by Gavin Neale
‘Yes, Guild Master, but…’
‘There is no but! I leave everything in your capable hands. Come on, Daphne.’ Einion didn’t wait for a response but strode out from the throng of dwarves into the street. Daphne handed her tankard to the porter, who had quietly sidled up to her amid the commotion. He took it with a polite nod of the head and Daphne set off after the Grand Master.
***
Erykah stepped into the garden in the dark after Abby had gone to bed and was greeted with a low whistle as Bryonny made her way to greet her. ‘Can you kidnap the girl?’ Erykah asked.
Bryonny looked the Queen of the Fairies up and down, hesitating for a moment before she began. ‘I can, although it will be tricky with a witch present. But I have an alternative plan to suggest. What if we kidnapped the boy neighbour so the girl will want to rescue him? In fact, why not have the Ruined do it for us?’
Erykah did not reply immediately, which Bryonny knew was a positive sign.
‘But why would that guarantee that they would bring the warrior?’ Erykah asked eventually.
‘It doesn’t, but if you turn up whilst the kidnap is still fresh you will be able to persuade them. If you can’t manage that, then you shouldn’t remain queen.’
‘Can you arrange such a thing?’ Erykah wondered how far she could trust her sometime ally.
‘I think it can be done.’
6
Gathering Forces
Daphne was sitting in the courtyard of a plain but well-appointed house. The forge was running and a young relative of Einion’s was being taught the basics of metal work. It would be years before they could even consider starting down the path of combining magic and metal. Even then there was no guarantee that any dwarf, even one with the Grand Master as a direct relative, would get to train as a runesmith.
Daphne sat with Einion while another of the family fussed around, leaving them with tankards of ale and some light snacks. ‘Do you miss this family time?’ she asked.
Einion laughed. ‘I would if I allowed the guild to have its way. But even they concede that family is important and so I’m here when I can be.’
‘And now I arrive to drag you away.’ Daphne sipped at her ale, aware of what she was asking the dwarf to do.
‘I have a duty to the Accords as well,’ Einion replied. ‘Such obligations are not to be treated lightly. The fact that you have come here signals that something of great significance has occurred.’
Daphne looked around her but no one was within earshot, and it would be hard to listen in to their conversation because of the hammering from the forge. ‘The request has come from the Land of Fairy. A large contingent of the Ruined have arrived. Whilst there is no all-out war yet, the Fairies are concerned.’
‘As they should be. You are assembling an enforcement council?’
‘We are, and would request your presence as our runesmith and possibly our armourer.’
‘You would have me arm the Fairies?’ Einion stared wide-eyed over his tankard, watching the human witch very carefully.
‘We would have you be prepared,’ Daphne replied, choosing her words carefully. ‘We would never ask you to act against your conscience.’
‘Ha, some dwarf I would be if I allowed that! I will come but I will need to bring another with me. Do you object?’
‘Of course not, Einion. You will be responsible for them but we trust your judgement implicitly.’
‘And I yours. Although I have yet to meet a fairy worthy of trust. The elf won’t object?’
‘The elf?’ asked Daphne, doing her best to appear innocent.
‘Come now, Daphne. We know each other well, despite the long years since we last met, so don’t play games with me. If there is an invasion of the Ruined, the two human witches will want a dwarf runesmith and an elven world walker. If nothing else, an elf should help clear up the mess left by their cursed kin.’
Daphne struggled not to wince every time Einion said the word elf with such venom. ‘I know nothing of who it will be. Nora is taking care of that side of things.’
‘A sensible division of labour. I will come to you as soon as I can get everything arranged – but don’t pretend you are not aware of who Nora is trying to contact.’
‘Do you blame me when you speak as you do? Your words hurt even here amidst your grounding magic and with my senses as dormant as I can leave them. I thought dwarves could not use magic directly?’
Einion had the grace to look embarrassed at the rebuke. ‘No, we can’t. And we can’t help what we are either, but we can control what we do. I swear that both Rhiannon and I will be on our best behaviour when we take up our offices with you.’
‘I would expect no less,’ Daphne replied, raising her tankard in salute. She settled back in her chair to make the most of the food and drink before the long journey back.
***
The elven world walker Pedir was sitting cross-legged in the depths of a huge forest. It was a strange place, even for someone who had roamed through the various different worlds that an infinite universe offered to an elf with Pedir’s skills. The trees could not talk as they did in his home world but, given the strength of the magic that surrounded him, Pedir could not work out why.
The long strands of his dreadlocks were held together by a cord and stretched down nearly to his waist; his supple fingers were intertwined and his head was bowed in concentration. A long wooden staff lay in front of him; his focus was so concentrated on the swirling magic and its interaction with the local plant life that it took a spell cast to communicate specifically with him to break it.
Pedir had a deep reverence for the Accords, which all the Guardians shared, but he also had a profound respect for the human witch, Nora. She was one of the few beings capable of finding him. She had sent a simple message, a summons; it was a polite request rather than the demand that he knew Nora was capable of.
Pedir stretched and sprang to his feet, gathering his staff as he did so. He made a mental note of his location. His questions about the local plant life would have to wait but he would come back when the threat to the Accords had been dealt with. Assuming, of course, that he survived.
***
Nora was slumped at the kitchen table of the cottage she shared with Daphne, sipping one of her restorative teas. She usually only had extra cups of this special formula after performing serious magic, but there was a particular kind of weary that only a boisterous young boy could induce in whoever had been charged with looking after him.
‘Was it that bad?’ asked Daphne, walking into the kitchen through the back door.
‘If I had any knack for dealing with dwarves, I would have gladly swapped the walk to and from Dinasmawr for trailing round after that boy all day. How did it go?’
‘Well, Einion is bringing an assistant.’ Daphne started making herself a cup of tea.
‘Interesting. Anyone we know?’
‘No, I didn’t get to meet them. But Einion isn’t going to bring any old dwarf.’
‘That just leaves the elf, Pedir. No telling how long he’ll be, though I’ll venture not long. We can get Einion and his companion set up in the garden until we all assemble.’
‘What about looking after the children?’
‘We can send Pedir to do some exploratory work. I imagine that Einion will want to prepare in the garden. You can’t bind magical runes to metal in the Land of Fairy, the magic there is too unstable. Not even the great forge masters of the Ancients could pull that off. We do what we can and hope that, by the time we’re ready, it’s the long weekend. Otherwise, we could try a time slip if there is a full-blown invasion by the Ruined.’
‘Time does not exactly run smoothly in the Land of Fairy. That would be a tricky time slip to set up, particularly as we don’t know how long we would need. If anybody can do it then you can, Nora, but I don’t think it is pos
sible.’
‘I know. I’m trying to think of something else. Let me sleep on it.’
***
Nora was awake early as usual the next morning and went straight to her workshop in their second garden. She had no sooner lit the fire against the morning cold so she could make tea for her guests when there was a polite knock at the door. She opened it to find a young dwarf staring up at her with inquisitive green eyes.
‘Good morning, I believe that you must be the human Guardian of the Accords called Nora. My name is Rhiannon, Child of Alwen. I will be assisting Einion, Child of Gimli, to uphold the dwarf responsibilities to the Accords.’ Rhiannon had the typical dwarf beard, but with a pair of plaits woven in it, which matched a set of braids in her auburn hair on one side of her head.
‘Good morning, Rhiannon. I am indeed Nora, welcome to my workshop. Please come in and drink at my hearth.’
‘Thank you. Einion will be here at any moment so I will wait for him to arrive.’
Nora was about to ask where the older dwarf had got to when she heard a clanking in the distance. She looked over Rhiannon’s head and saw a large steam-powered contraption appear from the forest on the other side of her vegetable garden. It was not often that Nora was surprised but it was not every day that a traction engine appeared, startling her goats in their enclosure.
‘How is that even possible?’ Nora muttered, walking past Rhiannon and down the garden to the machine. Certainly there was no damage to any trees in the forest that surrounded the clearing.
‘Nora,’ Einion called happily. He climbed awkwardly down from the footplate and waited for the witch to reach him.
‘I didn’t think so much metal could pass between worlds,’ Nora said, staring at the machine that had transported Einion. She could see that the surface of the engine was covered in runes and, although she did not understand how the dwarf had done it, Nora could see the magic spells woven into the fabric of the metal itself. ‘It’s beautiful, although I don’t know how you steered it here even with those spells.’
‘Thank you. It is also a secret, so let’s keep this to ourselves.’
‘Will you set up your forge here?’
‘If that will not affect your work.’ Einion looked at the vegetable beds and the outhouse where Rhiannon was standing.
‘Not at all. The garden and animals are perfectly ordinary. I can show you where to find the best firewood. As long as your spells fall short of my workshop, we should be fine.’
‘That will not be a problem.’
‘Would you like some tea?’ Nora asked. ‘I’ve got the kettle on. Daphne should be along shortly and then we can make a plan.’
‘That would be lovely.’ Einion waited until Nora turned and started back towards her workshop before he quickly scooped up a small bone token that lay upon the grass under his mobile workshop. He slipped it into a pouch that hung from his belt and hurried after Nora, relieved that the rune that had guided his way to the garden still worked despite the separation of the magical realms. He wondered what new tests would await him in the coming days.
7
A New Alliance
‘And what do you have to gain from such a plan?’
Bryonny looked at the Malevolent King Richtus the Gaunt of the Ruined Elves, and worked hard not to smile. The Ruined were universally reviled among the other magical creatures, yet there was no doubting the beautiful face that they presented to the world. Even the youngest of the pixies, though, could see through this facade to the king’s true motives. Bryonny had studied all the pixie lore about these fallen elves; with their love of power and chaos, they were a formidable enemy, but Bryonny was sure that no matter how the kidnap went she could turn events to her advantage.
‘We can return the old magics and step out from under the fairies’ rule. We do not enjoy being governed by anyone.’ Bryonny was beginning to feel confident that her plan would be accepted by the Ruined’s king.
‘I can appreciate that.’
The king may have had an elegant face that was framed with flowing golden locks, and blue eyes that were set in porcelain skin above an aquiline nose, but the tone of his voice gave him away. To her ear, stripped of the magic the king used to persuade, it was a sly voice, slightly grating, that made everything he said sound mocking or insolent. ‘You are sure that the removal of this boy will disrupt Queen Erykah’s plans?’
‘She seems to think he is some kind of powerful warrior. The story is that he helped rid them of the false king who ruled these lands for so long.’
‘Then we shall grant this warrior the respect he deserves.’
‘I thought we would get the boy,’ Bryonny said. She knew that for Erykah’s purposes, it was better that the Ruined kept him – unless they decided to torture him or worse.
‘Possibly, but I may have uses for him. Do you propose to cross your new ally already?’
‘Of course not. Once we have our freedom, there will be plenty of other children. We are of one mind in this matter.’
‘Excellent. I will not forget that you brought me this information. Let us hope that it is as good as you suggest.’ The king turned and strode off back towards his camp, his guards falling in around him.
The pixie chief was not sure how the plan would work out but the only person who was in danger was the human boy – and what did he matter in the grand scheme of things?
***
Daphne and Nora left the two dwarves setting up their camp and went to look after the children. The day was brighter and Abby had opened up the playhouse so Thomas could play with things from there whilst she did her homework at a low table. They were both enjoying being outside.
‘Can you come out and play?’ asked Thomas, standing at the shed doorway with a ball at his feet.
Abby made a show of checking her work planner but, for the first time ever, she had her homework under control. ‘I can play for a bit.’
‘Cool,’ Thomas said, running towards Chris’s dilapidated goal posts. ‘I’ll go in goal first.’
Abby controlled the ball that Thomas threw at her, flicked it up in the air and volleyed it towards the top corner. Thomas was a fraction slow so, even though he got his fingertips to the ball, he couldn’t stop it from going in. They played for a while without too many arguments until Thomas tried to kick the ball as hard as he could into the goal and it went flying over the bar and down the garden.
‘Tom!’
‘What?’ Thomas snarled. He set off after the ball.
The football had gone a long way down the garden. Abby turned to see Daphne and Nora at the back of the house, waved at them and turned to follow Thomas. She walked past the stump where her old oak tree used to be. It was funny, she never really thought about that strange summer when she was in the playhouse but the tree stump reminded her of the evil spirit that had lived in their garden and kidnapped her mum.
She was not far behind Thomas when it happened. One minute he was walking towards the ball and the next there was a stranger dragging him towards the hedge.
‘Hey!’ shouted Abby, breaking into a run. The stranger turned and Abby gasped. What was he? He was tall, with graceful limbs and long dark hair. As Abby got closer, she could see his large pointed ears.
She shouted incoherently while she continued to hurtle towards the pair, but the stranger merely laughed, grabbed Thomas around the middle and hoisted the large boy easily into the air. Then he stepped out of the world.
‘Tom! Daphne, Nora, come quick!’ Abby shouted.
It took a while for old women to catch up. Daphne looked shocked while Nora wore an expression of grim determination.
‘What’s going on, dear?’ asked Daphne. ‘Where’s Tom?’
‘Somebody took him. They just vanished.’
‘Slow down, Abby,’ Nora said, keeping calm as Daphne got a little flustered. ‘What happened?
You were playing football, he kicked the ball past the goal, you waved to us and then followed him. What happened next?’
‘I walked past the stump and looked up to see someone dragging Tom towards the hedge. I called out and tried to stop them but whoever it was just turned and laughed. I don’t think he was human.’
‘What makes you say that, dear?’ asked Daphne
‘He was too tall and thin, and had long pointed ears.’ Abby waited for a reply as Daphne and Nora stared at each other. ‘Is this bad? How do we get him back?’
‘We don’t,’ said Nora firmly. She looked stern. ‘Daphne and I need to think about this, but if it is who we think it is then you can’t help.’
‘I rescued Mum,’ Abby said, getting angrier and louder as she continued to talk. ‘I don’t much like Tom, but he’ll be scared. And I passed two of the tree spirit’s tests and cut off his sword hand.’
‘You can’t go back there now,’ Daphne said, realising too late what she was saying.
‘You know where they’ve gone?’
‘We have an idea,’ Nora replied, giving Daphne a warning look. ‘But there’s no point in standing around and shouting. Let’s have a cup of tea and a talk with some friends of ours.’
‘Do you think that’s a good idea?’ asked Daphne, surprised.
‘Abby’s already kept one set of secrets and we can’t leave her here on her own so we can go gallivanting after the boy.’
‘Go where?’ asked Abby. She was very confused and not sure what Nora was suggesting. ‘What about Tom?’
‘One thing at a time, young lady,’ Nora said. ‘Come on, this way.’
Abby followed Daphne and Nora as they went back to the house and locked up before heading down the street to their cottage. They didn’t stop there, however; Nora led them down the side of the cottage, past the shed to the gap in the hedge at the back of the garden.