The Last Fairy Tale (18 page)

 Locke and Bren immediately lifted their toasted tomato sandwiches and took giant bites. Olivia wanted to eat, too, but she had become preoccupied with something that Bren had said.

 “What is the Lich King?” she asked.

 Bren spluttered as he took a large swig from his root beer mug. He looked over at her, slowly sitting down the mug. After a moment he said, “You really don’t know, do you?”

 “No,” said Olivia. “Unless you’re referring to the other human.”

 “That I am,” Bren said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “He’s been up there for a while now. When I was a very young fellow, there were rumors that a human had been found in Aeldyn. Of course, I thought it was just me parents trying to scare me into goin’ to bed when I was supposed to. Nay, it’s true that a human does exist in those parts.” He leaned in closer to Olivia, his eyes narrowing. “People became curious about the fabled human and started makin’ journeys to see it. But some of ‘em never returned, and the ones that have made it back say that he’s stealin’ magic from others in order to do his evil biddin’…”

 Olivia shuddered. Up until now she hadn’t heard anything about the human, except that it was evil and only she could deal with it. Bren had described this Lich King as dangerous indeed.

 “So…is that the human’s name?” asked Olivia, hungry for more information.

 “Aye. At least, around Aeldyn it is,” said Bren. “No one knows his real name, where he came from, or even how long he’s been around. But he steals the life and magic from others like a lich would, so that’s what everyone has taken to callin’ him.”

 Olivia stared down at her uneaten toasted tomato sandwich, thinking. She still couldn’t understand why she had be the one to defeat this Lich King. The more she heard about him, the more intimidated she became. She had just started learning the basics of magic. How was she supposed to defeat someone who had been practicing magic for countless years?

 “You gonna eat your sandwich?” asked Bren. “It’s not gonna be as good if you let it get cold.”

 Olivia managed a smile and picked up her sandwich. She took a bite and her hunger immediately returned. She didn’t stop eating it until it was gone, which resulted in Bren asking if she would like another. She shook her head as she raised her mug to her mouth. The root beer tasted sweet and strong. She licked the froth from her lip as she sat the empty mug back down, and then she burped.

 “My, my, little one!” Bren bellowed. “I’d like to have a contest with you someday.” He laughed and then seemed to remember his request to George to not bring attention to their table. He quieted himself and smiled at Olivia, whose face was red with embarrassment. Locke had been giggling, too, but stopped suddenly as he noticed some people approaching from behind Bren.

 “George said we’d find you here,” said a small voice from a creature near the floor that resembled a little man wearing a wide-brimmed red hat. The creature had a long nose and a wide smile. Its feet were almost the length of its entire body and were covered in rough green shoes that stuck far out from under the rim of the hat. “Is this the human girl we came so far to find?”

 “Indeed it is, my good gnome,” said Bren loudly. “I hope y’made it without too much trouble. Here, have a seat!” He moved down to one end of the bench to allow room for the gnome and his companion. The gnome climbed up onto the bench and helped his companion up. The two gnomes looked almost identical, except that the other was wearing a white hat and had long, braided hair. They stood on the bench in order to see over the edge of the table.

 “Hello, Olivia,” said the other gnome, staring up at Olivia with her small black eyes. “You are Olivia, correct?”

 “Yes,” Olivia replied, intrigued by the small creatures.

 “Very good. We are Rufus and Holli,” said the gnome with the red hat. They held their hands out for Olivia to shake.

 “It’s nice to meet you,” said Olivia, shaking their tiny hands between her thumb and forefinger.

 “Oh, and this is Kili.” Rufus pointed to a round ball of light blue feathers perched on top of his hat. Olivia noticed that Kili had tiny wings at her sides and a small beak protruding from her face. “We picked her up along the way. She was interested in the journey, also.”

 “It’s nice to meet you, too, Kili,” said Olivia.

 “Cheep! Thanks!” Kili chirped and flapped her tiny wings.

 “The somnivate visited us, and we were thrilled to hear that someone was here to help us,” Rufus said.

 “Indeed,” agreed Holli. “You see, little dearie, our poor son Ronald was snatched up by the Taken. And we… we…” She began to cry.

 “There, there, Holli,” Rufus said, patting her hand. “Olivia, the Lich King’s minions captured our son. We are here to help you in your quest to put an end to this madness. We will do everything we can to help.”

 “Oh, I’m very sorry…” Olivia was looking sadly at Holli. She wanted to comfort her, but was unsure of what to do or say. “What did you say took your son?”

 “The Taken is what we call them,” Rufus said. “They are the ones that the Lich King takes in and steals magic from. After he’s taken their magic, it seems that he’s able to control them. Oh, it’s horrible…”

 Olivia shook her head, trying to imagine what kind of person would do such a thing, but she was having difficulty picturing it. “I promise I’ll do everything I can to put an end to this and get your son back,” she said with a new sense of courage. The Lich King had intimidated her, but hearing what he was doing to the innocent people of Aeldyn infuriated her.

 “Thank you, Olivia,” Holli said, sniffing. “We’re very grateful to you.”

 “Indeed, we are,” Rufus said. “It’s all terrible business. But it must be dealt with, and soon. I’ve heard the Lich King has even built a great fortress for himself.”

 Olivia stared at Rufus for a moment and then looked down at her empty plate. She was beginning to understand what the Great Fairy and the kami were trying to explain to her. The Lich King was beginning to turn Aeldyn into something that resembled her world. Memories of the black decay she had seen outside the orphanage flooded her mind and tears filled her eyes.

 “What’s the matter, Olivia?” Bren asked, noticing her tears.

 “Nothing…I’m just thinking,” Olivia replied. She wiped the tears from her eyes. “Humans also destroyed my world. It’s just that I don’t want this one to end up the same way. It’s much too horrible.”

 “But that’s why you’re here, Olivia,” Locke said, smiling and patting her back. “You’ll be able help us save Aeldyn.”

 “Exactly!” Bren shouted. “Let’s stop all this cryin’ and get this fine young girl another root beer.” He laughed and strode over to the counter to speak with George.

 “I wonder how many others are planning on coming,” Olivia said to Locke. She was thankful for the help everyone was offering, but she wished she could complete the journey alone. That way, no one would have to be in danger but her.

 “I dunno,” Locke said, noticing her worried expression. “But I’m sure the ones that do come are doing it because they truly want to help, Olivia. So you shouldn’t worry too much.” He smiled.

 “You’re probably right,” Olivia said, returning his smile. She saw Bren making his way back to their table with George following him.

 “Hello again, Olivia,” said George, drying a mug with a towel. “You know, I think they’re just about finished out there. I think you should go have a look.”

 “W-where? What do you mean?” Olivia asked, looking from George to Bren. They were both grinning.

 “Come, little one,” Bren said and beckoned for her to follow.

 Olivia slowly stood up, eyeing Locke. She wasn’t sure what was going on and it frightened her a little, but Locke was smiling too. She grabbed her staff and journal and followed Bren out of the tavern, noticing that the tavern had become completely empty. They made it to the doors and Bren flung them open, revealing the surprise outside.

 Olivia stepped out, her mouth open in awe. The town was packed with creatures that watched her as she exited the tavern. A sudden eruption of applause and cheers followed by sparks and confetti filled the town plaza. Lanterns that lit up the darkening sky had been strung from shop to shop across the roads. A long line of wooden tables held food and drink of every sort imaginable.

 “A celebration for you, Olivia!” Bren shouted over the cheers. He nudged her, and they began walking out into the crowd.

 Creatures began approaching Olivia and shaking her free hand. Some hugged her, while others simply walked up to her and bowed. Olivia had mixed feelings. She was happy, but surprised and a little frightened. She had never in her life witnessed a celebration of any kind, much less one given by the strange creatures of Aeldyn, so she wasn’t sure how she should behave at a celebration. She looked around for Locke in all of the chaos and finally spotted him next to a table of food. He waved at her and gave her an excited thumbs-up. She smiled and waved back.

 Olivia walked around for quite some time talking to the different creatures and learning small bits of information about their lives and Aeldyn. After a while, she joined Locke at the tables to try some of the foods. One table was filled with all sorts of candies. Olivia had never seen candy before and couldn’t decide on which to try, so she asked Locke for advice.

 “Try those,” Locke said through a mouthful of fudge, pointing to a plate of red taffy. “They’re amazing!”

 Olivia pulled a sticky piece of taffy from the plate and stuffed it in her mouth. It was very sour at first, but as she began to chew, it became soft and sweet. She chewed it for what seemed like forever, enjoying every minute of it. She was about to try another candy when someone near the large fountain made an announcement.

 “Attention, everyone!” yelled a deep voice. The crowd grew quiet. “We would like to honor Olivia Wickworth and her companions at this moment, if they could please make their way to the fountain.”

 A sudden rustling within the crowd started as creatures moved forward. Olivia turned away from the candy and also headed toward the fountain. Upon arriving, she saw a small group of creatures waiting for her.

 “As you all know, Olivia Wickworth has come from her own world to help us save Aeldyn!” the deep voice from a dark-skinned ungulhak near the fountain announced. The crowd burst into cheers. The ungulhak waited for them to quiet. “However, the task at hand isn’t an easy one, nor is it without its dangers. So I ask that you keep Miss Wickworth and her companions in your minds and hearts as they begin their journey tomorrow.” He slowly walked over to Olivia, his tall, shining black horse body making her feel quite small. “Olivia Wickworth, I am Jin. I wish to help you in your quest. The safety of my land and my home is being compromised, and I will not stand idly by and allow that to happen. I am at your service.” He bowed, kneeling down on one of his equine legs.

 “Th…thank you…very much,” Olivia stammered, awed by the powerful-looking creature. Jin rose from his bow and backed away.

 “I, too, wish to aid you, but you already know that eh?” said Bren, chuckling.

 “Yes,” she said, smiling. “Thank you.”

 “So shall we!” shouted Rufus.

 Olivia knelt down, looking at Holli, Rufus, and Kili. “Thank you…all of you,” she said.

 “Miss Wickworth!” said a stern voice behind her. She turned to find what looked like a tall fox standing on its hind legs staring down at her with strict eyes. Another shorter foxlike creature stood next to it. “I am Jei-Tu of Paamaa. This is my son, Kai-Tu. He will aid you in your quest. We kettu have high expectations for him, so he should prove useful.” He looked over at his son, who was rolling his eyes.

 “Thank you very much, sir,” Olivia said, bowing. She didn’t know why she bowed, but she felt like it was the right thing to do in the presence of such an austere and noble creature. Jei-Tu bowed in return and walked away. Kai-Tu sighed and slunk over to the food tables.

 “Well, Olivia,” said Locke from behind her. “I hope you know that I’m here to help you, too.”

 “Of course I do, Locke,” she said turning to him and smiling. “And I’m especially grateful that you are.”

 Suddenly, two creatures approached Olivia. They were both black, fuzzy, and skinny, like spiders except humanoid. They moved in unison as they approached. Their faces and torso were covered in strips of black cloth so that only two large, shining black eyes on each of their faces could be seen peering out at her. They blinked as she stared at them, shocked.

 “Um, hello,” said Olivia. When they didn’t respond, she asked, “Are you two okay?” They still said nothing. “Are you here to come along on the quest?” she asked. Suddenly they looked over at one another, turned back to Olivia, and bowed. Olivia turned to Locke for advice, but he had none. She turned back to the creatures, but they were gone.

 “Spindelum have always creeped me out,” Locke said, shuddering.

 “Those are spindelum?” Olivia asked. “Do they speak?”

 “I wouldn’t know,” Locke said. “I’ve never seen one long enough to have a conversation with it.”

 “Why do they creep you out?” Olivia asked.

 “Well, besides the fact that they’re Aeldyn’s undertakers…” Locke replied, shivering.

 Another creature approached Olivia. This time it was Miss Isabelle, the rolipol she had seen earlier in front of the tailor’s shop. Her tiny legs moved in a blur as she slowly hurried over to Olivia. When she finally made it, Miss Isabelle held a package up for Olivia and then turned to the crowd. She rolled up a piece of paper she was carrying and shouted through it.

 “Good people of Aeldyn, I would like to present Miss Wickworth with a gift in honor of her good deeds!” Miss Isabelle turned back to Olivia and took the package back from her. “First, a lovely dress for such a lovely young lady,” she said and smiled up at Olivia. She opened the package, pulled a dark purple dress from it, and handed it to Olivia. “Purple seems to suit you, dearie. I hope you like it.” She opened the package again and pulled out a pair of dark brown boots. “Second, a dashing pair of boots to compliment that lovely white hair.” She handed the boots to Olivia, who was overcome with joy. Olivia had never received new clothes and had never expected to, especially not like the ones she had just been given. “There are some nice wool socks in the boots, dearie,” said Miss Isabelle.