Elliot and the Pixie Plot (Underworld Chronicles 2)

"Didn't you like the food Patches packed for you?" Mr. Willimaker asked. "I tried to tell her."

"No, the food was good," Elliot said. "I'm just not hungry."

"You have Shadow Men on your mind?"

"A little." Elliot pressed his lips together. "All we have to do is sneak past them, get a hair from Kovol, and sneak out."

Mr. Willimaker smiled. "I wish it were going to be as easy as you make it sound. But if we do survive, it'll make a grand story for the Brownies." He stood and brushed off his clothes. "It's getting dark. Are you cold?"

Elliot wasn't. If anything, the clothes the Brownies had made for him locked heat in. "Did you want to make a fire?"

Mr. Willimaker shook his head. "It's usually warm in the Underworld, but a little light would be nice."

"I have the flashlight from Agatha," Elliot said. "Though with my luck, the next eclipse will happen five minutes after I turn it on, so let's wait until we really need it."

Mr. Willimaker snapped his fingers together. When he did, a spark of light remained on his thumb. He pressed his thumb to a stick, and it lit. Then Mr. Willimaker gathered a few other sticks together in a pile, and the light passed to them as well.

"Is that a magic fire?" Elliot asked.

"It's only light." Mr. Willimaker passed his hand through the center of the light. "There's no heat, and it won't burn anything. The light won't last long, but it'll do until we fall asleep."

"Can you make another fire?" Elliot wanted one to play with.

"Not for a few minutes. I need to recharge."

Elliot ran his hand through the center of the light as well. It was no warmer than the air, and yet it flickered on the sticks as a fire would. "Cool," he whispered. "I wish I had magic."

"All Underworld creatures have their own kinds of magic," Mr. Willimaker said. "Brownies aren't that powerful compared to Pixies or Fairies, or even Goblins. Elves have only a little magic but are more powerful in other ways. Same with the Dwarves. A Leprechaun has quite a bit of magic, and yet a human could easily overcome one if he knew how."

"How many Underworld creatures exist?" Elliot asked. "Are all the myths true?"

"There are creatures down here that humans know nothing about and some creatures that you know more about than you think." Mr. Willimaker shrugged. "I'm not sure how many of us there are. The Underworld is very big and not very well explored. Most of us keep to ourselves."

Elliot used his bundle as a pillow and laid back on it. Had he been sleeping on the surface, he would have expected to see stars, but the

sky here was only black.

"I miss the moon," he said.

Mr. Willimaker lay on his own bundle near Elliot. "Wait for it to get a bit darker. The Star Dancers, creatures of the night, provide us with the night sky. I think you'll like it."

And he was right. After about a half hour, the Underworld became dark enough that Mr. Willimaker's cool fire was the only light around. Elliot stared at the sky again, but now it became painted in streaks of thin neon colors. Bright lines of blue, green, and orange raced across the sky, slowly fading as new colors were drawn over the top of them.

"Those are Star Dancers?" Elliot asked. "I don't think I've ever heard of them."

"They never go to the surface world," Mr. Willimaker said. "Why would they when they can have this much fun down here?"

"I like the Underworld," Elliot said. "If I survive Kovol, I might come back again one day. Fudd said the Brownies would build me a home here that's my size."

Mr. Willimaker was quiet for a moment, and then he said, "Your Highness, I want to talk to you about Fudd."

Elliot leaned up on his elbows. "What's the matter?"

"I hope it's nothing. Ever since the Goblin war ended, I believe Fudd has been sincere in trying to earn back your trust. But last night, after the royal feast, I overheard something that worries me. I believe the Fairies had a meeting with Fudd. He worked with them for years under Queen Bipsy, you know."

"I didn't know," Elliot said. That wasn't a question he had even thought about asking.

"Yes, well, the Fairies know you're down here. They asked Fudd why."