Chapter 8

         "Well, Drianna's still alive," said Magbert, with a smile. He sat beneath a tree with Crystal on one knee not far from camp. They were having one of their private chats, something they did fairly regularly together (among other things). "How did you manage that?"

         "By risking my own neck," sighed Crystal wearily. "See, I gave her this necklace I got in Uther and I've been singing this luck charm on it right before she sleeps and it..."

         "A luck charm!" laughed Magbert. "Lokey's been walking around in a fury for the past three days and all because of a measly little luck charm?! That's fun-ny!"

         Crystal looked injured. "It's not that measly."

         "Oh, no, I...dearest, I didn't mean to offend you, really," said Magbert, sobering almost immediately. "It's just he takes his magic failures very seriously, however slight they may seem."

         "Well, they don't seem slight to me. That's where all Drianna's bad luck is going. Remember when he said he was going to release that witch vapor near her, to drain her power and all that?" Magbert nodded. "Well, as luck would have it, her place a vapor near her, alright, but it was gemweed vapor, not the witch vapor."

         "Gemweed," said Magbert. "The fabled opiate of the little people. That explains why I felt so hung over the next day."

         "You felt hung over?" exclaimed Crystal. "Why do you think I staggered over to Ian's side of camp?"

         "I thought you were mad at me," shrugged Magbert.

         "I don't think I could ever be so mad at you that I'd risk getting inhaled by Ian in his sleep," she giggled, fluttering up and kissing his cheek.

         "I'd laugh, but it would be at my own expense," said Magbert. "Losing you to a little mistake like that would be horrible. And that gemweed thing...there are lots of humans who keep gemweed vapor in their homes to kill off fairies and sprites like yourself."

         "Honey, you're ruining my story!" said Crystal impatiently. "Anyway, the next night he decides he's going to magic a death shroud to put on her, right. He wastes all that magic on it, then tries to put it on her and this gust of wind blows it to the side of her; right where I'm watching from! Well, of course all the power of the shroud transfers to the first living being it touches, so I drew all the magic from it and since Lokey doesn't see me, all he knows is the shroud's lost its power for some reason. He figures he's screwed up again, so he yanks it up and stalks off, while I sit there, singing most of the night trying to ward off all that death stuff."

         "No wonder you were so hoarse yesterday," said Magbert, shaking his head. "Why don't you tell me these things?"

         "You'd only worry about me and then I couldn't do them, now could I?" she sighed. He nodded grudgingly; guaranteed he'dve worried to death and he'dve forcibly kept her from trying again if he'dve had to. Sprites tended not to think of these things until it was too late and, even if they did survive, it wasn't a lesson learned, it was another good story. "Then last night, it was the straight-forward stab in the chest. But what does he do? He goes to stab her, she wakes up and scares him, he twists his ankle and falls, nearly stabbing...you guessed it, me!"

         "Dearest, did it ever occur to you that perhaps your good luck charm might be the kind that concurrently gives its caster bad luck?" suggested Magbert.

         Crystal's eyes opened wide. "Noooo, really?" she gasped sarcastically. "You couldn't tell for all the easy-going I've had."

         He smirked at her. "So, now Lokey's irritated and you're fully recovered," he concluded.

         "Now he's irritated, I'm recovered and Drianna stays," added Crystal. "She thought it was funny."

         "You told her?"

         "Bert, she woke up with him getting ready to stab her. I think she pretty much knew. I didn't tell her about the luck charm, but she's been laughing about his last attempt behind his back all morning, so she probably doesn't realize that he's not normally that clumsy."

         "Y'know, it still is kinda hard to believe you made friends with her," Magbert said.

         "I did when she stopped being mean to me and she stopped when she understood me," shrugged Crystal. "What's wrong with that?"

         "Well, not everybody is like Drianna and you, dear," Magbert explained. "Like that fairy hunter that kidnapped you."

         "Well, maybe he had his reasons, too," said Crystal pensively.

         Magbert looked at her with a frown. "Dearest, perhaps it's time we covered the areas of trustworthy and non-trustworthy again," he said.

         A sudden shout from the camp startled them both. "That sounded like...Ian!" said Crystal, her body lifting as her wings fluttered nervously into motion.

         "It'd take an awful lot to get a reaction like that out of him," said Magbert, jumping to his feet and rushing back to the camp with Crystal right behind him.

         When he and Crystal emerged into the small clearing, Ian was sitting near the fire, breathless with laughter. Lokey was standing imperiously in front of Drianna, who stood gazing at him with a mocking smile.

         "Ian..." began Magbert.

         "Was that an insult?" Lokey demanded.

         "You figure it out," Drianna replied smoothly.

         "She...he..." gasped Ian, "...he was making fun of her cooking magic and he was calling it base and she said..."

         "That at least my base magic is better than his best aim," repeated Drianna, throughly enjoying Ian's amusement.

         "And you shoulda seen the look on Lokey's face!" howled Ian.

         "Ian," said Magbert, "a fight is about to ensue, here. Don't help."

         "Sorry," Ian gasped, trying to control himself. "But you shoulda seen the look..."

         "Yeah, I know," said Magbert. "Hey, Lokey, can't we just chalk that up as a retaliatory remark and leave it at that?"

         "No, she zinged him good," smirked Ian.

         "Stay outta this, Magbert," said Lokey, still glaring at Drianna.

         "Drianna," began Crystal, winging up to her, "he's trying to kill you! You don't..."

         "I know that," said Drianna. "Why else would my necklace glow while you sing me to sleep with luck charms?"

         "You knew?" gasped Crystal.

         "You what?" demanded Lokey. Crystal squeaked and flew back to the safety of Magbert's hands.

         "Luck charm," said Drianna briefly. "A proper magic using elf would have seen that right away."

         Even Ian decided to move back a little as Lokey geared up for a mass retaliation. "That is quite it," he said deliberately. "You and I are definitely coming to blows over this."

         "Okay," shrugged Drianna, backing up. The magic energy being prepped here became phenomenal, extending out to the edges of the clearing and pushing Magbert, Crystal and Ian to safer vantage points.

         "We can't just let them fight like that!" Crystal exclaimed.

         "Yes, we can," said Ian. "Otherwise, they'll never have this resolved."

         "But they might kill each other!"

         "Probably," he agreed.

         Crystal gasped in exasperation and turned to Magbert. "Bert...!"

         "Dear, if you wanna go out and stop them, then go right ahead," he replied before she could speak. And, before he could tell her otherwise, she was winging off toward the two, who were crackling with energy. Ian, with incredible swiftness for one so large, jumped out, caught her in his cupped hands and ducked back down behind their tree again.

         "Don't tell her to do dumb stuff like that," said Ian seriously, as they listened to Crystal's faint screams and struggles between Ian's hands.

         "I didn't think she'd actually do it," Magbert sighed. "I just assumed she'd consider the danger involved."

         "Does she ever consider the danger involved?" Ian asked.

         "Not when she thinks she's right."

         "My point exactly." The two looked at Ian's hands for a pause, then Magbert asked,

         "Shouldn't you let her out?" His statement was followed by a bright flash of light and a deafening roar of thunder. The two looked up and a tree that Lokey had previously been near had been reduced to ashes.

         "I don't think so," said Ian.

         They turned back to the fight, just as Lokey decided to retaliate with a blind force spell. This threw Drianna back a foot or two, as well as making the huge tree Ian & Magbert had taken cover behind lean dangerously over, but did not knock her over. She approached slightly, then threw another disintegration spell his way. He teleported out of harm's way, then threw a flame jet at her. She raised a hand and the flames curled around and past her as if she had an invisible shield.

         "Come, come, now," she smirked, tucking a lock of misplaced hair behind her ear with her free hand. "Surely you can deal me a better hand than that!"

         Lokey frowned in a combination of anger and concentration and turned off the jet. "Gladly," he responded, hurling a weakening spell into her so powerful that it dropped her to her knees much faster than the previous spell could ever have done.

         "What's happening?" Crystal demanded, still trapped. "Let me see!"

         Neither Ian or Magbert responded as Lokey drew closer, casting smaller weakening spells at her left and right. By the time he stood over her, she was barely moving, that is, if she were moving at all. The glow from around Lokey's body began to dissapate as the last spell left him and he stood gasping from his efforts.

         "That," he said, "was for you and all your male-enslaving friends."

         To the surprise of everyone watching, Drianna rolled over with a faint smile. "And this," she said, "is just for you."

         It was almost as if she had taken the same spells Lokey had cast, stored them and returned them all in one blow. This time, it was he who dropped to his knees as she staggered to her feet. "You tried to kill me in earnest," Drianna murmured, obviously preparing for a final spell. "I thought you were kidding. I was willing to accept a few snide remarks from you and go on about my business in this quest, but you choose to make me kill you."

         "Whoa," said Ian, eyes wide.

         "Okay, now we should...no, we can't jump in 'cause he'd never live it down," said Magbert, agonizing over a solution.

         "I don't think he'll be living, period, in a moment," said Ian bluntly.

         "If she kills him, we've gotta...y'know," said Magbert.

         "I know," returned Ian. The two quietly drew their weapons in reluctant preparation. Lokey, barely able to lift his own head, could only lie in wait for the doom about to befall him.

         As they watched, a small light zoomed from near them to Drianna's ear. "Where's Crystal?" Magbert demanded.

         Ian stared at his now empty hands, then at the little light. "I must have let her go when I went for my sword."

         Now there was a human sized Crystal standing between Lokey and Drianna. "No, Dri, you can't kill him, even if he is an obnoxious twerp," Crystal pleaded. "It just isn't right! The fact that you can beat him says enough and the fact that you let him live will be enough reason for him to have to owe you or leave you alone. You've already won!"

         Drianna didn't seem to be listening to Crystal, really, but she had at least, paused momentarily. Crystal lifted up Lokey's face in her hands and turned it toward Drianna's. "See?" she said. "He's lost."

         "Well, now, I wouldn't say that..." began Ian, but Magbert elbowed him.

         "You can let it go...please?" said Crystal, her voice almost as small as if she hadn't enlarged herself.

         Drianna did look down at him and Crystal, whose own eyes pleaded with her. Magbert and Ian stood up, waiting for an outcome, as Drianna closed her eyes.

         "Dammit, Crys," said Drianna. She took a deep breath, then made a terrible face as if straining against something. Then she, too, fell to the ground.

         Magbert ran to Lokey's side, with Ian on his heels. He knelt down near him as Crystal looked at Drianna.

         "He's alive," said Magbert, breathing for the first time.

         Ian sighed as well. "We almost had to kill her."

         "Almost," Magbert agreed. "That was...that was pretty close. Hadn't realized how close we...I mean, he and I..." He frowned, deciding his words weren't doing anyone much good. "Boy, is he gonna be pissed when he wakes up."

         "I'm up," murmured Lokey, his eyes still closed. "Did I kill 'er?"

         "Magbert," said Crystal quietly, putting a gentle hand on his wrist. Surprised at her unnatural calm, he turned around to look at her. She was looking at Drianna, who was lying where she had fallen.

         "Uh," began Magbert, "I think you...uh..." Once again, words seemed to be awkward and he stopped.

         "N-No," sighed Drianna shakily. "I'm still here."

         "Damn," Lokey wheezed.

         "Truce?" winced Drianna.

         "For now."

         "Okay." Ian, Crystal and Magbert sat looking stunned as the battle died as quickly as it came and Drianna and Lokey went about the business of healing themselves.

 

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