Chapter 9

The guards didn't follow me, as the young girls commanded. I untied the shirt from my face when I was a safe distance away from the town. I continued to go deeper into Vendov. There wasn't as many forests to hide in. There was less countryside the deeper I got into the kingdom. I slept behind sheds, and by trees. I was still several days from the library of Venus. I had barley saved the girls, and that was with a self sacrifice. I began to doubt myself. I did not know how I could survive fighting Samuel and the Vendov king while I could barley save two children from some robbers?

I stopped to rest my horse. My journey was going to be long, I thought. What if the library had nothing on dragons and a way to stop them? Would I admit defeat and returned to the burnt cottage in the woods? No. I had to make Mavis's life better.

I gently stroked my horses neck and back. She had became much calmer since I first acquired her, I was standing by her when I heard a sound. It was a high pitched buzzing sound, like an annoying fly that wouldn't stop swarming me. I tried to brush it off and get some rest, but the buzzing kept me up. I stuffed my fingers in my ears, it didn't even dull the noise. There were no bugs around me.

I begrudgingly got off the ground, and searched for the sound. It began to get louder as I got farther away from the road. I tied my horse to a tree before going.

The buzzing began to cause my ears to sting. I felt like my inner ear was being attacked by bees. I had wondered that maybe I should be going the other way as opposed to walking towards it. There was a wooden fence outlining an empty field. I had wondered if it used to be a farm or if they are just separating their property.

On the edge of the fence, there was a lantern, lit with fire. The inside was sealed, so I was unable to blow it out. The buzzing became unbearable. I covered my ears as tight as I could. I felt drops of blood fall out of my ears. The sound was eating away at me. There was no way to blow it out. I lifted my leg up to the fence and kicked the lantern, smashing it into the ground. I was prepared to stomp the fire out, but the fire didn't spread. It flew.

I removed my hands from my ears as they no longer need protection. The buzzing had stopped. My ears stopped bleeding immediately. Little bits of flames flew above and around me. It had sounded like the flames were laughing.

One flame landed on my hand, I pulled away in fear of getting burned. Another landed on my shoulder. Then another in my hair. The flames didn't burn at all.

"What are you?" I said. I held out my hand, one of the flames landed in my palm.

It wasn't fire I was holding. They appeared to be tiny people hidden within the flames. They had small wings, like a mix between a human and a bug. They were about the size of my smallest finger.

"Thank you for freeing us!" A tiny voice echoed in the palm of my hand.

"You do understand me?"

"Not all of us do. Just some. We are fire fairies!" The tiny voice sounded over enthused.

"I've never heard of you." I explained to the fairy.

"We are viewed as pests to most humans! When we are dissatisfied our wings make a loud noise!"

"Trust me, I heard it. How did you get shut in here?"

"The king thinks we're a nuisance! Tells people that we're worse than we are! Then we get locked up!"

"That's terrible. I hope that doesn't happen again."

"What is your name!"

"Lee." I replied.

"Lee! I'm Alev! Is there anything we can do to repay you for saving us! Our fire was almost out!"

"Unless you know where to get a dragon." I joked.

"No! I don't! But here!"

Alev hopped off my palm and crawled down to my wrist. They began to feel hot, like my wrist was on fire. Then, it stung.

"Hey!"  I swatted them off. I looked down at my wrist. There was a red mark pushed into my skin.

"What was that for?"

Alev fluttered by my face.

"A bite from a fire fairy summons us! Push on it to summon me! Our debt must be repaid!"

"It's quite alright. I don't think there's much you can help me with."

"Debt! Must be! Repaid! Summon us! Good night and thank you!"

They flew off. It looked like a streak of lightning returning to the sky. The mark was round and swollen, it resembled a bee sting or a spider bite.

I wondered back to my horse wondering if I was dreaming. There are so many other species in the world I never even knew about. Mermaids, dragons, and now fire fairies. Was this common knowledge to people? Samuel seemed to know.

I continued on the next morning. I didn't plan on many stops until I reached the city. The towns I passed through I moved swiftly or attempted to avoid them all together.

I wanted to continue despite being low on food. I had to spend the remaining money I had carefully. My stomach growled and tightened until I agreed to stop in the next town to get some food.

I wanted to go in and out undetected. I went to the local store to buy the cheapest and most filling food possible. I bought an apple for my horse. I saddled up and went to leave.

Outside the store was a wooden post. Parchment papers were attached of wanted criminals, following a description of the rewards if anyone caught them.

I was on there twice.