Creatures Great and Small

Crossing the ground via portals was significantly faster than traversing it on foot--or rather by hoof. The distance was traveled in chunks, with each plot of land in between like a window into an unknown world.

"Remarkable!" Phileas exclaimed as he viewed a centicore from a distance. One of its impossibly long slender horns was aimed forward while the other was bent lazily behind its back. The majestic, but dangerous antelope-like creature looked up but had no time to react before the group disappeared through the next portal. Its boarish tusks lowered back to the ground as it sniffed for something good to eat.

"Fantastical," the doctor marveled as he regarded a canopy of flowers under which they had just appeared. Clad in every color of the rainbow, the flowers looked like banners bursting out of a celebration hat. Standing up in the stirrups of his saddle, Phileas strained to touch a purple member of the velvety flowers.

"I wouldn't do that!" Brinn happened to see his reach just a tad too late.

Fortunately the unicorn on which the doctor was perched moved sideways at the last moment to avoid a stone in the path, for the beautiful timid flower suddenly grew teeth and snapped at the man's hand. If not for the lunge by the horse, Phileas would have lost his surgical prowess to its maw. He pulled back his uninjured hand with a jerk.

"Those beauties are carnivorous," the she-elf giggled, "though I doubt they have ever had human before. Usually they snack on insects."

"Fascinating!" Phileas held his hand to his chest, grateful to still have it in one piece. "Is everything here deadly?" he wondered.

Alvar shook his head. "The water is healing and the grass here is softer than any bed in Valiant..."

"That I have noticed," the doctor responded about both statements. The first night, the cohort had found a safe place to rest in an elven outpost, but the last night had been spent in the open air.

It was a good thing that the weather in the land of magic rarely changed much. The fairies brought the seasons so there was no need for much else. The magical water sustained everything. And as Alvar had said, the grass Phileas had slept on had been unusually soft. The land of magic was truly...magical.

"The water and grass are fine enough," Brinn agreed, tossing her red hair behind her shoulder as they entered the next portal, "but the rest are just as likely to kill you as help you. Even the jackalopes, if provoked, can get you with their tiny antlers. Those bunnies know how to pack a punch."

The others chuckled and waited for Brinn to laugh. But when she didn't, they were filled with a small bit of dread. She never talked about where the mysterious scar on her left knee came from, and this was now added to the theories surrounding it.

"Stupendous!" the doctor exclaimed as they rode into the newest section between portals.

The ground sloped upward revealing a raised mound over which a cascade of water split into a half dozen smaller waterfalls in a dazzling display. The water sprayed in all directions, creating halos of color from the afternoon sun.

"Outrageous! Marvelous! Magnanimous!" Brinn rolled her eyes. "I swear, doctor, the past few days my vocabulary has grown by leaps and bounds."

Phileas pressed his bushy white eyebrows together. "While magnanimous is an 'ous' word, you cannot use it like that." He took the reproach in stride. "It may be that you have just grown accustomed to the wonders around you, but I have fresh eyes, and I will make my amazement known."

"I remember my first time in the land of magic," Zan chimed in, his voice wistful. "I did not have the doctor's vocabulary but I had every bit of his feeling."

"Feelings, bleh." Brinn held her stomach and pretended to retch. "How about you, Your Majesty? Did you wax poetic when you saw my homeland?"

So much had gone through the Empress's mind when she had finally made it to the mysterious land which she had sought for so long. "I did not write any sonnets, but I do think that only Valiant rivals it for my favorite place in the world."

"It's a little funny, Brinn," Alvar said with a goofy grin. "Every human wants to be here, but you only ever want to leave. The grass is always more attractive on the other side of the barrier."

The comment drew snickers from the rest of the group, until Nurlan directed the Empress's attention to Reyan, who had been quiet for quite some time. Another portal had not appeared like the countless ones before it, and the old fairy looked worn out and winded.

"I think it was time we took a rest, don't you, Reyan?" Aurora said gently.

Reyan wiped the sweat from his brow and lowered himself to the ground. "If you say so, Empress. I'm not tired, mind you, but I'm sure the rest of you lazy lot must be exhausted. I will give you a chance to get rehydrated and all that."

"Very kind of you," the fiery-haired woman dipped her head graciously. She dismounted and walked over to her dear friend. "How is your magic holding up?" Auora asked quietly so as not to embarrass the fairy.

Not that there was anything he needed to be embarrassed about, really. He was doing all the hard work while the rest of them rode on the back of unicorns and took in the sights. Because they were cutting across the land of magic and not going directly through it, they were also avoiding most of the more dangerous creatures as they traveled. So, it was Reyan who was straining himself to his capacity to get himself, six humans and an equal amount of unicorns through portal after portal across the picturesque landscape.

"If I'm being honest, my magic is pretty drained," Reyan admitted. "We will have to travel the old fashioned way for a bit. But don't you go complaining! I took days, maybe a week or more off of this trip so far!" he added with a grunt.

"We will try to keep our complaints to ourselves," Aurora smiled gently. They had had to stop and move normally every day thus far when Reyan's magic waned. So far no one had fussed, so the fairy's worry was unfounded.

"Very well. I will hold you to that!" Leaning against the tree, the old curmudgeon closed his eyes. He was fast asleep before Aurora could respond. The old fairy's soft snoring filled the air, and Aurora cold not resist the urge to kiss him lightly on the top of the head.

She turned to see the others had dismounted and were setting up for a midafternoon meal. They had only stopped briefly midmorning with a few breaks in between. With Reyan sleeping, this was going to be a more substantial stop.

"How it Reyan?" Zan asked when the Empress joined the group. Holding out his hand, he helped Aurora sit on a patterned blanket they had spread on the ground for them to eat.

The Empress glanced to the nearby tree at fairy. "He is exhausted but in good spirits. Well, as good as a grump like him ever gets. I feel a little bad. Magic was never meant to be used in such large quantities for so long. He could travel with just himself all day long with no issue, but the load of twelve extra beings is more than he should have to bear."

"If his body is anything like a human one, I think it would be wise to continue the rest of today's journey without his magical help. If he pushes himself too hard, something may break. I don't know enough about fairy physique to help him either," Phileas told them. He knew his own limitations, and he did not want them to create a problem where he could not assist them.

"It is settled then. We shall not portal any more today. How far are we from our rest point for this evening?" Aurora pulled out her magical map.

To her relief, the 'Abominable' creature was still in the same spot it had been since its discovery. She secretly worried that one of the times when she opened the map, the mysterious markings would have suddenly vanished.

Zan conferred with Alvar for a second as the two surveyed their location and pinpointed it on the paper landscape. Looking on, Brinn nodded her agreement.

"At normal speed, we are not more than an hour or two away. We should be there well before dark." The elven princess drew the distance for Aurora to see. They were actually closer to their goal than Aurora had thought.

"Are you sure they will be alright having some human guests?" This had been the question that nagged at Aurora's brain since they had chosen it as a stopping point. She twisted her hair around her finger nervously as she traced the path with her eyes.

"We have sent a message ball to the king to notify him of our arrival. Bukuri assures us we will get a warm welcome," Alvar promised. "We rescued one of their own who was held captive for years."

"That's actually why I am worried. I offered to help free Faris nearly ten years before he was released. He said he didn't want to leave because his own kind wanted him dead. Which begs the questions--what kind of creatures want to kill someone as nice and humble as Faris?"