Alvina

Chapter four

Fairies gasped as I practically tumbled through their circle to sit on the tree stump I always use.

They took one look at me covered in dirt and blood and shouted for Layla, who I watch fly over with an assortment of others who all carry various items for healing me.

"How did this happen?" Layla asks in concern "We heard you yelling" Her head lowers and she flies around the gash on my side, refusing to make eye contact.

"I'm okay, Layla" I try to reassure her. I can see how she's ashamed of herself for not coming to help me.

"No, you're not. Can you lift your shirt?" she asks hesitantly.

I pull the fabric up so she can get a full view. The cut is pretty deep and goes from the bottom of my ribs on the left side down several inches toward my belly button. I can't tell how deep it is, and when Layla gets close to it, she only hums slightly to herself.

"Jenny!" she calls out to a fairie in a red dress.

"Yes?" she comes and flies next to Layla.

"Alvina needs stitches, will you grab the thread and the needle, please?"

With a nod, Jenny flies away and I look at Layla in surprise "You know how to do stitches? How could you know that?"

Layla smiles sheepishly at me "One of the fairie elders showed me"

"And how do they know? I thought you all stayed in Galleia"

Layla shakes her head and watches as Jenny comes back with a spool of thread and a needle. She thanks her as she flies away, pulling thread from the spool.

"Not always. Fairies used to have a class known as the Endreia– warrior fairies. They would always leave the circle to do all sorts of things, make trades with other circles or species, work as scouts for the high council of fairies, fought for the protection of fairies, they were the bravest of us, certainly braver than I could ever be"

She picks up a small wooden bowl with both hands, big enough to fit in my one hand and she holds it out to me. Inside are several leaves, they're deep purple and each is the size of a flower petal. "Chew on those" she instructs, and when I hold one close to my face, inspecting it, she giggles. "They'll numb your body temporarily so the stitches don't hurt so bad"

I can't help the sigh of relief. Thank the gods. The burn of the wound feels like fire, and not the usual kind I feel simmering under my skin. This is just a hot, burning fire.

I immediately put one in my mouth and chew on it. The numbing effects are quick as my tongue starts to tingle. Soon enough, my whole body is buzzing and the fire has dulled leaving me sighing in relief.

"What happened with the Endreia?" I ask her.

With the needle now threaded, she comes close and places her tiny hands on my skin. She looks up at me and I nod, telling her to do it.

I watch her work and I'm impressed with how she handles the needle with such a small body in comparison. Her wings flutter quickly as she hovers in place next to the wound.

The first stitch goes in and she continues talking, "The Endreia were brave and adventurous with a sense of pride when it came to protecting their circle, but there is a reason why we never leave the circle, the same reason you encountered earlier. The beasts in the woods."

Images of the night wolf flash in my mind, and as if reading my mind, Layla looks up at me and nods gravely. "We are crafty, and are very knowledgeable on the woods, but if a fairies wings are damaged in any way, we will never fly again. So, years ago, when the Endreia were still around, we were in the midst of a great threat, legend calls it the rising because, at first, the beasts became disturbed. Usually, we can work around them, and they won't bother us as long as we're careful, but there was one day when the ground beneath our feet began shaking, and in the upcoming months, the beasts became enraged.