Free The War of Odds by Linell Jeppsen Page A

the girl’s hands in his as they made their way to the sprite’s village. He noticed that many of the creatures cast sympathetic glances his way, and one little chipmunk called out, “We are sorry about your dog friend!” Another chipmunk scolded, “Enough out of you, Henry! Let him go in peace!” Both of the animals disappeared into a hole in the tree, and Nate felt his heart start to beat again.
    All of the creatures here were worried, frightened and grieving. Still, they were determined to stop the darkness from spreading any further into the land of fae and man. Nate knew now that he too, would do whatever it took to keep the kind of evil that took his beloved pet away, from spreading any further.
     

 
    Chapter 10
     

     
    Weeks passed as Sara and her friends underwent training for what was to come. They lived in temporary shelters just outside the sprite’s village. Although the fae lands were beautiful and filled with wonders, the teens had little time to enjoy themselves, or see the sights.
    Every morning, a wood nymph came to accompany Sara to Muriel’s house. The nymph witch resided in a huge, ancient tree whose trunk was at least thirty feet in circumference.   Sara had no doubt there were some magical manipulations at work within the tree house.   Depending on the day, and what was needed for her lessons, the interior of Muriel’s home would be small and cozy, or as big as a football field.
    Sara knew it was going to be a long day if the house was large… that meant she was expected to work out, hard. She learned the art of swordplay and knife throwing, climbing, fire building, and hand-to- hand combat. Muriel demanded that Sara build her strength by running, lifting weights (large rocks), and stretching her body into pretzel-like postures.
     
    Sara was, if anything, too thin for her height, but she had always hated gym class and avoided physical activity as much as possible. The first day she showed up for lessons, Muriel pinched the muscles in Sara’s scrawny arm with disgust and muttered, “Well, this is going to change.”
    Sara had never sweated so much in her life. The first few nights after her physical training sessions left every muscle and tendon in her body quivering with painful fatigue. She came close to quitting in those early days, but her body grew stronger. The sight of her two friends grunting and sweating along with her, however, gave Sara the strength to carry on.
    Chloe and Sara shared a tent, and Chloe’s cheerful smile kept Sara from giving in to frustrated despair.   Although Chloe trained outside of Muriel’s domain, Sara often saw her friend in the company of two elves. A tall, purple-eyed elf named Rondel and his sister, Rowena showed up three days after the teenager’s arrival in the sprites village.
    Sara was shocked to see Muriel actually grin as the two elves approached and asked Sylvan if they might offer assistance. “They’re nice?” Sara asked her instructor and the nymph rolled her eyes.
    “Nice,” she scoffed. “Nice is not a word one uses to describe elves, child. It is good, though, to have one by your side. Elves are the fae’s warriors and these two will be a welcome addition to our small army.” Muriel studied the brother and sister, before snapping, “Do it again, Sara. I want you to climb that tree twice as quickly as last time. Now GO!”
     
    From the time the elves arrived, they took special interest in Chloe’s training. Sara watched, sometimes, as her friend sparred with Rowena, and practiced swordplay with Rondel. The brother and sister paid particular attention to the muscles in Chloe’s back, and one day while taking a break from her lessons, Sara saw her friend actually rise up into the air while engaged in a wrestling match with the female elf.
    Rondel shouted in triumph as Chloe squeaked in alarm and fell back down to the ground. For a moment, Sara saw the fragile wings on the girl’s back fluttering frantically, and then she