by Debbie Long
“Actually, you’re wrong.” My father looks at us all. “This academy was created to train the next army. We have our army.”
“A bunch of youngsters?” Mobsy says with a laugh. “We need more than that.”
“I know, that’s why your mother visited me. We have formed an alliance and your kind will fight alongside us once more. My people are training with the dragons as we speak.” My father has a glint in his eye, he gives me a wink.
“Then we have our army?” My father nods at me. “Then we need to rescue the lost pixies. When they re-join our lands, it should push away the darkness and strengthen them once more.”
“Now it makes sense. The more pixies that were taken, the darker our lands became. He must have hundreds of our people. He was trying to weaken us and make his lands stronger,” Oran states.
I turn to Ava, my sister. “Sister, where are the wastelands?” I ask.
“I forgot about that momentarily,” Felix says.
Ava grins. “It’s in the outlands, a place where you never come out alive. It’s filled with dark creatures, things of nightmares.” She shudders. “But if we are discreet, we can pass them. My father goes there often, so he may have an agreement with them, or he is controlling them. Either way, I should be able to get us in.” Ava’s body shimmers, we all gasp as she takes on the appearance of her father. “I can tell them I have more light pixies; they should believe me.” She changes back to her normal self.
“He looks just like his father,” my father says.
“Yeah, much to his annoyance,” Ava replies.
“When do we leave?” Mobsy says, looking my way.
“We leave now. Take what you need, but we need to travel light,” I reply.
Everyone leaves the room, leaving me alone with my father, grandfather and Ava. Silvia looks back, I tell her to stay, she looks relieved.
“Father, I need you to stay here. If he attacks while we are gone, then you need to stay here and protect our people.”
“Pixie.”
“No, please, just listen to me. If he attacks, they won’t have anyone to lead them. You must lead them father, please.”
“Father, I will stay with you,” Silvia says by my side. “I will help you lead our people in this war. Pixie will lead the rescue mission, trust us.”
My father looks at us proudly, his eyes shine as he gazes at us. “You’re making an old pixie proud.” He pulls us into a hug.
“What about mother, is she still in the palace?” Silvia asks.
“She is, and she is guarded. My loyal guards got me out of the palace. Her loyal guards, which I am guessing are dark pixies or from her lands, are guarding the palace. We almost didn’t make it out alive.” His anger radiates from him. “She deceived me, she’s not who I thought she was.”
“Who is she?” I ask, although I think I know already.
“She’s from the witch clan, she’s part pixie, part witch.”
“But the witches are evil. I thought they were all banished to the human world.”
“They were, but they have taken residence in the north mountains. When her family came to me, they told me they were from the summer lands and when I sent word to the palace there, they confirmed it. We wed, then Silvia was born. We married out of loyalty and politics. She has been planning this the whole time. Weakening me. I was blind to it Pixie; you were right about her.”
“That’s why my wings are grey,” Silvia says.
“I’m sorry Silvia, I didn’t know who she was until recently. The dark pixie ambushed me, he poisoned me with his magic. I got sick, didn’t have a chance to send word to you.”
“What’s her end game? Why all this and now?” I ask.
“She thinks my family wronged hers. That her family should be rulers of these lands. Her father killed mine, tried to take the crown. I killed her father when I was a youngster. She wanted revenge, to kill me and you, Pixie.”
“She wanted me to sit on the throne,” Silvia say, “she said it was my destiny and my family’s. I didn’t understand until now. She never liked you, Pixie. She tried to make me hate you, but I couldn’t. I’m sorry for all things I said and did to you.” She hangs her head, her shoulders drooping.
“Hey, it’s OK. It made me stronger. But I am glad we have each other now.” I give her a smile which she returns.
“Let’s get this done shall we,” I say with more determination then I feel.
“Wait,” Ava says, “once I step back on my lands, will I still have my magic? What if it disappears again?”
“It won’t. Your father has his, right?” my grandfather says, “You will keep yours.”
“Right, I just want this to go right. I didn’t want us to go in there and the plan go to shit.”
“We’ve got this,” I say, “let’s go.” Ava and I leave the room. As I go to close the door, Silvia calls out.
“Be careful Pixie and make sure you come home.” She gives me a shy smile.
“And you, little sis.”
Pixie gods I hope this works.
Dark Lands
When we all tumble into the dark lands, we end up just where Ava said we would. Honey and Maxell thought it was best they stayed behind too.
“Well this is cheery,” Felix says.
“It wasn’t always like this. It was a vibrant land much like your own,” Ava says sadly. “Hopefully, I can restore it to what it once was.”
“We will, together,” I vow.
“Where to, Ava?” Oran asks.
“By the mountains, through the trench. We need to be on guard, there are many beasts that roam the lands.”
“Where did they come from, these beasts?”
“They were once normal beasts, but when the lands got darker, so did they. Like us, the dark pixies, some of us turned to blood to gain strength and magic. Those that succumbed to bloodlust became erratic, unstable. So, father had them killed.”
“Not all dark pixies drink blood? One came to our lands and changed one of our own.”
“Yes, that happens. But the more they drink, the worse they get.”
“She almost became dark herself, it took Maxell weeks to get her right again.”
“She must have drunk blood once he infected her. That is the only way to become like them. I’m sorry this happened to her. My father shouldn’t have sent him, he could have infected more than just her.”
“I think that was his plan, until I killed him in the woods,” Mobsy says from the back.
“We know, that’s why my father changed his plan.”
“Do all dark pixies drink blood?” I ask.
“No, only those that have embraced true darkness.”
“Like your father.”
“He hasn’t succumbed to bloodlust.”
“No, just the magic of my people. The blood of my people. That’s why he kept them alive, that’s why he keeps coming to this place.” Disgust runs through me.
“You’re right, we will free them.”
“Why are you so different from him?”
Ava breaths in deeply, her eyes becoming glassy. “He killed my mother, our mother. He made me do terrible things, said it was to teach me the ways of the dark pixies. But then he killed my grandfather, right in front of me. My grandfather told me to choose a different path, the right path and restore our lands to what they once were.” She sighs. “I don’t want this. I don’t want a war that will kill hundreds of my people. They don’t deserve it, they deserve peace.”
“You’ve spoken to your people?” Zane asks.
“I have. Those that want peace are on my side. They told me my father wanted war, I didn’t believe them. I wanted to believe he wanted peace too. A life where we could all live in harmony. A life where we could be free.”
We all walk in silence, our weapons out ready for an attack. I look towards the mountain range, seeing something flying in the distance.
“We need to fly. It will take too long on foot,” I say.
“
You can all fly on me. It will be faster,” Mobsy says. He backs away, shifting into his dragon form.
“Wow,” Ava says.
“Wow indeed.” I walk towards him, climbing onto his back. “Come on Ava, he won’t bite,” I chuckle.
Mobsy huffs. “Not yet anyway,” his deep voice vibrates through me.
“I’ll fly next to you. I am fast after all,” Felix says cheekily. He hovers above me, giving me a sweet kiss before settling next to Mobsy.
“What is your true name?” Ava asks.
“Velour. Pixie choose that name and it stuck.”
I chuckle. “He came to me as a tiny pixie dragon. How was I meant to know he was this big and had a pixie form?”
“He never told you. I thought he is your mate?”
“He is, well he says he is,” I huff.
“And you are. I can smell your arousal.”
I give him a dig with my heel, he grunts, turning his head to me. His eyes gleam as they watch me, and I think he smiles. I squirm under his heated gaze, even in dragon form I want him.
“Let’s move shall we,” I squeak.
My mates laugh at my discomfort. Even Ava is sporting a grin.
Mobsy moves into the air, his purple wings gliding us to the mountains. Felix keeps pace with us, his golden wings moving fast, almost a blur.
As we near, the thing in the sky seems bigger. It also has three necks. “What is that thing?” I ask Ava.
“I don’t know but let’s land nearby and walk. I can change into my father, and it should let us pass.”
We land nearby. Felix uses the air to cloak us and Oran creates mist to hide us.
“That’s a good trick,” Ava says in wonder.
“Yeah, came in handy when we were young and wanted to hide,” Felix chuckles.
“Quiet. It may hear us.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that hearing us,” Oran says, “I would worry about us passing those things.” He points towards the trench.
What I see horrifies me. My wings flutter nervously. “What are they?” I gag at the stench, the rotting and decaying smell assaulting my nostrils.
“They are ghouls, they roam these lands. Seeking flesh and death,” Mobsy says. “You all need to brush up on your monsters.”
The creatures sniff the air, their pixie-like features disarming me. When I look into their eyes, they gleam a blood red. Their teeth are jagged, sharp and ready to tear our flesh off our bones. They sniff the air again, they all move as one, their eyes locking onto us.
“Shit,” Ava says.
“Let me take care of this,” Mobsy says, “quickest way to kill them is by fire.”
“I can help,” I say, calling fire to me.
With my hands out in front of me, I send a blast of fire directly at the ones nearest me. Mobsy changes to his dragon form and with a roar, fire spews from his open mouth.
I shoot more fire, but they keep on coming. “There’s too many of them,” I shout, sweat on my brow from the heat of my fire.
“Felix,” I call, “use your air to create a current, I will send my fire into it.”
Felix nods. “On it.”
He lifts of the ground, the air whipping around us. It picks up faster, creating a tornado. The others back away, covering their face from the dust.
“When I say, aim it at them. Mobsy, move out the way.” I shout.
My ember magic builds, the fire in my heart ready for release. I shoot it into the tornado, the air making it larger.
“Now!” I scream.
Felix moves, his hands shooting out. He roars as the inferno washes over the ghouls. They screech, flailing to get away. With one last push, our magic joins, the fire gets bigger. With a grunt we move it forward, burning everything in its path.
When the screeches die down, we let our magic go. I fall to the ground, but strong arms catch me. Felix’s eyes come into view.
“Pixie love, are you OK?” His worried eyes lock onto mine.
“I’m OK, just a little dizzy.”
“That was awesome,” Ava says, “I’ve never seen such power before.” She takes my elbow when Felix sets me down. I sway a little and she grips me tighter.
“You’re weak, we need to find somewhere so you can rest.”
“No, I’m fine Ava. We need to keep moving. We don’t know if the dark army has invaded my lands.”
“Oran, cover us with your mist. I don’t like the look of that creature above,” Zane says. “We need to keep moving, like Pixie says. I can feel a stir in our lands, an energy that doesn’t belong.”
“How can you feel that from here?” Ava asks.
Zane smiles. “I am connected to the earth,” he answers.
“Let’s move on,” I say, “our people need us.”
We walk on, every step bringing us closer to freeing my people. We keep our steps light, keeping as quiet as we can. The trench is quiet, too quiet. But we press forward. We near the end, all breathing a sigh of relief. We turn the corner and all gasp at the building in front of us.
“What is this place?” I ask.
“A prison,” Mobsy answers.
The building is huge, dark and eerie. It looks like an abandoned castle, but with bars on all the windows. A dark energy settles on us, the clouds above crack with thunder.
“You have electricity here?” Felix says.
“Yes, before the veil was closed, we had it all fitted. Kept me sane to be honest, think I would have died of boredom if I didn’t have television and DVDs.”
“That’s why you talk like a human, same as Pixie.” He smiles my way.
“You have electricity too though?”
“In the mainlands we do, some of the smaller villages choose not to. Most of them are in the autumn lands.” He makes a face. “Stuck in the old ways.”
“Hey, they like the old ways,” Zane says defensively.
“Come on, let’s do this,” I say.
“Question,” Oran says, “how do we get in?”
“That’s where I come in.” I jump at the deep voice.
“Ava, you scared the crap out of me,” I say, hand over my heart.
“Sorry,” she shrugs. “Let’s hurry, I feel an odd sense of creepiness being my father.” She marches ahead. “Keep your head down and bind your hands somehow.”
“I got it,” Zane replies. His magic licks at my skin making me gasp. Vines wrap around my wrists, securing them tightly. “Don’t worry, I can undo it. If you want to that is.” He winks making me blush.
A few weeks ago, he tied me up. My legs were spread apart from the same vines on my wrists. My mates had fun that day. My core tightens thinking about it.
“Now, now kitten. I can’t take care of that in our current situation,” Zane purrs. “When we get home, I will pound you into oblivion.”
I swallow hard, trying to cool my heated face. “Is that a promise?” I whisper.
“More than a promise.”
My body gravitates towards him. My lips inches from his.
Ava clears her throat and we jump apart. “Shall we?” She grins.
I grumble, moving away from him. We follow Ava to the front gates. They open without her having to say a word.
“Let’s rescue your people, Pixie.”
I nod, keeping my head down, even when I hear a voice in front of me.
“More prisoners, your father will be happy.” I look up sharply. He gives us an evil grin as the gate closes with a clang.
“Well, shit,” I say.
Maxell
Shit hit the fan as soon as Pixie left. The dark army invaded our lands and captured the king and his guards. The students were safe in the academy, but most wanted to go home to their families.
The day the king was captured, we all felt lost. Silvia was in the palace also; I haven’t heard from her. Maybe she betrayed us.
As I stand on the academy edge, I can see the lands are dark and quiet. The dark energy has spread, making me worried that we misjudged sending Pixie to
rescue the light pixies.
Honey stands by my side, her eyes flickering below. “What do we do?” she asks.
“I don’t know, we need Pixie.”