Page 23 of Healing Elixirs & Wicked Crows

"Protected by what?"

As if in answer to his question, a beautiful melody floated through the trees, like nothing I had ever heard before.Ethereal and enchanting.I paused, my head tilting as I listened intently.

"Do you hear that?"I whispered, not wanting to disturb the song.

Elias nodded, but his expression had grown wary."Princess, I don't think?—"

"The moonbells," I breathed, following the music."They're singing.They only do that when they're about to bloom."

Intrigued, we followed the mesmerizing music deeper into the forest, drawn in like moths to a flame.The melody grew louder and more alluring until we stumbled upon a magical scene straight out of a fairytale.

In a small glade illuminated by the setting sun, a group of pixies danced and twirled, their gossamer wings shimmering with iridescent colors.They moved with such grace and beauty, utterly immersed in their own whimsical world.Small orbs of light flitted around them, adding to the enchantment of it all.

My eyes found the silver shimmer I'd spotted earlier, and my heart leaped.There, growing in a perfect circle around the glade, were the moonbells I desperately needed.Their petals were just beginning to unfurl, releasing that ethereal melody as they opened to catch the twilight rays.

Elias and I stood at the edge of the glade, transfixed by the sight.Suddenly, one of the pixies twisted toward us, her form stilling as a mischievous grin cut along her jaw.

"Well, well, well," her high-pitched voice chimed playfully."What do we have here?Two travelers stumbling into our midst?"

But as I took a step toward the moonbells, every pixie in the glade hissed in unison, their delicate forms suddenly radiating menace.

The other pixies gathered around us, their sparkling eyes no longer curious but dangerous.Elias stepped forward with his usual charm, though I could see the tension in his shoulders."Forgive our intrusion, fair pixies," he said with an exaggerated bow."Your beautiful music entranced us, and we had to come see for ourselves."

The pixie who had spoken first came forward, her fingertips straightening the flowered crown atop her golden hair.She flew closer to Elias, but her earlier playfulness had been replaced by something far more threatening."A silver tongue, this one has, but pretty words alone won't grant you passage through our domain..."She circled him once, stopping in front of him once more.After folding her delicate arms over her chest, she added, "Elias."

He bowed low to the ground, his elbow nudging my side as he bent.I followed his lead, bowing next to him.The pixie queen glanced my way, and I couldn't help but be reminded of Magdalyn.There was a slight difference to their wings, but most of their features were similar.Pixies had dragonfly-like wings, while fairies had the wings of butterflies.

"Those are sacred," the pixie queen said, her voice no longer playful as she gestured toward the moonbells."Many have tried to steal from our moonbell grove.Many have paid with their lives."

My heart sank.Without those petals, Briar's cure would be incomplete.But I could see the protective rage in every pixie's eyes.They would never let me harvest what I needed.

"I don't want to steal them," I said carefully."But my sister will die without them.Surely there's some way?—"

"What brings you to my forest, Elias, son of?—"

"Just passing through, your majesty," Elias said, interrupting the crowned queen."I apologize ever so sincerely for dropping in on you uninvited, but I had no way of knowing that you had moved to this area.You are looking rather lovely today.That shade of gold really brings out your eyes, Queen Mab."

The pixie queen's expression didn't soften at his flattery.Instead, she studied us both with unsettling intensity."You know the drill, Elias.But this time, the trial is not yours alone."Her golden gaze fixed on me."Your companion seeks to harvest from our sacred grove.Such presumption requires a demonstration."

The air around us shimmered, and suddenly the peaceful glade transformed.The grass beneath our feet became a carpet of thorns, and in the center of the clearing, a small figure materialized, a pixie child, no bigger than my thumb, lying motionless with dark veins spreading across her translucent skin.

"She was poisoned by the same magic that courses through your sister's veins," Queen Mab said, her voice carrying the weight of ancient sorrow."We have guarded her for many decades, hoping someone would come who could heal what we cannot.If you truly are what you claim to be, a healer of curses, then prove it.Save her, and the moonbells are yours.”The queen’s expression hardened.“Fail, and you will join our eternal dance, trapped here while your sister fades to nothing."

I knelt beside the tiny figure, my healer's instincts overriding my fear.The child was beautiful even in her cursed sleep, her miniature features perfect and serene.But the paleness of her skin were all too familiar.Only with this child, dark veins had formed, snaking out from the small creatures heart.

"This is the same curse," I whispered, my hands hovering over the child's still form."The same magic that trapped Briar."

"Impossible," Elias said, dropping down beside me."How could the queen's magic reach here?"

"Because she's been spreading it," I realized with growing horror."Testing it.Perfecting it.This child had to have been her experiment before she cursed my sister."I continued, narrowing my eyes as I studied the patient."But it’s also different.I feel the similarities, but it’s not as deep.I think I can fix this without the Daemaescus flower.I just… I just don’t know how."

The implications hit me like a physical blow.If I couldn't heal this tiny pixie, what hope did I have of saving Briar?But if I used too much of my power here, too much of my carefully hoarded magical energy, I might not have enough left for the final cure.

"I can try," I said, though my voice shook with uncertainty."But if I pour my magic into healing her, I might not have enough left to complete Briar's cure.I could save this child and lose my sister."

The glade fell silent except for the soft whisper of wind through leaves.Even the moonbells stopped their singing, as if the entire forest held its breath.

"What will you choose?"Queen Mab asked softly."You need our moonbells."