Chapter 28
TIPPY
There are times when I wish I could shift at will.
Now, climbing up this sheer rock wall, is one of them.
But other than festivals and that one first time with Jax, shifting doesn’t come easy to our species.
So I place my hands and feet carefully on the rocky outcrops and use my tail for balance.
The fairy moths provide enough light, combined with that from the lightening sky above us, to see where we’re going.
Behind me, Jax helps me place my foot. I notice he is incredibly agile, as is Traggar, thanks to their wolves. Really, as a wixen shifter I should be better at climbing, but I notice Traggar helping Auntie too, so I guess I shouldn’t judge myself too harshly.
I also notice that the cape is finding spots for Aurora to put her feet, the velvet material shaping itself into little footholds, jumping ahead to find her the next one. It’s adorable how devoted it is.
Finally, I clamber out onto Earth.
I gasp at the sight that meets my gaze.
In the gathering dawn light I can make out a carpet of soft green grass, tiny pinpricks of different colors dotted everywhere.
They’re flowers, I realize, but not in pots like the ones we grow under our lumen lamps.
In the distance are the shadowy shapes of trees…
real Earth trees that stand like sentinels against an expanse of something the likes of which I have never seen.
Sky. It’s hazy and deep blue at the edges, dotted with pinpricks of light.
“Stars,” Aunt Felicia murmurs.
“There are so many,” I whisper.
“A whole universe of them.”
Jax’s hand finds mine and squeezes it. I glance at his profile as he stands next to me.
His face is glowing, awestruck. He glances at me and smiles, and I realize we are both taking fuller breaths.
Our rib cages expand and contract with something that makes me feel energized from my scalp to my toes.
Earth air.
As we wait, the sky starts to lighten on the horizon, a glowing burgundy that turns the sky to purple, then pink with wisps of what look like fairy floss.
And suddenly, right there, where the sky meets the ground, a sliver of deep red appears and as it rises, it forms a huge blood-red circle, which soon becomes golden and radiant, sending out rays of light far more magical than anything I have ever seen before.
The rays spread upward and outward, spreading warmth over the landscape.
As the golden orb rises higher, one ray hits the cave we’ve just climbed out of, bouncing down into the space below.
Looking down, I see One Moonbeam Lake light up, and I’m glad that Clem and Otis will witness this: the sun rising.
I suck in a deep breath, feel the warmth permeating every cell in my body. My hand in Jax’s tingles, my claws tingle, even the tip of my tail tingles.
“Isn’t this incredible?” he whispers.
“Like coming home,” I respond softly.
Everywhere is aglow now, the shadows dissolving and the colors becoming vibrant.
The scents and sounds of Earth fill my senses.
There is a serenade that I realize must be birdsong, a thing spoken about with awe among monsters.
This joyous early morning chorus makes my heart want to burst with happiness.
“Ah, here they come,” Aurora whispers.
Peering into the distance, I see a small group moving toward us, silhouetted against the radiant morning sky.
As they get closer, I recognize the hulking shoulders and broad head of an orc.
Sheriff Bradley Cane.
I haven’t seen him for years, but he appears just as big and burly as he was back then.
I crane my neck, trying to make out the species behind him. They’re much smaller creatures, with slender swaying bodies and willowy limbs.
Elves. Of course, the custodians of Earth.
Elves have not been seen in the Labyrinth since the rebellion.
Many said they were extinct. But as we’ve learned from Aurora, that’s not the case.
They lived here quietly on Earth, somehow escaping the curse of Marsha’s evil.
There are at least two dozen in total. And in their midst is a box, being carried on a plinth.
This must surely contain the Golden Book.
Gradually the procession gets closer, until we are standing just a few feet apart. The sun’s light now forms a glowing circle around them. I can see the box clearly now. It’s covered in jewels. Rough-cut and multi-colored. Treasures of the earth.
The elves step forward and Aurora closes the gap and raises her hands to receive their precious cargo.
Two elves, taller than the rest, come forward. They hold out the box and remove the lid, then take out a small, thin volume, bound in simple brown leather.
I feel a stab of disappointment.
Is this it? This modest little volume?
It really is as small as Aurora said. Very humble—like the elves themselves. But then it starts to glow, until there is a halo surrounding Aurora and the elves, bathing them all in golden light.
As Aurora takes hold of the book in her cupped hands, a shower of sparks arcs up toward the morning sun. I could be imagining it, but it’s as if it stretches right up into the heavens.
“Thank you, elven folks, for keeping the Golden Book safe these past years,” Aurora says, bowing her head.
The elves bow in return, murmuring quietly in their elfen tongue. Their words are hard to hear, but Aurora seems to understand.
Gently, she opens the cape and secretes the tiny book within it, next to her heart.
Now that the formal part of the ceremony is over, there is a burst of greetings and laughter. Sheriff Cane steps forward and extends a big hand to our High Priestess. “Aurora, the books will soon be together. May the magic quicken.”
“Aye, dear friend. May it quicken and help all sentient beings prosper.”
Bradley then turns to Jax. “Hello, Jax Summers,” he says, and slaps him on the back as if they are long-lost friends, even though to my knowledge, they have never met.
“I believe I am looking at our future,” he says.
Jax smiles hesitantly, a little confused, but grips the hand held out to him. “It’s good to meet you, Sir.”
Finally, Bradley turns to me. “Tippy Honeywell. Look at you. A fully-fledged wixen now.”
“Oh, not quite yet… I don’t think,” I demur. “But it’s good to have you back, Sheriff.”
“Lovely to be back.” He moves on down the line. “Felicia, looking as vibrant as ever.” And then he claps Traggar on the back, and the two huge males hug, like brothers
I look around the group, at everyone exchanging such warm greetings.
All these years there have been a small handful of monsters devoted to reinstating the white magic.
All this time, they were working to find ways to stop the evil that controlled us.
And I had no inkling of the part I was about to play.
I am humbled and grateful that I, Tippy Honeywell, have something meaningful to offer.