In which Thunder, James, Monique, and Oaf meet a demon.

Oaf, James, and Monique hunkered amongst a rocky outcropping. The massive granite boulders cut through the forest with such sudden force that it surprised the eye. After seeing nothing by trees and ferns for miles around, the gigantic rocks were out of place.

"How will Thunder know where to find us?" James asked. He gently probed the raw skin on the inside of his arm.

"He told us to wait here," Oaf said. Fae glanced around their hiding place. "I hope he gets here soon. I'm worried." Oaf turned his attention to James. "Here, let me take a look."

James held out his arm, and Oaf took it in faes hands and turned it this way and that in Mone's dapple light. "I hear water nearby. I'll be right back."

"But Thunder said to stay here. He told us not to go anywhere," Monique protested as Oaf stood.

"I'll only be a minute," Oaf reassured them with faes broad smile before leaping over the rock with the grace of an ibex.

Monique moved closer to James. The woods grew darker in Oaf's absence. "I wish Thunder would hurry," she said.

James surveyed the dark trees and shadowy rocks surrounding them. The silence made his ears ring.

Oaf danced over the rocks towards the sound of trickling water. It didn't take long for fae to locate a small pond. The water flowed down the boulders and pooled in a large crevice created by three large, smooth stones. Around the pond grew an assortment of herbs pushing their way through the cracks in the rocks.

Within seconds, Oaf's eye lit upon a plant bearing bright yellow flowers no larger than faes thumbnail. Oaf knelt next to the plant and gently plucked a handful of flowers. Mone's light reflected on the pond's calm surface. Oaf caught sight of faes reflection. Faes messy black hair stood on end. Bits of ferns clung to faes bare arms. Oaf smiled a wide, gleaming grin at the watery reflection before returning to James and Monique.

Oaf's reflection lingered for a moment after the child had left, its smile fading. A pale, wet hand emerged from the pond, pulling a perfect reflection of Oaf with it.

"This should help your arm," Oaf said, hopping from rock to rock.

"What is it?" Monique asked, growing up at Oaf as fae squatted next to James.

"The folk call it amber. The yellow flowers had a deep red oil that helps soothe scrapes and cuts." Oaf held out the delicate petals so Monique and James could take a look. "Hand me the bag."

James obliged, reaching behind where he sat and handed the sack to Oaf. The cherub-like child rifled inside and produced a small white handkerchief. Oaf placed the flowers inside the cloth, drew up the ends, and squeezed the blossoms, crushing them. Bright red splotches began to bleed through the fabric. After a few seconds, Oaf examined the coth and nodded, satisfied. Fae gently took James's scraped arm and dabbed the handkerchief against the broken skin. Almost immediately, James's pinched face relaxed.

"That feels much better," James said, closing his eyes. "Thank you."

"Look," Monique said, pointing the way they'd come after rescuing James from the ogres.

James and Oaf followed her finger to the point of blue light racing towards them from the depths of the woods.

"Oh, good," Oaf said, sighing with relief.

"We haven't heard the ogres. Did the plan work?" Monique asked as Thunder landed on her bent knee.

"Well, the plan changed," Thunder said. He shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot under the children's inquisitive gaze.

"What do you mean," Oaf asked, still patting James's wounded arm with the handkerchief.

"I ran into a nest of wood imps," Thunder said. "Abandon, their leader, is the King and Keeper of the Twilight Runes."

Shock passed over Oaf's face. "That's how far we'd come? The Twilight Runes?" Oaf shook faes head. "It will take us much longer to reach the source now."

Thunder nodded. "The ogres took us far off course, but we won't have to worry about those two anymore."

"Why? What happened?" James asked.

"The wood imps took care of them. Well, Abandoned and the Twilight Runes did."

"What did Abandon do?" Oaf asked, releasing James's arm.

Thunder sighed and told them of the glowing runes and the doing away with the ogres.

"Dust?" Monique said. "They turned to dust?" Her eyes wide with disbelief. "I'm glad we got out of there when we did."

"So much for our beautiful plan," lamented Oaf.

They sat contemplating what may have been when the sound of dripping water got their attention.

In unison, the group turned their heads towards the sound. Above them on the boulders stood Oaf, faes body dripping with water.

"What in the world," James breathed. His gaze bounced from the Oaf sitting next to him and back to the Oaf standing on the rocks.

"Did you leave this spot?" Thunder said through clenched teeth. The fairy looked at the handkerchief in Oaf's hand. "Did you look into water?"

Oaf nodded, faes eyes never leaving the Oaf standing on the rocks. "I went up there. There's a small pond. James needed something for his arm."

The second Oaf stared at the group, its head tilting from side to side, taking in the situation.

"And you looked at your reflection?" Thunder asked.

Oaf nodded. "I smiled," fae whispered.

"So it's the worst it can be," Thundered said. He glared at the watery Oaf. "What do you want?"

"Would someone please explain what that thing is? It looks like Oaf, but it isn't," Monique said, her shock still reeling from the wood imps turning the ogres to dust, now a creepy water copy of Oaf stated them down.

"I looked at my reflection in the pond. Water demons appear when a person looks at their reflection under just the right conditions," Oaf explained. "Since they're a reflection, they are the mirror opposite of the person who conjured them." Oaf tore faes eyes from the demon to gaze at Monique. "I smiled at this one, which means it will be extra mean."

"I said," Thunder repeated, "what do you want?"

The water Oaf opened its mouth, and a rush of water escaped. "You," it said and charged.

(1061 Words)

Yikes! What will happen next? Will they get away? What does the water demon want?

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