The Witch of the Castle of Glass

“Have you all taken leave of your senses?” exclaimed Elder Tidebreaker in outrage. “These outsiders brought the wolves to our door, and you would bind yourselves to them? You abandon our ways as you dig the graves of our kin.”

“Elder Tidebreaker, be calm,” spoke Elder Lightpaw in a soft voice that carried across the Elder’s stone circle. “You do a disservice to the Drifting Cloud clan by treating Ms. Gale and Ms. Brown with such hostility. Without their assistance, we wouldn’t be here right now.”

“Tell that to those of us who didn’t make it,” retorted Tidebreaker, his anger escalating. He gestured towards the empty stone seats. “Tell that to Chief Elder Tamarind, whose body lies in the belly of that beast.”

Milly and Calista sat in the sand in the middle of the stone circle as they listened to the elders argue. Only six of the stone Elder seats were occupied – the sole surviving elders of the fairy clans.

“How many others would Fairy Killer have murdered if you hadn’t killed it, Cally?” whispered Milly as she clutched Calista’s hand. Calista squeezed her hand in reply, intent on the arguing elders.

“The Chief Elder would want us to survive,” interrupted Elder Sapphire, her spear stuck in the sand beside her. Covered in shallow wounds, she had refused treatment to preserve the healers’ strength. “This is the best – perhaps the only – chance we have to rebuild.”

“Of course you would say that, Sapphire. You’ve been enamored with these outsiders since they stepped foot in our most sacred of places,” accused Tidebreaker. “You’d throw your Eastern Waves to the wolves if it meant spending another hour in their company.”

Sapphire’s hand shot out and grasped her spear, her eyes flashing with anger. Tidebreaker squawked and jumped back a step, his wing torn from his encounter with Fairy Killer.

Calista’s eyes flared with outrage. She started to rise to defend Sapphire, but Milly held her back.

“This needed to be their decision, Cally,” she whispered.

Calista settled back onto the sand, steaming mad.

“You would treat your fellow elders with such distain, Tidebreaker, after the loss our people have suffered?” chimed in Quickstride. Although he had given up his elder title before the battle, he sat as an equal in the circle. “We owe it to our people to consider the outsiders’ offer. Their generous offer.”

“You too, Quickstride? So the Galloping Winds will join in this collective suicide,” Tidebreaker spat, as he began to feel outnumbered. “And I suppose the Floating Leaf Skulk and Lost Foals are as foolish as the Winds and Waves?

Tentongue and Lightpaw nodded their support.

“We’ll take our chance at their Castle of Glass,” Lightpaw replied. “The wolves have been picking us off, one by one, for years. Today was meant to be their final blow to our people. If we return to our old ways – if we don’t adapt – the wolves will come back to finish us.”

“You are all fools. These outsiders will enslave you, as surely as the wolves. If you do this, the Drifting Cloud and the Swinging Vine clans shall be the last free fairies in this world. Right, Elder Durian?”

Elder Durian sat in silence for a long moment. The monkey elder slouched against his quarterstaff as if burdened by an impossible weight.

“… The Swinging Vine clan will join the other clans at the Castle of Glass,” he finally said, his voice low and filled with defeat.

Tidebreaker stared at his long-time ally, his beak opened in shock. “You… you can’t be serious, Durian,” he pressed. He looked into his friend’s eyes and saw within a deep sense of inevitability, as if the world had fallen from the monkey elder’s control and had been carried away on the winds of fate.

“It’s the only choice we have left, my friend,” Durian murmured. “Our only path to survival.”

“… You… you are all mad,” Tidebreaker whispered, his anger collapsing as if it were a breaking wave. He sat down on his stone, diminished.

“Your people will not be slaves,” Calista said as the elders fell silent. “I can’t promise that you will be welcomed by everyone at the Castle of Glass. There will be those among our coworkers… I mean, our people… that will need to be convinced. But Milly, Rain and I will protect you, and we have allies there who will help you.”

“So you promise us charity and protection? Is that not simply another means of enslavement?” Tidebreaker muttered, his venom faded.

“There is plenty of land around the Castle of Glass – jungle, mountain, and plains – and a wide-open ocean for Sapphire’s clan,” Milly chimed in. “Fish and game, and the bounties of the wilds. You don’t have to rely on us. You can support yourselves. You can raise your children in safety and rebuild.”

“Well, Tidebreaker? What will it be?” Lightpaw asked the gull. “Every moment we argue is another that puts our people in danger.”

Tidebreaker slumped over and stared at the sand, defeated.

“What choice do I have?”

Milly smiled softly, and they began to plan the Exodus of the Fairies.

* * *

It was mid-afternoon by the time their small party crossed the Lake of Memories and set foot on the obsidian stone island. The Waypoint Pillar towered above them, ready to take them home.

Home. I suppose the Castle of Glass is my new home. We’ll make it their new home too.

Milly glanced back at the shore, where the fairies prepared their children, elderly, and wounded to be transported to the island. They carried only their most critical belongings with them – the ones they would need to survive the night. The priority was to get the fairies out of the valley as soon as possible in case the wolves returned.

In the morning, they would return to retrieve the remainder of their lives and bury their dead.

“Lightpaw, are you ready?” Calista asked.

“I am,” answered the newly elected Chief Elder. “I trust you, Ms. Gale. Show us the way.”

Milly lifted Rain off their raft and held the unconscious woman gently in her arms. Rain’s leg was shredded and her breath was shallow, but Whitewing’s healers had managed to stabilize her bleeding. It was all the healers had time to do before they had to focus on the dying fairies.

Calista stretched her hand towards Lightpaw, and Lightpaw grasped it with his paw. Milly completed the chain as she wrapped her hand around the other fuzzy paw.

We’ve never transported a non-player. I hope this works.

Calista placed her hand upon the Waypoint Pillar.

Waypoint Pillar activated. Select destination.

Castle of Glass

Arena of Choice (Overlook Mountain)

The Jungle Spire

Arena of Domination (The Swamp of the Undying)

Arena of Protection (Lake of Memories)

(All other Pillars are currently locked)

Calista removed her hand from the pillar in surprise, and the window disappeared.

“Someone completed another arena?” Milly said, shocked. “Who?”

“We’ll find out soon enough,” Calista answered. She returned her hand to the pillar and the destination window appeared once again.

“Castle of Glass,” Calista said firmly, and braced herself.

An instant later, Calista, Milly, Lightpaw, and an unconscious Rain were hurling down the kaleidoscope tunnel, headed for the Castle of Glass.

Headed for home.

* * *

Thirty seconds later, they appeared beneath the Castle of Glass Waypoint Pillar.

“We need to find Elmer and… woah,” Calista started, just as two of their coworkers ran past them carrying a ten-foot-tall log of pine, its bark and branches stripped off. They were dressed in peculiar, mismatched equipment and scurried across the jungle as if their burden weighed nothing.

“Was that… Amir and Kenji, from accounting?” Milly asked.

Those little perverts. Last I saw them, they were too scared to leave their cubicle. Where did they get magical equipment?

“They got stronger while we were away,” Calista said, as she gazed at the flurry of activity around them. “And they aren’t the only ones.”

The land around the Castle of Glass was awash in activity. Hundreds of their coworkers, most dressed in similar mismatched equipment, hurried about as they worked on half-completed projects and carted supplies into the tower.

The Waypoint Pillar had been at the edge of the jungle terrain a week ago. Now, it stood in the middle of clear-cut terrain, the wilds all around the Castle of Glass pushed back two hundred paces. Fallen tress littered the ground, and a dozen players hacked them into firewood and building material.

Amir and Kenji carried the log to a pile at the edge of the cleared jungle terrain, where a massive team of players was constructing eight-foot-tall log wall. It started at the eastern ocean – where the Battle of Tower Beach had been fought – and already stretched half-way across the jungle terrain.

“We’ll need another ten pines for the Jungle Gate, Amir,” The foreman shouted, and Amir waved in response as they quickly dashed across the sands towards the northern mountains.

Colored stones marked their construction path. It stretched into the plains and around the gardens, which had ballooned from a small hobby garden to four acres of tilled earth. A team of gardeners worked on the soil, and Milly saw small flashes of green magic as they knelt in the earth. Tiny seedlings already sprouted in tidy rows, spurred on by the spells they cast.

The colored stones stretched onward into the mountain terrain and out of side behind Tower Three. Upon completion, the palisade wall would encircle the Castle of Glass.

“If only we’d had that wall last week…,” said Milly regretfully, the deaths at the Battle of Tower Beach raw in her mind. “Veronica, Matt, and the others. Maybe they’d still be with us if we’d build some defenses.”

Calista placed a sympathetic hand on the small of Milly’s back. “We’re learning, beautiful. We’ll be better prepared next time.”

“We already are,” Milly agreed, as she clenched her fist and felt the twin rings of Obsidian Fist against her palms.

“There will be time to see everything later,” prompted Calista, focused on their goal. “Lightpaw, let’s find Elmer and make the arrangements. You’ll… Lightpaw?”

The Chief Elder hadn’t noticed the wall. He stared up at the quadruple towers that rose sixteen stories above him at the exact centre of his world’s four terrains, their glass and steel brilliance sparkling in the afternoon sun.

“It’s… its incredible,” Lightpaw whispered in awe. “It towers into the heavens but does not sway in the wind. It’s illuminated, yet I see not a single candle within. What marvel is this that you have created?”

“What, the lights?” Milly responded, shifting Rain’s weight in her arms. “It’s called electricity. It’s just technology. Honestly, the Castle of Glass is… well… a bit shit.”

“A lot shit,” Calista agreed. “It’s a joke where we are from. A dilapidated structure that changed ownership more often than the Maple Leafs missed the playoffs. And about as successful.”

“Are… are you a hockey fan? That’s hockey, right?” Milly whispered uncertainly.

“Dad was. He’d make me watch,” Calista whispered back. “I only stayed for the popcorn. God, I haven’t thought about that for a long time.”

“Utterly remarkable,” whispered Lightpaw. “Our clans have wandered these lands for generations, but I have never heard of any coming across such a marvelous creation.”

“Well, it’s only been here for two weeks,” Calista said, distracted. She spotted Billy and Ying on the beach, in the middle of a half-built outdoor barbecue restaurant. A dozen picnic tables were built on the sand, their surfaces covered with white table clothes and candles. A frame had been erected for a roof, and four Freelancers had started to fill it in with palm leaf thatch. It resembled something from a Mexican resort.

Billy leaned over an eight-foot-long makeshift grill, constructed from scrap metal, and fueled by a three firepits dug into the sand beneath. The grill sizzled as Billy tossed slabs of meat and wild mushrooms onto its surface. The smell made Milly’s mouth water, even from this distance. She didn’t realize just how hungry she was until now.

Or how tired. It’s been, what? Thirty-five hours since I’ve slept?

Ying spotted them and waved enthusiastically, but her enthusiasm quicky shifted to urgency when she saw Rain in Milly’s arms. She shouted to Billy, who handed his magical spatula to one of the helpers and ran into the Castle of Glass lobby.

Ying dashed in their direction, darting across the sand as she nimbly leapt over fallen trees. She wore a sky-blue robe that draped just below her knees and had a small tiara adorning her head. Three rings on her fingers sparkled with a faint magic glow. Her shoes – the same high heeled shoes she’d had since the start of the God Contest – were covered in blood stains, their heels snapped off.

“Calista! Milly! Oh my god, Rain,” she said as she rushed to Milly’s side. She grimaced when she saw Rain’s shredded leg. “What happened? Where were you? Wait, don’t answer yet. Just let me…”

Ying’s hands glowed healing blue as she placed them over Rain’s heart. Her eyes filled with a bright green flare, and Rain’s body became encompassed in a transparent cocoon of faint green light.

Three windows popped up around Ying, each with a different view of Rain. Her skeleton, her circulatory system, and her skin.

“Those look like hospital scans,” whispered Calista, her voice slightly shaky. “Dad had to get them all the time when he… when he was close to the end.”

“It’s a talent called Health Scan,” answered Ying, her eyes flicking between the three screens. “I learned it yesterday when I hit level fifteen. It lets my healers target their healing magic, increasing both the speed and effectiveness of their spells.”

“Remarkable,” said Lightpaw as he watched with fascination. “Our healers would give anything for that kind of ability.”

Ying peaked around her scans and spotted the elderly fox for the first time. “Calista, why did you bring a monster to the tower?”

“His name is Lightpaw, and he’s not a monster,” Calista said with conviction. “He’s the Chief Elder of the fairies. They need a place to settle and rebuild.”

“And you brought him… here?”

“It’s their only hope for survival.”

Ying looked anxious and closed her scans. “Rain’s in bad shape. The healers that worked on her – your people?”

Lightpaw nodded.

“They were able to stabilize her temporarily. But without the Health Scan talent, healing magic tries to heal all injuries at the same time, both superficial and life-threatening. The more injuries, the more the healing stretches itself thin. We learned that the hard way. Rain has six shattered ribs, internal hemorrhaging, and… and I don’t know about her leg, Calista. I need to get her to my team right away.”

A crowd had started to gather around them. Curious eyes stared at the Witch of the Castle of Glass and The Huntress as much as they gazed at the fox elder. A familiar woman at the back of the crowd dashed into the lobby.

“Shit,” muttered Ying. “That was Edna Carthage. She’ll go straight to Stone and Brass. Let’s get to Freelancer Medical. It’s on the second floor.”

“I’m not scared of Jacob Stone,” declared Calista, clutching her spear as she walked beside Lightpaw. The Chief Elder stayed close, trying to look stoic, but Milly could tell he was overwhelmed.

“You should be,” Ying countered, as they walked through the glass doors of the Lobby. “They were the ones who bested the Arena of Domination. They’re fucking heroes right now amongst our coworkers that stayed loyal to them. But we shouldn’t talk about that here. Come on.”

The lobby of the Castle of Glass was bustling with activity. Gone were the days when their coworkers simply sheltered in Tower One, too afraid to venture beyond the safety of the towers.

Small groups of players stared down at the map on the floor as they plotted their patrol routes for tomorrow. The area half a mile out from the tower had been completely explored, the fog of war dissipated, though it was still a tiny fragment compared to the vastness of the entire map. Thin exploratory trails ventured beyond that half-mile perimeter, though only three stretched out further than a couple hours walk – the ones that led to the two arenas.

Milly glanced above the lobby door, where the Event Time counted down in its bright red numbers. There were three months, six days, and twelve hours on the clock until the next Event.

A bit of breathing room, I hope. Time to prepare. Time to explore.

A crowd had gathered around the Mission Board, each player holding aloft piles of items that quickly vanished, replaced with small purses filled with gold coins.

One player – an elderly woman who must have been nearly eighty years old – held ten soiled goblin loincloths in her arms. Milly suppressed a chuckle at the relief on her face when the loincloths vanished and were replaced with a fifty-coin purse.

That loincloth was the first item we received, Xavier and me. The first, damned day. He was so happy those first few hours. The happiest I’d ever seen him. What happened to you Xavier? What happened in the Arena of Choice? What happened after you abandoned us?

Milly shook the thoughts away but resolved to find out. But first, she needed to bring Xavier to Freelancer Medical. If Rain was in bad shape, he was worse off. Once they secured safety for the fairies, she would return to the valley for him.

Tutoria’s Emporia was packed with players buying pillows and blankets, utensils, cooking supplies and other creature comforts. Three cradled expensive waypoint crystals in their palms, while others purchased rudimentary armor and weapons.

Milly saw her manager – her former manager – Mr. Fredrickson and his secretary and lover Mrs. Anand purchase a twin-sized bed, following behind the twin Tutorias who carried it into Tower One.

“I guess their affair is still going strong,” whispered Calista, as she pressed the button for the Freelancer Tower elevator. “Lightpaw, how are you holding up?”

Lightpaw ripped his gaze away from the wonders around him and gazed up at Calista. “I feel like I’ve been torn from my world and thrust into the realm of the Ancient Mystics. I am managing, Ms. Gale, but I’m beginning to wonder if Nobori’s belief about you isn’t far off.”

“It’s just technology, Lightpaw,” Milly countered sharply as the elevator arrived and they stepped inside. “Don’t you start with that nonsense too. We’re not gods. We’re stuck here because of them.”

The elevator doors shut, and Lightpaw stumbled as it began to move. Calista caught him before he fell.

“Sorry, Lightpaw. I didn’t think to warn you,” Calista apologized. “You’ll get used to it.”

“Technology,” breathed Lightpaw, as the elevator arrived at the second floor. “Powerful magic.”

The open-concept second floor had been an abandoned, dilapidated space a week ago, filled with cracked windows, stained carpet, and a strong mildew scent that seeped into every nook and cranny.

Now, it was beginning to look like a hospital. Two dozen green army-style cots lined the southern wall, each separated by a white sheet that hung from the ceiling. A pile of bandages sat on a rickety wooden table next to the healing accelerant orb gifted to Ying after the Battle of Tower Beach. Six blue magic replenishment potions, a lighter color than the ones Rain had brewed, sat on an old bookshelf that was missing half its shelves. The most serious cracks in the windows were sealed, though Milly she could still feel a weak draft waft through the space.

Every cot was occupied by an injured player, and painful moans echoed across the floor. A team of ten healers moved from bedside to bedside to check on their patients. Milly recognized the Healer Touch spell, but counted a half dozen others that she didn’t know.

“Milly, bring Rain over here. We’ve got a bed in the corner available,” Ying instructed, leading the way. Milly laid Rain carefully on the cot, careful not to bump her leg.

“Tyrell, I need you over here,” Ying called, and a middle-aged man hurried over. He stared at Rain’s shredded leg and her snapped ankle, and looked like he would vomit.

“Fuck, what happened to her?” he asked, swallowing. “Is that coffee girl? Is that the Witch? What’s with the fox?”

“Doesn’t matter, Tyrell,” Ying said impatiently, her calm shifting to urgency. Her eyes flashed, and the three scans appeared in the air above Rain. “I need you and Sandy to focus on her internal bleeding. If we don’t get that under control, it won’t matter if we heal the rest. I’ll heal her ribs.”

Ying began to unbutton Rain’s bloodied Tailcoat to relieve the pressure on her chest. “Rosalin, I need your Suture Spell. Get her leg under control, or she’s going to lose it. When Cecil is finished with Naomi, have him help you. I don’t want to lose our only barista.

“Fuck, I haven’t had a coffee in two weeks,” whined Tyrell as he pressed his hands to Rain’s stomach and began his spell.

The elevator dinged, and Elmer and Billy stepped into the hospital. Elmer caught a glimpse of Rain’s mangled leg and rushed to her bedside.

He gave Calista a quick hug. “Boy, am I glad to see you two lovebirds,” he said, relief evident in his voice. “Your timing couldn’t be better. We could really use your help.”

“Stone?” asked Milly with a touch of venom.

He demonized me. Made me into a symbol of fear. The enemy of the tower. I let him walk all over me. But things have changed. I’m not his meek employee any longer.

“… A lot has changed in a week,” answered Elmer as he gazed down at Lightpaw. “For you as well, I see. Let’s not talk here. I’ve got someone waiting in the war room for us.”

Milly glanced back at Rain as her desire to help clashed with her reluctance to leave her best friend’s side.

“Go with Elmer,” Ying urged. “You’ll just be in the way if you stay here. My team will do everything they can for Rain, but she won’t wake up for days. This amount of healing takes a real toll on the body and she will need her rest.”

Calista grabbed Milly’s hand. “Come on, love,” she whispered as they stepped into the elevator. “We’ve got work to do.”

Milly’s eyes did not leave Rain until the elevator closed.

I’ll protect you, Rain. I’ll protect everyone. I swear it.

A tiny lightning bolt arched between Milly’s fingers, as her magic slowly returned.

And if Stone or Brass tries to harm you or Cally, they’ll learn just how powerful I’ve become.