Dead Men's Bells (gxg)

Chapter 9

"Who would we be fighting? Who would gain from killing all of the ancestors?" Lazuli asked in confusion.

"I don't know. If the entire Moss family were to pass away, then we would just live on as any other fairy clan. It might be difficult for a while, as we would have to find a new place to live if new humans moved in, but otherwise things wouldn't change," Amantha stated, while staring up at the lightning bugs and looking deep in thought.

"What if it was humans, who wanted to pair with your clan instead of my family? Do other humans know of you?" I suggested. "Ruth was a very wealthy woman, so they could be after money."

Amantha pondered that for a moment, one of her slender fingers scratching the tip of her nose. "I don't think so. Unless a human was already familiar with other fey, then they wouldn't ever believe it unless they were shown the truth. Even then, they wouldn't know who to even target if they found out about our families' relationship."

"Are we at war with another fairy clan and don't even know it?" Lazuli asked.

Amantha nodded slowly. "I believe that may be the case."

The other fairies in the room all gasped in surprise, and high-pitched murmurs soon filled the attic. I had no idea what a fairy war was like, but I didn't think I wanted to see it if there were already dead humans and no clues as the cause or even who the enemy was.

"Then what do we do?" I had to ask because it sounded like we were all confused.

"Right now, we do nothing," Amantha commanded. "We will have to determine which clan may want to harm us or may be jealous of our relations. In the meantime, we must determine what we can do to protect you and Lazuli. Without you, this partnership has no future."

"Can I do anything to help? Do I need to get weapons?" Did guns and such things work on fairies? I had no idea!
"No! Don't bring weapons into this! They're too unpredictable and could damage us as well as any enemy," cautioned Amantha. "Just keep yourself safe, no going out at night. Stay close to Lazuli."

"Well, I think the last part was a given," Lazuli whispered to me as she burrowed into my neck.

I could see the little fairy still buried in her hair moving around before peeking out and waving shyly at me. "Hi, I'm Amber!"

"Hi Amber, it's nice to meet you. I'm Cristyn." I couldn't help but grin at her, she was an adorable fairy with a jet black pixie cut and violet colored eyes.

"Amber has been my best friend since I left the flower," Lazuli said with a soft smile. "She was the only one that could cheer me up when you weren't here."

"And you were the only one that could make me happy when I lost Ivy," replied Amber sadly.

I didn't want to interrupt, but with Amber hanging her head when Amantha mentioned matches passing before they ever met their fairy, I assumed Ivy must have been a distant cousin of mine who died too young. "I'm so glad you had each other to help you through the tough times."

"And I'm glad you came back for her. When you picked her flower, I was so worried about her, because if you hadn't returned, she would have been miserable. But now I know she'll be in good hands!" Amber squeaked out. I noticed her voice didn't have the same bell-like quality that Lazuli's did, so maybe she came from a different flower? Or maybe I only heard Lazuli's bell because I picked the flower?

"Amber, do you think you could help Lazuli protect Cristyn until we know who is moving against us?" Amantha asked kindly.

"Me?" Amber's hands flew over her mouth and her eyes flew wide. "Are you sure? I get scared easily."