I soared into the air, my huge eagle wings buffeted by a slight gust I hadn't noticed before. I stopped a feet before the Tempter, flapping my wings backwards and trying to hover. My legs flailed awkwardly, and I could feel my balance tilting.

That's when I noticed the griffins below me, prancing around and looking up. The slightly larger one screeched, and though I couldn't understand it, I understood the meaning behind it: get 'im!

I laughed--a weird, squeaky sound--and dove straight towards it.

I was barreling forwards, full speed, and closed my eyes a minute before the collision.

I waited, my heart beating quickly.

THWACK!

My head collided in a sickening thud and pain shot through my skull. I tumbled out of the air and landed on the ground, my wings bending at an irregular angle and I screeched in pain.

My body was throbbing, and my head spun from the sheer agony that was shooting through my back. I fought to ignore it, and closed my eyes, attempting to imagine a cold wave flowing over me. And then suddenly, I was human again, the only remnants of the collision being a mild ache in my shoulder blades and a pounding head. I slumped down into the leaves and the dirt. "Ow," I muttered.

"The Tempter is gone," Deynan called. "What should we call this one? Exhaustion?"

"Laziness," Isaac said. I nodded my head slightly.

Then, there was the sound of someone clearing their throat. "Um, I don't mean to intrude," Horatio said nervously. I flopped my head in his direction. He was fiddling with his hands. "What exactly...just happened?"

~~~~~~~

"Thanks again," Isaac called back, waving at Horatio, who simply smiled. We plunged forward into the forest, our bags having been returned to our shoulders.

"How does he live like that?" Deynan asked.

"What?" I replied, frowning.

"Horatio," he emphasized. "How does he live in that little cave with like a bed and food and nothing else? Doesn't he get bored?"

"I think he likes living simply," Isaac reflected. "It makes him happy. And he does get to write things."

"There's no way I could ever do that," Deynan said, disgusted.

"Yes you could," I said teasingly, "you could just sleep all day." Isaac laughed loudly, and Deynan grinned. "Shut up," he said, shoving my shoulder. I laughed.

A bird somewhere in the woods made a long, high, calling note. It was a happy sound. It was a good sort of day.

"Whoa, Ravi, look," Isaac said, pointing.

An orange butterfly was fluttering down from the sky.

I smiled wider. A message from Sierra. It flitted down to Deynan's shoulder and opened its wings, the message starting almost the instant the green orb floated out.

"Hey!" It was good to hear her voice after so long. "I'm so glad you guys can defeat the Tempter things. See? I told you you could do it! Ok, so I contacted Tess and she said that Giselle is getting worse. She just sits it the courtyard with her eyes all weird and doesn't say anything. So if she's fighting back, she's losing.

"I also talked to Seraphina and Magnolia. They're being held prisoner too. The mustache dude and the guy in the chair from Ravi's dream have completely put the island on emergency mode. Are you guys here? The closer you get to the palace, the more you'll understand. They call the dude in the chair The Destroyer. Because that's what he does. He destroys things. He's demolished almost half the forest already. Magnolia is super upset, you should see her. Apparently most of the dryads have fled, but having their trees destroyed is like having your legs cut off: painful and hard to live life after that." Sierra's voice constricted. It was obvious she was extremely upset. "So yeah, I'd say it's safe to say Giselle's possessed by a man working for The Destroyer."

"Tell them about the escape thing," Sophie's voice said quietly.

"Mwahaha yes, please do," Audrey said, sounding almost scary.

"Ok; we think we know how to get out." Sierra's voice began to grow with excitement. "We aren't positive, but we think we know. So don't worry, if this works, we'll be out in no time. Good luck."

The orb sank back down and the blue one emerged. I looked around. Isaac and Deynan nodded at me. I took a breath and began to talk. "Hey. We've defeated three Tempters at this point...wasn't fun though. We are on the island, but barely inland at all."

"Sophie's book says we'll be at the palace in a day's walk," Isaac called, looking at the book.

"Yeah, ok, apparently we're only a day away. I can't exactly give you news about anything..."

"We met this saytr named Horatio," Deynan commented.

"Oh yeah, he was cool. That's really all I can say...except we are gonna beat this dude." My voice rose in volume a bit unintentionally. "I swear, whatever it takes, we are going to stop him. Good luck." The orb sank back into the butterfly and it flew away.

I watched it disappear into the sky, oddly sad that it was gone.

"I saw that, Ravi," Deynan said, continuing to walk.

I frowned. "Saw what?" I jogged a bit, drew level to him, then matched his pace.

He grinned. "How you looked at that stupid butterfly. You miss her, don't you?"

I flushed. "What's that supposed to mean? Don't you?"

He snickered. "Yeah, sure. Just not the way you do."

My mouth set in a hard, straight line. "I have no idea what you're insinuating."

"You use big words when you're defensive."

"Insinuating is not a big word! A big word is ignoramus like you!"

"Oh snap," Isaac said quietly.

Deynan was still grinning. "Whatever, dude. I just think it's funny."

My face burned, but I tried to ignore it. I focused on the sounds of the birds. In fact, one of the calls was interesting. It was long and clear, and sounded in syncopation. I listened, trying to detect the pattern.

The I frowned. There was no pattern.

Just then, Isaac yelped, jumping backwards. I looked around. "What? What is it?"

And then he pointed down.

There, standing right in front of us, was a small, slender man, rising to the height of my knee. He grinned and whistled a long, clear note. The bird call.

That's when I noticed his ears. They were pointed.

He was an elf.

"Ha-llo friends!" he said excitedly. His voice sounded like a child's.

"Um..." Deynan said uncertainly. "You're an elf."

"Well done!" the elf said, clapping his hands together. I started to laugh, until I realized he wasn't being sarcastic.

He looked comical though. His outfit was composed entirely of green leaves, with a little triangle hat to match. His hair was dark brown, and his skin was a little darker than mine. He looked kind of like dirt, honestly.

"My name is Meritaor!" he said, smiling widely. "But you call me Meri!"

"Fitting," I whispered. Deynan nodded solemnly.

Meri clasped his hands together. "Ooooooh I just LOVE visitors! We so rarely have them, you know. Come! Visit my village!" He turned around and began walking--no, skipping--back into the woods. Then he noticed we weren't following. He frowned slightly, looking over his shoulder. "Why aren't you coming? It's this way, you know."

"I don't know how to put this..." Isaac said slowly.

"How do we know we can trust you?" Deynan said bluntly, crossing his arms. I whacked him slightly.

But Meri laughed. "What an odd question! Come on, then!" He continued skipping.

I looked at Isaac and Deynan. Isaac shrugged. "What have we got to lose?"

Deynan grunted. "Ok, but if they attack us, I'm not showing any mercy because they're small."

And we walked into the forest of the elves.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The elven city was nothing short of exuberant. They seemed to be having a sort of festival, complete with merchants and music. Meri appeared to be a child, as the majority of the elves were taller than him, their heads coming up to just below our waists.

I stopped, looking out across the city. Most of the houses rose to just below our shoulders. They looked like little huts, kind of German style, but with their own woodsy flair. The streets were dirt and the vendors had wooden carts. It looked as if they had done all they could to be a civilization, but retain their connection to the woods.

"Hello, all!" Meri said loudly. The street slowly quieted as small heads turned our way. "Let's all say hello to our new friends!"

Everything was silent as what seemed like millions of wide eyes turned our way. Isaac half waved.

And the city burst into cheers.

My eyes widened in slight alarm. That was a tad creepy.

The elves continued going about their festival. Meri turned to us, his eyes shining. "Come!" he exclaimed. "I will take you to Fivendor!"

"I'm sorry, who?" Deynan asked, crinkling his nose.

"Fivendor!" Meri repeated, grinning widely. Then his face grew comically serious. "He is very wise. But a little...different." He began skipping off on a side street. We followed him, barely able to squeeze through between the houses. I had to raise my arms so my elbows wouldn't hit anything.

Eventually, the musical lilts of the festival faded away. We were in a much woodsier part of the village. There were more trees and fewer houses. It was a little unsettling, with the trees being normal sized and the houses being miniature.

Meri stopped in front of a large, thick oak tree. As in, really thick. Two people could've hugged the tree and their arms wouldn't have touched.

"This is Fivendor's home," Meri explained, knocking on a seemingly random piece of wood.

"I don't want to talk to any nut who lives in a tree," Deynan muttered. Isaac laughed softly. "It's a pun, get it? Nut? Oak tree?" Deynan elbowed him in the side.

"Who's there?" a gruff voice called from within. "Go away! I don't want to talk to anyone!"

Meri was unfazed. "Visitors, Fivendor! Taller people! I brought them to you because you've spoken of them before!"

There was a pause. Then he said, much quieter, "Thank you, Meri. You may go." Meri smiled at us once before slipping back to his village.

A small section of the wood at the base of the tree swung open. An old elf with a sandy complexion and white hair walked out slowly, scrutinizing us from behind wide rimmed glasses. The leaves of his outfit were brown and crumpled. His gaze swept over us, his mouth slowly melting from an angry scowl to a confused frown. "Glynneria!" he called out behind him. "Bring out the table and chairs. We have guests." He quirked an eyebrow. "And I have a feeling we have much to talk about."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The table and chairs were set out by a woman who I assumed to be the old elf's wife. She had deep orange hair and skin, reminding me of red clay. Once they were seated in the chairs (and us on the ground), Fivendor crossed his legs and reclined, touching each of his fingertips to each other. The stance reminded me of a librarian I had known in Michigan.

Glynneria bustled back inside to get something. Her dress, unlike her husbands, was made of bright autumn leaves, vibrant and comforting.

Fivendor stared at us. "Why have you come to this island?"

I nudged Isaac. He sat up a bit straighter. "Our school was attacked, sir. By the man controlling this island. And our friends were kidnapped. We're here to stop him."

Well done Isaac, I mentally applauded. Meaningful and to the point.

The old elf considered this darkly. "I'd say you're in a sticky situation."

"You could put it that way," Deynan muttered.

He sighed, a long, heavy sigh of someone who has seen many days. "But why should I trust you?"

I blinked. I hadn't considered that. "Uh..." I looked to Deynan and Isaac, who shrugged.

I turned back to Fivendor. "We have no real reason. Believe us?"

He frowned. Just then, Glynneria bustled out of the house, one arm holding a large kettle, the other stacked high with three bowls and two cups. She swiftly laid the bowls out in front of us, placing the cups to the side. From the kettle, she poured a creamy light brown substance in. It was steaming pleasantly. She smiled up at us, her eyes sparkling. "I figured you might need to use bowls, as our cups are a bit too small for you."

Its fragrance was wonderful. It reminded me of a candy shop I used to go to, specializing in varieties of fudge. I took a small sip.

Warmth blossomed in my chest. The taste was even better, if possible. It tasted like liquid chocolate mixed with liquid vanilla, though the consistency was still thin enough to feel refreshing and comforting at the same time. I smiled. It reminded me of a feeling. That feeling you get when your heart speeds up with excitement and thrill, and suddenly you can feel the moment of the world around you and you know that you're exactly where you're supposed to be.

"This is awesome!" Deynan exclaimed, eyes bulging. "What is it?"

"It's ambrosia," Glynneria said warmly. "It tastes like whatever you're missing my most at the moment."

For some reason, that struck an odd chord in me, and I wasn't sure why.

Glynneria turned to her husband, whacking him lightly. "Now, help the poor children."

His head slowly rose, and he appeared to contemplate the idea. A still moment hung in the air. Finally, he spoke. "Are you really here to stop the man they call The Destroyer?"

We nodded.

He nodded back. "Alright then. I will help you, and this is why." His head tilted upwards towards the sky. "As you most likely noticed, elves in general are a very happy race, to the point where it is slightly odd. They have festivals every day. They always smile." He quirked an eyebrow. "And, as you no doubt noticed, I am not like that."

"No kidding," Deynan whispered. I elbowed him.

The old elf continued. "To understand me, you must understand the other elves. All of them, every single one, is completely innocent."

I blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"They are innocent. They were born that way. They know nothing of struggle, nothing of hate, nothing of fear. The entire race, for better or for worse, is nothing more than a civilization of children. You may have wondered why Meri welcomed you so willingly. He knows nothing of distrust."

Fiverdor paused to let this sink in. Then he sighed. "I used to be just like that. Then one day, I decided to leave the village. I was interested in magic; all elves have it, you know. But I was interested in the reasons behind it, the intricacies, the speculation. For lack of a better word, I was interested in magical physics."

"That's so cool," Isaac whispered.

The elf smiled, then took another breath and continued. "I went out into the world, searching for answers. And answers I found. This was before Giselle took control of the island, mind you. It was a glorious place! I was in awe! But I was not finished. I returned her and began to pack for a journey that would take me to other regions in this world. And this time, someone came with me: my dearest friend, Glynneria."

She sadly and put a hand on his shoulder. He looked down. "There are things in your world, boys," he said quietly, pain of distant memories tightening his features. "Things that should not be in this world, or any world. Perhaps it does not seem as bad to you, because you grew up with it. But for us...it was too shocking, too horrific."

I cast my eyes downwards. I couldn't look at him anymore. I knew what sort of things he was talking about, and the pain in his expression was all too real.

"I returned, a changed man. One cannot stay innocent after he sees those things. Now I sit here, creating my own theories on magical technicality." He sighed. "Do I regret seeing what I saw? At times. But mostly I regret that they were there for me to see."

My throat constricted. He spoke truth so strongly and clearly, I could hardly breathe.

Finally, he looked up. "So I will help you boys. In whatever way I can. Because you see, I want to protect the innocence of this civilization as much as you want to save your friends. And this man would destroy that innocence." His face hardened. "I would rather die than see that day come."

He sat up straighter in his chair. "So tell me...is there anything you'd like to know about magic?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fivendor's question extends to all of you. If you have any questions about magic of this world, comment here and I will either answer or go over it in the next chapter. This applies to Myths, Legends, sorcerers, dryads, elves...ANYTHING.

~Paint_splatt

P.S. Sorry I'm late!