Balance of the World

Chapter 11: Fairy Dust

Elias leaned on his sword in the middle of the woods, eating an apple as he glanced around the clearing.

“I’m curious, Angel,” he called between bites. “When exactly were you planning to make your move? Perhaps before I die of old age?”

Silence followed his question but he hadn’t expected any answer. This was the first time he had sparred with Zoey, and she had said she wasn’t going to hold back. The Masked General tossed the core of his apple away, still glancing around at the trees. A twig snapped behind him and he smirked before whirling around, gripping his sword with both hands and swung it overhead. A metal on metal clang echoed through the woods as his blade met the cross between Elstan’s blades with Zoey wielding them, smirking at him.

“Haven’t perfected your Tinechor moves, Angel?” Elias teased but Zoey’s smirk only grew.

“Elstan taught me a bit about combat as well, my dear Masked Knight,” Zoey retorted. “You don’t let the enemy know where you are, unless you want them to.”

She shoved his blade away with both of hers, making him stumble back as she swiped at him with one of her blades. He quickly stepped back and parried, ducking away from the other blade she came at him with, overhead. He spun one blade away with his sword and swung shoulder-high and Zoey guarded herself by bringing a blade up at her shoulder.

“I learned a new trick, Elias,” she smirked, mysteriously, making him smirk back.

He was suddenly shoved away and propelled across the clearing to the ground. Elias gave a grunt as leaves scattered around him and he shot up to stare wide eyes at Zoey. She hadn’t even moved to use the spell. He stood, still staring at Zoey as she only straightened and smirked at him. Coming back from his shock he charged her but she didn’t move from her position as he swung his sword at her. She only stood still and he froze, mid-stroke…involuntarily.

“Now you’re cheating, Angel,” he muttered from his pose but Zoey smirked and shook her head. He suddenly began shrinking and his eyes widened as he shook his head, pleading, “No, Zoey! Not again!”

Zoey only giggled as he continued shrinking, clothes and all, until he was, once again, a Gopher General. He ranted with little squeaks as Zoey stepped toward him, sheathing the swords and kneeling toward him, still grinning.

“I’m sorry, Elias,” she giggled. “You’re just so cute as a gopher!”

Elias glared up at her, sheathed his tiny sword to cross his arms over his tiny chest as she held her hand down to him.

“Climb on, cutie,” she smiled, but he only turned away from her, making her give a pout. She picked him up, making him squirm, but she held him as firmly as she could without hurting him.

“Be my cute little gopher pet for a while,” she smiled, setting him on her shoulder. He gripped the collar of her shirt as she started heading out of the woods. He seemed to realize where she was headed and started pulling on her collar to get her attention.

“Don’t worry,” Zoey whispered, patting his head reassuringly. “I’m sure Elstan won’t make fun of you.”

Elias still tried to hide himself in her hair, but it was no use. When she stepped from the woods, Elstan met her and frowned in wonder as he glanced around her.

“Where is General Blackwood?” he asked and Zoey pointed to her shoulder making Elstan frown again but he smiled in amusement when he saw Elias still trying to hide in her hair. He nodded, mutely as Zoey gave him his blades and he stepped away to let her head toward hers and Elias’s tent. She ducked in and plucked Elias from her shoulder to lie down on her back, setting him on her stomach.

“See?” she grinned, using a finger to scratch the top of his head. “He didn’t even say anything.”

She gasped when Elias suddenly began growing again, until he was hovering above her as the Masked General she loved, smirking deviously as she stared up at him with wide eyes, filled with wonder.

“W-Wha—?” she breathed as he still smirked down at her. “H-How—? I didn’t lift the spell! How did you get out of it?!”

“Felix didn’t tell you?” he murmured, leaning toward her face, making her heart race and her cheeks flare. “That particular spell doesn’t stick very long, my dear. Now I can take my revenge.”

Zoey’s eyes widened as he still leaned toward her, her heart pounding in panic but it turned to passion when Elias’s lips pressed against her lower one. She moved just enough toward his mouth so that he could slide his tongue against her lip to slip it into her mouth, his lips connecting with hers to kiss her, deeply.

She gave a moan of approval but when she closed her eyes and moved her arms to wrap them around him, she found his hands sliding up her arms until they reached her hands and he entwined his fingers with hers. She smiled against his lips before he pulled away to look down at her, still holding her hands as she still smiled.

“That’s a strange way to take revenge,” Zoey noted. “I like it when you kiss me. Don’t you know the definition of revenge?”

“Of course I do,” Elias smirked back. “But I have a feeling you’ll be angry with me and I won’t be able to kiss you for some time after I take my revenge.”

“Then just forget about it,” Zoey suggested. “Don’t you like kissing me? Wouldn’t you be upset if you couldn’t?”

“Yes, but I must be avenged,” he growled softly, closing in on her again. “That’s the second time you’ve done that to me, you little minx. I can’t have it get around that I’m a ‘Cute Gopher General,’ can I?”

“Oh, why not?” she pouted. “It could work for you, somehow.”

“I highly doubt that,” Elias murmured, leaning down to leave kisses over her neck.

Zoey couldn’t help herself when she wrapped her arms around him with a moan as his arms slid fully around her waist. She reveled in his touch a moment longer before asking, “Where will we go after this?”

“Who knows?” he admitted, not pulling away either. “Is there anywhere in particular you would like to go, Angel?”

“You know this place better than I do,” she giggled. “Where should we go?”

“Perhaps I’ll take you to Velaro’s camp in Menel?” he replied. “I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you again.”

“The Griffin camp?” she wondered and he only gave an affirmative noise as his kisses worked their way down her neck to her shoulder and she asked, “Do you think Varen’s alright? You’ve been gone for so long.”

“He’s a capable lad,” Elias assured her, working his way back up to her mouth. “I doubt he would go looking for trouble.”

Meanwhile...

Varen gritted his teeth nervously as he stared up at the Mela Ear, sitting in a row boat with Namir and the men she’d taken ashore. He was dressed in one of the pirate’s clothes and had made sure to make himself look as though he’d been at sea for years. When the boat came along side the ship, Namir was the first to climb up the rope ladder leading to the deck, Kaysar waiting for her at the top.

“Well?” he questioned, hurriedly. “Did you find out where Blackwood and that wench are headed?”

“Varen said they were headed into the Menel plains,” Namir lied smoothly as the men climbed up one by one after her. “Would you like me to send—?”

“You do nothing unless I order it! Do you understand?!” Kaysar snapped just as Varen climbed, unnoticed, over the railing. The shout caught the young man’s attention and he looked to the scene, paying close attention. “You do not think ahead or assume what I want you to do! You do not take liberties to go over my head on my ship!”

“Aye, Captain,” Namir nodded, surprisingly calm. “Forgive me, Sir. What would Your Majesty like me to do?”

“Send one man to the Menel plains to follow them,” Kaysar ordered. “When the moment is right, dispatch them both.”

Namir nodded and replied, “I know just the man for the job, Sir.”

“Carry on, then,” Kaysar nodded and was about to head toward his cabin before he stopped and turned to order, “Meet me in my cabin at sunset.”

Namir swallowed before nodding, “Yes, Sir.”

She watched him head toward his cabin before turning to march toward Varen, barking orders at the crew to get busy.

“I’ve seen enough,” Varen nodded when she reached him. “I’ve heard enough. This isn’t our king. He’s possessed by Dark Fairy dust.”

“That’s what I thought as well,” she whispered. “Will you need help?”

“I’ll be fine,” he nodded, climbing over the railing again. “Sorry for the short visit.”

“Tell Zoey I am well when you report to them,” Namir requested. “I’m sure she’ll worry for me when you tell her about this.”

“I will,” he nodded, climbing down the ladder. “Be careful.”

“And you,” she replied, watching him climb into the boat below.

Night...

“Elias,” Zoey whispered, glancing around the dark forest and holding onto him from behind as they rode slowly through the trees. “Why are we riding through a forest…at night…with no other light?”

“Are you nervous, Angel?” he smirked over his shoulder, feeling her face bury into his back.

“Well, I’ve been almost drowned, kidnapped and nearly trampled by a troll,” she retorted. “Yeah…I’m nervous.”

“There’s nothing to fear here, love,” Phantom assured her. “Trust me.”

“Don’t give it away,” Elias hissed, lightly jabbing the horse’s side.

“You keep doing that and the two of you are going to end up in a pile on the ground,” Phantom warned. “Much as I’m sure you’d like that—!”

Elias yanked Phantom to a stop, making Zoey gasp and hug Elias even tighter.

“Quiet, both of you,” Elias whispered through a grin. “It’s midnight.”

“What happens at midnight?” Zoey whispered, slightly.

“Just look around, Angel,” he whispered over his shoulder.

Zoey frowned in wonder before resting her head on Elias’s back, her gaze to his right. She noticed a slight glow from behind a tree and frowned in wonder, squinting to get a better look as she lifted her head. Her eyes widened and she gasped when she suddenly found herself surrounded by little lights of different colors. Yellows, whites and purples illuminated the forest with trails of sparkling dust behind them, gathering around Phantom’s legs.

“It’s so beautiful,” Zoey breathed, watching the fairies dance around them, one of the white Truth Fairies floating in front of her face and making her giggle.

“This is the Shee forest,” Elias murmured over his shoulder at her. “The fairies live here.”

“I don’t see any Dark Fairies,” she noticed.

“They’re on the other side of the forest, far from this spot,” he assured her. “Like the mermaids and sirens, the forest is split in half.”

“This is so romantic, Elias,” she whispered, hugging him and snuggling her cheek into his back. “You’ve outdone yourself, this time.”

“Ooh, here that, Elias?” Phantom whinnied. “Told you she’d like it.”

“And, time to dismount the noisy horse,” Elias shot back, gesturing that Zoey dismount. She frowned at him but did as he instructed before he dismounted himself and walked Phantom toward a tree. “Stay here.”

“Yes, General,” Phantom retorted.

Elias turned back to Zoey and took her hand to walk her down a narrow path through the trees.

“Elias?” Zoey frowned in wonder, making him look back at her in wonder. “Is everything alright?”

“Yes, Angel,” he smiled, lifting her hand to kiss it, tenderly. “I just wanted to enjoy the scenery with you.”

Zoey smiled and nodded as they stopped and Elias leaned back on a tree as she gazed around in awe. Fairies whizzed past her, some going so fast they blew some of her red hair up with the breeze from their wings. She giggled when it happened a few times then stepped closer to Elias to stand in front of him as he wrapped his arms around her to pull her against him.

“I thought you’d like this,” he murmured in her ear.

“I do,” she nodded with a grin. “It’s a gorgeous light show.”

Elias only smiled and they sat in content silence for a time before he licked his lips and cleared his throat. Zoey frowned and turned to him in wonder as he smiled down at her.

“I’ve been doing some thinking, my dear,” he began, making her frown deepen slightly. “I told myself I would wait, but it seems I’m an impatient man.”

“Elias, is everything alright?” Zoey breathed, lifting her hands to either side of his face.

“Don’t worry, Angel, everything is fine,” he murmured, still smiling and Zoey gave a sigh of relief as he took her hands into his. “I’m sure Felix thinks I don’t know, but I found out that he and Eona were lovers. I see by your expression he told you?”

Zoey nodded, her eyes wide with worry.

“Do not look so worried, my dear,” he smiled. “I’ve known for some time. I found them together once and I was upset at the time. Circumstances changed me more than you might ever understand and…as a result I never thought I would find anyone I could love, or anyone that could love me.”

“What…changed your mind?” Zoey wondered.

“Well—”

“Oi! Love birds! Somethin’s coming your way!” Phantom called.

“Damn horse—!”

“Elias, it’s Varen,” Zoey breathed, looking down the path to see a few fairies leading him toward the couple.

Elias looked up in wonder as well as he shoved off the tree when Zoey hurried toward a disheveled and panting Varen. The young man collapsed on his knees just as Zoey reached him and she knelt down to hold him around his shoulders, letting him lean on her.

“Varen! What happened to you?!” Zoey breathed, moving his sweat-matted hair from his forehead.

“I was…at the shore,” he explained through his pants as Elias stepped back to Phantom for his canteen filled with water. “I had to…tell you…”

“Varen, don’t strain yourself,” Zoey pleaded, looking to Elias when he stepped toward her and he handed her the canteen. “Catch your breath. Drink something.”

She helped him drink from the canteen before he grabbed it from her and drank himself. After a moment, Elias knelt down in front of Varen who wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

“Varen, why aren’t you in Edan?” he questioned. “Who did you leave in charge?”

“Colonel Ayaki is watching the camp, Sir,” Varen replied, taking a quick swig from the canteen. “Namir, the King’s first mate came to me after you left for Roch. She was worried about his majesty. I had to go aboard his ship to see it myself. It’s the worst, Sir. Our king has been sprinkled with Dark Fairy Dust.”

Elias stared at Varen in astonishment as Zoey looked to the young man with wide eyes.

“For how long?” Elias questioned.

“Since the morn,” Varen replied. “Namir thinks he was sprinkled with it in his sleep.”

“And you say you saw it with your own eyes?” Elias recalled, wanting to be sure.

“I did,” Varen nodded. “He’s acting the exact opposite of his usual behavior. If he caught me on his ship he would have killed me, I’m sure. Namir said he slapped her for voicing her opinion.”

“That’s not Kaysar at all,” Zoey breathed as Elias stood and she looked up at him. “What’ll we do?”

“The only way to cure a creature sprinkled with Dark Fairy dust is to dispel it,” Elias replied. “Only a Wizard can do it.”

“I’ll do it,” Zoey nodded. “I’ve done it before with Liona. I can do it again.”

“It cannot be you, Miss Zoey,” Varen objected, turning their attention to him. “He believes the two of you are conspiring against him to rule over Kalina once Jellina is defeated.”

“How can he think that?!” Zoey questioned in astonishment.

“The Dark Fairy was obviously under the employ of the Mor Witch,” Elias replied. “Or the Carad Witch. He’ll get worse tomorrow.”

“Maybe we can ask Felix, or Quinto to help?” Zoey suggested.

“General Quinto has gone back to his camp in Istar,” Varen reported. “He left before I did.”

“And Felix will have nothing to do with this,” Elias continued. “Even if we convinced him to help, he wouldn’t be able to do much. Neither would Quinto. They’re not powerful enough.”

“How can…they not be powerful enough but I was powerful enough to cure Liona?” Zoey wondered. “I was just learning when she attacked me.”

“You were able to use your spell before it had taken too much of a hold on her,” Elias explained. “If it isn’t caught soon, it escalates quickly.”

“So…what do we do?” Zoey breathed, glancing from Elias to Varen.

“It seems, you’re the only one powerful enough to cure him,” Elias sighed, shooting Varen’s gaze of terror to his general.

“But…Sir—!”

“I know what you’re going to say Varen,” Elias cut in. “I’ll be with her if you’re so concerned. There’s no time to lose. Go back to the camp and Zoey and I will head to the Mela Ear.”

“I’m coming with you, Sir,” Varen objected, struggling to stand as Zoey helped him.

“You’ve done well thus far, Varen,” Elias replied. “How did you get here so fast?”

“One of Velaro’s soldiers flew me halfway and then I ran,” Varen replied.

“Hitch a ride back to Edan with him,” Elias ordered.

“We were lucky to get that far, Elias!” Varen argued. “Keiji took down Velaro himself when I sent him to report to you!”

“Is he alright?!” Zoey breathed in worry.

“Fortunately Keiji only wounded him,” Varen replied. “But his soldier was afraid to even take to the skies.”

“Very well,” Elias nodded. “Come with us as far as the shore and ride Phantom back to Edan.”

“And what are you going to do when you get back to land?” Phantom retorted.

“We’ll figure something out,” Elias replied calmly, not caring about his horse’s attitude as he mounted him. “Zoey, come with me.”

“But…” Zoey trailed off as she headed toward Elias, leaving Varen as he stood on his own. “What about Varen?”

“He’ll be fine,” Elias replied, taking her hand and pulling her up into the saddle with him, wrapping his arms around her from behind. “I’m sure there are plenty of our allies around who would be happy to give him a lift.”

Varen stared at Elias in worry, replying, “But, Sir…I haven’t flown on Fairy Dust in some time.”

“It’s like riding a horse,” Elias smirked, taking the reins on Phantom and pulling him to head out of the forest. “You never truly forget.”

He kicked Phantom to send him into a full gallop as Zoey gasped in surprise, but Elias held one arm around her waist to keep her from falling off his horse. They emerged completely from the forest and Elias brought Phantom to a stop, hearing him breathe heavily.

“Can you make it?” Elias asked him.

“Need you ask, General?” Phantom retorted and went into a full gallop again, almost sending Zoey off the horse, but Elias kept a firm grip on her as Phantom rode through the night.

Dawn...

“Phantom, stop!” Zoey begged as he was now at a slow run. “You’ll kill yourself at this rate! Take a rest!”

“He won’t listen to you,” Elias said before pulling back on the horse’s reins, hard and when he finally came to a stop, the two dismounted, Phantom breathing heavily.

“I can…make it,” Phantom panted.

“You’re not the young buck you were, Phantom,” Elias retorted. “And neither am I. That saddle’s become harder in my old age. We’ll be no use to the king half dead.”

He led Phantom toward a small creek they’d happened to stop by to let him drink then pulled a blanket from one of the horse’s saddle bags to spread it out over the ground. He waved Zoey toward him as he pulled another blanket from the same saddle bag on Phantom and sat, covering himself with the blanket as she sat next to him.

“We’ll get some sleep while Phantom rests,” he explained as she laid down next to him and he wrapped his arms, along with the blanket, around her. “He’ll wake us when he’s ready.”

“How long do you think we have before Kaysar is beyond help?” Zoey wondered, letting him adjust the blanket around her.

“We’ll there by tonight, maybe sooner,” he replied. “We have some time, but not much.”

Zoey nodded and snuggled against him as he laid back with a sigh. She found, however, that she couldn’t sleep. Elias’s words kept echoing in her head and she looked up at him, her head still resting on his chest.

“Elias?”

“Yes?”

“You said that if this condition isn’t caught soon, it escalates,” she recalled. “What did you mean by that?”

Elias gave a sigh and guessed he wasn’t going to get much sleep as he turned them so that they were lying facing each other, Zoey frowning at him in wonder.

“I’ve told you what happens to someone sprinkled with Dark Fairy dust, yes?” he recalled.

“Yes,” she nodded. “They have dark thoughts.”

Elias nodded then continued, “If not caught right away, that individual may start…acting on those dark thoughts. If they think of killing someone, they do it without a second thought, and it doesn’t matter who or what it is.

“When a man is sprinkled with the dust, the same thing happens, but after a week or so, if uncured, he starts changing into something completely different. It starts with the skin. Flesh becomes black and scaly. The nails grow to claws, the teeth into sharp fangs. The hair becomes white and stringy, and lastly, the eyes will glaze over a solid red color.”

“Ramrans,” Zoey breathed in realization. “Ramren were men?”

“Yes,” he nodded. “This is what could happen to our king, and he will never forget the things he’s done after he’s cured if it gets too far.”

Zoey remained silent in shock before she began thinking of everything that had happened since she’d been in Kalina and she caught his gaze again.

“When I’d been kidnapped, while I was in my cell, Rada came and spoke to me,” she told him, making Elias’s eyes glow in wonder. “He called you a…half-breed. What did he mean by that?”

Elias took in a breath and sat up, making Zoey sit up with him as she felt her heart race in panic.

“Elias, I don’t mean to pry—”

“No,” he sighed, lifting a hand to run it through his hair. “I know, Angel. It was only a matter of time before you found out.” He looked to her, tiredly and she felt her heart clench at seeing the pain in his eyes. “I told you I found Eona and Felix together, didn’t I?”

Zoey nodded, but remained silent as he turned to stare into the space ahead of him.

“That was the beginning of my downfall,” he explained. “After I found them together, I ran from the house. I was only Varen’s age at the time and the only way I knew how to deal with my anger and pain was to disappear somewhere. I chose the wrong path into the Shee forest and it led me to a part of the woods where the Dark Fairies resided. When night fell a sat myself against a tree and went to sleep after having brooded all day. I was in a vulnerable state when one of them sprinkled their dust on me.

“When I woke the next morning, I was so angry. Angry with Felix, and Eona, and angry at myself for being so stupid. My rage couldn’t be controlled. For the next few days I roamed Kalina doing…unspeakable things. I had joined the army, and when my superiors asked Eona where I’d gone, she couldn’t say. Felix went looking for me at her insistence, and when he did find me, we fought. He beat me of course. A man fighting a wizard will always end up the same.

“He brought me to Eona and they both realized right away what had happened to me. I was so aggressive that Felix had to strap me down to the table in order to keep me from hurting them and myself. He was able to cure me with much effort on his part, but by then…”

Zoey swallowed when he trailed off and touched the edge of his mask.

“Felix—” Elias choked out before clearing his throat. “Felix used too much of his power to bring me back, and for that, it’s drained him for the rest of his life. He was a soldier at the time, but he was discharged for what he’d done. The order is to kill any creature possessed by fairy dust if they’ve committed atrocities, not only for the country’s sake but for that person as well, since they recall everything they’d done while under the spell. Eona begged and pleaded with him not to do it. Sometimes I wish he had.”

“Don’t say that,” Zoey breathed, bringing his gaze back to hers as she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “It wasn’t your fault. You weren’t in your right mind.”

“But I remember, Zoey,” he whispered back and she felt her heart clench even tighter at the pain in his voice and eyes as his, too, began to water. “I remember everything I did. I took innocent lives and hurt so many here beyond repair. I have nightmares about what I’ve done almost every night.”

“But if Felix had followed the order, and killed you, we never would have met,” she replied. “Would you really want that?”

“Of course not, Angel,” he murmured. “Meeting you has meant more to me than you could ever know.”

“I feel the same,” Zoey smiled through her tears. “It hurts me to hear you say you wish you’d died.”

“I’m sorry,” he replied, lifting a hand to brush away a tear from her cheek. “It hurts me to see you cry. Please, Angel, no more tears.”

Zoey lowered her face and wiped her tears away, sniffling before she looked back up at him and smiled.

“So…” she trailed off for a moment, slowly lifting a hand toward his face. “So that’s why, you where this mask? He didn’t get to you in time?”

Elias nodded as Zoey’s fingers traced the bottom of the mask and he explained, “My skin beneath this mask is Ramran scales. Had he waited longer my whole face would have been covered in them.”

“May I…see it?” she asked, hesitantly.

Their eyes met and she could see the hesitance and fear in his gaze that she would be repulsed. However, after a moment he slowly nodded and she couldn’t help but smile at the thought of him trusting her with such a delicate matter. She would not disappoint him. Her other hand came up and she slid the mask off with ease, holding it in both hands.

She suddenly realized what she’d seen in her dream. A handsome face that turned into a horrifying creature. The dream had described what Elias was. He was Kalina embodied in a man that was half light and half dark.

Zoey brought a hand up to touch the scales that covered the top half of his face from his hairline to the bridge of his nose. They were cold to the touch and she wondered if Elias could feel her finger tips gliding over them but she didn’t ask. He lifted a hand to the one touching his face and gently pressed it fully to his cheek, her finger tips still touching the black scales and he snuggled into her hand.

“I feared you would hate me for this, Angel,” he murmured, kissing the palm of her hand as she met his gaze in shock. “I thought you would be frightened and push me away.”

“No, Elias,” she breathed, shaking her head as more tears came to her eyes. “I could never hate you or push you away. I need you by my side. You’re my strength.”

“As you are mine,” he smiled, leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers. “I knew the moment I looked into your eyes you wouldn’t turn away from me.”

“Elias—”

“No more questions, please, Angel,” he begged, gently as he lowered her hand, still holding, to his heart. “I am tired, and so are you, I can tell. We must rest.”

Zoey swallowed, nodding as he pulled away and laid down on his back to let her curl up against him. She handed him his mask and kissed the top of her head before putting it back on.

“Good night, Zoey,” he murmured, closing his eyes.

“Good night, Elias,” she muttered, closing her eyes as well, thinking something she’d planned to say to him before…I love you.