Heirs of the Gods

Ch 59: Dandelion

It might have been a minute or an hour before the giant tree stopped moving. They only watched, entranced, as the roots groaned and shuffled, before finally settling.

At the base of the tree, conjured by magic, stood a charming little house. A rounded structure, like a squat wooden pumpkin, decorated with glowing windows, a smoking chimney jutting from the side, and an arched orange door.

Moss crept along the tree and the walls of the house, interspersed with rambling yellow roses that knitted around the trellis mounted on the walls of the cabin. Rounded windows dotted the large trunk, signalling more tiers. Had it not been for the giant tree sitting atop it, it would have looked like any regular cottage. A lovely, well-kept home.

Certainly not what they expected to find in the Barren Forest.

They stared, astonished, as the arched orange door swung open with a slam, and out marched a fuming figure.

"Who dares call upon my home!"

The figure, a man of sorts, stood in front of them, hand planted on his hips, furious expression marring his features.

They stood, stunned into silence, as he pinned them with a murderous glare and tapped his foot.

He was... pretty, there was no other way to describe it. Had he not lacked wings, he might have even been mistaken for a Pixie. Bright, long-lashed orange eyes, a small freckle-splattered nose and deep golden skin. His head, topped by a tumble of curls the same colour as his eyes, barely skimmed past Ella's shoulder. He wasn't a child, but with his delicate and youthful appearance, his fury seemed almost comical.

Ella was no expert in witches, but this was not what she'd expected to find. She'd expected a gnarled old woman with a warty nose, or perhaps a sinister-looking man with a crow on his shoulder. Certainly not this pixie-boy, draped in a loose silk blouse, billowy trousers and a corseted belt.

"Well?!" he demanded, tapping his foot, which was covered by a small silky slipper, curled upwards at the toe into a swirl.

"I--" Ella shook her head, trying not to gape as she collected her thoughts. "We come here looking for your services."

"That I can see," he huffed, revealing pointed little teeth. "You spill blood on my garden," he waved a ringed hand towards the ritual circle. "You pull me away from my work, and now you can't even speak properly. The absolute disrespect."

"We didn't mean to disturb you," Ella stammered, wide-eyed and taken aback by his rage. "We only came to request your service. You were recommended to us."

"Who gave you my location?" He demanded. "Wait," he cut her off before she could even stammer out a reply. His bronze eyes narrowed into slits. "That bastard," he hissed. "I ought to hex him. I'll rip him a new one when he comes back," he grumbled under his breath. "He'll be coughing up frogs and maggots for the next month, that'll show him."

Ella grimaced, interrupting the man's absentminded tirade about who she strongly suspected was the Bird. "We're really sorry to bother you, but we wanted to request something of you."

"We're willing to pay," Blaise added, finally mustering up his voice.

"Pay?" he threw his head back and cackled, the small trinkets on his ears jangling with the movement. "Who said I'd take your payment? There's no amount you could pay me to attend to you."

"Listen," Aedion huffed, stepping forward with a scowl. "We came all the way here just to see you, the least you could do is spare us some of your time and show goodwill."