The Last Human Child

In the cold predawn stillness, a silvery mist snaked its way across the worn earthen pathways of the human settlement. Rows of jagged, crystal icicles quietly stood guard along the eaves of the ramshackle homes. The only noise breaking the stillness of the morning was a woman crying out in pain.

“Push! Just push one more time. He's almost here."

Lorelei, a tall, slender faerie, stood over the bed of the human mother, encouraging her. "I can see the top of his little head. One more push, and you'll get to meet your son.”

Lorelei’s keen hearing alerted her to heavy, leathery wings circling above them. Her face was etched with concern as her smile vanished. A shrill, screech pierced the air. The sound grew louder as Lorelei braced herself for what she knew would follow that sound. Flames suddenly ravaged the wooden door. The makeshift windows hung with patchwork fabric, ignited in a violent blaze. Flames circled. blocking off any escape from the smoke filled the room. With one final push, a cry challenged the raging dragon fire. The sound was that of the last human child born on Mirith.

The weak voice almost whispering in the chaos,“ Take him. Please take him. Keep my son safe. Princess…I”, but the woman said no more.

Lorelei stood, longer than was safe looking at her friend. The cries of the newborn ringing out brought her back and she grabbed a small cloth blanket and quickly wrapped him in it. A beam across the ceiling collapsed and the nimble faerie had to climb over it to reach the burning hole where a door once stood.

Once outside she looked up into the smokey sky and saw two of the Faerie King’s fire dragons flying away. Their work was done for the morning. She saw the utter destruction all around her, and turned toward the forest with the baby, and ran away from the settlement.

She stopped by a frozen stream to catch her breath. “I don’t know how small one, but I have to hide you. If he finds you…well, I won’t let him find you.” Voices rang out in the forest. “Princess Lorelei! Your Highness!” He had sent the guards after her. Oh, how horrible. I need more time. Well, I am a water faerie. That’s all I can do right now.” Lorelei took the baby to a fallen tree and pulled apart a moss covered section hollowing it out enough to hold the baby. She wrapped him in her cloak and gently placed him inside. “Sleep small one and I will find a way to get back to you.” Loreli held her bare arms out calling on the winter water asleep in the earth. A thick, crystalline fog began to rise, obscuring the fallen tree and the child asleep inside.

Lorelei walked in the direction of the guard's voices and called out to them. “I’m here. You needn’t have worried.”

The captain of the guards saw her and cried out, “Where have you been, Princess Lorelei? We have been combing the forest for you.” I came out to help the human poor in the settlement, but before I could get there a tragedy occurred. Dragons set fire to the little village and everything was destroyed.” “Where is your cloak, your highness?” a guard asked. “It is freezing.” “I tried to go into the settlement, but my cloak caught fire and I had to leave it behind.” “Get a cloak for the princess, Areele,”said the Captain.

Overhead they heard the beating of leathery wings and looking up, saw the Faerie King astride his dragon. They alighted in the small clearing. Lorelei saw a look of pure triumph in his eyes. He dismounted and in one swift motion removed his cloak placing it around the shoulders of the princess. “I heard that there was a terrible tragedy for your pets my dear and I came at once to comfort you.” The words were hollow and could not conceal a note of satisfaction in his piercing green eyes. “Yes, all of the humans were,” Lorelei did not finish her sentence, but instead looked down allowing the king to believe no human remained alive. The king spoke encouragingly, “Come I will take you home, away from this ugliness.” He picked her up and situated her in front of him in the saddle. He cried out to the guards as they lifted off, “Everyone back to the castle.” The guards the king and the faerie princess left the forest and the only soul remaining was the tiny human orphan asleep in a fallen tree.

Hours passed, the winter sun doing very little to warm the earth. In the cold, the baby slowly began to stir.

A very old dwarf was walking along beside a very small dragon. There was nothing to be done about it. They were terribly late for the gathering. The dwarf-dragon had twisted her left wing and was not fit for flying. She was irritable and was purposely walking along at a pace that made the dwarf look speedy. “I know you're tired and hurt, but the sooner we arrive at the gathering the sooner we can get where it’s warm. Don’t you want that?” In response the dragon gave a half-hearted cough and a small belch of fire teased out of her mouth. “Have it your way, said the dwarf as he resumed walking again. The dragon suddenly stopped turning to face a fallen tree. She walked closer to the tree peering quizzically, at the moss covered bark. A sound and a smell were coming from the tree that should not be coming from a tree. She scraped away at the moss and a rotten piece of wood fell away. Peering into the crevice she saw a cloak with a royal insignia and more curious than anything else she had ever seen, she saw and smelled a human baby. “What are you doing over there,” queried the dwarf. “We need to get going,” he said with some firmness. The dwarf approached the confused dragon and whistled long and low. “What will they say at the gathering when we bring this with us? What indeed?”