I held my breath and waited for the flames to hit. I could feel stings all over my body and a fierce tugging at my clothing and hair. All the while the awful screeching went on and on in my head. Or maybe it was all around me. I could hear someone wailing and hoped that it wasn't me. I wasn't being brave in the least, but rather numb with fear. Thoughts flashed around in my mind "RUN.....RUN.....FLEE....HIDE...." and I recognized the bird instincts. Then suddenly a line from Miraldis' riddle....."stand fast 'gainst ravening hordes"..... and with all my strength I managed to open my eyes a crack, and quickly shut them again. Dazzling light that hurt and flashing points all about that made me dizzy ; but as my mind sorted through what I had glimpsed, I knew I wanted to have another look. Taking a deep breath, I carefully opened my eyes again and willed myself to become accustommed to the brightness all about me.

Oh....the beauty and terribleness of it all !!!!! Green flames and brilliant bits all darting about. The stings and tugs continued and I looked down to see points of light darting at me and retreating. I heard the wailing noise again and looking down saw Jeff huddled in a ball with the points of light darting at him as well. I thought...." how pathetic" and then felt the smallest bit sorry for him. I could hear a roaring and looking around saw that Miraldis seemed caught between dragon and insect forms, for I could see both. There were hosts of light points darting at him and he was roaring in frustration. The brightness kept me from seeing anything of the cave and daring to move, I turned in a circle to see if there was a way out. At that, the light coalesced again into a very solid looking wall just about where I thought the entrance might be, and the shreeking intensified. This time, though, I thought I could pick out words.....INTRUDER.......THIEF......DIE.....DIE....DIE....

It occurred to me suddenly, that I was no longer afraid. For certain, I was someplace that I was not supposed to be and was in fact an intruder, but for some reason, I did not think the Faerie Hordes...for I was sure that is who they were.....would harm me or they would have done so already. The guardians of the eggs were truly fierce, and I had read enough about Faerie Folk to know that the guardian faction were not to be trifled with. That they could and would kill I had no doubt at all and hoped that they would choose not to. I wondered what kind of defense I could put up and knew that it would not be physical. I was no match for them, nor was Miraldis if they had the power to prevent him from changing to his dragon form. I decided to go along with whatever happened and trust that I would be lucky and make the right decisions.

Having made that first decision, I thought to move closer to Miraldis, and did manage one step before the wall of fire separated us. I could see through it, though not clearly and wondered how solid it actually was. I took another step and a sizable portion of it split away and surrounded me, and I could not move farther. In the small space between me and the wall of fire, one fist-sized ball of light hovered, and without thinking, I stretched out my hand toward it. At that everything seemed to freeze. The fire no longer flickered, the points of light stayed motionless, and all sound stopped. That in itself was a shock and in the silence I could hear Jeff moaning. I looked down at him and wondered what he could possibly be thinking; and thought that if we ever did get out, he would need a great deal of therapy to get over the things he was experiencing. I turned my attention back to the fire ball and discovered that it had changed into the form of a person.

It was like nothing I had ever seen. Though the basic human form was there, all the parts seemed to flow and tail off into whispy bits that disappeared. Greens and blues and greys all melded together to give dimension and though the face had two eye holes and nose and mouth, it was all indistinct and misty. Very like looking at a person through a waving gauze curtain. The creature ...whether male or female...I couldn't tell.....was beautiful and I smiled, and once again held out my hand, and managed to croak out a "hello". Whispers filled the air.....no longer a screech, but more like wind though the poplar leaves back home. The wall of fire pressed closer and the Faerie creature before me lifted an arm and waved it back. It retreated a short distance but the whispering continued, but a little softer yet and in the comparative silence the Faerie creature spoke.

"YOU HAVE COME HERE UNINVITED. YOU ARE NOT WELCOME. YOU HAVE TRESSPASSED WHERE YOU SHOULD NOT BE AND SEEN WHAT YOU SHOULD NOT SEE. YOU MUST PAY THE PRICE."

And all around me the whispering changed and became a litany ..... " DIE...DIE...DIE...DIE...."and I wondered how blood thirsty the Hordes could be. The voice of the leader was still thundering in my ears when I heard Miraldis roar, and looking over saw the bright points of light darting at his eyes, which he was keeping tightly shut.

It took me a few tries before my voice would work and I called to them "Don't kill Miraldis......he was only trying to help!"

Again the voice sounded in my head ,though not quite as loudly this time.."We Cannot Kill One Of Our Own, But He Must Be Punished For Tresspassing."

"We came under a compulsion" I tried to explain. "Miraldis felt the call to come and help hatch the eggs."

With these words there was absolute silence in the cave. Every point of light was extinguished in the blink of an eye and the fires were gone, leaving us in darkness so black I could not see my hand in front of my face. I stood perfectly still. The darkness was more terrifying than the fire, for without light I could not find our torches, nor would there be any chance of finding my way out. I could feel the presence of many and knew that though the light was gone, the hordes of Faerie folk were still all about. I felt about until I felt Jeff still huddled on the ground, and at my touch he screamed and made to scramble away.

"Oh for God's sake, Jeff.....get a grip!" I said. "We haven't been harmed yet and perhaps they will listen to our story, and allow us to get out." I wondered if that was true and chose to believe we had a chance. After all, the Hordes could easily have killed us long before we reached the cave if that was their intent. They could have barred the entrance to the passage or made it impossible to get behind the waterfall. They could have stopped us at any time as we came down the passage, or even have redirected us so that we took the other passage. If we had managed to come this far it must be meant to be though not easily done. I felt that if I could just talk to the leader, I might be able to explain why we had invaded their sanctuary. I turned slowly in a circle and at one point I felt a strong presence and addressed that point.

"If you would let us explain why we are here, perhaps you would allow us to help." I said into the darkness."We meant no harm to you or the treasure that you protect. Will you speak with us and listen to our story before you decide whether to kill us?"

Slowly light returned, and though it remained dim, we could at least see in our immediate vicinity. Anything farther than a few feet away remained in total darkness. The glow was still that lovely green color and though it made our faces look strange it was comforting to be able to see again. I took a step and realized that the geise that had held me imobile was gone and that I could move again. I went over to Miraldis and put my arms about the poor creature. He was still caught between forms, and I wondered if it was uncomfortable for him. He was just a little dragon.......not a whole lot taller than I was and this was the first time I had seen him in distress. Here the poor little guy had been trying to help, and had been set upon by the very people he had come to lend a hand to. He rested his head on my shoulder a bit and even though he was only half way changed, it was still heavy. I gave him a pat and stepped back.

"Could you let Miraldis change to one of his forms, please." I asked. "He can speak to you in his dragon form and he'll not try to harm anyone."

"You May Change, Miraldis, But You Will Remain Under Geise For The Safety Of All. That Is The Condition."

"Thankyou." said the little dragon and immediately turned fully into his dragon form. I would have chosen the same, and smiled to myself. I sat down on the floor of the cave and tugged at Miraldis to do the same. From that position we would not be as likely to try anything that the Faeries might take as hostile. I had forgotten Jeff, though, and now looked over to where I had left him to find that he was huddled on the floor again. Oh well.......at least he wouldn't be going anywhere or trying to do harm for awhile. I wondered what kind of person he was really. For all the time we had spent together, he had revealed very little about himself. I had already seen that he wasn't the sort of person to stand up in the face of danger, but to be honest.......how many would be able to face the Faerie Hordes. I wondered why they had not made me into the same cowering puddle of humanity that he was. Maybe I had just grown accustommed to the unusual during my association with Miraldis.

I felt a movement in the air and looking around saw that the Faerie leader was once again visible. "You Have This Time To Explain Why You Have Come To This Place. We Shall Judge The Veracity Of Your Actions, But Be Aware That There Will Be A Penalty To Bare."

"Accepted!" said Miraldis and I at the same time, and we turned and smiled at each other.

"I would like to know your name" I said. "Or at least what you would like us to call you. It will be much easier to speak to you if we know how you would like to be addressed." I introduced Miraldis and myself and let the silence draw out. It was his/her turn.

"You May Address Me As Valfrenn." It was a beginning and still I could not tell from name,voice or manner whether I was speaking to a male or female being. I didn't suppose it mattered in the end and was grateful that I had been given a chance to tell our side of the tale.

For the next while, Miraldis and I told our story and answered questions from Valfrenn. Several times during our tale, the whispering from the Hordes about us grew in volume until Valfrenn motioned them to silence again. My classes in magic drew the most response and I had to demonstrate my ability to change to bird form. Amid the whispering from the Hordes, I heard a noise from Jeff, whom I had forgotten again. I found him staring at me in horror and knew that if and when we ever got out of here he would be saying some very bad things about me. Well.....I would have to deal with that when the time came. I had my hands full with the Faerie Folk for the time being.

When we had finished, we sat waiting for Valfrenn's verdict. He/She asked a few questions in clarification of some of our tale and then there was silence again. I had some questions of my own and thought that this might be the time to ask.

"Now that we are here....can you use our help?" I really wanted to know that all our trouble had not been in vain. Miraldis had tried so hard to teach me and I wanted it to count for something."We really do want to help if we can. If we help, would you consider letting us go back home? You could put a geise on us to prevent us from telling anybody or to make us forget all of this. I hope that you will not feel that you need to kill us. We truly did not intend to offend."

"We Cannot Kill One Of Our Own." said Valfrenn. He/She had said that once before.

"I understand." I said with sinking heart. "Miraldis is a magical creature for sure, but he would not have taken the trouble and time to teach me all the things I needed to know if he had thought it would lead to my death. To be honest, I would not have agreed to help him either. Well, I will not take back my offer to help. I would just ask that you do it somehow that will not be frightening or painful."

Valfrenn looked at me strangely. "Do You Not Understand? We Cannot Kill One Of Our Own. Do You Think That You Could Have Learned The Magic Had You No True Faerie Blood? Neither Could You Have Withstood The Fear Here. Do You Take A Good Look At The Human There. Without Your Protection He Would Never Have Found His Way To This Place. You Would Have Been Turned Away By The Wards Long Since, Had You None Of The True Blood!!!!!"

ME?????? Faerie Blood???????? I had Faerie Blood??????? That was much more unbelievable to me than being able to do the magic in the first place. I had never thought that the only reason I could do it was because I had Faerie Blood. I wondered what ancient ancestor had passed along the blood and vowed if I ever got out of here I would certainly do a whole lot of research. I sat there numb, trying to take in what Valfrenn had said, and beside me Miraldis gave a little sigh.

"I Knew That Thou Wass Different." He said softly "I Didsst Not Know About Thy Blood, But I Knew That You Couldsst Do The Magicss."

I sat there in the silence. I had a hundred questions to ask. With a little click, the rest of the riddle fell into place. "......struggle not 'gainst ravening hordes......else magic causes thou to fail.........stand fast before the questing light........true faerie blood shall win the right". Now I knew why it had seemed so wrong to use the magic the closer we got to the waterfall and the cave. Now I understood why I had not been frightened by the fire and the darting lights. Had I somehow understood that they were beings? Had something deep in my blood led me along to make the right decisions? I had always been in touch with, and trusted my instincts, but had never really understood the deep feelings. I had always accepted my differences from others without wondering too much why I felt different. Now I knew and it would take me some time to come to terms with it all. In the meantime though, there were things that needed to be done, else why were we here. I turned to look at Valfrenn and found Him/Her smiling at me.

"You Are Surprised. Well That Is To Be Expected. This Is Not An Easy Thing That You Wish To Do. We Shall Accept Your Offer Of Help. It Is True. The Eggs Are About To Hatch After All This Time. We Were Told That There Would Be Those Who Would Help, But We Were Not Told That The Help Would Come From A Half Human And A Young Dragon. I Do Not Think That The Human There Is Part Of The Bargain. In Deferrence To Your Kind, We Shall Not Harm Him, But Neither Can He Be Allowed To Witness What We Need To Do. He Has Seen Too Much Already And So The Geise Must Remain Upon Him. He Will Be Allowed To Leave When You Do But He Will Not Remember Any Of His Time With us. Does That Seem Fair To You?"

"You are kinder than I would have expected under the circumstances Valfrenn." I said. "I thank you and accept your conditions. I would ask though, that before I leave I be allowed to ask for some help in understanding all the things that have happened. I would like to know more about your people and their work here and above in the world. I will make a vow to your people that I will not reveal what I learn here and that I will never knowingly harm any of your kind."

"You Must Remember That You Are Our Kind As Well." He/She replied. "Your Requests Shall Be Granted And Your Help Willingly Accepted. Now We Must Go To The Eggs, And Make The Preparations Necessary For Their Hatching. We Must Also Make Plans For The Safety Of The Young Dragons."

The Faerie Beings once again became visible and a section of them split from the main Horde and surrounded Jeff. I tried to assure him that no harm would come to him,but could not even tell if he heard me. I understood his terror, and wondered if he would ever be right again. I hoped that it would all work out for him in the end. Then Miraldis and I turned to join the Faerie Folk on the next part of the adventure.