***
Vicky felt sorry for Demi-Lee. The poor kid looked wretched, but she wasn’t surprised Blackbird had stormed off. She’d already noticed his pride, mainly because it had seemed so ridiculous in someone who looked like a toy tramp. But then, wasn’t she frequently infuriated by people less intelligent and able than her, who treated her like a bimbo because she looked good in a swimsuit? She’d worked hard for a First in IT, and worked harder to keep fit and develop the attributes of a freediver. Her toned figure was a side effect of her love of water, not an invitation for slobby old men to make lewd comments as she went about her business. So she understood that she shouldn’t underestimate the fairy, just because he was tiny, dressed in stolen rags, and occasionally struggled with his English. She made a silent vow to show him some respect when he returned. Which he would do. They were a source of free food, if nothing else, and she’d seen how desperately hungry he’d been that morning. Here was a mystery, a puzzle for her to solve – and wasn’t she just the expert at problem solving? True, her rational view of the world had been turned upside down, but she wasn’t giving up on logic just yet.
The girls shared the food Vicky had brought – she never went anywhere without supplies – but although they called out to Blackbird offering chocolate and bananas, he didn’t return.
It was hot in the grove, and they soon finished their bottled water. Vicky wondered aloud whether the water from the spring would be safe to drink. Although drinking from a hole in the ground bothered her, as the water was icy cold, surely it would be okay? It would then be coming from the depths of the earth, rainwater that had filtered through limestone for aeons, with no chance to become contaminated. She approached the spot where water bubbled out of the rock.
It was easy to see how a simple mind would find it magical and mysterious, and believe it led to another realm. She wondered if there were caves beneath the hills – some amazing cave systems had been discovered just by chance. Her eyes searched for the source, deep in the dark, then saw something strange. Two round, glowing objects, deep in the water, which she suddenly realised were eyes, staring into her own. A luminous creature rose up from the depths, regarded her for a moment, then flipped over and retreated, showing a fishlike tail as it went.
‘Oh my god!’ She said. ‘There’s something really weird in this pool! Like a mermaid or something!’
‘A nixie!’ said Heledd, scrambling to her feet. ‘They transport people between realms.’
Demi-Lee stood up too, but a voice commanded her to stop. It was Blackbird.
‘Stay away from the nixies, Demali. They’ll take you to Annwn, but you’re not ready yet. Don’t let them see you.’
He was standing in the bushes, but gave no explanation of where he’d been. Demi-Lee ran over to make a fuss of him, but he turned aside. Vicky noticed he’d cleaned himself up as best he could, but his clothes were stained with berry juice – as if they hadn’t been filthy enough to begin with. She felt for him deeply, but couldn’t think what to say to put things right. She reverted to practicalities – it was where she felt safe.
‘This was your banana, Blackbird. We’ve eaten ours.’ She peeled the fruit and offered it to him, and he accepted it, piece by piece. Heledd dragged Demi-Lee to a discreet distance. There was silence in the grove, but it grew less awkward as Blackbird ate and began to relax.
Vicky offered him the last piece of banana, but he told her, ‘You eat it, too much for me,’ and she knew it was a peace offering.
‘Thanks,’ she said, deliberately casual. ‘So, what do you want us to do next?’
He gazed at the sky and said, ‘Moon will rise soon. I will check the other crystals, then we can restart the cloaking spell.’
He swung back into the treetops, and an hour or so later he’d finished arranging the crystals.
‘Moon is back,’ he stated. ‘We can sing the spell back into working.’
‘You want us to sing now?’ Demi-Lee sounded dubious.
‘Sure. Is a good way to get your mind focussed.’
Blackbird directed them all. With Aelwen in the centre, and the four others at the compass points, he started them singing a round which grew and grew until the crystals started to resonate. They all had their arms stretched out to the moon, and Vicky could feel the power flowing around the circle, until the spell caught, and she sensed a deepening of the silence in the grove. And her little cousin had done that! Vicky felt proud and jealous in equal measures. As soon as Blackbird broke the spell, the tingling power she felt faded to nothing, whereas Demi-Lee was still radiant.
Soon Blackbird was showing Demi-Lee how to cast sparkling orbs into the air, their previous falling-out apparently forgotten. Vicky, however, didn’t forget so easily.