"Faeries by Holly Hagen" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hagen Holly)

After dressing, Foxglove scratched Chirp behind the eyes and leaped from the cliff ledge to fly her routine daily inspection.

She spent of half the next day on the serious and pleasurable business of procreation. The draft in the bathing room reminded her the wall needed seeing to, the cold and odor were offensive. She called to Chirp. The spider went to work at once making a curtain from layers of fine web. Tired, Foxglove at last took her warm bath. It was the most important week of her long life, and the most exhausting.

Above the cozy cave, a new neighbor was kicking the foundations of his new home. It was exactly his kind of place, tumbled stone above and dank tunnels with dungeons below. The Red Cap stamped his iron soled boots, shook his shaggy head and laughed wildly.

When she left the cave, Foxglove heard the racket. The screams of a terrified rabbit and insane laughter prompted her upwards cautiously, to investigate.

The brown and white rabbit was scurrying for cover with a huge Red Cap giving chase. Despite his size, he kept up with the frightened animal, cutting off escape routes as the hare reached them. She realized the mad giant was playing with his prey, and would finish the game when the rabbit was too exhausted to give good sport. Not wanting to watch any more, she fluttered down to the forest floor.

A Red Cap is one of the few beings that would, and could, destroy every thing for the joy of killing. Her new neighbor would kill her if he could catch her. Her clutch wasn't safe. Hoping Leaf or Web might know a way to get rid of the Red Cap, She quickly found a fox to take messages to them. They would send to the Fairy Court, but the message might take weeks to find the King or Queen.

Foxglove flew her territory, asking animals for information on the disposal of Red Caps. An old owl, roused from his day's sleep, remembered seeing a Red Cap banished long ago.

"It happened when I was little more than a hatchling." Gray Silence reminisced. "It was just dawn. I saw my parents and a falcon diving on a monster. He was huge and carried an ax as big as a man. Crossing a rock slide, he tripped as he swung the ax at my father. While he was falling, the falcon picked up a big rock and flew high with it. The falcon dropped it on him, and it hit him in the face. Father picked up something from the ground in his beak, and flew right in the monster's face. The giant screamed, then vanished, boom."

"Do you know what it was that drove the monster away?"

"No. It could have been anything." The owl shrugged. "You never know what wingless creatures are thinking."

She thanked the sleepy bird and continued her flight. Leaf was flying their boarder when she reached it. He tried to offer comfort, but had little news. Web was the same.

"We can move the eggs to my territory, until cold weather sets in." Web offered, at their mutual boarder. "I don't have any nice warm caves to winter over the eggs, so they'll be just as dead after first frost. I'll ask around for information on Red Caps. You go home and take care of my eggs. If all else fails, there is always the human town two valleys over."

"Thanks, Web. I am taking care of your eggs and Leaf's eggs. They are all my eggs" Fox Glove hugged his shoulders and tried to smile. "Leaf sent word to the court. He doesn't have any place warm enough for eggs either. He's asking his animals too, and says if fighting will help, he'll fight."

Foxglove retreated to her nice safe cave to feed the eggs. Chirp left off hunting and stroked her arm comfortingly.

"No, Chirp, I'm alright. A Red Cap has moved into the old castle. He's up there now, laughing and screaming and killing every thing that moves. The really bad part is, he's fast and my glamour won't work on him."

Chirp chattered agitatedly and hopped around the room.

"We've sent to court but you know how hard they can be to find. The last I heard, the King was in Ireland and the Queen was across the sea. Leaf and Web said they would help."

Chirp left off her hopping and sat down at Fox glove's feet, chirping more quietly.

"No I don't have a plan. Maybe the males will find out something. They promised to question animals and birds in their territories."

Foxglove thought about tricking the humans from the valley to the south into coming and killing the monster. It was a pleasant thought, but then she'd have to get rid of the humans. They could be as pesky as pixies and every bit as destructive as the Red Cap. Maybe one of the smaller beetles could spy on her enemy. It wasn't a solution, but it just might help find one.

"Chirp, which is harder to catch; a fire fly or a lady bug?"

The spider waved a leg and chirped.

"I want a spy in that castle small enough not to be noticed and smart enough to do some good, that's why."

Chirp chattered quietly and waved another leg.

"So, a fire fly is faster, but a lady bug is smarter. I guess I'll ask a lady bug then."