over a month. You must have worn your wings bare."
"I am tired and hungry," admitted the fairy, "but it hasn't been nonstop. I have taken the time to rest each night when it is too dark to search."
"Yet you are tired enough at midday to stop on this island," the water witch said compassionately as she stretched out her hand towards the fairy. "Come with me, and I will give you some nourishing food."
"I would appreciate that," smiled Squirt as she walked onto Haditha's hand. "Perhaps you could watch over me while I sleep, too. I am always afraid that I will get eaten by a lizard or something."
"You will be safe in the mine," promised Haditha.
The water witch carried Squirt into the mine and set her down on a small table built from driftwood. The first room in the cave was a large round chamber that the dwarves used to use for gathering at the start of the day. There were ledges etched into the wall to hold tools, but no implements had adorned those shelves in ages. There were several stone stools that had survived the years, and Squirt saw two of them had been moved towards the makeshift table. The fairy sat down on the table with her back resting against a stone cup. Its cold surface felt comforting on her back after having the sun beat down on her for so long.
"I hope you like seafood," Haditha said as she squatted near a concave stone on the floor. "I got some fresh clams this morning."
"That would be fine," Squirt responded, "but I am more thirsty than hungry. Do you have any water?"
"Of course," Haditha responded as she rose and approached the table. "I just have to figure out how to serve it to you."
Haditha reached towards a second cup on the table and then stopped. She shook her head, realizing that a cup would be too large. She returned to the other side of the chamber and began chipping away at a clamshell to make a small cup, but Squirt's eyes remained focused on the other large cup on the table. The fairy's eyes narrowed as she looked around the room. Two soiled stone plates sat on one of the ledges on the wall. It became obvious to the fairy that more than one person occupied the cave, and she glanced at Haditha's back suspiciously.
"How did you manage to get here?" Squirt asked innocently. "This is quite far from where the Remora went down."
"I was lucky, I guess," Haditha replied. "Did everyone else make it safely to shore?"
"Four were lost," answered the fairy. "In addition to you and the captain, Loman and Tyroma were unaccounted for. Everyone else made it safely to shore."
"That is wonderful news," Haditha said happily as she brought the fairy some water in a small shell cup. "I am amazed that so many survived."
"Did someone rescue you?" asked the fairy.
"No," Haditha answered. "I just ended up here."
"Kalina will be pleased to hear that you have survived," offered Squirt.
"There is no reason to bother her with such news," the water witch said slyly. "She has no further need of me, and I should probably return to the Endless Swamp. If you must tell her, just say that I am fine. I have no need of being rescued."
"It would not be much of a bother to rescue you," the fairy smiled mischievously. "They will need to come this way in any event to rescue Captain Gomery."
"Captain Gomery?" Haditha responded haltingly. "Whatever do you mean? Have you found him?"
"I have," grinned the fairy.
Haditha's eyes darted nervously around the room., but it was her sustained gazing towards the rest of the mine that confirmed Squirt's suspicions.
"I knew that he loved you very much," Squirt stated, "but I was not sure that you also loved him. I can now safely say that you do."
"You are not going to take him away from me," scowled Haditha as she realized that the fairy was onto her deceit.
Squirt, slightly afraid that the water witch might try to imprison her, jumped to her feet. "You do not have to fear the Knights of Alcea," the fairy said reassuringly. "They would never force anyone to serve them. I am
"I am tired and hungry," admitted the fairy, "but it hasn't been nonstop. I have taken the time to rest each night when it is too dark to search."
"Yet you are tired enough at midday to stop on this island," the water witch said compassionately as she stretched out her hand towards the fairy. "Come with me, and I will give you some nourishing food."
"I would appreciate that," smiled Squirt as she walked onto Haditha's hand. "Perhaps you could watch over me while I sleep, too. I am always afraid that I will get eaten by a lizard or something."
"You will be safe in the mine," promised Haditha.
The water witch carried Squirt into the mine and set her down on a small table built from driftwood. The first room in the cave was a large round chamber that the dwarves used to use for gathering at the start of the day. There were ledges etched into the wall to hold tools, but no implements had adorned those shelves in ages. There were several stone stools that had survived the years, and Squirt saw two of them had been moved towards the makeshift table. The fairy sat down on the table with her back resting against a stone cup. Its cold surface felt comforting on her back after having the sun beat down on her for so long.
"I hope you like seafood," Haditha said as she squatted near a concave stone on the floor. "I got some fresh clams this morning."
"That would be fine," Squirt responded, "but I am more thirsty than hungry. Do you have any water?"
"Of course," Haditha responded as she rose and approached the table. "I just have to figure out how to serve it to you."
Haditha reached towards a second cup on the table and then stopped. She shook her head, realizing that a cup would be too large. She returned to the other side of the chamber and began chipping away at a clamshell to make a small cup, but Squirt's eyes remained focused on the other large cup on the table. The fairy's eyes narrowed as she looked around the room. Two soiled stone plates sat on one of the ledges on the wall. It became obvious to the fairy that more than one person occupied the cave, and she glanced at Haditha's back suspiciously.
"How did you manage to get here?" Squirt asked innocently. "This is quite far from where the Remora went down."
"I was lucky, I guess," Haditha replied. "Did everyone else make it safely to shore?"
"Four were lost," answered the fairy. "In addition to you and the captain, Loman and Tyroma were unaccounted for. Everyone else made it safely to shore."
"That is wonderful news," Haditha said happily as she brought the fairy some water in a small shell cup. "I am amazed that so many survived."
"Did someone rescue you?" asked the fairy.
"No," Haditha answered. "I just ended up here."
"Kalina will be pleased to hear that you have survived," offered Squirt.
"There is no reason to bother her with such news," the water witch said slyly. "She has no further need of me, and I should probably return to the Endless Swamp. If you must tell her, just say that I am fine. I have no need of being rescued."
"It would not be much of a bother to rescue you," the fairy smiled mischievously. "They will need to come this way in any event to rescue Captain Gomery."
"Captain Gomery?" Haditha responded haltingly. "Whatever do you mean? Have you found him?"
"I have," grinned the fairy.
Haditha's eyes darted nervously around the room., but it was her sustained gazing towards the rest of the mine that confirmed Squirt's suspicions.
"I knew that he loved you very much," Squirt stated, "but I was not sure that you also loved him. I can now safely say that you do."
"You are not going to take him away from me," scowled Haditha as she realized that the fairy was onto her deceit.
Squirt, slightly afraid that the water witch might try to imprison her, jumped to her feet. "You do not have to fear the Knights of Alcea," the fairy said reassuringly. "They would never force anyone to serve them. I am
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