Secrets of Emerald

Chapter 2

The Path is What?


Next chapter up and now things will start getting interesting.


Zelgadis relaxed in the little Irish pub as he looked over his map. He wanted to plan his travel for the next day so he wouldn't loose any time lost and looking around. 'Especially after what happened today,' he thought as he folded the map once.

As he was putting his map up Zel was joined by an older looking man who sat down and asked, "So ya' doing some waltzing there are ya' me boyo?"

Zel nodded to the older fellow and replied, "Yeah, so far it's been relaxing so far except for a sheep stealing one of my apples."

The old man laughed and said, "Ya' gotta watch out for you jumbuck's. Their tricky devils."

The man turned to the band that was winding down and shouted, "Aye, Patrick play this swagman some Waltzing Matilda."

The leader of the band now known as Patrick nodded and began to play with the rest falling in step behind him. Zelgadis listened to the tale of the swagman as the song began.

There once was a swagman camped by a Billabong
Under the shade of a Coolabah tree
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?

Zel closed his eyes and listened as the song progressed. It was a beautiful song the likes he hadn't heard in quite some time.

Down come a jumbuck to drink at the water hole
Up jumped a swagman and grabbed him in glee
And he sang as he stowed him away in his tucker bag
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me
Waltzing Matlida, Waltzing Matlida
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me
And he sang as he stowed him away in his tucker bag
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me

Up rode the Squatter a riding his thoroughbred
Up rode the Trooper- one, two, three
Where's that jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.
Waltzing Matlida, Waltzing Matlida
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.
Where's that jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.

But the swagman he up and jumped in the water hole
Drowning himself by the Coolabah tree,
And his ghost may be heard as you walk along the Billabong,
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?
Waltzing Matlida, Waltzing Matlida
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?
And his ghost may be heard as you walk along the Billabong,
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?

Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda me darling?
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?
Waltzing Matilda and leaving a water bag
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.

After the song finished Zel and the rest of the crowd applauded the band. After a moment Zel turned back to his guests and said, "That was a good song. Thanks for requesting it."

"Aye, ya don't need to thank me, me laddie. It's a good ole song. So where did ya come from," the old man asked.

"Just from the south a little ways. I probably wouldn't have found this place tonight had it not been for that path," Zel answered as he relaxed.

After looking around the bar he noticed that it was silent and everyone, even his buddy, was staring at him. He turned to the old man to hear him ask, "What kinda' type would that a' been laddie?"

Zel shrugged and replied, "Just this worn path in the grass running over the hills. It really wasn't a road and there were no other paths to suggest it was made by a cart."

The old man looked at him for a moment before asking, "Did anything outa the ordinary happen to ya today laddie?"

Zel blinked and the said, "Well, there was that time I felt like someone had pushed me on the path, but no one was there. And, I could've sworn I heard some child laughing at different times during my walk."

As Zel finished he noticed people heading out the door or moving away from him. He was about to ask what was going on when the old man flagged down the barkeep and shouted, "Gabriel give this man 'nother ale on me. He's gonna need it."

"What's going on," Zel asked as another drink was placed in front of him just to have the bar girl get away as quick as possible.

"Well, me boyo that path ya' was on wasn't no ordinary path. Ya' was on a fae path. They run all over dear old Ireland and they are the method of transport for Oberon's children that live on the island. Any human that dares get in the way of the path will have problems. It sounds like a fae has taken a shining to ya' and now it's gonna follow ya' whether ya' on the path or not."

Zel laughed and then replied, "I'm sorry but that is a bit outlandish. I just can't see much trouble from little fairies. And, besides nothing weird has happened since I got off the path."

"That may be laddie but I would take these if I was you," the old man replied and handed Zelgadis a pair of iron manacles.

"What good will these do me," Zel asked a bit confused with the gift.

"Fae hate cold rod iron. It robs them of their powers and if you can catch the one after you then you will have a fae servant until you decided to release it," the old man replied.

"Okay," Zel replied a bit uneasy. He stood up and said, "Well, I'm going to my room. I'll talk to you on my way back through."

"Good night, laddie," replied the man as he watched Zel depart for his room, "and good luck."


The next day found Zelgadis hiking again with his pack on his shoulders and the manacles hanging off the pack. He marched along the countryside and so far nothing odd had occurred. He whistled the song he had heard last night as he continued on his way. As the sun began to fully rise he could see another fae path in the distance. 'Well, he said it would only happen if I blocked the path. So I'll just walk near it,' he thought since the paths seemed to be good landmarks.

He continued on and the sun got higher in the sky as the day passed on around him. It was about lunch time when he sat down and began to eat his meal that the owner of the bar had fixed him before he headed out. As he was chewing on the sandwich he heard the tell-tale laughter from the other day and was on his guard in an instant. He looked around while trying to hide that he was aware of anything going on. Zel had set the manacles in his lap to inspect them as he ate and now he was glad to have the notion to do so. He waited and listened as he acted to eat his meal. It was about a minute he heard something going through his pack and he slowly grabbed the manacles. When he heard the top of the pack being opened he lunged at his pack with the manacles open and ready to capture their prey. "Now we shall see what's going on," he shouted as he lunged and hit something very solid.

He landed on something softer then earth and he raised himself to see what he had caught. He gaped as he saw just what was under him caught by the wrist in the manacles. It was a woman a little shorter than him with unnaturally red and fiery hair. Her skin looked to be that of tan ivory. Pure white with a look of tanned age. Her small frame was stuck under him clothed in magentas, yellows, and blacks. The last thing he noticed was the elongated ears on the side of her head. The girl looks like one of those elf girls in anime but without the ears being totally over done. As he was inspecting her ears he lightly caressed them to receive a slight moan and then a gasp of realization. He looked down to see her bright ruby, red eyes glaring at him. She was about to push him off when she noticed the manacles on her wrist and her eyes widened. 'Here it comes,' Zel thought as he prepared for the beating of his life.

Instead he was knocked off the girl as she began to flail around and screaming in this trilling, high-pitched voice in a language he couldn't understand. He sat back and watched in amazement as she pretty much threw a fit and tried to remove the manacles at all cost. She even tried to chew through them which only gave her a tooth ache. After a few more moments she stopped in a kneeling position with her hands in front of her and her head down. She was breathing heavily as she tried to regain her breath from her struggle. She then threw her head up to glare at Zelgadis anger apparent in her eyes. Zel did not know what to do other than to look at her. They both stared at each other in the field until one dared to say something. Zel was about to say something when he heard, "Let me go."