that he wasn’t the happiest little boy in the whole world. The knife couldn’t descend soon enough now.
Ruadhri took a deep breath and began to speak in an ancient, all but forgotten tongue, offering the boy to the Devil.
“Don’t kill him!” cried a voice from the woods. Gasps and murmurs drifted through the crowd.
“Kill him . . . ?” muttered a few of the children, their eyes peering into the dark, heads turning and necks craning to identify the voice. Colby emerged from the dark of the woods, his arms folded, his face fixed with a determined scowl. Behind him stood Yashar, looking both cautious and concerned.
The children turned, looking to the adults. It was as if a grenade had gone off in their midst. Eyes became saucers, expressions tightened, jaws grew slack with horrified surprise. The old, however, showed no shock at all, only disdain. The hour drew close; the Devil would soon be upon them.
Knocks stood stone-faced, muttering beneath his breath, “Kill him. Just hurry up and kill him.”
Meinrad’s voice boomed once more, this time at Colby. “Child, these affairs are not yours to meddle in. You will not be asked to leave again.”
“Let him go,” demanded Colby.
Ewan leaned forward, propping himself up on his elbows. “What are you doing? I’m about to become a fairy!”
“No, you’re not,” said Colby. “They’re going to kill you and give your soul to the Devil.”
“Noooo,” said Ewan, shaking his head. That was just silly. He looked around at the somber expressions staring back at him. He looked down at the altar he lay upon. He looked up at the dagger, poised above him. And for the first time, he soberly saw everyone around him for what they were, though he didn’t want to believe it. “I’m not going to be a fairy?”
King Ruadhri refused to open his eyes, only shaking his head. “You’re as much of a fairy as you’re ever going to be.”
“That’s enough!” shouted Schafer, pushing his way through the crowd. He looked around at his fellow fairies, dozens in number, wondering why no one dared step forward to tear this kid apart. “Hey, genie. Take your whelp and get the hell out of here before I tear his arms off and beat you both to death with them.”
Yashar shrugged, shaking his head. “This isn’t me. It’s his battle, his choice. You need to talk to him.”
Schafer pounded a fist into his palm. “You need to take control of him before I do.”
“Try it,” said Colby.
Schafer laughed, staring the kid down. “I’m gonna enjoy this,” he spat, his withered tongue flitting over his swollen lip as a punctuation mark to his threat.
He stepped forward, striding boldly toward Colby, cracking his knuckles, popping his neck to each side.
There was a moment of quiet broken only by the sound of Schafer’s iron boots crunching on the gravel beneath them. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
Colby clenched his fists nervously, looking over his shoulder at Yashar.
Yashar stared back blankly.
Colby turned back to Schafer, who was steps away now. “I don’t think you’re going to enjoy this at all,” he said, his voice cracking.
He raised an outstretched arm and closed his eyes, feeling the pulsing hum of the universe around him. With a thought, he reorganized the mass before him, taking one form of energy and converting it into another with the ease of drawing a single breath.
The redcap didn’t have the chance to scream, the energy holding him together folding in upon itself as everything that was Schafer simply ceased to be. His shell abandoned him, collapsing into nothingness, his remaining essence becoming rose petals and daffodils. He burst with an audible puff, flower petals floating gently to the ground, their sweet scent wafting out into the night air.
Within seconds the only evidence that Schafer had existed at all was a slight odor and a carpet of scattered flowers in the dirt.
He was gone, the gaping jaws of his friends the only eulogy to his death.
Meinrad gazed upon the floral remains, and then cast his eyes up to an unfazed Yashar. “What have you done?”
Yashar shook his head. “I granted his wish.” There was no irony to his tenor, only sadness. “He just wanted to stop you from killing his friend.”
With shameful eyes, Meinrad looked at Colby, understanding. He motioned to the altar. “Let the boy go.”
“What?!” shouted one of the redcaps. “Are you out of your mind?!”
Meinrad shook his head, his gaze on the ground. “We are not unusually cruel creatures, Colby. You have