“Oh, these people love their tricks,” said Dax. The old man sat cross-legged, looking at the dirt rather than the small flying creatures around them. “They like to think they’re more clever than everyone else, just because they’re six inches tall and know how to fly.”
“What are they?”
“They’re fey, of course,” answered Kay. When Sarah looked at him with a blank expression, he began to rattle off other names for the creatures. “Fairies, nixies, pixies, sprites, grigs, brownies, elves, redcaps—”
“I get the idea. I just didn’t expect to see them here. I guess I should have, though.” Thinking over the other things that had happened to her today, she realized how foolish it was for her to dismiss anything as impossible right now.
“They’re special creatures—some of the only beings who know all the ways in and out of Greystone Valley,” explained Kay. “They find their way into just about every world, even if people don’t believe in them. When you see something move out of the corner of your eye and you’re not sure what it is, it’s usually them.”
“They like making mischief,” added Dax. “They’ll steal socks from you when you wash your clothes, or move things around when you’re looking for them. I suppose they get their laughs from my misery, just like everyone else does.”
Along with the dragons, the fey are the oldest beings of Greystone Valley. They are also some of the only creatures who know the way out of the ancient valley. For this reason, many suspect that the fey are not bound by the laws of the land at all, and drift between our world and Greystone Valley at will.
For any visitors to the valley, there are three important facts about the fey:
1) They come in all shapes and sizes. When most people think of fey, they think of faeries – the six-inch tall winged folk whose arrows can put normal men and women into a deep sleep. But these are only the most common type of fey. Other fey include the half-horse, half-men known as centaurs, the slender human-like elves, and plant-like women known as dryads. There are many more different types of fey, and all have their own unique origins and history. Overall, they are not a single species, but rather a broad category of people that share a common point of origin somewhere in the distant past.
2) They love to make mischief. No matter what kind they are, fey love to steal shoes, pester cats, and trick travelers. Some think that this love of trickery comes from their naturally carefree nature. Others think that they have a superiority complex due to being some of the few beings who can enter and leave the valley at will. Regardless, if you are lucky enough to see one of the fey, expect trouble soon afterward.
3) They hate dragons. Nobody knows where the dislike between fey and dragons comes from, but the long animosity is well-known by all. Dragons love the taste of faerie meat and can smell them from miles away. Fey do their best to play pranks on their rivals and set traps for them whenever a dragon intrudes upon their territory, all the while making sure never to anger the biggest and most powerful of the fire-breathing creatures. The only reason that Greystone Valley hasn’t seen an all-out war between the fey and the dragons is an ancient pact the leaders of the two races made long ago with the wizard who created the valley. Even then, fey usually stay hidden in the forests, while dragons lurk in mountain caves. If the two races can help it, they keep their distance from one another.
During her journey through Greystone Valley, Sarah finds herself brought before a fey court as a prisoner. What are the charges and how does she answer them? Find out in Greystone Valley!
Charlie Brooks 