Have you read Pixie Part Two - The Cart?
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Dressed in black, Folium and Virtus flitted through the trees lining the road. It was still early but the moon was setting in an hour and they wanted to get in place before they lost the light. They’d only managed to stake out the Dark Tunnel for three nights this week due to their growing social calendar. They were pretty sure the suspect would strike again soon, but they’d checked the tunnel each time and no one had been back. More and more eggs were being laid amongst the disintegrating ones.
The lights of Maverix’s house came into view between the trees. They passed the shabby house, which had only one candle lit in the back room. Not long after, the dark tunnel cut through the trees. Folium shot across its mouth and settled in a clump of bushes looking back down the way they’d come.
About two hours after the moon had set they finally heard something. A faint noise on the edge of her hearing. Folium strained her ears. It was the squeaking of wooden wheels. No sooner had she identified the noise, she could make out a large dark shape on the road. The cart squeaked up to the mouth of the tunnel and came to a halt.
A large figure rose from the driver's seat and fluttered into the cave. Folium rose slowly and followed. They peered around the end of the tunnel. For a moment they couldn’t see anything in the dark, then suddenly a small green glow appeared.
The pixie was holding the glowing gem. As she watched, a flame began to build around the small stone. The pixie was using a pixie gem. That’s why the slime was glittering, it was pixie dust.
The flame grew quickly. Before she had a chance to move, the pixie had aimed at the nearest egg. A green flame shot from their palm. The egg exploded with a loud crack and a shower of fairy dust. They stared in shock, but the flame was growing again and they knew they had to act quickly. They shot around the corner into the tunnel.
“Stop!” Folium shouted.
The pixie looked up, their face illuminated by the glowing green flame.
As their eyes met, Folium gasped.
“Mayor Kallen?!” she exclaimed.
“What the hell are you doing here?” his usually jolly smile twisted into a sneer.
“I could ask you the same!”
She was acutely aware she was speaking completely out of turn to the mayor of the city, and her boss, but she was so shocked at what she’d seen she didn’t care.
“Get out of here now! And pack your desk, you’re fired. I don’t want to see you again!” Mayor Kallen shouted.
“Not a chance! You’re under arrest for willful destruction of endangered species,” she shouted back.
He laughed maniacally. “You can’t arrest me, you’re not in law enforcement!”
“This is a citizen’s arrest. Under section thirty two of the Crimes Act a citizen can make an arrest when the crime is punishable by five years or more, and you’re looking at least seven with the destruction you’ve caused. Besides, use of pixie gems for combat is also illegal.”
“No one’s going to believe your word over mine. Plus you’ll have to catch me first.”
Folium darted to the left just in time as Mayor Kallen shot a blast of green flames at her. It shot out the mouth of the tunnel, illuminating the cart and Shield Bug outside. Her heart was in her mouth as she continued to flutter to the left, putting herself between the mayor and his escape route.
She had to act quickly. Mayor Kallen was still watching her as he recharged the pixie gem. Her eyes darted around the tunnel.
“Trying to figure out how to get me?” Mayor Kallen asked with a laugh. “Make this easy for us and leave now. I don’t want to have to hurt you.”
Folium didn’t answer. Her eyes had found the faint glow of the bioluminescent mushrooms around the bend in the tunnel. She’d been researching the tunnel ever since she’d found the destroyed eggs. In one of the books she’d read the gills of the mushrooms caused paralysis, while the cap didn’t. If she could get her hands on a piece of the mushroom, she might be able to incapacitate the mayor. But he could escape before she made it back.
I’ve got this, you go get the mushroom. Virtus had been thinking along the same lines.
What do you mean you got this?
Mayor Kallen’s flame was growing larger and larger.
Just go! Virtus shouted. And without warning she launched herself from Folium’s shoulder and hit Mayor Kallen straight in the face.
“Aaaargh!” Mayor Kallen cried.
Green light danced around the tunnel as he was thrown off balance. Folium froze with shock.
GO! Virtus shouted.
Folium shot off down the tunnel. She flew around the corner and halted as she reached the mushrooms. Every nerve in her body screamed at her to hurry, but she knew if she rushed she could accidentally paralyse herself. She carefully grabbed the edge of one of the mushrooms and pulled. A small chuck came away in her hands. Just as she turned to head back, another shot of green flames illuminated the tunnel.
VIRTUS!
She flew as fast as she could back down the tunnel. But as she turned the corner she saw she was too late. Virtus lay on the floor of the tunnel, a dark hole in the side of her shell. Mayor Kallen fluttered over her.
“No!” she screamed, dropping the piece of mushroom. It felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest.
Her face darkened as she looked at Mayor Kallen. She could feel heat on her back as her wings began to glow. A powerful surge flowed through her, and when she blinked her eyes turned from their usual forest green to an ominous glowing green, matching her wings.
For the first time Mayor Kallen looked scared. He knew he was a powerful pixie, but he also knew it was rare for a pixie to enter Ignesco State without a pixie gem. He didn’t actually think it could happen, it was only ever mentioned in pixie myth.
Folium raised her arms, twisting her fingers toward Mayor Kallen. Glowing vines shot from her wings, around her body, toward the mayor. The mayor yelped, dropping his pixie gem and heading for the tunnel mouth.
But he was too slow. The vines wound themselves around his fat body, pinning his arms and wings to him. He struggled against the vines but they were too strong. As Folium came closer he cowered.
“Please, don’t hurt me!” he shrieked.
She tilted her head at the sound of his voice, but it didn’t register. The vines kept tightening around the mayor.
“Please!” he gasped, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to gulp down air. “Please,” he whispered, and his head fell forward as he passed out.
Stop Fol.
Folium registered the tiniest whisper on the edge of her consciousness.
Folium.
She blinked. Her eyes returned to their usual forest green. Her wings stopped glowing and the unconscious mayor fell to the floor as the vines disappeared.
Virtus! Relief flooded through her. She started toward the snail.
No! The mushroom, quickly, Virtus whispered.
Folium spun on the spot and quickly scooped up the mushroom. Mayor Kallen was pushing himself upright, but before he could get up she wiped the mushroom gills on his arms, legs, and wings. It left a glowing green substance on him.
“Hey! What have you done!” Mayor Kallen asked as he lost all feeling in his limbs and sunk to the ground. “You can’t do this! I’m the mayor. You’re in serious trouble now-“
“Shut up,” Folium growled as she wiped the mushroom across his mouth.
The mayor made a series of strained grunting noises, his eyes wide. But Folium wasn’t paying attention to him. She knelt down next to Virtus.
Oh Virt! You shouldn’t have done that!
Promise me Fol, no matter what happens to me, you have to stop the mayor. We have to save my species.
What do you mean?! You’ll be fine, we’ll get you straight to the hospital.
No! Please stop him, this may be the only opportunity we have. Please… stop…
Virt. Virtus? VIRTUS! No, no, no, no, no, no! Come on stay with me. Hot tears ran down her cheeks. She could still feel Virtus’ energy in the air, but it was faint.
“Hey! What’s going on here? You’re making a racket! Blimey, what’s the mayor doing here?!”
Folium looked up. There was a blurry figure hovering at the tunnel opening. Dawn was just starting to break, a pale grey sky could be seen out the mouth of the tunnel. She stared at him in bewilderment, consumed by her grief.
No! This was no way to act when so much was hanging in the balance. “Maverix, I need your help. Can you bring the mayor to the cart?”
“Wait, you’re the pixie from the Council,” Maverix said, eyeing her. Then he turned to the mayor. “I don’t know, he’s the mayor, I could get in trouble…”
“Please Maverix please! My friend’s seriously hurt. I promise you won’t get in trouble.”
Maverix turned to eye Folium. Then he saw the unconscious snail had a huge hole in her shell. She lay limp and pale in the small pixie’s arms. Tears were streaming down Folium’s face.
“Oh well, I suppose I can help. You are helping me with my farm after all…”
“Of course! I promise I’m helping with your farm. I’ll do anything to help you and your farm if you help me now.”
The farmer fluttered forward and started pulling one of the mayor's arms, dragging him toward the cart. The mayor grunted as Maverix dragged him.
Folium gently scooped up Virtus and laid her on the driver's seat. She then turned back to help Maverix. As she went past she pocketed the pixie gem from the tunnel floor. They heaved the mayor into the back of the cart.
“I’ll drive you back into the city, that way you can keep a good hold on that snail of yours,” Maverix said.
“Ok, let’s go to the city hall,” Folium said, fluttering up into the seat.
Carefully she cradled Virtus and scooted over for Maverix to sit next to her. Maverix turned the cart around and they trundled back toward the city, the top of the sun rising in the distance.
Just before they got to the intersection Folium heard another squeaking coming toward them. A cart appeared over the crest. A burly pixie sat in the front seat with a barrel in the back.
“Maverix?”
“Orig. I’m sorry I won’t be able to give you your payment today, I’m helping this Council pixie. She’s promised to help me with my fence.”
Orig eyed Folium suspiciously. “Hey! I remember you, you were skulking around my cart last week.”
Maverix looked at her.
“I’m sorry but it’s too much to explain at the moment. Maverix can we get going,” Folium said.
“I’ll give you double next week,” Maverix said to Orig.
Orig shrugged and went to move off, when a muffled grunt came from the back of the cart.
“What the hell! Why do you have the mayor in the back of your cart?” Orig asked them in shock, catching sight of the paralysed mayor.
“He’s under arrest,” Folium answered.
“Arrest? For what?”
Folium suddenly had an idea. “If you bring Lily-Mae, Zya, and your latest barrel of snail slime to city hall we’ll tell you everything.”
Orig raised his eyebrows. “How do you know the barrels are full of snail slime? And why would I help you?”
“Because all three of you are implicated in this.”
“What!” Orig said angrily. “How am I implicated in this?!” he asked, gesturing to the mayor who was grunting furiously at him.
“You were seen at the scene of the crime before going directly to Zya and Lily-Mae’s factories. I’ll put out a warrant for your arrest if you don’t comply right now.”
Orig looked shocked.
“I would do what she says Orig. I just saw her go into Ignesco State without a pixie gem. She’s powerful,” Maverix piped up.
“You’re exaggerating!” Orig said.
“How else did she manage to capture the mayor single handedly?”
“I didn’t do it by myself, I had Virtus. But she’s seriously injured and the more time we spend talking the worse she gets,” Folium said. She fixed Orig with the most withering look she could muster. “If you don’t turn up to city hall with Lily-Mae and Zya within the hour, I'll put out arrest warrants for all of you.”
Then she grabbed the reins from Maverix’s hands, slapped them on the Shield Bug’s back and they moved off. At the intersection Maverix pulled right, and they headed up to city hall. When they got there they skirted around the huge building, pulling up to the loading entrance at the back. The mayor started grunting furiously as he saw city hall.
“Maverix, can you go around the front and tell Cus I need him by the loading dock. He’s the muscular pixie with short blonde hair, he should be just inside the front door. Then go to level five and find Vice Mayor Delia. Tell her I need her to get Judge Vi and Teri and meet me in the courtroom as soon as possible.”
“Ok, Cus here, Vice Mayor Delia on level five, Teri and Judge Vi to the courtroom,” he ticked off his fingers. “Ok, I’ll meet you in the courtroom soon,” and he fluttered off around the building.
“And be subtle!” she called after him.
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Read Pixie Part Four - The Trial now!