by Gavin Neale
‘Are you sure about this?’ asked Abby, looking cautiously at the foaming ale. ‘Won’t Nora be cross?’
‘No, it will be fine. It is a small beer, the perfect thing to relax with before going to bed.’
‘Einion?’ asked Rhiannon.
‘Hush, child, I’m learning,’ replied Einion, with a smile at the younger dwarf.
Abby looked at the older dwarf and carefully sniffed the tankard. It smelt sweet and nothing like the beer bottles Dad sometimes had at home. She took a careful sip, tasting a clean fresh drink that was unlike anything she had drunk before. ‘That’s not beer.’
Einion laughed again as Abby drained the tankard. ‘Of course it is – but there’s no alcohol in it. I wouldn’t cross Nora if my life depended on it.’
‘It’s delicious,’ Abby said. ‘How do you make it?’
‘Even I, as great a runesmith as there has been for many centuries, don’t know the secrets of the master brewers. I am afraid it will have to remain one of life’s mysteries. I am glad we brought plenty with us. Now, let’s get you to bed.’
Abby stood up and frowned. ‘I don’t have any spare clothes or a toothbrush.’
‘Ah yes,’ said Einion. He checked his pockets and the pouches that hung from his belt. ‘Daphne planned for this. Now where is it?’ He finally found what he was looking for and held out a small brass key. ‘This opens a cupboard on the outside of the workshop. Daphne tells me you will find what you need in there.’
‘Oh, thank you.’ Abby took the key. Neither of the dwarves moved. ‘Do you have a torch?’
‘Let me find one for you,’ replied Rhiannon. She walked away from the fire but soon returned carrying a large cylindrical lamp made of brass and glass, with a flame flickering in it. ‘Here you go.’
‘Thanks,’ Abby said, taking the lamp. It was heavy but lit the way well enough and she could see where she was going as she walked towards the workshop at the other end of the garden. She felt a little strange walking on her own and resolved to ask the dwarves why they had not gone with her.
It was eerily quiet; the only noise was the wind whistling in the trees. Abby reached the workshop and found a second cupboard door a short way from the door where Nora kept the gardening tools. Feeling slightly foolish, she slid the key Einion had given her into the lock and turned it. As she did so, unbidden images of what she wanted popped into her head: a set of pyjamas; a clean T-shirt for tomorrow; fresh underwear and socks; toothbrush; toothpaste, and her bokken.
When the door swung open, there was what she wanted – with her bokken sitting on a sword stand. She bowed and picked up the bokken, then gathered the rest of the items into a pile. The door swung shut. Abby awkwardly grabbed the key from the lock, picked up the lamp by its handle and slowly made her way back to camp.
‘Let me help you,’ said Rhiannon, rushing over to Abby as she approached the fire. She took the lamp and sword stand.
‘Thanks.’ Abby’s arms were aching and she was very glad when Rhiannon led her to a small tent a few steps away.
‘I’ll let you get settled in with Rhiannon,’ Einion said. He was sitting by the fire with a tankard and a plate of food. ‘But, if you are willing, I would like to look at your sword.’
‘Erm, sure,’ said Abby, not sure why her permission was being sought. She followed Rhiannon into an old-fashioned tent. She barely had to stoop to enter the small one-person space and found herself standing on some kind of waterproof sheet. She placed the pile of clothes to her right and flexed her arms.
Rhiannon placed the sword stand above a pillow that was set at the head of a small bed that had been made up on the groundsheet. ‘I’ll show you how to light and fill the lamp tomorrow,’ she said, passing it to Abby ‘As well as how to maintain it. But for now, turn it here when you want to turn it off and don’t knock it over.’ Rhiannon demonstrated how to adjust the flame and turn off the lamp.
‘Thanks.’ Abby smiled, watching Rhiannon as she set down the lamp in the corner.
‘You’re wondering why we didn’t go with you to help carry all your things,’ said Rhiannon, as she paused by the flap of the tent.
‘Er… Yes.’
‘Einion tells me that you once had magic but sacrificed it. Such an action makes the working of even the simplest of spells very tricky. Daphne warned him that we could not be near you when you used the key she provided.’
‘Why’s that? You could’ve said something,’ replied Abby. ‘But it was probably some kind of test.’
‘Something like that.’
‘It seems dwarves are not so different to witches. Do you have some water that I can use to clean my teeth?’
‘We’re using the pump in the workshop. I will go with you. We can talk on the way.’
Abby grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste and followed Rhiannon out of the tent.
‘You’re not going to bring your weapon?’ Rhiannon asked.
‘It’s only a training sword. And what is going to attack me here?’ Abby replied, taking note of the axe strapped to Rhiannon’s back.
‘Were you not paying attention? There may be a magical war in the offing and we dare not trust the fairies. We will talk about swords tomorrow with Einion but for now keep it with you. I wouldn’t like to get struck by it.’
Abby stood for a moment, wanting to argue and go home, but in the end she picked up her bokken and followed Rhiannon into the night.
‘You can have a look when we get back,’ Abby called to Einion, as she followed Rhiannon back to the workshop.
10
Scouting in the Land of Fairy
Pedir did not even wait for the secrecy spell to be broken before he stepped across to the Land of Fairy to scout for the Ruined’s camp.
‘Are we ready for this?’ asked Daphne, looking thoughtfully at the door that Einion had just left through on his way back to the camp.
‘There’s no way for us to be ready. We’ll have to muddle our way through,’ Nora said.
‘Muddle?’ asked Daphne. ‘I thought that was what I did.’
‘There’s always time to learn something new.’ Nora offered her hand to Daphne and the pair of them stepped into the Fairy Court.
***
‘Put that sword down, there’s a good lad,’ Norah said calmly, despite the sword being pointed at her.
‘We have come at the invitation of Queen Erykah, dear,’ added Daphne, with a forced smile.
The fairy guard looked at the two old women who had suddenly appeared in the middle of the court with a mixture of disgust and envy. He could not understand why anyone would choose to appear as they did when they had so much power, but he was also awed by the reserves of power that were clearly available to the old witches.
‘Nora, Daphne, welcome to the Land of Fairy.’ Erykah was draped over her throne and motioned them to join her. ‘Come, we have much to discuss with my council.’
Three other fairies followed the witches onto the dais. Nora watched as a fairy in plain robes, barely taller than she was but with enormous wings, cast a secrecy spell to encase them in a dome of magic. Nora gave the fairy a nod of approval from one practitioner to another, then waited for Erykah to begin.
‘Allow me to introduce my advisory council. This is Tobias, our lore master. The miserable-looking one in the dull armour is Harmonia. That just leaves our Court Mage.’
‘I met one of your predecessors,’ Nora said to the Court Mage. ‘I hope you don’t make the same mistake they did.’
‘There is no record of a meeting with a human Guardian in our records,’ replied the Court Mage, but there was a low chuckle from Tobias.
‘Maybe not in your records, but the Guardian met the first Court Mage just after the separation of worlds when the Accords were put in place. Record keeping was somewhat haphazard for the mages in those years.’
‘Ar
e you threatening members of my court already, Nora?’ asked Erykah, laughing along with Tobias. ‘And you’ve only just met.’
‘It’s hard to trust someone when you can’t look them in the face,’ Nora replied. Her voice was calm and measured but there was steel in her eyes and the set of her jaw. ‘And fairies are famed for their relaxed attitudes to the truth. I don’t make threats but I like everyone to know where they stand.’
‘And in this instance that is together.’ Erykah looked at her council. She didn’t think any of them were working with the Ruined, although stranger things had happened.
‘As far as you know,’ replied Nora. She did not push the point further because she knew that Erykah could not promise loyalty from all her subjects. ‘However, there is no point in arguing over vague possibilities. We have assembled our team and have already begun our own investigation of the Ruined’s camp and intentions.’
‘I will be happy to lead you in an exploratory expedition,’ Harmonia said, staring at the two old women.
‘When the time comes, I will be most glad of it,’ Nora said, acknowledging the tall, serious fairy in her dull armour with a nod of her head. ‘But for now we have our own ways of gathering information. We will try to initiate formal contact with the Ruined in due course, but I’d like to know more about them – and you – before we do.’
‘They will try to take advantage if they can,’ Tobias said.
‘Of course they will, Tobias. I wouldn’t expect anything different from them. Or from you, once this is all over.’
‘What are you up to?’ asked Erykah. ‘And who makes up the members of your council?’
‘Right now, that is an operational secret,’ Nora replied. ‘Once we have a firmer grip on the situation, everyone will be brought together to develop a plan. For now, let us just say we have enough allies. So, let’s start by assessing how things stand. Daphne, I would like you to do some visiting with Tobias to find out how the locals are reacting to what’s going on and to ascertain who might be a useful ally. Harmonia and I will discuss the military capacity of the fairies. I think we’d both like to discuss magic with our Court Mage here, but I’m sure he is only concerned with keeping the secrets of the fairies.’
‘I do not see you granting me access to your reserves of power.’
‘A fair point,’ replied Nora. ‘But we have a binding agreement that governs the use of those reserves granted to the Guardians of the Accords. However, we can talk about this in private later.’
‘As you wish.’
‘Shall we make a start?’ asked Erykah. ‘I have questions of my own for these Guardians, once you have finished your research.’
***
Pedir sat quietly in a dark part of the Grand Forest. The Land of Fairy was a strange place but it was not so very different from the world he had grown up in, and certainly he couldn’t hope to wander and explore without being seen. So he sat cross-legged deep in the forest, sheltered by foliage, with his back against a tree trunk.
He carefully mirrored the flow of magic and air around him so that, to all practical purposes, he was invisible. A very subtle manipulation to the flow of magic was all he used to signal where he was. It was an incredibly fragile spell, akin to what Nora had sent to him, but the range was much less. The spell quickly faded and merged into the background swirl of magic. However, it was not long until the object of his enquiry nonchalantly flew past and up into the tree so he could make a covert return. He crept through the foliage until he could sit on Pedir’s shoulder and kicked his legs back and forth.
‘Hello, dear. It’s been a long time since you’ve been down here and slummed it with us pixies,’ whispered the slight pixie. He had long red hair that framed his handsome face and he wore a pair of red board shorts with flowers picked out in various shades. He wiggled his toes as he continued to swing his legs.
‘Hello, Florian,’ said Pedir, using magic to whisper his thoughts into the pixie’s ear. He did not have the skill or the size to talk as quietly as his pixie friend.
‘I know why you are here,’ Florian said. ‘There’s always an agenda with you, Pedir. You just want to take advantage of a poor innocent pixie and then abandon him when you’ve got the information you want. Some spy master you are.’
‘Has it been so long? It’s hard to tell. An infinite universe to explore, so much to do.’
‘It’s always the same with you slow species. You have no compassion for those of us who burn so brightly for such a short time.’
Pedir chuckled. ‘That’s hardly fair. Your lives are no shorter than the fairies. I’ll make it up to you sometime.’
‘Promises promises. But I assume you are here because of the drama.’ Somehow Florian managed to emphasise the word drama like a Californian school girl in a cable television show, despite there not being a single television in the Land of Fairy – or, for that matter, any Californians.
‘I would characterise it as news. But do go on.’
‘Well,’ replied Florian, elongating the single word with relish. ‘Where to begin? How about our fearless leader Bryonny possibly playing for both sides again. I don’t blame her, but the Ruined corrupt everything they touch. I don’t know what she’s thinking.’
‘A return to the old ways?’
‘Even she is not that stupid. My guess is that this is some plan cooked up with her high feline friend, Erykah.’
‘I see.’
‘Gah, you are such a tease. At least tell me something!’ Florian nudged Pedir’s neck with his elbow but was careful not to hurt the elf.
‘The Ruined are why I am here. They have broken the Peace Accords and will have to be dealt with. I don’t pretend to understand the politics of fairies and pixies but we will need to if we are to prevent a war.’
‘What?’ Florian whispered, shocked. ‘As in a proper magic and enchanted blades and death war?’
‘I am afraid so.’
‘I’m not chief of pixies. I’m no one. What use am I?’
‘You are too clever to become chief,’ replied Pedir. ‘Clever enough to befriend a young world walker when he stumbles into the Land of Fairy. Clever enough to keep an eye on Bryonny and scout round the Ruined’s camp. I need numbers and intentions, if you can get them. But no games. I don’t want you coming into contact with the Ruined. They know far too many ways to extract the truth, even from an unwilling magic practitioner.’
‘As if.’
‘Florian.’ Pedir said his name sharply to get the pixie’s attention. ‘You don’t know how you’d react to having your wings torn off and your friends killed in front of you. And that would only be the beginning. This is your friend talking, not some stuck-up elf or a member of the council demanding you do something for them. I need your help and there is a great deal of risk, so please do not do anything stupid.’
‘What’s it worth?’
Pedir tried hard not to laugh. ‘What did you have in mind?’
‘Well…’
‘Bearing in mind that the fate of the Land of Fairy, and maybe many other worlds, rests in our hands.’ Pedir felt Florian shudder at the responsibility.
‘In that case, I will help you in the name of friendship.’
‘And the promise of a few foot massages, I’ve no doubt.’
‘Ooh, I hadn’t thought of that. Maybe I’m ill…’
‘The alternative is that you are taking the threat of a magical war seriously.’
‘Now that would be a truly scary thought.’
11
Choosing a Sword
Abby slept well and woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed. She heard the others moving quietly about the camp as she got dressed and picked up her bokken. She was greeted with a friendly nod when she left her tent and she waved cheerily to Einion. Then she went towards the goat enclosure to find some space to do her kendo practice. Einion had
not said much about her training sword last night, although he did test the balance and stare at the curve of the blade for a few minutes.
Having checked that both dwarves were busy, she started with her kata, hoping that they would ignore her. She was soon wrapped up in her practice. She lost track of the number of times she performed the student and teacher’s set movements and decided it was time to practice some kirikaeshi. This was another sequence of prescribed cuts; although they should have been performed with a partner, at least they allowed Abby to work on her technique and stamina.
‘I think you have defeated the air sufficiently, Abigail. Rhiannon has breakfast ready.’
Abby finished her sequence, turned, ceremonially sheathed her sword and bowed. She walked towards Einion. ‘I don’t have anyone to practise with, or any shinai, so air is all I’ve got.’
‘Aye, well, it tells me a bit about the type of sword that would work for you. Although crafting a weapon for someone travelling to the Land of Fairy – and who can change size there – is going to be difficult. And that’s putting it mildly.’
Abby stopped in surprise. ‘Crafting a sword? For me?’
‘Can you see any other warriors swanning round here?’ Einion scratched his head and motioned for Abby to follow him.
Abby followed compliantly. ‘But Nora and Daphne don’t want me anywhere near the Land of Fairy.’
‘True. They also asked me to act as runesmith and armourer, and you are a person of interest. They have separated you from your own world and time, which means they understand that trouble might come searching for you. You could be here for a while. They say you are too young but I remember the humans before the separations of worlds, and plenty of heroes were teenagers when they made their legends.’
‘I’m not even twelve yet.’
This time it was Einion’s turn to stop. He turned and looked thoughtfully at her. ‘Hmm. Of course, humans were shorter back then. I wonder why. It’s not like we’re getting taller as a species.’
‘Food,’ said Abby, with a small nervous laugh. ‘I don’t know about before the separation, or dwarves, but we grow better food than we did before so we grow bigger.’