ELO

  Bree sat back down. Joltrun, Bree, and Bakura all looked at each other quietly. Bakura turned to Tharin, who sat in silence, muttering a prayer under his breath. Bakura said, "then Joltrun plans are agreed on. Tharin summon your machine; we move when the sun is at it’s height." Joltrun stood, transforming into a buffalo. "I will tell Faelorn about the plan, and we will meet you here soon." He left, Bree held Elo's hand. Elo squeezed it gently, "everything will be okay, love." Bree nodded, pushing aside her doubtfulness.

  As Tharin prepared and sent Feanu with his orders to Yavi. Bree and Faelorn's overlooked the forest. The forest was rotten, and dark energy seemed to ooze from it. Bree stared sadly into the foreboding wood. Faelorn spoke softly, "I can hear the cries of hundreds of fae..." He was a centaur still, his lower stag half covered in moss and flowers. Bree held him, she rode on his back, her arms around his torso. The sun was crisp and beautiful, a cruel juxtaposition to the darkened forest. Faelorn outstretched his arms, woodlings fleeing from the forest landed on him. It was Cael's family and a few other additions. Bree sat listening to the strange language of the fae.

  The woodling's settled in the grass away from the deer—none were infected. Faelorn had instructed them the stay a distance from the spring. More fae fled from the forest, and Bree watched as a slow army of gnomes, pixies, and brilliantly colored animals settled in the field outside the spring. Bree stared, tears sliding down her face. The poor fae, so many of them were displaced. Their home corrupted with darkness.

  Faelorn craned his neck as Bree buried her face into his human torso.

  He said, "Do not cry, the spirit of the forest is within me. There is always a way, Bree. I will fight for you, and I will fight for the fae and our home." Bree looked at Faelorn but found that it was not just Faelorn looking at her. She could see in his eyes that it was the spirit of the creature called Uhu’rue. Bree wiped her eyes; she signed up to him, "I know… I just wish. There was more that I could do."

  It was almost noon, Bakura sharpened her antlers, Joltrun patrolled the herd as a buffalo. He made his way to stand next to his son. The old lord of the forest was dwarfed against the new one.

  Faelorn completely transformed into a giant stag. Bree slid off his back. Joltrun and Faelorn touched muzzles. Joltrun said, “If we get out of this Faelorn. Then the power of Uhu’rue is completely yours. I will take my journey." Faelorn shook his head. "Stay longer. All this has taught me I have more to learn, I'm not ready." Joltrun said nothing; he turned away, his face pained. Bree thought she saw him blinking his eyes of tears.

  A booming sound in the distance could be heard. Birds scattered, shrieking as the trees shook. Tharin walked to the meadow expectantly in the direction of the destructive noise. A giant mechanical creature shook the earth as it walked the field. It moved like a lizard, steam erupting from a pipe on its head that looked like a second mouth. The machine was long and sinewy, plated in silver-colored metal. Its eyes glowed blue, it headed right for Tharin. It roared, steam hissing as it gears ground and spun.

  It stopped right at Tharin's feet, lowering it's enormous head. The machine opened it's mouth, and Tharin stepped inside. Bree covered her mouth quaking next to Faelorn; it was still a terrible sight to see. Bree took deep breaths, staring at the awful monster that was Tharin's creation.

  Faelorn reminded her, "It's Tharin's original creation, not the same as the slaver machines that captured you." Bree nodded, even knowing this, it was still hard. Elo walked from the cave up to Faelorn. She was human for the moment; she reached up and kissed Faelorn's muzzle.

  She said, "You'll be safe. I want you both home before dinner." She attempted to smile, but her face broke with sorrow. "Faelorn, promise me, you will be alright."

  She turned to Bree and gave her a hug.

  She held back tears, crying Elo said, "Bree, I can't thank you enough. For loving me and being my friend."

  Bree signed, "Best friends."

  Elo wiped her face. She said, "I know, so don't let the darkness win, okay."

  Elo left them as Tharin approached. He held out an outfit for Bree. He said, "It elvish clothing, durable for centuries. Perfectly fitted. You'll want to be comfortable." Tharin conjured a bow with a snap of his fingers."This one too. It's better than a plain hunting bow. It was owned by a great elvish hero. I want you to use it along with these arrows."

  The bow was elegant and carved from a red wood tree. It had designs craved all along its arc. The arrows were a vibrant red, and had deadly blackened tips. Bree looked at the elegant green tunic, draping it over her shoulder. She signed, "We shouldn't have to fight if things go according to plan." Tharin nodded, "That's why I pray to the elvish gods to keep us safe… but just in case. You will be equipped. Feanu gave her feathers to make those arrows, which means they are crafted with magic."

  Bree took Tharin's gift and left for the cave to change. She passed the herd, in the now crowded shelter and dressed by her bed pallet. Bree donned her elvish clothes and threw her bow onto her shoulder. She headed back to the entrance and was blocked by the herd.

  They turned to her, surrounding her. A hundred white deer all stared at her stags, does, and the fawns that stuck to their parents' side. Bree walked among them. They touched her with their muzzles. Bree muttered, "Thank you..." she wiped her eyes. She could hear their faint whispers of thanks. She exited the cave looking back at the deer and the fae.

  Bree stood before the mouth of the great mechanical dragon. It was hard not to see a slaver vehicle, but the inside was outfitted entirely differently. There was a hatch at the head, for the pilot and the second chamber was a comfortable looking room for transportation. There was an exit door at the belly of the beast. Bree made her way inside, Tharin followed, and behind him, he sealed the hatch and took his position in the pilot cab.

  He summoned magic on his fingertips. Silver fire danced gently on his hands as the elf chanted under his breath. The lights turned on, and Bree wordlessly sat on the couch, the belts restrained her on their own. The whirring of gears and the pumping of engines shook the machine, and before Bree knew it, the mechanical dragon was running full speed into the forest.

  Out the window, Bree could see Faelorn, a giant creature running beside the machine. On the other side, she knew that Joltrun was flanking the mechanical dragon. Faelorn charged ahead, taking the lead, and Elo saw Bakura take his place, her golden antlers shining in the bright sun of the day. Tharin yelled from the pilot's seat. He said, "We're entering the forest, hold tight."

  Bree was shaken left and right, and the dragon began snaking through the trees; the cab steadied itself, calibrating to the machine's motion. Bree, dizzy but finally stable, looked out the windows desperate to catch a glimpse of the outside world. It was pitch black, the forest was impossible to see.

  Bree heard horrible noises. Screams of unknown creatures, cries of witches….the weeping of bereaved. It was not just one or two—hundreds of bereaved had entered into the forest.

  All Bree could see was Bakura's gold silhouette as she shuddered and was overcome with something black leaping on to her. With a call from Bakura's throat, she threw her antlers up, and golden light seared away the darkness that tried to swallow her. Bree saw witches running on all fours, screaming. The witches surrounded the silver dragon. Bereaved followed behind them moving on various limbs, their black twisted mouths agape.

  Faelorn and Joltrun's screams of rage echoed through the forest. Bree focused on her breathing. She murmured a prayer to the King. Begging that it would all end. She flinched with every bereaved scream, she heard Faelorn fighting shadows. Witches called, and she could almost see him struggling against a sea of infected fae. He lashed with vines, tearing with teeth, claw, and talons. She could hear him continually switching forms, a lion, a stag, a bear, and creatures she had only seen in Joltrun sketches of the fae. Finally, the machine slowed, Tharin was working the controls. Bree realized that the dragon's mouth was moving. She could hear the metal jaws snap open. She glanced ins
ide of Tharin's hatch; she could feel the machine shaking. The mechanical beast screamed and ejected something from its mouth. She blinked in amazement; the metal dragon was breathing lighting. Bree covered her ears at the screams she heard; she was tossed and turned again and then finally. The machine screeched to a halt. Tharin unbuckled himself out of his chair.

  “It all the magic I can spare for now. I need to recharge, or I'll become unstable. Remember, I'm still in sync with the castle. I can only use so much magic. The others are keeping the majority of the wretched creatures at bay. We must hurry, or we'll be overwhelmed. You're in the fairy grove; we need to get to the pond and tend to the queen."

  Bree nodded, and Tharin threw open the hatch. He was armed with a bow and arrows. Bree followed him; he lead them into the wood. He paused to scan the forest with his keen senses. Bakura was nowhere to be seen, neither was Joltrun or Faelorn. Bree trembled; she held her bow and arrow tightly. She followed the elf into the darkness. Bree was breathing hard. The humid air of the queen's grove made it difficult to breathe. The orchard was transformed from paradise to a sickly looking hellscape. The trees were wilted and black, strange mushrooms grew on their trunks. Not a healthy sun fruit blossomed in sight. Bree grimaced the further she moved towards the queen's grove, the more dirty, soggy water she stepped in. Bree gasped for breath. Tharin stopped to hand her a handkerchief. "Tie it around your face. It's enchanted to filter our the pathogens in the air. The heart of the forest is already in its final stages of death. Bree nodded, tying the bandanna around her face. She found it easier to breathe; she followed Tharin as he helped her navigate the haunted terrain. Bree saw that miasma stuck to everything. There was a slight tremor, and the forest exploded around them. Tharin pulled her close as fae thundered past. Bree saw fae fleeing in every direction. She guarded herself as they ran past her.

  Suddenly a goblin creature, its eyes black with miasma, charged at her from the bushes. Bree fired a shot as it neared her. The arrow caught fire, and the creature exploded. Bree stared the phoenix arrow was combustible, and she hadn't expected it despite Tharin's warning. Tharin fired into the darkness.

  He said, "This way, I can smell the water. Just a hundred feet ahead, just past the canopy."

  Together they pushed forward. The plants were wet with rot, dead sun-fruit sagged from its branches.

  Bree finally spotted an opening to the queen's pond. She was covered in the black rotting matter that had fallen from the canopy. She recognized the terrain and lead Tharin to Joltrun's boat. Together with Tharin, she shoved the little ship into the water. Tharin pulled her in, and they rowed to the great lotus.

  Bree looked around. The pond was mostly the same; hardly any of the miasma had touched the fauna around the pound. The queen's lotus was sealed, and hundreds of fairy's clung to the outside. Bree reached out and touched the lotus gently. The lotus opened, and Bree was shocked when she saw what was inside. Bree covered her mouth.

  It was the queen, but they was withered looking. Their skin was gray, and flecks of miasma peppered their skin. Fairy's hovered around them and near them. The fariy's touched their leader, and Bree saw some of them were weeping. Bree leaped into the water then onto the queen's lotus, she gently pushed the fairy's aside. She quickly summoned healing energy on her hands. Bree signed the world for Heal, Fairy, Queen. She let her magic instinct guide her, but just as she was about to lay her hand on the queen. The queen reached out and stopped her. They said, "I have already made my choice. I am in no need of healing."

  Bree started trembling, and the queen smiled.

  "All this time, Joltrun and everyone I love have been trying to feed me, heal me do everything in their power to keep me alive. But my time has come. It is time for a new queen in a new era."

  They looked at Bree, their eyes gentle.

  “I want you to take the new queen with you, Bree. I want to learn from you. Humans have always fascinated me since their creation. I have dwelt here for a long time, but it is time for my people to become mobile once more."

  Bree shook, "No, I have to save you. We need to take down the witches together."

  The queen touched Bree's face. "Bree, you don't need me, you have my people's allyship, and my children will follow you wherever you go." They rasped weakly. "In the meantime. My children will listen to you while they wait for the new queen."

  Bree wiped her eyes. The queen moved, and Bree saw that their stomach was swollen.

  “Soon, my child will be born. I will be reborn. You will take the seed with you. One day. It will blossom. I want you there. I want to know things explore the realms—ever since I saw you. I saw how strong your soul was. I have been among the fae all my existence; it is time for a change. I knew you would come for me. I have been waiting." Bree was pale with shock, Tharin overhearing this spoke shakily. "Queen, with all due respect. This is the worst time for you to regenerate."

  The queen smiled, "Tharin… you of all people know. That I am not like you or the humans. That is why I want to learn. Darkness comes, and it goes. I trust the cycle; I trust the King. When I pass in a moment, the miasma infecting me, and my people will fall away. Already it has stopped spreading."

  Bree cried, her thoughts ringing out to the queen. "We're supposed to become friends. I wanted to get to know you. I was sure we had more time; I didn't know you were dying. You can't die, please let me heal you..." The queen smiled, "What better way to learn about you than for you to be there from the beginning, Bree. My time is now. You will see, just promise me one thing. No matter what is to come, you will believe in the King and yourself before the fae. That is how you will break your curse with your own strength, not the strength of magic or the fae. It is you that will teach us, you Bree were picked for this. That is what I know…tell Joltrun, that the source of the miasma lies in the fae graveyard, and that is all I know..."

  The queen shuddered, then she convulsed, they said, "Until I see you once more, Bree."

  Their body turned gray, and the fairies cried out as one. The queen was dead.

  Their belly opened, blossoming like a flower. Bree saw a green, infant-sized pod lying in the center of the queen's body. The lotus they stood on died, withering. Even some of the fairies that surrounded them in a cloud dropped dead from the shock. Tharin swore, Bree picked up the pod as if it were a child. Bree could feel it breathing.

  "It's alive." She whispered. Bree cradled it to her chest. “Bloody hell….." The elf raged then cursed in elfish. He snapped, "let's go hurry back to the machine." He summoned Feanu, who was circling overhead. He told the phoenix. "Tell Bakura, Joltrun, and Faelorn to meet me back at the field. The queen had their own plans and is dead. Bree and the remaining fairies will be safe with me in my machine." Bree carefully reentered the boat, and Tharin snapped his fingers as a spark of magic propelled the ship forward.

  The fairy folk, in the hundreds, gathered around them, and followed them in a cloud. Tharin coldly said. "Bree order them to kill any infected fae or animals."

  Bree looked at the fairies; she placed the pod down into her lap. She signed Tharin's orders politely, instructing the fairies to be careful and to work in teams. The fairies did as she ordered. Bree held the queen's seed to her chest. She followed Tharin quickly; he walked east toward the mechanical dragon.

  The queen's groove was filled with the screams of infected wild fae as fairies savagely tore them to shreds. Bree flinched, trying not to watch as little fairies pulled apart goblins, and bereaved. She climbed into the opened hatch and signed, "Hurry, get inside all of you, not one forgotten. If you can't fit, then I want you to travel in one group. Stay safe, follow us."

  In unison, as Tharin settled into his seat, a swarm of three hundred various breeds of fairy crammed into the cab. The rest of the fairies gathered in one massive crowd.

  Tharin closed the hatch and shooed the fairies away, and he squeezed himself into his seat.

  He glanced at Bree, saying, "This is madness, darling."

  The great me
chanical dragon turned around and shot into the forest, heading straight for the spring.

  Bree held the queen's seed listening to its quiet breath. Fairies looked at her and the queen's seed anxiously. They were soon back by the spring, and Tharin threw open the hatch, yelling at the fairy's to get out. Bree dismounted; she looked around. The field was full of fae of all shapes and sizes. The king's deer were peeking out of their cave, but not a soul approached them. Bree and Tharin stood together by the mouth of the mechanical dragon.

  Bakura was first to return; she bolted straight for them. Her flanks were streaked with blood. Bree couldn't tell if it was Bakura's or something else's blood. Bakura took one glance at the hundred thousand fairy's that were fleeing the forest and surrounding Bree. Bakura turned to Tharin and shook her head. "A hell of a time for the queen to die..."

  Tharin grumbled, "we at least have the fairy's full cooperation. We will still be able to use them to help find the bastard that started this." Faelorn and Joltrun thundered through the forest, Bree shook with relief as they seemed mostly unharmed. Faelorn headed straight for her; she showed him the queen's seed. He touched the seed in her arms. "I didn't think that they would choose now. They must have had a reason to be reborn." Faelorn touched Bree's face. "You must be special if the great fairy has chosen you to be followed in their absence." Bree hugged Faelorn; she turned and signed to Joltrun. She asked, "how do we end this now ?" Joltrun looked toward the forest. "We need an army. I don't know how the witches did it. Bereaved are everywhere. The miasma turning the fae against their own nature. We were attacked by fae but they were twisted undead…."

  Joltrun eyes gleamed with sorrow. He said, "since the queen is dead… I see no other option but to go to the source. I felt it in the forest today. Faelorn, I felt the miasma presence strongest in the southern region. Now that it's stronger, the miasma can no longer hide." Bree signed quickly, " The queen said it was in the fae graveyard." Faelorn held Bree tightly.