“Do not try any more of yourtricks,” she said softly. “I find them offensive andinhospitable.”
Fredrik realized that if Kalina couldshut him off from the power, any other spell he might try on herwould result in disaster. “So, you do work for the Dark One,” hesaid. “Your little ruse about the Dark Riders being after us, wasjust an excuse to make us think we were safe until you could getout of us whatever it is you are after. Well, you will get nothingout of me. I would rather die than serve you.”
Garth stepped forward and thrust outhis hand. “Give me the glass bead,” he demanded.
Niki tried to lean back away from hisoutstretched hand and tripped over the rock ring of the campfire.Garth’s hand shot out and grabbed her tunic just before she fellinto the fire. Niki’s hand opened in a reflex action to break herfall and the glass bead rolled off her fingertips into thefire.
The glass bead exploded in a shower ofsparks and a great cloud of smoke erupted over the campfire. Arikand Tedi each dove to one side of the campfire and Fredrik turnedaround and fell on his back. Garth pulled Niki towards him andsquatted as she turned to face the fire. Everyone stared inamazement as the smoke billowed up and radiated every colorimaginable. The center of the cloud of smoke cleared and thedistinct image of a blue fairy appeared next to a large, bluesapphire. The fairy appeared to be addressing a large gathering ofgreen and blue fairies gathered in front of a huge oak tree. Onlythe oak leaves gave size and dimension to the fairies, which lookedlike they could ride an oak leaf like a magic carpet.
The blue fairy next to the sapphire hadwings on her back and spoke to the assembled audience. These arethe words that she spoke:
Your blood will flow ‘til none isleft
While darkness around you descends
On Holy Sapphire all you have
Fate of the Fairies do depend
The Crown of Light the Fairies’Life
Without it all are doomed to die
The Holy Sapphire just a patch
Redemption only just a lie
The vision slowly faded until only theblue sapphire remained and then it, too, winked out. The cloudcongealed and was sucked into the fire. As the stunned watchersgazed, the fire erupted in sparks again and a blue glass bead flewout of the campfire and struck the ancient sword exactly at theplace where the glass bead had been. The sword vibrated withmelodious metal tones and started spinning around and around untilit finally stopped with a jerk, pointing north.
Chapter 13
Children
Everyone sat and stared at the sword asKalina walked over and picked it up. She held it out in front ofher and turned in a circle. Each time she passed the position atwhich it stopped spinning it vibrated in her hands. She quicklyrealized that the sword was acting as a compass, but if she wascorrect in her guess, it was not merely pointing north, it waspointing towards the Holy Sapphire of the fairies.
Kalina looked over at the coweringchildren and focused her eyes on Niki’s arm. Immediately, it beganto warm and return to the normal color of flesh. “Fredrik,” shecalled, “come over here and hold this sword. Turn in a completecircle holding it out before you and tell me what you think. Tedi,get some coffee going. I think we all need to have a goodtalk.”
Tedi scampered off uneasily and Fredrikslowly came over and took the sword. Niki rubbed her arm as iftrying to speed the cold away. Fredrik confirmed what Kalina hadfelt and she had each of the children repeat theprocess.
Out in the woods, the pair of eyesclimbed down out of the tree as Tedi put the coffee over the fire.Arik took the reins of the two horses that Garth and Kalina hadridden and tied them to the wagon. Nobody seemed anxious to talkabout the prior events except for the display that took place inthe campfire.
Garth disappeared and finally Fredrikbroke the dreaded silence. “Will the magic call the Dark Ridersback or are you really working for them?”
Kalina looked at Fredrik and smiled. “Ido not work for the Dark One and the magic I used was extremelysmall. Their witch will not notice.”
Fredrik looked at Niki with a stunnedexpression. He could not imagine being cut off from the power beingconsidered small, but that was not what he had meant. “I mean thefireworks display over the campfire,” Fredrik explained.
Kalina’s face frowned. “I hadn’tthought of that,” she admitted. “I was so involved with watchingand listening, I don’t know how powerful a broadcast it might havemade. Did either of you feel anything?”
Niki and Fredrik shook their heads andKalina looked around for Garth. When Kalina’s eyes saw Garth, hewas marching a young boy before him into the clearing. The boy wasobviously not happy about having Garth prod him on. Fredrik, Niki,Arik, and Tedi immediately recognized Tanya, but Kalina had no ideawhom Garth was corralling.
“I found this one spying onus,” Garth declared, “and a feisty one he is.”
“I was not spying,” Tanyaproclaimed as she took off her leather hat and let her long goldenhair cascade down her back, “and I am not a he.”
Kalina tried to hide a smile and failedand Garth was obviously taken aback by the display of hair. “Soyou’re not,” Garth corrected. “Still, I would say climbing a treeand watching a group of people certainly constitutesspying.”
“I was looking for food andsaw your campfire is all,” Tanya stated.
“Where is your uncle?” Nikiasked. “I thought he was going into Toresh to get food.”
Kalina looked back and forth betweenthe two girls in confusion. “We were attacked by Dark Riders,”Tanya sobbed. “They killed my uncle and burned the wagon. I onlygot away by hiding.”
Niki went over and comforted Tanya andFredrik explained to Kalina whom Tanya was and how they had met.Arik added that they met Boris and Tanya in Lorgo before Garth cameto town. Kalina was so confused with everything that was happeningthat she sat and sipped at her coffee.
Fredrik stared as Niki took Tanya bythe hand and got her food. He had never seen Niki be nice toanyone, himself included. Women, he figured, the world’s greatestmystery, and created only to confuse men. Garth walked over anduntied the two horses that Arik had tied to the wagon, then helpedhimself to coffee and sat down. Eventually, everyone gathered atthe campfire with a mug of coffee. There were many unansweredquestions, but Arik chose to go first.
“Kalina,” he began, “you oncetold us that we were free to go whenever we wanted. Do you stillsay that?”
“I will not hold you againstyour will, Arik, but truthfully, I hope you will stay,” Kalinasaid. “We all have many questions that go begging answers. We willspend today discussing what we have seen and what it means to eachof us. If you still wish to leave after that, I will not stopyou.”
“That is acceptable, Arikanswered. “I must tell you that I am not comfortable in the companyof a witch.”
“Not many people are, Arik,”she sighed, “that is why I hide it. I should point out, though,that you are in the company of three people who can wieldmagic.”
“What is going on?” Tediasked. “Why are the Dark Riders after us? What was all of thatsmoke and images with the sword? I don’t understand any of thisand, frankly, I don’t like it.”
“Let me ask a question first,”Kalina interrupted. “Who among you actually touched thesword?”
“We all did,” Niki answered.“I was the one who took it out of the wagon, but once we unrolledit, everyone touched it. What is it?”
Ignoring Niki’s question, Kalinacontinued her search for information. “Who caused the glass bead tofall out? Was it you, Niki?”
“We are all to blame,” Fredrikstated. “Do not pick on Niki when we should all share in whateverpunishment you mete out.”