A Fairy's Tale

ix

We arrived back inside the hidden room alerting Ayla. 'Back so soon!'

"I am taking Nate to Orinick!"

'To the council?'

"Of course not, that would be extremely risky!"

'Sorry Fae, I thought you were going to convince them to trust humans!'

"Oh, I will not do that just yet!"

Nate leant next to my ear, "what are you talking about?"

"I think I need to teach you how to communicate with trees!"

"You avoided my question!"

I pulled him through the wall leading to Orinick and I was startled by the large group of Fairies surrounding the guild. I was not going to sneak Nate in that way!

"Why is it busy?" Nate whispered as we hid in the tree line, searching for a way past.

"It could be because of that imposter of a human, they will be anxious to learn more about your kind. For safety that is!"

"There's so many of them!" The Fairies were frantically talking to one another sharing their fright upon the news. "Why don't they go in?"

"Possibly because they are all too busy sharing their thoughts on the whole matter." I shook my head, Fairies have become so weak, easily spooked. I know I am, but I want to change that. I will learn to defend myself, even if I am forbidden to enter the academy to learn how. There will be a way!
We made our way around the guild towards the back. After a brief discussion, almost an argument, about which way was best to approach it.

The guild is made up of large trees intertwining, with gaps at the bottom between them, perfect to sneak though. The entrance however was a large opening of two trees curving towards each other. Each teaching tree have lots of individual rooms inside them to accommodate so many Fairy's, all rooms consisting of the same teachings taught by an older Fairy. Each of the trees have different studies. One for human religious studies, one for history of Spirits. Spirits being our type of race. Also a tree for simply human studies which follows up on everything they do, where they live, and what things are called that they invented, and lots of other things. Another is made up entirely of books on every subject which is where I intend to go, but these trees are only capable of being entered by going in the centre of the guild, all where Fairies sit with others, conversing on the grass or making notes using the support of the smoothened rocks before entering another tree. There is a marked archway on each of the trees where you must enter, no where else is acceptable, and an exit next to it which can not be walked through the other way.

We crouched down in a small gap we found in between the trees, we remained hidden in its shadow as I tried to think of a way in.

"What are the marks on the trees?"

"They tell us what you learn inside it."

"What's that one?" He gestured towards one on the opposite side of the centre.

"That one is plant and animal studies, for those who take on the roll of protecting our forest life"

"Cool! How about that one?"

"Survival, tips on food, where to get safe water, what to do when you meet your Pixie. That kind of thing."

"Did you go to that? Or forest life?"

"No, only human studies and religious studies, though only briefly. I would like to try the history of Spirits though!"

"Why haven't you been to the others?"