“Lily, why did you teach me fire first?”

“Because I felt like it!” Lily answered while doing a loop in front of me.

“Seriously?”

“Of course not,” my pixie replied as she started spinning in place.

“Then why?”

“Fire is a giver of life,” my familiar said while spinning very rapidly in place. My eyes widened in alarm as I watched her.

“Would you explain that?”

“Sure!” Lily replied as she stopped spinning. She grabbed her head. “Woah! I shouldn’t have done that.”

Lily started to fall, and I caught her by holding my hands out. I gently cupped the pixie in my hands. “I got you.”

“I’m dizzy or drunk now.”

“Don’t throw up on my hands.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it!” Lily exclaimed. “But it might happen anyway.”

“Want some water?” I asked as I sat Lily on my bed. She nodded yes and then grabbed her head.

“I shouldn’t have nodded.”

I offered her my cup with a straw in it. Lily sipped some water and then laid down. After a few minutes she sat up.

“Feeling better?”

“Yes. Thank you,” Lily replied. She flew up and landed on my hand. She looked serious as she said, “As I had started to say, fire is a life giver. Fire keeps you warm when it’s cold, it let’s you cook your food, and it can help restore the earth after burning away a forest.”

“Good points.”

“I know,” my familiar replied with a smug smile on her face. “Fire can also be used to defend yourself. Once you are proficient with fire, we will move on to water.”

“Another life giver?”

“Now you’re getting it,” Lily replied. I smiled. I did get it too. Lily was teaching me magic associated with nature.

On a hunch, I asked, “Will you also teach me how to grow or enhance plant life?”

Lily looked up sharply at me. “You do get it. And yes, I will teach you how to be a magical fertilizer after fire and water.”

“What about telekinesis and healing? Is healing possible with magic?”

“You’re jumping ahead too much! But yes, magical healing is possible,” Lily said. She held up a hand to stop me from asking another question. “It’s extremely hard to do, so we will be much later.”

“Ok. And the telekinesis?”

“You can do that now.”

“I can?”

“Yep. It’s like fire in how you learn it.”

“Instead of trying to feel and hold a ball of fire, I should what, just try to move things?”

“Yes.”

“Interesting. Thanks Lily,” I told the pixie as I lifted her up to my face. I leaned in and kissed her head.

“Hey! Don’t kiss my whole head. You’ll mess up my hair!” Lily whined as she tried to push my face away. I leaned back and laughed.

“It’s not my fault you’re so tiny.”

“I’ll show you tiny! Lily said while taking flight.

“Jase are you and Lily ready to leave?” mom asked from the kitchen.

“Are we?” I asked Lily.

“Yeah, I think we are,” Lily replied. She grabbed a twig with a small bag on the end from somewhere and put it over her shoulder. She started walking in the air toward my door.

“How are you doing that and where did the twig and bag come from?” I asked. Lily just looked at me over her shoulder. “Yeah, I know. It’s magic.”

“Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner!” Lily said. “You know, this reference is lost on you.” The bag and twig disappeared, and Lily flew out of my room.

“We’re ready mom,” I called to her shaking my head. Lily was correct. A lot of what she did or said was something I didn’t think anyone alive had ever heard of. All I could do was hope that my familiar would continue to share her knowledge. I grabbed my satchel and put it over my head. I then put my backpack on and walked out of my room after Lily.

*

Lily vanished just as soon as we had entered the village. Part of me was worried about her and part of me knew Lily could handle herself and would join me when she was ready.

Mom and dad escorted me to the village commons where the caravan was adding last minute merchandise to carry to the western towns and villages. Most of it was fish. Mom and dad guided me to a man overseeing the loading of goods.

“Bob are you about ready to leave?” dad asked the man.

“Hey Robert. Hi Gail. Yeah, we’re almost ready,” the man replied. “Is this your boy?”

“Yes. Bob Greene, this is our son, Jase. Jase, this is the caravan master, Bob Greene,” dad introduced us. We made small talk for a few minutes, and I noticed quite a few pixies flying around the commons.

Bob noticed my watching the pixies. “I think of them as nature’s jesters.”

“What are nature’s jesters?” mom asked. I looked around and saw a lot of villagers were watching the caravan workers. Susie and Helena were talking to Melody. They pointedly turned their heads when they noticed me looking in their direction. I sighed in disappointment. So much for my so-called friends. I turned my attention back to Bob and my folks.

“Pixies,” Bob answered pointing at them. “I never knew Beau Ferry had so many.”

“Neither did most of us,” dad replied watching the pixies.

“What are they doing?” mom asked. She looked at me. I shrugged and shook my head.

The pixies had gathered into a large crowd. Several of them took turns miming giving speeches. Others made a show of fake crying.

“They appear to be sending someone off,” Bob mused.

I started laughing as a pink haired pixie arrived riding a cat. She held a twig with a bag on the end over her shoulder and was waving at the other pixies. Mom, dad, and Bob joined me as the pixies continued to make a big show of the departure.

“What are those things doing? Melody asked loudly and pointed at the pixies. Helena and Susie shrugged. Other villagers gathered around and started watching. The Pixies all stopped what they were doing and pointed at the villagers. They mimed screaming and scattered.

Dad leaned in and whispered to me, “I think they are seeing you and Lily off.”

“Maybe,” I replied.

“Jase! You and your parents need to take cover!” Lily shouted in my mind. Rust howled. Kyra took flight. Other familiars seemed nervous too.

“What is it Samson?” Bob asked his hound as the familiar nudged his leg. Birds started squawking and calling out. We looked to the east where the sounds were coming from.

“Charge!” Lily shouted from the pigeon she was on leading a flock of pixies riding other pigeons, gulls, and other kinds of birds. I pulled mom and dad out of the path of the birds. Dad pulled Bob.

“This is going to be something else,” I said.

“What do you mean? Bob asked. I nodded toward the villagers.

“Let them have it!” Lily yelled as the birds reached the villagers. Little multicolored objects started falling from the birds and pixies.

Melody looked up and took a red object in the face. It exploded and she was soaked. “My dress and hair!”

Susie and Helena screamed as more objects landed on them. The rest of the villagers followed suit. I started laughing as more of the villagers got bombarded.

“Water?” dad asked.

“Looks that way,” mom answered.

“At least it’s not bird droppings and they are avoiding the caravan,” Bob added. The villagers started running for shelter.

“Why do I feel that this is Lily’s doing?” mom asked me.

“Don’t look at me,” I replied. She just stared at me. “You’re probably right though.”

“Who is Lily?” Bob asked. Mom and dad exchanged a look.

“My familiar,” I answered.

“Oh? Is your familiar a gull or another bird? If so, how could it be responsible for that?”

“Lily is a pixie,” I admitted. Bob’s mouth fell open. He looked from me to the departing birds and back.

“You must be joking.”

“I’m afraid not,” dad said.

“How?”

“Fate,” mom answered for me. Bob snorted in agreement.

“I’ve never seen a pixie as a familiar before or even heard of it, but I suppose there is a first time for everything,” Bob said. He turned from my mom to me. “Just make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.”

“I’ll do my best,” I replied after dad elbowed me in the side.

“See that you do. You can ride on the last wagon,” Bob told me as dad gave him a small coin purse. Bob counted it and nodded his head. “I’ll see that Jase makes it Stonecroft safely.”

“Thanks Bob,” mom and dad said.

“You’ll have a few more minutes to say goodbye,” the caravan master said and walked off. We had said our goodbyes several times over the last week but did so once more.

“Well, this is it,” I said.

“You know you really don’t have to go,” mom said.

“I think I do. It just feels right to do so at this time.”

“If that is the case, go with our blessings. Just know that you can always come back,” dad said putting an arm around mom’s shoulders. He extended his other arm and held a coin purse out to me. “Take this. Hopefully it will be enough to help on your journey.”

“Dad, I can’t take money from you two.”

“Just take it,” dad said. I did and put it in my satchel.

“Thanks dad,” I replied stepping in and hugging them both. They returned the hug and mom kissed my cheek. I stepped back as a joyous Lily descended between us.

“That was fun!” she squealed.

“Lily, you better look after our son,” mom warned my familiar once more.

Lily landed on my shoulder. “I’ve said it before but will do so again. I promise to guard him with my life.”

“Good enough,” dad said for both of my parents. I opened my satchel and Lily flew into it. I closed the lid but left a gap so she could look out of it.

“Alright! Mount up!” Bob called out.

“Stay safe,” mom said pulling me into another hug. She kissed me once more. Kyra landed on her shoulder and nuzzled her after we broke the hug. Dad hugged me and let go as Rust nuzzled his leg.

“We will,” I promised. I wiped my eyes and jumped onto the last wagon. The driver ignored me as he urged the horses to start following the other wagons.

“This is it,” I said.

“Yeah, it is,” Lily agreed. She left the satchel and landed on my right shoulder. We watched the village grow smaller as the caravan moved west.

“We have each other.”

“Always and forever,” Lily agreed before kissing my cheek.