Gifts

Chapter Four: Fairies?

A hour later, we finally broke through a tree line and started into a small meadow.
"What are we doing here?" I asked (the first question I had asked since we began our journey).
"We need to visit someone before the Seer."
"Ok....who?"
"The questions again!" Eska exclaimed.
"Sorry." I mumbled, head down like a chastised child.
There was an awkward silence then Eska said, "Sorry I haven't told you everything, I just didn't think you could handle everything. I've just been so edgy lately. I don't exactly know why, but we are visiting the Fairy Queen Röseadanamis. Mom told us to visit her first, because she is the only one who knows where the Seer is."
"Oh, I'm the one you can't handle? Look at you! Stop lying about this fairy queen Rosedynams or whatever her name is. Eska, I'm too old for fairy tales! Tell me the truth." Irritation flashed across her face.
"They aren't fairy tales! They are real, with six realms, some have three moons, and talking trees. I'm not joking, it's real....it's where our powers come from. It's where we come from."
"How could you not tell me this?" I whispered, seething. How could she keep this from me? Other realms, fairies, seers, and weird trees? I didn't know if I should, or even could, believe what Eska told me. It sounded ridiculous, but so did having powers that the rest of the world didn't have. It was just all so confusing. "What else haven't you told me!?" I demanded.
"You'll know I'm time." Eska said soothingly,"but I can't tell you everything now, for your safety as well as mine."
"And I'm just supposed to accept that?" I cried. I was so fed up with her lies and deceits.
"No," she sighed, "but when you know why I did what I did, I hope you'll forgive me. I was acting in your best interest. "
"Hardly." I said through clenched teeth.
"We are almost there," she said a few minutes later, relieved. She broke our oh-so-lovely silence.
I grunted in reply.
A few minutes later, we walked into a large field filled with millions of flowers. There were wild flowers form every color from blue to red, to pink to orange. They even had gems that sparkled in the middle of each one! It was so uniquely beautiful, as if an artist had drawn everything, except a million times better!
All around the the flowers were little iridescent shapes, that darted around as fast and as graceful as a hummingbird. Then one hovered in front of me and I got a better look. It was like a butterfly, with tiny sparkly, golden wings. She was wearing gold flower petals sewn daintily together with grass, and she seemed to be supervising most of the other fairies.
"Is that a fairy?" I asked Eska. I was too awed and curious to remember my anger at her.
"I-I think." She said in complete awe.
Eska slowly walked to the golden fairy and cleared her throat. The fairy turned around. She had long dark brown hair with gold eyes and beautiful eyelashes with gold glitter stuck to them. Her golden wings seemed to sparkle even more as the sunlight hit them. She was absolutely stunning.
"Can you take us to the Fairy Queen, please?" My sister asked, shaking me out of my stupor.
It took me a moment to realize Eska was speaking a different language. One that was very soft and nothing like I had ever heard before. It took me longer to realize that I understood this language...completely.
The fairy giggled and I made out a faint "yes". She immediately started flying northwest.
"Do we follow her?" I asked, trying out the strange language for myself.
Eska shrugged and then replied, "We should at least try!"
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The fairy led us into a brightly lit cavern with fairies everywhere. There was one that looked like it was burning, one that was coated in ice, and another resembled a tree. There were no look-alikes, each fairy had their own pallets of colors and schemes!
Our fairy suddenly stopped and pointed down. There was a large, ominous hole I hadn't noticed before. An old, frayed rope hung on two metal bars. It was the only way down.
"Do we have to go down it?" Eska asked, looking panicked.
The fairy nodded, one quick,fluid, unearthly movement and then fluttered off.
"Jaya! I-I can't do this! I'm claustrophobic." Eska said, looking completely terrified.
I had no idea how to help her. How was I supposed to help a sister who I believed was infallible? I wasn't even sure why we were here! I was still mad at my sister, but one look at my terrified sister and I knew I had to help her.
"Eska," I said soothingly, rubbing her back,"you can do this. Just take it slow."
As she started to descend, I cheered "Way to go Eska!"
A few minutes later we were both standing at the bottom of the hole.
"Thanks, Jaya." Eska said quietly.
"That's what sisters are for." I said just as softly.
We looked around and saw a long, dark passageway.
"Come on." Eska said, walking towards it.
The tunnel in front of us was very dark and depressing. And while Eska was scared of tight spaces, I still had a phobia of the dark.
"We better get a move on." I said more confidently than I felt.
We started walking and I shivered. This shiver was the first of a thousand.
This was going to be a long walk.