WHILE THE CARS AND the horses were being prepared, I ran to my room, got my laptop, and brought it to one of the elves that had been with us since the first rescue mission. He could start organizing all the bullshit he remembered. Since he was amongst the first elves we had brainwashed, he’d remember the most.

“Would you like me to copy the book for you, so it is easier to teach to the new disciples?” He asked after I showed him how to type.

“No. When Ricci goes to his world to work, he’ll bring the magic printer to make magic copies on magically smooth paper. You just need to write everything down.” The laptop was plugged in, so it should stay on until we got back. I really hoped he wouldn’t accidentally turn it off and then break it while trying to figure out how to turn it back on. “If the screen goes black, you can leave it for when we come back. I’ll fix it for you.”

Leaving him to his work, I ran to the kitchen where the family we had brought in sat down to eat the quick meal one of the elves had prepared for them. Depending on what trouble we might run into on the road, I might need more energy.

I opened a cupboard. Another one. Ah, we still had some Ziplock bags left since the last time we had restocked them. I filled a few with dried meats and a few with dried fruits. It should be sufficient until I returned. The one-gallon plastic jar looked like it could hold enough coffee for me and maybe a couple more people who might need a little help.

With that, I returned to the giant search party gathered by the gate. We wouldn’t be splitting up since no one wanted to get eaten by fairies, but we did need a whole bunch of carriages, so a few dozen of our men were coming along.

Seth and I hopped into one car while Vinsor and Bralazin, who knew the area well, drove the other two. As much as I wanted to help find the villagers, my attention was glued to the Geiger counter. Without destroying fairies, none of this mattered.

We had a good, detailed map of the entire kingdom, thanks to Jill bringing the map of her world and then our soldiers marking everything they knew onto it. I added a radiation reading. Another mile tracked. The further down the road we went, the higher the levels spiked. Whatever we were looking for lay ahead. It might be related in some twisted way to the burned down village. Elves did have a tendency to blame everything and everyone for things that couldn’t possibly be related.

“Nasi, to your left,” Seth shouted as he honked to the rest and veered off the road where a swarm of fairies was attacking something.

To make sure they didn’t fly away, I used a reversed shield spell, locking them in one place, then pulling them toward us. One of the soldiers that drove out with Vinsor jumped on the opportunity to try out the flamethrower, which got the job done a lot quicker now that the entire swarm was concentrated in a small area.

I got out of the car and went to see what had been attacked. Three deer had turned into a pile of bones. A little further down lay another skeleton. A human. I came closer to get a better look. The narrow hip bones on the small skeleton belonged to a teenage boy. Someone as young as Nikorik. It might have been one of the villagers. A nomadic family. A child picking mushrooms. It could’ve been anyone.

I concentrated on the soundwaves and began to call for any survivors who might be in the area. We needed to get everyone to safety before they shared this kid’s fate.

“We are here to help you. If you wish for a place where no one will harm you, please, come with us. There are fairies in the area that kill everyone they see. The forest is no longer as safe as it used to be.”

A young man came out of the woods to join us. He looked half-starved, but at least he was alive.

Finally, we got to the village. Charred beams marked a few dozen houses that could no longer protect their residents. A door to a barn opened, and a few more families came out of hiding to join us. How many people was it? I counted them as they climbed onto the carts. Nineteen. I had hoped for more.

“This is sick.” Seth stared at the ash-covered faces of adults and children alike. “If the enemy won’t kill them, then the fairies will. How many more villages like this one are out there?”

“A lot.” And many of our men had families there.

“We need to evacuate them.”

I blinked away the tears threatening to spill and nodded. We needed more sorceresses. I could teach them how to make larger shields without using up all their energy, but I couldn’t be everywhere at the same time. How were we supposed to protect all the towns in the area and get rid of the fairies at the same time?

“Hey, come on, no crying. This is why we fight the good fight, right? Because these people need us.” Seth smiled at me, but the same worries reflected in his eyes.

“We won’t be able to fit everyone in the castle yard or even around it,” I said. “We have to get rid of the fairies somehow. If we at least warn everyone to stay inside, it’ll be better than nothing, but it will take a lot of time.”

“And the more time we take, the more the fairies reproduce,” Seth said, giving voice to my biggest concern. “How are literacy rates out here? Can we put up flyers everywhere, warning people to stay indoors?”

“Maybe. Around a quarter of the population in this kingdom is literate. Whoever can’t read can have their neighbors tell them.”

I could make the papers fly on the wind. Anyone left without a home could come to the castle, and the rest could hide indoors, as long as their homes were sturdy enough.

“I need to find the best way to make paper fly.” None of the books I had read covered it.

“We can make paper airplanes. Would that help?”

“Yes.” If it would make it easier for the wind to carry it, then I’d need less energy to deliver the fliers. “Ricci needs to get his printer as soon as possible.”