Chapter Eight: The Divinity

Without warning, everything changed. Evie sat up slowly and noticed the rest of her companions doing the same. The forest had changed, and it hadn’t. The trees still stood in their same places. But they looked different, she didn’t know how. The sun just peeked up from behind the boulders she had been racing toward. They seemed different too. She felt sure she still sat in the center of that clearing. She remained in the exact same place she had been before she saw all of the tiny, flashing lights. Maybe it just looked different because of the morning light.

Then she took a closer look. She gaped at her surroundings. If she wasn’t a logical, intelligent person, she would be sure she had magically been transported into a different forest. The trees blossomed with greenery and blooming flowers poked up from among the leaves. A casual glance caught sight of deer, chipmunks and any number of other forest creatures looking at the newcomers curiously as they played. Life chattered, fluttered, danced, hopped and lounged everywhere! The clearing even shimmered with butterflies. Evie just sat there, stunned. Somehow, in that instant, the raptons disappeared, dawn came and all of these creatures simply appeared. It just was not possible.

Elder Banied seemed to have some idea what had happened, though, because he jumped to his feet, smiling. “The sprites! It really does exist.” Evie didn’t know what he was talking about, but she smiled too. Everyone else acted perfectly happy with the sudden change, and she wasn’t going to complain. A minute earlier she had been preparing to be dragon food and now she was in a beautiful, peaceful forest. That seemed a good trade.

Bridget and Trevor both stood, brushing off their clothes. They wore identical expressions on their faces, although Evie never would have told her cousin so. Wide eyed and jumpy, their heads darted every direction. They looked as shocked as Evie felt. She began to follow their example. But, before she stood even halfway, a large, blue bird darted out of the forest and flew strait at her. She stumbled backward and fell flat on her bottom again. The thing bolted for her face, seemingly determined to whack her between the eyes. A hand’s distance from her nose, though, it stopped short. It didn’t slow down. It simply came to a dead stop.

Evie stared, stunned. Her eyes took a moment to focus on the vibrating animal. When they did, she realized she wasn’t staring at a bird. She stared strait into the tiny turquoise eyes of a very small girl. The girl’s sparkling blue hair flowed into two ponytails on the sides of her head and she gazed at Evie from behind red-rimmed glasses that seemed too large for her tiny face.

Before Evie could notice anything else about her, the girl’s face split into a wide grin, revealing large, white teeth. In a high-pitched and very quick voice she said, “I know you! They told me you were in the forest and that they might want to bring you here. The forest isn’t safe, you know. There are evil creatures all around. But they said that you might come here today and I waited patiently.” She giggled, “You don’t remember me, I’m sure. You were very small when your mother brought you here. I was pretty little too, to tell you the truth. But sometimes your mom would come visit us and I liked her. She hasn’t been in three summers, but we haven’t been going into your world much, so we just had to wonder. There are too many things going wrong in your world, you understand. I mean no offence. I’m sure you are not a part of it! You could stay here, though. There aren’t any rules. I know a lot about your world. I know about rules. I have been studying, you see. I learn quickly. Oh, I am glad you’ve come.”

Evie looked around for someone to help her. She had no idea how to react to this little person. Stupidly, she said, “What are you?”

Luckily, the girl seemed delighted by the question. “I’m a sprite!” she squeaked. “My name is Trina. I am pleased to see you, and I hope we can talk further, but I want to help the human teacher with some research today. Perhaps you will…”

In the middle of her sentence, Elder Banied approached the two of them and asked the sprite, “Can you take me to the one in charge of your people.”

Startled, Trina turned toward the Elder and replied, “Who would you like to see?” She sounded very confused.

Elder smiled condescendingly. “The one who leads you. Or perhaps there is a counsel? I think they will want to see me.” It made Evie a little angry. He was addressing this girl, er sprite, as if she still wore diapers. She hated it when grown people did that to her.

Trina didn’t seem angry, though. She just acted confused again. “Do you mean like a king?” She giggled, “We haven’t got a king. That’s something for humans, not sprites. We live by the divinity.” Her tiny blue eyebrows lowered in seriousness when she added, “You must, as well, while you are among us.” Her tone lightened a bit, “As well as a human can, anyway. You are not known for it, you know!”

The divinity? What in the world was that supposed to mean? Evie didn’t think the Elder knew either. He tried again, “It doesn’t have to be a king, necessarily. Just take me to whoever is in charge of you.”

The sprite smiled her broadest grin yet, “I am in charge of myself. But, right now I must go to the library. If you would like, you may come meet the human teacher. He is a man and knows more of your traditions.”

Irritably, Elder Banied nodded. “If he is an adult, I’m sure he will do for now.” Before motioning for Trina to show him the way, he called for Anna, Trevor and Bridget to come. In no time, they wandered into the beautiful wood after the sprite, who talked the whole way.

“We don’t get visitors very often. It is so difficult to come here, you see. Most of the time, if people come, they have to be brought, the way you were. But, sometimes people will learn to make it to our world on their own. Your mother could, Evie. She simply knew how to step from one world to another. I don’t think there are many humans who could. But the human teacher, Master Oilreid, can. He used to come for research. We have a fine library! Now he spends most of the time in our world. He agreed to let me learn by watching what he does, if I would run errands for him sometimes. Many sprites don’t like to watch other people, but I think you can still form your own opinions and make your own choices. There has been some discussion on the matter since the humans came. Not that it lasts long, you understand.”

Evie took the momentary pause to ask a question, “Who brought us here? And how?”

“Who?” replied the startled sprite. It seemed like she was not used to being interrupted. “We did. Didn’t you notice? We were going to days ago, to tell you the truth, but we don’t usually let humans come unless they are seeking us. We waited, but you were clearly in danger this time, so we decided to bring you. It’s much safer here. The raptons cannot enter. They are evil creatures you see, they cannot follow the divinity. Only those who can are allowed to…”
This time it was Bridget who interrupted, “What is the divinity?”

Trina blinked, clearly startled. “You don’t know? Haven’t you been taught anything at all? I memorized it when I was only a child. Okay. Let’s see…Each person is divine, precious, individualistic, and free. All that is good will uphold these values and any opposition is evil.” She sounded if she recited something she knew by heart. Evie could only shake her head, she really wasn’t sure what any of that meant. At the moment, she didn’t care very much.

Bridget did, because she spoke up again, “I think everyone agrees with that, even people in our world, good people, anyway.”

Trina shook her head, “No, some of you may believe it, but you do not live it. Perhaps I should explain. When someone is different, humans often judge that the difference makes that person better or worse: like pretty and ugly or rich and poor. It is not right. Everyone is precious. You let a few people make choices for everyone. Each person should be free to make their own decisions.”

Evie’s brow furrowed in confusion. The world could not work the way this creature wanted it to. She said so and tried to explain, “If there was no one to lead then anyone could do whatever they wished. People could steal from or hurt others without punishment. Leadership protects the rights of the weaker people.” She thought she explained it pretty well. She and Elder Banied discussed such things during lessons sometimes.

Trina smiled, “You are smart, like your mother. But you’ve missed the point. No one would hurt others or steal their things because everyone believes in the divinity. It is respect and love that should stop you from doing wrong to other people, not fear of punishment. We are here!”

Where, exactly, “here” was wasn’t clear. This part of the forest looked the same as the rest. It looked beautiful in the morning light, but certainly nothing like a village. Evie thought for sure they headed toward buildings. Hadn’t the sprite mentioned a library? Just as she opened her mouth to about to ask, the sprite held her tiny hands out in front of her and then, slowly spread them outward. The moss-covered earth split. Below it descended a set of grassy stairs leading down to a circular door that looked cut from a stone. Evie stepped back, gasping, but Trevor didn’t even hesitate. He strode halfway through the door before anyone began to follow.