Damn the Dark Fae to the Underworld!
“Sorry, guys, I’m just trying to process it all,” said Tony. “What made me think there might be some truth to her words, is that I’ve noticed a lot of disturbances in the Gray. Normally it’s a pretty calm place – sure there are some dark forces in there and some unhappy souls, but for the most part, they all kind of exist in harmony. But lately, not so much. I feel an energy there that just doesn’t belong; and it’s definitely not a good energy. It’s been growing steadily. The gray elves don’t seem to sense it – I don’t think they have the same experiences in the Gray that I do. They kind of skim the surface of it, whereas I go in very deeply sometimes.” He looked at all of us and saw that we were mostly lost. “I’m sorry, I’m not explaining this well. It’s difficult if you haven’t been there.”
I patted his arm. “Don’t worry about it, Baloney. If you say something’s up, something’s up. It’s that simple.” I sighed loudly, clearing my mind as I did. “So ... BFF of my heart ... do you think that what Becky is saying could have some truth to it? That maybe some mean-ass creatures are going to come and invade the Green Forest through the Gray and attack us?”
He shrugged. “I guess there’s a chance. I’d like to speak to the gray elves and Dardennes about it. That’ll be the first thing I do as soon as we get back.”
I looked at Scrum and Finn, and both of them were nodding their heads in assent.
“What do you think, Tim?!” I yelled out into the forest.
I was rewarded with the sound of buzzing wings and then a vision of the handsomest pixie I know doing a flip in midair in front of my face. He steadied himself, hovering just inches from my face, and said, “I think it’s time to take a vacation! Fiji anyone?!” And then he buzzed away.
“What’d he say?” asked Finn.
I rolled my eyes. “Nothing useful.” I turned my attention back to Becky. “Okay, so what’s the deal? Are you coming back with us, or are you a turncoat? An abandoner? A traitor to the cause?”
Becky laughed and reached over to hug me. “I love you, Jayne. Do you have any idea how much I’ve missed you?”
I sat there patting her on her little back. “It’s not like you’ve been gone forever. It’s only been like a day or two, geez.”
She let me go and sat back, saying, “Well, it feels a lot longer than that.” She looked cautiously up at Finn who was standing next to us, but he didn’t return her gaze. He was staring off into the distance, his mind elsewhere, or so it seemed.
“I’m going to stay here a little while longer, but then after I’m better, maybe in a few days, I’ll come back.”
I noticed Finn’s hand that had been white-knuckling his bow relax a little, and the frown between his eyebrows melted away.
“I don’t know about Chase, though. He’s ... still in the process of working out his issues.”
I grabbed her hand. “Tell me,” I begged. “Tell me what’s going on with him.”
She smiled and patted my hand, apparently trying to soothe me. “He’s getting better. Much better. He’s not all delirious anymore. He just smiles a lot more than normal and occasionally laughs. He has to take injections every day though. They had to use ... uh ... pixie blood to make his antidote, so ... ”
She had a totally guilty look on her face, which set the alarm bells off in my head. I squeezed her hand a little harder. “Beckyyyy ... ?” The pixie blood thing wasn’t news to me, which she obviously knew, so I had a hunch there was something else going on.
I could sense her trying to pull away from me, the way her eyes had gotten a faraway look in them all of a sudden. She tried to stand up as if she was leaving, but I pulled her back down. It was time to get tough.
“Sorry, guys, I’m just trying to process it all,” said Tony. “What made me think there might be some truth to her words, is that I’ve noticed a lot of disturbances in the Gray. Normally it’s a pretty calm place – sure there are some dark forces in there and some unhappy souls, but for the most part, they all kind of exist in harmony. But lately, not so much. I feel an energy there that just doesn’t belong; and it’s definitely not a good energy. It’s been growing steadily. The gray elves don’t seem to sense it – I don’t think they have the same experiences in the Gray that I do. They kind of skim the surface of it, whereas I go in very deeply sometimes.” He looked at all of us and saw that we were mostly lost. “I’m sorry, I’m not explaining this well. It’s difficult if you haven’t been there.”
I patted his arm. “Don’t worry about it, Baloney. If you say something’s up, something’s up. It’s that simple.” I sighed loudly, clearing my mind as I did. “So ... BFF of my heart ... do you think that what Becky is saying could have some truth to it? That maybe some mean-ass creatures are going to come and invade the Green Forest through the Gray and attack us?”
He shrugged. “I guess there’s a chance. I’d like to speak to the gray elves and Dardennes about it. That’ll be the first thing I do as soon as we get back.”
I looked at Scrum and Finn, and both of them were nodding their heads in assent.
“What do you think, Tim?!” I yelled out into the forest.
I was rewarded with the sound of buzzing wings and then a vision of the handsomest pixie I know doing a flip in midair in front of my face. He steadied himself, hovering just inches from my face, and said, “I think it’s time to take a vacation! Fiji anyone?!” And then he buzzed away.
“What’d he say?” asked Finn.
I rolled my eyes. “Nothing useful.” I turned my attention back to Becky. “Okay, so what’s the deal? Are you coming back with us, or are you a turncoat? An abandoner? A traitor to the cause?”
Becky laughed and reached over to hug me. “I love you, Jayne. Do you have any idea how much I’ve missed you?”
I sat there patting her on her little back. “It’s not like you’ve been gone forever. It’s only been like a day or two, geez.”
She let me go and sat back, saying, “Well, it feels a lot longer than that.” She looked cautiously up at Finn who was standing next to us, but he didn’t return her gaze. He was staring off into the distance, his mind elsewhere, or so it seemed.
“I’m going to stay here a little while longer, but then after I’m better, maybe in a few days, I’ll come back.”
I noticed Finn’s hand that had been white-knuckling his bow relax a little, and the frown between his eyebrows melted away.
“I don’t know about Chase, though. He’s ... still in the process of working out his issues.”
I grabbed her hand. “Tell me,” I begged. “Tell me what’s going on with him.”
She smiled and patted my hand, apparently trying to soothe me. “He’s getting better. Much better. He’s not all delirious anymore. He just smiles a lot more than normal and occasionally laughs. He has to take injections every day though. They had to use ... uh ... pixie blood to make his antidote, so ... ”
She had a totally guilty look on her face, which set the alarm bells off in my head. I squeezed her hand a little harder. “Beckyyyy ... ?” The pixie blood thing wasn’t news to me, which she obviously knew, so I had a hunch there was something else going on.
I could sense her trying to pull away from me, the way her eyes had gotten a faraway look in them all of a sudden. She tried to stand up as if she was leaving, but I pulled her back down. It was time to get tough.
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