Chapter Five: The Prophesy of Ilverzah

Hello, here is chapter five of my middle grade fantasy, The Prophesy of Ilverzah.  If you would like to read the first four chapters, just click on the "My Writing" link at the top.  As always, I love to hear feedback and comments.  Thanks.

Chapter Five

“Let go of me, you big galoot!!” the small faerie demanded furiously. She grabbed the delicate looking sword hanging from her belt and started to cut at Tom's fingers. Rebuffed and wounded, Tom instantly opened his hand and the faerie started to fall to the bed before she opened her wings and flew up to eye level. Tom's finger started to bleed, as if from a deep paper cut, and he wrapped it in a tissue from the bed side table.

“What did you go and do that for?” she yelled. “Do you hear me? I'm talking to you! Why did you grab me like that?! Don't you know you are not supposed to grab beings and rip them out of their own dimension? Besides being very rude, it messes everything up. It was bad enough you kept peeking in on me, and now this! Didn't you see me waving for you to go away? And, I had even managed to get the Scroll that the King wanted! There will be no end of trouble now.” The faerie angrily waved a tiny rolled up piece of paper at Tom. 

“I-I-I d-d-don't know,” Tom stammered. “I didn't mean to. I mean, I didn't know. I was only trying to help you. We thought you needed help.”

“Help me? Help me! You call this help? How does this help me?” the diminutive faerie fumed. “What in the name of Zolan made you think that you could help me, or even that I needed your help at all? Do you know anything about the war or how to capture the Sacred Box or how to defeat the Demetros?” Mara could only stare as the angry faerie shouted at them. She was beautiful, with shimmering gossamer wings fluttering in the lamp light and no larger than a kitten, with pointed ears and large eyes the colour of a cloudless sky, eyes that were clearly filled with fury at the moment. She was dressed in what only could be described as a type of medieval military armour, with a breastplate, greaves, and a belt with an empty sheath for her jewelled sword, which she waved around lividly.

“I thought not,” said the faerie, more quietly this time. She flew down and sat on the bed, putting her head in her hands. “You have no idea what you have just done. Now, all is lost. This was our last attempt. I had finally persuaded the King to let me go after the Scroll, and I got it, my way, without all that battling, but with using my brains. And now look at me! Stuck here in the human dimension without even my compass to get me back. And you have no idea – you probably do not even know about the faerie dimension, do you?” The faerie eyed Mara and Tom as they shook their heads. “Most humans do not. They do not believe in anything they cannot see with their own eyes. Well, now you see me, what do you think? How did you do it, anyway? Not many humans ever manage to figure it out. The really young ones have no trouble, of course, but you guys look bigger, old enough to have forgotten already.”

Mara and Tom looked at each other, incredulously, then Mara broke the silence. "It was me, I just, sort of, made this field of energy between by hands and I saw you there. I did that earlier today, out by the river.” Mara started to babble nervously now. “Our teacher showed us how to do it, you just rub your hands together and feel the energy. But when I did it by the river, I saw you, then I drew a picture of you and Tom saw the drawing, and we decided to try it again. We thought you were in trouble because of the look in your eyes. We were really trying to help. We didn't mean any harm, honestly.” Mara held up her drawing of the faerie to show her, to demonstrate to her that she looked like she needed help, and because she didn't know what else to do. She was embarrassed and horrified that they had interfered and actually caused all sorts of problems. It was too much to take in. Only this morning she could have said with certainty that faeries did not exist, that they were only imaginary, and now, here she was, talking to one in her bedroom.

The faerie looked studiously at Mara and sighed, “You, yes, I saw your image earlier today. And of course I was scared, I was breaking into the Demetros headquarters and I was trying to warn you off. I did not need help though – I already had the Scroll and was on my way out. That energy you are playing with so freely is powerful, very powerful. You do not even know how to harness it. Dangerous!” The faerie turned to Tom. “Well, we just have to figure out what to do now. I have got to get back and bring this Scroll to the King. The future of Ilverzah depends upon it.”

“Ilverzah?” asked Mara.

“Yes, Ilverzah, that is the name of the land in which I live,” explained the faerie.

“What can we do to help?” Tom asked sheepishly. “We honestly didn't mean any harm.”

The faerie nodded, “I know. You said you made this field of energy several times, do you think you could do it again?”

“Yes,” Mara eagerly answered, “I'm sure I could.”

“Show me.” 

“Okay, I'll give it a try.” Mara took a deep breath and started to rub her hands together. As before, she could feel the heat of the energy flow through her almost instantly. Then, she gently pulled her hands apart to show the faerie the energy field. The faerie looked curiously at the orb and put her hand out cautiously to touch it. There was a sudden surge when the faerie's hand connected with the energy and sparks shot around the room. 

The faerie quickly pulled her hand away, “I have seen enough, you can stop now.”

Mara broke her concentration and put her hands down. The energy immediately dissipated. The faerie looked so thoughtful that neither Mara or Tom dared to speak.

Finally, the faerie looked up, “There is hope,” she said, “we just need to figure out a way to stabilize the energy. It would be a good idea to try to magnify it too. I will have to think about it.” The faerie looked at Mara, “You said your teacher taught you this. Are there others who can do this as well? I do not remember any other disturbances, but maybe they came through somewhere else.”

Mara nodded, “Yes, two of my friends, Jason and Rose, were able to create an energy field, though neither of them created the colours and sparks or saw faeries, at least not that I know of.”

“Good, good. That is useful,” the faerie replied nodding. “When can I meet them?”

“Meet them? Ummm, I guess, tomorrow after school.”

“Is that the soonest?” demanded the faerie.

“Yes,” said Mara, “it is getting late now. There is no way my parents would let me go out.”

“If that is the way it is, then it will have to do. I'll make the best of it, and at least it will give me time to think. You said you tried this earlier while by a river. I would like for us all to meet there. Magic is always more powerful out in nature, especially by moving water.”

“Magic?” Mara and Tom said together.

“Of course magic. What did you think this was all about?” the faerie replied haughtily.