Talk to them

“Show yourselves,” Thea called out. She dropped her yoke to the side and puffed up her chest trying to look more confident than she actually felt. “I know these are your woods… whatever you are… I do not come here to harm them or you.”

“Liar,” Snapped a voice from her side that Thea refused to glance towards. “You come here like the others to take, and pillage, and destroy, and…”

“No, I didn’t,” Thea said her voice far louder than that of whatever had just spoken. “I came to find out what has been spying on my land from yours.”

“Your land?” a different voice said. “Wait a moment…” Out of the corner of her eye Thea saw a little yellow light come out through the branches of a tree. It trailed around Thea’s back and to her front. “No doubt about it… you’re the farming girl from across the river, ain’t you?”

Thea squinted at the light, had the voice just come from… it dimmed and she could make out a little glowing person. A naked woman with straw like pigtails and a tiny cowgirl hat made of carefully sewn together leaves. She had tiny butterfly like wings upon her back that trailed sparkling dust behind her. “Yes I am,” Thea said. She could barely believe what she was seeing. She had only heard about creatures like this in stories. “You’re a pixie.”

“Sure am Sugar,” the yellow pixie said with a wink. “You can call me Buttercup. You must be Thea… your bovines speak highly of you… your fowls less so but I have never met an avian with more than food, sex or childcare on their bird brains. Don’t mind my sisters… they are just shy.”

“Hardly,” another voice called out and an orange light zoomed down to join with Buttercup. This one dimmed to reveal another naked pixie with long curly, tangled hair that swept down her shoulders and around her body. “I’m Ember and I am so pleased to meet you.” She zoomed down and wrapped her whole body around Thea’s finger shaking it vigorously. “I have wanted to meet you for so long. I loved watching you and the green one go at it yesterday… and last night by yourself… and all the other times you have gotten down and nasty. You are so pretty and it’s so hot when the green one or any of your other mates fuck you into oblivion.”

Thea did not know what to say to that as the pixie jittered and vibrated in excitement upon her finger. She had been spying on her? Before she could speak there came a huffing noise from behind her and she glanced back to see a red pixie flying behind her. She had a flaming mohawk and a snarling face. “You two! Stop talking to her and catch her,” the red pixie said. “Don’t fall for her lies.” The other two pixies glanced at her before shrugging and looking back at Thea. “Didn’t you hear what I said? Blueberry!”

“Calm down Cinder,” said a busty blue pixie as she descended from the treetops. This, Thea presumed, was Blueberry. “I think we should hear her out.” Cinder huffed loudly. “With precautions… of course. Marigold, if you would?”

A green pixie came whirling on down from the nearby tree leaves, her long mossy hair flickering behind her naked body. “No sudden moves elfie or else,” Marigold said and with a click of her fingers nearby vines and roots curled up and around where Thea was standing. They crept over her boots and wrapped gently around her ankles. “What do we ask her Blueberry?”

“I’m not sure… Violet?”

A final sixth pixie came down from the trees. This one was purple in colour and a good inch taller than any of the others. She had long legs and her hair was this long fluffy cloud that hid half her face. “Elf child… one they call Thea… why have you trespassed into our lands?” Violet said her words not out loud but rather echoed within Thea’s head. “Know that should you lie to us… we will know.” She shared a look with Cinder who gave a firm nod.

“I have come seeking those who have been spying upon my lands,” Thea answered and Cinder nodding along with her though the look in her eyes was still one of mistrust. “I believe they are up to no good. But I don’t even know what they are or what they intend.”

“Well you sure are right about that Sugar,” Buttercup said giving a low whistle. “They are a bunch of orcs who are just the scouts of a larger band that want to come down here and…”

“Don’t give away our intelligence,” Cinder shouted. “Thea… the elf, I mean, is the one answering our questions not the other way around.”

“I trust her,” Ember said immediately her little body shaking and quivering upon Thea’s hand. “I like her a lot.”

“Trust her or like her or whatever you feel towards her… we should still be cautious,” Blueberry said her voice monotone and deeper than the others. “Besides there are traditions to consider as well.”

“Agreed,” Violet said her voice still filling the minds of those around them. “Thea… our rules and customs say none shall enter our land from yours. That was the deal that we struck with your ancestors when they first settled the land. In recent generations these rules have been broken time and time again but usually by those that did no harm to us or our land. Those that travelled deeper into the deep woods or elsewhere. But these orcs are different, they must be punished for their transgressions and if we are to enforce that upon them than perhaps, we should enforce that upon you.”

Cinder looked victorious at this, and Marigold hopped silently in the air in excitement, glee written across her face. Blueberry gave Thea a hard look but that softened, and she too seemed to have acquiesced to the outcome. Buttercup looked disappointed and with pity to Thea but it was Ember who looked like she was already tearing up. Thea glanced over to Violet and saw something else within her eyes. She got the feeling the pixie wanted something from Thea. She could read in her silvery eyes that she wanted Thea to say or do something. What? Thea could not tell but perhaps there was a way out of this after all.

“A question of my own, before you make your judgement upon me, if I may?” Thea asked.

The six of them exchanged looks and nods before turning to Violet. “Ask it,” she said.

“I presume these orcs are still here,” Thea said and got a look of conformation from many of them. “In that case… why have you not dealt with them? You’re pixies, right? You have magic and can easily run circles around mundane folks like myself. You should be able to deal with a few orc scouts.”

“Do not assume what we can or cannot do elf!” Cinder snapped her hands balling into fists. “We have great powers over the natural and supernatural realms. We have more than enough power to deal with the likes of you or any other simple person.”

“But not enough to deal with the orcs,” Thea said, and Cinder fumed, literal smoke coming off her head.

“Well, she got you there, Cinder,” Buttercup chuckled, and Ember smiled up at Thea still clutching her hand.

“The elf is quite astute,” Blueberry commented her eyes sizing Thea up again as if seeing her for the first time.

“Indeed,” Violet said. “You are correct. We have magic, tricks and a better understanding of both the natural and supernatural realms than any of you mundane folk. But our magics are better suited for pulling the wool over a person’s eyes, dealing with individuals or small groups, communing with nature or solving our everyday problems. We are not strong enough to face down these orcs let alone the larger band that they are the heralds of.”

“We can hold our own,” Cinder said. “We dealt with that one orc who was here. Left her tied up and helpless. All we need to do is do that to all the others.”

“There’s a lot of orcs Cinder,” Ember said her bottom lip wavering. “Three or more of us can take one of them but I scouted their camp they have at least a dozen others.”

“And they will probably notice they are missing one soon enough,” Marigold spoke up. “I can keep her silenced and bound away but the others will come looking.”

“And we will deal with them somehow,” Violet said before turning back to Thea. “Now was there anything else you had to say elf or are you ready for our judgement?” Once more those eyes spoke to Thea. It was as if they wanted her to speak up.

“What if I can help you with the orcs?” Thea said, her mouth speaking before she had fully thought of what she was saying.

“How could some mere elf help us with a dozen orcs,” Cinder scoffed.

“I…”

Thea had no idea what she could do against a dozen orcs let alone what she could say to the pixies to convince them she would be of any use at all. “Tell them you want to undergo the trials,” Violet’s voice whispered in her head. Judging by the lack of a reaction from any other pixie, Thea guessed it had just been said to her. “Tell them you invoke your right as descendant of the Moonblessed clan to undergo the trials of the six. Say exactly that.”

“… I invoke my right as descendant of the Moonblessed clan to undergo the trials of the six,” Thea said and immediately the pixies shared looks of surprise.

“She can’t do that,” Cinder exclaimed. “Her family has already violated their deal with us. They allowed people access to our land.”

“Which we agreed to look past,” Buttercup said.

“Until the orcs,” Blueberry said. “We cannot look past them.”

“That’s not Thea’s fault!” Ember exclaimed. “She did not even know about the orcs in our land. They didn’t come from her lands.”

“Technically our deal doesn’t stipulate that as an excuse,” Marigold said flexing her fingers and the flora tightened around Thea’s boots. “Shall we judge her now? I want to play.”

“Broken deals or not the right to the trials of the six still remained,” Violet spoke with the most subtle of nods to Thea. “We must honour it. You, Thea Moonblessed, shall undergo the trials and should you pass them be granted our Fey blessings. Fail them and you shall suffer a punishment worse than any fate that shall befall a mere trespasser.” Thea shivered. The look in Violet’s eyes made her wonder if she had fallen for a trap here. Had the pixie been helping her out? Or was this all one big bluff to get her to fail and be **** into a worse predicament? “Succeed and you shall owe us one favour, which we will use to have you help deal with the orcs with our blessings.”

There were mummers of agreement from the other pixies. Even Cinder seemed in favour of this. Though Thea did not need to wonder about her desires to see Thea fail the trials. They were written all over her face. Steeling herself Thea looked back towards Violet meeting her cryptic gaze. “I agree to this,” Thea said. “When do we start?”

“Immediately,” Violet said before looking at the other pixies. “Marigold’s trial is up first. The rest of us need to go set up.” She looked towards the green pixie. “Take your time with her but not too long. We need to put her through the trials as soon as we can to determine if she can solve our orc problem or not.”

“I will be efficient yet diligent,” Marigold said giving a little salute to Violet.

While they conversed, Cinder crept up beside Thea’s pointed ear. “When you fail spectacularly, I am going to make sure we you suffer,” Cinder whispered. “The others may wonder how you know of the trials, you barely seemed to know anything about the deal your ancestors made with us, but I know Violet’s manipulations when I see them. And when you do fall for her little trap… I am going to make sure we have so much fun playing with you. Then we can probably trade you to the orcs to be their little plaything in exchange for them leaving our land alone… we will after all need a new deal when the last of the Moonblessed is little more than an orc’s broken cock sleeve.”

Thea gulped as Cinder flew away. Once more she wondered what exactly she had gotten herself into. She tried to ignore the sudden feeling of wetness between her thighs after Cinder’s words to her. Right now, she needed to focus on passing these trials. One for each of the pixies she assumed, each of them except Marigold darting away into the forest right this moment. Glancing over to the pixie she saw a smirk upon her face as she slowly twirled her finger in tiny circles. Plants slowly grew up Thea’s ankles and around her boots. “I am ready for your trial Marigold,” Thea said, locking her gaze with the Pixie’s golden eyes. “Give it to me.”