by Gavin Neale
‘I’ll tell no one,’ promised Abby, meaning every word.
‘Then let me give you an example. It is very easy for your mind to wander when you’re working alone in the dark of a deep mine. If you ask a dwarf if they are ever scared in such a situation, all of them will answer no. This is no more true than asking if all human girls are warriors. We all know that it is understandable to feel fear sometimes. But if you stop to take account of your surroundings, you can master your brain by paying attention to where you are. It is something all dwarves learn. We’re a stubborn people but that is because we know our own minds. We get to spend a long time using them, after all.’
‘You are taught how to control your brain?’ asked Abby, wonderingly.
‘Oh my, of course not. You can no more control your mind than you can make the fire of the furnace burn cold. A change of behaviour cannot be made by force of will. However, if you learn to observe your thoughts, you can acknowledge and dismiss the false ones and only pay attention to the truth. You cannot control your brain but you can harness it. I, for one, would much rather be forging a sword than doing the washing up.’
‘Who wouldn’t?’ asked Abby.
‘However, even something as mundane as the washing up can be used as training in the right circumstances.’
‘Are you really trying to tell me that washing up is some kind of training opportunity for the mind?’ Abby was astounded.
‘Almost everything is,’ Rhiannon replied with a smile.
15
Council of Peace
Pedir walked away from the dwarves’ camp and entered Daphne and Nora’s workshop. He greeted his fellow Guardians with a nod. Nora set about the familiar sequence of setting up the secrecy spell and then turned to face the three fellow members of the council. ‘You start, Pedir. I want the others to know what you have found out.’
Pedir nodded and spoke quietly. ‘There is much still to discover and I am making sure that only our allies detect my presence. But I can confirm that the Ruined are here and in large numbers. We also believe that Thomas is present at their camp – or has been recently.’
‘I wish I was surprised,’ muttered Einion. ‘I may not know what you witches are up to by bringing her here but young Abigail is a fine example of your race and I believe what she told us about the boy being kidnapped.’
‘Was there ever a question?’ asked Daphne.
‘It is easy for short-lived species to make mistakes,’ was all Einion offered in reply.
‘Yes,’ Nora replied. ‘We know the Ruined are involved but whether any fairies are complicit is a different matter. I think we can trust Erykah for now, but she will take advantage the moment there is a chance.’
‘But?’ asked Daphne, watching her old friend with a smile.
‘I don’t know about the other two members of her council but I trust Harmonia. I have seen her honour.’
Daphne was surprised; she had the memories of a few souls stamped indelibly into her memory and knew how reluctant she would be to add another unless absolutely necessary, so the fact that Nora had entered into a soul gaze with a fairy was proof, if it were needed, of how seriously her friend was taking the current situation.
‘Well, that’s a muddle,’ said Einion. ‘But I have not had the pleasure of visiting the Land of Fairy yet and so I don’t know who any of these fairies are, apart from Erykah.’
‘I was coming to that,’ Nora said, pausing for a moment. ‘Erykah’s council of war, as she calls it, encompasses a master of lore called Tobias, a warrior called Harmonia and a Court Mage that no one knows the name of.’
‘Interesting,’ Pedir said. ‘We will need to be careful when dealing with a nameless magical practitioner. I was approached by another interested party, a talking wild cat called Tabitha. She asked me to offer you her services as ambassador for the animals of the Land of Fairy.’
Nora sucked in air through her teeth like a builder about to inform a customer that it was going to be an expensive job.
Daphne smiled. ‘Oh, that will be helpful. And a chance for her to redeem herself.’
‘You know this cat?’ asked Einion.
‘Only as a treacherous familiar who abandoned her witch the moment she got a new body in the Land of Fairy,’ said Nora, scowling as she spoke.
‘Now, now, Nora. You know as well as I do that Tabitha couldn’t help her own nature, especially in the Land of Fairy. She did what magic she could for Chris and Abby before leaving them.’
‘I don’t know what it is with you and cats,’ Nora said, rolling her eyes. ‘But you can look after the animals through Tabitha. She may be more trustworthy that our lore master. How was Tobias?’
‘Helpful enough for a fairy,’ Daphne said. ‘We won’t know until he is tested, but I’ll be grateful to have a secondary line of communication with the animals of the Grand Forest.’
‘Aye, but can you trust them any more than the fairies?’ Einion sipped at some tea, although he would have preferred a tankard of ale.
‘Anything that can survive in the Land of Fairy has to be pretty smart but, although they will take care of themselves first, the local animals won’t be actively treacherous. In fact, given the danger they all face, the animals might be our most trustworthy allies. Don’t give me that look, Nora,’ finished Daphne, knowing exactly what Nora felt about Tabitha’s reappearance.
‘We will proceed with due caution on all fronts but we need to initiate official contact with the Ruined soon,’ said Nora. ‘It won’t get rid of them but there is a protocol to be followed.’
‘We need to do something about the other young human first,’ Einion said.
Nora frowned. ‘I was coming to that,’ she said sharply.
‘So you have a plan?’ asked Daphne.
‘Not really, Daphne. The only thing I can think of is a rescue attempt whilst we are making official contact. But it’s too risky. Pedir is the only one of us who has a chance to pull it off on his own and I doubt even he can waltz through a guarded camp and step into another world with a boy who doesn’t recognise him and not cause an alarm. They’ll have spells around the perimeter so I don’t think Pedir could step across worlds within the camp.’
‘That depends on how much you care about the alarm being raised,’ Pedir said. ‘I can lose any pursuit mounted by my wayward cousins the Ruined, and there is no magic that could stop me crossing worlds without making life impossible. I know they seek out challenges and pain but not at the cost of their mission. The problem is that I can’t make the boy come with me if he resists.’
The council fell silent, even though they all knew what the others were thinking. It was Einion who finally broke the quiet. ‘We’re all thinking it, so there’s no point in being bashful. From what I’ve seen of the girl, she would doubtless agree to go with Pedir. The question is whether it is worth the risk.’
‘I brought Abby here to protect her from a war and now you want to send her into the enemy camp,’ said Nora, taking great care to keep her voice calm.
‘I did not say I wanted to but if the boy is going to trust anyone then it will be Abigail,’ Einion insisted. ‘And let us not pretend that we were not all considering it. Even the elf.’
‘Indeed,’ Pedir said, giving the dwarf a polite nod despite Einion’s tone. ‘If the girl can follow simple instructions then I think I can guarantee her safety – but not the return of the boy. The chance of Abigail’s safety would be increased if Einion provided a talisman for her, which I believe Daphne was planning already to protect her from fairy deception. I would recommend ones for both Rhiannon and Abigail until this matter is resolved.’
‘So you would grant two non-Guardians secret magical items that are meant only for Guardians of the Accords, in effect binding them to us, and send one – a human child no less – into the enemy camp?’ asked Nora, looking round at all the members of the co
uncil.
‘If the council agrees to such an action,’ replied Pedir. ‘I do not think such a decision should rest on one set of shoulders.’
‘Well, as it happens, I agree with you,’ said Nora. ‘Not that I like it, mind, but needs must. What about you, Einion?’
‘I have dwarvish talismans that will work for non-magical humans. I do not like the idea of placing Abby in harm’s way and I would prefer to keep her out of this – but at present I see no other way.’
Daphne hated the idea and felt nothing but concern for Abigail. ‘Do we know how Abby will react if she steps back into the Land of Fairy?’
‘How could we?’ asked Nora, ‘But I know what you mean. I do not think Abigail’s warrior form, which was witnessed by the fairy court, will return. Or at least not in the same way.’
‘We all remember you explaining what happened to Abigail and her brother when they freed the Land of Fairy,’ said Einion, thinking back to their previous planning meeting. ‘But why don’t you believe that Abigail will step back into the warrior body she left in the Land of Fairy?’
Pedir watched Nora carefully as he waited for her to answer Einion’s perceptive question. Daphne was also very interested to hear what her friend would say, as she was not sure of the answer herself.
‘I don’t know for certain but the transformation was more than just the magic of the Land of Fairy heightening and fulfilling the potential of a child with a warrior’s soul. Abigail changed physically; she was armed with a sword and clad in armour. I can’t know for certain but I suspect her brother had a hand in that happening, probably unwittingly.’
‘I would be interested to know if he had such power,’ said Pedir, wishing he could meet the other human child that somehow had, if only temporarily, displayed such a measure of magical talent.
Nora remained tight-lipped. She noted approvingly that Daphne was dissembling beautifully; her open expression did not betray the fact that she knew as well as Nora that Chris potentially had as much power as anyone in this room. Nora trusted these Guardians implicitly but she and Daphne had agreed that they would let Chris live as normal a life as possible. Secretly Nora was prepared to draft Chris into this war if necessary, just as she was prepared to involve Abigail, but these were truly desperate options that she hoped to avoid. This made their plan hard to agree on, but needs must.
‘I understand what you are all saying but I feel sending Abby is unnecessarily dangerous and I am not at all happy.’ Daphne frowned as she spoke slowly, seeming to force the words out.
‘Do you wish to veto the plan?’ asked Einion, being practical as so many of his race were.
Daphne considered this for a long time, staring at her cooling cup of tea and thinking carefully about the choice. ‘No. I respect your judgement too much to stop it.’
‘I will take good care of her,’ said Pedir. ‘She will be safer than me, I swear it.’
‘I know, dear,’ said Daphne. ‘That is why I am allowing it.’
‘I would have you work the spell on Abigail and Rhiannon’s talismans to bind them to us,’ Nora said. ‘You are the magical practitioner with the closest affinity to both of them.’
‘Very well,’ Daphne said with a sigh. ‘Is there anything else?’
16
Talismans
The discussions finished and Daphne made her way to the dwarf camp with Einion, leaving Pedir and Nora deep in discussion about secrecy spells and where to enter the Land of Fairy.
‘Do we start preparing the spell straight away or do Nora and Pedir need more time?’ Einion asked.
‘We might as well make a start,’ replied Daphne, wondering about the rites she would have to perform. ‘There is much to do before we can perform the spell. Rhiannon seems destined for great things.’
Einion smiled quietly. ‘She will forge her own path, but she has a rare combination of sense and skill. I could think of none better to assist me – and that should be more damning to others of my race than they care to think about.’
‘The past fades, Einion dear, even in such a long-lived people as the dwarves. It is not so strange that the young start to forget. But we shouldn’t need a new dwarf Guardian for many a century yet.’
‘It is not my replacement that I worry about. There has been so little for us to do over the centuries and now you have had two incidents in four short years.’
‘Yes, but there is nothing to link the two events, Einion, or at least we haven’t found anything yet.’ Even as she said this, Daphne began to wonder whether there could be some link they had not discovered. Were any of the minor magical things they had tidied up over the last four years more serious than they had thought at the time? Daphne would have to talk to Nora about that when she got the chance.
‘Aye, but if our people begin to forget their history, or have it hidden from them whilst others plan incursions into other worlds… I, for one, am looking forward to meeting the Ruined. I would like to get a feel for our opponents. We may well need more Guardians in the future.’ Einion could see Abby and Rhiannon in the distance, huddled together by their campfire, apparently deep in conversation.
‘Being a Guardian is not an easy life,’ Daphne said, sighing ‘Is this a new idea?’
‘Very, particularly for a dwarf. And don’t fret, I’m not proposing anything yet. But I do wonder. I don’t believe in coincidences and there are at least three potential Guardians connected to you and me. I am sure that Pedir would have someone to suggest if you were to ask.’
‘Pedir wanders alone. Who would he have?’
‘It’s only a feeling, but does he not look like he is searching for a companion?’
‘Hmm,’ was all Daphne was prepared to say. They walked up to the campfire to find Rhiannon discussing blacksmithing with Abby, who was examining some rough nails in her hand. ‘Well, Abby dear, I leave you alone for a day and suddenly you’re a dwarf.’
‘Ha, she’s part of the family.’ Einion laughed, delighted with surprising Daphne for once. ‘I’ve even started her on the path of a smithy. Abby may well be no good compared to a dwarf but she’s not bad for a human on their first attempt. She’s got potential.’
‘You made those?’ asked Daphne, pointing to the nails clutched in Abby’s hand.
‘Er, yes. They’re not very good.’
‘You might be surprised,’ Daphne said, turning to face Einion. ‘Could you turn one of them into a talisman?’
Einion scratched his head as he thought about this. ‘Maybe, but it would be of no practical use. The iron in that nail would dampen the range of any spell worked through it, so you might as well take the few steps and talk to the other person instead.’
‘But you brought that great traction engine across worlds?’ Daphne pointed across the camp and wondered just what magic Einion had mastered to make that happen.
‘Aye, but…’
‘We’ll talk about it later,’ said Daphne, as her old friend began to understand what she was thinking. ‘Abigail, Rhiannon, after careful consideration, and given the foe we face and the nature of our allies, the assembled council of the Guardians of the Peace Accords have decided to grant you talismans of association to mark you as official delegates in the matter of the Ruined’s incursion into the Land of Fairy.’
Rhiannon rose to her feet and gasped. ‘We cannot possibly accept this. We are but humble assistants.’
‘What does this mean?’ asked Abby, her voice shaking slightly as she watched her friend’s reaction.
‘It’s okay, dears,’ Daphne said. ‘We’re not expecting you to suddenly solve problems for us. Partly this is so that no fairy can imitate Nora and me by using a magical glamour to fool you into thinking they are one of us. The talismans will bind us all, so you will always know who you are talking to. It is hard to explain to a non-magical practitioner but these will work – as Einion will attest.’
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‘Aye, the link is not as strong or as complex as between those that can practise the craft, but you’ll know who’s talking to you and it enables them to find you more easily. Saved my life a time or two in the olden days. Even a dwarf can only fight so long against magic before having to stop to eat.’ Einion ran his hand over the buckle of the belt that held up his trousers. ‘No one with magical senses can find a talisman if they are not looking for one. And most couldn’t find one even if they were looking.’
‘Won’t we, as official delegates, have responsibilities to the fairies?’ asked Abby, her voice still unsteady.
‘No, Abby,’ said Daphne with a warm smile. ‘We’re not about to send you off on your own to complete tasks in the Land of Fairy. This is to give you as much protection as we can.’
Abby thought about what had happened the last time she was in the Land of Fairy. ‘So what do we need to do?’
‘Einion will help you both select a talisman and I will perform a spell to complete the binding back at Nora’s workshop. We’ll need everyone together.’
‘Come on, let’s choose something,’ said Einion, motioning Abby and Rhiannon to join him as he walked to his traction engine. ‘I find that something unobtrusive that you have about your person works well.’
Rhiannon reached behind the log she had been using as a stool and pulled up a miner’s lamp. She lit it with a taper and handed it Abby. ‘Sorry, he’ll have forgotten that you can’t see properly in the gloom.’
‘Thanks,’ Abby said, taking the lamp and following after Einion, with Rhiannon walking by her side and Daphne bringing up the rear.
They caught up with Einion, who was lifting a chest down from yet another storage locker at the rear of the traction engine. He opened the top, pressed a hidden button and one of the drawers at the front sprang open.