Chapter Twenty-Three: The Smaller You Shrink, The Bigger Your Problems Will Grow

Rayner bobbed of the back of Ares, Lilith's arms wrapped around from behind, gripped tight so she wouldn't fall of the bolting beast. As they entered the Dark Forest Rayner caught a glimpse of Egon and Mace, on the back of their steeds, racing towards the mountain, which loomed above the outpost.

Lilith's blazing hair flowed behind her, using the fingers of the wind to detangle her locks of orange. She inhaled a breath and held it longer than normal, trying to subside the animal roaring inside.

Her powers were destructive and wild, and although she had climbed a long way since being caged by Duzna, one wrong slip and she could tumble so far down the hill of progress it would be catastrophic.

Ares rushed through the thick woods, the trees zooming by like a green kaleidoscope. Rayner's eyes were glazed over with courage, but the stench of fear lingered deep in his pupils, and any second that dreaded emotion would flood his eyes.

"Fairies, they are like the stories portray, right?" Lilith questioned, concern braided its way through her voice as she noticed Rayner's expression.

"This stories about pixies floating down with glowing wings, blessing and bestowing love and kindness on everyone and everything?" Rayner countered her question back with another question.

"I guess..." Lilith's voice trailed, still waiting on an answer.

"Then no, not at all..." Rayner let the silence linger between him and Lilith, then began to speak again. "Now the stories of winged devils, destroying everything and everyone in their path? Those...Those stories are true..."

Lilith opened her mouth to reply, but a whoosh in the distance caught her attention. She reached to tap Rayner on the shoulder, but he had apparently heard the blood curdling sound, because he was bringing Ares to a stop.  

Rayner leapt off of his bear and immediately crouched on the ground. Lilith slid down the side of Ares's hip and dropped beside Rayner, waiting for an order.

Rayner dipped his hand inside Ares's saddle bag and pulled out a tiny vile of purple dust which was coated in a violet haze.

"And Ceridwen said I'd never need this..." Rayner shook the bottle and the contents sparked a sizzle of hot purple. "Ares, you can go. I'll whistle when we need you." The bear grunted and then disappeared through the thick army of trees.

"What's that...?" Lilith questioned, studying the miniature glass container Rayner held.

"Ceridwen I use to run errands for Mali, little missions if you will. And we would take souvenirs, thing to recognize and remember each mission. I took this from a while back, Ceridwen laughed when I did, saying I'd never have a use for fairy magic, but she was wrong." Rayner pulled the cork from the bottle and sprinkled half of the contents into his hand. "The only way for us to get a wing from a fairy queen, is to infiltrate the fairy hive, and to do that...we have to be fairies..."

Rayner lifted his hand and blew the purple dust onto Lilith's body. The bright violet smog incased her being and she began to shrink, from her back dark purple wings began to emerged from her shoulder blades, and she closed her eyes, as a stinging sensation tingled her whole body.

Lilith's eyes exploded open and she gasped, in front of her Rayner was the only normal thing around. She swiveled and inhaled her surroundings, the trees that were once the size of watch towers now loomed about like wooden mountains.

Below her feet she noticed the fallen leaves below her were now as large as merchant's ship. Lilith gazed forward and her breath caught in her throat. Rayner stood before her, he must have sprinkled the remaining powder on himself while Lilith's eyes were closed, wings hugging his body.

"We must be only an inch tall..." Lilith exclaimed in disbelieve.

"The magic will not last long, so we need to be quick." Rayner unsheathed one of his swords and tossed it to Lilith. She caught the weapon by the hilt and a smirk of confidence rippled onto her lips.

"Thanks, but I'm a weapon all by myself..." Lilith extended her hand to pass Rayner his sword back.

Rayner let out a light chuckle and shook his head, flapping his wings and taking to the sky.

"We are under the influence of fairy magic; we can't use our powers."

A frown of disbelieve quickly washed over Lilith's expression, as she placed the sword in her belt, tried spreading her wings and following Rayner. She forced her wings towards the ground and blasted herself upward. Lilith tried to flap her wings but wobbled awkwardly.

A smile jumped to Rayner's mouth as he heard Lilith's struggle to fly replayed through curses.

"Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it." Rayner laughed and tucked in his wings, free falling towards the forest floor, spread his purple parachute at the last minute and drifted back to Lilith's side.

"No one likes a show off." Lilith grunted

***

          The two flew through the forest for a while, until Rayner grabbed Lilith and pulled her out of the sky and onto a tree branch, where he pressed his finger to his lips demanding silence. He pointed below where they crouched. Lilith's eyes widened in shock and fear.

A few feet below Rayner and Lilith a dark purple hive glowed. Tiny fairies swarmed the massive dome shaped home, their wings surrounded by a dripping and hypnotic haze.

"How do we get in...?" Lilith coiled her wings around his body to make herself smaller and harder to spot.

"Do you know how to use that thing?" Rayner raised an eyebrow towards the sword looped through Lilith's belt.

Lilith stood and crossed her arms.

"You know, you and Mace are just alike..."

Rayner stood and smirked.

"Yeah? How's that?" He crossed he's arms a laugh threatening to burst from his lips.

Lilith ripped the sword from her belt, swept her foot under Rayner's knocking him on his backside and pointing the tip of the weapon an inch from his throat.

"You're both naive and stupidly pigheaded, very, very pigheaded." Lilith sheathed her weapon and extended her hand to help Rayner to his feet.

Rayner's face held an expression of utter bewilderment, but it quickly faded into an impressed smirk.

"Ok then..." Rayner latched onto Lilith's arm and pulled himself to a stand, stretching his wings to full length. "Let's do this..." Rayner pulled his sword out of its sheath, bolted to the edge of the branch, vaulted himself into the air, and plunged straight for the fairy hive.

Lilith let a sparking grin creep across her face as she dove after Rayner.

Rayner and Lilith sped straight for the hive, Rayner saw an opening in the fortress and rushed towards it. Lilith noticed Rayner veering towards the side of the hive and followed after him.

Lilith watched as Rayner landed on the platform that lead inside the hive, and she dropped behind him.

"The only way to get to the throne room is to get captured...so follow my lead." Rayner whispered to Lilith as two fairy guards zoomed towards them. Lilith's pupils dilated as the fairies' speed increased. Before she could leap to the side, the two creatures tackled Rayner herself to the ground.

Lilith struggled under the strength of the fairy that pinned her to the ground. She gazed up at the creature and gasped, its features resembled her and Rayner but there were a few differences.

The fairy's wings were the same enchanting dark purple, but large razor sharp talons were at the edge of both wings. The fairy's teeth reminded her of iron arrow-heads, the triangular shaped chompers were jagged and pointed.

But the most drastic of all the changes were the fairy's blood red eyes, instead of an iris and a pupil the fairy's eyes were all one orb of swirling crimson.

"Intruders, the queen will have you heads...this petty vomit you mistake for real fairy magic is a joke." The fairy spat at Lilith as he ripped her from the ground and bond her hands behind her back. Lilith turned her head to Rayner for a command, but he slowly mouthed.

"Stay calm."

Lilith turned and look straight ahead as she was forced into the massive hive. Fairy's gathered all around as Rayner and Lilith were escorted towards the throne room. Some fairy's hissed, some gritted their teeth and growled, but all licked their lips as if Lilith and Rayner were their next meal.

Rayner leaned over and whispered to Lilith.

"Oh...and did I forget to mention, fairies feed on blood."

The fairy direction Rayner yanked in away from Lilith and roared.

"No talking, keep forward!"

Lilith shuddered as Rayner's words sunk bone deep.

Blood? Fairies drink blood? Yeah that was just a minor detail he forgot to clue me in on! Lilith's thoughts dashed around her brain as a bubble of stress weld in her chest.

Suddenly, she was lunged through a door and thrown to the ground, along with Rayner. Lilith sluggishly raised her head to meet the wicked eyes of a female fairy that loomed before her. The fairy had a dark black crown of thorns that was mounted atop her head of flowing snow colored hair.

Her purple wings were speckled in jet black dots, like drops from a bleed shadow.

The queen fairy sat atop of throne of bleach white bones. Her throne was pushed against the wall in front of Rayner and Lilith. A giant chandler of candles, crafted from horns of multiple animals hung down from the middle of the ceiling. Trialing the side walls were a multitude of fairies, seated on rows of steps.

The queen opened her mouth to speak and the room hushed in a chill of frost.

"What virus have you brought into the hive, Trisheira?" The queen stood and walked towards the fairy guard and her purple dress danced as she stepped down the steps away from her throne.

"They tried attacking the hive." Trisheira, answered.

"Did they now...?" The queen bent down and studied Rayner and Lilith, a glint of annoyance circling her eyes. "Very well...dispose of them..." The queen turned to ascend back to her throne, but stopped when Rayner spoke.

"You're not like they say..."

"Excuse me?" The queen whirled around and stabbed Rayner with her dark red eyes.

"The stories are that you are vicious...and despicable. That no prisoners leave your sight without being beheaded." Rayner enticed the queen with his words, sparking an egotistic flame in her stomach.

"I am wickedly evil! Are you implying I don't live up to my tales of treachery?" The queen drug her heels alone the hive floor creeping closer to Rayner.

"No...well maybe. If you just let us leave, throw us out without a punishment, that's not very treacherous now is it." Rayner beckoned the angry inside the queen despite Lilith's glares which begged him to stop.

The queen flashed across the remaining distance between Rayner and herself and grabbed Rayner by the throat, pulling him to his feet.

"You want more treachery, that's what you'll receive." The queen's poisoned the air with her vile words and she watched the fear zip over Rayner's eyes. But what she didn't notice was Rayner slipping his hand around the hilt of his steel sword. The guards weren't smart enough to remove his weapon.

"Lilith now!" Rayner yelled and he easily ripped form his restraints and kicked the guard behind him.

Lilith caught the drift of Rayner's battle cry before it left his lips, and on command of his words yanked her sword from her belt and banged the guard in front of her over its head.

Rayner rapidly turned to the queen and sliced his blade through her dark purple wing, the body part fell to the ground like an oddly colored autumn leaf. The crowd of gathered fairies stayed seated, paralyzed in fear and shock, but the queen scream in outrage and pain.

She dropped to the ground crumbling in agony, and Rayner took that moment to bolt. He grabbed Lilith hand and crashed through the throne room doors.

"Let's go!" Rayner roared. They only had a few seconds head start, the fairies wouldn't stay stunned for long and soon there would be an army to battle. Rayner lifted his hilt to the upward and the blue sapphire glowed as he let out a bellow for help. "Ares its time!"

As Lilith and Rayner raced hand in hand toward the entrance of the hive, a swarm of purple winged demons zoomed in close pursuit. Followed by a roared that shook the hive, a giant bear claw cut through the fairy domain. The ground began to rip apart right under Rayner and Lilith's feet and their legs burned trying to carry them towards the exit.

Suddenly the wings, which had grown from Rayner and Lilith's backs, began to fade, but their size didn't waver.

"What's happening?" Lilith screamed, her voice quivering as she questioned.

"The fairy magic is wearing off!" Rayner cried, blood pumping harder through his veins.

"Then why aren't we growing?" Lilith's blood blazed as she pounded against the ground, all the walls around her exploding as a massive paw crushed its way through the hive.

Before Rayner could reply the two Magic Born reached the edge of the hive, and Lilith stopped, yanking Rayner to her side.

"What now?" Lilith stressed her plea as she watched the fairies gaining ground.

"We jump!" Rayner pushed Lilith and leapt after her, the two fell through the air like angels being condemned form heaven. Weightless in the wind. Spiraling to the cold, hard ground.

Just before death dragged them to the underworld their bodies erupted in growth, and they landed on Ares, now normal size.

Lilith looked up in shock as the fairies buzzed towards them.

"Rayner, roast them!" Lilith yelled.

Rayner turned just in time to blast a white hot flame, which incased the army of fairies and the entire hive.

Rayner gaze down at his other hand still clutching the wing.

"Let's get back to the outpost!" Rayner commanded Ares as him and Lilith raced back to the camp, the sun dropping into darkness.