The sound of Tulip’s wings were almost alluring; a soft buzz combined with a gentle ringing. Cassandra was lost in it for a moment. “So, who are we going to see, anyway?” She finally asked.
“Enchantress Garnet, my magic teacher. Few can boast the skill and knowledge of magic that she can, even among fairies; and that’s saying something. She is also very wise, I’m truly honored to be her pupil.” Tulip answered.
“So, fairies are pretty powerful, eh?”
“Well, you can’t very much survive in this world at our size without some strong magic.”
“And it has to be taught?”
“Our inherent magic is good enough for mere survival; but some like to hone their magic through study and practice. It’s kind of like how some humans spend their time reading to gain knowledge, or training to gain strength.” Tulip’s voice suddenly turned somber. “Then, there are those who take shortcuts.”
“Shortcuts?” Cassandra asked.
“Uh… never mind about that. Look, we’re here.” Cassandra and Tulip were heading toward a large tree. As they got closer, Cassandra saw there was a building nestled within its branches. “This is where Enchantress Garnet lives and teaches.” About the size of her beach house back home, its construction was a marvel; married perfectly to the tree, it looked like it was grown straight out of the tree itself.
As Tulip landed, Clarissa was set down, where she saw that indeed, leaves were growing out of the frame and posts of the structure here and there. “Man,” Clarissa said, “I wish we could build them like this back home.”
“Well, we know you do the best you can with what you’ve got.” Tulip said before knocking on the front door. “Mistress Garnet, I wish to speak to you.” She called.
The door opened revealing a woman clad in violet silken robes whom despite her silvery hair otherwise had the complexion of a woman no older than her early thirties. Upon her back were bright blue wings shaped much like Tulip’s and matched her eyes, which were framed in purple and seemed to contain great wisdom. “This is about your friend here, is it not?” she said.
“Yes, it is.” Tulip answered.
“Come in, we have much to discuss.” Garnet said as she ushered Tulip and Clarissa into her house.
Shelves filled with books lined the walls. There was a large table in the middle of the main room with bottles containing colored liquid, sparkling dust, and leaves and flower petals. Clarissa and Tulip were lead to a couch where a pot of tea was waiting on a coffee table. Garnet poured the tea into flower shaped cups and handed them to Clarissa and Tulip.
“By your clothes I assume you come from the human world.” Garnet said to Clarissa before taking a sip of tea.
“Yes ma’am, my name is Clarissa Silverton.”
“We were wondering how she could manage to enter this world and shrink to fairy size without any magic.” Tulip added.
“Ah, my apprentice, you still have yet to develop your magical senses. The truth is, your friend here does indeed possess a tiny amount of magic, and it’s growing.”
“I have… magic?” Clarissa shouted.
“Indeed, you possess what we refer to as a ‘seed of magic’. That seed was what allowed you to find this place, and in finding it, triggered the seed to germinate. Magical power is building up in her body as we speak; fairy magic to be more specific.”
“Wait; is that why she shrank, too?” Tulip shouted.
“Are you saying that I’m going to be…?” Clarissa was too stunned to finish the sentence.
“Yes,” Garnet answered, “by moonrise you will be a fairy yourself.”
“Wow.” Clarissa said.