Chapter #10
Fairies and Fairy Circles
How to travel in and out of them
how to spot good fairies and bad fairies
"Ah...here we are...chapter nine seems to be the best place to start" said Louis as Digger continued to devour his dinner.
Louis began to read all about his new world, which was lit by the peculiar light of the adder stone. As the pages unfolded before him there were drawings of some of the plants, birds and life that Louis has seen along his journey so far. The odd trees, plants and bushes, the strange birds, so on and so on it went as Louis delved deeper and deeper into the book.
Looking to his left Louis noticed digger had finished his well-deserved dinner. He had a look of contentment upon his whiskered modest face as he curled up into a little ball and began to sleep. Louis as well felt weariness overtake him. He took Diggers lead by placing the book across his lap, then partially placed part of his robe over the adder stone, covering it just enough to still throw a dim light around the burrow but not enough to keep him awake. As the light dimmed and his light dinner found the way to the bottom of his stomach to be digested, forty winks entered his tired mind and bones. Louis curled up in a small ball using Digger's large furry ears as a pillow. Louis as well fell into deep somnolent asleep. No out of the ordinary or other-worldly beast visited in the night as the two small travelers had slept soundly underground, away from the dangers of the night...
Digger was the first to stir, as he rolled to his left Louis's head hit the soft earth. Louis awoke to complete darkness, the adder stone had been covered during the night by the movements of Louis tossing in his sleep. Upon regaining his mind inside of the darkness Louis screamed out.
"What....what...where am I...?"
Digger who could see quite well in the darkness tried to calm him the best he could. He quickly jumped upon Louis's chest. His two overly large feet hit the small boy in the chest, accidentally knocking the air out of him. Louis responded in kind not knowing what creature was upon him, after reaching about in the darkness at his perceived attacker Louis managed to grab the intruder by one ear, Louis started to send him airborne as the adder stone's light was uncovered once more, spreading unnatural light back inside of the burrow.
"Louis it is your Digger...what are you doing....no..." shouted out Digger at the top of his teeny lungs "I was just trying to calm you in the dark..."
Just as Louis was about to do something unforgiving the light shot across Digger's face and body, Louis instantly recognized his new friend.
"Oh...I am so sorry Digger. I thought I was being attacked by Trog the Water-Dweller, a snake or worst..."
"Man...oh...man Louis. I am sure glad you regained your mind in the nick of time or it could have been curtains. I may live in a burrow like a venomous snake and have some of their thieving tendencies to steal things that don't belong to them, but I assure you I mean you no harm. I was just trying to comfort you in the dark...really..." stated Digger as Louis placed him gingerly upon the ground.
"I guess I am a little on edge Digger, as you can surely understand, after all that talk about snakes and dragons living amongst us earlier. Now what is the plan for today, if it is daytime now, and did you sleep well?"
"I slept fine other than the part of you using me for a pillow all night, and it is daytime" said Digger as he tried to stretch out a bit.
"Well with all that fur of yours and those soft large ears, I just could not help myself. Is that not a bunny rabbits place in life to start with? Every kid likes to sleep with their rabbits."
"Good point Louis, now as for today. We will find some nourishment this morning then onwards farther into the Kingdom of Gwynedd then eventually we will reach Deganwy Castle, which is only less than a half a day away by my calculations."
Upon reaching the small opening of the burrow the ominous blue moon still hung high above. The abnormal blue fogs were nowhere in sight and this unnatural world appeared to be back to as normal as normal could be for the time being. The unusual, strange colored flowers were in full bloom taking in the blue lights of the blue moon, the weird outsized birds were singing in the malformed trees above and the out of the ordinary tadpoles were still swimming in the stream nearby.
Louis was fortunate enough to have noticed another cluster of vine-ripened blueberries hanging nearby above the stream. After a quick, and satisfying small meal both refreshed travelers were off, heading upstream toward their destination for the day. Walking and hopping along both chatted about their families, the circumstances that brought them together and all about the new world which both now lived in. But especially Louis wanted to know about T?ngarar Spadefoot and his offspring, and about the dark world of Northumberland. The little rabbit imparted his knowledge of the Underworld to his traveling companion for the better part of the morning.
As the early afternoon approached and many miles had passed underfoot, the small rocky road along the streambed below them widened. The large overhanging trees that clung to the streambed gave way to a wide grassy field of yellow and red daisies. Each one stood about as tall as Digger and as wide as a fatty duck. A well-worn dirt pathway appeared before them now; it divided the large flowered field down the middle thus giving the two friends an easier pathway ahead. The blue moon hung motionless in a partially cloudy sky. The temperature was as pleasant as the company.
"If only everyday could be as lovely as this one Digger" said Louis as he popped another handful of blueberries into his mouth "would you like a little lunch Digger?" asked Louis.
"Yes I am hungry and blueberries are my favorite, as you know" said Digger as he motioned for them to both sit down on a nearby rock to rest.
As Louis looked off to the north, the clouds were dispersing, thus uncovering a nearby hillside at the far side of the field. As the sky cleared all was revealed to Louis. His eyes widened as all became more important to him.
"As you can see", said the little rabbit "the Castle of Deganwy is now coming into view. It is not lovelier than you could have imaged Louis?"
Louis stood up quickly upon the rock where he was last sitting. He craned his neck as he swallowed the last of his blueberries, then spoke.
"You are so right Digger. It is more beautiful than you described it to me today as we walked along. That is where Atamo lives. Will he meet us at the front gates or in his chambers at the top of the highest tower over there? That must be where he lives?"
Louis pointed towards the largest and highest of the six brick turrets. The castle's large wooden gates were open and there appeared to be workingmen and elves laboring in the fields in front of the castle. There was hustle and bustle everywhere around the castle as more and more of it was reveled with the clearing of the low lying clouds and light fogs.
"I am so glad that we have at long last made it to our destination. I want to take a bath, and get a hot meal. They can bathe you as well Digger" said Louis as he began to hop up and down on the rock.
Joy and hope began to overwhelm him.
"Rabbits don't take baths Louis but I could sure use another handful of carrots, I can see from here that that they are some being grown right over to the left side, in that field there."
Digger as well began to happily hop up and down, now that it was clearly evident the journey was coming to a cheery conclusion. And just as both began to embrace and share in their joy together it appeared that a large cloud had blotted out the blue moon above them, both turned to look upwards as an ungodly, ear-piercing shriek assaulted their combined senses.
Louis could not get his ears covered fast enough. Digger having overly-large ears, and a keener sense of hearing heard the craven screams more clearly and deeply, he as well tried covering his ears with his hands. Lastly he folded his large furry ears over his eardrums as a last resort. He then cowered to the ground as Louis just had.
As the ear-piercing screeches beg
an to soften Louis now dashed for cover, and as he did he grabbed Digger in his right hand, proceeding to throw him onto a small grass bed found nearby, both then rolled forward under a thick cluster of nearby thorn-less bushes. As the considerable shadow passed over them both, each looked upwards into the blue light of the day once again.
Orange and red glowing feathers were seen they appeared to be as hot as a stoked fire, and as bright as a summer's day noontime sun. Flames shot out from deep within the dragon's throat outwards over his curled black lips. His horrid cries faded from earshot the further Dragon the Fire Breathing Dragon flew towards Deganwy Castle. Sweeping in low towards the largest turret Dragon exhaled out a large stream of fire just above the top of castle's brick walls. This sent all of the innocent residents running for cover. The flames were meant as a sizable warning to each and every one who might still doubt him that he, T?ngarar Spadefoot and Apohasis the Destroyer still ruled this blue world.
Digger wasted no time. Seeing an opening in the aerial assault, he dove for a soft spot in the ground below a generous dandelion petal to further hide his body from the probing eyes of the dragon. Now digging faster than he ever had before, he quickly began to disappear from view. Just as the last of his tail was about to vanish Digger turned backwards towards Louis, who was crouched below a thick bush dumbfounded as what to do next.
"I have completed my task, and have done as Mr. Spadefoot has asked. Your journey through the Kingdom of Gwynedd is complete and Deganwy Castle is in plain sight. Atamo will guide you now on into Northumberland. Good luck in your quest Wizard. I hope to have you chasing me again one day in Mr. Beamer's garden but remember you will never be able to catch me, not never..."
A sly wink towards Louis by the wry rabbit, then he went lost. Louis could not get a word out edgewise as the ground snapped closed behind the little furry blue burglar. Louis grew in his wisdom as he reasoned out his state of affairs. His newborn friend was correct in his statements and had done as requested of him, no more and no less. Louis looked towards the vast skies above once more as Dragon the Fire Breathing Dragon glided higher up into the skies above the ancient Castle of Deganwy.
Now in his immediate future were his new guide and possible new friend in, Atamo the Astral Fairy then onward into the unknown and mysterious lands, known as Northumberland.
The Journey to Northumberland and the Rise of the Undertoads Page 13