A Pinch of Moonlight

  ***

  Blackbird was people-watching whilst waiting for Demi to return. It was a good thing Hafren and Light of Truth were so self-absorbed they hadn’t noticed he and Pefryn had disappeared for a while. Demali was taking her time – the winter sun was low, now, and people were starting to gather again to see if the little witch would succeed. Pefryn was standing close by, chatting with Owina who cared nothing for elfish notions of place. Tefyn stood some distance away, gazing along the path which would soon bring Demi back. Hafren was moving constantly here and there on his throne, more to gain everyone’s attention than for any other reason, it seemed to Blackbird.

  Blackbird felt a tingling in his crotch – an odd reaction to the sight of Hafren. It was the crystal in his waistband reacting to something – it couldn’t be sun- or moonlight, but it was vibrating strongly. No-one was watching him, so he slipped around a corner of the walls to investigate. As he did so, the vibrations increased, and he heard fairy voices singing on the other side of the wall. There was a breach in the wall nearby – several stones had been removed, creating a passageway easily big enough for a fairy to slip through. He ducked into darkness and took out his crystal. An alluring gleam in its depths pulsed hypnotically. He had just enough time to realise it was responding to another crystal before the magic took him over, and drew him to its source.