"What do you think it is? Should we free it? What if it's dangerous or evil?" Lorit asked.
"I think it's trapped in here with us. I don't feel any danger from it."
"Let me try something." Lorit reached for his staff and poked a small hole in the dirt above their heads. He was careful not to disturb the dirt too much, but soon he had a narrow passage. He could feel the air rush in when he broke through the surface.
The blue flame rushed to the hole and vanished into the fresh air above.
"We can dig our way out of here if we're careful." Lorit used the staff to widen the hole and little by little, he worked his way up and out of the dirt. He was careful not to let the small space collapse as he dug, and soon had the two of them free, sitting on the pile of dirt.
Lorit wished he could see where they were. He wondered how they were going to get out of the tunnel and which part of this experience was the trial? The escape? The flame? The dirt? It was so dark he couldn't remember what light looked like.
Off in the distance, more of the faint blue lights appeared. They grew stronger and brighter until Lorit could make out the individual shapes of each flame. They were all like the one he had freed from beneath the dirt. He reached out his magical sense to them and felt something he couldn't identify at first. It felt like acceptance, like he was being welcomed into a group. A group of elementals.
Suddenly they rushed him, swirling around Lorit and Chihon both. He could hear them whisper as they flew by. They were calling out his name. "Lorit," the whisper came. "Chihon," another said, until the whooshing and whispering took on a roaring sound.
"Follow," they whispered, and sped off into the darkness lighting a way.
Lorit and Chihon followed the flickering flames through the tunnel until it gave way to a large cave. The flames darted in and around the rocks in the cave, cavorting and swirling almost happily until they regrouped and all departed almost as one.
Alone in the dark once again, Lorit considered the flames. He didn't feel threatened or abandoned by them. The overwhelming sense of acceptance and belonging remained even thought the flames had departed.
"What's happening?" Chihon asked.
"Wait." Lorit reached out his hand and found hers. "Look. I think I can see them now."
"See what?"
"All around. Look closely. You'll see them."
Lorit could make out the shining speckles of light in a million crystals embedded in the rocks in the cave. Slowly they became more brilliant, until they shone like the stars in the sky.
"Free me," Lorit heard the voice of a multitude of flames, all speaking at once. He sensed that there was a collapse in one of the tunnels. Not the one he had entered by, but another. The roof had fallen, dropping mounds of dirt and rock into the tunnel. The flames reappeared and darted towards the dirt, only to return. "Free me," they whispered.
"Shall we try?" he asked. "I think we can tap into the magic of these crystals and open the passageway."
"Do you think this is the test?"
"I don't know and I don't care. They need our help." Lorit reached out to the crystals around the cavern. He could feel the power in them, just as he had in the mountains in Friega. He drew on them. He drew power from Chihon and showed her how to draw from the crystals on her own. He raised his arms and willed the collapsed tunnel to return to the state from which it had fallen.
He felt the earth tremble, but nothing happened. Some of the earth had risen, but more had fallen to take its place. He tried again, pushing harder at the dirt, willing it to rise, but made little headway. Just when he thought he was going to fail, Lorit felt an inrush of power. It was the flames. The Dray'e were lending him their magic. Each tiny flame contributed almost nothing to the effort, but together they were much more powerful than Lorit and Chihon working together.
The dirt rose from the tunnel, packing back into the ceiling, until the way was clear. There was a rush of fresh air into the cavern. The Dray'e zipped past him and out into the night air. Lorit took Chihon by the hand and helped her stand.
"Come on," Chihon said. "I think this is the way out." The tunnel led up into the open, depositing them in the woods just outside of Amedon.
"I think we just passed the first challenge," Lorit said.
Suddenly, the ground gave way and the falling sensation returned. It ended in an icy cold splash as Lorit and Chihon were dumped into the frigid waters.
Water
As they hit the surface, Chihon clenched her muscles. The icy water brought back fears of drowning. As a child, she had been playing close to the banks of the river. She had slipped on a stone covered with moss and taken a tumble into the water. The feeling of drowning and the fear that went with it threatened to overcome her as she splashed into the freezing water.
She had just enough time to take a deep breath and hold it before being pulled under. She struggled to hold on and push the panic away. She crawled for the surface, clamoring for the air that she so desperately needed, when she felt someone grab her hand and pull her up.
It was Lorit.
"Are you all right?" He gripped her arm, holding her head above the water.
She kicked her legs trying to stay above water. The fear lay just beneath the surface of her mind, lurking there to take her at any moment. She felt Lorit put his arm around her, lifting her higher so that her head was comfortably above water.
"Remind me to teach you how to swim," Lorit gasped. "Here, hold on to this. It helps a little." He handed her his staff. She gripped it with a death grip.
Chihon looked around. They were in the middle of a lake, surrounded by a thick forest. The moon reflected off the surface of the water in a wide silver band that stretched back to shore. It was towards the shore that Lorit pulled her, careful to keep her head above the water.
Chihon felt her feet strike the soft silted bottom. Relieved, she stood up and made her way onto the short beach and threw herself onto the sand, heedless of the grit that accumulated on her wet skin and clothes.
She looked at her savior. He was a sight, wet hair pasted across his face, clothes hanging damply, tangled with weeds and even a small fish. He dripped water onto the gritty beach. He was such a frightful sight that she could not help herself and she laughed. It felt more like a hysterical laugh than true joy.
"What are you laughing about?" Lorit stood there, brushing the sand and water from his clothes.
She reached behind him and pulled the small fish from the tangle of his hair. She held it out for him to see, then pitched it back into the water with a splash.
"Hey, that might have been our next meal." He pulled more weeds from his hair.
"I think I'll pass on the fish. Do you have any idea where we are?"
Chihon looked around at the beach. Dense underbrush started quickly where the sand came to an end. It ran into a tangle of trees that grew tall and thick. She had never seen anything like it before, everything was so lush, the vegetation dense and almost impenetrable. Many of the trees bore fruit in clusters so large they looked as if the trees themselves couldn't hold them up.
Chihon heard something coming from the forest quite near them. She strained, listening carefully. It sounded like singing.
"Do you hear that?" She tilted her head towards the sound.
"I do. I'm going to investigate. Wait here, it might be dangerous."
Before she could protest, Lorit disappeared into the foliage. She heard the singing grow louder, to the point she could almost make out the words. She listened carefully until suddenly the singing stopped. What she heard next worried her even more. It sounded like giggling.
She pushed through the heavy growth, following the path that Lorit had taken. The trees gave way to a small cleaning ringed with rocks and stones. Lorit stood still in the center. Bright lights chased around his head.
The lights were blue-green in color and flickered as they flittered around the clearing. She caught a glimpse of one that passed close to her. It was a tiny creature with gossamer wings, no taller than the palm of her hand. It joined the others as they zipped and looped around Lorit, stopping to blow in his ear or plant a kiss on his cheek.
"Lorit!" she called, but he didn't respond.
She looked down at the circle of rocks and stones. Inside, the ground was covered with grasses and moss overlaid with an intricate pattern of pebbles and stones. Some of the designs looked like the spell diagrams they had studied when they freed Zhimosom. She was afraid Lorit was trapped in a spell and she didn't know what to expect from these creatures.
One of the lights noticed her. It sped over to her and stopped just a span from her face. She could plainly see that it was a small woman with wings. The creature's wings beat quickly as she hovered there. She emitted a faint blue-green light.
Chihon's heart sank at the sight of them. Nymphs. Lorit was trapped inside the magic circle of the nymphs!
"Hello, pretty lady," the nymph said. "Do you want to come and join us?"
Chihon felt magic tug at her, drawing her into the circle where Lorit stood. She stood firm, holding her ground, resisting the magic.
More nymphs broke off from Lorit and came towards her. They circled her, zipping around like fireflies in the hot damp evening air. They started to sing.
Come, now and sing a fairy song,
To keep us here ere night is gone,
Sing sweet and clear, come join along,
With us you'll stay till night is done.
Come, now and sing a fairy song,
With us you'll stay till night is done,
No one can leave who's come along,
No one goes home, not even one.
Come, now and sing and a fairy song,
To keep us here ere night is gone,
Sing sweet and clear, come join along,
With us you'll stay till night is done.
Come, now and sing a fairy song,
With us you'll stay till time is done,
Forever join us in our song,
No more to leave till time is done.
Chihon felt the pull. She wanted to step forward, to join the circle, to join the joyful singing. She started to take that step and felt the magic rise up. Something deep inside her was telling her not to step into the ring.
She fought the pull as they sang louder and faster. They darted around her, in and out, singing as they flew. They paused to blow in her ear, to kiss her cheek, to brush her lips with their wings. "Come stay with us, Pretty Lady," one whispered in her ear.
It was almost too much for her to resist. She placed her foot inside the ring. Instead of solid grass, her foot came down on water. The feel of the water brought back the memories of almost drowning. These were water nymphs. They would take her to the lake and drown her if she let them.
She gathered her strength and stepped back. She started to hum along with them. "The Pretty Lady sings with us," one said, zipping past her ear.
Chihon raised her voice to sing a counter spell to the one they sang. If she could distract their singing, she could free Lorit before it was too late.
Come, now and sing and a Sorceress' song,
To free us here ere night is gone,
Sing sweet and clear, come join along,
Release us now or you are done.
Come, now and sing and a Sorceress' song,
You hold us here and you are gone,
No one will live who's sung along,
None of you spared, not even one.
Come, now and sing and a Sorceress' song,
To free us here make bindings gone,
Sing sweet and clear, come join along,
Your trap becomes your prison strong.
Come, now and sing and a Sorceress' song,
My magic I will raise so strong,
Free me this night or be ye gone,
Your faerie magic will go wrong.
Chihon sang, raising her voice, stealing their tune, adding her words, driving her magic as she struggled against the nymphs. She could feel it start to work. The nymphs were driven back until they were all inside their circle. Then Chihon sang to Lorit, improvising the words as she went. A song of awakening and restoration. She could feel it work.
Lorit's eyes came back into focus. He turned to look at her strangely, as if he had no idea what had happened.
She beckoned him to step outside the circle, reaching her hand out to him. He took it and stepped over the stones. As he exited the circle, Chihon could feel his magic start augmenting her own. The spell she cast on the nymphs grew stronger. They flickered around the circle looking for escape, but there was none.
Chihon raised her arms wide, taking in the circle. "Incendo ignio," she called out, willing the stones themselves into flame. The circle sprung to light as the stones flared up, creating a ring of flame reaching almost to the trees.
"Please don't kill us," the nymphs cried. "We will do anything you ask. Just don't burn us."
"I command you," Chihon shouted.
"You command us," came the reply of the nymphs.
"I command the Queen." Chihon remembered that the Queen was the one that needed to be bound.
"You command the Queen," said the nymphs as they fluttered around the circle.
"The name?" Chihon demanded. "I demand the name of the Queen."