When the Blade Calls (Open Novella Contest)

Prologue:

"There once was a girl picking berries
And looked up to see many fairies,
She followed the wings
Stepped into the ring
And became a witch rather scary."

    The little girl recited this, making her way into the forest. Unbeknownst to her, the chanting had attracted the attention of dozens of tiny eyes. The girl brushed her hands against the wildflowers on the edge of the forest, occasionally picking a pretty ones and dropping them into her basket. Scanning the field outside the forest however, she saw none of the herbs she had been looking for. They must have been harvested by someone else already. This time, she would have to venture into the forest.

    "Remember Mira, stay within the field. Don't go beyond the edges of the forest. And what do you do if you see fairies?"

    "Don't listen to them and run back home," replied the girl, swinging the basket impatiently.

    "Good. Stay safe," her mother murmured, pressing a kiss to the girl's cheek.

    In truth, Mira had never seen fairies before and was a little curious as to how they might look like. She had come across goblins, dwarves, and elves, when they stopped by for trade. While this wasn't very often, their lives and their communities weren't shrouded in mystery the way fairies were. What had intrigued her more was that none of the village folk had been able to agree on the description of a fairy. All had agreed they were rather small and had wings, but some described them as "nasty, ugly looking creatures" with pointed noses and sharp eyes, as well as high-pitched voices "that could drive anyone nuts if they started singing". Others had told her they were sweet creatures who could lull anyone to sleep with their chanting. Either way, they ended their description with a warning to stay away from them. Following them into a fairy ring had mysterious effects on a child that was hinted at in the folk songs children were taught.

    Mira stopped walking abruptly at the edge of the forest. Hesitantly, she gazed at the mysterious place she had sworn not to enter. It was not yet sunset, streaks of light still shone through the canopy, lighting up patches of ground. The forest didn't seem as dark and intimidating as she expected. Besides, her mother did give her permission to venture near the edge of the forest, which, Mira reasoned, was a couple of feet into the forest. Not too deep. Just a few steps in. So Mira took a few steps into the forest. Nothing happened. She exhaled, unaware till then that she had been holding her breath, and began to search for herbs.

    That was when she heard the faint sound of singing.