Key of Living Fire (The Sword of the Dragon) (40 page)

There appeared to be no one around, and she began to wonder if the volcano god would show himself. After waiting for a challenge that never came, she walked about the edge of the chasm until she discovered a narrow path leading down. After descending fifty feet, the path leveled off on a broad ledge, and she saw a small windowless hut made of wood. A neatly stacked pile of wood lay to one side of the door, and four barrels were on the other. Upon closer inspection, she discovered that the barrels had been filled with various fruits and vegetables, mostly varieties she recognized from the Swamplands.

“Who goes there?” The deep voice had come from inside the hut, and for the first time Oganna noticed a peephole set about three feet high in the door.
The volcano god?
She leaned down to examine the hole, and in her curiosity neglected to return the occupant’s demand.

“I says again, who goes there? Answer, or I comes to fight.”

“No, no. I don’t want to fight! Allow me to introduce myself. I am Oganna.”

Silence.

“I am sorry to trouble you,” she continued, “but I am looking for a certain missing fairy called Pansy. Could you tell me where to find her?”

“No. No, I knows nothin’ about no fairy. Not round here no ways.” The voice strained to a higher pitch, and she could tell he was lying.

“I am very sorry.” She straightened and put her hand on the door, ready to force it if necessary. “I do not believe you, and since the lives of my friends are on the line, I must insist on coming inside.”

Bolts slid into place, and she heard a chair propped against the door.

“Look now,” she said through the door, “I’m not going to hurt you, and I don’t want to ruin your home. You don’t want me to blow the door up. Do you?”

“All rights! All rights! Waits a minute. I-I do as you asks.”

With a ringing of metal, she sheathed Avenger and let the fold of her skirt fall back over and hide it. She could hear the chair sliding out of the way, and then the bolts being slid out. “You can comes in now.”

She opened the door slowly, letting her eyes adjust to the hut’s dim interior. To her surprise, the occupant was a midget, no more than three feet tall. An unkempt yellow beard matched his discolored skin, and he wore a tattered suit of animal furs. He stood with a noticeable hunch, and scars covered his wrinkled face. He was a rather unattractive individual. But she saw tears in his green eyes, and his fists were balled up, ready to fight. Behind him, on a pedestal, stood a cage of wood wherein a fairy sat sobbing.

“Pansy?” Oganna asked.

The fairy looked up, startled. Hope shone in her eyes. “You know my name?”

Oganna smiled with relief. The winged miniature woman appeared to be unharmed. “Prince Percemon sent me to rescue you. I’m here with Yveré and Sevré.”

Clasping her tiny hands together, the fairy tinkled out a laugh, and dimples showed in her cheeks. She had blond tresses longer than any of the other fairies; they fell to her ankles. White-and-green cloth interlaced over her shapely form, and little jewels glittered from the necklace around her neck and the bracelets around her wrists. “At last, I will not diminish! I will return to Avejewel.”

“No!” The midget picked the fairy’s wand off a nearby table and pointed at Oganna. “Pansy is not leavings me. I will not allow!” He shook the wand, and a stream of light particles shot toward her.

Oganna held out her hand, palm up, and the light gathered above it.
Hmm, it is some kind of transformation energy. This could prove useful
. She closed her other hand over it, absorbed it into her body, and smiled at the midget. “You might as well put that away. It would take a far more powerful weapon to hurt me.”

Dropping the wand, he took a step toward her with fists raised, but the viper slid from under her collar and raised its head menacingly. “Psst! Dare you. I daresss you to try.”

The midget flattened himself against the wall. “Please, do no harms to me, Sorceress. I only tooks the fairy for company. Me no harms her.” A couple of tears moistened his cheeks.

“And
I
am not going to harm you.” Oganna knelt, pulled a handkerchief from her pocket, and offered it to him. As he timidly accepted it, she examined the cage, and, finding the lock, twisted it until it broke. The mechanism fell off, the door swung out, and Pansy danced out, flexing her wings. She really was a most beautiful fairy, and Oganna did not wonder why Prince Percemon wanted her back so badly—that is, other than his belief that her absence would mean both their deaths.

She expected the fairy to fly out the door to join her friends, but Pansy flitted to the weeping midget, caught one of his tears in her tiny hand, and blew on it. Immediately it transformed into a pearl.

“I believe this wand is yours,” Oganna said. She handed over the wand used by the midget.

The fairy thanked her gracefully both for rescuing her and for the wand. Then she stole another of the midget’s tears and transformed it, like the first, into a pearl. Oganna watched in fascination as the creature flew around the midget to sit on his shoulder. “There, there, now,” she cooed. “Don’t keep crying. I’m still here, aren’t I?”

Looking pleadingly at Oganna she said, “Mazella has lived here all by himself for many years, and he is very lonely. I understood that after he captured me. He really is a splendid man, and a warrior. He needs a friend. Hmm, he needs to leave this place.”

“Mazella. That is his name?”

Pansy gave a gentle nod and stole another tear from the midget.

Oganna reached out and cleaned Mazella’s face with his shirt. “Is it true that you are a warrior?”

Sniffling, Mazella controlled his emotions enough to respond. “Aye, warrior I was.”

“No,” the fairy encouraged, “a warrior you are.”

He glanced at her with tender eyes and managed a smile. “I am sorry thats I forced you to stay heres. It wasn’t right.”

“No hard feelings.” She kissed him on the cheek. “Now, Mazella, come with me and this friendly lady as we return to Avejewel. There is no need for you to stay here all alone.”

“But, I cannot stays in your city. The prince will not forgets that I have done this.”

“Nonsense! You are all alone, and it is not right for anyone to be like this.”

“Mazella?” Oganna rested her hand on his narrow shoulder. “How about coming with me? I have an aunt and a friend with me, and we will need a guide out of this mountain. Could you help us?”

It must not have dawned on him that he could still be useful for something, because his eyes popped wide open and he spoke in his deep voice while standing to bow. “I would be honored.”

Pansy flew off his shoulder and clapped her hands. “Good! It is settled then.” Her strength suddenly failed her, and she started to fall, but Oganna caught her.

“I think we had better get you back to Prince Percemon before you weaken any further.”

“A wise decision,” Pansy panted. “Let’s go.”

A short time later Oganna ascended the cavern steps.

“Pansy!” Yveré stopped massaging Sevré’s shoulders to chatter happily with the freed fairy. Her face soured when Mazella came out of the cavern as well. “What? He lives?” She turned accusingly on Oganna. “You didn’t kill him?”

“Yveré,” Pansy interrupted, “watch your tongue, or I will have you publicly flogged. This is Mazella, and he is sorry for what he did.”

“Sorry? What good does that do? He might have killed you.”

“But he did not, and I want you to treat him with kindness.”

“It will not be easy—”

“Do it!”

Under Pansy’s critical eye, the fairy cordially introduced herself to Mazella before fluttering off with her nose held high. Sevré, too, did not receive the midget. After welcoming Pansy back, he flew off before she could make him do anything.

“Such childish attitudes. If Mazella weren’t going with you, Princess, I think I would have an impossible task on my hands.” Pansy’s eyes rolled back into her head, and she flopped unconscious in Oganna’s hand.

Knowing that the fairy’s bond must be healed quickly or she would die, Oganna raced out of the cavern. Her precious bundle felt like a doll in her hands, bouncing at every turn. Remembering the way back, she passed Sevré and Yveré and burst into Avejewel. “Prince Percemon! Prince Percemon!”

In answer, he came out of his palace, flew to her, and with tears in his eyes slipped his arms under Pansy and carried her inside. Fortunately for Oganna, the fairies were so focused on their returned comrade that they neglected to close the doors behind their prince, and she was able to watch the fascinating procedure. Mazella snuck up behind her, but he remained in the shadows out of sight from the fairies.

Prince Percemon laid Pansy on a jeweled table in his sparkling white hall. Thirty fairies then danced around the table, waving their wands in unison until a cloud of colored dust covered her. Another fairy, gray-haired and stooped, with faded wings, entered the hall and stood by the table. He held a wand longer than any the other fairies possessed, almost as long as he was tall. The fairy prince leaned over the table, spilling his tears on her face.

The elderly fairy swirled the air with his silver wand and cried out, “Unite!” and a momentary flash of light blinded Oganna. When she looked again, Pansy and Prince Percemon had their arms entwined and their tiny lips locked in a kiss. Applause broke out from the observers, and Oganna joined them, though she was careful not to clap too loudly as she was afraid it might hurt their ears.

The prince of the fairies came out with his bride on his arm, and all of Avejewel burst into cheers. Wands waved and wings fluttered. Oganna sat back and relaxed; her task was done.

Amid all the commotion, Sevré and Yveré returned, and Oganna pulled Sevré aside. There was one more thing she had to do. “The prince does not have to know that you stole his wine, if you will at least consider doing one thing for me.”

His face paled and he spoke into her ear. “I will do anything you ask! Please, please don’t say anything!”

She told him what to do and smiled as he turned red in the face. “You know you want to anyways,” she said. “Unless your flirtations were all foolishness. I’m just giving you extra incentive.”

After much stuttering, the fairy went over to Yveré and kissed her hand. His words were spoken too softly for Oganna to hear, but Yveré’s response left her ear ringing. “Ooh yes! I accept!” Then she glanced up at Oganna.

Oganna winked down at the creature and mouthed “good luck” to her. Yveré kissed her on the nose, and then disappeared with Sevré into the airborne crowds.

Prince Percemon raised his hands for silence, and the citizens of Avejewel obeyed. “Princess,” he said so that all could hear, “you have fulfilled your end of our bargain. Again, I wish to say, I am sorry for the trouble this has caused you. It is now my turn. Release the hostages!”

Then the fairies all sang in chorus:

Set the prisoners free, oh thou great stone walls.

Let them out for the time has come,

To dance once more in our jeweled halls

And welcome home our prince’s bride.

With a terrible grating sound that reminded Oganna of the Tomb of the Ancients in Resgeria, a portion of the cavern wall slid aside, and she saw a chamber beyond with two prone forms side by side. “They are—”

“Asleep,” the fairy prince answered. “They know nothing of what has happened, and when they awaken, they will be unaware of anything other than a very relaxing nap. We will return them to where we found them, and then they will awake.”

A parade of fairies lifted their wands in unison. Silver light spilled from a hundred wand tips. The light formed a litter of shining gold that raised Ombre and Caritha out of the chamber. Sliding into the fairies’ midst, the litter followed the delicate creatures. They waved their wands and the litter hovered as it followed them out of Avejewel.

The procession of fairies with their wands held aloft in their tiny hands cast a harsh glow into the dark underground. The glow spread up the tunnel walls, and there stood Mazella. He stared at his feet, wringing his beard with both of his hands.

“The volcano god!” a fairy screamed.