Posted November 1, 2021. Happy Samhain!


CHAPTER 6: THE SWORD OF LIGHT

On the Matter of the City of Findias

The city of Findias is a location of one of the four Treasures of the Tuatha dé Danann, a group of fairies that descended from heaven to earth. It is located on the east coast of the Emerald Isle.

Its treasure, the Sword of Light, is very powerful. It can cut items in half with one stroke, and has an enchanted blade. Only a truly mighty warrior can lift this Sword.

– From the Book of Fay


Dublin, Ireland

"This book is very informative," Musa commented as she thumbed through.

Bloom nodded in agreement. She had been looking through the book herself, and she found that the author had a comprehensive list of just about everything to do with fairies.

"I wonder who wrote that book," Tecna said. "Do we have any information on the author?"

"Sadly, no," Flora answered. "However, from what I've read, he must've been a medieval believer of fairies. By the thirteenth century or so, many people had stopped believing in fairies; most of the fairies had been locked away at this point. During that time, however, he travelled the world, looking for evidence of the civilizations."

"So he wrote this book in the fourteenth century, when the Wizards officially attacked the fairies and locked them in another realm," Musa said in surprise.

"He wrote some chapters during the war, too," Flora answered. "There's nothing in this book beyond the fourteenth century, though. The author seems to have disappeared."

"Great," Roxy's bored voice filled the air. "Let's keep talking about fairies and witches and monsters. I'm sure that'll make us less crazy."

"Roxy" – Musa began, but Layla placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Just ignore her," she said.

Sighing, Bloom gazed down at the city below them. They were lucky that Tecna had programmed the helicopter with an invisibility booster; otherwise, they would've easily been caught by now.

It was now November 1. According to the Celtic calendar, which the Book of Fay followed, it was the first day of winter. The air was definitely beginning to cool; she could tell that winter was well on its way.

She missed her parents, and hoped they were okay. It had been a while since she'd heard from them; they couldn't really contact anyone through their phones, after all, since calling would automatically reveal their location. Tecna had done something to turn off all the location sensor while still managing to connect them to Internet; still, she wasn't sure it was enough.

Unfortunately, they had more important matters to get to. They had read about the four Treasures of the Tuatha dé Danann, a group of fairies that were endemic to Ireland. Flora had read through the book, explaining everything to the Winx.

"Look," she had said, pointing to a page. Squinting, Bloom read the page aloud.

When the Tuatha dé Danann (children of Danu) descended from the heavens to earth, they lost their status as divine beings; giving up their immortality, they became the race known as the Sídhe, or fairies of Ireland. Thus followed a legendary war between the fairies, who wanted to settle Ireland, and the humans, who were fighting to keep their land. Once the fairies lost the battle, the Druids who negotiated the peace terms. It was agreed that the fairies were banished to the dark forests and underground world, whereas humans stayed aboveground, in the light.

They were also granted with the safekeeping of the Four Treasures of the Tuatha dé Danann. The four treasures are the Sword of Light, the Spear of Lugh, the Cauldron of Dagda, and the Stone of Destiny. They are guarded in the four first cities of Ireland: Findias, Gorias, Murias, and Falias, respectively.

These four artifacts can grant the bearer immense power. As they were forged by fairies, they can be wielded only against the true enemies of fairykind. In the future, I believe that four powerful people will come together to wield these great artifacts.

Bloom's eyes widened. Flora closed the book shut, gazing at the other women.

"We need these weapons to fight the Wizards of the Black Circle," she said. "Otherwise, we don't have any way of defending ourselves."

"Yeah!" Chatta cheered. "Let's go and find some artifacts!"

And now they were flying over Ireland. Bloom stared at the metropolis of Dublin, watching as it came into view.

There were several large buildings with castle-like accoutrements. But one caught Bloom's eyes in particular. She stared at a large cathedral that was ahead of them, and pointed it out to her friends.

"I think that's where we should go," she said.

"Hmm." Tecna looked it up on her phone. "Saint Patrick's Cathedral. Interesting." She nodded. "Sure, let's check it out."

"Great," Roxy groused. "It's bad enough that you have to drag me on this wild-goose chase for fairies. Now you want me to become a tourist, too?"

"We're keeping you safe," Bloom answered sternly. "You're coming with us, whether you like it or not."


Musa gazed around the Cathedral with amazement, taking it all in at once.

The aisle was golden. Brown pews over red carpet flanked either side of her, and she could make out the arches in the ceiling, which were also golden. Colorful flags hung from the ceiling. She stared ahead at the golden pulpit, which was lavishly decorated. Behind her, the organ hung tall and proud.

"This is amazing," she breathed. "I wonder how it'd be like to play that organ."

A few people milled around. The Cathedral was not very packed at this time of year, especially considering it was the off season. Roxy gazed at the Cathedral, her arms crossed purposefully. Tune flew forward.

"This is a very beautiful Cathedral," she said. "I can't wait to see more of it!"

Musa smiled as Tune landed on her shoulder. They headed to the pulpit, gazing around.

"Hang on!" Flora was holding the Book of Fay in her arms. "I found something. Some interesting information about Saint Patrick." She pointed at the book. "Look!" They all crowded around to read.

Saint Patrick is a greatly revered saint amongst the Irish people. Spreading Christianity throughout much of Ireland, nearly one-hundred thousand people were baptized during his life.

One of the most famous legends about him is the story of Tír na nÓg. More commonly known as Paradise, it was a land where both fairies and humans dwelt in peace, ruled by the High Faerie Queen. Once the hero Oisín returned from Paradise, he met Saint Patrick. Upon his death, he told Saint Patrick the story of meeting the fay in Paradise; the saint wrote everything down in his annals. His words are conclusive proof of the fairies' existence.

"So Saint Patrick created many of the legends about the fay!" Bloom gasped. "That's really interesting."

Suddenly, Musa frowned as she made out something. She could see a light shining from the organ, which was across from them. A beam of light shined directly onto the back of the pulpit, to a specific location. The tiniest crack appeared in the wall, and she let out a gasp.

The crack was glowing.

"What is it?" Stella whispered. The other Winx, Pixies, and Roxy stared in amazement at it. "How do we get in?"

"What's beyond there?" Bloom protested. "It's just a crack in the wall."

"I can sense there's lots of power there," Lockette said. "Something special."

"But how do we get across without breaking the wall down?" Tecna asked.

"Wait," Digit frowned. "Look." She pointed at the floor.

Musa stared, realizing what Digit saw. The crack in the wall extended to the ground, and stretched all the way across the floor. It reached the urn in the center of the pulpit. Layla and Bloom stepped forward to lift the urn, dragging it across.

Almost instantly, they saw a hole in the ground – leading down to a tunnel. Bloom gasped, her eyes wide.

"Let's go down there!" she said. She and Lockette leapt into the hole, sliding down the tunnel. Musa followed her, ready to go –

"What is going on?"

Musa froze, turning around. A few of the tourists were staring at them, openmouthed. One of them pointed at Musa, shouting, "It's them! The kidnappers!"

"Run!" Layla shouted. The group of six women ran out of the Cathedral, escaping for their lives.


Bloom stared around at the chamber she'd just entered – or rather, the underground city. She took it all in, staring around.

People stared at her as she walked forward. There were buildings made out of rubble; from what she could tell, they were very strong. Lockette breathed aloud.

"Wow," she gasped. A man in a brown robe walked up to her, his eyes bowed.

"You are in the ancient city of Findias," he said. "How may I assist you?"

"Findias?" Bloom said in surprise.

"One of the four ancient cities of the Emerald Isle," he answered. "Only a truly brave warrior at heart can find these cities. Our people live here peacefully, guarding one of the four ancient treasures that was granted to us by the Tuatha dé Danann, fairies of Ireland."

Bloom only remembered one word of that. She stared at the man, gasping, "You know about the fairies?"

"Of course we do," he answered. "Not all of mankind has forgotten. Our people have been keeping the information under lock-and-key for centuries. This is who we are." He gazed at her. "Who are you?"

"My name is Bloom," she answered, "and this is my pixie friend, Lockette." She gestured to the pixie next to her. "I am part of a group known as the Winx. We come from the Magical Dimension to free the fairies on Earth, with the aid of the Last Fairy on Earth."

The man gasped. "I have heard the stories of the people from beyond the stars, but only now do I see proof," he said. "Once upon a time ago, Earth came into contact with the rest of the Magical Dimension; it was only after the Wizards of the White Circle began their conquest that Earth severed all contact." He nodded. "You are here to claim the Sword of Light?"

"Well" – Heat rose in Bloom's cheeks. "I guess I am," she decided. "If I am to defeat the Wizards, then I must have it."

"The Wizards of the White Circle have returned?" The man looked alarmed. "Then we must act quickly." He headed back into the city; Bloom followed.

She stared as they came up to the center of the city. A red, glowing sword hung at the center, placed in iron tongs. The man pointed to it.

"Only a truly powerful warrior can even touch it," he said. "It will burn while you touch it, but you must endure it." Bloom hesitantly reached forward, touching the hilt of the Sword.

Immediately, she cried out in pain. Fire seemed to envelop her arms, and she felt nothing but pain. Memories of all the painful memories of her life came back to her, suddenly magnified.

She remembered when Sky, under Valtor's spell, had chosen Diaspro over her. How she'd had to face the Ancestresses that spring. Most saddening, how Daphne had died the day before her birthday. She winced, trying to drop the Sword –

"Don't drop it!" Lockette shouted. "You can do it, Bloom!"

That encouragement was all she needed. Holding on tightly, she felt the pain bursting through her, scalding her arms. She winced, her eyes tight together.

And then, just like that, the pain dissipated. She gasped, holding the Sword high in her right hand. The man looked astonished.

"You are a very powerful warrior," he said. "I can tell." He bowed down towards her.

"Go," he said. "Defeat our enemies. I am very glad you joined our forces."

"Me too," Bloom answered warmly. Heading out of the city, she headed towards the hole that would lead her to the Cathedral.


The sound of sirens filled the air as Roxy ran with the rest of the Winx. Musa grabbed her arm tightly, not letting her leave.

Roxy tried to pull out of Musa's grip. She wanted nothing more than to run towards the police, with Artu in-hand. But there was nothing she could do. Musa pulled her along tightly, a grim expression on her face.

"We need to get to the helicopter," she said. "Only then will we be safe!"

"Where's Bloom?" Stella shouted frantically.

"We'll catch up with her later!" Layla shouted. "For now, we need to" –

She never got to finish her sentence. Police-cars surrounded them on all sides. She stared forward, realizing what had happened.

They were trapped.

"Hands in the air," a policeman shouted, heading out of the car. The Winx stared in alarm at each other, horror in their eyes.

"What do we do?" Stella whispered.

"Let go of the girl," the officer yelled at Musa, "or we will attack." He raised his baton. "We're ready to" –

Suddenly, a gleaming flash of light shined. Roxy turned around, staring as Bloom came into view. She held a shimmering red sword that shined radiantly in the sky. Roxy's jaw dropped.

"That's not possible," she whispered.

Bloom slammed the Sword into the ground, sending cracks across. The men yelled as she cut the police-cars in-half, destroying them completely. While she did that, Tecna darted out of the way, heading down the road.

"Where's she" – Roxy broke off as she saw what was going on.

The helicopter was flying towards them. Tecna threw six flying-saucers at them, shouting, "Get in!"

Before Roxy could protest, Musa dragged her onto the flying-saucer, Artu coming along. It flew up to the top of the helicopter, and they leapt in. The other Winx followed. Bloom was the last one to follow, latching the door shut. They flew off into the sky, turning the invisibility booster back on.

Roxy stared at Bloom's Sword, the one that gleamed red. She shuddered.

"It's true?" she said in a strange voice. "Magic exists?"

"It indeed does." Bloom nodded, placing the Sword on the couch. She nodded to the others.

"This is one of the four treasures of the Tuatha dé Danann," she said, "the group of fairies that first populated Ireland. We need to find the other four. They're located in the ancient cities of Gorias, Murias, and Falias."

"Then we should go," Tecna said. "I'll look up their locations and get us to them." She took the Book of Fay, reading through it.

Roxy held Artu in her arms, staring at Bloom. I can't believe it… Though she had seen the Wizards' magic, this was nothing compared to it. She couldn't help but feel discouraged as she thought of how Bloom had wielded the power of the Sword.

If magic is real, then how am I ever going to escape this curse? How was she going to continue on as a fairy? She shook her head, feeling worse and worse.

But I have to do this. She had no choice but to accept the reality she was in now. She watched as the helicopter flew on, absorbed in her own thoughts.


Next chapter:

Layla searches for the Spear of Lugh.

The Winx go to the Blarney Castle.