The Wood Knot Warrior Pt. 02

"Where is Tawna?" Kharza asked again.

"Hmm? Oh! She took the rescued Pixie back to the Tanglewood. We said goodbye in the chamber where we found the captive Pixie."

"So, your mission was successful," Karter asked as he felt Dell's strong pulse. He and Kharza got Dell's pack off, then lifted him onto his bed.

"Yes, Magus Thaneblood is dead. Killed by his captive Pixie's hand. I told the Thornblood family that Magus was afflicted with an evil curse keeping him alive unnaturally. They were quite willing to cooperate with our removing the curse. As we didn't personally kill him, we're not concerned about this coming back to haunt us," Eryllis explained.

Karter chuckled. "Clever and no one is the wiser."

"Speaking of Magus' use of his Pixie, I killed his wizard, then turned everything in his studio to ash. If he had written instructions anywhere in his room on how he used Pixies for medical purposes, they're gone," Eryllis said.

"What about Kess? Falco told me some frightening things about him," Karter asked.

Eryllis nodded. "That fucker shot a poison dart at us from the side of the trade route on our way to Portoa! His ambush might have worked, except Tawna warned me he coated himself in mud for camouflage. We knew there was a chance he'd be coming for us as we were coming for him. On our second night out, Tawna had a flashback from her abduction and remembered seeing him through the mesh of the trap he caught her in. I adjusted my detection spell to give us an advance warning of his location. The next day, we walked through his ambush point, and he grunted when the dart he fired reversed course and struck him on the shoulder. I prevented him from fleeing while Dell and Tawna fought him. Every blade he threw struck him instead, thanks to Tawna. Then Dell diced him into pieces and took his head off. The fight left him after that."

Karter and Kharza grinned in relief.

The father looked back at Dell. "How long is he going to be out?"

Eryllis shook her head. "I'm not sure. It was overnight last time. We'll have to wait and just keep an eye on him."

"Helluva way to travel. Why does he always fall to the floor when he arrives?" Karter asked.

Eryllis gestured to where she thought they appeared and realized they were in the direct center of the room. "We arrived here. At the center."

"Huh. Next time Dell travels, we'll move the bed before he goes, so there will be a soft landing when he returns this way," Kharza said with a grin.

Eryllis smiled as she saw how sweet Dell looked resting on the bed. "That does look temptingly comfortable." She sighed. Tonight was soon enough.

"Where are my children?"

Karter and Kharza smiled and pointed upstairs, then Kharza headed downstairs.

Touching her arm to make her pause, Karter gave her a quick message. "By the way, we had a delivery today, which should make future trips easier. Geneviere Warrick sent you and Dell her two-wheeled cart as compensation for her late brother's bogus warrant."

Eryllis smiled happily, then paused to consider that act. "Can we trust gifts from a high family member?"

Karter nodded thoughtfully. "My impression of Geneviere is she's a brilliant tactician who will use her family's influence with far more subtlety and care than her older brother. That said, I wouldn't put it past her to have arranged for his demise."

Eryllis' eyes widened. "We want to accept a gift from such a person?"

"I don't believe she's an enemy, and she did the people of Grennesh a service by removing the very real danger Lucien represented. A gracious acceptance note would be my recommendation," Karter said.

Eryllis nodded thoughtfully. "Fine. I'll send her one tomorrow. Now, I need to see my babies!"

-=-

Tawna was standing in her mother's private chamber with her sister Marlah glaring at her from the side of the room. Her mother was sitting in her favorite chair, matching Marlah's expression. Tawna was suddenly struck by their similarity.

"You jeopardized the future of our race by stealing him away!" Stella snapped.

"No, I saved the integrity of our race by freeing an innocent being from cruel incarceration," Tawna said reasonably.

"Oh, please! We were hardly being cruel! He was treated very well—"

"No. You were going to prevent him from ever seeing his family again. That's cruel. If you cannot see that, then there is no point in trying to save our people. If we have lost the ability to feel empathy toward others, then we have already passed the point of no return," Tawna insisted.

Stella was frowning, but she wasn't yelling. "Do you understand the importance of reversing the genetic weakness in our people?"

"I do, but you can't forget the importance of kindness, empathy, and love. I have seen Dell's love for his partners and his children. I have... felt his affection for me. He saved me in many ways. Yet, he had no expectation of reward for his actions. He did them because he believed it was right."

She felt a strange tug and turned to face west. "Dell wanted to be our friend and offered to assist—OH!" She suddenly wobbled as she had a momentary burst of vertigo from seeing two different viewpoints simultaneously. She felt Dell's mind reaching for hers, calling for the magic. She staggered as she intimately recalled the sensation of sharing her magic with Dell. He was asking again, so she assisted. Then he wasn't there any longer, and she was sitting on the floor in her mother's and sister's arms.

"What happened?" Stella asked.

"I-I'm linked to Dell," she said in wonder.

"What does that mean?" Marlah asked.

"He just used the butterflies to go home... to the Wood Knot Inn!" she replied in awe.

Marlah was aghast. "You can't let a non-Pixie have access to that spell! That's for Pixies! Royal Pixies, at that! Mother! Tell her!" she shrieked.

But Stella was quiet as she contemplated her youngest daughter.

Tawna caught her look and quickly followed where her mother's mind was going. They locked eyes, and wills were tested, and Stella was surprised and, truthfully, delighted when she didn't immediately win. A smile came to her lips, and Tawna matched her expression.

"Do you think you could use the spell to visit him?" the Queen asked calmly.

Tawna recalled her connection to Dell and how he said she'd always have a home with them. She nodded. "I'm sure I could."

Stella accepted that with a slow nod. "What about returning with him?"

Tawna sighed then her gaze hardened. "Dell is now aware of what your intentions were for him. He is not going to be willing to participate in that manner again," she said bluntly. "You and Marlah will need to apologize for your treatment of him. He is not an animal to be used thoughtlessly. If he accepts a sincere apology, which must be heartfelt, you will need to request his help saving our people. If he agrees, then he can set the terms. I'm sure one of those terms will be visitation rights. He loves all his children, and they should know how much they are loved!"

Stella felt distinctly uncomfortable, and Marlah was staring at Tawna like a complete stranger was asking her to strip naked in public. Tawna pinned her elder sister with a fierce glare.

"Are you so conceited that you cannot accept the truth that beings other than Pixies have value?" she growled.

Marlah blinked in surprise at the strength in her little sister's voice and the contempt in her tone. She suddenly felt off-balance and defensive. She looked to her mother for support and was shocked to see a critical expression on her face as well. Now her world was shifting under her feet. She looked at her mother incredulously. "Weren't you the one who insisted that Pixies needed to protect ourselves from the lesser races outside the Tanglewood?"

Stella frowned but owned up to her words. "Yes, I did, and now our race is on the brink of becoming extinct due to those intentions. We're also culturally stagnant. We must do something drastic and dramatic to breathe new life into the Tanglewood." She held up a hand to prevent Marlah from speaking. "I'm not suggesting we let other races visit without restriction. We are also a delicate people. We will need to ease into this. The first and most critical step is owning up to our own conceits. I made a serious mistake. Other races are different, not inherently inferior."

Tawna was beaming a proud smile at her mother, and Stella felt... unreasonably pleased by that. She looked to her other daughter, and her joy dimmed. Marlah looked a little lost.

"I'm sorry for poisoning your mind. I'm definitely to blame for that, but we can do better. We must, as we'll have fresh young minds to nurture soon, and they must not be tainted by our mistakes." She touched her tummy, and Marlah's expression lightened.

"We all will," Tawna said with a sweet smile.

Stella's face lit up, and she rushed forward to take her youngest into her arms. "Dell?" she asked.

Tawna nodded with happy tears in her eyes.

Stella looked at Marlah, who still appeared a little lost, so she held open an arm to include her in the hug. Tawna copied the gesture, and Marlah rushed forward to hug her sister and mother.

Once they felt warmed by the hug and their love for each other, they pulled back to look into each other's eyes.

Stella nodded to Tawna. "We will prepare our sincerest apologies to Dell and an impassioned request for his assistance. That said, we cannot expect him to have sex with all the available Pixies."

"His father is very handsome too, though he's Human," Tawna offered.

Stella gave her daughter a thoughtful look. "Is he."

It was Tawna's turn to look pensive. "It might be a better idea for me to bring the available Pixies to the Wood Knot Inn as it is considered neutral and protected territory. That's where Dell lives and works as a chef in the kitchen."

Stella and Marlah both chuckled in surprise at Tawna's teasing, but their humor turned to shock when she just gave them a smug smile.

"Our Royal Chef wasn't joking? Dell really is a cook? I thought he was a warrior!" Marlah exclaimed.

Tawna beamed them a proud smile. "He is a master chef but also a reluctant master warrior."

Then her smile turned wicked. "As you know, he's a wonderful lover, and now you know he prepares wondrous meals, but Kharza says he can do the most delicious things with his mouth... down there."

"I do know that!" Stella blurted.

The Queen's private chamber filled with the sound of excited shrieks and laughter.

All was well in the Pixie nation of the Tanglewood.

At least it was on its way there.