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nothing but trouble, in her opinion. She knew that, in most cases, her sisters were the ones who begun things they could not undo when they meddled with men. It still rankled though, when their more powerful brethren in the fairy high court hounded nymphs ruthlessly, when a human male was found wandering, witless and ill, in the fey realm after meeting up with a wood nymph.
     
    Muriel understood her sister’s compulsion; human men were just so… so, delicious in their ignorance and blind bliss, much like fat, tiny babies were almost irresistible to a barren woman. Still, time and time again, Muriel was forced to watch her sisters punished by their own kind when a human strayed into the forest. Now, the sprite king was asking her to help another human, an untried girl witch no less, to help stave off the forces of darkness that threatened the fairy realm!
    “Pollo and Hiss think she might be a healer, Muri,” Sylvan implored his cousin. “I know how you feel about human beings, but with what has happened and now the war…” he glanced at Pollo, who had burst into tears when he heard that Timeron declared war on humans. All sprites were sensitive, but Pollo was more tender than most. If Muriel agreed to help train the new witch, Sylvan needed his son to be strong and brave, not a nervous wreck.
    Pollo was busy braiding a long rope out of dandelion stems, though, and seemed to be calm. The king of the sprites continued, “Muriel, we need you… all of us!” The birds, the beetles, the deer and the fox paused and listened as the king’s tinny voice grew strong and rang like a bell through the forest. The owls turned their heads and blinked in solemn agreement as Sylvan added, “You yourself have seen the dark ones rising up out of the underworld! They kill for no reason, and maim for the thrill of doing so. Cave trolls have been spotted in the higher mountains and Fideals… and, Hobyahs haunt the valleys!
    Sylvan studied the ground beneath his feet, willing himself to be calm. It would not do to antagonize his cousin… she would only deny his request out of spite. As if sensing the king’s frustration, Hissaphat cleared his throat.
    “My pardon, lady,” he purred. “May I say something?”
    Muriel turned to the old cat. She might not like humans, but she found cats to be charming and often very useful. “Yes, Hiss. What is it?”
    Hissaphat gave his whiskers a quick wash and said, “I have seen this girl for myself and agree with young Pollo. She is very strong… stronger in power than anyone I have ever seen. If she is indeed a healer mayhap, with guidance, she could help cure Timeron of the madness that his seized his senses. I have known Timeron my whole life and I fear that some dark demon is in control of his very soul, else he would never declare war on humanity, for to do such a thing risks all realms, magical and mundane!”
    Muriel sighed. The cat was correct, of course. She had only just learned of Timaron’s insane call for war, but she had been sensing the darkness for many moons. She might not like humans much, but she adored her own fey people, and animals, and the great mother, Earth. A war between her realm and that of men would cost too much and be a burden neither realm could afford to bear.
    Sitting straight up on her favorite tree stump, she clapped her hands together once and said, “Alright then, we need to make a plan.”
     

 
    Chapter 6
     

     
    Sara and Chloe met at the Full Moon café at 8:00 that evening. As predicted, the restaurant was filled to capacity with teenagers. There was a party atmosphere as the kids shared their experiences and concerns over their fellow students. Adding to the excitement was the fact that school had been cancelled for the rest of the week, due to a crack in the waterlines sustained during the quake.
    Unfortunately, the boy with the broken collarbone was one of the best baseball players on the team, and they had heard he was out for the season,