by Moshe Harel
“How do you do that? I don’t know any way to guarantee this!”
She looked at me with a look much older than her age. “I think you did exactly the same thing before you got married. You and Brian fucked several times every day.”
This time I blushed. “That’s true, but I’m a fairy and I could use fairy charms while . . .”
“And I do exactly the same.”
That was already too much. Emily could not be a fairy—she was too young! Besides, Gran found her to have no fairy magic. However, when I had done some checking, after learning from the elves, it showed me that there was a great deal of magic in her, but quite different from the magic of the fairies. I could not figure out exactly what it was. Had she learned to use it? “Are you willing to explain?” I asked.
Emily smiled. Her smile looked mature and defiant, not at all suitable for her childish face. “I discovered it a little earlier. I just wanted to take something out of the school bag, and suddenly it came to me. At first, I thought I might have been wrong. After it happened a few times, I realized that it was not a mistake and that I was really able to do things deliberately. I tried a few more things, and everything worked out for me. When I started to think about sex, I remembered hearing you explain to Mom how you were protected, and tried to figure out how to do it. The next day I started to use this method after I got rid of my virginity.”
“And you’re having sex with several boys? Are you not afraid of your reputation?”
She shrugged. “None of them remembers being with me. There’s one who is especially enjoyable, and I’ve been with him several times. Every time he thought it was our first time.”
I took a deep breath, trying to understand the full implication of her words. Emily had found her magical powers and began to use them, hopefully with caution. It also seemed that her magic required a lot of sex, just like mine, although her young age was certainly a cause for concern. What bothered me was that I did not know what kind of magic she had. It was not the magic of the fairies nor the elves or the goblins, that I had already learned to recognize. On the other hand, I had not found in the limited family tree that I had been able to reproduce any hint of magic different from the fairies’. What was the source of Emily’s powers?
She waited with uncharacteristic patience, for my reaction. It took me a long moment to think about what to say. “Do you have any idea what this power is?”
“Don’t you know? It’s magic.”
“I know, but what kind? And what’s its origin?”
She shrugged. “What does it matter?”
It took me another minute to formulate an answer. “Look, magical powers, even when it’s nice to use them, can be dangerous. Without tight control over your powers, you may hurt someone or even yourself. Had you been a fairy, I or Grandma could have taught you, but now I have no idea . . .”
Emily thought for a moment. “What about your friend, Ella? She’s not a fairy, that’s obvious.”
“How do you know?”
She smiled. “Even before I realized that I had magic, I could see halos. Most people, and animals too, have a thin, very dull aura. As people, and probably other creatures, get more magical—so their aura gets thicker and brighter. Mom and Dad have no real halos. You and Brian have very impressive halos. Gran’s is a little less, and Brian’s parents even lesser. Ella has a very impressive aura, but different from yours. She also hides parts of her true appearance, which means that she is also not really human.”
I was amazed by the discovery, nevertheless, I asked, “What about your halo?”
Her smile widened. “It’s hard for me to see my own aura, but I could see some of it in the mirror. It is different from yours and from Ella’s, but not less thick. I have not yet been able to understand the meaning of the differences.”
I hugged Emily carefully, so as not to wake the baby. “I found that you had a lot of magic in you a long time ago, but I did not expect it to come out at such a young age, and I don’t really know how to help you and teach you more. Try talking to Gran about it, and I’ll try to find more information that might help me understand more about your magical powers.”
Emily smiled, this time it was a childish smile that matched her age. “Can you take me to Avalon?”
I gave it a thought. Going to Avalon normally entailed changing form, gaining the form of our magical heritage. Well, by now I knew how to circumvent it, but Emily probably didn’t. Taking her to Avalon would reveal her magical form. That made my decision. “Alright, I’ll take you after all the guests leave, but you need some practice before that.”
Brian was looking at us, probably checking on our baby. I waved him to come nearer. “Do you mind watching Tracey? I need to show Emily something.”
I was sure that Brian had already noticed my excitement and apprehension, but he just nodded. Emily let me grab her hand and we went to her room. I tried to leave my feelings at the new revelation behind and turn into my “teaching” mode.
“Before I can take you to Avalon, you need to know that when passing there, we tend to change into our magical form. When I first visited Avalon, I changed into my fairy form. You’ve not seen it yet. Do you want to?”
Emily nodded excitedly. A blink of an eye later, I changed into my fairy form. I flew a bit around her room and stopped in mid-air in front of her. “As you can clearly see, I’m much smaller now, and that may cause some problems.” I tried to speak very slowly, so she could still understand me. She nodded, so it probably worked as expected.
I returned to my human form before continuing, disregarding her fascination with the changes. “As you saw, I retained my clothes, yet it required some practice before I could do it. Changing my clothes while transforming proved quite difficult, so, for quite a while I stayed naked while transforming. I suggest you do the same.”
Emily showed no hesitation. She quickly undressed, throwing her discarded clothes on her bed, and stood proudly in front of me, as if for inspection. She probably expected some compliments, but I decided to keep to my teaching.
“Now, I want you to stand in front of the mirror and study your form. Pay attention to . . .” I practically repeated what Gran had taught me four years earlier, before I first transformed. Emily acted obediently and proved to be a fast learner. While watching her back, I suddenly noticed some weird signs. Two diagonal lines going from her shoulders down to her spine, a bit lower. These could be wing marks, like mine, but I wasn’t sure and as she didn’t know what her magical form was, I didn’t want to push her.
Once I was satisfied with the depth of her studying her own form, I urged her to get dressed and rejoin the guests, before her absence became too evident. Emily did as requested and smiled happily. “I can now understand what those lines on your back are. I was wondering for more than a year about them,” she said before we left her room.
“I saw some different marks on your back,” I told her. “I’m not yet sure what they mean.”
“I think they mean I can also have wings,” she said.
“Sure, but what kind of wings?” She had no reply to that.
Nobody seemed to mind our not-so-short absence. It seemed natural that the younger sister would seek the advice of the older, especially when they didn’t meet often enough. Nobody could guess what kind of advice my sister was asking for.
As evening approached, the guests started leaving, until only my parents, my siblings and my own little family stayed. Tracey had already woken up and was moving from one lap to another, bringing smiles and happiness to all. Emily looked expectantly at me as if urging me to do as promised. I sat down at her side.
“I’d like Brian to come with us to Avalon. Although it’s quite safe, some dangers may still lurk there, and I’d feel safer with him nearby. Do you mind if he joins us?”
Emily shrugged. “I’m not ashamed of my body, and I don’t think he’d even look much at me, certainly not the way he looks at you.”
I was somewhat surprised
by her mature attitude. I would have been mortified at the thought of any male seeing me naked when I was her age. Could this be another manifestation of her magic?
I asked my parents to keep an eye on Tracey while Brian and I had a long conversation with Emily. Mom just smiled and urged us on.
30 Avalon
We went to Emily’s room and closed the door. Emily looked like she had some mischief in mind, and it soon became evident, as she said, “I believe that if I get naked for the visit to Avalon, you two should do the same.” She looked teasingly at us as if expecting us to protest.
I shrugged and started removing my clothes. “It’s fine with me,” Brian said, doing the same. Emily still beat us, removing her clothes much faster and standing straight, as if expecting some comment.
Brian didn’t disappoint her. “You’ve certainly grown up nicely since last summer,” he noted. She smiled her thanks.
I didn’t let them dwell on it. “Brian, I’m going to open a portal. I’ll pass first, keeping my form, then Emily and you come last, keeping your form as well.”
I opened the portal, not bothering to explain, as I wasn’t sure how much of it would be relevant to her, and walked through. Emily followed me immediately, and then Brian came, before I closed the portal.
I turned to Emily, who seemed unchanged. “Welcome to Avalon,” I smiled at her.
Emily seemed enchanted as she scanned the forest we came into, breathed the clean air, and smiled. “What next?” she asked.
I wasn’t really sure. During my first visit, and quite a few after it, I aimed for the Fair Palace, where the library, the museum, and the Elder Council were located. I had no idea where to take her, especially since she retained her form. “Why don’t you turn around and find which direction attracts you most?”
Emily closed her eyes and started turning. Her movement was so smooth that I had to look at her feet. They didn’t move. Her whole body was suspended about a hair-width above the ground, turning slowly. She turned full circle twice before stopping, facing a certain direction, and opening her eyes. “I feel a strong urge to go that way,” she told me.
I felt a bit apprehensive. We had never visited that part of Avalon and I didn’t know what to expect. I tried to widen my perception and search for any danger. I found none. I nodded to Emily to lead us and took Brian’s hand in mine, as we followed.
Emily started walking quite hesitantly, at first. She seemed to listen to some inner voice as she was walking, slightly adjusting her direction occasionally. Her gait became surer as we continued and her steps longer, as if she was hurrying somewhere, until she started actually running, with us trying not to lag. She then stopped suddenly. She murmured “Wings!” and I saw two feathery white wings coming out of her back. She spread them wide, took two quick steps forward, and launched into the air. I quickly made myself grow similar wings and hurried after her. Brian had not yet mastered this kind of transformation. He turned into his fairy form and tried to catch up with us.
Emily flew like crazy, barely avoiding collisions with trees at the last moment, yet speeding faster and faster. I was sure she was paying no attention to me or to Brian, as if attracted forward by an irresistible force. I followed her as best as I could, occasionally noticing Brian trying to keep pace as well.
We were approaching a mountain range and I felt some relief as I saw the trees thinning, until we were no longer in a forest. Emily was speeding ahead. I had no time to check my environment, as I tried following her, making sure she was safe. At a certain point, I felt as if the air was becoming thicker, slowing me down, trying to keep me away. This didn’t seem to affect Emily. It made me remember the protection around the Fair Palace. This was probably a similar magical barrier. I couldn’t let it keep me away from my sister, though. Without even giving it a real thought, I directed my magic to make a passage for me. The obstacle seemed to be removed and I sped forward, catching up with Emily.
We were approaching what seemed to be a cave. I felt another magical obstacle but didn’t let it slow me down. Emily landed a few paces in front of the cave and folded her wings. I landed at her side a moment later. “Is this where you wanted to go?” I asked her.
She shrugged. “I’m not even sure what this is and why I want to come here, but I still feel I need to go in. Will you come with me?”
I smiled reassuringly at her. “I need to keep my little sister safe, don’t I?”
She smiled back, seeming a bit tired. Her childish face with her wings in the background looked like a painting of an angel, as seen in many churches. Her very feminine naked body would not fit such a painting, though.
She turned back to face the cave and stepped forward, with me at her side. As soon as we took another step, two angels appeared in front of us, each holding a sword. They looked at Emily and then at me. “What are you doing here?” one of them asked.
“I just felt an urge to come here,” Emily responded innocently.
“And I wouldn’t let my little sister wander alone in a strange place,” I added.
“You’re not an angel!” he said, sounding a bit confused.
“She’s still my sister. We may be magically different, but we have the same parents.”
My answer seemed to confuse him even more. “Who are you?” he finally asked, not sounding hostile, only cautious.
“I’m Junior Sophie, a fairy, and this is my sister Emily, who is evidently an angel,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. Those sharp swords were quite intimidating, really.
“Wait here! Both of you!” the angel said as he vanished, leaving only the other one. I thought this one was a female, yet both had long hair and smooth faces, and their large white gowns made it impossible to judge their gender.
The other angel reappeared before I had time to think of anything else, holding his sword down. “Junior Sophie, you and your sister are welcome to our halls. Your escort will be here momentarily.”
The other angel also said, “Welcome to our abode,” making me aware of her feminine voice.
I looked around, trying to find Brian, but could see him nowhere. ‘Where are you, darling?’ I tried to reach him.
‘I don’t know how you passed their border, but I couldn’t go any farther, once I reached their protection. Are you two alright?’
‘We’re fine. Waiting for some escort to take us in. It seems like they’ve already heard of me.’
‘As they should!’ I could feel Brian’s love in his message.
Two other angels appeared, both wearing yellow gowns. They bowed slightly and presented themselves. “I’m Adam,” said one. “I’m Eve,” said the other, making me chuckle. They looked curiously at me, not quite understanding.
“Sorry, but this sounds like a Bible lesson for the first class,” I said.
Both smiled understandingly. “We tend to use biblical names here,” Eve admitted. “Now, please come with us.”
She led us a bit further into the cave, where we reached a golden gate made of intertwined flowers and plant forms. I could easily pass through it in my fairy form, but not at my current size.
They opened the gate for us and led us into a wide, well-lit corridor. Its ceiling and its walls were decorated with various reliefs, all exquisitely done, and the floor was made of marble slabs, combined to form a nice geometric pattern. It reminded me of the Fair Palace, except there were no windows.
Our escorts led us through several corridors and halls, all very elegant, before they stopped in front of a door and knocked twice.
“Come in,” came a voice from the other side.
Adam opened the door and ushered us in, following us and then standing at our side in front of a large desk, where an elderly angel sat, with piles of papers spread in front of him. “Your Excellency, these are our surprise guests,” he said.
The elderly angel smiled at him. “Well done, son. Please wait outside until I call you.” He then waved his hand invitingly, pointing at two comfortable chairs that
appeared in front of the desk. As Adam moved out and closed the door, we sat down. Emily seemed fascinated by the elegance, her eyes wandering around, trying to absorb all there was to see. I concentrated on the angel, though.
“Let me present myself,” he started. “My name is David and I am the current leader of the angel nation. And you might be . . .?”
“I’m Junior Sophie of the fairies and this is my very young sister Emily, whom we’ve just found out to be an angel.”
His eyes seemed to smile at us as Emily finally noticed that he was looking at her and blushed furiously. For a moment, he looked only at her. “Emily, can you tell me how old you are?”
“I’m twelve years old. I had my birthday ten days ago, but we’ve only celebrated it today.”
“And why, if I may ask?”
She shrugged. “This big sister of mine is too busy being a college student, a mother, and a Junior. She couldn’t come earlier.”
“Don’t you know how important Junior Sophie is for the fairies? I dare say that one day, you might be just as important among the angels.”
She blushed and then frowned. “Why do you think so?”
He smiled at her some more as he answered, “You must know that for more than a millennia there was no angel who was born outside Avalon. It is also unheard of an angel reaching his or her powers at such a young age. These two facts may point to you being a very unique angel, and I feel you’re going to bring much change for the good in our nation.”
His attention turned to me. “I can see you’re not in your fairy form, nor in your human form. You actually seem to be an angel, only your magic is very different. Care to explain?”
I wasn’t sure what was the best answer, yet the angels had never been at odds with the fairies. I could see no harm telling him. “I’ve found how to change my shape and size to become any species I like. I’m elf-size when visiting the elves, and I also tried changing myself to goblin, angel, and vampire, to name a few. Some forms are easier to achieve or maintain than others, but none posed any real problem.”