Chapter Twelve

Redleaf

I was horrified, what have I just done?! I can't go back now, they'll surely find out. If they do, I'll be revoked the privilege of being the Minister of Autumn!

Maybe this thing my ancient uncle left me would do me some good… If I could find it! Utterly frustrated, I tromped back up the beach, away from the stone that just engulfed Queen Clarion. I tried to think of possible places that my family could've hidden it, but I couldn't get to any of them because I had to avoid anyone seeing me, for all they knew, I was just as a victim as Clarion. I can't let them ask questions, because I can't answer them… If I do, who knows what that mermaid will do to me!

I made my way into the deepest reaches of the Autumn forest, skirting Pixie Hollow on the way there to avoid being seen.

"Oh, what am I going to do?" I asked aloud as I sunk to my knees in the piles of bright orange and yellow leaves, the Autumn leaves that wrapped around my body blending in. I laid down at the base of a beautiful oak tree, it looked over a thousand years old; tall with bark darkened by immense age. Something was a bit off though.

The old tree appeared to be higher off the ground than any of the others. It could be just mass production of roots that pushed the tree higher from the soil, but I decided to investigate. I moved my hand through the air and created a chilling Autumn breeze that blew the mass of leaves into the sky, revealing a chamber of some sort made from thick tree roots. There was some kind of box that lay partially buried in the dirt inside the tree chamber, the wood it was composed of was tarnished with the wear of being buried for so long and the rainwater that had washed away some of the dirt to reveal it to the world.

Could this possibly be…? Is this the special thing i've been searching for? I slowly sat up, never taking my eyes off the mysterious chest, then reached for it, wiping off the dirt. I moved it into my lap and scrubbed off the remaining bits of mud, revealing a cracked, leather strap buckled over the container to keep it shut. I moved my fingers underneath the stained, silver buckle and unhooked it, letting the mangled strip fall to the ground.

Awestruck, I ran my fingertips over the glossy surface of a symbol I had seen only once before; in the Annals of Pixie Hollow - The Beginning. This was the ancient mark of the first years of Pixie Hollow. On top of a dark red background, elegant, silver branches of a beautiful tree sprouted from a small acorn underneath the soil.

Overwhelmed by curiosity, I lifted the lid with a CREAAAAK, I flinched and hoped no one heard, and I peered into the dark inside. A leather bound journal was laid in the bottom compartment, with some sort of pocketwatch perched on top. I gently removed the watch and studied it; it had no clock face, but appeared as if it was sliced in two. I set the seemingly useless watch to the side and removed the book. I opened the notebook with extreme care, less it crumble in my grip, and tried to make out the faded handwriting. It read:

'Dear Pixie Hollow,

You have found ... most important device known to fairykind.

This contraption ... look useless, but … it has the ability … dimensions … turn the wheel on the top to ... dangerous … don't … wrong hands.

The rest of the writing was smudged out or ruined by water that must've leaked into the box over time.

What does this even mean?! This doesn't make any sense.

I picked up the watch again and turned it over, trying to see if it would turn on or react at all. I pressed the button at the top and felt a sharp prick on my finger. A drop of blood was slowly absorbed into the button and suddenly the odd pocketwatch began to glow internally. The gears that seemed to have remained immobile for centuries started spinning.

"Well let's try turning the dial on the top like the book said, what could possibly go wrong?" I wondered out loud.

I started turning the knob to the right, and when nothing happened I tried to the left. The gears were adjusting themselves to the turns, but nothing else occurred. Frustrated, I pressed the button again to try and reset it; maybe something was wrong with it.

A bright yellow light engulfed me and I could feel its burning heat. My skin felt like it was melting off and suddenly, I wasn't in Pixie Hollow anymore.

~ Tempest P.O.V. ~

After I left my Father's workshop, I almost had a nervous breakdown. I cupped my hands around my neck and bit my lip until the pain cleared my head. I whistled and Fear appeared with a thunderous BOOM, I was forced to make some ice footholds so I wouldn't be blown away. I smirked at his power, temporarily forgetting about the daunting task before me, and swung onto his back. My skin was electrified, my denim shorts were much easier for me to ride in than that big dress, I hugged Fear's muscular sides with my bare legs and commanded him, "Ride."

Fear and I arrived at the farthest reaches of the kingdom, The Great Barrier loomed before me, blocking my way into the human world. I won't call on him for help, I can do this myself, I falsely assured myself. I reached a finger toward the wall and pressed into it, the ethereal material bending around my hand but not giving way. Oh come on! I screamed in my thoughts. I stepped back and signaled to Fear to get out of the way, and readied myself to attack. I conjured a huge storm that swirled around my body, whipping my crop top around in the wind, I formed giant ice shards and directed them at the partition. I launched them at full force with a shattering SWOOSH, but the ice was swallowed by the abyss, never to be seen again. "Well avalanche!" I cursed, knowing that I had to seek the help of my brother.

"I call upon Lucifer, king of the NetherRealm, to compromise the Dimension barrier and allow his sister, Queen of the Sky Sprites, to pass through." The clouds under my feet shook with the force of a volcano erupting on Earth, and a door was cut out of the clear mass in front of me.

He let me through… I don't believe it…

I stepped nervously through the doorway, but there was nothing to support me on the other side, and I fell, spiraling out of control.

If I could just unfurl my wings! I thought frantically, trying to use my massive white wings to push through the jet stream that was surrounding my body and pinning my wings to my back. I was finally able to thrust out my wings, the force of the air almost ripping them from my back, my descent slowed but it was not enough to keep me from smashing into the ground.

I closed my eyes tightly and prepared for impact.

Something caught me, hard muscles lifting my legs and folding my wings in.

"Well… You didn't think I was going to let my own sister fall to her death on her first day back, did you?" I ground my teeth when I heard Lucifer's voice, my eyes still clamped shut.

"Honestly? Yes. Yes, I did think you were going to let me die."

"Oh come now, all I did was forget to put the stairs back. One of those pesky human souls thought it would be fun to ascend the staircase to 'Heaven.'"

I slowly opened my eyes and took in my brother's tan skin and pitch black eyes, blood-red hair parted at the front to reveal small, charcoal-colored horns. Lucifer stood me up carefully and studied my wings, eyeing a particular spot where I was bleeding, staining my white feathers. I sadly clutched the side of my left wing, trying to stop the bleeding.

"I don't know why they look up to you and your infernal Sky Sprites so much; they refer to you and your kind as 'Angels.'"

"And what do they call you and your Ether Elves? Not anything nice, judging by the way you treat them."

"Well, they call my domain 'Hell' and my minions 'Demons,' but my favorite is what they call me, 'The Devil.'" Lucifer commentated, waving his hands through the air with emphasis. He flicked his black tail, the sharp end clicking on the hardened, black earth. I tried to gain my bearings, but everything around me was alien, huge hunks of metal with black circles attached at the bottom lay dormant by a bright orange box labeled: 'Porta-Potty'

"Where exactly are we?" I questioned my twin.

"Nowhere really." he answered, brushing dust off of his black skinny jeans and t-shirt. When I looked at him, puzzled, he sighed and slammed the hilt of his beautiful, obsidian pitchfork, which he lifted from the dust of the ground. Where it had touched the earth, a huge crack appeared, darkness reaching as far as the eye could see.

"I'm not going down there Lucifer, you know I hate being underground."

"Well, I guess I should've gathered that from the fact you live in the sky," he commented sarcastically, "oh well."

Lucifer extended his black, leathery dragon wings and rocketed into the sky, then swooped back down to tackle me. I started running in the opposite direction of the crevice, my bleeding wing slowing me down. I tripped over a hunk of metal, but before I landed in the dirt, Lucifer pinned my wings and arms to my side. He hovered right over the pit and tucked in his wings and we fell. My screams echoed around us as darkness swallowed us whole.

~ Lord Milori P.O.V. ~

Accompanied by Snowflake and Fairy Mary, I called a meeting with all the ministers, excited at the prospect of finding my true love. We waited in the conference room where Queen Clarion was taken, mulling over the day's events.

I felt a sharp headache infiltrate my thoughts, clouding my vision. Oh not NOW! My body was ripped from my grasp and I fell to the floor. I watched as Fairy Mary and Snowflake rushed to my body, trying to shake me awake.

I saw myself sit up, my eyes flashing gold, and assure them I was fine, I just hadn't eaten in a few days. "I need to go get some air" were the words that came from my lips, but I didn't say them.

Once outside, my shadow-self stopped the 'pitiful me' act and made his way to the beach.

What the…?

I was slammed back into my body just as I reached the shoreline, my lungs fighting to get air under the pressure on my chest that accompanied my return. After many minutes of deep breathing, I finally got my breath back.

Confused, I scanned the surface of the water to look for anything out of the ordinary, besides the black color of the water. Suddenly, a head of pitch-black hair came from the sea, porcelain white skin and flashing red eyes followed.

"Sirenna" I growled, moving backwards.

"Yes, my little Snowbunny, It's me, but not in the form you remember, that was just a phantom." Sirenna taunted, using the water to raise herself onto the beach. The beautiful creature used her long black hair to cover her chest, her shimmering jet-black tail sparkled in the late sunlight.

"You're a… A Mermaid?!" I shouted, astonished. Mermaids were supposed to stay in their lagoon, far from Pixie Hollow, keeping the peace between us.

"Yes my precious Merman, and don't worry about your 'love'

Clarion, she's safely locked up in my Dark Palace."

"Why you…"

"What? You amazing Queen you? Oh, I know, thank you!"

"That's not what I was going to say you codfish!" I screamed, pulling my lucky dagger from my hip and leaping for Sirenna.

"I don't think so handsome." Sirenna shook her finger in front of her blood-red lips and a wall of water came from the sea and crushed the knife out of my hands.

"Well gosh, if you wanted to see Clarion suffer so badly, you could've just asked." Sirenna smirked, grabbing my arm and pulling us into the water. I slid to a stop, my chin touching the water, looking straight into those mesmerizing red eyes. Before I could react, her perfect lips touched mine and we were kissing. While I was distracted, she pulled me into the dark water, the ocean engulfing us, the sunlight being choked out.


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