"Okay, so let me get this straight, I am the Queen of this forest?" Kayla asked the sprite.
"Yes, Your Majesty,” Jorek replied.
"Please stop calling me that."
"Yes, My Queen."
"Just give us the details, Jorek,” David sighed, trying to get the story moving.
"My King, Carolyn ruled this forest for many, many years. She was cruel and heartless, driving most of the forest fairies and gnomes away. Only those witches loyal to her stayed. When the city began encroaching on the area, even the other witches moved away, except for Miranda, Carolyn's sister."
"What? She has a sister here?" Kayla was finding it difficult to process all of this new information.
"Yes, she is a wood witch, an eater of children. There was a bitter rivalry between the two sisters. Miranda was cursed by Carolyn to stay here in the forest, unable to leave. Miranda, in turn, cursed Carolyn and all in her line to suffer from the myrchen."
"Myrchen? What the hell is that?" David asked.
"The lives of all in her line would be forced to live in what you would call a fairy tale."
"Well, that explains a hell of a lot," Kayla was putting the pieces of the puzzle that was her life together now.
"You have been plagued with this, My Queen?"
"You could say that. I really need to find my daughter. What were you saying about your clan?"
"Miranda has enchanted them. They are unable to resist her spell and have been charged with gathering food for her."
"Food. As in children," David said, a sick look coming over his face.
"Yes, My King, children. If Miranda finds out that your tochter, your daughter, is a witch and is of your bloodline, we can only guess what she will do."
"Why aren't you under her spell?" Kayla asked.
Jorek sank down a bit and his wings fell to his sides in what seemed to be embarrassment.
"Because my blood is not pure. My father was a… gnome." He spat the last word out as though it made him physically ill.
"Jorek, can you help me find my daughter, please?" Kayla asked, looking the sprite directly in his deep blue eyes.
"You need not ask for the assistance of your subjects, Your Majesty. I would be honored to help you."
"Thank you, Jorek. Do you know where Miranda lives?"
"Yes, my sister has been forced into her service."
"Well, it sounds like we need to save your sister as well."
"You are too kind, My Queen."
"Yeah, I am awesome. Let's go find my aunt."
The trio began the trek toward Miranda's cottage in the woods. Jorek flew through the air, leading the way. After a few minutes, they came into a clearing. Shining the flashlights around the forest floor, Kayla's light came across a small metal post with a chain attached to it. Kayla and David ran up to the post where they found the note that Grace had left for them.
"Jellybeans." Kayla grinned at David, grateful for the small glimmer of hope brought on by the little piece of Hello Kitty paper.
They searched the ground, trying to find the small bits of candy. A little glimpse of red caught Kayla's eye. A red jellybean lay in the grass. Jorek went ahead, searching for more candies. He shouted when he located an orange bean a few feet ahead. The three followed the trail, and Jorek informed them with a grim look that the beans were leading right to Miranda's cottage.
"We had better hurry," Kayla said, running ahead with Jorek leading the way.