"It is time we talk," Cobb stated, her voice echoing in the forest. Caspian passed through the trees, touching each as he went, his senses on high alert. "It is time for you to allow me, and the rest of the scouts, to resume our duties," she said, ahead of him, but still within eyesight. The stream of light from the sun was slowly closing into a fine sliver of silver light lending the island a serene feel as the darkness began to envelop the island.
It was easiest to find the souls at dark when they gave off that faint cerulean glow. Caspian spotted three on his left, wading through the forest without a care in the world. They were scatterbrained, unable to access their former life, their memories. They were unaware of everything around them, up until they were chosen for rebirth.
Or eaten by the mermaids. Which was another reason he was out in the bleak night. He had twenty souls to gather in two days. The thought caused bile to rise in his throat.
"You know the reason for that," Caspian sniffed, walking in the direction of the souls. He stopped a few feet from them, watching.
"May the gods carry their souls to Arcturus," Cobb mumbled, hand to her chest. "Their failure to return was a depressing event, yes, but that should not have any effect on myself and the others traveling. I have noticed the decrease in souls. Soon enough, there will no souls left to sustain the realm." She flew next to Caspian's face. "Let me do what I was born to do."
Her resolve impressed Caspian, but what she asked for... was impossible.
It had been almost a year since he had forbidden any scouts from traveling outside of the realm, after the last group he had sent out, nearly all the scouts, had not returned.
He suspected they had died. How, he could never say. Their souls had never returned to Nawala, so he assumed either fairies did not have souls, or they had been eaten.
But, what Cobb said was true. Without the scouts traversing the ten realms, leaving behind spiritual trails for the newly departed souls to follow and eventually make their way to Nawala, the souls would stop coming. Sure, a few would miraculously make their way there, but nine times out ten, they couldn't find their way without help.
If the souls stopped arriving, then the Auktross would slowly begin to fade, unable to sustain itself without the emotional responses of the souls.
And, if that happened, the realm would cease to exist, and the ten realms would forever be altered in a way that they would never be able to come back from.
Caspian chewed on the inside of his cheek. He could risk the scouts going out again or he could rely on the souls to make their own to Nawala.
Either way, Caspian had a hard decision to make.
"I will have to think about it," Caspian said, motioning for Cobb to select a soul. She flew around the three souls a few times before she stopped in front of one and nodded to Cas.
"I remember this one, from Belvedere," Cobb said. The quick, flurried motion of her wings gave away her feelings. Caspian noticed that when she was distraught or agitated, her wings would move at an astounding rate. "Very old, perhaps one of the oldest on the realm."
Caspian moved behind the soul, unable or unwilling to look into the eyes of the soul, and held out his palm, swallowing the lump in his throat. Ethereal tendrils from the soul began to make their way into Caspian's hand, his arm glowing a soft, light blue. The soul slowly lost it's humanoid form as it's essence coalesced into a small ball of light. Caspian cupped the soul gently, the ball sending warmth throughout his body.
A small glass orb popped out from the soul, dropping to the ground. Cobb caught it before it hit the earth. She looked up at Caspian then, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. "I know," Caspian whispered. He placed the soul next to six others in a carefully-made basket of Auktross roots, imbued with Caspian's own nature magic to provide a sturdy yet malleable structure. "What about the other two?"
Cobb shook her head, "too young, there are others that are older around here." She looked at the orb in her arms. "Tamaerean can do this. I must insist that you allow me to resume traveling. If you deny me this, then perhaps I will go anyway and the other fairies will gather strength from my disobedience and see you for what you really are and cast you out of Nawala." Her tiny body shook with the intensity of her words, eyes wide with hope.
Caspian cracked a small smile. "You think the fairies could push me out of the realm?" The idea of the fairies attempting to shut him out was almost laughable. He'd been called by the Auktross itself-Burshka of Arcturus had told him so-and he couldn't think of anything that could override the decision of the World Tree of the soul realm.
"It's possible," Cobb said indignantly. "But, I've been thinking about this for a very long time and I feel the need to go. Which I will do with or without your say so."
He stared at the fairy, a sudden rush of anger heating his face. What was the point in being proclaimed the sovereign deity of the realm if he couldn't really stop her from doing what she wanted? He knew the other fairies were quite possibly terrified of him and they only listened to him because of that fact, but Cobb was the only one that actively sought him out.
"You go with Ebbs and no one else. Two days of travel before you are to report back."
Cobb placed her hand over her heart, balancing the orb with the other. "Thank you, Caspian, I will bring back as many souls as I can. And if I come upon any clues about my missing brothers and sisters, I will-"
"No!" Caspian shouted, wrenching the rock from her and shoving it into his empty water pouch. Cobb stared, the smile that had started to form halted midway in shock. "Just guide the souls.
Do not under any circumstances try and investigate their disappearance. You go out there and back and that's final. Do I have your word, Cobb?"
Slowly, Cobb nodded. "You have my word, Caspian. I know you won't say it, but I have a feeling this is your way of saying you care about me," she grinned, letting out a small laugh. She flew to his head, placed a kiss on his forehead and then zipped off in the direction of the Auktross, no doubt to awaken Ebbs-a fellow scout-and be on her way as soon as possible.
Continuing through the forest, Caspian nabbed six more souls before he slumped against a small oak tree. He played with the orbs of rock, his fingers restless.
What would he do if Cobb never came back? The thought sent a surge of anxiety throughout his body, his stomach churning. And, when exactly, had he come to care for the annoying little bug so much that her departure had caused a small hole to open up in his soul? 42Please respect copyright.PENANAAtDMCopui4
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Even the feel of the Auktross, the slow and steady pulse of its soul flowing into him, wasn't enough to comfort him.
Two fairies flew near him when the sun began to form, a caregiver, wearing a flowing robe made from various flower petals, and a sproutling, barely three inches tall in height, wings flying in uneven beats. He watched them draw closer, the caregiver giving intermittent instructions to the new fairy, and once he recognized the caregiver, he called her over.
She was by his side within seconds, clearly nervous to be so close to him, eyes shifting to the side, unable to make direct eye contact with him. "You called, lord?" Her voice was quiet, docile.
Different from the outspoken and confident words of Cobb.
"I need to refill my dust and need a harvester to take care of these," he pointed to his pouch, and the fairy nodded. There was the unspoken agreement that Caspian would also be needing a pair of wings, as a handful of dark gray clouds had formed in the distance, slowly making their way to the island. He wanted to be rid of them so that he could perform his upcoming Merge with the Auktross without the distraction of unsavory weather. "I will watch the sproutling for you," he added, beckoning the other fairy to join them.
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The caregiver glanced between the two, twisting her hands, wings beating faster. "Yes, of course, lord. This is Wimm, the newest caregiver." The sproutling was a male fairy, a rare occurrence within the female-dominant species. Most of the males were, by design, scouts, though there was the occasional male harvester or caregiver. As scouts were different shades of purple, harvesters were red and caregivers were brown. Wimm was a light chestnut, the plates on his body softer and less pronounced than a scout's, wings smaller and rounder. The caregiver flew off, stopping once to cast Caspian a nervous look before she was gone from sight.
"Lord," Wimm said, bowing deeply. He met Caspian's eyes, new and naive.
"How many were born in your clutch?"
"Five, lord," the fairy answered. Caspian nodded to himself. The lack of souls was affecting the birth of fairies. Usually, the number of new fairies in a clutch was around twenty or so.
"As I thought. Tomorrow I'll be performing my Merge with the Auktross. Have you been versed in your duties during that time?" At this point, Caspian was just making friendly conversation, something that rarely happened with fairies that weren't Cobb. It was a welcome distraction and, when the caregiver returned with dust and another fairie, he'd almost forgotten that he was without his closest friend.
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