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But even so, Amnestria was the only victim of the Spiders. It was a fact that lingered in my mind whenever they were mentioned. The Spiders were said to be monsters, creatures so brutal even the Werewolves cowered in their presence. There were four breeds, each more vicious than the one before, and yet not much was said about them slaughtering other beings. Perhaps it was because no one dared to cross their portal, or perhaps because they supposedly didn’t bother themselves with mingling with the other species except for the Fairies.
Seventy-two Blue Moons since her departure, and I still didn’t know how it had happened.Whathad happened.Why.I didn’t know the full story save for the fact that my sister was killed, and the proof was the blue flower thriving in our Soul Garden, marred by holes in its green leaves.Violated.
The Spiders were top predators, monsters who feasted on flesh and blood and bones. So why had Amnestria gone to their world, and what had she done to deserve such death?
2
An awed, silly smile curved my lips as I skipped through the land of the Fairies with a flowery basket full of goods resting on my forearm. The ache of its weight failed to slow my steps. My pulse beat wildly against my rib cage, and my limbs shook with barely suppressed excitement as my eyes darted all over the place.
The world of the Fairies was… breathtaking. The trees and plants were enormous and had variant shades of violet, pink, and other bright colours. There werehugemushrooms, and some bounced around, skipping from place to place like the green kalai. My eyes widened further when I passed some plants that hummed and sang enchanting melodies. And as I walked by a river, I gasped, pausing to blink at the water. It was pale pink!
“Perhaps we should have agreed to allow the others to join us,” Keia chirped in my head, resting on my right shoulder as I gawked at ahuge, purple butterfly flying above, its shadow swallowing trees and a small section of the Market.
Faelyn had once told me about seeing a flying Pegasus on one of his trips here, and I’d laughed, thinking he was jesting.
I shook my head, careful to keep my pointy ears hidden.They gave me this test, and I will prove I am capable.
“But the Werewolves are staring.” She picked on my pastel blue hair, tangling herself in it.
So?I replied mentally again, shrugging as I headed towards a medicinal stall.They’re the funny-looking ones. Besides, we’re not offending anyone.
But even as I said that, I glanced around me with wide eyes, my shoulders slightly hunched. Almost everyone around me… towered over me. I didn’t see many Elves around, but there were quite a bit of Fairies and some Werewolves. Those I stayed away from and kept my eyes ahead.
Reaching the medicinal stall, I stood and straightened my shoulders, scanning the jars displayed before me.
“What is it you seek, lady Elf?”
“Healing balms.” I met the Fairy’s gaze and blinked. “How many would forty-seven nolardi roots get me?”
Her yellow eyes widened. “Wicked beverage. How many do you seek?”
I tilted my head, squinting my eyes before nodding. “Three for each root.”
She gaped, opening and closing her mouth. I tried my best to not gawk at her pretty, curling wings, but I kept stealing glances and hoping she wouldn’t notice.
“Is that a no?” I peered around, craning my neck and standing on the tip of my toes. “I can look for a—”
“It’s a yes!” she squeaked, her yellow wings shimmering like water reflecting sunlight.
I gave her a bright smile as she gathered the glass jars into a medium tin. When she packed the seventh jar, I frowned, opening my mouth to tell her that this would not do, but with a wave of her hand, the jars… compressed.
I blinked, raising my brows.
“They will return to their normal size when you take them out of the tin,” she assured, adding another seven jars that flattened on top of the previous seven.
I nodded but didn’t remove my eyes, fascinated as I watched her pack twenty, forty, seventy, ninety-eight and on until she placed the last jar in the metal tin. 141 glass jars, all compressed in a medium tin.
“Th-thank you.” I handed her the coveted roots, dipping my head in thanks again before walking away.
“Your mother said two for each root,” Keia said, chirping quietly. “How are you going to carry the basket when you have more things to collect?”
I’ll manage,I replied, grinning. Perhaps three for each root were excessive, but they would be impressed. They would see that I was capable, that I didn’t need to be watched or accompanied everywhere.
Keia and I continued around the Market, gathering the items I was instructed to bring while exchanging goods from my world for them. I demanded more than I was told, but I knew my family would be more pleased than upset. And it thrilled me, so much that I skipped around even as my basket filled, grinning from ear to ear like a silly youngster.
“I did it,” I breathed after walking away from the last stall, gazing down at the bag that I’d exchanged for the pretty basket with aching cheeks. My arms ached, too, but the sheer pride and joy fluttering in my chest overshadowed every strain in my body.
“Well done,”Keia said warmly, her sweet voice making me puff my chest as she settled on my head this time. “You did truly well.”
