Snakes
“Who's there!” Felix shouted. “Show yourself!”
Cynthia pulled her sword from her belt. The three of them put their backs together and waited. Another twig snapped, and a hissing came from the woods. Then a sound that sounded like a giant snake slithering through the leaves filled the air.
All of a sudden, a giant snake burst through the tree line.
“Guys...that's a human sized snake.” Sylvia said.
Cynthia stood next to Felix now. “Do we kill it?”
Sylvia looked at it. “It's a garter snake.” she said. “It's technically harmless. I'll take care of it. Stand back or you'll get crushed.” Sylvia rubbed her dog tags together. Felix and Cynthia jumped back as she instantly transformed into a human.
It took Sylvia a moment to reorient herself. It had been a really long time since she'd been human. She looked down. The snake was still there. She bent down and picked it up.
“You shouldn't scare the little elves, silly snake.” she said. It was actually a pretty small snake when she was normal sized.
“S-s-sylvia!” it hissed.
“I can understand snakes now?” she said to herself.
“My name is-s-s S-s-slither-r-r.” he hissed again. “I have been s-s-sent by your father to s-s-speak to you.”
“My dad!?” she exclaimed.
“Yes-s-s.”
“Can I talk to you in elf-form? I can hardly hear you.”
“Yes-s-s. But put me down firs-s-st.”
Sylvia put him down then rubbed her dog tags together. She shrunk down again.
“Sylvia! It's still here!” Cynthia said.
“I know. It's friendly. He knows something about my dad.”
Slither slipped up to where he could talk to Sylvia. “Your father s-s-spoke to me, not knowing I could unders-s-stand. He s-s-said, 'Little s-s-snake? If you s-s-see my S-s-sylvia tell her I'm alright. Tell her I hope she's-s-s OK. Tell her I love her.' I dec-c-cided to find you. I got directions-s-s from s-s-some lady named Mira.” the snake seemed to laugh. “She s-s-seemed to think I was-s-s going to hurt you from the s-s-strange look that came into her eyes-s-s.”
Sylvia smiled. “If you see my dad again...” she closed her eyes, then pulled a piece of paper from her pouch. “Can you give this to him?”
Slither flicked his tongue in and out. “He won't be able to read it. It's-s-s elf-s-s-sized.”
“You're right.” She said.
“Your father does-s-sn't unders-s-stand s-s-snake s-s-speech.” Slither complained. “But I s-s-suppos-s-s-e he's-s-s only human.”
Sylvia smiled.
“I will find a way to s-s-speak with him.” Slither said. “I mus-s-st be on my way. I will s-s-see you s-s-soon S-s-sylvia.”
“Bye Slither.” she said.
Slither, well, slithered off through the woods.
“Let's go back to the tree. Won't all the night elves be surprised.” Cynthia said.
“Yeah. That and we don't want to be caught out here when the sun comes up. The swamp creatures will be on the prowl, and we're only protected from them by the fountain's magic.” Felix added.
The three of them made a quick walk back to the tree just as the sun was peeking over the horizon. Sylvia made it to the night elves' floor first. She banged on all the doors. “Everybody up! It's dawn! The day's a wasting!”
Sylvia looked at Jayden, who was now sitting on the couch.
“What happened at the moon fountain?” he asked.
“You'll see.” she said.
The rest of the elves came out of their rooms, yawning and blinking.
“Where's Felix?” Damian asked as everyone sat down.
“He's already up.” Sylvia said. “He and I have something to say.”
Felix came in the door. “Good morning everyone.”
“How is it good?” Alex grumbled, still tired. “We've lost two of our clan and we have many injured. For all we know there could be another battle today.”
“We've only lost one.” Sylvia said.
“Sylvia.” Ben said. “Lucia died in Frederick's arms last night. I watched her die. She was returned to human form. You held Cynthia in her last moments.”
“Her blood is still on your dress.” Sally put in.
Sylvia pictured the dark purple battle dress she'd worn the day before. Cynthia's blood was indeed on the front of it. “I know. But last night something happened.” she paused. “Before she died, Cynthia prophesied that I should connect individually with the moon. Jayden can tell you that I did. When I did, the moon showed me a vision. That vision is why I went to the moon fountain. What I found there I've brought back.” she smiled at Felix.
“Night elves,” he began, “We lost Cynthia yesterday, but we've found a replacement.”
“No one can replace Cynthia.” Ivy shouted. She stood. “How can you say that Felix? You're the one who went to bed without speaking to anyone! You're the one that took her death the hardest. Did you forget about her in one night!?”
Felix looked hurt. “No Ivy.”
“I should've known this would happen.” Cynthia said, walking into the room. Everyone's eyes widened and their jaws fell. “I should've known you all would start fighting if I wasn't here to keep the peace. You elves are such a chore to maintain.”
“C-Cynthia!” Alex found his voice the fastest.
“Yes I'm alive!” she said exasperatedly. “Alive and well.”
“How is that even possible!?” Kyle asked.
“When a purple elf is connected to the moon, there's a test they have to pass.” Jayden explained. “It's a mistake in their lives that they have to go back and fix. It's always involved saving someone they could have saved but didn't.”
“When Jayden and I were fighting Mira yesterday I could have saved Cynthia.” Sylvia confessed. “I was given a second chance to save her, but I didn't know who she was. The vision didn't show me. I just saved the elf in blue in Cynthia's memory. Turns out it was Cynthia.”
“Once an elf connects individually to the moon they can receive visions from the moon.” Jayden continued. “They can be past, present, or future visions.”
“The vision I had last night was from the present. I could see Felix by the moon fountain. So I went there and Cynthia appeared out of nowhere.”
“When I died I went to be with the Elven Lords of old.” Cynthia picked up the story. “They told me that Sylvia was going to fulfill my prophecy and commune with the moon. They told me that her test was going to be a chance to save me. They didn't know if she would succeed, but they told me that if she did, I was going to be returned to the earth as an elf, alive and well. They said if she failed, I would remain dead forever. When I heard she had succeeded, I went before the elven council and asked them for a color change.”
A gasp ran through the night elves. “A color change!?” Ben asked.
“Yes.” she took Felix's hand. “I'm in love with a green. We can't be together if we're not both greens.”
“So you're a green now?” Sally asked.
“My request was denied.” everyone was about to react, but Cynthia held up her hand. “Instead, they decided to change Felix's color from green to blue.”
“That's only happened one other time in the history of the elves.” Damian said.
“I know.” Cynthia replied. “But now it's twice.”
“Why did they do it the first time, Damian?” Alex asked.
“That is a question for Frederick.” Damian said. “But now the six purples must go meet with the queen. We need tactics for the day.”
Jayden tried to get up but Sylvia forced him to sit back down.
“Sylvia!” he barked.
“You aren't going anywhere Jayden Walsh. You're staying here to rest.”
Ivy agreed with Sylvia, so the two girls went down to meet the queen without him.
“How is Jayden this morning?” Stella asked.
“He's got his feisty side back.” Sylvia said as she and Ivy bowed before her.
“I hear Fayette was injured badly as well.” Stella said. “The fairy's physician recommended that she stay in the hollow. It will be up to you and the boys to fly today's mission. Midnight Rose is much better today Sylvia. The medicine bird pronounced her injury 'painful, but not enough to keep her in the nest'. She will fly with you today.”
Sylvia smiled. She and Rose were already good friends.
“My scouts brought me reports of an alarming nature.” Stella changed the subject. The two fairies walked in and bowed. “Good morning boys.” and she continued. “The scouts say that my sister is rallying several nasty types of creatures from her swamp lands. They plan to attack tonight. I have called in some favors, and a couple of allies.” she turned to Sylvia. “You met one of their generals already.”
Sylvia furrowed her brow.
“General Slither. The snake that spoke to you this morning.”
“Slither!? Little Slither?”
“Slither is only little to a human. But some of the snakes in his herd are larger than he. You didn't notice the scars on his skin?”
Sylvia shook her head.
“He is a very brave snake, whether he be small for his kind or not. He and his army will provide reinforcements for us against whatever terrors my sister has bred in that muddy hole of hers. You four will meet with the four snake generals this afternoon.” she changed the subject again. “Tonight I recommend that you wear your armor. I don't know what sorts of evils we'll be facing tonight, but I want you to be ready. You are my four generals now. When Jayden and Fayette are well enough I will add them to my ranks.
However, I have split my army into five groups for tonight's assault. Sylvia, you will be leading Force A, Ivy, Force B, Drake, Force C, and Warren, Force D. I will take Force E. The idea is to make my sister think we have suffered too many casualties to beat her. I'll meet her with Force E at the beginning. It is one of the smaller companies. Sylvia, Force A will be air-borne. It is the smallest group of them all but I want you to do something extremely difficult. Your force must use the perfect amount of stealth or this will not work. I plan to meet them by the creek tonight in a surprise attack. I want you to make the creek steam up so that they cannot see. You will fly in and wreak whatever havoc you decide. Volleys of arrows, rocks, whatever you like. You will be the final blow. The rest of you, when I blow my horn, come in reverse alphabetical order. First Warren, then Drake, then Ivy. Sylvia will have to keep track of how many times I've called in the elven and fairy troops. After you've done your attack, Sylvia, I will summon the snakes if we still need them.”
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