Chapter 3

 

 

The pale orange light from Eldor’s staff lit the way through the darkened woods as he hurried forward. It was very quite, unnaturally so Jena thought, almost as if it sensed something wasn’t right. Normally there would be the hooting of owls and other night birds and the buzz of insects. But there was just a deep, deep silence.

 

‘It’s very quiet, Eldor,’ she said in a small voice.

 

‘Yes… a little too quiet,’ Eldor agreed, concern in his voice.

 

Shortly they were stepping down into the hollow where the fairies glade lay. Jena was now quite concerned. They should have been able to see the glow from the glade by now, but there was only a deep darkness.

 

‘We should be able to see the glow in the glade by now,’ she said. ‘What do you think is wrong?’

 

‘I have my concerns, Jena,’ Eldor replied mysteriously. ‘But let’s wait and see.’

 

They shortly reached the edge of the glade and stopped, their expressions shocked at what they saw. The starflowers were barely glowing, their petals closed, the fairies still inside and asleep.

 

Eldor made his way quickly across the glade to Queen Erin’s starflower. He knelt down beside it, waved his staff over it. Its glow suddenly brightened and its petals opened revealing Erin inside. She stirred slowly, her eyes opening and looking up at Eldor and Jena.

 

‘Eldor… I feel so weak,’ she murmured. ‘Night has come and we should be awake. What has happened?’

 

‘Your starflowers are barely glowing, Erin,’ he replied.

 

‘That shouldn’t be,’ she said in alarm. ‘What could be wrong with them?’

 

‘It's Stardust, Erin. They haven’t collected enough to renew the power of the flowers and your own magic,’ Eldor replied.

 

‘Stardust?’ Jena queried.

 

Queen Erin nodded.

 

‘It’s a magical element that comes from the night sky. Our starflowers collect it and we absorb it as we sleep. It’s what keeps us alive, makes our wings glow and gives us our magic powers. But this has never happened before? What could be wrong now?’

 

‘I think I know,’ Eldor replied. ‘You have used too much of your magic and the starflowers have been drained. I blame myself a little as I had intended to mention to you, but always forgot. But this has happened over a great deal of time, your majesty.

 

‘Think of the magic the fairies have used over the past centuries. Protecting yourselves and the gnomes from Mogrom’s attacks, the spell crafted in the making of Jena’s bracelet. Then moving all of the gnomes to the hidden valley and now their recent return. This has all required a great deal of magic.’

 

‘But we’ve had no warning that anything was wrong,’ Queen Erin said with a frown.

 

Eldor shook his head.

 

‘I think you have been warned, Erin, but it was very subtle and you didn’t see it,’ he replied. ‘Ever since you moved the fairies the first time, your folk have barely left your glade. Before then you used to travel greatly between the Forest of Rivers and Dwarf Gate once.’

 

‘I hadn’t thought of it that way. There was always some excuse not to go anywhere… that …. that we were so tired!’ Erin replied and her eyes widened as realization came to her.

 

‘Yes, even though you didn’t realize it, you were being prevented from using magic,’ Eldor said. ‘The starflowers were failing even then.’

 

Queen Erin’s expression turned frightened.

 

‘What shall we do, Eldor?’ she asked. ‘Without them we shall perish!’

 

Jena gasped in shock. The thought of the fairies actually dying was too horrible to imagine.

 

‘There is one way to make them healthy again,’ Eldor replied. ‘Think back to when you lived in the ancient city of Rethan. Fairies used a lot more magic then, flying from one end of Lendor to the other. To do that, they used a special source of Stardust.’

 

‘The Stardust Fountain!’ Erin exclaimed. ‘I had almost forgotten that it ever existed. Would it still be there?’

 

‘Yes, it should be,’ Eldor said. ‘I will have to journey there and bring some Stardust back.’

 

‘The Shiver, Eldor!’ Queen Erin said in dread. ‘The Shiver is still there!’

 

‘I know, but it is the only way,’ the wizard replied simply.

 

‘What is the… Shiver? Jena asked, not liking the sound of it one bit.

 

‘I’ll explain about that later, Jena,’ he replied. ‘For now, I must keep the starflowers alive whilst I am gone.’

 

He stood up and thrust his staff hard into the soft earth of the glade. He waved his hand over its crystal and it brightened even more. An orange glow spread out over the entire glade so that all the starflowers were covered by it.

 

‘There! My staff’s magic will keep the starflowers alive until we return,’ Eldor said.

 

‘But how will you protect yourself?’ Queen Erin asked in concern. ‘There is great danger apart from the Shiver. You will have to cross the Midnight Mountains where goblins roam and the morgs prowl the lands around Rethan.’

 

Eldor looked at Jena on his shoulder and she swallowed nervously. She realized that he had said “until we return” and knew she was about to go on another adventure. She lifted up her wrist where her magical bracelet rested.

 

‘That’s right, Jena,’ Eldor said. ‘You’ll be coming with me.’

 

Jena had many questions for Eldor as they made their way back to the dell. She was very confused about just how old Queen Erin was. The way she and Eldor had been talking the fairies sounded like they were hundreds of years old.

 

The wizard quickly confirmed that thought.

 

‘The fairies are very old, Jena,’ he explained. ‘Even I don’t know how old they really are and I am centuries old. They are different to you and I, to dwarves and elves. Whereas I use magic, fairies are magical creatures.’

 

‘So is that why they need magic to survive, why they need Stardust?’ Jena asked.

 

‘Yes, that’s right. They don’t eat, don’t drink, but live by what their starflowers give them… Stardust.’

 

‘And it’s in this city you talked of?’

 

‘Yes… a very old city where my own folk used to live,’ the wizard replied. ‘Now, no more questions till we get back to the dell. There will be more than enough to deal with then.’

 

* * *

 

By the time they returned to the dell, everyone there had started to wonder where the fairies were. As Eldor strode into the ring of tables, he was plied with questions as where they were and if something was wrong.

 

He ignored them though, going straight to Brodon and Nemon and whispering to them. Jena watched their expressions turn very concerned and Brodon quickly stood up.

 

‘I have grave news for you all,’ he began, his loud voice quietening the chatter. ‘The fairies are ill… quite ill.’

 

Stunned gasps greeted this awful news and the clamour of questions rose again.

 

‘Silence! All of you!’ Rena boomed, her voice even louder than her brother’s. ‘We must face this calamity with calm, not panic!’

 

The din faded away and Brodon went on.

 

‘For the moment they are safe, but no one is to go down into their glade,’ he said. ‘For now, it would be best if you all returned to your homes and tents. More shall be known in the morning.’

 

At that the party began to break up. The gnomes were lifted to the ground so they could return to their cottages, the elves and dwarves to their tents. Low, nervous chatter went with them, all dreadfully worried about the plight of the fairies.

 

A short time later a small group gathered in King Brodon’s large tent. Present were Eldor, Brodon, Nemon, Jena’s dad Timon who was a gnome Elder, Rena and Jena. All were seated around a table as Eldor explained what was wrong with the fairies.

 

‘The fairies starflowers are failing… possibly dying,’ he said grimly. ‘For the moment the fairies are safe as I have left my staff in their glade to protect them. But it is only temporary.’

 

‘This is terrible!’ King Brodon exclaimed. ‘What is wrong with them?’

 

‘I have no time to explain it fully as I have to leave almost immediately,’ the wizard explained. ‘I can only say that they need a magical substance called Stardust. Their starflowers normally absorb it from the night sky, but they need more.’

 

‘Can it be found somewhere?’ King Nemon asked.

 

Eldor nodded.

 

‘In the ancient city of Rethan,’ he replied.

 

‘Rethan!’ King Brodon said in shock. ‘Good dwarves, Eldor! Great evil lurks there. If the Shiver should catch you…’

 

‘I know the danger there,’ Eldor replied quickly. ‘None the less, only in Rethan can we find a source of Stardust. And time is against us. I must leave immediately.’

 

‘But how will you protect yourself without your staff?’ King Nemon asked in concern.

 

Eldor looked at Jena who was sitting on top of the table with her dad.

 

‘Jena will come with me,’ he said. ‘Her magic will protect us.’

 

Jena glanced at her father, who looked very worried, but gave an approving nod.

 

‘You’ve helped Eldor in the past, Jena,’ he said. ‘Without your magic bracelet we would not have returned to the Quiet Woods. We must help in any way to save the fairies.’

 

‘I’ll do my best, dad,’ Jena replied.

 

‘And I will take one other,’ Eldor said and looked at Rena. ‘I’ll need a strong fighter’s arm if we cross paths with goblins or morgs, Rena. You have travelled a good deal through the Midnight Mountains and know them well.’

 

Rena nodded.

 

‘Which way do you intend to do go? It would take us many days to journey northwest through Silverwolf Pass. Otherwise there are the Thundering Stairs over the Midnight Mountains… dangerous, but quicker.’

 

‘I think the Thundering Stairs will be the path to take,’ Eldor said. ‘It emerges on the far side of the mountains very near the city.’

 

‘We shall organise equipment for you… warm cloaks, rope, food and water,’ Brodon said.

 

Eldor nodded.

 

‘Let us hurry!’ he urged. ‘We leave at midnight.’