Escape by Sheritta Bitikofer Page B

purple.  They fluttered and flinted about in random patterns, alighting the grey forest with a wash of rainbow sparks. There seemed to be hundreds of them.
                Connor made a noise of disgust as he muttered the word “pixies”. Amelia watched as the lights emerged from the woods and she could slowly make out the figures in the lights. The pixies were no taller than a matchstick and resembled the form of a human lady. They wore tiny outfits of bright colors to match their glow.
                “We’re in the country of Phantasia now,” he said.
                Amelia smiled as they hovered around her and Connor, casting fanciful glimmerings on their skin and clothing. She could see that they flew on wings that were as wide as the pixies were tall and in the shape of dragonfly wings. Their bell-like sound came from the flapping of these wings, which were as swift as a hummingbird’s.
                One blue pixie flew close to Amelia’s face, examining her features with a fascinated grin. Its face was so beautiful and perfect like a porcelain doll. Amelia lifted her hand and the weightless pixie stood on her palm, her wings outstretched to her sides at rest.
                Connor watched her face fill with wonder and enthusiasm. He felt something strike against his hard heart, creating a crack in his armor. It was enough to make the corners of his mouth twitch, tempting his mouth to do something that he hadn’t done in centuries. He steeled himself and looked away.
                “They’re so tiny,” Amelia commented, studying the curious pixie in her hand – which was studying her just as closely.
                “Yeah, but they can be big trouble too.”
                The pixie that Amelia held perked her head up at Connor’s remark and turned, stomping her little bare feet against Amelia’s palm. She just barely felt the force behind it.
                “I’ll have you know that we are no trouble at all, mister demon.” Her voice was just as musical as her wings, sounding like the trickling of a fountain. Surprisingly, her voice was more than loud enough for both of them to hear, despite her small size. “We’ve come to help.”
                “We don’t need any of your help,” Connor snarled.
                “We know you’ve journeyed far. There is a home of gnomes not far from here where you can rest for a while.”
                “We don’t need any rest and I’m not dealing with any gnomes. We need to get going.” Connor began to walk away from Amelia and the pixies, but he was stopped as a few began pulling on his hair to keep him from running off.
                He jerked and swatted at them, but no swing connected with the pixies. They were too swift and dodged out of range.
                Amelia couldn’t help but giggle at the spectacle. “I am a little hungry, Connor. Can we at least stop there to eat something?” Amelia pleaded, more curious about what a gnome looked like than anything else.
                “We can eat right here if we need to.” Connor leered hungrily at a nearby pixie that was edging too close to his face. It caught his meaning, let out a shrill little squeak before retreating behind one of its friends.
                The blue pixie flew up to float between the two of them. “It’s not safe to stay out on the open road. There is danger on the winds.”
                “Danger?” Amelia questioned, a sliver of anxiety piercing her lungs so she could barely breathe.
                The pixie wouldn’t answer her, but kept her focus upon the one she really needed to convince. “Let us take you to the gnomes. They can shelter you while you rest.”
                Connor glanced between the pixie and Amelia and though he didn’t like the idea, he waved his hand in