A Welcoming Assembly

Lukoss still seemed skeptical of his own eyes, but he wasn't about to publicly question someone who had just come to his aide.

"The Guardian is willing to vouch for me. Does that satisfy you?" Lukoss asked Bolemir.

The fairy turned to Jaka's parents. "If it is acceptable to you, I am willing to take the testimony of the gnome king and the Guardian unless Jaka speaks otherwise. When she calms down, I will let her say whatever she thinks necessary."

Jaka's father wrapped his arm around his wife and clicked his tongue. "I do not think we should put my dear girl through any more trouble." He glared at the gnome king. "Stay away from my daughter."

"Understood," Lukoss suppressed the sarcastic remark that he would not seek out the finicky fairy in a million years.

Jaka's mother tossed her long, feathery hair over her shoulder and turned her back on the gnome. "The sooner he leaves, the better for us all!"

After Jaka's parents pushed their way out of the dome of their peers, the rest of the group dispersed. With a sigh, the king of the gnomes moved toward Alaron and the other humans.

"They fail to realize I don't want to be here any more than they want me here," he muttered.

"Then why are you here?" Mairwen cut straight to the point. It was hard to fathom why the king of the gnomes would leave his home to be verbally assaulted by the season-bringers.

"To see you, of course. The magic is gone, and I heard that humans were coming. I figured you would not pass by the way of the gnomes, and so I came here to wait. I didn't know how anyone else of my kin would be received considering our history. So I personally came on behalf of my people." Lukoss placed his palm on his heart and bowed.

"I see," the princess was unsure what to make of the words. Was he coming to help or just find out the plan? Before she could ask, Lukoss clapped Alaron on the shoulder.

"No, you are not a ghost. I half expected my hand to pass right through you. You cannot really be…"

Alaron pressed his finger to his lips. "You saw how I died. The Maker himself saw fit to give me a second chance as a Guardian. But that is not a widely known fact, and I would rather keep it that way for obvious reasons."

Like the fairies, people were not quick to believe others had changed. It was better for the world if Prince Alaron stayed dead and allowed the Guardian to live his new life unhindered.

"I understand. Thank you for what you said. I was afraid that might get ugly for a moment." Lukoss rubbed the back of his neck.

Bolemir blew out his cheeks. "Those two fairies are hotheads but they mean well…most of the time. In a day or two they will likely forget this even happened."

"I do hope to be gone by then," Lukoss shifted uncomfortably. "You have been a wonderful host, but I do think that with these people's arrival, I can soon be on my way."

"On that note, the elders should be gathering. Would you like to join us, Your Majesty?" Bolemir dipped his head respectfully.

Whatever the other fairies might think, he believed it was important to keep a balance between the kingdoms. That meant showing due respect.

"That was actually why I ran out to look for you. I know it was foolish, but I feared being left out." Lukoss accepted Bolemir's invitation as he fell in line beside Princess Mairwen.

"I do not want them to make you feel unwelcome. Would it help if you escorted me?" Mairwen received a tentative nod from Renat that he did not mind.

Of the two of them, it was the scientist who had witnessed the gnome's arrival with Alaron on the battlefield. Lukoss had betrayed his king to do what he thought was right. The lanky young prince did not mind his wife bolstering the gnome's reputation by aligning herself with him.

Lukoss smiled as the woman took his arm. For the first time outside of Bolemir's home, the gnome king felt welcome in the fairy encampment.

"Gede, please find Fate Hanna," Bolemir instructed his son. The young man tilted his head to obey.

"She is still at your home," Alaron informed them. "She wasn't finished eating and she required a little rest."

"Then we will let her know instead. She knows the way and can come when she is ready. Gede can accompany you to the elders." Prem offered, motioning to Nik to follow her. "It was very good to see all of you."

"We will make sure to say a proper goodbye before we leave," Mairwen assured the fairy. Then they parted ways. 

The procession entered the Fairy Assembly a short while later. Even in the winter, the winged creatures met outdoors in a circular clearing of soft purple grass. Either they did not ever touch that section of the ground with their magic, or the snow had been cleared quickly to allow the grass to continue to grow. 

The result was that the area of the assembly looked quite similar to what Aurora had described it when she sought the fairies' help a few years before. The grass might have lost a bit of its luster, but it was still feathery and beautiful. 

Unlike last time, the elders were sitting on the center knoll in a circle on their stools. There was no vote or official meeting today, so they had gathered closely to chat. When they saw the humans coming, they quickly quieted. 

"What is he doing here?" A fairy with silvery hair asked with his nose in the air. It was clear by his disdain that he was referring to Lukoss.

"Is a Guardian of the Fates not welcome here?" Alaron said dramatically. "Then I suppose I shall leave."

"No!" Another fairy piped in quickly. "Bith was not talking about you, Guardian. Those chosen by the Fates are most honored guests." 

In the span of the words, a stool was offered to the princess, but she stepped aside and allowed Lukoss to sit. "Here you are, Your Majesty. I think they saved the best stool for you!" 

Lukoss uncomfortably sat. He was grateful for both Alaron's and Mairwen's intervention, but the look of the fairies told him to still be on his guard.

"Thank you, Your Highness," he said before clamping his mouth shut. For the most part, he was only there to listen. 

And listen he did. After the others were brought stools to join the circle and Nath and Lilith were brought to the mound, the meeting began. 

The fairies were reluctant to speak freely at first. They skirted the questions the humans asked and kept their words to a minimum. Eventually, they realized that the gnome had little intention of interrupting them and they seemed to forget he was there. 

Their answers grew longer and more detailed. After learning of the human's intention to reach the Fates and revive the magic, they shared where they had seen swarms of creatures and what they had noticed about the changes in their actions since losing their magic. 

Since the fairies were able to fly, they could avoid many of the dangers on the ground. The intelligence that they gave was invaluable in altering their course away from the more volatile creatures nearby. 

There was one problem. A beast that the fairest had not even dared to approach had been lurking rather close to the far edge of the fairy land. It was large and mindless, with six tentacle-like arms and wings sprouting from its back. Even without the magical ability to lure prey into its spider-like web, the Speave was a very fearsome thing to behold. And the fact one had moved in from the wild lands was very disconcerting to the fairies and humans alike. 

"Can we go around it?" Mairwen stared at the map which they had used with the elves. 

"The Speave moves and leaves its sticky secretions behind which weave between the trees. They are nearly invisible and almost impossible to escape without help." Bolemir's expression was grave. "I am not sure how wide his reach has made it. We can send someone to look..." 

"Why would we risk one of our people to do that?" Bith stood defiantly against Bolemir's words. 

"Were you not listening at the beginning? These humans told us they are willing to risk their lives for us to restore the magic. Don't you get it? Our lives are in their hands whether we like it or not." 

"Then we are even. We helped them in the war. We lost many that day!" Bith raised his voice and banged his fist on his knee.

"We do not want to risk fairy lives. We will figure it out," Mairwen tried to calm the escalating situation. "Renat, do you have a suggestion?"

"I can come up with something," the scientist hoped this was true.

"You should not have to come up with something when we are here to help," Bolemir was not quite ready to let the matter go. "Gede—"

"Do not send the boy to his own death," Lukoss interrupted at last. "The solution, this time, lies with the gnomes."