Loraine glanced over her shoulder at the dark shape behind her. She smiled. Flying behind a tree, Loraine waited, her deep red wings beating slowly to keep her up. Loraine was a fire fairy, a fairy who could withstand heat, and control fire. She made sparks when she snapped her finger, and could make balls of fire with her hands. Excitement could make her wings burn brightly, and fire glow in the bottom of her hair. But when she wasn’t doing such things, she seemed like any other type of fairy. She was able to grab the tree she was hiding behind, it didn’t heat up or burn. 

Loraine waited until the fairy that had been following her passed the tree, looking around confused, before she flew out behind him. Her round black lips forming a mischievous grin, she threw a ball of fire past his head. Startled, he spun around, raising his feet up and flapping his wings quickly. 

“Lori!” He relaxed when he saw her. “Please don’t scare me like that.” 

He came over to her and grabbed her arm gently. Lori smiled sweetly. She had noticed that when he turned, there was fire in his hands. She knew that he was only pretending to have been scared. 

“Let’s go back home!” she said, flying backward in the direction of his meadow. He smiled and followed, gently taking her hand. She flew next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. When they got to his meadow they landed on the grass, and walked into his little hut. Since they had eaten before going out for a fly, they went straight to bed, on a huge, warm pile of feathers. Lori laid down next to him and snuggled up close. He wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her close. She felt his breath on her neck as he spoke softly:

“I am going to leave in the morning. Don’t worry, I will be back in a few days, you can use the food that I have here, and I will bring more when I come back. I will miss you.” 

“Why?” Lori asked, sitting as if she was surprised. She had been expecting him to say something like that, but of course she couldn’t let him know that. He pulled her back down next to him. 

“I have to meet with some people, they are making a deal with me about the new stove invention I made” 

Lori smiled to herself, glad he couldn’t see her face. She wondered how surprised he would be if he knew that she knew the stove was a cover for the plot to overthrow the fairy king, Elissior. She turned to him, a sad and innocent look in her round red eyes. 

“Can I come with you? I could keep you company on such a boring journey” she said. He smiled. Moving her wavy black hair out of her face, he ran a finger over her cheeks.

“Don’t look at me like that!” He said, mockingly angry; “You know I can’t withstand that face!” 

Lori pretended to perk up, and asked brightly:

“Then I can come?” 

But he shook his head: 

“No, it’s too far for you. I will be flying for a day and a half straight, all through the night. I don’t want you to tire your wings out.” He smiled at her, and she laid back down next to him. 

“Where are you going that it takes so long?” she asked, in a voice that sounded rejected, and sad. He grabbed her hand.

“I’m going towards the mountains, because they are rock fairies and live in the caves. I waited until the last minute to go, because I wanted to stay with you.” He leaned his head against her, closing his eyes.Lori looked at him closely, to see if he really meant it. She was pretty sure he did. She smiled, wider and more genuinely than before. There was a trace of maliciousness in her eyes as she watched him drift off to sleep.  

Lori waited until she was sure  he had fallen asleep, then flew outside. In the hollow of an oak she had hidden a small communication orb. She pulled it out of the tree,  glancing behind her to make sure she hadn’t been followed. 

“Yansir!” she said into the orb. It’s blue marbled surface swirled and turned into a light gray space. The face of a young man appeared in it. Lori smiled. 

“Yansir! I am so glad to see you!” She beamed at the fairy in the orb. 

“I have the information. He will fly to the mountains in the morning, to meet the rock fairies. He will probably give then the whereabouts of his companion, who will hand off the horn to them.” She quickly looked around her again, to clear the area. Yansir nodded, and wrote something down. He looked back at her with a tender expression. 

“I miss you, Lori.” 

Lony smiled softly, more real than anything expression she had made all day. 

“I miss you too. This is my last mission, In a few days, I will be home, and then we will get married. I will never leave again” 

She smiled, but Yansir frowned slightly. 

“Lori, you don’t have to quit the missions if you don’t want to.” He said seriously. But Lori shook her head. 

“I do want to. Every time I’m on one, I feel like I’m betraying you. Even though I know it’s all fake, I hate it. I always miss you so much.” Lori knew she hadn’t really been clear, but she also knew Yansir would understand what she meant. He looked relieved. 

“Then, I’ll see you in a few days?” 

“Yes!”” Lori said. She swiped her hand over the orb, and it returned to its original marbled blue surface.  She stared at it for a few seconds, her mind still on the conversation. Then she raised it to her lips and kissed it. She was so happy to be done with her mission, or at least, almost done. She had to stay a few days in case the fairies got away, and came to the clearing. But once they were caught she could go home to Yansir, and they could finally get married. Lori laughed into the night out of pure joy, spinning in a circle, her wings and hair bright with flames in her excitement. She was raining sparks on the grass below her, but luckily there had been dew, and the grass was damp. Steam rose up as the dew evaporated, but nothing caught fire. Slowing her spin, she stared at the stars. They were beautiful, bright and hopeful, and Lori imagined herself in a wedding dress that sparkled like the stars, holding onto Yansir's arm, as they said their vows. It would be wonderful, beautiful, and Lori smiled. In just a few days, the dream would be real.