Call of Kythshire (Keepers of the Wellsprings Book 1) (24 page)

“Take this,” he says. I turn it in my fingers, looking at the fine scrollwork of the Headmaster’s ring inlaid with a G and a furling quill.

“Your crest?” I whisper. He nods.

“It will show any who question your actions that you have my full support. The gesture shows me that he sees me not as the silly child I always feel I am in his presence, but as a young woman worthy of his trust. I swallow the lump in my throat and tuck the ring safely into a pouch at my belt. I can’t manage to say anything and so I hope a simple nod of appreciation will do.

He pats me on the shoulder and offers me another rare smile before leading me back to the makeshift camp. We’re greeted by Cort, who wriggles his brow at me and goes back to watching Dacva closely inspect the hind quarters of his horse. Mya and Rian emerge from the opposite side of camp, and Flit whispers into my mind.

“Time to
go if you’re going to get any rest before morning,”
she says. I notice that Rian’s eyes are wet with tears as he offers me a smile as we take each other’s hands. Echoing Flit’s whisper, he announces that it’s time for us to leave. We say our farewells and then duck into the forest together, far enough away that they won’t see us vanish back to Kythshire. As Flit rests her hands on us both, I close my eyes and hope with all of my heart that all of them remain safe.

The carpet of moss in Flit’s grotto makes the most comfortable bed imaginable, and despite all of my worries, I sleep through the night with pleasant dreams of fairies dancing through my head. When Flit wakes us it’s not yet dawn, but I feel completely rejuvenated. We nibble on the pink berries that she brings as we sit shoulder to shoulder in the moss, and Rian tells me about his conversation with Uncle the previous night.

“He’s always been unsure about Viala,” he says, “but no one else seems to see anything suspicious about her. That’s why he had her mentor me when he left to look for Lisabella. He wanted me to be close to her, to watch for anything off. When he heard that she moved up my trial, he realized that she was trying to use me to forward her plots. That’s why he told me to fail, just as we thought.”

“Did you tell him what we’ve been sent to do to her?” I ask. He nods.

“He thinks it’s the best course.” Rian looks into the sparkling pool where the elegant fins of Flit’s fish swirl and dance beneath the surface. “I agree, even though part of me feels like it’s unimaginable to reduce someone so brilliant to almost nothing.”

“It’s her own fault,” Flit pipes up, coming to land before us. She picks up a berry and nibbles it. “She’s a danger. A real danger. A bad Mage. A Sorceress, even”

“I know, Flit,” Rian says, “and I agree. So it’s time to make a plan.”

“Not without Twig and Shush and that Ember,” Flit says, “Which is why I woke you up early. I think I’ve figured out why Screecus chose who they chose.”

“Screecus?” I ask.

“Oh!” Flit giggles and covers her mouth, and her prisms of light dance over the waving fronds and the surface of the water playfully. “That’s what we call them. Scree and Crocus. It’s not an official name, more like a nickname. So you should never, ever call them that. It might make Crocus close up and refuses to talk to anyone. The two of them are inseparable. Really inseparable.  They need each other. Crocus can’t be without Scree, and flip that, too. Do you remember when she went all funny and started daydreaming? She was talking secretly with Scree. So, anyway, I know Scree chose Twig because he can get us to the palace, and from there we can find Viala, since Mya has your diamond now, Azi. I think he chose Ember and Shush because they can make the container for the stripping together. But it’s going to be tricky.” I think back to a question game we had long ago, when Flit told me about some of the roles fairies play.

“Are they Creators, like the ones who made my diamond into a tether?” I ask.

“Yep! I told you they can be tricky, right? Well, they are. And those two are always bickering. So, it’ll be fun to see if they can work together.” She raises her shoulders up to her ears and offers a grin, her eyes flashing pink with excitement.

“Great,” Rian says.

“Don’t be sour, Mage. Have some more berries.” She tosses some at him and they hit his chest and roll down, leaving streaks of pink along the white. Rian shakes his head and gestures over the stains, clearing them. Then he collects the berries and pops them into his mouth.

“I’m not being sour,” he says after he swallows. “I just expect that this isn’t going to be as straightforward as we imagined.”

“Most quests aren’t, are they?” I stand up and stretch, and pick up my sword to practice my footwork. The familiar feel of the leather-wrapped handle in my grip makes me smile. In my mind I wish for someone to spar with, and a glistening figure emerges from thin air and stands before me. It is nearly invisible, and holds a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. I stumble backward, shocked. Behind the figure, Flit giggles.

“He’s alright,” she says, “Just a helper. I think Mages call them elementals, or golems. He’s made of light. Careful what you wish for, Azi.”

“I didn’t even say anything,” I say, raising my sword to signal that I’m ready to begin.

“You don’t need to say anything, silly! Go on, let’s see the famous Azi fight.”

“As I was saying,” Rian goes on as I circle around the golem, swinging to hit it or block its attacks. It feels so good to be back in practice that I can barely concentrate on Rian’s train of thought. “Maybe we’ll have to gather some things. Ingredients, so they can make an object or a potion or something to do the stripping.” The elemental quickens its attack and I answer with a flurry of spins and slashes. I aim for the space beneath its arm, which is a weak spot in most opponents’ armor, and my blade slides in easily. Red light spills from the wound and the elemental stumbles backward. I pause and lower my sword, but the red vanishes and the figure comes at me again. Rian goes on, “Unless Shush and Ember will be doing the stripping themselves, somehow.”

“Not likely,” Flit says, “I can’t imagine them leaving Kythshire. They aren’t Travelers like me and Twig. But it isn’t unheard of. What they’re going to do is pull away really powerful magic. Too powerful to just leave it lying around in some object that could get stolen or misused. Or trust it with another Mage. They might just come with us after all, so they can collect the magic in whatever they make and bring it back here to the Wellspring. Anyway, before they came, I wanted to give you a warning.” I’m about to deliver another devastating blow when the figure vanishes and I stumble forward.

“Sorry, Azi, this is important. I’ll call him back after.” She gestures me closer and I come to kneel in the moss in front of her. “You can’t expect them to get along,” she says, “Ember and Shush are longtime rivals. They used to...” she looks up at the colorful swaying fronds of the willows thoughtfully. “...spend a lot of time kissing. You know. Anyway, it was a long time ago. And then something happened and Ember got angry and Shush got all strange and apologetic and it’s been that way for years. Everyone keeps trying to get Ember to forgive Shush for whatever he did, but Ember is too proud and Shush is too quiet and neither of them will talk about it. So I just wanted to tell you that. Just so you know.” Rian blinks.

“With everything else going on, her biggest concern is a lovers’ squabble.” He shakes his head. “Fairies.” The elemental appears again and charges me, and I jump to my feet to meet it.

“Well, it’s important. You’ll see,” Flit says. A single beam of sunlight splashes over the grotto’s pool, and with a swish of wind, Shush appears. He’s joined almost immediately by Twig, who does his little gleeful spinning dance of greeting with Flit. Ember is the last to arrive. She stands with her chin up, her arms crossed, and her shoulders angled slightly away from all of us. As if spurred on by their arrival, the elemental speeds its attack, sending me into a frenzy of blocks, parries, and dives until I manage to deliver a final blow to end the spar, slicing it from shoulder to waist. Red light spills out of it, and Flit, Twig, and Shush applaud enthusiastically.

“Great job, Azi!” Flit says proudly, and then turns to Twig as the elemental fades away, “Any news from the palace?”

“Everyone’s sleeping,” Twig says, “It’s a good time to show up.” I stow my sword back into its harness and cross to the others, where Rian pushes himself to his feet and takes my hand.

“So, what’s our plan?” he asks. Ember scoffs.

“How quaint, the Mage is trying to take charge.” She flies up to circle around him, leaving a trail of glittering orange and yellow behind her. “Why am I not surprised?”

“I’m not...” his eyes follow her path cautiously, “I’d just as soon get it over with.”

“Listen here,” Ember says, jabbing a finger and sending a burst of sparks at him which he ducks away from. “It’s your kind that caused all this mess to begin with. You rise and you rise like a flame, leaving nothing but destruction behind you. If you saw half of what I’ve seen even in the past day--”

“Ember...” Shush whispers, but is promptly ignored.

“He’s not like the others,” Flit pipes up, and Rian and I exchange glances of surprise as she comes to his defense. “What?” She looks at us. “Well, he isn’t! Not entirely. Well, mostly not. Okay, maybe he is a little. Actually Rian, you should probably let one of them do the leading.” She bobs near his shoulder and whispers dramatically loud in his ear, “Just let Ember be in charge. She’s going to do it anyway.” She floats down again to rest in the moss and I watch in silence, thinking that this is not a very strong start to our quest.

“True,” Twig’s stick-like wings are a blur of brown as they carry him up. “But it would make more sense if our leader was someone familiar with the workings of Cerion, considering.”

“Oh, like you?” Ember huffs, “I suppose you’re an expert on the subject, having spent a few weeks as the princess’s playmate.”

“I don’t claim to be, no,” Twig settles cross-legged on my shoulder. “I didn’t mean myself, anyway.”

“Surely you don’t mean this one?” she descends to face Flit, and the way she circles around her bothers me. It’s as though she looks down on her, like Flit is some lesser being. Flit presses her lips together and looks away, refusing to meet Ember’s gaze. I can tell she’s upset; the dancing light that I’ve grown accustomed to around her dims so much that even the color seems to drain from her hair. A short distance from the two of them, Shush murmurs a warning to Ember to let Flit be.

“Stop that,” I reach them in one stride and dip to my knee to offer Flit the safety of my cupped hands. She dives into the shelter gratefully and I scoop her up to my unoccupied shoulder, where she hops off to perch. “We’re all here to work together,” I say. “If you can’t do it without bullying, then we’ll figure out a way to do it without you.” Ember’s red dress seems to burst into flames as her eyes narrow into bright yellow slits that burn against her charcoal skin. When she flies up to confront me her heat burns my nose and cheeks, but I don’t flinch away.

“Careful,” she says, flaring angrily. “You don’t know who you’re dealing with, and you’d be in a real fix if you were to lose me.” The air shimmers around me and I feel a cocoon of cool air settle between us.

“Back up a little, please, Ember,” Rian says, lowering his hands as his shield spell takes hold. “I agree with Azi, and I’ll follow her.”

“As do I,” Shush whispers clearly as he darts to me in a blur of green iridescence. “I shall follow Azaeli.” He hovers in front of me and taps his chest with his fist, bowing.

“Oh! Me too!” Flit says. “You should lead!”

“Just what I was trying to suggest,” Twig says from my other shoulder. “I’ll follow you, Azi.” Ember floats back a little, her arms crossed, assessing me.

“Fine.” she says with a scowl. “I’ll follow you. But if it goes to your head, I’m taking over.” The other fairies join together and cheer. They link arms and ankles and spin in place in a joyful celebration. I can’t say I share their enthusiasm. I’ve always considered myself a follower, not a leader. I think of Mya’s strong and steady leadership. I could never measure up to that, but if they’re putting their faith in me, I’ll try my best. Rian meets my gaze and offers an apologetic shrug and a grin, and I’m pretty sure he knows me well enough to realize how reluctant I am to take up the role.

“Now,” I say a little hesitantly as the celebration settles down. “We were talking before you arrived, and we think we’ve figured out everyone’s role, except for Shush and Ember. Flit says that you’re Creators? Would you be able to make us something to...” I trail off as I notice Ember floating there, shaking her head, already protesting. “Ember?”

“That’s not how I would have started. You should have begun by asking everyone what they have to contribute. For example,” she reaches into a hidden pocket in her dress and pulls out a nugget of gold the size of my thumbnail, “I’ve brought the main component. And he,” she jabs her thumb at Shush, “is the only other one who know what’s required to imbue it. With my help, of course.”

“Alright...” I think about what Rian mentioned earlier regarding ingredients as I eye the gold nugget Ember has produced. “Are there more pieces that we need to collect in order to work the spell?” I ask.

“As if we’d tell you,” Ember huffs. Shush darts over in a blur to hover at my eye level.

“Several,” he says, his voice barely a whisper as he speaks so quickly that I can barely pick out the individual words, “but it’s highly secret magic. We wouldn’t be able to share with you what it is we need—“

“Even if we wanted to,” Ember interrupts with a haughty roll of her eyes.

“You already shared one!” Flit darts to my shoulder and makes a face at Ember. “So, ha!” Ember slides her gaze slowly to Flit, who ducks behind my head. “Well, she did,” she mumbles.

“Or did I?” Ember smirks. “It might be a decoy. Did you think of that, little spark?” This time, it’s Flit’s turn to huff.

“There’s no need for insults...” Twig trails off from my other side.

“Okay, okay,” I say. “I understand. It’s a secret.” I turn to Shush, “How long will it take you to gather what you need?” I ask.

“Not long,” he whispers. “We could have everything by midday, at my pace.” He rocks back in mid-air proudly.

“Doubtful,” Ember murmurs. “Rushing around, missing half of what’s right under his nose.” I ignore her.

“What if we split up, then?” I turn to Rian. “Twig could bring you, me and Flit back to Cerion, and we’ll see what we can find out about Viala while Shush and Ember gather what they need. Then, Twig can come back for them at midday and bring them to us.” Rian nods.

“That would work,” he says.

“Ha!” Ember shakes her head, sending a spray of golden orange sparks from her hair. “It won’t. See? You humans don’t know everything.”