Part 2
When they made it to the Inn, they saw a sign at the front that said it was closed today. James thought that was weird, as Harrod almost never closed the Inn. Trying the door, he found it was unlocked, and he and Emma stepped inside. As they crossed the threshold, the door slammed shut, surprising them.
“Who’s there?” Emma yelled out. Then she noticed something flying around in the Inn. Trying to focus on it as it got closer to them, she realized they looked like a person! “Is that a-”
“Yes, I’m a fairy!” Heather declared, stopping in front of the 2 children. “My name is Heather, and I’m so happy to finally meet you, James!”
“A fairy! A real fairy!” Emma exclaimed, shouting. “Wait until grandpa sees this!”
“You’re Emma, right?” Heather asked. Emma nodded her head eagerly. “Then Jakob will be in for quite the surprise then!” Heather continued.
“Why do you know me?” James managed to ask.
“I met your father a long time ago.” Heather said, looking sad for a moment. “I made a promise to him.”
“What sort of promise?”
“That if anything happened to him, that I would protect you. I couldn’t protect you in Nautitis, but I can now.” Heather said, looking away.
Emma, sensing the gravity of the situation, carefully approached Heather.
“Miss Heather?” she asked, uncharacteristically quiet.
“You’re both good kids, just like Heather claimed.” another fairy said, landing on the table near them. “I’m Cricket. I met Heather awhile ago, and she’s talked about you quite a bit, James.”
“Two fairies?” James asked, looking at Cricket. He looked back at Heather, who was being gently pat by Emma.
“It’s okay Miss Heather.” Emma quietly said. “James is okay now.”
“Thank you Emma.” Heather said, wiping away tears. Just then, there was a knock on the door and it opened again, revealing Harrod.
“Ah, I see you’ve met our guests!” he said jovially. “Yes, I had quite the surprise myself when I met them.”
“But even my father’s books said they were just legends!” James said, gesturing at the 2 fairies.
“Don’t believe everything you read, James.” Heather said with a smile. “The world is much more fantastical than you’d think.”
“Indeed. If us supposed legends are real, what other legends are?” Cricket postulated. “For instance, have you heard of the rusalki?”
“Legendary water spirits with a bit of a malevolent streak to them, if I recall.” Jakob said, appearing through the kitchens, having entered through the back door. “But if our little fairy friend is bringing them up, I suppose they’re just as real as you two?”
“Right you are, Mister Rawlinson.” Cricket said, turning to face Jakob and giving a small bow. “It is an honour to meet you in person.”
“I must assure you, the honour is mine!” Jakob said with a hearty laugh. “I can hardly believe that fairies truly exist, and yet here I find myself in the company of two! I must inquire, what are your names?”
“My name is Cricket, and my friend here is Heather.”
“Now then, what would 2 mythical beings such as yourself be doing here?” Jakob asked, taking a seat.
“Miss Heather made a promise!” Emma practically shouted.
“Oh?” Jakob asked, intrigued. “What sort of promise?”
“I... met Neville many years ago on one of your adventures. When you went to look for the Orcish homeland.” Heather said, desperately weaving a tall tale. “I made him a promise, that if anything ever happened to him, I’d help protect his children.”
“Ah yes, I remember that trip well. If I recall, young Neville was separated from me for a few days and never would tell me what happened during that period. Well, this all makes sense now.” Jakob mused.
Heather exhaled inwardly. She was so glad for those missing few days during that expedition now. She could never admit to Jakob that she had gotten lost, so just remained tight lipped straight to the grave.
“We never did find it, you know.” Jakob said with a sigh. “The only thing I managed to find was the name of the lost homeland. Zimmil Ma.”
“Then perhaps this will be a good consolation prize.” Cricket said, taking an ornate ring out of his coat pocket. “This is the signet ring of the Last Emperor of Zimmil Ma.”
The ring was an ornate silver band with delicate carvings on both the outside and inside of the band. The gemstone in the centre was a large emerald, surrounded by 6 small rubies. It seemed to sparkle, even in the dim candlelight of the dining room of the Inn.
“Wow it’s so pretty!” Emma said, getting closer to look at it. “Can I hold it?”
“I’m afraid not, Emma.” Cricket said, shaking his head. “This is a treasure like no other.”
“Still, it’s quite beautiful.” Harrod said with a nod. “Amazing craftsmanship.”
“Before you ask, Mister Rawlinson, this is not mine to give. I cannot give it to you.” Cricket said, placing it back into his coat pocket. “It was entrusted to me by the Emperor himself, for when the day comes that his descendants rediscover the Imperial ruins, and ‘wash away the Emperor’s Wrath’.”
“The Last Orcish Emperor gave that to you?” Jakob asked, shocked. “Just how old are you, Cricket?”
“Well, he didn’t give it to me directly, so to speak.” Cricket replied, taking a pipe out of the same pocket. “An Orcish Chief gave it to me about a hundred years ago, said I was the one his clan had been waiting for, for thousands of years. Seems the Emperor had quite the gift of foresight.” Cricket sat on the edge of the table he was standing on and lit his pipe with the flick of his fingers. “The Orcs know more about the location of their homeland than they let on, and that whatever happened to it is an unspeakable shame, from what I’ve learned over the years.”
“An unspeakable shame?” Jakob asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Grandpa, why are the Orcs nomads?” Emma asked Jakob.
“Well, the traditional story is that their homeland was lost in some sort of disaster, and they dispersed across the world, and over time they forgot where it even was.” Jakob answered. “But our friend Cricket here says he’s learned it’s an ‘unspeakable shame’ that happened.”
“That’s sadly all I’ve learned even in my long life, Mister Rawlinson.” Cricket added, puffing from his pipe. “No Chieftain will tell me what that means, they say it is only for the Orcs to know.”
“What can you tell me about my father?” James asked Heather, sitting down on a chair at the table she was standing on.
“He... was a good man.” Heather said after a moment. She had to be careful how to say this. One wrong move and they might figure out who she is. “He talked about you often, how proud he was of you. I only spent a few days with him, but he was truly an exceptional person.”
“Aye, Neville was so proud of you, James. You were all he talked about in his letters.” Harrod said with a laugh. “His pride and joy, I’d say.”
“The kind of man who only comes along once in a generation.” Jakob continued.
The two men reminisced fondly over their lost friend for quite some time, James and Emma content to just listen. Heather felt glad to know they truly did consider Neville a friend, crushing the doubts she had over friendship. Cricket’s reaction was muted and he remained as enigmatic as ever, but he seemed interested in Neville’s life. It was quite late when Jakob finally bid farewell to Harrod, and left with Emma to return to their house at the edge of town. James eventually retired to his bedroom in the basement with his father’s books, while Heather and Cricket rested between the books of the library. Soon, everyone was fast asleep as another day ended in Palisade Bay.