Jewel, the Pixie Archivist

The Silvergrey Sea

Part Seven: What Is and Should Never Be

Jewel, the Pixie Archivist

* * *

Jewel had done her mourning.

It had been a shock almost greater than that of losing her Uncle Onyx to find she was his replacement as Keeper of the Archives. Greater still to find that Aunt Diamond supported him. The two women had a long talk about it.

Diamond and Onyx had decided when she was still young that she was the best candidate and had worked together to train her. Diamond was the stick to his carrot.

Jewel was floored at the change in her aunt’s attitude toward her. Gone was the stern disappointment. Present was a comradely affection that she had lavished on every other member of the clan as long as Jewel could remember. Her confidence in herself soared in those days.

They’d gone together to Onyx’s old house—hers now—and the elder pixie, along with Onyx and Diamond’s brother Bluejohn, spent weeks finishing her training for the role. Jewel was reassured to learn how little left there was to learn.

When she was finally alone, Jewel really felt it. A few visits from other pixies seeking knowledge or judgements from her did little to help. The pixie missed her old life, even as she revelled in her new one.

One day, about a month into her new tenure as Keeper, she was awoken by a strange feeling. It was as if someone was trying to communicate, some unfamiliar Fæ. There were countless Fæ she’d never had contact with, but she’d been in spiritual union with so many that she knew most types.

This one was alien.

Now fully awake, she got out of bed and padded, barefoot to the Oculum, the seeing room. There she could best try to communicate with this unknown Fæ. The room was round and ten feet wide, surrounded by stained glass embrasures and domed with the same. She passed a hand over the metal plate to the right of the entranceway and the glass lit up, filling the space with coloured light. Stripping off her nightshirt, Jewel knelt, naked bum on bare feet, in the center of the floor. She began a chant taught by her uncle long ago.

Five minutes of this and the sense of another mind became clearer; then became a voice. ‘What’s happening to me?’

An odd query. ‘Where are you?’

Surprise. ‘Who’s there?’

‘My name is Jewel, Keeper of the Pixie Archives. Who is this please? How can I help you?’

‘So many voices. Am I mad?’

‘Where are you?’

‘Here. I’ve always been here, but it’s always quiet. Now there are voices. So many…’ The other trialed off. Jewel sensed its distress.

‘What’s it like there?’

‘Cool. Silvery. Noisy. I must silence these voices.’

‘How long have you been where you are?’

‘Forever.’

‘What do you see?’

‘See?’ Jewel sensed confusion.

This Fæ did not know what seeing was. Jewel wondered if she should seek help for this. The pixie felt out of her depth.

No.

Hers was the duty, now.

‘Can you feel me?’

‘I think…yes. I think so. Is this you?’

Jewel ‘felt’ a touch, like a caress. She smiled; certain the other would sense her pleasure. ‘Yes, that’s me.’

‘Can you help me? I must have quiet or I will go mad.’

‘I think I can. Let me in to you, please.’

Apprehension. ‘What does that mean?’

‘I’ll join your consciousness. We’ll both know what’s happening, and I’ll be able to help you. I will do nothing without asking first.’

A moment’s silence. Then, ‘Very well.’

Jewel felt a barrier melt away and a strong current—much stronger than she was prepared for—pulled her along until she was inside the other’s mind.

Such memories!

This Fæ had lived so long. Jewel was pummelled with memories of combat and empire, worlds and races, glories and horrors. A sudden intuition told her who this was.

Panic nearly undid her then.

She fought it. This creature needed her.

‘I think I know you. Are you Poseidon?’

‘Yes!’ Joy ‘That is my name! Thank you. I had forgotten. Please, what are these voices?’

‘Your kin. You are Fæ. We all can talk to one another this way.’

‘How do you stand it?’

Jewel sent amusement. ‘We learn to stop listening when we are very young. You are new to this, yes? You haven’t learned the trick of not listening. I’ll show you.’ There were no words for what she did next, demonstrating for the Sea God how she silenced the voices. Like most Fæ, she did it so reflexively, she never thought of it. The other, Poseidon ‘watched’ as Jewel first turned off and then back on her ‘ears’ several times. ‘You try.’

The Sea God was a quick study. He got it on the second try. ‘Ah. Much better.’

‘All your life, you’ve been deaf to this?’ Jewel knew the answer of course but was seeking to inspire camaraderie that would make future lessons easier.

‘Apparently, yes. I’ve done things, horrible things for the sake of remedying its lack. Why now, do I have it, I wonder.’

‘What do you remember of recent events?’

‘I was tying to make more people to listen for me. They didn’t like it.’

‘Who?’ Jewel knew the recent history well, of course but she wanted to coax Poseidon out of his shell. He had a lot to learn and to atone for.

‘No one.’ Deep sorrow. ‘The ones I made attacked me.’

‘Where are they now?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘I think I might. May I look in your memories again?’

Feeling more trusting, ‘Yes.’

Sure enough, the new Templars were here; at least, their memories were. The fight may have resulted in their defeat or perhaps they had sought to kill the Sea God from within. In any event, they were no more, except as parts of their foe. ‘I think your children gave you the gift of communication. Perhaps it was deliberate, perhaps not. You are whole now, though.’

‘Whole?’

‘ ‘Healed’, might be a better word.’

She sensed the other’s joy.

‘Welcome to the Tribes of the Fæ, brother.’

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Jewel spent much time with Poseidon, schooling him in what it meant to be Fæ. At first, it was difficult. The former Sea God felt crippling remorse for the damage it had caused. The pixie helped him understand the nature of his former disability and why such as he were often euthanized as children.

Together, they discovered why he had not been. Poseidon had been taken from his parents as a newborn then deliberately crippled by an evil being called the Wanderer in the Wastes. Learning why had been a terrible trial for them both. Never did they discover who his parents had been. They did learn that his healing had been by design. The Sea God determined to find the Watr Man and thank him.

There were countless souls in the Silvergrey Sea who had lived alongside Poseidon. Little attention had either paid to the other. Poseidon vowed to rectify that. With Jewel’s help, he contacted several, individually and eventually, in large groups. Together, they agreed to help one another and safeguard all mariners on the Silvergrey Sea. In this way, Poseidon hoped to repay his debt.

* * *

Jewel managed to keep up with her duties while helping Poseidon adjust to life as a normal Fæ, helping those in need of information and recording the important doings of the Pixie Tribes. Several times, she was visited by Uncle Bluejohn, and twice more by Aunt Diamond with her own news to record. Such visits, enjoyable though they were, made her homesick. Bluejohn offered to take the duty if she wished a vacation to visit her family. She determined to do just that. Home this place was, now. But a part of her would always be in the haunted wood under the red moon.

She got a bit of home back on the day Emerald came to visit.

Jewel opened the door to a knock and there she was, all four feet of her in her P.J.s as usual. Bright green eyes widened at Jewel not being her uncle. She had her wings, now. Transparent to Jewel’s eye, they would be invisible to her parents. Emerald would live the life of a human, until her parents passed, as was the way of pixies.

“Where’s Uncle Onyx?” the younger pixie asked.

Suddenly, all the grief at his loss came back to Jewel. Her vision blurred with tears, but not before seeing Emerald’s do the same. An unworded message passed between them, and they were in each others’ arms, weeping.

Jewel recovered first. Looking down into Emerald’s big eyes, she wiped a tear from the girl’s face and said, “Come inside for some cookies. I have a such story to tell you.”

Emerald smiled.

---

For Jewel’s backstory, see Jewel the Pixie.

—Gideon Jagged
Innsmouth, October 2026

© Gideon Jagged
All Rights Reserved