Mythical Guardians

◇28. The Valley of Pixies◇

Just a heads up, a really, really long chapter here.

  "These guys friendly?" Johnathan asked warily. He wasn't going to be caught unaware for a second time.

  "Hope so," Gordon said," Nyphagus wouldn't have sent us here otherwise."

  "Devil help us all if you're wrong,"Cedric groaned, pointing his chin at a swarm of glowing pixies flying their way.

  Johnathan's eyes widened as the swarm converged om them. Those pixies were tiny, small enough to stand on the tip of his index finger. With glowing white skin and clothes made of lichen and leaves. Their ears were long and pointed, and four glimmering, translucent wings spouted out of their backs. Glowing dust trailed after them as they flew, leaving long, glimmering golden lines after them, filling and illuminating the entire forest.

  The pixies didn't speak, a swarm of glowing, flying beings converging around their heads. They formed a glowing sphere that covered them from neck up, like a swam of glowing fireflies. The hundreds of tiny faces staring at the five suddenly made Johnathan a bit uncomfortable at the attention.

  As quickly as they had converged, they dispersed, lining up, leaving a trail of gold behind them as they flew in a linear fashion, making a thin line in the air that led into the forest.

  "I guess it's their way of saying welcome," Jason said, clearly baffled.

  "So we follow them then?" Aquarius asked.

  " I guess so," Gordon said, swallowing," It'd probably be rude to refuse their hospitality."

  Jason went first, his spear had miraculously shrunk down into a tiny silver rod earlier, which he had placed in his pocket. The group went deeper into the forest, and the deeper they went and descended, the more beautiful they realized the hidden valley truly was.

  Glowing flowers bloomed in thousands of different colours, other pixies flew around, tending to them and collecting their nectar. Moths and other small, nocturnal flying insects buzzed around, helping out, living in harmony with the winged magical beings. The lush, dark canopy blotted out the moonlight and the night sky, perfectly concealing the valley from view. If not for Johnathan's keen night vision, he wouldn't even have spotted the slightest bit of magical existence in the valley, even at the Grove of Deyor, the gateway to the valley itself. It looked like a place from fairytales, a hidden paradise where these creatures lived in peace and harmony, undisturbed by other foreign creatures. Under their giant community in their thousands, swirling above and around him, Johnathan suddenly felt that he had shrunk significantly. A tiny, dark foreign speck amongst the magnificent glowing swarm.

  There were tiny holes and nests amongst the trees, probably the homes of the pixies. The trees were impossibly tall, stretching and spreading out, the canopy forming a unified, unbreaking dome of darkness. Yet it was teaming with life underneath its dark leaves, like a beehive full of glowing bees. The glow stung his eyes like tiny little prinpricks, and he kept them narrowed in tiny slits to avoid them from hurting too much.

  "Excuse me," Jason said to the pixies that were leading the way," We're looking for a sorceress called Xala, do you guys know where she is?"

  One of the pixies flew near his ear and apparently must had said something, because Jason nodded and said," Oh, alright then."

  He then turned to face the rest of the group,"They said they were going to lead us to Xala, and they also said that they might have something for our injuries."

  "Please tell me there is food," Johnathan could almost hear Gordon's stomach growl," I'm starving."

  "Me too,"Aquarius agreed heartily.