Children of the Wasteland

Chapter Four: The Start

At midnight, Bucca Dhu was staring down in a mine pit full of children in cages with fairies flying around them, some of them were crying, somewhere trying to talk to the fairies asking them when they can go home, this place was just outside of Colliford lake reservoir and could not be seen by those who do not possess magic or the knowledge that this place exists.

"My King, the old man is at the house, Lucifer is on his way" a female voice of his second commander informed him,

"Inform him that I'm in the house when he arrives. Dismissed, commander Florence".

He turn to fly to the only building on site, a rundown cottage which was a short walk from the pit, the windows were boarded up and the door were just hanging on by the hinges, the gardens were overrun with weeds and thorns, all of the fairies that worked there were afraid of this place and Dhu enforce this feeling, however when you get closer to the house if you are ever temped, it changes into the home it was before, with a well preserved lawn and plants in a border around the outside, elegant window frames, a magnificent black door, downstairs had light ash wooden flooring going throughout and up the stairs, the wall were painted golden brown, upstairs had the same golden brown wall and had brilliant white fluffy carpet. The house had three bedrooms and a small bathroom, and had small front room, kitchen and dining room. The house looks like a small rich family had lived there centuries ago. Everything still had the same furniture in nothing had been changed. However, this only happens if you are invited. If you are not, it stays looking the same and when enters creatures attack you devouring the skin and flesh straight from the bone, Dhu has put many skeletons to hang in the front lawn to prove such a fact to keep his workers inline.

Dhu had taken a seat in the corner of the front room, waiting for Lucifer to get there. The front room had an open fireplace with three logs inside, he waved his right hand and a fire started illuminating the room showing the ornate decoration around the room, small painting of various people and the chimney breast itself was a painting of a family, with two children, Dhu staring at this painting his eyes welled with tears when Lucifer walked in.

"My King I'm sorry to interpret you" Dhu look Lucifer up and down seeing he was exhausted from the fight

"I could not last, there were too many to kill, the old man was too well protected, that idiotic Queen of theirs made sure of this" Lucifer spit out, suddenly he was thrown into the wall opposite with a loud bang.

"You will not insult my sister, for your failure in eliminating the old man it is down to the cellar" a smile creeped across his face

"Father I injury him well, he could not have survived it"

"He managed to get to Truro in which he could temporarily get heal, and to the house, thus allowing him a chance to live once again. His child has magic just like him, more powerful if anything, he is from a powerful bloodline. You should have killed the bodyguard; the old man would not have coped without him."

"I am sorry father"

"Enough" with a snap of Dhu's finger they were under the house

"Please father I will try again, please" Dhu walk pass Lucifer who fell to his knees and up the stairs,

"You will be here until I have decided I can forgive you; I am sure my friends will teach better for next time" Dhu closed the door and locked it.

There is one small window allowing a slither of moonlight in, from one of the corners a hissing started.

A hoarse, disembodied voice spoke "the unwanted trash has return, the failure, welcome home"

Another nasally voice chime in "yes hello, failure, the great fall, you will never be great you cannot even do a simple thing like walk in a straight line why did he give a complicated job for?"

"I know; I do not know why the King keeps you alive we do not know? You are useless to everyone better dead than alive, not even your own mother could stand being near you" a dead voice added.

Lucifer sat covering his ear and they still penetrated his mind and continued to insult him, his lovely pets Dhu called them, trapped souls who were vile in living life and are not allowing to rest in the next. This was Dhu favorite punishment for Lucifer growing up. The voices will last until Lucifer is release, they never speak in front of Dhu.

"I will get out" Lucifer started to chant under his breath, the voices laugh at him and throw more insults at him. Lucifer conjure up the image of the woman smiling and concreted on that, Lucifer will get away from the voice, his father will release him from this room, he knows this but when. Lucifer start to practice mind protection to try to block out the voices with small success.

The King watch Lucifer in a shadowy ball in his hand, curl up in a ball on the floor, and chuckled to himself. This will break Lucifer further and make him more loyal than before, it has always worked this way. Dhu close the shadow ball down and move outside, he walk towards the pit and surveyed the children. One of the children at the bottom of the pit seem to be yelling.

"Commander"

"Yes, my King" Florence flew next to him

"That child, move it to another cell and keep it there. I may have different use for it, no one is to harm it and feed it, do you understand?"

"Yes, my King I will do it personally"

She flew over to the child, a young child aged roughly about 9, Dhu thought to himself, and took him over to an empty cell higher up. The child seems to be asking why he had been moved and received no reply. The commander spread the word that no fairies was to touch the boy then rejoin Dhu. Dhu smiled, the boy stops yelling and decided to sit in the corner. This was the beginning of his army, small as it was, he knew then he had more power than the elders, this point is where the war start.

He turns to his commander "I will return in a month, keep recruiting, I am planning to expand, start to think of other places to help with our search in four weeks if I am not back bringing Lucifer up from the cellar, and get him to study history of the fay again than the rule of King Drayce and his practice in magic. Start looking at older children as well for recruitment, it will bring our numbers up, there are many runaways, and try bigger cities, Cornwall is so small"

"Why King Drayce? He did not invent any powers interesting enough for us to look at surely, not yet anyway"

"Are you questioning me are you Florence? I need you to do this for me, you are the only one I can trust this tasks" Dhu inform her softly, smiling at her kindly, looking in her eye, making her spine shiver.

"No, my King, I just thought there are better Kings and Queens to study that's all, I will tell him if you have not return to me, I mean, us, I, uh, have to check the others um tell them" Florence stammering

"Dismissed, Commander" Dhu voice fill with kindness

Florence curtsy and flew to some of the other fairies around giving new commands to collect teenagers.

Dhu transforms once more into a wren once more and flies into the distance, planning where to go. He flew through various cities and town looking at different people and the amount of people living on the street, people walking to and from work, schools. He needs to think about which city to go to next.