The Last Fairy Tale (12 page)

 “Ah, Olivia, my child,” said the Great Fairy in a soft voice that shook with old age. He held his free hand out to her and began to hobble slowly forward, obviously pleased to see Olivia.

 Olivia, seeing his laborious attempt to reach her, hurried up to him. She grabbed his brown, leathery hand and held it in her own. He was only about half Olivia’s height, so she had to bend down slightly in order to reach him. He closed his eyes and breathed heavily as he tightened his grip around her hand. His breath came in slow, rattling bursts as he clung to her. After a moment, Olivia managed to whisper, “Are you okay?”

 The Great Fairy’s eyes opened, and he looked up at her. His round, black eyes squinted as he smiled, and a multitude of wrinkles formed on his old skin.

 “Yes…yes, I’m fine, child,” he said. “It’s just been a very, very long time.”

 “What do you mean?” asked Olivia. She could feel the Great Fairy’s hand trembling slightly.

 “Come,” he said, pulling his hand from hers and beckoning for Olivia and Locke to follow. “We have much to discuss.” He slowly turned and began to hobble back to the archway made of roots that led into the hollow under the tree.

 Olivia glanced back at Locke. He seemed just as stunned as she felt. He walked up to her and patted her shoulder.

 “Let’s go,” he said. “We’ve made it this far; we might as well go see what he has to tell us.”

 They followed the Great Fairy underneath the archway of roots and into the hollow. It was oddly spacious underneath the tree. The stone slab they were walking on led far back into the center of the hollow and ended at a gently sloping mound covered in thick green grass. Around the mound, the two halves of the river split again into small streams. The water here was shallow and flowed quietly over the pebbled ground. At the back of the hollow, the water tumbled over the edge where the ground ended into a seemingly endless chasm underneath the mountains. The gnarled old wood of the Great Fairy Tree formed the walls of the hollow that were covered with mushrooms, mosses, and other strange plants that glowed softly like the moon and lit the cavern in a warm and welcoming glow. The ceiling far above them was draped with the same ivy that wrapped around the Great Fairy.

 “I trust your journey has been an odd one, Olivia,” the Great Fairy said as they continued along the stone slab in the direction of the grassy mound. He managed a weak chuckle, but it quickly turned into a short fit of coughing. Olivia waited for the fit to subside before answering.

 “Yes,” Olivia replied, “I’m still having a hard time believing everything I’ve seen is real.” She stopped suddenly, wondering if it was rude to say such a thing.

 The Great Fairy weakly laughed again. “Oh, it is all real, my child. Very much so.”

 All was silent around them except for the faint trickling of the water as it flowed along the floor and the small, echoing taps coming from the Great Fairy’s cane as he slowly limped along. When they came to the center of the cavern, Olivia saw two stepping stone pathways on either side of the mound that lead over the streams to large wooden doors carved into the sides of the hollow.

 “The timing of your arrival was impeccable,” said the Great Fairy when they reached the mound. They began to climb a small stone stairway that led to its crest. “And I must say, I’m impressed by your ability to carry out a task as unique as this without becoming distracted, my brave imp,” the Great Fairy chuckled. “I know quite a few young imps that wouldn’t have been able to do it. I shall have to reward you for your efforts before you depart.”

 “Th-thank you,” Locke stammered. “I was honored to be able to aid you, sir.” He bent his head in a small bow.

 When they reached the crest of the mound, Olivia noticed that it was flattened on top and reached far back into the cavern. The grass that carpeted it was soft and vibrant, and the scent on top of the mound was ancient and earthy. Four statues of varying sizes stood in the mound’s center, facing inwards. They all wore fabric cloaks, each ones’ a different color and pattern.

 “She has arrived,” the Great Fairy said in the direction of the statues.

 To Olivia’s surprise, the statues suddenly turned to face them. Each had a round stone face with two chiseled-out sockets for eyes. She noticed strange crowns resting atop the hoods of their cloaks.

 One crown was a circle of flames that danced around the head of the tallest and thinnest of the statues. Another crown was a stream of water that flowed in the air around the head of one of the shorter statues. The next was a crown of branches woven together atop the head of the shortest and fattest of the statues. At first Olivia couldn’t decipher the fourth crown. Upon closer inspection, she discovered that it was a small wind current that had a few stray leaves and blades of grass blowing around in it. The statues moved fluidly, as if floating, into a line. They stood side-by-side as they observed Olivia.

 “Twigs, are those the…” Locke gasped.

 “The kami, yes,” said a deep voice. It came from the statue with the flaming crown, even though it had no mouth with which to speak. “I thought we had discussed earlier, Old One, that we were expecting none other than the girl at this meeting.”

 “The imp is fine, Flaym,” said the Great Fairy. “He is a smart one. I think he deserves to hear what we have to say just as much as Olivia does.”

 “Very well,” said Flaym. He turned his stony gaze toward Locke. “Let’s hope you are correct, Old One, for the information that is about to be shared is ancient and may be a bit… overwhelming for one such as this.”

 Locke stepped backward. Flaym had slowly and fluidly floated over to him and was looming over him, staring down through his ominous eye sockets.

 “You stop it, Flaym,” said another voice, this one more pleasant and feminine. It came from the shortest statue with the branching crown. “Why do you want to scare the poor guy? If the Old One says it’s okay for him to be here, then it’s okay for him to be here!”

“Oh, dash it all, Duhrt!” Flaym exclaimed as he turned to the other statue. “Don’t you have anything resembling
formality
? Any sense of
authority
 at all?”

 “Of course I do,” Duhrt said. “But only when it’s necessary.”

 Flaym responded, “Well, I say! This occasion is quite important and I think it is necessary–”

 “Would you two stop your bickering, please?” sighed the statue with the crown of water. This one also had a woman’s voice. “Especially you, Flaym. We all know you’re suffering from a superiority complex.”

 “Please, everyone, please,” said the Great Fairy, raising his hands. “Let us begin. Nightfall is fast approaching, and each night that passes leaves Aeldyn in much more danger.”

 “I agree,” said Duhrt. “Miss Wickworth, I apologize for our behavior. Let me introduce myself. I’m Duhrt, the Spirit of Earth.” Duhrt bent her head toward Olivia in a small bow. “And these are my fellow kami. Please introduce yourselves.”

 “I am Flaym, master and protector of fire!” Flaym proclaimed proudly. His crown flared as he rose a few feet higher into the air.

 “He’s the Spirit of Fire,” said Duhrt dimly. Flaym’s crown sputtered to a small blaze, and he floated back to the ground, grumbling.

 “I’m Rayn,” said the creature with the water crown. “I watch over water.”

 There was a pause. Flaym, Duhrt, and Rayn slowly turned to look at the fourth kami. Its stone face was staring off into the distance.

 “Briiz!” they all shouted at once.

 The fourth kami yelped and jumped in surprise. “Uh, right! I’m Briiz, the Spirit of Wind,” Briiz said in a nervous masculine voice.

 Flaym sighed, obviously annoyed. He hung his stonelike head and shook it. After a moment he looked at Olivia.

 “And we are collectively known as the kami,” he said disinterestedly, then floated away from the other kami and over to the Great Fairy.

 “It-it’s nice to meet you,” Olivia stammered.

 “We come from a completely different realm,” Duhrt continued. “Basically, our job is to watch over the elements. We can help to replenish or to destroy, depending on the situation.”

 “Which brings us to the reason we are all gathered here today,” said the Great Fairy. “First, however, I believe I would like to properly introduce myself to you, Olivia. I am known as the Great Fairy. Though that is not my true name, the people of Aeldyn have, over the years, become quite comfortable addressing me as such.”

 “It’s nice to meet you, as well,” Olivia said, having difficulty keeping her wits about her. She wanted to run all the way back to her life in the orphanage, but she had promised to stay and listen to what the Great Fairy had to tell her.

 “I realize that you have been unceremoniously snatched from the comfort of your normal life and brought here not entirely by your own choosing,” said the Great Fairy. “However, I do truly apologize and hope that you will listen to what we have to say this evening, for your world is nearing its end, and ours is on the same path.”

 “But that can’t be, I’ve seen the differences in our worlds–” Olivia began. The Great Fairy raised his hand to silence her.

 “You cannot understand, my child,” he said, closing his eyes and shaking his head. “Not yet, at least. Tell me, do you know your history? The history of mankind?”

 Olivia felt as if she were being tested by one of the nannies at the orphanage. She quickly faced the Great Fairy and began to recite, “Human history began a long time ago. However, the earliest recorded history can be traced back to about 3500 B.C., when the Mesopotamian civilizations began to form. These were some of the earliest and most primitive of human settlements–”

 “That’s quite enough, my child,” said the Great Fairy, chuckling. “The vast knowledge you have for such a young one is quite impressive; however, I regret to inform you that what you know is not true—at least, not entirely true.”

 “Oh, I see,” said Olivia, looking down at her feet. For the first time she noticed that her black slip-on shoes had become worn and were covered in dirt and scratches.

 “What I mean is, for you to understand what is going on, you will need to know the truth about mankind’s history.” The Great Fairy walked slowly over to the other kami. “Duhrt, could you please provide us with some seats?”

 “Of course,” Duhrt replied kindly. She bent down, her cloak moving fluidly. After a moment, the grass began to rise, forming a circle of soft, green chairs. “How’s that, Old One?”

 “Yes, thank you.” The Great Fairy took the nearest seat and laid his cane across his lap as he sat down. “Olivia?” He looked up at her and pointed to the seat next to his. “Would you please have a seat?”

 “Sure,” Olivia answered. She slowly moved over to the grassy chair, her legs feeling a bit weak. As she took her seat, Locke dashed for the one next to her. The kami then filled the rest of the seats. Olivia couldn’t tell if they were actually sitting or if they had just bent their cloaks in the shape of a sitting person and were just floating. She lost the thought as the Great Fairy cleared his throat.

 “The things I am about to tell you are knowledge long forgotten,” the Great Fairy said, slowly rolling his cane up and down his frail, root-like legs. “Not even the oldest of books in the Nocturnal Archives contain this information, at least not as clearly and completely as I am about to tell it.”

 Olivia turned to look at the Great Fairy. He spoke seriously with a grim expression. She hugged her father’s journal and prepared to listen.

“Long ago, your world used to be like this one,” said the Great Fairy, looking at Olivia. “In truth, it
was
 this one.” He saw Olivia’s eyes widen as he said this. “Humans and magical creatures used to live in harmony. And the fairy, Olivia, was the human’s counterpart.”

Olivia furrowed her eyebrows.
What does he mean by all this
? she thought.
This can’t possibly be true
…

 “That can’t be true,” Locke blurted, but then quickly covered his mouth. “I’m sorry…just thinking out loud.” He smiled embarrassedly.

 “Ah, but it is true,” said the Great Fairy. “You see, long ago, humans were just as advanced as they are today. With magic at their fingertips and the guidance of fairies, they lived happily for thousands of years, never needing any further advancement. Being attached to the Stream and sharing the bond with their fairies allowed them to understand the world around them as well as the balance of action and consequence that governs it.”

 “What do you mean?” asked Olivia. “What is the Stream?”

 “A good question, Olivia,” said the Great Fairy, waving a hand in her direction. “But the answer will come in time. For now, just listen.”

 Olivia nodded silently.

 “This tree,” said the Great Fairy, looking up at the ceiling and raising his hands toward it, “has gone by many names throughout history, but one name it has long been known by is the Great Fairy Tree. Although that name may sound fitting because I live underneath it, it is actually called this for a different reason.” He looked from Olivia to Locke and then back again. “When a human is born in this world, it is immediately bound to a fairy. Those fairies sprout from this tree.”

 “Wow, wait,” Locke said. “Are you saying you came from this tree?”

 “Yes,” replied the Great Fairy, “long, long ago, but that is beside the point. In the early days of human history, a child was born whose fairy perished most tragically in an accident. As this child grew, he realized that he was able to live quite easily without a fairy. In fact, without a fairy, the child was able to learn of great and powerful magic that overstepped the normal balance of things. Others began to notice the child. Soon enough, he had garnered quite a following. Everyone came to see the child perform the powerful magic that could only be performed if the boundaries that a fairy provided were removed…”

 He paused and took a deep breath, then slowly let it back out. “Not long after this, others began to envy the child without a fairy. In their desperation to become more powerful like him, they demanded that the bonds with their fairies be broken. Of course, this couldn’t be done. A fairy’s bond with its human can never be broken.” He paused again, this time looking directly at Olivia. “Unless very dark magic is involved.”