heard it. “All I know is that I did something that was supposed to be impossible and Breena won't stop yelling at me about it.”
Merada tilted her head at that.
“Sounds like something yer kind would do. I got the message about the Pit when it destroyed,” she added. “That's how we found there was Horde to begin with, and that you had a hand in their destruction. What took care of the Pit?”
“That's another thing that Breena won't stop yelling at me about, so I'm not going to be the one explaining it.”
“But I was already yelling at ye,” the brunette woman pointed out.
“I know,” I smiled. “Consider my silence as your punishment.” There was a fiery bluntness to her personality that actually wound up being really attractive, even if I was too tired and cranky to fully appreciate it.
She narrowed her eyes at me, but the brown pupils were twinkling, and she was smiling back.
“Yer lucky I believe ye about me little ones being okay. Where are they?”
“They're too weak to fly long distances yet,” I said, lifting my hand to point down the hole. “So I'm outside to guard the only entrance in. But they're all down there. If you want to see them for yourself, or if you can heal better than Breena, you're welcome to go down there and see them.”
She looked down where I was pointing and bit her lip.
“Can they hear me if I call to them?” she asked. “And are ye sure ye got all the Horde?”
I shrugged.
“Down there, certainly. We think we got every single one up here as well, but Breena's flying around and checking to make sure. If you want to wait and help me guard up here, I'll understand.”
“Good,” she replied, coming to a decision. “No offense, but ye look tired and I'm a fair bit stronger than you.”
“None taken,” I replied. “I get the feeling that you've been doing this a lot longer than I have.”
“Damned right,” she replied with another snort. “Would have gotten here faster if Stell had teleported me like she had you.”
“Yeah, why didn't she?” I asked. “That seems like it would be a really good idea.”
“Politics,” the beautiful woman huffed. “Popping across the world instantly takes a lot of power and makes all the Icons nervous. That's why only Avalon is allowed to do so, and only fer a Challenger.”
“Huh,” I replied. I had never thought about what instantaneous travel would do for a world. Especially with one that still had people running around with spears and swords.
I was too tired to think of the idea any further though, and if Breena took too long coming back, I knew I was going to say something that would make the fiery princess next to me either laugh again or stab me. I didn't have the energy left to appreciate the first or stop the second.
Thankfully, Merada had no problem with me being too tired for any more conversation. I saw her eyes move back and forth, scanning the trees and shrubbery. She seemed to be listening intently for any more enemies and doing a much better job at it than I was doing.
Then her head suddenly whipped to the right. Her body and spear followed and eye-blink later, then both relaxed a tiny bit. A moment later, I heard a faint zipping sound.
A pink, familiar and faintly sparkling figure zipped into view, suddenly circling around Merada. The amazon princess gave a wide smile at the sight, then tilted her head toward the fairy and nuzzled the tiny figure embra
cing her cheek.
“Hey little sis,” the brown-haired woman said to the currently six-inch figure. “You okay?”
“Horde were here,” the pink woman croaked, and I saw the stressed, tough exterior my tiny companion had been wearing suddenly break apart at the seams. “Horde were here, Merada! In our safest forest! With my most vulnerable cousins!”
“I know, I know,” Merada said in a low, comforting voice. “Shh. Everyone's okay, though, right?”
“Syl, Beryl and Elm were all hurt,” Breena sobbed. “And Petal-bell was put in the pit!”
“The pit?” Merada's eyes widened. She shot me her most vicious glance yet. “Ye bastard! Ye said no one died!”
“They didn't!” I said quickly, some of my tiredness evaporating at the sight of her spear rising. “For the love of God! Breena, explain!”
“He pulled her out,” my fairy companion whispered with a sniff. “He just reached in with his bare hands and yanked her out.”
“What?” The Woad Princess asked. “How? That's impossible! He's human! It would have corrupted his hands! Especially an Earth-man's!” Her eyes darted to my hands, as if to confirm that they were still attached.
“I really don't know what to tell you people,” I said with another sigh. “Apparently everything I did down there was impossible and I had no idea at the time. I'm sorry. I've been a very bad boy. I promise I didn't break the rules on purpose.”
“Oh,” Merada said. She looked down at Breena. “Ye should have told him about the Pit, Breena. We're lucky he didn't die.”
“I know,” the tiny woman sniffled. The cuteness of the act somehow broke through my crankiness. “But they were breaking all around me, and I just got overwhelmed. I thought we would've found gibber-kin, Mer. Gibber-kin aren't a threat to fairies at all! But they were Horde and they were breaking my cousins' legs and...”
“Shh,” The brunette woman said, raising a hand to calm her tiny friend. “It's okay. Everyone's okay, right? We can fix limbs. Petal-bell survived the pit too, right? So that means she'll get better too, right?”
Breena sniffled again and nodded.
“They're already getting better,” she said. “He got everyone in time. He even beat the pit's champion on his own.”
“Really?” The warrior princess looked at me again, and I think I finally saw a bit of respect in that gaze.
I shrugged though, because the respect was unmerited.
“He was shorter than me by about two feet, and I think I had the better magic.”
“And the better weapon, too, by the looks of it,” she nodded toward the short sword still in my hand, eyes narrowing as she measured me.
“No, that was his,” I admitted. “I had a stick, but it broke on his head.”
“Stell said the armory was empty,” Breena muttered sheepishly.
“How did you kill it then?” Merada asked, incredulous. “Pit champions have strong vital pools! And spell-worked bodies!”
“Maybe that's why his own horn worked so well on him,” I said with another shrug.
She actually blinked at that, then looked back at the little fairy floating next to her cheek.
“He was like this the whole time,” Breena grumbled. “All like, 'look Breena, an ambush! But it's okay, because I know exactly what to do even though I've never done this before! I'm gonna combo a bunch of spells together and do martial arts and make you look bad the whole time! On my very first day of the job'!”
“My voice doesn't really sound like that,” I protested.
And I wasn't trying to make her look bad.
“Does too,” she argued.
“Wait, wait,” Merada interrupted. “He's only had his first Rise, right?”
“Yep,” Breena answered. “And he slapped Ilklings around like he had been beating little kids his whole life.”
“I have not!” I protested. “I've never struck a child ever! And it's not hard to fight monsters that are only half your height when you can do magic!”
“He blew up the Pit too,” Breena muttered. “Without permission.”
“Damn it Breena!” I snapped. “Stop being a little snitch!”
“Well I have to be because you're a big giant cheater that just cheats and cheats!”
“Stop, stop,” Merada interrupted us. She looked at me again, and that smirk was back. “Alright mister big and strong Challenger, maybe you should just calm down and realize you're yelling at a little fairy the size of your palm, and no one wins arguments like that. And Breena, why don't we just say 'thank you' to the young man who's had just as bad a day as you have and hasn't even been rewarded for it yet.”
“I tried to reward him!” Breena protested. “But when I kissed him he got all shy!”
Just like that, my cheeks started boiling.
Probably because the heat, I decided.
“Can I just go back?” I asked, giving up on the conversation. “The Horde's all dead, right Breena? You didn't find any more?”
“Nope, and since Merada's here it's probably safe. Titania's guards are still coming aren't they?”
“They'll be here in minutes,” the Amazon confirmed. “As soon as we got the message about the Horde everyone dropped everything else to deal with this. The Icons'll want to meet with Stell later though, to go over about the Horde. Give your young man a rest until then.” She flashed me a bright smile.
“Um, thanks,” I said, numb, tired and embarrassed. “Do we walk through another portal or something?”
“I'm on it,” Breena said distractedly, while moving her hands in a circle. “Just give me a second, Mister Cheater McRedcheeks.”
“Hey!” I retorted, long before I came up with anything witty to say.
“Breena,” Merada admonished again. “Don't tease the big strong virgin. He might get scared and not come back.” The brunette amazon turned to look at me. “Speaking of which I reckon I should apologize to ye about your welcome, and thank ye properly myself. Since now's not a good time, I'll have to make it up to ye some other night,” She said the last part with a wink.
“Wait,” I said, working through the implications of what she was offering. “What?”
A zap sounded behind me, and a swirling circle blurred into existence
“Hey!” Breena suddenly shouted. She flew away from the portal she had just formed and flew back in front of Merada's smirking face. “Operational security, missy! And no cutting in line! You be good and wait for your turn!”
“Fine,” Merada said, still smiling. “But don't take too long on getting bigger, lass.”
My brain heard those last two lines, ran them through processing, then spat them back out with a loud snap.
“Wait,” I repeated, reaching into my broken head-box to find something else to say, and failing. “What?”
“Time to go!” Breena said cheerfully. “Come on Wes!”
“But,” I protested as my brain began to garble. “Buh? Wha? Znuh?” That last one sounded like my best word right now, so I stuck with it. “Znuh?”
“Come on Wes!” Breena repeated. “Stell's waiting for us! Bye Merada!”
“Say hi to Guineve and Stell for me,” the brunette woman replied, winking at me again. “Take care, Mister Big Strong Virgin!”
Before I could say anything else, tiny hands pulled hard enough on my collar to drag me through the portal.
Chapter17: Hope Unearthed
For a moment, the world dissolved into a riot of bright colors. Then it passed, and I was back in Avalon's mists.
“Huh,” Breena said with a frown. “That took longer than I thought. Next time don't distract me when I'm building a bridge.”
“Znuh?” I repeated again.
“Fiddlesticks,” Breena sighed. “We broke the virgin. Come on, we'll find Guineve or Stell and get you something to eat.”
“Food?” I asked, trying out the word and deciding I liked it. “I can have food here?”
“Duh,” my bonded companion said, rolling her bright eyes.
“Why couldn't you eat food here?”
Seeing my dazed look, the glowing little woman sighed again, as if to give up on talking to me altogether. She grew to just over two feet and latched onto one of my shirt sleeves. With a “come on!” she tugged me through Avalon's mists until I reached a glade.
As if by magic, the smell of food wafted into my nose, and Breena no longer needed to pull me.
There was table set up nearby. I wandered over to it in a daze. I saw Guineve setting a plate of some kind of doughy bread with all kinds of savory toppings and fruit next to it. The raven-haired woman smiled at me as I approached.
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