Chapter 5

         "It just occurred to me that I know almost nothing about the three of you," said Crystal, hovering near the campfire. "I mean, I've traveled for a good 3 hours with you all, 15 minutes of which were spent unconscious, and now I'm sitting here in camp with you. For all I know, you could all be fairy hunters."

         "For all we know," said Ian, from his reclining position against a large boulder, "you could be a human hunter."

         "And a terribly dangerous one," said Lokey, with a smirk. The others laughed and Crystal sighed.

         "I'm serious, now!" she said, trying to be heard. "Tell me about yourselves, about how you met and what you did before then...and about the stained glass window deal."

         "There isn't a whole lot to tell, really," shrugged Magbert. "I was living with my family, well, my mother, and we were protected slaves of Lord Tey of Opin. Lord Tey keep slaves to prevent them from being slaves elsewhere. Technically, we are enslaved, but we do none of the drudgery that slaves do. Anyway, I met Ian when he came running into my quarters one night, looking for a place to hide. He was only 14 at the time and his tribe of ogres..."

         "Wait, Ian owns ogres?" asked Crystal, settling on Magbert's knee.

         "No, Ian is an ogre," said Magbert. "His tribe didn't want him because he's so horribly deformed and intelligent."

         "You look fine to me," said Crystal.

         "I look human to you," said Ian. "Not many ogres appreciate that."

         "Anyway, they were all trying to kill him, so I brought him before Lord Tey. He told me to sneak out of the area and take Ian to the nearest town, where he'd be safe," Magbert continued. "By the time we'd gotten halfway through the forest, we met Lokey. Lokey is elven royalty. He was leaving the forest to get away from this witch who'd cast a sort of enchantment on him, then left him to wander without knowing how to get rid of it. By the time he did, he was pretty much lost and very against women..."

         "Witches," interrupted Lokey. "Actually, I just wanted to get away from life in the forest."

         "You're still in the forest," commented Crystal.

         "That particular area of the forest," Lokey added.

         "Oh."

         "Anyway, I decided to stay with them and we've been traveling together ever since," finished Magbert.

         "Well, what's the deal with the stained glass window?" Crystal asked.

         "Oh, that," groaned Lokey.

         "Ian didn't like this stained glass window at a tavern we were in, so he decided to vocalize this right next to the brothers who created it," said Magbert tiredly. "He has a habit of vocalizing his opinions frequently, but usually no one stops him."

         "They called me names," said Ian solemnly. "You know how sensitive I am to things like that."

         "Sensitive!" Lokey exclaimed. "A sensitive man would have apologized and not hurled the two guys and the bouncer out the window!"

         "Okay, so I'm overly-sensitive," grinned Ian.

         "Now, what about you?" Magbert asked. "Sprites aren't usually found singing spells in rundown pubs."

         "Well, I always wanted to sing, but my family wanted me to become a healer, so I'd go as far as I could and sing for as long as I wanted, then I'd come home. I was singing one day when I accidentally met my first human. He was very nice at first. He told me I sang wonderfully, something no one had ever told me, and asked would I come sing for him. I was so happy someone new liked my music that I trusted him and told him all about myself, including where I lived and how to get there. Then I went with him to his cottage and he locked me up in a birdcage and left me there. That was how I learned to use my spells. I made the cage rise off its hook and drop to the ground with my reverse-force spell, then I got out and hurried home. By the time I got there, there was nothing left. Fairy hunters had come in and destroyed the whole glen. Not one sprite or fairy was left in the whole village."

         Ian whistled low as Magbert said, "So you just left and started singing, anyway."

         "Something like that," Crystal shrugged. "I didn't think I'd ever..."

         "Shh!" said Lokey, suddenly. They all grew quiet, then he said, "There is someone out there. Two someones."

         Ian drew his broadsword and Magbert moved to pull his from its sheath. Before he could, a hand yanked him back by the hair and another placed a wet dagger blade under his chin.

         "Alright, my friend," came a recognizable voice, "I doubt that you want move too quickly near this poison blade. And you, great oaf that you are," the voice continued, "don't want to hold any weapons or threatening objects that might cause my brother to slit your gnome friend's neck."

         A rather fancily dressed man stepped out of the shadows near Lokey holding a crossbow on Ian warily, while the other man, presumably his brother, began tying Magbert's hands roughly behind his back. Crystal, who had yet to be seen, quickly flew behind the boulder Ian was leaning on.

         "I knew that window thing was gonna come back to haunt you," said Lokey, nodding prophetically.

         "You there, elven urchin, would do best to scramble off on your way," said the first man. "Your friends aren't going to be on this Earth much longer."

         "I will have you know," began Lokey, standing up indignantly, " that I am royalty and will not be referred to in such a fashion."

         The man shrugged. "Then join your friends," he said, shoving Lokey roughly toward his brother. "Tie him up and we'll dispose of him after this one."

         "I don't think so," said Lokey. "You're not going to survive this experience."

         "Lokey, shut up," groaned Magbert as he lay on his stomach, hands being tied behind his back.

         "Tie him up first," said the man with the crossbow, nodding toward Lokey decidedly. The other man put his knee into Magbert's back and grabbed Lokey to do as he was told.

         Ian, who had frozen himself in position for the safety of his friend, had been whispering to Crystal. "Crystal, where are you?"

         "I'm here," she replied, fluttering inconspicuously to Ian's shoulder. "Who are these guys?"

         "The brothers I threw through the window," came the reply. "Can you do that reverse spell on things in motion? Things in really fast motion?"

         "I think so. What do you want me to concentrate on?"

         "That quarrel."

         "The one that he's about to shoot at you?" Crystal gasped.

         "I don't think we'll have any special last requests or such nonsense, as I am anxious to have the family honor restored," said the man with the crossbow, lifting it to aim at Ian's head. "You could have moved by now," he added to Ian.

         "Yes, I know," Ian replied with a grin.

         The man frowned, then smiled as well. "Good form," he said, aiming again. He fired, or rather, attempted to fire. The moment Crystal saw his finger move on the trigger, she sang her spell, causing the quarrel to misfire quite rapidly (and painfully) into its owner's chest.

         The other brother, whom was trying to wrestle Lokey into his ropes, looked at his stricken brother with a gasp of horror. Lokey rolled over toward his staff and rammed its end underneath the chin of his former captor, then brought it down on his head, knocking him to the ground. Then he grabbed the poison dagger and raised it high as if about to stab him. The man rolled over, blubbering wildly in fear.

         "No, please, don't kill me, I'm too artistic to die, just let me live, I swear I won't come after you again, PLEASE!!!" he sobbed.

         "Lokey, don't!" Magbert yelled. "We've already got one stiff to worry about."

         The look of blood in the half-elf's eye was frightening enough for the poor man and he fainted dead away. That drew the ice from Lokey's veins and he stopped to shake his head. "Wimp," he said in disgust, throwing the dagger down.

         "You've gotta quit this mass retaliation thing," sighed Magbert, slowly getting up.

         "You could've killed him," Ian said encouragingly.

         "Yeah, but I didn't have to, so I didn't," Lokey said, somewhat sourly. "So now what do we do?"

         "We move the dead guy, tie up the other one and ditch him out there somewhere and find a new camp. There's blood all over this one," Ian replied.

         Crystal sat looking horrified on Ian's shoulder. "Crys, are you alright?" Magbert asked.

         She flew warily toward the body, then rushed back to Magbert's cupped hands. "I killed that man!" Crystal looking up at him and pointing earnestly at the corpse. "I mean, really killed him!"

         "You had to, dearest, or he would've killed Ian," Magbert said comfortingly.

         Crystal gave Ian a look, then looked back at Magbert. "Is that so wrong?" she asked, with a smirk. Ian jumped at her and she zoomed, giggling, to the shelter of Magbert's shoulder.

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