Moon Flowers (Book 1 of the Flower Trilogy) #Wattys2016 #Featured

CHAPTER TWELVE - PHI (Edited)

PHI'S POV

We ventured out in the woods until a clearing.

"This place is nice," Ryn said. "There are mountains just north of here. It's perfect for us dwarfs and goblins. We will have plenty of rocks to carve, cast or forge. We'll be able to make the finest new swords. . ."

He could hardly hide his excitement.

"There are wildflowers," said the pillywiggins, darting from flower to flower while stretching the butterfly wings. Flora, the flower fairy, beautiful with her glistening violet eyes and golden hair, joined them and lay amidst the meadow's long, flowing grass to look at the blue sky of May with pure delight.

Siegfried agreed. "We need to go no farther. We have everything. Fresh water and the sea for the water creatures, the forest and the field for the earth creatures, and mountains for the goblins and dwarfs."

When the sun went to rest and the moon took its place, we gathered in a circle by a river and joined our hands. A faint wind brushed against the water's surface and rippled the stillness of its surface.

"Highly Mother of the Earth
And your brothers and sisters
The moon, sun, and stars
Deities of the eight directions
Deities who give us strength and powers
And the four breaths of the four seasons."

Siegfried drew his sword, Gram. I had rarely seen the sword, although I knew all about it. Grannie had told us countless times how it had been forged from the pieces of Siegfried's father's sword and how Siegfried used it to slay the dragon Fafnir.

Fafnir had been hired by Wotan, a powerful deity, synonym of evil, to kill Siegfried. But the latter had outsmarted him and slayed the dragon instead. Since then, Wotan had vanished into the darkness, riding his eight legged horse.

"I bless this land with this sword of silver and gold," King Siegfried said, stabbing the tip of the blade into the soil. On his arms and neck, his sigils, a cluster of intertwined flowing lines, began to shine. A sign the magic was working. "I pray that you also protect us from unwanted eyes. Raise a mist and morph the landscape whenever a mortal comes close by so that he could never find his way to us and do us harm."

He then drew a cross with his sword and the rest of the Elders continued chanting.
"To the East as far as the sea
To the West as far as the two kissing trees
To the South as far as the end of the lake
To the North as far the mountains
May you shield us from evil for the next hundred years."

To complete the spell, we danced and welcomed the moonlight into our bodies. Like we did in the alley to feed on its energy. My body was loose, moving with the night breeze, my limbs flowing around me, embracing myself and the others. I rose from the ground and fluttered back to the Earth. I looked around me, we were a field of wild flowers blossoming in the night.

Siegfried readjusted his crown of feathers and twigs on his forehead. "Welcome to the Hidden Land," he said. "Our own land of wonder, magic and newly found happiness."

*

The earth fairies combined their powers to grow a gigantic red oak tree. Its branches reached phenomenal dimensions; crimson leaves flourished on every single one of its twigs. It was going to be our Great Tree. The tree where all fairies, even now that we were all human size, could build their nests.

"Tomorrow," Aras said, yawning. "Tomorrow we will build a nest. I need to rest from the journey."

I followed her as she climbed on one of the Great Tree's branch. I held her tight to keep us both warm. When I woke up the following day, the laminaks had grinded away all night to build an entire colony on the gigantic tree's trunk and branches.