Chapter 3 Phoenix

A teenage boy descended down the staircase of the house. His eye was blackened and cheek was bruised. "Carter, I have been looking for you" he said walking down the stairs "where were you?"

"Carter, look at his face" Emily came forward "he fought with a leprechaun."

Carter gazed at his face "why?" he asked surprised.

"For some gold coins" Emily said.

"Today gold coins poured through the cascade ...." the boy said.

Aaron gazed at Evan hearing this "Did you heard that? Gold coins poured through cascade." he muttered. "how could gold coins pour through cascade?"

Evan shrugged "...Hush.. keep quiet let me hear what they are saying." Evan beckoned by keeping his forefinger on his lips.

Boy went on " ...and I went to collect some. A greedy leprechaun tried to snatch the gold coins which I took from the cascade. So I punched him on the face and he smashed me back" he whined by showing his bruised cheek.

"Oliver, you got thrashed by a leprechaun he is barely three feet tall. You couldn't even handle him?" Carter asked by shooking his head.

"No, it was not just him, his friends joined with him, and they attacked me together" he said.

"Why didn't you used a clove. You know they are scared of cloves as it would diminish leprechauns power."

"How would I pluck a clove in the middle of a fight?" he scoffed

" If they were attacking you together you should have given them the gold. You know leprechauns are crazy about gold. They would die or kill for gold, It's the source of all their powers."

" We need gold too. We have expenses. Don't we?" he said.

"Of course we do, but you can't get into fight with those gold crazed leperchuns and get thrashed. You are so badly injured." Carter said by touching the boys face.

"No i am not kind enough to donate them gold. They took the gold which I collected and I want it back"

"Alright. I will go and get it from him" said Carter.

"How? You are going to ask them? do you think he will give it to you?"

"If he doesn't then we would complain to Bellators and they will take care of the matter."

"leprechauns usually say that they are very virtuous and they don't even lie, now they have snatched gold from you. Such hypocrites."

"Hey" said a short bearded man descending down the stairs he was wearing a green hat and coat. he was only three feet tall.

"Where is my gold?" he said furious.

"Your gold? You took Oliver's gold. He told me that you snatched gold from him. I didn't knew that leprechauns were this much virtuous" Carter said sarcastically.

"I...I...snatched gold from him?" he glared at Oliver "liar" then he stared at Carter "this little brat is lying he is the one who snatched the gold from me, gold which I collected from the cascade. When I asked it back he punched me on the face, fortunately my friends were there they joined me and thrashed him together. But they could only retrieve two bag of gold he ran away with the rest of the gold. I am here to get my gold back. Where is the rest of my gold?"

Carter turned to Oliver "Oliver. Is he saying the truth?"

"Yes. he is." some more short men descended down the stairs. They were wearing green coats and hats like the first leprechaun. "We saw Oliver snatching gold from him. everyone who were standing beside the cascade saw it " they said furiously.

"Are you going to give it back or should we inform Bellators?" other leprechauns asked enraged.

Oliver was now hiding behind Emily. Peeking at the leperchaunss like a theif.

"Oliver...come here" Carter grabbed his hand and pulled him away from Emily and frisked him. There was a cloth bag dangling on his waist. Carter took it out and rummaged it. There were four gold coins inside the bag. He stared at the gold then at Oliver. "So he was saying the truth, you are one who actually stole and you called him theif." Carter gritted his teeth.

"Here is your gold, I am sorry." he handed over the cloth bag to the leprechaun.

He snatched it furiously "You better teach your brother some manners or else we will have to teach him." he glared at Oliver and flounced up the stairs, other short men followed him furiously.

Emily said to Oliver "Why did you stole Oliver? How many time I have told you to not to steal? When would you change this habit? You always steal from others." she gave a smack on his shoulder angrily "Although you are poor you shouldn't steel."

"Never steal again. NEVER" she said furiously.

He stared on the floor without looking up at her.

Her eyes darted from his head to toe "why are you covered in dirt? were you fighting in the mud with the leprechaun? Go and clean up yourself in the lake." she said trusting him.

He started to walk out.

"Thief" Blake called out behind him.

"Shut up" Oliver looked back at him and retorted.

"Stop fighting. Go and clean up. now" Emily gave Oliver a thrust on the back.

Oliver threw a glare at Blake and then strolled outside wearing a scowl.

"Stop staring at him. Come with me."Emily grabbed Blake's hand and walked to the nearest room towing him behind her and Carter followed her.

"Did you heard what they said something like leprechaun...?" asked Aaron

"Leprechaun?" repeated Evan.

"What is that?"

"How the hell could I know?" Evan said irritated.

Evan heaved a sigh "We shouldn't have disembarked in this island. now look, we are locked up here and who knows they might even kill us. it's all because of your stupid curiosity. I shouldn't have listened to you." he said shaking his head disappointed.

"Bellators will decide what to do with us. they might be some freaks like these people. Everything... I mean everything is so awkward about this place. This island is crammed with freaks." he said.

Blake was standing near their room gazing at them curiously "Why is your ear so short?" he asked innocently nibbling his finger.

"er...because we are not elves like you. We are humans." answered helmsman.

"Hoomans..? hoomans means?" he asked intriguingly

"I will tell you if you tell me what Bellators are."

"Oh Bellators? they are the guardians of this island they have super powers. They protect the elves from all the perils."

Evan elbowed Aaron "I told you, I told you They are also freaks."

"Super powers means ?"

"They can create fire and ice with their bare hands."

"What?" Aaron said incredulously. "They create fire?...with their hands? Like with their bare hands?" he said with widened eyes.

"Yes. I have seen them burning a mermaid with fire. Fire emanates from their hand, they created a ball of fire and threw it on the mermaid."

"Mermaid?... There are mermaids in this island?" Evan asked incredulously.

"Yes, of course Why are you so stunned? As if you haven't seen a mermaid ever."

"er...no...actually we haven't seen a mermaid ever." Evan said.

"Why did Bellators killed the mermaid?." asked Aaron.

"It attacked an elf and that's why Bellators burned her. Elves and mermaids are enemies for centuries here in this island"

"Why?"

"I am not sure why, Emily said that elves had stolen something from the mermaids centuries back. Since then elves and mermaids are enemies."

"What was stolen?"

"The crown of mermaid queen."

"And what are these leper..chens" interfered Evan.

" You mean leprechauns? Oh...They were here just a while ago. they were quarreling with Carter, those short men with green coat and hat. Didn't you saw them?"

"Yes, I saw them, Why were they shouting?"

" Oliver snatched some gold from them, you saw my brother Oliver huh? Stay away from him, he steals things from others, he is a thief. Don't even talk to him."

Evan chuckled. Aaron smiled and nodded "yes. we will stay away from him."

Blake nodded gladly and went on with his lecture about leprechauns

"Leprechauns are obsessed with gold, they collects gold and store it in their house in mud pots. Emily said that gold gives them super power and if they ran out of gold they will lose their power."

"What power?" Evan asked intriguingly.

"Shapeshifting they have the power to shapeshift and they have the ability to become invisible." Blake said.

"Those little men can become invisible?"

"Yes." Blake said.

"I don't believe him." Evan whispered to Aaron.

"Emily is your sister?" interrupted Aaron.

"Yes. Oliver, Emily and Carter are my elder siblings"

"Where are your parents?"

"We have no parents. My mother and father were killed by a mermaid."

"Oh sorry to hear that." said Evan.

" Mermaids kill?" Aaron said puzzled "But in the folklores they are calm beautiful women who sings and all"

"er...no..they are only beautiful when they shapeshift as a woman to come to the land, but naturally they are grotesque with sharp fangs and bulged eyes." he said.

"Why did they killed your parents?"

Blake heaved a sigh "mermaids tries to breach into our island occasionally and kill the elves. My parents tried to stop one such mermaid, who was trying to sneak into our mysterious forest but mermaid attacked my parents and killed them." his eyes welled up as he recalled the demise of his parents.

"Since then we four were orphaned." he said sadly, heaving a sigh.

"What is this mysterious forest?" Aaron tried to change the topic.

"Mysterious forest is...." Blake started to say but suddenly

Emily ambled in to the room "Blake come here." she beckoned him.

Blake sprinted to Emily, she bent down and whispered in his ears "Don't tell them any secrets about the island, they are outsiders. don't tell them about the mysterious forest. Did you said anything?"

"No" Blake nodded his head.

Then she stood straight and gave Evan a sham smile "Would you like to have something? Like Food or drink?"

"No. thanks" Evan shooked his head.

"Ok" she said and strolled to the other room towing Blake behind her. Blake looked back at them and gestured that he will continue his lecture later.

"Ok" Aaron mouthed, and nodded.

Evan turned to Aaron "whoa, this place is full of uncanny creatures. Mermaids, leprechauns, griffins."

"We would be lucky if we reach back home safely from this freak island." said Aaron

"I want to go back home right now. I don't want to get killed by a mermaid or something." Aaron sat on the ground touching his forehead distressed.

Evan rubbed his chin thoughtfully "I have an idea to reach back home." said Evan

"What sir?" asked the helmsman intriguingly..

"May be we can get out of this place tricking them. We will tell them that one of us is injured and wants to see the doctor. When they take us out of this room we will run away."

"Oh that's funny. You think they will care about our injury. They killed our servant." scoffed Aaron.

"The girl seems kind. We would try. We would tell her to take us to the doctor. I think these elves are quite kind. They served us food and treated us well. Right?"

"But we don't have any injuries." Aaron said.

"It's not that hard to make a gash. It will hurt but still it's better than getting roasted by those Bellators alive."

Aaron groped his pocket and luckily there was a nailcutter in his pocket. "this could make a gash "

Then he slit his forearm with it, closing his eyes.

"Ouch" he then groaned in agony.

"Are you okay?" Evan swatted his shoulder.

"No.. it hurts." Aaron said clutching his hand.

"Is everyone alright?" Emily dashed towards them "I heard someone crying."

"er...my brother was wounded " Evan said by pointing at Aaron's hand.

Blood was oozing out of the gash.

She came close and take a look at the wound "oh that looks really bad."

"er... He hit his hand on that nail in the wall. He is bleeding severely. can we see any doctors?"

"Sure, sure." she opened the lock of the door "come, there is someone in the island who takes care sickness and wounds." she beckoned them to come after her. Then she ascended the staircase and strolled out of the house three of them walked after her.

Outside it was raining slightly, sky was clouded and thunder was rumbling.

"Follow me" she said looking at them and then strolled out of the house. They walked past many other triangle shaped houses, Emily halted beside a tree house. Tree house was made of wood and there was a ladder dangling beside the tree house to go to the top of the tree house. Emily held the ladder which was slightly swaying in the wind and then she clambered through the wooden ladder. She halted at the middle of the ladder "Come on" she beckoned to Evan and then continued to climb up the ladder.

She went inside the tree house and they followed her. There was an old elf inside that tree house.

"Oh Emily" he rose from his chair. "How are you? ." he greeted her exuberently.

"I am fine Ethan, these are my friends, one of them is wounded badly. could you please treat him?" she said by showing Aaron's bleeding hand.

"Oh the wood is deep. Come sit here." he beckoned to Aaron.

Aaron sat beside the elf. He wiped his wound with a leaf.

Then he clapped his hands twice and suddenly a bird flew towards him it was as large as a peacock, it had bright red and yellow feathers, it sat beside the old elf.

Ethan took a wooden bowl and placed it below the birds beak.

"Tears." Ethan said to the bird.

Promptly tears rolled down from the birds eyes and Ethan collected the tears in the wooden bowl.

" Give me your hand" He said to Aaron. Aaron extended his hand perplexed. Ethan poured the tears on his gash. Promptly bleeding ceased and the wound vanished promptly leaving a small scar.

Aaron and Evan gasped together and looked at each other. Aaron ran his fingers over the scar . Wound was completely healed.

"That's... that's." Aaron stammered "How did the gash vanished?" he said gazing at the scar.

Suddenly he noticed the bird it was covered in fire. it's whole plumage was shrouded in fire. Within a fleeting moment it burned into ash.

Aaron recoiled and jumped up from the seat.

"It's okay. nothing to worry, phoenix will burn itself and reborn from the ash. Watch." Ethan said calmly.

There was a pile of ash on the floor and Aaron could see something moving inside it.

It was a baby bird with no feathers.

"See?" said Ethan smiling at the baby bird. He scooped up it with his hand and caressed it's soft body fondly.

Aaron grabbed a fistful of ash and observed it and then tossed it on the floor. Then he looked at Evan who was standing there dumbfounded gazing at the baby bird.

"Thank you Ethan, for helping me."

"Are they humans?" Ethan asked Emily gazing at their short ears.

Emily looked at Aaron and nodded "yes, they are humans."

"How did they entered into the island? Does Bellators know about this?" Ethan asked to Emily

"Yes. now we have to go. Thanks for the help" she bid him goodbye hastily.

"Oh that's just my job" he waved "be careful" he called out as she began to descend down the wobbly ladder.

Aaron and others descended after her. They headed back to home.