HIGH TOWN
Their jaws slacken. Eyes widen, fixed on her. Sunlight catches her, painting her form in a radiant glow. Tiny sparks, like captured starlight, dance around her.
A white dress, impossibly pure, now drapes her skin that was bare moments ago is concealed.
"Magic dust", Emmet breathes, his gaze glued to the shimmering particles.
"You're a fairy, aren't you?", he needs no answer.
His eyes, still wide, track the faint trails of light clinging to her dress, "That dust… it's what you are".
"And you. You must be an Elven Halfborn, the energies around you are different from an elf's", she says.
"Nixie", Kane's voice tightens, his gaze sweeping the dense trees, "Where are we? Please, we are lost".
Nixie's head snaps downward to his side, suspicion hardening her features. Her eyes narrow, raking over them.
"Lost? Or are you just poachers? Here to snatch the creatures of the forest".
Kane's blue eyes widen, pleading.
"We are truly lost. Believe me, we aren't poachers", he insists, a flicker of the same deep blue mirroring something in her own gaze.
"Fine, because you saved me I will return the favour.
You are in Verlaine in the kingdom of High Town. How did you come here if you don't know where you are?", she says still cautious about them.
"Through a tunnel. We followed some monsters", the silver haired man speaks.
Emmet raises a brow, "Come to think of it, what is a fairy doing alone in a monster infested forest?", "I'm not the one that is lost, Half-born", she responds.
"You must have a safe haven, please take us there. You owe us", Emmet persists.
Nixie suddenly shouts and falls down onto the flowery floors of the forest, "A giant", her voice, almost a cry.
"A fairy", Emilia recognises her kind, "We are not here to hurt you. Braga, tell her", she pinches the seven foot man.
"I am not here to harm you. Do not fear, I may look like a giant but I am not one", he says with a smile that makes Nixie to crawl backwards against the colourful bush behind her.
"Water", Braga runs to the pond.
A stream of narrow waters flow from the pond and disappears to the forest. Merging with the grounds and bushes, yet not swampy in its nature.
Emilia stretches her hand forward to assist the fairy.
Nixie stares at her hand and then her eyes before accepting her assistance, "You, what magic do you have on? I can feel the power of your spell".
"What is an elf doing with these…?", she looks at the group, not knowing what to make of the combination of different species.
"…men?", "We are travel companions. Please we need your help, we need to get somewhere safe", Emilia says to her.
Her features are light and she is gentle with Nixie's hand in her palm.
"I can't just take you", the fairy struggles to speak, turning eyes away to stare at the ground before raising her head once again.
A croaky roar rips through the air, a sound that vibrates in their chests. A cry of hunger or anger? They cannot tell.
Nixie doesn't wait.
Her feet blur as she bolts and a quick, panicked glance backward reveal the reason; a pack of werewolves, their numbers a terrifying tide surging towards them.
They don't need words, the predatory snarls and the sheer mass of the charging beasts are enough.
They turn and run, their focus locked on the fleeting shimmer of Nixie ahead.
Nixie finds the silver-haired running beside her.
Her eyes widen and her brows jump, "Why are you running beside me?", she screams, "Because you know this forest better", he says and shock relieves her of speech.
"Find somewhere else to die, not beside me", "Dying beside you is just fine", Kane rebuttals.
She dashes forward and takes a few turns, her new companions remain close like flies on horse's ass.
Ahead of them stands two thick trees and a magnificent collection of green bush in the middle.
Nixie runs ahead, "You have to go somewhere else or you will die. I am about to bash my head into that tree", she screams, stretching her hand forward to point at the trees.
Kane looks at her, his eyes now dull while his body remains sharp. He slows down and watches her dive into the bushes just before he jumps behind her.
Stems and thin strings of leaves brush against his face as he jumps through, opening his eyes only to land on a narrow pathway of blue glowing flowers.
Their glowing lights brings a memory, an early one since he arrived this world.
He pauses as he watches Nixie run towards the end of the path.
A door handle sticks out the bark of a tree which she follows and he pursues, stopping in front of it so his friends catch up.
"Did we lose them?", he asks, "I believe so", Braga answers.
"Did you lose the girl?", "She went past this door", "Great. First tunnels, now magic doors", Emmet sighs.
"How do you know it's a magic door?", Kane squints his eyes at his comrade, "A doorknob on a bloody tree in the middle of a monster infested forest, need anymore clues?".
"Well, I'm going in. We need help if we are going to get out of here", "Sure, if anything happens, remember it was your idea", Emmet says.
Kane returns his attention to the door and turns the knob. The door clicks and creaks at it opens slightly, "Here goes nothing".
They step in and a bright light quickly flashes into their eyes, rendering their sight to fall into a blurry state.
"Ahh, Kane I told you", Emmet laments as his vision wavers while he struggles to maintain sight.
Gradually, the blur fades and the group find themselves standing in the midst of men made of wood and green, pointing spears at them.
They are surrounding by fairies, some tiny and some of human size, pointing glowing hands of magic and pointy weapons at them.
One of the men of trees walks forward and speaks in a ghastly voice, "You have invaded the wrong territory, poachers".
HEAVENSTONE, HIGH TOWN.
Eyes stare, shrunken and intense in their gaze. All attention on the tall man and the Queen who slept years away.
But one shows fury in his eyes, arms squeezed around the arm rest of the chairs, brows furrowed so deep they start to look like little horns.
"Are you mad Grand Sorcerer?", words escape Alaric's tongue without hesitation.
His brows suddenly go up as he realises his lack of composure, still, he grits his teeth.
Tanix turns his eyes back to the throne, brows up in emotions unstrained as he to realises the words that escaped his mouth as well.
"Forgive me. I rarely speak at these things for my temper is a terrible weakness", he says and bows his head.
"Forgive me, Sleeping Queen of High Town", he says but his head clearly fumes with pink colours.
His eyes watch her and his belly churns but in the midst of all these nobles and elegance, he feels something else, something he felt on the night the dragon appeared in Rolandia.
A power he touched and tried to harness.
Godspark.
The queen smiles, red eyes looking at him, ominous in nature.
"I have been known as the sleeping Queen. A sad name but true for I have slept for years, but as you can see I am wide awake", she says while her eyes open widely.
Alaric's knuckles turn white at his squeeze, teeth grinding against each other as he holds the tall man in his sight.
"You will accord the Queen with respect, Grand Sorcerer", Alaric says, his features become hard to ignore as his brown eyes stare deeply.
"Forgive me once again your highness", he says while Lord Grimshaw comes forward, "Things are getting quite…", before the Rolandian noble can quell the temperature of present events, Tanix speaks again.
"It is hard to keep shut when the Queen clearly has the relic in question", Tanix raises his voice, a thunder in the court.
Gasps fill the room and whispers follow behind like shadows.
"I heard about the Queen's resurrection but I did not really care how until now. It seems your golden warrior gave our relic to your Queen", he says.
"How dare you accuse me?", Gwendolyn raises her voice in response.
"Then how else were you revived? I am sure none of you of High Town's court knows how the Queen was suddenly revived.
We all know The Witch Queen's curse isn't something that is broken overnight or easily", he says.
Alaric looks around and see heads sway and shake as they ponder Tanix's words.
"Your king sent the golden warrior to invade and steal what is ours", he stamps his feet on the ground and grits his teeth.
Gwendolyn suddenly roars and a force raises the Grand Sorcerer into the air, almost bashing him against the hard floor but he weaves signs with his hands.
Faint energies of sapphire on the tip of his fingers as he cast his voiceless spell, creating a forcefield that protects him from the floor's brutal embrace.
He lands on his feet.
Whispers change and voices become more audible at the sight of what just happened.
"She even attacks me. I don't remember the Queen of High Town ever having powers to compete with one of my station".
"Is that why you killed my father? Is that why you sent assassins so it wouldn't seem like Rolandia was involved?", Alaric suddenly says.
His gaze now cold, opposite of the room's ambience.
"What do you speak of?", Tanix asks.
"Your Highness, Rolandia has nothing to do with the death of your king", Lord Grimshaw says.
He suddenly shrieks as the queen appears before him.
Her hand quickly wraps his throat, "Your people sent men after my husband. What does Rolandia offer for this sacrilege?", she says.
Tanix suddenly appears between them and with one hand, he sends the Queen sliding backwards, away from Lord Grimshaw while he holds the man by his shoulder.
Lord Grimshaw coughs and gasp for breath.
"Mother calm down", Alaric says but the queen dashes forward regardless.
Tanix pushes Lord Grimshaw away, encasing the man in a bubble of magical forcefield while he receives Gwendolyn's fist on crossed hands.
He flies backwards expecting a fall but she will not allow it.
She meets him mid-fall and lands a heavy blow but yet again he is saved by his magic shield.
"Larandel", he screams and a force lifts the queen and pins her on the ground.
Vines begin to grow out of the court's floor to tie her in place.
Tanix stands and dust his clothes, "Is this how High Town treats guests?".
"You can't even admit you are guilty", he shouts and everyone stares, eyes wide open and mouth covered at the scene.
"Please, let us be rational about this.
Violence will solve nothing", an elf speaks, Rowan Callisto, one of the council members of High Town's court.
"Rolandia and High Town have been at peace for many years, we cannot…", before he finishes his words, Gwendolyn snaps out of her restrains and swipes her hands upwards.
Blood spills into the air as Tanix moves backwards. His attire, now stained in crimson liquid while the queen licks blood off her fingers.
"You will die here,".