Chapter 36: Second Attempt

A week later, Sylphonia stood next to Henry in front of all of his remaining staff. Bonnie, May, and Moon stood behind them. All of the girls were wearing simple white togas. The lone male was wearing his usual short, black, silk robe.

At their feet, each had a large khaki backpack, but not as big as the last expedition.

The sorcerer cleared his throat, “We are about to make our second attempt into the Faerie Realm.”

Iris pointed at his companions, “Why are they wearing sheets?”

“These are the traditional clothes one wears if you wish to petition an audience with the king and queen,” said Sylphonia.

“Is Titania really that powerful?” asked Serena.

“Queen Titania and King Oberon are much beloved sovereigns, but in reality, we elves live our lives as we please. They have little real power over our lives.”

“Like the Queen of England?” asked Joy.

“If you say so,” replied the elf.

The tall witch walked over to a wall and retrieved a long pole that was forked at the top. Off the two tines was another white sheet. “We are going into hostile territory, wearing the sigils of a criminal. We will be assumed to be a hostile force. This flag of truce will give us safe passage, hopefully.”

Henry stepped in, “Sylphonia can get us into her home realm with much greater accuracy than I am capable of.”

May was surprised at his admission of being inferior in magic to anyone.

The elf stood in front of the group. Waving her arms, she summoned a rectangular doorway. It was deep purple in color, in contrast to Henry’s black portal.

“We should be in an isolated area, only a mile or so from Avalon, the capital city.”

“That means we should get all this taken care of in one day,” said Henry.

Sylphonia nodded, “If everything goes as planned.”

The party of five all picked up their backpacks and put them on their backs.

Without another word, the elf stepped through the rectangular entrance. Henry followed right behind her.

“Be careful, Master!” cried June.

“I always am,” he replied as he disappeared behind the purple barrier.

May, Bonnie, and Moon followed behind them in turn.

They exited out into what looked like a cave, but there was no roof. Thirty feet above them the grey sky could be seen overhead.

The yellow stone room was barely large enough to hold all five of them. On one wall a thin stream of water trickled out to a basin that took up about half of the floor. Where it drained to, could not be seen.

“This little hideaway is known by just a few people,” said Sylphonia. “It is the safest place I know to hide a wanted man here.”

“An excellent selection,” said Henry.

May let out a sigh, “We might as well get going.”

It was a tight squeeze getting the girls, all wearing backpacks through the tight passageway that led to the outdoors.

They exited into a densely wooded area. The yellow stone wall was at their back.

The native guide let out a sigh, “I must correct myself. Avalon is five miles away, not one mile.”

“It changed?” exclaimed the pregnant Moon.

Sylphonia nodded, “Things move around and change location here. It is not so fast, but over a week or two there can be quite a bit.”

“How can you tell where Avalon is now?” asked Bonnie.

She shrugged, “When you live here for millennia, you get a feel for these things.

“Now, five miles might seem to be a long trip, but it is an easy walk. The biggest challenge will be walking over a few exposed roots.”

May held up their truce flag, “I guess we can take turns carrying this.”

“You should hold it when we near civilization, May,” said Sylphonia. “It will have more significance if the apprentice is holding it.”

The sophomore ran her hand over her forehead, “I see.”

“I’ll hold it first,” said Moon.

“Don’t overtax yourself,” said Bonnie.

“Don’t worry. If I start to feel fatigued, I’ll let you know.”

The group started off through the woods, following what looked like a trail animals made.

Moon looked up through the canopy of trees, “What time is it? Is it sunrise or sunset?”

Sylphonia smiled, “Our sun never rises or sets. It circles the horizon, halfway above the horizon.”

The pregnant teacher looked skeptical, “You’re kidding.”

“One of the other names for my home is the Twilight Realm.”

“But ... how do you determine where north and south is?”

The elf shrugged, “We don’t. We give directions by talking in terms of going toward, away, or along some landmark.”

Moon scratched her head, “Okay...”

“Hey! It works for us.”

After about a mile along, the track ran into a small flowing stream. The four followed the flow of the brook.

Bonnie took the truce flag from Moon.

“How much longer do we have to go,” Moon gasped.

Sylphonia gestured to a large fallen tree trunk, “We can sit here and rest for a few minutes.”

The humans pulled their canteens out of their backpacks and took a drink. The elf drank from the stream.

Bonnie pointed into the shadowy depths of the forest, “There’s something glowing over there.”

“There are some species of moss and lichen that glow in the dark.”

“But some of it is moving.”

Sylphonia looked into the directions of Bonnie’s point, “Probably giant fireflies, but they could be pixies. They can glow like that when they want; sometimes as bright as a torch.”

“Can we catch a pixie?” asked Bonnie.

The elf shook her head, “If they want to meet you, they’ll come to you. Trying to chase one is just asking for trouble. They will lead you into quicksand or a pitfall.”

After Moon had caught her breath, they proceeded to follow the stream.

As they continued, another small stream flowed into the one they were following. The stream grew into a small river.

“Does this brook have a name?” asked May.

Sylphonia nodded, “It is call the Fulala. It flows by Avalon, usually.”

After about an hour of walking, they had not encountering anybody. May commented on the fact.

“I put a minor repulsion spell on us,” said the elf witch. “It works on the one or two people we might have encountered, but it doesn’t work on large groups. All it does is create a negative first impression.”

Their guide stopped them. “As a matter of fact, I am dispelling that spell right now.

“It is time for you to take over holding the pole, May. We are about to reach Avalon. I expect us to be taken into custody by the royal guards, and escorted to the palace.”

All the humans looked nervous. They nodded their heads. Bonnie handed over the pole with the white flag on it over to her sister.

“Don’t worry,” said Sylphonia. “I am well known to the palace. The guards should honor our flag.”

The girls nodded. They got more food and water out of their backpacks.

When they were ready, the elf gestured them to follow her away from the stream and through a thicket. On the other side of the bush was a sight like nothing any of the slaves had seen before.

The closest comparison was to that of a redwood forest, but the smallest tree in Avalon was equal to the largest sequoia. Some trees had the diameter of a football field. All the trees had entrances to businesses carved into their base. Some were inns, shops, and stables. Others could not be identified from a distance.

In-between the trees were streets where the inhabitants traveled. The population was over ninety percent brown elf. Brown elves were much shorter than their high cousins, just three to four feet high. They have darker skin and large noses.

The few people that were non-brown elves were high elves, satyrs, and centaurs.

Up the sides of the trees were stairs that spiraled up. Twenty feet up was another layer of homes and businesses. The stairs continued up ever higher. The trees were miles high. High up above, one could see the gray sky as a small dot. The city would be pitch black if it weren’t for the luminescent moss, and the pixies and giant fireflies that flitted around the trees. The warm glow coming from the homes and other establishments helped too.

Large branches stuck out randomly from each trunk. Half of the leaves on the branches were green. The other half of them were silver, and reflected back even the smallest light source.

In-between the trees, high up, there were numerous bridges spanning between the trunks. While some of the narrow causeways were level, others went up at a steep slant.

“Wow,” was all Bonnie could say.

“What kind of trees are these?” asked Moon.

The elf smiled, “They are called silverwood, for obvious reasons.”

The three girls gaped upward, awestruck as the slowly walked into the city.

Sylphonia was the only one who noticed when the palace guards arrived. “We have company,” she announced.

Indeed, the party of four was surrounded by twelve high elves, each was dressed in chainmail and elaborate pointed helmets. They each were holding pikes that were aimed at the girls. Each soldier had a sword on their belt, a quiver of arrows on their back, and a longbow over their shoulders. All of them wore red capes, except for one female with copper hair, whose cape was gold. She was evidently their leader.

Remembering her training, May fell to one knee while holding the truce flag, “I come on behalf of my master. We are seeking an audience with your gracious Queen Titania, and her dread consort King Oberon.”

The guard in the gold cape nodded, as if she was expecting that speech.

She then turned to the only elf in the group, “Sylphonia? I didn’t know you were servant to this rouge mage.”

The lavender-haired mage shrugged, “He is a friend of mine, Melloetta. I wish for him to reestablish his status here in the Twilight Realm.”

The Captain of the Guard nodded her head, “Very well. You are all to come with us. If you disobey us or step out of line, we will not hesitate to strike you down.”

All the human girls gulped in fear, and were careful not to “step out of line.”

The long-legged soldiers marched at a brisk pace. The crowded streets parted to make way for them.

The girls had to trot to keep up.

Soon, Moon stumbled to her knees, gasping for breath.

Sylphonia called out, “Wait a minute, Moon needs to catch her breath.”

Melloetta looked down at the pregnant woman, “You are with child. Why do you risk the health of you and your offspring?”

Panting, Moon replied, “I am an artist. I have heard of the beauty of your kingdom. I came to see it for myself, and gain inspiration.”

This reply seemed to please the elf captain, “For your sake, we will lower our pace. Tell us when you are ready to continue.”

After about five minutes, Moon’s respiration returned to normal, “I am ready to continue.”

The procession continued on at a slower pace.

After about two miles walking through the tree city, they came to a clearing. In the clearing was the largest tree they had yet to see, almost a quarter mile in diameter. No bridges connected it to the other trees. The only entrance was fifty feet above the surface. A ramp led up to the door, and a drawbridge spanned the final thirty feet. Numerous windows could be seen further up the side of the massive trunk.