As the last of the kindling was put into place, the Brownies used their magic to light cold fires on their hands and quickly set them on the kindling. Elliot had first seen Mr. Willimaker light a cold fire while they were on their way to Demon Territory one night. It was bright and gave off a little warmth, but it wouldn't burn on its own. As long as the Brownies used their magic to keep the fire alive and the Pixies kept the light above them, they could keep the Shadow Men out of Burrowsville.
Patches ran to Elliot. "We're ready. Are you sure this will work?"
"If everyone does their part, it'll work." Elliot started walking, keeping his eyes open for any dark holes in the dome. Agatha hobbled beside him on her cane.
"You don't have to be here," he said, thinking of how much older she looked and acted than when he'd last seen her. "You should rest somewhere."
"You forget that I'm really a beautiful young woman," Agatha said.
"Oh, right." Elliot hadn't really forgotten, but it was tough to look at her deep layers of wrinkles and remember that a woman even more beautiful than an angel was hiding inside.
"Besides, you might need me," Agatha added.
Before Elliot could answer, a Brownie far from them shouted, "They're here! The Shadow Men have come!"
Ell
iot ran toward the Brownie who had cried out. It was hard to see through the Pixies' light and the Brownies' fire, but sure enough, an entire army of Shadow Men was on the other side, ready to attack.
Elliot's gut did a belly flop as he stood frozen for a moment. He'd faced Grissel the Goblin and a Shapeshifter posing as a werewolf, and even Cami Wortson when she was mad at him. But he feared the Shadow Men most of all.
Shadow Men were made of smoke and a black fire that burned but gave off no light. They wore long black cloaks that held the fire in, but thick smoke poured out from beneath the cloak in every direction and could choke a person who got too close. They smelled of charcoal and cinders and spoke with a hissing sound that made Elliot's skin crawl.
A Shadow Man in front tried to push through the dome of light but screeched as it stung his hand, and he pulled back. Another two or three tried to get past the Brownies' fire, but they failed too.
"It's working!" one of the Brownies said.
"Keep your guard up," Elliot said as the Shadow Men grouped together and flew to another area of the dome. "They'll keep testing us and trying to find a way in."
"They're over here," several Brownies a long way from Elliot called. "King Elliot, please come!"
Elliot took a breath, then began running. It would be a very long, very tiring war if he had to run everywhere all the time.
He turned to tell Agatha that, but she had already poofed herself there. By the time Elliot came, the Shadow Men were trying to break through the light dome again. Luckily, the Pixies held their magic strong, and no Shadow Man could push through it.
Elliot bent over to catch his breath, but other Brownies from even farther away cried, "Now they're over here!"
Between breaths, Elliot wondered why the Shadow Men had to fly so far away each time. Couldn't they just test the light dome all in one place so that it wasn't so tiring? It was like they wanted to make this war tough on him or something.
"I'll be right there," Elliot panted. He started to run, then leaned over with his hands on his knees and said to Agatha, "Will you go tell them to stay strong?"
Agatha nodded and poofed away. When his breath slowed, Elliot hurried toward the latest cry for help.
Then he stopped as his foot stepped into a shadow.
Shadow? There couldn't be shadows in here. The entire town was bathed in light from all directions. A shadow was bad.
High above him he saw a small gap of darkness. A Pixie fluttered in the center of it. He wasn't sure what she was doing, but her hands were moving behind her head.
"Get your light back," he called up to her.
"In a minute. But I have to tie my hair back first," she said. "You won't believe how much wind the Shadow Men are making out here."
"Light!" Elliot cried.
"Fine!" She lowered her hands and shook her hair out. "But if I get a tangle in my beautiful hair, it's all your fault."
"Light!" Elliot repeated. She huffed and spread her light again, but it was too late. Five cloaked shadows made it through the gap just in time. A sixth one made it halfway through, but the light cut him off and he disappeared.