Azrael's Twins and the Circle of Stone: Book Two of the Nearworld Tales

by Vincent Mortimer

  ‘How did you find us?’ said Grady.

  ‘Oh, you know. Out for an afternoon ride,’ said Eilidia.

  ‘Not very convincing,’ said Quinn. ‘You always head out with backpacks and supplies like that?’ he said, gesturing to the pouches slung under the seats on the broomsticks.

  Eilidia hesitated. ‘We … we like to travel well-prepared,’ she said, though not with much conviction.

  ‘Hmmmm,’ said Quinn. ‘And am I right in guessing you elves are best known for your tracking skills?’

  Neither girl replied.

  ‘Aha.’

  Eilidia huffed. ‘You have a suspicious mind.’

  ‘You’re not the first to say that,’ said Quinn, defiantly holding the elf’s eye.

  ‘You’ve been spying on us?’ said Grady.

  ‘I wouldn’t call it spying,’ said Eilidia. ‘Protective support might be a better description.’

  ‘Or spying,’ said Quinn.

  ‘It would be spying if we had been able to find you before. But you’ve been practically invisible,’ said Tiana with annoyance.

  ‘Invisible?’ said Grady. ‘How?’

  ‘If it hadn’t been for your dragon destroying everything within a kilometre we’d not have seen you. There’s something about you two that’s really difficult to track.’

  ‘That’s a handy piece of information,’ said Hep.

  ‘Yes. But is it us or is it something or someone else?’ said Grady.

  ‘Your dragon is very sick,’ said the third elf, kneeling down by Iris. ‘I can sense a sickness eating into the flesh. I might have something that will help.’

  ‘This is Alliandra,’ said Eilidia. ‘She has a way with herbs and plants that is strong even by our standards. If she says she can help then I would trust her.’

  Alliandra ran to her broomstick and pulled a pouch out from under the seat. She unrolled it to reveal a wad of different coloured herbs which Grady could smell even from a distance, sweet and fragrant as if a summer evening had been opened up in front of him. The elf picked a handful of herbs from several different piles and dropped them into a bowl she formed from a thin material she pulled from her pocket. She touched her wand to the bowl and a shimmer ran across its surface, turning the delicate material to a solid substance which held the water she poured from a silver bottle. The mixture bubbled and thickened before turning into an iridescent blue paste.

  ‘That’s a good trick,’ said Quinn. ‘I must remember that.’

  The elf glanced up at Quinn as she proceeded to grind the herbs into a paste. ‘I doubt you will be able to manage it.’

  ‘I like a challenge,’ said Quinn.

  The elf sneered at Quinn as she finished her work. ‘This wound is the worst,’ she said, pointing at a scar on Iris’s head that was turning darker by the second. ‘This might sting a bit,’ she said as she lifted a glob of the paste from the bowl and leaned over the dragon.

  ‘Tell her I probably won’t kill her,’ said Iris.

  ‘She says you’ll live. This time,’ said Grady, smiling.

  The elf hesitated but then saw the look on Grady’s face. She gently smeared the paste onto the ugly looking wound, causing the scales around the joint to sizzle and bubble. Iris roared and heaved her head away from the elf. But the obvious pain was short-lived. The bubbling stopped and where there had been a growing black scar, there was now a clean wound, which seemed to Grady’s eyes to be healing as he watched.

  ‘That’s amazing,’ said Grady.

  ‘Only if you’re human,’ said Alliandra dismissively.

  ‘You’ll have to excuse my friend,’ said Eilidia. ‘She doesn’t get out with humans much.’

  Alliandra continued to smear the paste over the worst of the wounds, but there were too many for her meagre supplies to deal with.

  Grady cast an anxious glance at the other dragons. ‘What about them?’ he said, pointing. ‘There’s no one watching them now.’

  ‘Don’t worry about them,’ said Iris. ‘They realise now they made a mistake.’

  Grady cast a wary eye at the other dragons who were creeping closer. They no longer looked in the least bit threatening and instead seemed to be watching him, and waiting for his blessing.

  ‘Did you say something to them?’ he said, turning back to Iris.

  ‘A word of warning. I told them you were a madman who shouldn’t be messed with.’

  Grady blinked. ‘Seemed to work,’ he said after a moment. ‘Suppose it can’t do the reputation any harm.’

  ‘You must be special to get this many vipers so far south,’ said Tiana. ‘They normally stay higher up and further to the north.’

  ‘I think Iris has been keeping an eye on us,’ said Quinn. ‘She followed us from the Dragon’s Lair.’

  Alliandra laughed. ‘I don’t think so. This dragon has been hunting something here. Someone, I think. And if you had not turned up I think it might have ended badly for her.’

  ‘Is that true? Were you the one hunting her?’ said Grady.

  ‘Maybe,’ said Iris. ‘But let’s talk about this later shall we? I’m not feeling terribly well at the moment.’

  ‘How far away are your friends?’ said Alliandra, standing up from her work. ‘These wounds have some dark magic in them. I can only hold it back for a little while.’ As she spoke the wound on Iris’s head began to blacken again.

  ‘They are here,’ said Hep.

  ‘Any moment now,’ said Grady.

  ‘How can you be so confident?’ said Eilidia.

  At that moment a blast of light above them revealed Niamh, McHavering and Roland Ruffelbane. The three slowed and landed without any of the grace the elves had shown.

  Grady smiled at Eilidia. ‘I listen to my inner voice.’

  McHavering was off his broomstick in a flash as he touched down. He swung a large pack off his back and dropped it beside the still stricken dragon.

  ‘Ye weren’t wrong, lass,’ he said. ‘This is worse than any of the wounds she’s had before.’

  ‘You’ve seen these injuries before?’ said Grady.

  ‘Aye. But ye knew what yer wee dragon was up tae lad. Don’t pretend ye didn’t.’

  ‘Well … yes. Of course,’ said Grady defensively. ‘But I thought she was messing around. You didn’t tell me she had these sorts of wounds though.’

  ‘We didn’t tell anyone,’ said Roland. ‘Hardly anyone.’

  ‘My parents?’ said Grady, coldly.

  ‘Not directly,’ said Roland, moving clinically along the dragon’s back checking the wounds.

  ‘More secrets,’ said Niamh.

  ‘Not exactly secrets,’ said Roland. ‘More like “not necessary to talk about who the dragon has been hunting”.’

  ‘Who has Iris been chasing, Hector?’ said Niamh.

  The Scotsman looked up from the potion he was mixing, reached into his pack and drew out the package the arrow tip was wrapped within. ‘This type of arrow was nae used but by one witch. It was her signature. And we havnae seen it for many, years.’

  Niamh knew instantly that what Hector had said was true. ‘The Morrigan.’

  ‘Aye. The Morrigan.’

  Roland appeared to reach a decision and stood up. ‘We can’t shift her. We need to stay here. Niamh and Grady, head back to the castle and get some tents brought out. Tell the guards we need the big ones, big enough to cover Iris. And something for us too.’ He looked around the clearing at the fallen and shattered trees that littered the site. ‘I don’t think we’ll struggle to find firewood tonight, but send food. Tell Murdock we’ll be staying here for tonight. He can get someone to sort out the stables for the evening.’

  ‘I don’t want to leave her!’ said Grady, affronted.

  ‘Do you really think you should be staying out here with the Morrigan on the loose?’ said Roland. ‘Go home and tell your parents what happened. The elves can go with you. The more protection you have, the better.’

  ‘He’s right Grady,’ said Ei
lidia. ‘We should go.’

  ‘You can’t help me tonight,’ said Iris. ‘Much as I hate to admit it, I’m in good hands.’

  ‘We’ll talk about this again,’ said Grady. ‘Don’t think you’ve heard the last of it.’

  Iris closed her eyes and, to Grady at least, looked as though she was smiling.

  ‘They’re right,’ said Niamh, touching Grady’s arm. ‘But this isn’t over yet.’

  ‘What are you planning?’

  ‘We need some help to track a friend down. There’s only one person who knows how to keep the Morrigan under control. We owe this to Iris.’

  ‘You’ll never find him,’ said Hep, the words echoed by Persephone.

  ‘Watch us,’ said Niamh. ‘Come on Grady. We’ve work to do!’

  ‘You’re mad,’ said Bree, curling her legs under her as she relaxed on the sofa in Niamh’s room.

  ‘Not mad,’ said Eilidia. ‘Just insanely optimistic.’

  ‘You honestly believe you can track down a wizard who hasn’t been seen in hundreds of years?’ said Hugh. ‘You’re barmy!’

  ‘We’ve seen him,’ said Niamh flatly.

  ‘You!’ said Tulliah with disbelief. ‘What on earth do you mean, you’ve seen him?’

  Grady sighed. ‘Long story. But we’ve seen him plenty of times since we’ve been here. It’s like he’s been waiting for us.’

  ‘If she says we can find him why shouldn’t we believe her?’ said Devin, absent-mindedly plaiting her hair.

  Bree stared in disbelief ay Devin‘You think a bunch of children can find a wizard who’s eluded the best minds of our time just because we’ve decided we want to find him?’

  ‘Sometimes you only find those things you truly believe in,’ said Devin, smiling. ‘If you don’t believe, you’ll never find them. And if you don’t look then you’ll never believe.’

  Everyone in the room stared at Devin. She had a way of reducing the utterly impossible to the completely plausible through some sort of magic of her own.

  Quinn shook his head. ‘Even if we thought we could find him we wouldn’t know where to start looking.’

  ‘We’ve thought about that,’ said Grady. ‘Where would you look if you really wanted to hide?’

  ‘Somewhere hidden, obviously,’ said Alliandra.

  ‘Somewhere in plain view,’ said Niamh.

  ‘That’s too obvious,’ said Hugh. ‘That’s too convenient.’

  ‘Think about it,’ said Grady. ‘We know that he has been here for hundreds of years, keeping an eye on the Morrigan whenever she shows up. Right now she’s out chasing dragons, our dragon. He’ll have to come out of hiding now she’s back. If I were him I’d try and look like another old man in town. After all, no one really knows what he looks like now.’

  The rest of the children in the room exchanged glances.

  ‘I mustn’t be feeling well,’ said Hugh, sitting down in a large high-backed chair. ‘He’s starting to make sense.’

  ‘Thank you so much,’ said Grady.

  ‘But how would he hide? What would he look like?’ said Tiana.

  ‘Is there a spell, a trick that allows you to wear someone else’s face?’ said Niamh. ‘Something that … reflects what you want others to see? Think about what Devin said. “If you don’t look, you’ll never believe.” What if you could make people see what they want to see.’

  ‘Our people have an ability to project a different face to others,’ said Keeva. As they looked at her the elf’s face began to subtly change. Features appeared to flow gently and in moments she had changed from a high-cheeked wide-eyed elf to a round-faced normal looking human. Even her ears had lost their points and appeared extraordinarily human.

  ‘Wow,’ said Niamh. ‘That’s weird.’

  ‘I told you she had rare talents,’ said Eilidia. ‘Keeva is more talented than most at face shifting.’

  ‘You did ask,’ said Keeva. The elf smiled and her face flowed back to its original features.

  ‘We’ve seen it before,’ said Grady. ‘Before we came here. The elves who helped us did something similar.’

  Eilidia and her friends stared intensely at Grady. ‘You’ve met those in the old world?’

  ‘Well … yes,’ said Grady uncertainly. ‘Is that a problem?’

  ‘What were they like?’ asked Alliandra, looking star-struck.

  Niamh and Grady exchanged curious glances. ‘Pretty much like you,’ said Grady. ‘Taller maybe. Ears a little bit pointier. But pretty much the same.’

  ‘Why do you ask?’ said Niamh.

  Tiana answered. ‘We have been separated from that line of elves for a time longer than anyone in Avalon has memories. We’ve never met anyone who has seen or talked to our kin. You are fortunate.’

  ‘Not as lucky as someone who can do that trick of yours,’ said Grady, shrugging off the uncomfortable stare of the elves.

  ‘There’s only one problem with the trick,’ said Keeva. ‘The changed face will look different to other people. There’s no way of detecting the change by magical means and there’s no way of telling if someone else is seeing the same face as you. It’s practically impossible to find out if someone is using the spell.’

  ‘She’s right,’ said Quinn. ‘I read about this once, but even if we could sense the spell it couldn’t be used by Azrael. It’s an elf trick – not something we humans can do.’

  ‘Who said Azrael was human any longer?’ said Grady.

  ‘Sorry?’ said Hugh. ‘Are you saying the greatest ever human wizard isn’t actually human?’

  Niamh rolled her eyes. ‘We’re trying to figure out how to find someone who apparently died hundreds of years ago, Hugh. Do you really think he’s completely human now?’

  The other children went quiet at the thought.

  ‘We could work in pairs,’ said Tiana. ‘One human and one elf together. We can work our way through town. We each have to pick a person and describe what we see – just a few words. If the other person sees someone different, we know we’ll be on to something.’

  ‘There are thousands of people in town! It’s the festival tonight,’ said Hugh. ‘We’ll be at it for days! And we‘ve only a few days left till we go home.’

  ‘We’ll need some more friends, then,’ said Grady. ‘I know someone who might want to help. Don’t you, Quinn?’

  ‘Sorry?’ said Quinn. ‘Who?’

  ‘Small and angry comes to mind,’ said Niamh, patting her brother on the back. ‘Brilliant, Grady!’

  ‘Why thank you, Niamh,’ said Grady, bowing.

  ‘I’m lost,’ said Quinn, looking baffled. ‘Who are you talk… oh no. You don’t mean …’

  ‘Yes. If there’s one group of people that can cover the town in no time at all it will be Fingal and his friends.’

  Quinn looked appalled. ‘You don’t seriously mean to unleash a group of pixies do you? It’ll be a disaster!’

  Grady smiled. ‘It’ll be fun.’

  ‘Niamh, you don’t understand. Pixies have not been a part of this world for a long time. That’s why they live where they do and…’ Quinn frowned. ‘And you’ve just given away the fact they are real in front of people who still think they are a myth! Fingal will be furious.’

  ‘You don’t expect us to believe they really exist, do you?’ said Hugh. ‘The angry pixies are a story my parents used to try and get me to put my things away.’

  ‘Obviously didn’t work by the look of your room,’ said Grady.

  Hugh threw a cushion at Grady, hitting him squarely between the eyes.

  ‘Nice shot,’ said Eilidia.

  Niamh stared out of the window, deep in thought. ‘Fingal said he and his kind weren’t able to come back to this world. What if I could arrange it that we find them a home? Would they help us then?’

  Quinn’s brow creased as he considered the question. ‘You’re assuming pixies act rationally. I’m not sure that’s always the case.’

  ‘We need help and they need a home,’ said Grady. �
�I reckon we give it a go.’

  Quinn hesitated. ‘Okay,’ he said reluctantly. ‘But everyone else better leave before we talk to them.’

  ‘I’m not offended,’ said Hugh, making it absolutely clear that he was.

  ‘We certainly aren’t,’ said Tiana. ‘We’re going to find Uncle Murdock. Call for us when you’re ready.’

  ‘Report in to Uncle Murdock, you mean,’ said Niamh.

  The four elves gave Niamh a collective stare.

  ‘Sorry,’ said Niamh. ‘A bit ungracious, wasn’t it?’

  ‘At least you noticed,’ said Alliandra. ‘Yes, we are going to report in to Uncle Murdock. And no, we won’t tell him what you are planning – at least not yet.’

  ‘Not yet?’ said Grady.

  ‘You need to understand we are compelled to tell him the truth. It’s part of who we are. But telling the truth and telling him everything we know isn’t the same. I owe you a debt from the race which I don’t see as being fulfilled yet. Saving you from the dragons was easy. So you still have that in your favour. If we are asked a direct question we must answer it. But we elves have a saying – “the truth is a murky river”. If he doesn’t ask us the right question, then we don’t have to say anything about what you are planning.’

  ‘That explains a lot,’ said Niamh, glancing at Grady. ‘How long do we have before he asks the right questions?’

  ‘That depends on how much he wants to know. Uncle Murdock doesn’t tell us everything.’

  ‘That sounds familiar,’ said Grady. ‘Glad to hear it’s not just us.’

  Eilidia smiled and walked to the door. ‘See you soon. Call us when you are ready.’

  ‘We’d better go too,’ said Bree after Eilidia and her friends had left. ‘Call us before you call the elves.’

  ‘Will do,’ said Niamh as the other children filed out.

  ‘Are you sure they’ll want to do this?’ said Quinn.

  ‘The pixies?’ Niamh sighed. ‘If someone gave you the chance of going home, what would you do? If you lived on the edge all the time would you want a way to come out of the shadows?’

  ‘That was a little close to the bone, Niamh,’ said Quinn quietly. ‘Do you want to rescue everything around you?’