LUCKILY, I WAS RIGHT about the flight being peaceful. Grif and Ruby only had one instance when they didn't agree and I was almost knocked out of the sky but everything else went smoothly.

Mr. Hawthorne lived in a single story house, with a wonderful big yard and peach tinted shingles. On the ground, I could see that the house's walls were made of alternating grey, white, and tan stones. The front door was a warm wood and smoke drifted out of the chimney. 

"This is it," Nolan said, gesturing grandly at the cottage behind him.

"And we just knock?" I didn't feel too great about walking up to a random man's door and asking him whether or not I could stop Slepa. It just didn't seem proper to show up out of the blue.

"Mr. Hawthorn is a man of very few rules," Nolan assured me, "he won't think anything of showing up out of the blue. In fact, I should think he would encourage it, the way he keeps house."

"So you've frequented this wonderful place?" I giggled, thinking about the pure bliss I would feel to live in a small clearing such as this and have my very own private patch of sunshine.

"Oh, I wouldn't say I frequent coming here. I've only been twice. Come on then, let's get this over with. That griffin of yours seems antsy to start a fight with Ruby."

Indeed Grif was looking at Ruby calculatingly, as if deciding what her weaknesses were.

"Alright, then, let's get this done with," I sighed, taking bold strides up to the front door. I knocked delicately at first until I realized that it would most likely be best to knock firm and hard; a knock that would command respect from its sound.

A kindly old man answered the door with blue eyes ripe with wisdom, a sparkling bald patch as though he polished it, and wide framed glasses that were far bigger than his forehead.

"Ahh youngsters! To what do I owe this great pleasure?" Mr. Hawthorn asked, placing a hand on his rather large stomach. "You must come in and partake in some tea and biscuits!"

"Actually, Mr. Hawthorn, with all due respect, we're here on fairy business," Nolan said politely.

"Ahh, I should have guessed," the old man said sympathetically, "I know just the type of tea for this conversation."

Mr. Hawthorn lead Nolan and I into the house and shut the door behind us. The cottage was decorated as you might imagine with wooden paneling in every room, plush fur rugs, and a tall stone fireplace.

Our host hastily wiped off an end table and went to brew tea fresh. Nolan and I took a seat on the couch across from a worn out armchair and the table. The room was the biggest of the house with charming clutter strewn about. Bookshelves were overflowing with regular books and those of the magical variety. Dried herbs hung from a wood paneled ceiling, ripe for the picking for potion making.

"Sorry for the wait," Mr. Hawthorn fumbled a stack of tea cups and saucers as well as the full, steaming teapot.

I jumped up to lighten his load and helped set up the table for a suitable meeting focal point.

After the tea had been poured and the sugar and milk added, Nolan and I didn't beat about the bush.

"Mr. Hawthorn," I began, "you must know that Slepa is the fairy that's been terrorizing the kingdom. We would like to know..." I trailed off, afraid to say the next bit.

"We would like to know if there was a possibility that Aria could be the witch of the cosmos," Nolan was very blunt with the whole thing, and I didn't know how he did it. Oozing confidence from every pore was not something I did, but Nolan did and you could tell.

"Well I'll be," Mr. Hawthorn said finally, "I haven't heard a request like that in a good long while." The old man sighed and leaned across the end table, getting up in my face. "Tell me, girl, what do you think of the cosmos?"

I faltered. I knew nothing of the actual cosmos; they were always referred to for religious reasons and I didn't know which way Mr. Hawthorn wanted me to say.

"Say what feels right, dear," the old man prompted, leaning even closer still. It may have been even more unpleasant if his breath wasn't favorable, but it was so I could think clearly.

"What do I think of the cosmos?" I clarified, trying to stall. I knew exactly what I wanted to say. 

"Yes," Mr. Hawthorn said kindly.

"When you say cosmos I think of the sky. The dancing star patterns and the distant moon. The way time seems to slow as you try and catch a note-just a note- of the music that the stars decided to dance to. Really, I think of the cosmos as magic."

Mr. Hawthorn smiled softly, "You are correct. The main source of every witch or fairy talent comes from somewhere up there. We just need to see that bit. I hope you don't mind spending the night here, there is work to be done."

After tea was over, Mr. Hawthorn ushered Nolan and I into the spare bedroom. No bigger than my bathroom back at the treehouse, it was a change. Nolan decided to sleep on the floor so I could have the bed. He said I would need it after all of the tests I would be either taking or preforming. 

Finally, at nightfall, the constellations were bright and shining. The way that the sky angled the different stars, in my perception, caused them to look as though they were moving.

"This really is a perfect night for this," Mr. Hawthorn was almost talking to himself now, trying to talk to us but not really knowing the proper volume.

"So how are we going to do this?" I clasped my hands together in anticipation. I was ready to know whether or not I could stop Slepa.

"Right then, stand right over there and call to the stars. This will look rather odd to Nolan and I, and you'll most likely feel awkward to you, but it must be done. Make sure to point your face at the sky and command it to give you light."

I nodded my head, afraid to speak, and moved to where Mr. Hawthorn was pointing. I lifted my face to the sky and spreaded my fingers out apart from each other. I asked, begged, and pleaded with the sky to give me light, to give me what I needed.

And nothing happened.

"Well, I guess we were wrong, then," Nolan sighed and shot me a sympathetic smile, "goodnight, sir, we'd better retire."

"Yes, yes, of course," Mr. Hawthorn replied, walking into the house behind Nolan. I simply stared up at the sky. I really had thought I would be the witch of the cosmos. It seemed rather crazy that something so big was decided in such a little task, but who was I to judge. I just wasn't meant to be someone that could change the world.

With one last longing look at the swirling heavens above, I turned and headed inside the little stone cabin that used to be colored with hope of things new and exciting.

Now it was colored with worry of who would be able to stop Slepa.

THE NEXT MORNING, pure sunlight streamed through the small window in the cottage guestroom. I had been tossing and turning all night, thinking about the whole 'what if's. If I had done this would it have turned out different and so on.

Thinking like that, however, was going to keep me in bed all day. I would sink into a deep sadness when instead I should be focusing on the true witch of the cosmos.

"Nolan! Nolan, wake up!" I shouted, jumping out of bed myself and walking out of the room with my dress and stockings for the day. I certainly would have to change in the bathroom.

I emerged from the restroom in a pale green frock with white stockings and black slippers.

"Ready to figure out who's the true witch of the cosmos?" I asked hopefully after we had bid Mr. Hawthorn goodbye. Nolan and I were to depart from the little cottage; I didn't happen to know where.

"We don't have enough time to go on a scavenger hunt for the witch of the cosmos. We simply must fly to where Slepa is while I train you to better understand your stick."

"Oh," I whispered before I climbed onto Grif's back. He beat his powerful wings and Grif and I were flying once again.

The clouds sped into a blur and Ruby kept pace with Grif's aggressive flying. It seemed that the griffin was not used to being grounded for more than a couple minutes, much less almost an entire day.

"We'll touch down there," Nolan shouted, pointing down to a bank along the river we had been flying over for ages. Ruby and Grif went straight to the water when we touched down. Nolan and I began practicing right away.

"You say crescere gladios to make your sword bigger. Crescere is how you grown whatever you conjure from your stick."

"So if I were to say crescere arcum et sagitta when I hold my stick, it'll turn into a super-sized bow and arrow?"

"Precisely, although I do not recommend a bigger bow when you've only practiced with it in the time that we've been by this river."

"Right," I grumbled. Magic wasn't as easy as I thought, and these magic words were getting all jumbled in my head.

"To remember the words is to achieve academic excellence," Nolan continued, "but they will come back to your lips whenever you're in the heat of battle.

"So instinctual remembering?" I questioned, not quite believing it.

"Basically," Nolan agreed, changing his sword from its enlarged form to a tiny rose.

"And you must only visualize the other things?" 

"Yes."

I was done carrying around a frail stick, easily breakable, so I too imagined a rose. Sure it was frail, but I could easily carry it around and it was quite the visual treat.

"We're going to have to get back into the air soon," Nolan stated into the still air, "we don't want another run in with wartbears or griffins."

I agreed and Nolan and I walked over to our steads, coaxing them from the river and mounting them. They would most likely have to fly through the night, and I felt bad about it. I still had a single piece of apple from breakfast with Mr. Hawthorn, so I held out my hand for Grif to eat it out of. He happily plucked the apple from my hand and ate it in one swallow. 

"Ready?" Nolan asked.

"Ready," I confirmed, and Ruby took the lead in the purple and blue spotted sky.

WHEN MORNING CAME, I was ready to fight.

After a long nap, of course.

Ruby and Grif had safely carried Nolan and I through the night, never touching the ground once. It was a miracle I didn't fall asleep and fall off of the griffin, but it was worth it when we found a nice meadow to fall asleep in.

"Wait," Nolan sat bolt upright and looked at me with vague panic in his eyes, "what of Slepa?"

I, too, sat up and groaned. Until we fought Slepa, it would be an unnecessary danger to sleep. We didn't know how far her powers stretched, but it was safe to assume that my hometown, the capital, was asleep until Slepa allowed them to wake up.

"How will we stay awake?" I asked, looking around the warm clearing for a cold stream.

The warm, not hot, meadow with such plush grass, the perfect place to rest-

"Aria! Now is not the time to fall into temptation!"

"We need cold water," I yawned, wanting to just rest my eyes for a while.

And then my senses sharpened and I was no longer sleepy. But Nolan looked as if he was about to pass out. The world went into vivid distinction, and I could imagine that the colors were coming from me. Something was here, and my instincts didn't like it.

"It took you long enough to find my little hideaway," an airy voice echoed across the clearing. "It truly is a shame, Nolan, that you failed me."

Slepa exited the shadows, showing her billowing robes of stolen dreams, and she glided right across from us.

"What do you want?" I asked, looking into the dark pits of Slepa's eyes.

"What I want, darling, is complete and total power. I do not have an inkling as to where the one witch who could vanquish me is, so I may as well put them all to sleep."

Her response sent my blood boiling. Who could feel such things? I just wanted her to-

"Leave," I didn't say the word particularly loud, it just rolled off of my tongue.

Slepa's eyes widened as she was pushed to the edge of the clearing.

"You!" she gasped before she disappeared.

Nolan fell out of his daydream and looked at me questioningly. 

"We're going to have to get ready for Slepa," I said, "because she's about to hit us with everything she has."

~o0o~

Word Count: 2250

Here's another chapter! I'm thinking two more... So that means this journey is almost complete. Thank you for reading, see you next time! (Hopefully ;)

xx
C