The Land Never Lost

Chapter 18

Before anyone could react, Cadman and his two knights surrounded Peter. "Whoa hold on!" Peter said looking at the very angry fairies. Shouting between the knights and the Fallen filled the room of rumination, King Fairbelle and the older fairies in his council sat stunned. One member almost fell backwards off of his seat. "Trinkett, now I'm not amused. Explain yourself this instant!" The King's powerful voice echoed throughout the room and all at once all arguments and conversations stooped.

"Dad. This is my..."

"Right now I am your King." Riordan interrupted his daughter so abruptly she winced. "You speak of protecting the balance of the worlds as my father wanted, yet you have been hiding a human boy in our world. I dare not inquire how long he has been here or what ramifications his presence will have." The king walked towards Peter as he spoke.

Trinkett and the other Fallen got down on one knee when King Fairbelle approached, only Peter stood. The boy's blue eyes looked at the King with great concentration. "Cadman, stand down." Cadman's hand dropped from his piece of iron hanging from his neck. The knights followed and stood behind their King. "Who are you boy?"

"I'm Peter."

"Peter of?"

"Peter of the orphanage?"

"Trinkett you took this boy from this 'orphanage', away from his parents..."

"I don't have any parents. The only reason she agreed to bring me here is because I belonged nowhere or to no one."

Trinkett stood and faced her father. "He is the plan, your majesty. He is the proof."

"Proof of what?!" Cadman interjected.

"This!" Peter was covered in a green aura. His blue eyes were now bright gold and his ankles had small wings of pure light sprouting from them.

"Incredible"

"Amazing"

Every fairy was genuinely impressed at the sight of a human using nemerald. All but one. Cadman Belargus was wide eyed with disgust. "This is outrageous. Under what circumstances did you all believe this was acceptable. Showing humans our ways. Besides the blatant disregard it shows for our people, it's still not proof of anything. It's simply a rare occurrence."

"I can fight glooms. I'll show you." Peter was determined to make sure the time the Fallen spent putting their hopes in him wasn't wasted. Cadman laughed, "There are no glooms here to hunt.".

Ramona said, "Then he will fight you." All eyes turned to her. The shy girl blushed and quickly said, "I mean it's the best showcase for his abilities. If Peter can impress Cadman, that has to mean something right?"

Peter was sure of two things. The first was that Ramona was too smart for her own good. The second was that no Gloom had ever intimidated him the way Cadman had. His white armor was blinding, and if Peter stared at it too long his vision became blurred. Cadman stood across an open field twenty feet away from Peter. His arm glowed as nemerald flowed down towards the oak gauntlet. In a flash the gauntlet had turned into a 4 foot round wooden shield still attached to his arm. He ripped the cord of vines from around his neck and held the sliver of iron in his hand. With another flash the sliver of iron had elongated into a three and a half foot ornate broadsword.

Brutus and Blink were coaching Peter. Shouting random words of encouragement and advice, which only made Peter feel overwhelmed. "He will get in close." "He's a stoke!"

Peter replied sarcastically, "Thanks Blink. I got that from the huge sword and shield." Peter was breathing more rapidly until he felt Leif's huge hand on his shoulder. Nemerald passed from Leif into Peter and he felt a calming effect wash over him. Leif looked down into Peter's eyes and smiled. "Calm yourself. Find what draws you to your nature. He is strong but you have trained with all of us. You got this."

Cadman tapped his sword to his shield. "Let's see what the human boy can..." Peter appeared in front of the knight in a flash of green. A gasp passed through all fairies present but Cadman was too battle hardened to be caught off guard. He raised his shield to block Peter's kick. Peter wasn't done, he twisted in mid air, planted a foot and pushed off the shield. Instead of landing on the ground, Peter stopped halfway through a back flip and flew at Cadman. He threw punches and kicks wildly hoping to overwhelm his opponent. Unfortunately, Peter wasn't much of a planner. He really wished James was there to help. His friend would think of something.

Cadman was done blocking the attacks and with one loud yell Peter was pushed back. Before he regained his footing, Cadman was rushing Peter. He slammed the flat side of his sword into Peter's shoulder, sending Peter flying. A sharp pain burned through his chest. If Peter hadn't channeled his nemerald into his arm, every bone would have been broken. Cadman charged the boy again. When he swung his sword Peter ducked under the large fairies legs. Cadman slammed his shield into the ground, narrowly missing Peter's head.

Peter shot into the sky, the knight spun around and launched his sword. Only now the piece of iron was In the form of a long spear. Peter reached out and intercepted the weapon, ignoring the pain in his arm he allowed the force of the spear to spin him around. He threw it right back at its owner. Cadman went to bring his shield over his head to block the spear but couldn't lift it. The oak shield was stuck firmly in the solid ground not budging. Peter's plan had worked. When he passed through Cadman's legs, he dragged his hand on the surface, softening the ground. Cadman struck just as Peter shot up and as soon as his hand left the surface it hardened.

During his training with Leif, Peter noticed he could use aspects of both spikes and stokes. He could not only apply nemerald to his physical body but the nature around him. Of course not to the level true stokes could, but for clever uses like this it was enough. Leif decided this union of powers deserved its own classification. Peter was not a spike or stoke, but a spirit. A perfectly balanced control of nemerald. Cadman wouldn't know this class existed. Peter had only been using it how a spike would. Belargus would assume that's what he was. Now he was shocked and the boy had an opening.

Peter dropped towards Cadman with a gleeful scream. His fist was drawn back pulsating with a bright emerald energy as he went to deliver a decisive blow. Just before his punch connected, Cadman shrunk the shield back down and the gauntlet covered his fist like a wooden boxing glove. He swung upward and caught Peter with an uppercut. The entire room went dark and the boy lay on the field knocked unconscious.

When Peter came to Leif was kneeling beside him holding his head. The Fallen stood over the boy, each looking worried. Even the cold Belias had a genuinely concerned look on his face. Peter sat up slowly and winced, "Ow! So I lost, huh?" Blink laughed and patted him on the back. "Hey kid you did really well... but yeah you lost."

"Damn I thought I got him with that last move." Leif picked the boy up and set him back down on his feet. Trinkett ran to her father, "You have to admit this could work". King Fairbelle sat back down on his throne. "That was interesting, but I don't see how one human is going to take our burden away. As incredible as Peter may be, the fight with glooms is endless."

"He cannot do it alone." Cadman was hanging the sliver of iron around his neck. "He needs help. I would advise against it. The boy's display in our fight only answers for his own capabilities, not if he can take on the fight against glooms."

Peter started jumping up and down excitedly. "I got it! I got it! I can find help. Not a lot of help, but I got some." Ramona's eyes widened, "Your brothers? That's a great idea. Peter, you have said they would follow you anywhere right?"

Peter nodded. Trinkett turned to her father, and a silent look of approval passed between them. "Go get the boys. Bring them here. Me and the Fallen will get ready for their arrival and training. Do you remember how to get there?". Peter smiled widely and took on his spirit form. Leif opened a circular hole in the roof of the dome. "You got this Peter!". In a sudden flash of green the boy shot straight up right at the brightest star. The cheers from the Fallen lifted the boy higher. Up he flew. Onward and upwards. Then the sky flipped and Peter was flying back down toward the place he left not so long ago.