Fairy Graves

Seven

Alnus and Pen had reached quite a comfortable arrangement. While Pen slept in the morning, Alnus would rest until the Second Moon rose and then journey onwards, Pen occasionally riding on Alnus' back, reading The Fae Prophecy and trying to decipher the cure.

"Listen to this, I just don't understand." She muttered, one hand clutching his fur and the other holding the book.

Alnus hummed and Pen took that as a sign to continue.

" 'Beware O' fairies /
of thee frail wings /
O', beware of thy watery grave /
Beware, says I /
for deep below /
Lays a Fairie graveyard / of those who did not heed / O' beware sweet Fairies.' "

Alnus hummed again.

"What does it mean though?" Pen tugged at her short hair before scowling and flipping through the pages. Nothing had added up, no two stories were linked together.

"Well," Alnus began, "didn't Stone say one must travel to the Wet Lands? Perhaps he was hoping we would figure it out."

"It must mean something then. This is the only prophecy that mentions water. So we travel to the Wet Lands... and then what? We have no clues, no plan. We're going in blind with our hands bound."

"Keep searching." Alnus encouraged.

" Be wary in your search / for the Wingless Death /
Continues to consume /
Be warned of the Wingless
For she holds darkness /
And bitter light inside /
Oh, be wary of the Talentless. " Pen hesitated, reading the prophecy again and again.
"Alnus, it mentions me! It mentions the Talentless. I'm the only... talentless." She felt dread bubbling inside.

"Let's not worry ourselves about it now, eh?" He soothed. "The future unravels in strange ways, and fretting does nothing to fix it. Try to decipher the last prophecy."

Pen ducked her head as the words swam in front of her eyes. She couldn't concentrate. It seemed the Living Shadow was correct. She held a black soul inside.

**

"Surely you should tell them of your suspicions." Alnus hissed, rushing after the frantic Fairy.
"Why?" Stone demanded, pausing to look at the mouse before rushing off again. "No, I can never tell them. I will leave clues, but to tell them outright? This knowledge would kill someone -"
"And if you don't tell them, it will." Alnus finished softly.
Stone paled.
"I have faith in Penelope." He back peddled.
"Does she have faith in herself? You, of all Fairies, knows exactly what will happen if she fails."
"Do you really think she would be willing to make that sacrifice to save us? No, I can't dare ask. Anyone else. Anyone but Penelope."
"I'm afraid there might not be a choice." Alnus bowed before he scampered out of the Fairy tunnels, into the sweet darkness of his own dwelling. He just wished Stone would listen before it was too late.