The Return (Free Fantasy Short Story)

Beenie rested her forehead on her crossed arms, which were currently on the table in front of her.

"It's not that hard, Beenie," Theta said soothingly. "Try it again. "

"No."

Theta sighed.

They had been trying, for two days now, to get Beenie up to snuff on the magic they were learning, but Beenie hadn't been able to do anything so far. The theory made absolutely no sense to her, and their teacher insisted that nothing would work if she didn't understand the theory.

"Beenie, if you can't do this they might replace you in our wing. Please?"

"I don't want to," Beenie said stubbornly. "I can't get it anyway."

"And you never will if you won't try," Theta said, finally losing her patience as she slapped both of her hands on the table.

"I'll just throw pebbles," Beenie muttered.

"That's not going to help if they won't even let you fly with us!"

Beenie's eyes had started to prickle. She didn't understand why this had to be so hard. The flying was easy. She was better at that than Theta. But the magic...most of the others were already learning the basics of elemental magic, and she was still stuck on the theory.

At this point, Beenie heard something that made her sit upright in her seat.

"Do you hear that?" she asked Theta. Theta cocked her head to one side, and listened intently.

"That sounds like-"

"Yelling."

They stared at one another for a split second before they were both on their feet and then taking to the air. They had been in the catacombs, so any noise they heard had to be loud. And if it was that loud...

Beenie picked up speed, and beside her, so did Theta.

"What can be going on?" Theta asked. 

"Well..." Beenie didn't say, but the first thought she'd had was that the gnomes were back. That was the only thing she could think of that would cause such a ruckus. 

"You don't think...?" Theta said. 

"Gnomes?" Beenie said. 

"I hope not. We're not ready." 

They both swerved around the other, slower creatures that were also making for the source of the noise, and soon had left them all behind. A moment later they were out in the sunlight. 

"Oh," Theta murmured. 

It was, indeed, the gnomes. And this time, they had already climbed over the walls. The creatures and fairies were fighting them from the ground and the air. As Beenie made to go out into fray, a stone whizzed past her nose. She flew backward with a yelp, and crashed into Theta. 


"Slingshots," Theta gasped. "They have slingshots!"