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Chapter 7

Taller

Decision made, the girls pack their things and leave the stream side camp for what they hope will be a nicer place to live. Shae has left the party leaving Tally to lead the girls, hovering a bit in front of them. Before leaving, they'd taken the other saw like mandible from the soldier ant as well as a few, but not all, of the core stones. Danahlia wanted to take them all but was out voted by the others, reasoning that they would only add to their weight and the trio would be getting more soon anyway. Danahlia also has most of one of the giant ants, insisting they should have it in case they can't find food. This turns out to be the least of their concerns, at least for Danahlia, who manages to find edible insects of various types to munch on as they walk.

Despite an already fairly slow pace, Tally begs the girls to defeat every stray jelly they encounter, claiming it's for the good of the forest and all who dwell within, save for the jellies apparently. They've gotten rather good at dispatching the lone monsters and work through them quickly.

Thanks to Tally and Shae's guidance, the sisters trading off every hour or so, the girls manage to travel between pools, ponds, and streams. This way they do not lack for water. Appreciative of their efforts, Alice, however, begins to feel a leading reason for the water hopping is to clear each spot of the inhabiting jellies for the pixies and their animal friends. This is further reinforced by the wild changes in direction the pixies insist on taking them.

The girls are on a break by one such pool when Twinkaleni informs them that they're being followed by an ever increasing number of the flying faye folk. Alice had noticed them too, though Danahlia, often at the front of the trio, seems to have been oblivious.

"Oh yeah, look," the Liguna calls, pointing them out. They hover in a tight group among the trees, staying a fair distance away. Their lights are all different colors, red, another pink, one silver, and a yellow. "Why don't they come over here?" Danahlia asks Shae, who is currently guiding the group.

"Young and nervous they are. The first taller they have seen are you," Shae explains.

Danahlia raises a brow, "Taller?"

"You and those like you. Varied you are, but all taller."

Danahlia grins at Twinkaleni, who holds herself up a little more, appearing quite proud to be considered a taller.

Tally returns to take over and the mouse mage gives the green haired pixie one of their core stones as she leaves. Alice watches the pixie take the stone in both slender arms, flying off through the small group of fairy lights. The pink one follows her.

"What'd you give Shae a core for?" wonders Alice.

"The pixies seem interested in the magic they contain. She said their elders might be able to use them," says Twinkaleni while Danahlia, a few yards away, waves at the other pixies.

Alice asks, "Use 'em how?"

"She mentioned binding, which is not a process I'm familiar with, but the way she described it, it sounds very similar to enchanting."

The curious Tokala's ears perk up, "What's that? Is it magic?"

"Of a sort, yes. Enchanting is the art of infusing mundane objects with energies to give them new properties."

The look on Alice's face must beg for Twinkaleni to continue because she grins as she does, "But unlike the magic I generally use, enchanting often involves an object with energy already contained within it be transferred to the object which is being enchanted."

"Like the core stones?" Alice asks, her eyes widening.

"Exactly. Perhaps the core stone's glow could be transferred to a common rock or maybe even a very durable bit of wood to make it glow as well." Alice's mouth steadily opens as Twinkaleni considers aloud, rubbing a large ear between two fingers, "Or perhaps even a core stone's glow could be transferred to another core to magnify the effect."

"Can you do that?"

"Oh, no. I read about the theory but I'm afraid I left the Order before I was taught to use it in practice," admits Twinkaleni.

Alice frowns looking to Danahlia, whose trying to coax the other pixies to come closer with Tally's help. Then she asks, "Why'd you leave?"

Twinkaleni's ears twitch, "The Order of Thermathrogi?" Alice nods as the pixies hover, hesitant to accept Danahlia's invitation. The mouse mage sighs heavily.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"It's alright. It might be nice to finally tell someone who will listen," she says, giving Danahlia a look as the Liguna waves at the red pixie. It flies away from the group, a little closer to her.

"Well, it was not an easy decision considering all that we had heard of the horrible things that would happen to us outside the walls of the Order."

As Twinkaleni goes on, Alice listens to how when the war had started, some of the more advanced mages were let out, which was never done. The younger magi left behind were told that those with the greatest control over their powers would serve in the army, and in so doing, would be given the chance to redeem themselves of their inherent evil. From then on, Twinkaleni and the others were taught about what was happening in the world. They were also made to study combat magic so they too may one day be allowed the privilege to serve. To the young magi who were continuously reminded of how foul and wicked they were for having the touch of magic, a chance for redemption was a reward they desperately sought. When Twinkaleni had reached a certain level of mastery with her evocation, she was allowed to train with other young magi.

Alice asks what evocation means and Twinkaleni replies, "It is the type of magic I most often employ, where energy is taken in, altered, and released, generally in a short burst."

"Like your wind spell?"

"Precisely. So as we trained, we were often paired with a partner to practice spells on. We would trade off, one attacking while the other would defend."

"You practiced on each other? That sounds dangerous."

"Quite so. We were taught to use the pain of our failure to improve. The incident that convinced me to leave the Order occurred during one such lesson. We where practicing fire magic and I was to attack while my..." Twinkaleni hesitates for a moment, "...opponent was to defend. My masters were watching and I wanted very much to impress them, so, I... struck," A deep frown appears as she shakes her head a bit, "His ward spell wasn't properly made and some of the heat bled through, burning him, rather severely." Alice listens enraptured as Twinkaleni stares wide eyed into some middle distance, "I was praised for this, for the pain I caused with my foolishness."

Alice watches the small mage for a moment and then asks, "What happened to him?"

The question seems to startle her and she looks up, "Oh, he tried to go on for a time despite his injuries, but was eventually deemed too damaged to continue. He was removed from the lessons and, I never saw him again. After that, I rather lost interest in the lessons myself. My masters noticed and informed me that if I did not improve, I would also be removed. Fearing what this might mean, I decided to escape."

"How'd you do that?"

"Well, with the fighting in the war intensifying, greater demand was made of the Order to produce powerful mages quickly. My masters would argue that to release a mage before being fully trained would be disastrous. Still, pressure was increased on the Order and new potentials were being rushed in as the more experienced magi were being sent out. With the increased traffic and chaos it brought, I managed to slip away."

Alice recalls Twinkaleni's nub of a tail and that she had mentioned losing it when she fled, so she asks about it.

"Mmm, while the Order's masters are not gifted in magic, they do possess many enchanted objects used to 'keep us in line' as it were. Once the alarm was raised after my absence was noticed, I imagine some great enchantment was used to erect the barrier that very nearly prevented my escape. I managed to cross before it reached its full power, though not without cost," she explains with a grim smile, feeling for the lost appendage.

Alice reaches out for the small girl, intent on giving her a hug but hesitates, her arms hanging in the air between them. Twinkaleni looks at her but doesn't recoil, so Alice moves in slowly until she can lightly put her arms around the mage. Twinkaleni lets her, the little Murin's shoulders steadily relaxing. Twinkaleni's light gray fur is incredibly soft and warm.

"I'm glad you made it out o' that place," Alice says honestly, while muzzling the back of one of Twinkaleni's large ears.

Alice is surprised to hear a sniff before she replies, "As am I."

Danahlia has managed to get the red pixie to hover around her while the others have come a little closer. The pixie has turned off its light and is revealed to be a boy with short fiery red hair, maybe a little more than half of Tally's height.

The red pixie's light flashes back on and he scrambles away when Danahlia rises to approach the hugging girls, "Hey, I could use a hug too."

Alice grins and lifts an inviting arm to her.

They all embrace for a comforting moment and with a last hard squeeze, Danahlia asks, "So, we ready to get goin'?"

The girls gather their gear and dawn their heavy packs, made heavier with their growing stash of core stones. As they walk, they discuss the lateness of the day and agree that they'll make camp for the night at the next water source. The other pixies follow close behind but seem to shy away from direct sight when Alice tries to look at them. Tally assures them that the girls will bring them no harm and they flutter a little closer. As they do, she has them to turn out their lights, which seems to require some effort on their part for the faces they're making when the young pixie's lights dim and their tiny forms come into view. The silver and yellow pixies turn out to be girls about the same size as the boy. One has two long pigtails of silver hair nearly as long as she is tall and the other has an intricate blonde braid down her back that drifts as she hovers about.

"I like your hair," says Alice.

They all say in subtly different high pitched voices, "Thank you," and then give each other looks.

"You are the Jellybane?" the silver haired one asks, fluttering closer.

"That's what your people call me."

"Big you are, but not as fearsome as I had thought," she admits.

Perhaps encouraged by the boldness of the other, the blonde haired one comes closer, "Soft your fur looks. Touch it may I?"

Alice grins, "Yeah, sure."

The finger sized pixie smiles brightly and flutters up somewhere above Alice. She can just feel a subtle warm current of air before the pixie lands on her head between her triangular fox ears.

"Oh, wondrously soft it is, Jellybane,"she exclaims and Alice can feel the slight girl's body moving around atop her head as if the pixie has lain down and is gathering up a bit of her fur in both tiny arms.

The other two pixies look to each other and then the red haired boy asks, "Touch it too may we?"

Alice laughs, "Sure."

The two pixies look delighted and quickly join their companion atop her head. Twinkaleni watches in amusement as they pet Alice's fur. One gets curious about her ears and it tickles when they touch one, making it twitch. She then feels wings and possibly hair as a pixie looks into it.

Disturbing the sensitive fluff there, Alice instinctively raises a hand to itch it with an annoyed, "Hey."

The pixies disperse, giggling, and fly away to pester Twinkaleni. The mouse mage is forced to raise the hood of her robe to keep them from probing and feeling around her own expansive ears. Danahlia laughs at the Murin's discomfort and the pixies move on to her next, feeling over her smooth skin. She waves her lengthy tail at them good-naturedly.

Alice is getting hungry and is relieved when Tally alerts them to their arrival at a small pond. The girls dump their gear in a pile and dispatch the few jellies that have congregated around the shore, the pixies cheering as they do. They then break for a few minutes before Twinkaleni begins filling waterskins, while Alice gathers wood for a fire, and Danahlia seeks a suitable tree for them to sleep in.

By the time Alice is returning to camp with an arm load of dry branches, Shae has returned with a scurry of over a dozen squirrels, all nearly double the size of any she had ever seen. Each carries a small pack on their backs. The chittering squirrels are mostly gray and brown with thick bushy tails. They wait patiently as the group of pixies removes their packs, which look to be woven from leaves and grass.

Alice sets down the wood she carries and then retrieves the crab shell bowl, setting it down beside the growing pile of tiny green backpacks. Twinkaleni and Danahlia start opening the packs, revealing more of the same ripe fruits and berries from the morning. They pile them into the bowl and the pixies return the packs to the squirrels. Each squirrel that receives their empty pack immediately scampers up a nearby tree. They then all head in the same direction back the way the girls had come, leaping from branch to branch to avoid the need to touch the ground.

"Where're they goin'?" Alice asks.

"The Salali go home. Return they will. Perhaps tomorrow, with more food for the Jellybane," Shae replies.

"Wags, can you thank them for us?"

Shae seems surprised by the request, "Made safer the forest is by your presence. They do this," she gestures to the fruit, "to thank_you_."

Tally gathers the smaller pixies, who have helped themselves to a few of the Jeleesa berries. Together with Shae they head off after the squirrels.

Tally calls back, "Return we will. Find your cave tomorrow, we might."

The girls wave to the fairies, their lights flickering on one at a time as they vanish into the forest. Alice is somewhat sad to see them go but her legs are tired and her stomach reminds her of other things. As they eat the succulent sweet fruit, Danahlia decides they should cook the thorax of the ant she's carried and save the abdomen for later. As the Liguna cooks, Twinkaleni settles down with two brown core stones.

Alice watches curiously and asks, "What're you gonna do with those?"

The Murin doesn't look up as she replies, "The conversation we had earlier has me considering the benefits of learning enchantment. I figure, we have plenty of cores, why not experiment a little? It may prove valuable."

With that the little mage closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Alice takes this as a cue to be silent and observes. Twinkaleni keeps her tiny pink hands held out, one over each orb. Alice watches as the mage's breathing slows and her focus deepens.

After several minutes of unbroken concentration, Danahalia shouts, "TWINKIE!"

Both Alice and Twinkaleni jump, the little mage's eyes flashing open to glare at her reptilian friend.

Danahlia grins widely back, "How do you want your ant?"

"Danny!" Alice admonishes as Twinkaleni forces a deep breath, her little pink hands balling into fists, shaking angrily.

"What? I was just askin', geez," smirks Danahlia, returning her attention to the ant.

Twinkaleni settles down and once more closes her eyes. Danahlia turns to watch too, staying silent this time. Nothing happens for a while and Alice lays on her side, her head on her pack.

It's starting to get dark when Alice notices the glow from one of the core stones dimming while the others might be growing. The change is slight but in the fading day light, the one is definitely losing its glow. Twinkaleni's face is straining with concentration, her open hands flexing over both small spheres. Alice and Danahlia watch closely as the glow completely fades from one core stone while the other begins to vibrate while glowing brighter. Danahlia noses closer to the vibrating one and Alice picks up a faint hum that she's fairly sure is coming from it. The sound gets louder and Danahlia shares a questioning look with Alice who can only shrug.

Suddenly, with a terrible crackling pop, the brightening core stone explodes. Alice rolls away, covering her head, as Danahlia falls backward shouting in surprise and pain, leaving Twinkaleni gasping as if she had been holding her breath all this time. Alice thinks for a moment that the explosion is still going on until she realizes the sound reverberating in her ears is an echo from the surrounding forest. She turns back to find Twinkaleni heaving over Danahlia.

The Liguna is rolling on her back, holding her nose, crying, "Owww, ahh ticks, owww! Twinkie! What'd you do that for?! Ssss owww."

Trying to catch her breath, Twinkaleni huffs, "I'm so sorry, Danny. I... I didn't mean to, I swear. Here... let me see."

Alice crawls over to check on her as well. Danahlia tentatively removes her hands to reveal a vicious gash starting at her left nostril slit and traveling several inches along her muzzle. Blood oozes readily from the wound prompting Alice to quickly get water and a fresh blouse to clean it with. As she does, the Tokala notices movement in the crab shell bowl nearby. She glances over to it to find, beside a partially eaten berry, is the silver haired pixie girl. She sits up, seemingly dazed by the eruption of the core stone. She jumps when she realizes she's been spotted, her silver fairy light flickering on.

"What're you still doin' here? The others left a while ago," Alice informs the pixie while rummaging through her pack.

"Oh, gone with the others I should have, but curious I was about the Jellybane... and hungry," she admits, looking longingly at her half eaten berry.

"You should probably stay here with us," advises Alice, "The woods would be even more dangerous at night."

"Yes, Jellybane," she says obediently and flutters up out of the bowl. Flying around, she wonders, "Are there monsters? What made so horrible a noise?"

"It's Alice, and one of my friends is hurt," the Tokala answers, retrieving what she wanted and turning back to Danahlia. She pours a little water on a corner she makes with her blouse, kneeling beside the wounded girl to wipe away the blood.

Danahlia winces at her touch, "Easy! That hurts!"

"Sorry, but I have to clean it or it might get worse," insists Alice.

The Liguna endures her touch while Twinkaleni looks on, apologizing over and over.

"Cut it out, Twinkie. I know you didn't mean it," Danahlia mumbles and then hisses as Alice runs the freshly dampened cloth over the wound once more.

"Help I can," the little silver haired pixie announces, fluttering over Danahlia's nose.

"That's ok, firefly, I think we got it," the Liguna grumbles, blowing a little air at her.

The pixie swirls in the updraft and cries out, "Airiliantachu, and mend I can!"

"Bless you. Seriously, we're good, and your light's makin' me feel nauseous."

Alice watches as the silver light shakes a bit and, with a little grunt of effort, goes out.

The pixie lets out a breath before saying, "Apologies, Devourer, but mend you I can, watch and see."

Danahlia looks up at her, "What did you call me?"

"Quite, Danny. This could be very educational," Twinkaleni chides, then gives the pixie an encouraging, "Go on, little one."

Danahlia settles down and lets the slight, silver haired pixie land on her nose. Just as the others, her skin is so pale it nearly seems to glow on it's own and all she wears are a few well-placed leaves. She has large silver eyes and is very beautiful. The pixie kneels at Danahlia's cut nostril and as she waves her hands over the wound, she begins to sing of all things. Alice doesn't understand the words but finds them to be soothing. They watch the pixie sing her song, her arms gently waving in the air as if on a breeze, mesmerized by her tune and graceful movements.

By the time Airiliantachu finishes, both Twinkaleni and Alice have leaned in so close that they bump into each other as they pull away. The pixie takes to the air and Danahlia rubs her nose curiously. Alice and Twinkaleni look from the pixie to see there isn't even a scar left.

"How's it look? Am I still pretty?" Danahlia asks.

"As you ever were," Twinkaleni smirks, making Danahlia grin.

"That was amazing, Airlyachu," Alice says feeling over Danahlia's unmarred flesh.

"Airi...lianta...chu...," the pixie corrects in a drained tone, dipping in the air.

Danahlia reaches for the pixie just as she begins to fall, catching the tiny girl in her palm. The girls crowd their faces around the slender pixie, who appears utterly exhausted.

"That healing song must have worn her out," Alice observes, as the pixie lays flat in Danahlia's hand.

"It is no wonder. The complexity of healing magic is magnitudes greater than anything I can achieve. From what I've read, even among those gifted with magic, few can ever hope to learn such skill," Twinkaleni remarks, "Most healers must be born with an aptitude for it."

"I'm keepin' you with me," Danahlia asserts to the passed out pixie.

She then takes Alice's blouse, turning it to a clean side and places it in the crab shell bowl with what remains of their fruit. Once she does, she places the silver tressed pixie onto the makeshift bed and checks on the cooking ant. Announcing that it's ready, the girls gather around while Danahlia breaks it open with a stick. The legs got a little burnt but the ant's gooey insides smell just as delicious as the first time Alice had tried it.

Twinkaleni looks over to her failed attempt at enchanting. The core she intended to strip of its glow has become black and brittle while the other was completely destroyed. Alice waits for the ant to cool some and pokes at the blackened core. It collapses into a pile of ash like dust.

"I'm so sorry Danny. I hope you know I'd never use my magic to cause you any harm," Twinkaleni professes.

"Pshh, I know that, Twinkie. What were you tryin' ta do anyway?" the Liguna replies with a negligent wave of her hand.

"I was attempting to infuse one core with another's glow to make it brighter. I thought it might work better as a light source," the Murin explains.

Danahlia tilts her head a little, "I didn't know you could do that."

Twinkaleni's ears droop, "Clearly, I cannot."

"I think you almost had it," says Alice encouragingly, "I saw the one core's glow dim and the other's strengthening, just before it..."

"Yeah, I did too. It almost worked," Danahlia adds, nodding.

Twinkaleni shakes her head grimly, "I don't think it would be wise to try again."

"You gotta try again!" insists Danahlia, "If we can trade regular cores for a decent amount, super bright glowin' cores have to be worth way more! Think of all the food we could buy!"

Twinkaleni frowns a little and Alice adds, "We can take precautions. Maybe do it behind a tree or somewhere to keep the pieces from flying all over if it pops again."

Twinkaleni's jaw clenches before she says, "I don't know. What if someone was hurt? That shard could have easily taken your eye, Danny."

"Then we do like Alice said, make a safe place. And we won't sit around gawkin'," assures Danahlia.

"Yeah, you can do it, Twinkaleni. We believe in you," Alice encourages.

"Enchanting would be an valuable skill," the Murin admits, warming to the idea.

The girls discuss the possibilities while they have their giant ant. Danahlia continuously reminds them of the good food they could buy. Alice is more interested in what magical items Twinkaleni might be able to make. They also go over how core stones with a brighter glow would be wonderful for lighting their cave, assuming it was serviceable. Twinkaleni tries not to get their hopes too high, insisting that it may take many trials to get even the core stones to work properly, but agrees it will be worth the effort.

After eating so much fruit, they're stuffed before finishing most of the ant and it's gotten dark. Rather than set up Alice's tent, the girls take their time, carefully bringing their gear up with them into a large nearby oak. Danahlia manages to carry Twinkaleni on her back with her tail wrapped around the crab shell bowl, Airiliantachu still slumbering within. Exhausted from their journey they quickly fall asleep.

The next morning is lively. Tally, Shae, and the pixie children have returned, along with several new comers. They also brought an assortment of their fruit carrying, feral friends. Airiliantachu has recovered and is severely scolded by Shae for having not returned with the others. The silver haired pixie apologizes profusely while enduring angry shouts about how the others had searched the forest for hours despite the dangers of darkness, fearing the worst. Shae demands she returns home with her but Danahlia insists she can stay if she wants to. The little pixie does and Shae drops it, but only because the Devourer requests it.

The pixies have brought a number of ferals this time. Some of the new ones vaguely resemble the large squirrels but with leaf shaped ears, long furred tails, and a thin skin that extends from their forelimbs to their hinds. Each of these has a small spherical gourd loosely hanging around their necks. When asked what they are, Tally tells them that they are called, Aludi.

Danahlia takes up one of the gourds, asking, "Can we eat these?"

Tally points to a tiny cork made of folded leaves on one end of the gourd, "Oh no, Devourer, contain the nectar of the Niurha tree they do. You are meant to drink it."

As Danahlia pulls the cork free, she asks, "You guys keep callin' me, Devourer. What's that about?"

Tally seems hesitant but answers, "Consumed many things you have since entering the forest. Many things we do not eat, like the biters, the spinners, the crawlers, and even the great clawed one." She points to their crab shell bowl.

Danahlia purses her lips and considers. "Mmm, Devourer, I kinda like it. I am the Devourer, eater of things!" she announces proudly, which startles the new pixies into huddling together into a ball of multicolored light.

Alice grins and uncorks another of the gourds, sniffing its contents. The scent is subtle while fruity.

"Please drink, Jellybane. Restore your strength it will," Tally encourages.

Alice covers the little hole with her lips and tilts the gourd until a wondrously flavorful, sweet liquid graces her tongue. It's thin like water but has a unique flavor that immediately brings to mind images of fresh growth in the forest after a long awaited rain. Too soon the palm-able gourd is empty and she tries to stick her tongue in it to get any remaining drops.

Twinkaleni joins them after fending off the pixie children, her hood over her ears, as Danahlia asks, "That good huh?" Alice, now sucking on the gourd, 'mm-hm's enthusiastically and Danahlia downs her nectar, nodding her approval, "Mmm, not bad. Try it Twinkie."

The Murin mage takes up a gourd for herself and has a sip, then drains it, commenting when she finishes, "Ah, most refreshing. Where did you get this?"

Tally bobs up and down happily, "Nectar from the Niurha tree. A rarely blooming tree it is but eagerly wait we do. Please drink all you wish. Need your strength today you will. The cave awaits."

The girls eagerly drink their share of three gourds each. As they finish each one, the pixies tie them back onto the long tailed Aludi. The moment they're set, the creatures scurry up the nearest tree and then, to Alice's amazement, leap, spreading their limbs and gliding on their thin skin flaps from trunk to trunk until they're out of sight, Shae and some of the new pixies following them. The girls then dine on the fruit, brought by birds and the large squirrels. As Alice eats, she notices the weariness of the last few days slipping away to be replaced with new strength. Her muscles steadily ache less and soon her entire body feels invigorated.

"Wow, I feel great!" she bursts.

Danahlia nods, fruit juices dripping down her chin, "Yeah, me too."

"Mmm, indeed. It's as if my body is being rejuvenated," says Twinkaleni, looking over herself in amazement.

Tally bobs excitedly in the air, "The Niurha's nectar it is! Renews the body it does."

"That reminds me, did you know the silver haired pixie can heal injuries?" Alice asks, suddenly feeling better than she had in a long time.

"Airi? Yes. Precious is her gift. Frightened of losing her we all were."

"Are there other pixies that can use such magic?" Twinkaleni asks.

"Mmm, gifts we all have," says Tally, "but rarest are those who can mend. Only one is Airi."

"What's your talent?" Danahlia wonders, munching on some fruit.

Tally spirals, "Find things I can."

The girls begin gathering their possessions after they finish their breakfast and make ready for another hike. Energized and even excited, the girls continue to ask Tally questions as they depart and begin walking. The pixie reveals that all her kind have special gifts or abilities. Tally is especially good at finding things, even in the dense forest. Because of this, she was more or less chosen to follow the Jellybane and then to lead her and her friends about. Tally assures them, unconvincingly, that the fact they were hitting areas with large concentrations of jellies was just a 'most fortunate coincidence.'

The small party ventures on much as they had yesterday, heading from water source to water source, disposing of the jellies congregating there, and collecting their cores. It gets to the point that they have so many the girls purposely leave the less valuable ones behind. After each battle they take a break, noticing almost every time they do, Shae and Tally switch places to lead the girls while a few more pixies accompany them. The new ones sometimes hover around to look at the 'taller' but their primary reason for coming seems to be taking the discarded cores back to wherever the tiny beings keep coming from.

"What are you guys doin' with those cores?" Alice asks Shae, pointing to a purple pixie carrying one off.

"Power they have. Use it we can," she replies.

"How'd you do that?"

"Oh, not I, the elders. How, I know not. Told to collect them we were."

As they continue on, the other young pixies are ushered away but Airi insists on staying, and with Danahlia backing her, Tally and Shae give up on trying to take the healer home. From her they learn more about the pixies and their struggle with the jellies. Like Airi, other pixies have magic too. Some can even use spells like Twinkaleni to fight but it takes many of them working together to have much effect. Because of this, the pixies can only protect a few key areas, such as their precious fruit trees, around which they and their animal friends tend to live. Airi expresses great hope and gratitude for Alice and her friends, who defeat the jellies with incredible ease.

By late afternoon, the rejuvenating effect of the Niurha nectar is long gone and the girls are sagging under the ever increasing weight of their packs. Not for the first time, Alice wonders if they're close to the cave and again Tally bobs, claiming they are. Shae appears from the direction the group is headed and reveals that the cave is just ahead. Relieved, the girls slog the rest of the way, eager for the days march to be over with.

The green haired pixie had been scouting ahead and reports that some weavers have claimed the cave they were seeking.

"What're weavers?" Danahlia asks.

"Spiders," Alice clarifies, "Big ones."

Twinkaleni stops, "Uh, I'm afraid I am not terribly fond of spiders."

"That's ok, me and Alice can handle 'em," Danahlia assures her. An idea Alice is not terribly fond of.

"How big and how many are there?" Alice asks Shae.

"Apologies, Jellybane, only the weaver's silk I saw," the little pixie admits, which makes Alice even less enthusiastic.

They come to a cliff side maybe thirty feet high and Shae instructs them to follow her. Moving along the rocky wall, the girls eventually find a slim opening with thick spider's web all over the walls, floor, and ceiling. It clings to all the stone surfaces, disappearing into the darkness within.

"What'd you think, Twinkie?" Danahlia asks, as she and Alice peer into the cave mouth to no reply. "Twinkie?"

They look back to see Twinkaleni still a dozen yards back with Tally and Airi hovering overhead.

Alice looks up to Shae, "Are you sure this is the right cave?"

"No other there is," the pixie replies, fluttering back and forth nervously.

Danahlia waves for Twinkaleni to come to her but the Murin shakes her head, "I don't like spiders, especially big ones."

"Nor I!" Tally is quick to add.

Danahlia sighs to Alice, "I guess it's just us then."

"Is this a bad time to tell you I don't like spiders either?" Alice groans, looking into the foreboding slit in the rocks.

Danahlia places a hand on the Tokala's shoulder, "Too late. So how'd you wanna do this?"

In truth, Alice would rather not 'do this' at all, but if they had to, she suggests they try to lure any spiders out into the open rather than try to fight them in the tight dark passage.

Danahlia nods, "Yeah, that's what I was thinkin'. But we'll need bait."

Hearing this, Shae stiffen and then tries to flee but with lightning reflexes, Danahlia extends out her tail ahead of her and the pixie runs right into it.

Danahlia catches the dazed pixie as she pleas, "No, Jellybane, do this not! Eat our kind weavers do!"

"Calm down, Shae, we won't let anything happen to you. We have a plan," Alice assures as the diminutive figure struggles in Danahalia's grip. She looks to the lizard girl, "Right?"

"Course I have a plan," Danahlia states, "sort of."