Posted October 17, 2021.
CHAPTER 4: THE LAST FAIRY ON EARTH
Tehran, Iran
"We still have not detected any magic," Ogron said through gritted teeth.
The Wizards were in Iran, home to one of the Seven Ancient Realms. A group of realms on Planet Earth, realms which were home to the most powerful fairies in the dimension. They still couldn't feel anything, though – it was as if there was no Last Fairy on Earth.
"We've been looking everywhere," Duman protested. "I've been to China."
"I've been to Egypt," added Anagan.
"I've been to Greece," complained Gantlos.
"Well, keep searching!" Ogron barked. "We're all going to Ireland. Maybe we'll find them there."
The other Wizards sighed in frustration. Never had it been so hard to find a fairy, though of course it was harder when it was just one fairy, as opposed to many. But they would find her. She would not prevail.
Chuckling darkly, the Wizards vanished into the night.
"Roxy… Roxy"…
She was standing atop an elfin mound, surrounded by a ring of seven boulders. The sky was a clear, crisp blue, without a single cloud in sight, and colorful wildflowers grew at her bare feet. Beyond the elfin mound, the land was impossibly verdant, greenery stretching as far as the eye could see.
I'm dreaming. She opened her mouth, but shut it as soon as she saw what – or rather, who – was beyond the mound.
Fairies stood in front of her, wearing ancient robes and colorful crowns. Their eyes glimmered as they stared at Roxy, and she stared back, openmouthed. Who are they? She tried to lift her hands, but nothing happened.
"Save us," they cried, "save us, save us"…
There's that woman's voice again! Roxy realized. She could hear the woman from before calling out to her, her voice pure, though she couldn't tell which fairy was talking. But what's going –
Then the land beneath her feet began to shake. She cried as an earthquake split the mound, and she fell to the ground. The earth angrily punched her, and pain seared through her back.
"Save us," the chant was becoming more insistent. She looked up and saw that they were closing on her, forming a circle around the ring. "Save us, save us, save us"…
Roxy cried out, closing her eyes. "Leave me alone!" she shouted. The fairies closed in on her, decimeters away…
"SAVE US," they cried, "SAVE US, SAVE US, SAVE US" – They extended their hands out, threatening to touch her –
But before they could, the earth gave way. She screamed as she fell down through the bottomless chute, nothing to save her again…
She woke up with a start, her breath heavy. Her eyes wide, she stared around, trying to make sense of what was going on. What just happened? Why had she dreamed about fairies, when they didn't exist?
This is such a stupid thing to dream about. She couldn't dream about fairies, and especially couldn't dream about them being in trouble. But somehow, the dream had felt so real that she couldn't shake it off. Almost like… her father's stories when she was little.
When she was young, her father used to sit by her bedside, telling her stories about Irish fay and their roles in the world. He had told her many stories, from the compassionate brownie to the seductive mermaid to the powerful fairy. Stories that never had failed to capture her imagination.
But that's all just kids' stuff. She didn't – couldn't – believe in any of that stuff now. After all, it was far too childish. And if she was going to have any sense of normalcy in her life, she wouldn't think about any of that.
She sighed, turning over in her bed, trying to will sleep back into her mind.
Musa lay down on the sofá of Mike and Vanessa's house, feeling drained. No waves of sleep overcame her – instead, she just felt dead. There was no way to get out of this tiredness, this feeling that she'd never be able to recover.
A few weeks had passed since their arrival on Earth. It was nearly November. The lack of magic was starting to strain all of them. It was becoming more and more apparent that they might be stuck in Mike and Vanessa's house forever, which no one wanted – especially since they weren't making enough money to get their own place. Especially since I don't have a job. She let out a sigh as she lay weakly on the sofá.
She remembered her mother, who had sung so beautifully and powerfully. How much she missed her. She let out a sigh, thinking back to those times…
"I want to show you something special," Musa's mother had said, holding her hand.
Little Musa walked with her mother, gazing around. In Harmonia, the province of Melody they lived in, the leaves on the trees didn't change color; they lived in a subtropical environment, after all. However, after the monsoon season from Septmensis to Novemensis, the weather became a good deal cooler, although they never experienced a "winter" like Linphea and Domino. She frowned as she gazed at the sea.
"What is it?" she whined impatiently.
"Wait a second," her mother insisted. "You'll find out."
Musa waited. She didn't want to stand around and do nothing, but her mother insisted. Her eyes were drooping with boredom, and she was ready to stomp back inside when she heard the most amazing sound she'd ever heard before.
It was a lullaby, much like the ones her mother sang to her at night. Its wordless cry pierced through her, filling her with happiness and cheer and delight. It felt like the sun shining down on her, the end of the monsoon come at last, the promise of adventure singing down on her. The pure, wordless music washed over them, and she stared, mesmerized.
Then she heard her mother sing. Her powerful, strong contralto filled the air, deeper than the song of the whales, and more tangible. Her voice felt like the earth, a comforting place to stand amid all fear and worry, one that would always give her protection, no matter what. She sang along with the whales, bringing joy and excitement to their lives.
Musa gazed openmouthed at her mother, who finished the last note of the song. She smiled down at Musa, saying, "Now it's your turn." She sang, and Musa opened her mouth.
At first, music barely came out of her mouth. She felt more as if she were croaking, and felt frustrated at how coarse her voice was, while her mother's was so refined. But it was not for nothing that she was the daughter of two very talented musicians – her own ears were solid, and knew how to pick up on pitches and tunes. Soon she was singing, her squeaky, high-pitched voice flowing through the air.
She sang like she'd never sung before. She sang for the pure joy of music, for the greatness she knew she had within her. Her tiny voice soon found its strength, lifting amid the waves and the whales ahead…
"MUSA!"
Musa's eyes shot open. Layla was standing over her, a furious look on her face. She took Musa's arm and roughly pulled her up.
"Layla!" Musa gasped, shocked. "What in Symphonia's blazes are you doing?"
"Forcing you out of your self-pity, that's what!" Layla snapped. "You've been moping around all week! You're always exhausted, and you've got black circles around your eyes! I need you to snap out of it, okay? I need you to be all right!"
Musa stared blearily at Layla. Standing up weakly, she asked, "Are you all right?"
"You're the one who isn't all right!" Layla pointed out. "I'm worried about you, okay?"
"Sorry," Musa muttered, gazing down. "I know I haven't been myself lately." She let out a sigh.
She knew Layla was right to be worried about her. After all, Tecna had been very ill before she'd disappeared down the Omega Portal, and everyone had been very worried about her. It was understandable that none of them wanted Musa to go down the same path. Swallowing, she looked up at her friend and said, "I'm not depressed or anything – I promise. It's just – I feel so drained, now that I've lost my magic."
"We all do," Layla said, and her tone was much gentler now. "You need to know that you can talk to us if you need to." She extended her hand. "Come and join us. We're having a deliberation session in Mike and Vanessa's living-room. We're going to decide what to do."
Musa slowly got up and followed Layla into the room, where Bloom, Stella, Tecna, and Flora were standing. Stella was looking agitated, and pacing around – something she didn't normally appear.
"What're we going to do?" Stella complained. "We still haven't found the Last Fairy on Earth. It's been two weeks, and we've got nothing! Plus, I'm feeling really tired and sick all the time!"
"We need to get back our magic powers," Tecna pointed out to Bloom. "If we're not able to find the fairy, then that would be our most logical course-of-action."
"We can't give up on finding her!" Bloom gasped. "If the Wizards find her, she'll be in a lot of trouble. We have to get to her before they do!"
"Besides," Flora added, "I'm not sure we can earn our Etherix before we find her."
"Then tell us what to do!" Stella fired back. "I'm getting sick of sitting around here!"
"Hey guys, can we all just chill?" Digit asked, flying towards them. "Seriously, calm down a bit."
"You guys need to stop stressing," Lockette said softly. "You're going to be okay if you just keep trying to figure things out."
"She's right." Vanessa walked forwards, gazing at the Winx. "I understand you don't feel well, but you need to relax and calm down. You won't be able to accomplish your mission if you're quarrelling."
Musa knew she was right. She let out a sigh, gazing up at the woman. Vanessa smiled and placed a plate of chocolate-chip cookies on the table. "Help yourselves."
"You're the best, Mom!" Bloom grinned, taking one.
"Thanks!" Stella added, taking two.
Layla, though, was frowning. Musa saw that her friend had just realized something, something major. Turning towards Vanessa, she asked, "So you can see and hear the pixies, right?"
"Yes," said Vanessa in surprise. "I've always been able to. Why? Why are you asking?"
"Well, we've taken them out," Layla said slowly, "and we saw that human adults – and teenagers, too – are unable to see them. But children – they don't have a problem. How are you able to see them?"
Vanessa frowned. "By that logic, how are you able to see them?"
Everyone stared at Vanessa like she was crazy. "We're not humans," Bloom said. "We're fairies. They live in the same world as us."
"But you're adults, aren't you?" Vanessa pressed on. "You're not children. I don't think it has to do with the stages of adulthood, in fact. I think it's about whether you believe in magic or not."
"So children who believe in magic can see us," Digit realized. "How peculiar!"
"That's how it seems to be," Vanessa answered. "By the way, I also want to compliment you on your Italian. You've grown quite far since the first time I saw you."
"Thanks, Signora Peters," Flora grinned. "So guys, I think we should brainstorm. What are some characteristics of fairies?"
"We can't even open up that dumb book," Stella muttered, "so what are we supposed to know?"
"I think we've been going about it the wrong way," Flora said. "We've been trying to find fairies simply by detecting levels of magic. But fairy magick is a lot more subtle than our magic. We can't find them by our standards."
"That's actually logical," Tecna mused. "So in order to find a fairy, we need to research characteristics of them" –
"And then look out for them!" Flora finished.
What would we do without them? Musa thought, marveling at how much stronger their group was with Flora and Tecna. If we hadn't have been able to get Tecna back last year… A tear appeared in her eye, but she brushed it away.
"I'm going to go get my laptop," Tecna said, standing up and heading to her room. "I've been looking it up, and Earthian mythology keeps strong records of fairies and other magical creatures."
"How is mythology going to help us?" Bloom asked. "The Earthians don't even remember that fairies exist!"
"Actually, Tecna and I were having a discussion about it the other day," Vanessa responded as Tecna emerged from her room. "Over the course of history, myths and legends have almost always had a basis in fact. We were thinking that the Wizards weren't able to remove humanity's memories completely; even though people didn't believe in magic, their stories still lived on." Tecna sat down at the living-room sofa, opening her laptop.
The doorbell rang. Musa got up, wondering who it could be. "Hi – oh," she said, deflating as she saw who it was – the Specialists.
"What's going on?" Timmy asked, entering the room. "Tecna, what're you looking up?"
"I'm trying to find characteristics of fairies," Tecna said. "Want to join?"
"I'll leave you guys to it," Vanessa said, heading out the door. "Mike and I have a lunch date at the café. Good luck!"
"Thanks, Signora Peters!" they all called to her as she closed the door. Tecna scanned the page before her, and pointed.
"Here they are! They're creatures that look a lot like humans, but have a magical glamour that sets them apart" –
"Helpful," Layla commented wryly.
– "and they love nature and green spaces. Iron is deadly to them, however; they will shy away from it."
The Winx looked at each other, startled. Mirta pulled out a steel knife from her pocket, throwing it to the table.
"That's reason one," Bloom said. "Everyone, empty your pockets of anything that could be iron or steel."
Fortunately, they didn't have too many items that were iron or steel, and could manage without a problem.
"Number two," Tecna continued, "fairies love milk, honey, and cakes. Honey mixed with milk is one of their favorites."
"I'll make my favorite carrot-cake!" Bloom said cheerfully. "Let's see what happens then!"
"Number three," Tecna said, "fairies love light, calming music, and flowers."
"That shouldn't be too hard," Flora said. "I can handle the flowers. Musa, what about the music?"
Musa nodded. "I'll sing something," she said. "Some ancient Celtic music or something. I'll look it up."
"Number four," Tecna said, "fairies are attracted to people with good vibrations and intentions, and are repelled by those who are wasteful and do not care for nature."
"Make sure to use organic stuff when you make those cakes," Layla said to Bloom. "And don't use any plastic, either."
"So, what's your plan?" Timmy asked Tecna. "You look like you have an idea."
"Tell us what you need us to do," Nabu added, "and we'll do what we can to help."
Musa sighed. I wish Riven would do that for me, too…
"We don't have anything for you guys yet," Bloom said. "Have you guys found a job yet? A place to stay?"
"Er"… The Specialists looked at each other. "Not quite," Nabu admitted.
"We've been camping out in the park," Mirta said, "and nearly arrested quite a few times. We haven't found a single place to stay."
"Then find something," Bloom said. "I think we can handle this phase of the plan ourselves."
"Okay," said Timmy, deflating. "I was actually – well, kinda hoping I could show you something, Tecna."
"Sure," Tecna frowned. "But we need to do this first."
"It's something that could really help us," Timmy insisted. "Something that we could really use in the mission. I think it's important that you see it."
"Just tell us what to do, Tecna," Bloom said. "You go with Timmy and see what it is he found."
"All right," Tecna nodded. "So, you need to go to the park"…
It was cold outside, and there were few people in the park. The chilly October wind brushed past Roxy, carrying red leaves along with it. The autumn foliage was at its height, with reds and oranges and yellows shining above.
She frowned, thinking back when she had spoken to Musa the week before. There was something about that woman that enraptured her, something she hadn't thought about before. She was really very beautiful, her silky hair cascading down her shoulders and her deep brown eyes reflecting something like understanding in their depths. She looked like a goddess, one that had reincarnated on Earth.
She meant to call her; she had her number, after all. But every day she picked up that phone and stared at her contact information, she found she couldn't. There was something elusive about her, something she just didn't want to shatter. She wanted to keep that memory she had of Musa, one as a benevolent patroness, saving her from Giovanni's wrath.
You're being stupid, she chided herself. Nobody wants to save you. You're just being stupid, like always. You can't count on people to help you – never have, never will. That's always how it's been. She lowered her head and stared down.
She couldn't forget the weird dream she'd had the previous night. She'd dreamed of fairies – fairies – stories which she hadn't heard of since she was a child. They'd called out to her, begging her to save them. She could still see their anguished faces in her eyes, their desperation to be freed.
I must've eaten too much before bedtime last night. Yet it still unsettled her. She remembered the stories she'd heard from her father, back when they were on speaking-terms; when she was little, he would tell her stories from Irish folklore. She remembered one crisp autumn day, exactly like this, when she was only five years old…
"This will be the best cream in the world," he said, as he stirred the cream together.
Little Roxy sat with her father, gazing around. It was late autumn, and the trees had just finished shedding their leaves. She watched as her father churned the cream, putting it together with sugar and honey. She grinned in delight.
They were offering a bowl of this cream to their household brownie, a fairy that looked after the house. Roxy's father's recipes were the best in the world, and she found that she absolutely loved making food with him. She took a spoon of the cream herself.
She loved honeyed cream. To her, it tasted like summer, the sun bursting into bloom and flowers dancing at her feet. Whenever she ate honey, she could imagine herself transported to a new world. A world where the other kids at school weren't mean to her, where flowers sprouted under her feet and her father was always there. Just her and Daidí, enjoying the world to themselves. She could imagine that anytime she was with her father, having all the fun in the world.
"Careful," he mused. "Don't take too much from the brownie's bowl. We have our own cream right here." He pointed to the bowls of cream they'd already made, which she happily ate. She placed the brownie's bowl under the fireplace, excited to have him come. He pushed her to her room.
"Now, sweet dreams," he said, "and remember: the brownie won't come unless you go to sleep, like a good girl." He tucked her into bed, and she soon fell asleep, a promised world awaiting her.
The next day, the brownie's bowl of cream was gone. Her father had been delighted, telling her she had indeed made the brownie happy. "You're a good girl," he said, placing her on his lap.
She laughed, happy that she'd pleased the brownie. But more importantly, she was happy that her father believed in her. No matter what all those mean kids at school said, he would always be there for her, and that was all that mattered.
Roxy was old enough now to know that her father had probably eaten all the cream himself, or hidden it somewhere where she wouldn't have been able to find it. He didn't really think I was useful. It had all just been a scam – a way to boost her morale. She now saw herself as the fool she'd been, someone who'd believed in herself for no reason.
Suddenly, Artu's ears perked up. Without warning, he ran forward, leaving her behind.
"Wait up, Artu!" She broke into a jog, huffing as she followed her dog. She never put Artu on a leash, simply because she always trusted him, as much as he trusted her. She raced down the empty path.
Ahead, she could smell something. A fragrant smell of flowers and natural perfume. She could tell they were real flowers, as well as perfume with natural elements. The perfume she liked – chemical smells always threw her off.
There's honey there, too. Suddenly ravenous, she ran forward, her eyes wide. I've got to get some! The music became louder and more intense as she approached the grove.
She reached the grove, and then she stared in shock. Musa was standing in the center of the grove, singing her heart out. A black woman was dancing to her music, waving cheerfully at Roxy. Next to her, an olive-skinned woman was watering a set of potted plants – goldenrod and heather – which were flowering on a table. On the table, a redheaded woman was frosting tiny cakes – carrot-cake, lemon, and vanilla – while a blond woman was stirring the milk-and-honey mixture. She squealed as she accidentally spilled some on herself, complaining, "My dress!"
Hui's… friends? Roxy thought. She stared at Hui. "What are you doing here?"
"Roxy!" Hui said, looking startled – for reasons Roxy couldn't understand. "You're here?"
"Yeah," Roxy said as Artu pranced up to the black woman, sniffing her shoes. "I shouldn't be?" She crossed her arms. Hui and the black woman exchanged a glance.
"Not at all," the redhead said. "Here, have some cake." She pointed to the cake platter.
Roxy didn't want to accept their hospitality. But she was ravenous, and the cakes smelled really good. Staring at the milk saucer, she blurted out, "You put honey in it?"
"How did you know we put honey in the milk?" the redhead asked in surprise.
"I can smell it," Roxy answered. "I could smell it from far away. Give me some of that." Snatching the saucer, she poured some of the mixture into a china cup. "Your vanilla-cakes have honey inside, too."
The women cast each other a strange look, one that Roxy couldn't understand. "Well, in that case," the blond woman said, "we'd better celebrate."
She picked a vanilla cake, too. Hui and the black woman took a lemon cake, and the redhead and olive-skinned woman took a carrot cake. They sat down on the grass, munching their cakes together.
Roxy gazed up at the redhead, narrowing her eyes. There was something that looked familiar about her – something she could make out. And then it hit her.
"Hang on a minute, I know you," she said suddenly. "You live on Floral Street, right? Your father's the head of the fire-department" –
"That's right," the woman smiled. "I'm Bloom Peters, and I'm a resident in town. My friends here" – she pointed to the women – "they're staying abroad for some time."
"Her cakes are delicious," the olive-skinned woman said cheerfully. "They're so flavorful and amazing! I wouldn't even be able to tell that it's vegan!"
Roxy stared at the olive-skinned woman. "You're vegan?"
"Oh yeah," answered the redhead woman – Bloom. "I had to make the carrot cakes milk-less and eggless. Iris's totally crazy about nature!"
Roxy didn't think it was crazy at all. She herself was a vegetarian, although dairy was abundant in her diet. She always bought organic produce and free-range milk and eggs from the store, something that never failed to tick her father off. Well, he's too lazy to buy the groceries himself, so he should deal… She could taste that the cakes were made of organic materials, too.
"What're you guys doing here?" she asked gruffly.
"We're – uh" – Iris stammered.
"We're celebrating!" the blond woman said lightly. "We're celebrating our new jobs. Isn't that right, guys?" She shoved Iris with her elbow.
"Um – okay," Roxy said, now definitely feeling suspicious. There was something very inorganic about this. But the milk was too good for her to complain too much. She downed it quickly.
"What're your names?" she asked, looking at the blond and black women.
"Chiara," said the blond woman. "And there's Aisha." She tapped the black woman on the shoulder, who smiled at her kindly.
"What brings you out here?" she asked. "The park's completely empty. What makes you come out here?"
Roxy shrugged. "I've always liked nature. There's just something so soothing about it, which Artu and I love." She stroked her dog. "Even though my life's completely screwed up, it always makes me feel at home. I also have a composting pile out here, which helps." She gazed up, and then she froze.
The five women were staring at her with shocked expressions on their faces. Artu tensed, and Roxy stared up at them with narrowed eyes. Layla turned towards the others.
"I'm gonna test our theory," she said. She grabbed something from inside a box and picked it up.
Roxy stared in horror. An iron disc was in her hands, and she stared, petrified. Artu immediately stood up, barking at Aisha.
"Layla, no!" Hui shouted.
But it was too late. Aisha – or whatever her name was – threw the iron at Roxy, who screamed out in horror. No… She stuck her hands out, in a futile attempt to defend herself.
The blow never came. Instead, Roxy stared at the ground in confusion. The stone had fallen to the ground, blue sparkles glimmering around it momentarily. How? She stared at the women, who nodded to each other.
"It's her." Bloom's voice was clear. "She's the Last Fairy on Earth."
"Can you feel that?" Duman gasped.
Ogron narrowed his eyes. They'd been able to pinpoint the magickal flare, and he smiled cruelly. He now knew exactly where the Last Fairy was.
"In a small town near Naples, Italy," he mused. "That's where we're heading."
He smiled wickedly as he turned to his other Wizards. "Get moving," he ordered. "We should be there by afternoon."
And then she shall be mine.
