HALIA'S POV
"We are now armed," Flora said. "But we still need to plan an attackâa way to inflict the most damage."
"We're still outnumbered," Ryn said. "Even if we make our way back in the fortress, it will be difficult to isolate the Evil King."
Going back to the fortress was a terrible idea, I thought.
I wanted to tell them so, but I could hardly get a word in. It was all about the Elders. And their experience. Although I had helped Siegfried get his powers back, my opinion was ignored now. Once again, I was only a Last-born.
"We need to know if Tönx was successful in bringing Phi to the thunder spirits," I told Aras, the only fairy that would listen to me. "Or wait for a sign that the First Creatures are coming to help."
Aras gave me a serious look. I watched as her child body pushed her way into the crowd that had gathered in the shadow of the forty-kinds-of-fruit-tree. She was going to try to make herself heard. To let my words be heard.
Meanwhile, I sat by the forty-kinds-of-fruit-tree. Its foliage protected me from the burning summer sun. I closed my eyes and focused on the connection that linked me to Phi.
I wanted to feel her, like I had since the day of our union. I could not. Our connection was silent.
She was too far for me to feel it, I thought. That's a good thing. If I can't feel her, neither can the Evil King.
Or she was dead. Killed by the First Creatures. I pushed the thought to the back of my mind. It was not something I was ready to face.
I needed to believe our people had a chance to be safe, that Phi had a future, and that we could still be happy. Together.
The Elders were still discussing their plan, still deaf to my godmother's attempts in making them listen, when the fortress's gates began to creak open.
"He knows we escaped!" the Matres shouted with the tone of a mother fearful for her children's safety.
"Hide behind the trees," Siegfried bellowed.
In a jump we all regained our miniature sizes and hid as well as we could behind the large tree trunks.
"Shh," Ryn said to quiet the nervous fairies.
Wotan came out of the gates followed by a dozen of his guards, his thralls. He was sitting atop an eight-legged, gray horse.
I had heard of that horse. Grannie had told me about it in one of her stories. Its name was Sleipnir. It was a horse Wotan rode through the world of light and darkness.
Wotan rode past us, and I could see the runes carved out on the horse's teeth. The Evil King didn't seem to be searching for anyone.
"What is he up to?" Nixie asked once he was out of ear's reach.
"Let's follow him," Siegfried said.
He began reciting an incantation, lighting up the related rune on his calf in an ochre red colour.
You who live in these woods
In the name our Mother I call upon you
Come out of the shadow into the light
To deliver us from an deplorable impass
As he finished saying the last line, a storm of birds and bees left the forest and carried us on their backs in pursuit of Wotan's fast paced mythical horse. Because of the way the man had treated their natural habitat, the animals were more than inclined to help us.
I flew riding a sparrow's back, quick and light as the wind. I held my sword close to my side, careful not to hurt the creature. The sound of the bird's beating wings buzzed in my ears.
The only one who had not climbed up on a bird or a bee was Nixie. Uncomfortable with the idea of flying, the nymph decided to follow the Evil King in her kelpie form.
If the Evil King knew we were following him, he showed no sign of it. He mustn't have thought we represented a real threat.
"I know where we are," said Siegfried. "I have been here before. This is the island of Llo Esukwak. An island in the middle of a dark water lake, where Geh-Ah lives in a cave in company of other bears."
"Is Geh-Ah working with him?" the Tisannieres wondered.
Wotan got off his horse and walked towards a cave. His eyes were blank. He was looking at the world through his thralls' eyes, observing the forest and its surrounding. His guards.
Geh-Ah appeared out of the cave's entrance and welcomed him without great ceremony.
"A great bear master without his bear is only a simple warrior," the Evil King mocked.
So Ya-O-Ga was not here. Was he with Agamet? With Phi?
"I am the great bear master," Geh-Ah, replied. "Master of many bears."
A horde of gigantic bears leapt from the cave and threw themselves on the Evil King's guards while Geh-Ah bravely took on the one-eyed demon. The bear tore the humans' flesh with their claws, leaving only pieces of their victims on the ground.
We were about to join in the fight. After all, there were only about a dozen of the guards, and the bears would fight at our sides. But lights appeared around us.
"Don't," the voices from the lights said, blocking our way to the bear master.
"It's the pogih," I realized. "The creatures we first met at the Aging Ceremony."
That ceremony seemed so long ago now. I had spent centuries as a child, and only a few months as a seventeen years old, but so much had happened since, it seemed as if time was distorted.
As I said it, the lights stood still and I could see their delicate faces, with their blue skin and dark black hair, and â
"Tönx?" I asked, astonished, looking at a glare among them. It was him. I immediately recognized his brown curls and mystified expression. "What are you doing there?
"I'm not sure," he replied. "I brought Phi to the thunder spirit's village and . . . here I am."
The pogih ignored our conversation. "You can't help him," they said. "Wotan's army is closing in behind and you would only lose."
"So what are we to do?" Ryn roared. "Watch them kill themselves?"
"Yes," they said. "You need to wait. Your princess convinced the chief of the thunder spirits. They will meet the Evil King in the meadow. Go there and fight with them."
I looked at Geh-Ah, and he glanced at our hiding place, as if he knew we were there.
Wotan came up behind him, and while the great bear master's beasts were still busy tearing apart his guards, the Evil King threw Geh-Ah down a hill.
The creature rolled down until he was only a few feet away from us. I tried not to look at his nose, but my eyes kept diverted to it. The bloody mess that spilled from his nose and dripped into his swollen mouth disfigured him. He looked up at the sun, at the wind bristling the leaves in the surrounding trees.
"Today is a good day to die," he murmured, loud enough for us to hear.
The awkward angle of his legs told me they were broken. He could no longer move. He must have been in a lot of pain, but his eyes were locked on the sky and its beauty.
"I can't stay here," Ryn insisted, ready to step in but once again the pogih intervened.
I raised my sword as well, ready to jump in after him.
"You are not listening to us," they said. "You will lose this battle. If you don't believe us, believe one of your own."
To distract us from going in, they freed Tönx from the luminous, fire fly-like form they were keeping him in His body materialized before us in its miniature form.
"They are saying the truth," he said. "This is not our fight and Geh-Ah wishes it to be this way."
Even if we had wanted to, it was too late. By the time Tönx had finished saying those words, Wotan had already bashed the great bear master's face in with one of his dead guards' club.
The bears withdrew at the sight. They had no more reason to fight. Wotan left, carrying the carcass of the dead spirit back towards the fortress.
"Follow him," the pogih said. "He is going to the meadow near your settlement."
Settlement. The word sounded funny to my ears. It wasn't like we had any settlement left anymore. Everything had been destroyed.
"They are saying the truth," Tönx insisted as the Elders hesitated to do as the creatures suggested.
"Why are you helping us?" the king asked the little spirits.
The pogih pulled a face at the king's disbelief. "We are merely passing on the information," said one of them. "We are of no use in a fight. We fear being crushed."
"We like the water spirit," said another of them. "We want him to come back with us once all this is over."
The creatures giggled and Tönx turned red. He looked over at his shoes, and at anything around him. Whatever interest the pogihs had in him wasn't reciprocical. He did not enjoy all the attention he was receiving .
Siegfried nodded, finally convinced. I jumped on the back of the sparrow that had carried me there, beckoned for Tönx to climb on with me, and followed the Elders as they returned to the treeless area near the fortress, in bygone days, the home of the pillywiggins.
"So," I said. "You became best friend with the pogih?"
"Not sure about that," he said. "They are a bit obsessive about their friendship for me. Their circle of light was interesting to be in at first, it distorts time and space in a way I had never seen before. But they wouldn't let me go. Please don't let me near them again . . ."
I chuckled. "Stay close to me and I'll protect you," I said.
*
"We need to keep higher ground to see when the thunder spirits will come," Tönx said to the Elders as we flew by them.
I was surprised they listened to him. I guess coexisting with the pogih gave him some authority.
The sparrow left me on a high branch of a tree neighbouring the meadow. Again, if the Evil King knew we were there, he showed no sign of it. From where I was, I could observe him placing Geh-Ah's body into a coffer.
"What is he doing?" the Tisannieres murmured on another branch near mine.
The mysteriousness of his actions made everyone nervous. Even I felt on edge. There was so much coming. A battle. A future. Or an end.
I'd reached my stress limit long ago.
In the distance, I saw Agamet and his warriors approach. My chest tightened. Will he betray us once more?
The thralls surrounded the Evil King.
"Welcome, my friends," I heard Wotan say with open palms once both chiefs were close enough to talk. "Welcome."
I could not read Agamet's reaction, however. From where I stood, only the back of his head was visible.
I focused on the other warriors. Some I recognized from the day I stood over the fortress' wall. My eyes lingered on Feyn, the boy Phi and I had met in the woods.
His face I could read. And he looked angry.
That gave me a little hope.
At least, if he despises the Evil King, we have a chance.
"I'm always pleased to meet a man with ambitions as great as mine," Wotan went on, his usual purple cape flowing behind him.
"I fail to see the similarity," Agamet replied. Although I could not see his face -- he was standing with his back to me â his stance was self assured, his voice firm. "A person's ambition typically brings him friends or allies. You are surrounded by empty souls."
The Evil King passed a tongue on his lips and smirked. "You should not be so quick to judge," he said. "I don't have the feeling the warriors at your side really want to be here but rather follow your orders by fear. You, too, swim in an ocean of empty souls."
"Be it as it may," Agamet said, unshrivelled, "I haven't come here to point fingers at who is the most morally deprived of us twoâhave you come up with any offer? Have you found anything of equal value to the red-eyed princess?"
My fingers trembled and I almost dropped the sword I held close to my heart. An offer? A flash of anger came through my body. I was about to jump off the tree and face Agamet.
How dares he betray us again?
"Stay here," Tönx said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "He is not really thinking of giving Phi away."
"What are you saying?" I asked.
"It's just a ruse." He shrugged. "He needed an excuse to meet with the Evil King face to face."
"How do you know?" I asked again. "The pogih told you?"
"Yeah . . . ," he said. "They are nosier than our pillywiggings and like to witness everything. That's probably how Geh-Ah and Yu-a-geh came to know of our arrival in the first place."
I sat with my back to the rough bark of the tree, and calmed myself down.
Reaching the center of the meadow, where the Evil King and Agamet as well as their troops all stood wouldn't have helped anyway. The Evil King would have seen me coming, and he would have killed me himself. Him or one of his numerous guards or warriors.
"Are there enough warriors to take on the Evil King?" I asked. It suddenly hit me that although humans, there were perhaps three or four times more guards than warriors.
"There will have to be," Tönx said. "And we will join in as soon as the fight starts."
I suddenly realized just how much I had mentally relied on the thunder spirits' help to win, and how much that had been foolish of me. Certainly, the Evil King had come prepared for this eventuality.
"We both have interests in the princess," Wotan agreed. "I believe we are both curious to see how powerful and feared her powers will make us." He paused, grinning in a way I came to despise as strongly as I could. "I heard, however, that some of your people do not approve of your interest in her."
"What is your point?" Agamet said, impatient.
"Well, first, there was your wife, who was against the idea; then your son, who is now standing at your side. Unfortunately, I doubt these two are really enemies of yours. Geh-Ah, on the other hand . . . did you know it was really him who alerted your wife and son of the princess's presence in your camp?"
"No, I did not," the thunder spirit king said.
"I am fairly good at reading people, you see," the Evil King continued. "And I can tell you that I have rarely seen a thirst for power as strong as in your friend Geh-Ah. He secretly did not want you to rule anymore and wished to take your place. He was planning an attack on you. Now what kind of a friend is that?"
"Are you telling me in exchange for the princess, you are giving me your thoughts on my friendship with Geh-Ah?" Agamet said.
"Oh, no!" Wotan exclaimed. "Certainly not. I was merely explaining why this is your gift."
He clicked his fingers and two of his thralls placed the coffer before the thunder spirit chief, the same coffer I had seen him place the great bear master's body in. I covered my mouth in horror.
The guards opened the coffer and Agamet peeked inside.
"I offer you the death of your worst enemy in a sign of good faith," the Evil King said, but as soon as the words left his mouth, his face changed. Agamet's reaction to the sight was not the one he was expecting.
"You think I wouldn't have killed him myself if I had wanted him dead?" Agamet roared. "Geh-Ah was one of our own. Now I must avenge him!"
The thunder spirits shouted a deafening scream of war and charged towards the Evil King. Quickly, his thralls formed a barrier separating him from the First Creatures.
In their roar, I heard the sound of thunder and soon after lightning fell from the sky, hitting some of the Evil King's men. They tried to make their way to the king, by bashing their axes and clubs into the men composing the crowd.
In the distance, other First Creatures arrived. I recognized Anosh, who appeared and reappeared in front of the thralls, taking them out one by one; Yu-a-geh, who roared, happy to finally get his paws on something; and Aplua, who took away his mask whenever he was sure that the enemy he faced was going to look at him in the eyes; his opponents fell dead in front of him, petrified by his ugliness.
Some archers threw arrows in the crowd's direction, but again the Evil King blocked them, and the sticks fell to the floor, looking inoffensive.
Everything had happened in a matter of seconds. And soon I heard Siegfried shout: "We go in now!"
I followed as a storm of birds, mounted by fairies, jumped off their respective trees and flew down towards the center of the meadow, where our enemy stood.
We jumped in the air and regained our human size only to fall in the midst of the action. The Evil King avoided us and, without a word, had more of his thralls encircle us.
The pillywiggings, still riding their bees, covered one of the guards and had their mounts sting him while promising their insect companions they would revive them once everything would be over, so that they would not die in vain.
"Get down," I heard Tönx yell behind me.
I dodged as a thrall reached out for me. Tönx swung a sword above my head. The man took a
step back and the blade missed him by a few inches.
"Got yourself a sword?" I asked Tönx. He hadn't been with us when Ryn handed us the weapons found in the armory.
"I borrowed it from the dead," he said, out of breath.
I drew my sword and held it in my two hands. I dove in.
Even in battle, one could recognize the grace in a fairy's fighting style. It had more pliés, battements en rond, butterflies, and fouettés.
A rush of wind caressed my face, along with the smell of wet soil and blood. The smell of war.
I was going to kill the man who had just attempted to take my life. I put a foot forward, insuring my balance. Just like Ryn had taught me. Just like I did when I practiced with Phi.
I lifted my sword above my head. The sun reflected on it and gave it a golden glow. I looked into the man's eyes. Vacant blue. I couldn't think that there was a man in there somewhere. I had to think this was the Evil King's creature. That was the only way we could survive.
I attacked. Our blades touched. A metallic click. The man was heavier than me. Twice my size, maybe. But I was faster. I blinked and swung my sword around. I poured his gut out. He fell to his knees. I kicked his head in the mud.
He was the first man I had ever killed. I thought I would shiver. I should have been shocked. I
had just taken someone's life. Instead, my anger swelled.
I am doing this for Phi, I thought.
My muscles tensed. I ran to the crowd and took on more adversaries. Tönx followed closely behind me. He had my back. I had his.
We moved forward together, jumped over the coffer that contained Geh-Ah's remains. I stabbed a thrall in the back just as he had raised his sword to attack Nixie.
She nodded a thank you and turned and heaved her axe into the air, taking on her next target.
Out of breath, I looked around at the battlefield. It was filled with cries and horrors. The sun was out but so was the rain. The creatures still standing were half covered in mud and a sea of dead and dying covered the floor. Everything felt surreal.
I also didn't want to count how many we had lost just yet, but at first glance, it seemed we were winning. The barrier of men that protected Wotan was becoming thinner and thinner.
A man came at me. He was faster than the others. He jabbed his morning star so hard that my sides opened. I was bleeding out. I didn't care. I had to keep going. I slashed my sword at his face. Right in the middle. He fell in pain. I finished him off by hitting him with my jewel encrusted hilt.
Behind him, I saw Siegfried set his eyes on the Evil King, his face twisted with rage. For a moment, I also thought I saw surprise in Wotan's eyes.
I guess he didn't expect our king to grow his hand back.
Wotan froze for a moment before running back in the direction of the great river by the fortress. He fled, jumping over the bodies of men who gave their lives for him. Some of them were still writhing, struggling and shrieking beneath his feet.
They were not dead yet, but were taking their last breaths.
Siegfried ran to Wotan, his sword firmly in hand. If he had been surprised only a few seconds ago, the Evil King no longer showed it.
"Siegfried," he said with a smirk. "Face to face at last."
He must have given a silent order to his thralls because, soon after, they were closing in on Siegfried.
"He is isolating the king," I told Tönx. "We need to get in."
He was not the only one to hear me. Soon, Nixie was at our sides and, still in her kelpie form, kicked the barrier of men, bashing their heads or whichever bone she found.
Feyn came to our rescue too. He flew in and razed some more men, hitting them with lightning as he passed by them.
Mmmm . . . maybe Phi was right to have liked him. Maybe he was worthy of her love.
It was only a superficial thought. I didn't want to let it sink in. I had too much anger in me. And I needed to continue feeding that anger if I wanted everything to end.
Finally, I saw our king blocking one of Wotan's blows with his sword. But he could do nothing to stop the blow that came from behind, from a guard.
Siegfried fell to his knees and gasped for his last breath. I looked in horror as a whirl of wind took his powers away. Above the trees. To Phi. Whom I knew right now was far away. In the thunder spirits' village.
A new burst of anger came over me. As if more rage was even possible. I slashed through the crowd of mindless men-at-arms. I tried to make my way to the Evil King, but wherever he went were the hottest fights.
He duelled against Agamet a few times. Soon his guards had engulfed him, rending him untouchable.
Feyn came to fight at Agamet's side but instead of engaging together, a rivalry arose. They gave each other furtive glances in between each enemy they killed. Each wanting to be the fiercest.
In the midst of this confusion, Wotan fled along with a few of his guards towards the river, where the ship he first arrived in was still anchored. I trailed him.
He's trying to escape!
But before he could escape, he had to step into the water. He had to reach the boat.
Water was my element. I am a nymph before anything else. I raised my hand and created a wall of water. Tall enough to swallow him whole. He was powerful, though, and swam to the surface to catch his breath. I sent deadly waves his way, but he split them as they went over his body.
I dove into the water. I grabbed one of his feet as he kicked. I held on tight. His fingers clutched my wrists. I lost grip of my sword. His touch burned me. I screamed in pain but held on. I pulled him deeper in the water. Towards the darkness.
At last, he stopped fighting. His body went limp.
I tugged him along while I reached for my sword again. I held him by his hair and sliced his head off.
I left his body floating aboutâa widening area of blood around it. I swam to the surface, carrying Wotan's head, and saw Tönx's wary face scrutinizing the water.
He was about ready to jump in to come to my help when he saw me.
I am not sure if I smiled with contempt or relief. It's possible I didn't smile at all. All still seemed surreal. But I lifted the head above the water and I screamed our victory.
On the desolated shore, with countless dead and injured, the fight stopped short. Weapons were held in the air, as if about to strike, although no more blows came.
The mindless bodies fell to the ground, as if invisible marionette cords had been cut. They threw their weapons as far away from them as they could and begged for mercy. They were themselves again. After hundreds of years.
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