Chapter 16: Home
Glute slimed her way along the ridge of the hill. It was late afternoon, and she was heading back to her burrow in the village. Behind her followed six young Heebee Geebees. It was their first day out of the cocoon, and Glute had taken them to one of her food stores in the forest for their first outing.
Glute stopped, probing with her telepathic senses, down the hill into Boggy Marsh. There’d been a lot of movement along the inside boundary of Boggy Marsh today, and that was unusual. Those who lived in Boggy Marsh usually avoided the boundary.
Extending her senses, she probed the boundary area nearest her. Her telepathic ability picked up traces of thought types familiar to her.
“Come, children,” she called telepathically, to the six baby Heebee Geebees. “We have friends in trouble.”
The baby Heebee Geebees had been slithering around, seeing who could make the best slime ball. They now slithered behind their mother, as she made her way down to the edge of the boundary.
⚔
“Well, we’re here,” said a now visible Mody. “What now?”
Mr. Elf felt along the boundary, hoping there might be a gap they could slip through. Despite his trust in Hag Head, he was beginning to wonder just how they would get through the barrier.
“Hag Head said a way would be provided,” Paddy said. “Why can’t witches ever just come out and say what’s actually going to happen?”
“Yeah,” Seamus added. “They always have to be mysterious, and they only give you enough information to get you into trouble. Just why is it you have so much faith in her, Mr. Elf?”
Mr. Elf mumbled something under his breath the others couldn’t quite catch.
Paddy and Seamus were still holding Grace and Favour, in case anything came at them through the mist. They were surprised when both swords suddenly gave off a strong pulse of blue light.
“What does that mean?” asked a worried Mr. Elf.
Paddy and Seamus were already deep in silent conversation with the swords. Seamus spoke, as though from somewhere else. “Grace and Favour say it is time to go now, and we should hurry.”
“Great,” Mr. Elf said, somewhat sarcastically. “Can they offer anything remotely more helpful than that?” What was the point of telling him to hurry, when he didn’t have a clue where to hurry to?
“They’ve just finished telling us what to do,” Paddy advised.
Paddy and Seamus stepped in opposite directions along the invisible boundary. When they were three yards apart they stopped, and faced the boundary. With carefully timed movements, they plunged Grace and Favour into the base of the boundary.
The boundary shimmered and pulsed between the blades. Mr. Elf and Mody edged to the section of the boundary that was shimmering, and tried to push through. The boundary however, resisted and pushed them back.
Behind them, in the mist, the first group of Fugglies stirred. The effects of the Spider Wraith poison was wearing off.
⚔
Glute saw a section of the boundary shimmer and pulse. She spoke telepathically to her friends and, between them, they found a solution. Now, Glute’s children were lined up and ready to go.
“Now, children,” she thought to her six youngsters. Together, the six baby Heebee Geebees slid effortlessly up and over the shimmering, pulsing section of the boundary wall.
The sinking afternoon sun’s rays hit the slime trails left by the babies, making them sparkle colorfully, like a speckled rainbow.
The baby Heebee Geebees slid off the invisible boundary back onto solid ground. As soon as the last baby had left the invisible barrier, the previously shimmering section cleared and opened, and the four companions dashed through.
Six Fugglies, the first to have fallen to the Spider Wraith hair, were more recovered from the effects of the poison than the rest of their group. They saw the rainbow door open, and they saw the thieves run through and escape Boggy Marsh. Here was their opportunity to escape from Boggy Marsh, as well. Lurching forward, they stumbled through the rainbow door after the companions.
Paddy, Seamus, Mr. Elf and an invisible Mody, all turned, ready to fight for their lives. They had made it out of Boggy Marsh; they were not going to let a small group of Fugglies stop them now.
Glute saw the Fugglies come through the door and quivered with anticipation. “Look children,” she thought at her offspring. “Look at the rewards for helping friends. Go quickly and feed.”
The Fugglies were largely blinded by the late afternoon sunshine. They had been in Boggy Marsh for years, and had not seen the sun in all that time. They didn’t even see the baby Heebee Geebees sliming towards them.
“I wouldn’t watch, if I were you,” Glute thought at the companions. Paddy, Seamus and Mr. Elf all knew how Heebee Geebees fed, and they turned away, not wanting to see. Mody, however, kept watching, right up to the point where the baby Heebee Geebees started to slime their way onto the Fugglies, then she too looked away with a shiver.
“Hadn’t you better close the door?” Glute thought at Grace and Favour.
The swords pulsed, as Paddy and Seamus took up positions on either side of the opening. The boys pointed Grace and Favour at the bottom points of the rainbow door. The swords glowed brightly and a golden light shot from the tips of the swords. Paddy and Seamus slowly guided the golden light along the slime trails, until the lights met at the top of the rainbow door.
The full force of the boundary barrier slammed back into being, once again sealing off Boggy Marsh.
⚔
The four companions sank exhausted to the ground. They tried very hard to ignore the sloshy sounds made by the baby Heebee Geebees feeding on the unfortunate Fugglies.
“Thank you, Glute,” Mr. Elf said. “How did you know how to help us?” he asked.
“I heard my friends’ thoughts in Boggy Marsh,” Glute answered. “When I spoke to them, they told me of your need, and we worked out how to make a door for you.”
“I didn’t know that you had become so friendly with Paddy and Seamus,” Mr. Elf replied.
“I was talking about Grace and Favour,” Glute replied, her telepathic voice tinged with amusement. “Paddy and Seamus are nice enough boys, but I have been friends with Grace and Favour ever since you arrived the village.”
Mr. Elf felt very annoyed. He had carried Grace and Favour around the world for nearly 85 years, and not once had they ever spoken to him.
He sensed the increased amusement in Glute’s next thought. “Did you ever speak to them?” she asked.
“No, not until we were in Boggy Marsh,” he admitted, feeling a bit embarrassed.
“They communicate telepathically, like I do,” Glute said. “Every time I went passed your shop, I would have a quick chat with them. They have quite a wicked sense of humor.”
Mr. Elf nodded. “Well, thank you again for helping us get out of Boggy Marsh. It looks like we have a few things left to sort out,” he said, looking at Paddy and Seamus.
“Can we go home now?” Paddy asked, impatiently. “I still smell like Fuggly guts. I really need a hot bath and some hot food.”
“Paddy does smell pretty bad,” Seamus agreed. “And I’m starving.”
“Do you mind if we leave you, Respected Mother?” Paddy asked.
“No not at all,” Glute replied. “You boys hurry along home. I will call on you tomorrow to see how you are. I want to get some Fuggly, before my children finish them off. I haven’t had fresh Fuggly in such a long time,” she said, wistfully, undulating towards her feeding children.
The companions trudged tiredly up the rise away from the boundary. Mody, however, was excited. She had never seen the world outside Boggy Marsh.
Glute stopped and turned to observe the retreating figures. Rearing up to her full height, she focused her thoughts directly to one of the figures. What she had to say next was for him alone. “Mrelf!”
Mr. Elf froze where he was. No one had called him by his proper Aelfin name in nearly 85 years. H
e took a deep breath, and focused his reply to Glute. “Yes, Glute?”
“Your family has been in the village asking about you.”
“You mean others of the Aelfin?”
“Yes,” Glute replied. “Your family!”
“What have they been told?” Mr. Elf asked, with a worried edge to his thoughts.
“The usual,” Glute replied. “They were told other people’s business is their own, and they should move on and not cause any trouble.”
“Thank you, Glute,” said, a relieved Mr. Elf. He knew the villagers of Damanta Mallaithe were as fiercely protective of their neighbor’s privacy, as they were of their own. The Aelfin, however, could be very persuasive.
“After the village council told them to move on, they left and went to the west,” Glute advised him.
“Thank you again, Respected Mother,” Mr. Elf said, with a smile. He knew he still had some time left.
“Mrelf, remember, it is time that you returned to your people,” Glute said, quietly, closing the link to his mind.
That wiped the smile off Mr. Elf’s face. “So people keep telling me,” he muttered, as he hurried to catch up with Paddy, Seamus and Mody.
Glute slimed forward to where her children were feeding. “Oh what good children,” she thought at them. “You saved me one. I do so love it when they burst.”
⚔
When Mr. Elf caught up with the others, he still had a worried look on his face.
“What’s the matter?” Seamus asked.
“Nothing much,” Mr. Elf said. “Glute just reminded me, I have some business to take care of.”
“Does that mean you won’t be coming with us to help Mody find her mother?” Paddy asked, worriedly. He had come to enjoy having Mr. Elf with them.
“As it turns out, I need to head in that direction very soon myself,” Mr. Elf advised, with a reassuring smile. “So I will be able to go some of the way with you.”
Paddy nodded, accepting that any help Mr. Elf offered was a good thing.
“I need to rest up, and get my wings healed before we go,” Mr. Elf said, as they reached Paddy’s and Seamus’s home.
They stopped at the door to their hut, and Paddy and Seamus suddenly felt uncomfortable.
“We had better give you your share of the gold,” Paddy said, quietly.
Mr. Elf looked thoughtful. “That’s an awful lot of Dragon gold for me to look after,” he said. “Everyone knows there is nobody better at hiding gold than Leprechauns. Why don’t you hide my share with yours, and then I know it will be safe.”
“No problem,” Paddy said. “I promise it will be kept safely for you.”
“And what of Grace and Favour?” Seamus asked, uncomfortably. This was the real issue. Mr. Elf had only loaned them the swords for the time required to go into Boggy Marsh and get the gold.
“Yes, Mr. Elf, we’ve grown close to the swords,” Paddy said, unbuckling his scabbard, preparing to hand Favour back to Mr. Elf.
“Why don’t you look after Grace and Favour for a while longer, too,” Mr. Elf said. He strongly doubted that the swords would allow him to take them from Paddy and Seamus anyway.
“Great!” Seamus exclaimed, happily.
“So when were you boys thinking of starting the trip into the mountains?” Mr. Elf asked, changing the subject before he changed his mind.
“Yes,” Mody said. “When will we go?”
“Like Mr. Elf said, we’ll need to rest up, and then get prepared for the journey,” Paddy answered. “How does a couple of days sound?”
“That sounds just fine,” Mody replied, happily. “I am very lucky to have found such good friends.”
The companions said their farewells to each other, and Mr. Elf hurried off to his shop, leaving Paddy and Seamus to look after Mody.