�So, these corrupted Fey have your Queen?�

�I wish that were so,� Chendrelle said. �We would at least have common concerns to work toward. No... this will not be meted out with compassion nor peace with my sisters of the wood. The Queen lies helpless, within the frozen bowels of Khorrus�s torment. He hovers over her, screaming for the Nameless to sever his flesh from the world.�

Chendrelle hovered to a halt, motioning for him to be still.

�We have arrived... they will be angered that I have brought you here,� she warned.

Simeon looked around, seeing nothing but thick, open forest. In the distance, he could make out a large grove of trees, forming a circular tower that stretched to the open sky above. The forest floor was dark and rich, sometimes covered with bright, flowering flora. Other than the insects that dotted the air, nothing moved that he could see.

�Make no sudden movements,� Chendrelle told him.

Simeon stared, and still saw nothing save for the dragonfly that bobbed through the air toward him. It looked like it had legs, he thought. Not fly legs for sure, but... human legs.

The diminutive sprite flew closer to his face and scowled. He did not move. He just stared back at her silently. Flitting her wings loudly, she darted off making an audible grunt of dissatisfaction.

One by one, the other Fey appeared, seemingly from thin air. They varied in size. Some were waist high to him, while others could sit on the tip of his finger. They came in every shape and color, some darting to and fro in a cautious dance while others stood still as stone. They all possessed wings of differing types... each humming, thrumming, or flapping to keep them aloft.

Some became brave enough to approach, and began buzzing in circles around him, giggling and whispering as they flew. He smiled, finding favor in their attention. Simeon began spinning with them, joining in the dance he watched before him. Round and round he spun, the Fey around him becoming blurs in his vision.

Simeon stopped spinning and put his hands to his face, to fight back his dizziness. After a few seconds, he looked up again. All of the Fey around him had also stopped; even the darters hovered in place, as a bat-winged Fey with molted skin looked down at him. Her gaze was, at best, unpleasant. Perhaps a foot tall or so, she looked upon him with open contempt.

Chendrelle moved forward, placing herself between the two. �I have found great fortune in the wood,� she said.

The bat-winged Fey lowered a wicked gaze at her. �We will see sun-daughter... we will see. Bring him to the ring,� she said turning from them.

At her command, the Fey drew tiny bows and fired at him, their thin arrows piercing his skin easily. Simeon turned away to protect his face, and fell to his knees. The last thing he remembered was looking into Chendrelle�s worried eyes, feeling very, very tired.