Elliot and the Pixie Plot (Underworld Chronicles 2)

Harold stood and drew in a deep breath. As the air moved inside him, he stretched his arms out wide. They expanded and grew into wings covered with long, brown feathers. His legs thinned and grew talons where his toes would have been. Finally, his nose stretched into a sharp orange beak, and his hair became smooth white feathers that covered his eagle head.

Harold looked at Elliot and cawed to get on his back. Elliot climbed on, then turned to Patches. "Listen, he's going to take me all the way to Demon Territory. I want you to go back home. I'll come back with your father in another day or two."

"No, wait!" Patches said, but it was too late.

Elliot had already climbed onto Harold the Eagle's back. As Harold lifted off the ground, Patches leapt into the air and tried to grab hold of Harold's tail, but Harold shook her off and back to the ground.

"Hey!" Elliot looked down. Patches was standing and trying to yell at him, but they were already too far away for him to hear her. He knew she'd be angry about his leaving so fast, but at least she was okay.

The view of the Underworld from the air was better than anything Elliot could have imagined. He could easily see back to Burrowsville, which from here looked like it was made of small mounds in the ground that served as the Brownies' homes. Then he stopped himself. The Brownies' homes were small mounds in the ground. Far in the distance he could see the Glimmering Forest. He wondered if Mr. Willimaker was being held somewhere near there by the Fairies.

Elliot was pretty mad at the Fairies and still mad at the Pixies. He was mad at Harold too, for wanting to take over his life, even though Harold was doing him a big favor right now. Of course, Harold was only doing him the favor so that Elliot could get killed faster. Then Harold, pretending to be Elliot, could declare his love to Elliot's worst enemy.

On second thought, Elliot seemed to have a lot of enemies lately. If he included Tubs, Grissel, the Fairies, and the Pixies, Cami was only his second or third worst enemy.

Harold cawed again and aimed a wing ahead of them. Elliot looked down at what appeared to be a long, black hole. Although it was late in the morning, it looked blacker than midnight in that spot.

That was Demon Territory. Somewhere in the middle of the blackness was the worst Demon in the history of time. And Elliot had to take a hair from his head. And now, one of his socks too.

They neared the territory and Harold flew lower to the ground, preparing to land. By now, Elliot couldn't see Burrowsville anymore. He couldn't see anyplace he recognized. The thought occurred to him that even if he somehow survived in Demon Territory, how was he going to get back to Burrowsville again?

He put his mouth close to where he thought Harold's ear would be, if giant birds had ears. "Will you wait around to fly me home when I come out?"

Harold shook his head so roughly that a few feathers fell free. Elliot didn't blame him. He wouldn't want to wait around either.

They landed in a clearing not far from the entrance to Demon Territory. Elliot slid off Harold's back, and soon Harold changed into the human boy he'd talked to on the surface.

"Okay, listen," Elliot said. "I had time to think up there, and I'll make you a deal. If I don't come back, then it's okay with me if you want to live out the rest of my life. Just promise never to tell my parents. My parents can be old-fashioned, and hearing that their son is really a Shapeshifter named Harold--well, they'd have a hard time with that."

"Yes, I've noticed that human parents are very strange about Shapeshifters taking over their children's lives."

"They love me," Elliot said. "But as long as they think you're me, I guess they'll love you too."

Harold kicked at the ground. "Now, why did you have to go and be nice to me when I'm clearly trying to help you get killed?" His eyes narrowed. "But in a way, being nice only makes me feel guilty for wanting you killed. It's not at all nice to make someone feel guilty."

Elliot shoved his hands into his pockets. "I have to go in there now, with or without your help. So don't feel guilty. Just go back and be a good me. Be a better me. I wasn't very nice to my family before I left them."

"It'll be hard to be better than the Elliot Penster I know," Harold said, "but I'll try. I'll be the kind of boy Cambria Dawn Wortson can love in return."

That pretty much ruined the moment for Elliot. He rolled his eyes and said, "Don't get too comfortable, though, because I am planning on coming back."

Coming back? Crazy thing to say, considering he didn't even know how to get in there first.

Elliot started to walk off, then with a smile turned to look back at the Shapeshifter. "I bet you can't get me inside Demon Territory."

"Bet I--" Harold stopped. "You're trying to trick me, aren't you?"

"Who, me?" Elliot raised his hands to show his innocence. "I just think it'll be too hard for you to get me into Demon Territory. I bet you're not that clever."

"Bet I am," Harold said, walking up to Elliot. "And I know you're tricking me, but I don't care, because it just so happens that I want to take the bet. I'll show you just how clever I am."

Elliot turned to look at Harold, but Harold had changed again. He was now an Elf. Probably. Based upon the Elves Elliot had seen in a lot of movies, Harold was not how he figured Elves would look.

Elliot had always thought Elves would be smaller than him, like most Underworld creatures seemed to be. But Harold was tall, very slim, and very handsome. He had pointed ears on the side of his head, and his skin was pale in color.

"You're an Elf now?" Elliot asked.

"Elves are the caretakers of Demon Territory," Harold said. "No humans can get through."