“Mochazon!” Uli shook the bars with such force I was surprised they didn’t shatter. She called for him again and again until her voice became hoarse. Finally, she sat back, breathing hard. “He is a fool,” she muttered.
Something glinted on the ground where Mochazon had been. I looked closer and found a pair of enchanted keys that glowed with a greenish light. My heart sped up. If I could get the keys, I could finally be free. I reached through the bars and stretched my arm as far as I could. No luck. I was only inches short, but that was enough to keep me from freedom.
I searched the cell. Surely I could find something to help me. I found a few small twigs, but none were long enough. The battle continued raging outside. Uli sat with her head in her hands, silently weeping as the vexons continued their slaughter.
I attempted calling the keys with my magic, but the foreign enchantment kept me from touching them. What other options did I have? They were too far away for Uli to reach. I couldn’t reach them physically or with my magic.
I sat on the ground and stared at the keys. They seemed to taunt me.
The noise from the battle reverberated through the ancient tree. A strong gust of air blustered through the cells as the larger vexon swooped past us. The wind gave me an idea. I couldn’t touch the keys with magic, but maybe I wouldn’t have to.
I called the magic inside me. When I felt ready, I uttered the magic word that would let me control the wind.
Cirrus.
The wind circulated around me. I collected its power and sent it outward, focusing on enveloping the keys. The wind caught the keys and moved them a fraction of an inch. Clenching my fists, I added my own energy reserves to the spell. Dust spiraled through the air and clouded my vision, but I stayed focused on the keys. They scraped across the ground a few inches more. I let go of the spell before it consumed all my strength. Breathing hard, I clung to the cell bars and stuck my arm through.
Uli ranted excitedly beside me, but I ignored her as I reached for the keys.
This time, I grasped them without trouble and made quick work of unlocking our cells.
Through the haze, Uli darted toward me, the whites of her eyes bright and round. “You did this?” she said, bouncing up and down on her toes. She towered over me, at least a head taller.
“Yes,” I answered.
She grabbed me in a hug so fierce my lungs threatened to collapse. “You are my champion!”
“Thanks,” I squeaked out.
She pulled away, and her eyes grew grim as she focused on the battle. “We must hurry. My people—they are no good against those beasts—they think spears will kill anything. Bah!” She spat. “Only magic can penetrate the vexon’s hide. Quick, follow me.” She beat her wings and sped into the sky.
I watched her go, a purplish-green blur that disappeared toward the battle, not sure how she expected me to follow her. I waited on the ledge, peering up at the battle. I searched for Uli, but in the chaos, it became impossible to tell one pixie from another.
Pacing the ledge, I looked for a way off. A narrow bridge was the only exit. It led up to another platform, where I spotted a staircase leading to a tower that overlooked the battle. Approaching the bridge, I realized crossing it would be almost as dangerous as confronting one of those beasts.
I inched onto the narrow boards, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. It wobbled dangerously, and I held my breath, knowing that if I panicked, I would only fall sooner. Somehow I made it across, my heart hammering, sweat slicking the palms of my hands.
After the bridge, climbing the tower wasn’t so hard. The steps were narrow, but at least they stayed steady when I walked on them. Screams came from the fray, followed by the shriek of the vexons, a sound that sent shivers down my spine.
The staircase wound around the tower. I followed it up until I entered a small room with large windows on every side.
The view from this angle was more breathtaking than I expected. The pixie tree spread before me like an ancient continent, a sea of stone roots and islands of bright bauble lights. But the storm raging below me sped my heart.
I could use my magic to help in destroying the creatures, but should I risk it? I’d never battled a vexon, and warring with a new species was never as easy as it seemed. They’re always full of surprises. The textbooks never really prepared you for that sort of thing. But I couldn’t stand here and watch the slaughter. I had to do whatever I could. I hoped the pixies were smart enough to move out of the way.
Uli had said only magic could penetrate the beasts’ hides. In my mind, I conjured the word for fire.
I readied my stance, calmed my breathing.
Below me, the smaller creature spun in mid-air, knocking back a warrior with its lethal spiked tail. His screams reverberated, shaking the tree surrounding me.
Deep breath in.
I extended my arm and whispered the word. Hot fire formed above my fingertips, soft blue at first and then growing in size to a massive, sizzling ball of flames.
I hurled it at the beast. It landed on the monster’s back, singeing its wings, which popped with loud crackles as the thin, leathery material ignited.
Score one for me.
But the giant flame ball engulfed more than just the monster. Several pixies fell back as well, their wings blazing like puffs of cotton. The beast roared with fury. It thrashed back and forth, its giant mouth snapping at the
