Fairy Lands- Book 1

Chapter Thirty-Six

The Githdian pools lay still, a blue glow reflected onto the ceiling giving off a tranquil scene. They crept inside after sidestepping the shadow sprites down the hallway, Hildy made her way to one pool at the front, she took a long breath before pulling Sam over.

"You go first, we all hold hands and follow...everyone understands?" Sunny and Elliot nodded before battling each other to grab Sam's hand.

"Stop being so childish" Elliot whispered from the side of his mouth as he gripped Sam's clawed, grey hand in triumph.

"I hope the other Fairy eats you and then shits you out and we all laugh. I'm joking Sam, this...is...jokes and fun!" Sunny placed his hands up in defence.

Sam had already regretted bringing Elliot five minutes after leaving their room. Sunny refused to look at them and mumbled the word 'slut' every so often, leaving Elliot to simmer in fury. He eventually shoved the Vampire into a door causing an almighty crash and the shadow sprites to be alerted.

"If you two don't shut it I will weave a spell so dastardly...neither of you will have any balls! I don't even know any spells like that but damn I am so powerful who knows what my anger could do!" Hildy spat as the two men quietened down.

The group circled around the pool with Sam in the lead. He would have felt silly pulling along his short friends, but his nerves caused him to squash such thoughts. He took a long breath, he wasn't even sure if he jumped into the pool he would come out to the place he wanted to be, and so, he cleared his mind and thought only of Theodore's forest.

He held his breath and did exactly as he did the first time, his mind blossomed into clarity and the cold rush of water hit his face. The next time he opened his eyes he stood in darkness, still clutching Elliots hand.

"That was weird..." Elliot stated as they all looked around at the deep, dark forest.

"You never travelled by Pool before?" Hildy asked.

"No...never, we always took a tunnel. Mother distrusts the Pool's, she told me the space between worlds is where they can snatch you from."

It wasn't the first time Elliot had mentioned the strange quirks of his mother Sam noted, she seemed to have quite a few ideas and paranoias.

The forest was silent bar the soft wind that rustled the leaves gently, not a bird or branch could be heard but Sam knew this place was drenched in Fairies all waiting and watching. He moved forward with purpose and just like the time before, he picked a direction and knew Theodore would be there. The others didn't talk in the face of such authoritative quiet, their very breaths felt oppressed in the tension that cut across the treeline. Everyone felt it, from the black moss that sprouted on the ground to the branches that refused to break under foot- no one wanted to be the first to make their presence known.

"They're everywhere" Sunny finally said, breathless as his eyes darted from one dark tree to another "hundreds of them...I can hear their heartbeats."

"I didn't know Fairies had hearts," Hildy said in an amused voice.

"They do, and they are fucking deafening to me right now. If we have to run I'll pick up Hildy and you grab Elliot" The Vampire looked to Sam who nodded.

"Pick me up? Pyahhh! I'll blast this entire woodland and make a nice coffee table with the splinters. They are enjoying your fear though Sunny, keeping them well fed." The Witch replied with a smirk.

At that, Sunny stood up a little taller. Her confidence infected the group, they no longer tread as if walking into a den of snakes. Sam knew he had nothing to fear if everything Theodore had said was correct, he had never been scared in the man's company before- why was it so different? They trudged through the forest until finding Theodore sitting on the fallen log as he usually was. He smiled warmly at them, his eyes lighting up at the sight of Sam.