4 Ch4-The Fairy Mound

CHAPTER 4 THE FAIRY MOUND Drake followed Breen to a small, grassy hill. "This is a fairy mound," Breen explained. "I have heard of that," Drake said. "My mother used to tell me stories about a secret fairy world. She said the fairy mound was the way to get in. But I never believed her stories were true."

Breen smiled. "I bet you didn't believe in dragons, either, until you saw one." Drake smiled back. "No, I guess I didn't." "There are many different kinds of fairies in this secret world," Breen told him. She touched her Dragon Stone, and it glowed. Then a hole opened up in the hill.

Breen stepped inside, and Drake followed her. They passed through a dark tunnel that opened up into a field of flowers. This place looked almost like where they had just come from. But Drake could see that it was different. The sky was a strange shade of pink, instead of bright blue. The colors on the flowers looked brighter.

"Welcome to the fairy world! It is similar to our world, but quite a bit different," Breen said. "You'll see. Come this way." Drake followed Breen down a path through the meadow. Breen stopped at the start of a forest. The path split in two different directions.

"Which way do we go?" Drake asked. Breen stepped to the side. "That is up to you, Drake." Drake looked down the two paths. They both led into the woods. How do I know which path will lead us to Fallyn? he wondered. "Make up your mind, Drake," Breen said in a teasing voice. "Hurry now. Which will it be?" Drake took a deep breath. Suddenly, he heard voices behind them. He turned to see a group of tiny men— none of them higher than Drake's knees— marching toward them. Each one had a white beard and wore a green shirt, green pants, and a pointy red cap.

"Here we go marching on and on, here and there and over and yon," they sang. Drake's eyes got wide. "Who are they?" he asked Breen. "Those fairies are called redcaps," she explained. "They like marching around a lot." The redcaps marched toward Drake and Breen without glancing at them. When they reached the fork in the road, they marched down the path on the right. Then they stopped. All at once, they turned to face Drake. "Follow us!" they cried.