A Pinch of Moonlight

  ***

  Blackbird had refused healing, stating that he needed solitude first. He lay face down on the soft clean bedding, in the room that had been his before his exile. He had barely spoken on the journey back to the First Citizen’s Lodge, but he knew Demali had sensed what had happened to him. There was magic within him now, just a little, but although it was far less than the magic which had nearly overwhelmed him, it hadn’t faded to nothing.

  The wounds on his back were still tender, but bearable. For the first time in months, he had nothing to fear. He had a safe bed, food when he needed it, and there were no cats big enough to eat him. He was back in Annwn, his Place restored, and his magic was returning. He was safe at last, and he wept.

  Once he’d cried out all his feelings, exhaustion took over, and Blackbird began drifting into sleep, until he woke himself by remembering the promise he’d made. It had been an impulsive promise, but he was determined to keep it – if it was in his power to deliver someone else from the fear, pain and hunger that he knew so well, he would do it.

  He was tired, so tired, but the fairies would be waiting for him to get the food through to their kin. How would he do that? Tefyn had returned him to his high Place, but the guards at the secret prison wouldn’t know that. As far as they were concerned, he was lower than a worm. They would show no respect - they would throw him in the dampest, coldest cell – him, and all those who went with him.

  He could ask Tefyn to intervene. A shiver ran down his spine as he wondered if Tefyn knew about the secret prison - surely not! But right now he didn’t want to interfere in Tefyn and Pefryn’s reunion. Besides, Tefyn arriving at the prison to argue with the guards would make him look weak.

  Blackbird moved stiffly into a sitting position, untangling himself from the nest of bedding he’d created. Sweet sunlight, his body ached!

  He slipped off his sky-bed onto the chair he’d placed beside it, although he was reluctant to leave it. His body had been owed a good night’s sleep for some time. You’ll have to wait, he told it, as he stepped down onto the floor. He stretched a few times to try and loosen up, but it didn’t help much.

  His eyes in his mirror were red from crying and lack of sleep – not much he could do about that, but he worked a glamour to lengthen his eyelashes, enhance his lips, smooth the blotches from his skin, and put some glossy autumn shades into his hair. He preened and pouted at his reflection. Not bad. That dishevelled elf girl could learn a lot about the power of a good glamour.

  She could take food to the prison. The guards wouldn’t recognise her cleaned up, and in her Light of Truth colours. She had the arrogance – and courage too. In fact she was ideal – if only he could persuade her. Where should he look for her? And what was her name again? It wasn’t as if they’d ever been formally introduced. Still, Annwn was a small place, and everyone would know who he meant if he referred to that recent public embarrassment. He would ask some of the Lodge’s fairy staff.

  The First Citizen’s Lodge was the largest building in Annwn, with public and ceremonial rooms, as well as the residential floor. Blackbird’s room was tucked away at the far end of the corridor – maybe that said something about his status but it always afforded him plenty of privacy, so he didn’t mind. He knew all the back routes and dusty corridors that only the servants used, and that had often come in useful.

  He knew the council rooms wouldn’t be in use while Tefyn was absent, but as he cut through the library he was surprised to hear voices coming from behind the bookshelves – both female, but one much older than the other, and apparently not used to being interrupted. Blackbird crept closer until he could make out the words.

  ‘You see, darling, it’s all very well talking about giving better rights to the fairies – only a fool would think of giving them equal rights – and I know some of them are quite bright, but people are happy the way things are. No-one starves. They all have a roof over their heads, and they have medical treatment from their healers. Those that want to work can easily find employment, and some of them have got quite good jobs, so no-one can say they’re discriminated against. But they’re not elves, and I don’t think they’d want to be elves. They’re like children. Charming, some of them, but they are limited. They have their own…call it culture if you must, but it’s a rather low form of culture.’

  ‘Lady Pefryn’s a good musician,’ the younger woman said. ‘She has all the elfish arts.’

  It was her! The elf he needed. He moved closer to listen.

  ‘Ah, but you see, they are elfish arts, aren’t they?’ the older elf said. ‘She’s had good teachers, but without them she’d have been lost. She’s far and away the most exceptional of the fairies, but still a poor substitute for an elf. She may have the elfish arts, but she lacks certain elfish qualities.’

  ‘She is immature, isn’t she? Always laughing and running about like a child. But…she did earn her Place. And she can do real magic, not just charms and glamours.’

  ‘But that still doesn’t make her an elf,’ the older voice protested. ‘I suppose it’s good to have one or two in a visible place – no real power, but there for the look of it. But you know, she’s got no history, no breeding. Her family were traders – imagine! Haggling is not the same as diplomacy, my dear.’

  ‘But she was a good Lady, up until her disgrace,’ the younger said. ‘And we both saw Tefyn asking her to return to him. And he seems to have accepted that wretched exile back into our realm.’

  Was the young one being provocative for fun? The mention of Blackbird caused some impressively outraged spluttering, and he had to stifle his own laughter.

  ‘Did you see it?’ the older eventually said. ‘Barely lowered his head in the presence of the First Citizen! I wouldn’t like to guess what hold he has over Lord Tefyn – I only hope it’s a different bag of tricks from the ones she obviously uses.’

  ‘It does make you wonder, doesn’t it!’ The thrill of illicit gossip was in the younger woman’s voice. ‘Tefyn almost killed him when he caught them together. Yet now all’s forgiven. Makes you wonder which one of them caused the jealousy!’

  That ended Blackbird’s mirth. Pefryn hadn’t been unfaithful to Tefyn – Tefyn had accepted that, so why couldn’t these elves? As for what they suggested about him and Tefyn – he was not Tefyn’s lover, and never had been. He would never do anything to hurt Pefryn.

  The elves continued their gossiping. Did they not realised they could be overheard – or did they just not care?

  ‘Things are fine in Annwn as they are,’ the older voice continued. ‘A few little problems with certain individuals who need to be reminded of the proper way to behave; a few troublemakers stirring up trouble for their own ends. But we have peace and prosperity; justice and stability. Things are the way they are for reason. They always are. Our customs and traditions serve us well; everyone has a place, and those who are wise stick to it.’

  ‘We’ve improved our place,’ the younger said, the provocative edge still in her voice. It gave Blackbird hope.

  ‘Well, yes,’ the older said, ‘but we have history and breeding, and your family is resourceful and hardworking. We contribute a lot to Annwn. We earned our place through hard work and intelligence, not by whining and causing trouble. If someone wants a better place in Annwn, they just have to work and study hard, and eventually they’ll get the place they deserve. As for those ‘Equal Rights for Fairies’ types – well, I think if they stayed off the dreamweed and got a job they’d soon come to their senses. Anyway, most of them are just youngsters, going through a phase. It’s not unusual – even I wore flowers in my hair when I was younger. Can’t for the life of me remember why we used to do that, but it was the fashion for a while.’

  ‘Do you think Tefyn wants the fairies to have equal rights?’ the young voice asked.

  ‘Mercy, no. Not if he’s still got his wits. It would cause chaos. Partnering one was
bad enough. But fairies have no experience in politics or matters of state. Most of them can’t even make their wages last ’til the end of the week, so there’s no chance they could be put in charge of Annwn’s finances. And they’re ruled by their emotions – hopeless. Quite charming, some of them, very creative, and I know their music appeals to youngsters who haven’t grown into proper culture, but they can’t control themselves, so it’s out of the question they could have power over anyone else. It would cause anarchy; the chaos and destruction would be intolerable. And I think most people – including the fairies – understand that.’

  ‘But what about these secret prisons, mum? Have you heard the whispers; fairies disappearing off the streets?’

  ‘I wouldn’t worry about that, darling. It’s not going to affect us, is it? Annwn is a just society. If you’ve got nothing to hide you’ve got nothing to fear, that’s what my father always said.’

  The elves fell silent while they browsed the books on the shelves. Blackbird knew they were looking through the fiction shelves – choosing bedtime stories whilst shredding his reputation and dismissing the fears and suffering of his people. He brooded. He’d never heard elves discussing the problems of Annwn before. The older woman had such a reasonable tone when she spoke, although she seemed to contradict herself without noticing. At least the younger was questioning things.

  The older woman spoke again. ‘Now Madryn, dear, there’s plenty to keep you occupied here while you wait for Lord Tefyn. Just make sure you make a good impression on him.’

  ‘I don’t know what to say to him,’ Madryn said.

  ‘Oh, darling, you don’t have to say anything. Let him do the talking. Just smile and look interested. Let him see you looking respectable and hope he forgets the state you were in earlier.’

  ‘I don’t want to. What if I make a fool of myself?’ Madryn whined.

  ‘Oh, darling, you’ve already done that. What on earth were you thinking, running around half dressed? No, don’t say anything, just let him see you looking decent; let him know you’re a sensible girl.’

  ‘Can’t I do that tonight?’ Madryn insisted. ‘He said to return his gown tonight. I don’t feel right hanging around waiting for him.’

  You know what he’s doing, thought Blackbird, you and your mother both, but she’s pretending you’re too young to realise.

  ‘We’ve been through this,’ the older voice said. ‘Meeting Lord Tefyn is one thing – he still has some influence – but most of his hangers-on don’t have a clue about life. They have some dangerous ideas, and I don’t want them bothering you. You know what you’re like – you can be very easily led.’

  ‘I’m not! I don’t know why you always say that!’

  ‘Oh, darling, remember that time when you and Nelved…’

  ‘Mum! I was six! I’m seventeen now!’

  ‘Even so. This won’t be an occasion for young girls. You’ll probably be bored and want to come home after a short while, and I’ll have to come and fetch you.’

  ‘That human girl will be there. It’s in her honour, and she’s years younger than me,’ Madryn said, her rebellious tone bringing another smirk to Blackbird’s face. She had so much potential!

  ‘Well, I’m not having you associating with the likes of her!’ Madryn’s mother spluttered. ‘Sweet sunshine! There’s no telling what she’d try to get you involved in.’

  ‘She’s just a child! Anyway, wouldn’t it be educational for me to talk to someone from another realm? I may go into their world again sometime; it would be good to have some background knowledge.’

  ‘You are not going back into that place!’ More outraged spluttering from Madryn’s mother. ‘Not if you’re going to return filthy and bedraggled. There’s absolutely no need for you to go to the celebration. Just think of the people who’ll be there. Those fairies for a start. Ugh! She’ll be there, of course, and I don’t want you having to show respect to her. And that vile wretch who wriggled his way back from exile.’

  ‘I hear Lord Tefyn is planning to make him a Citizen. He’ll have the same status as an elf.’

  The noises of outrage that followed were even more impressive than before, and Blackbird had to bite his lip to stop himself laughing.

  ‘If that’s the case, I think we can have Tefyn declared legally insane. That really is the final straw,’ Madryn’s mother declared

  ‘I think you may need more evidence than that,’ Madryn said calmly. ‘Oh, please, Mother, let me attend the celebration. What else am I going to do tonight, anyway?’

  ‘Well, there’s plenty to do at home if you’re bored. You’re not going, and that’s final. You need an early night after staying out all last night. I don’t want you getting overtired. Now wait here while I find someone to take that cloak for you.’

  Blackbird flattened himself against the bookshelves as Madryn’s mother went by in a rustle of fabric. Now, how should he approach Madryn? But before he had time to think, there she was, whirling around the end of the stack and glaring at him.

  ‘Just because your cousin forged a mind link earlier, don’t think you can spy on me,’ Madryn snapped.

  ‘I wasn’t spying,’ Blackbird protested. ‘And if you knew I was there, why did you say all those lies about me and Tefyn? That wasn’t very nice.’

  ‘It was just gossip,’ she replied. ‘Who cares? I’ve got to do something to keep myself entertained in this dead-end town.’

  Blackbird’s hopes were dissolving fast. Had he really hoped this vile girl could be an ally? Gathering his wits, he tried a different approach. ‘Is that Tefyn’s tunic?’ he asked. ‘You can leave it with me if you like. I’ll make sure he gets it; save you hanging around. That will give you more time to get ready for tonight.’

  ‘It’s okay,’ Madryn replied coldly. ‘I’ll return it personally. I want to correct the impression I left earlier.’

  ‘But you can do that tonight,’ Blackbird said. ‘At the Celebration. And don’t worry that you left a bad impression – he doesn’t judge people in that way. I think he thinks you’re really brave for going to the human world. It’s a dangerous place, I know.’

  She gave him a look that seemed to say, don’t even think of comparing yourself with me. I wasn’t thrown out of Annwn. In a flat voice, she said, ‘ You know I won’t be there tonight. You heard Mother.’

  ‘But you must come. I think Tefyn wants to honour you for your courage.’ Now why had he said that? But it wouldn’t be too difficult to get Tefyn to give her some small honour.

  ‘Why would he do that?’ Madryn asked. ‘Is he trying to bribe me to join his side? Can’t you see I’m wearing Light of Truth’s colours?’

  ‘No, he’s not trying to influence you,’ Blackbird said. ‘But… I think he felt your shame earlier; he’s very sensitive like that. I think he feels if he honours you people will overlook it.’

  ‘Look, fairy, I’m not stupid,’ Madryn said. ‘I know you want something from me, so just spit it out.’

  ‘Okay. I do need your help,’ Blackbird said. ‘You were there when I promised to take food to the people in that secret prison. But if I go, they’ll just lock me up. You could take the food – in your Light of Truth colours they wouldn’t stop you. You can achieve this, and you’d be doing justice in Annwn.’

  ‘What if those fairies deserve to be in prison?’ Madryn asked.

  ‘They may deserve to be in prison,’ Blackbird replied carefully, ‘but they don’t deserve to be starved. All I’m asking is for you to take the food and medicine and persuade the guards to give it to the prisoners.’ Blackbird filled his mind with images: of the fairies suffering; of Madryn being brave and just; of the guards respecting her authority. He hoped some of them would filter through to her mind. Was it working? Her body language was losing its hostility.

  ‘Why can’t you do it?’ Madryn asked.

  ‘You know why. They’d put me in the c
oldest, darkest cell and leave me there. They might listen to you though. I can give you a glamour that would help.’

  ‘A glamour?’ she sneered. ‘You think if I look sweet and pretty they’ll let me in?’

  ‘Glamours aren’t just about looking pretty. This one will give you some authority. Make people take you seriously, make them see past the little girl you were so recently.’

  ‘Even Mother?’

  ‘Not a chance. Don’t expect people to take you seriously if they knew you before you fledged.’

  She scoffed at that. ‘I’m not a fairy, if you hadn’t noticed.’

  ‘I know,’ he said, giving his most appealing look.

  ‘How long will this glamour last?’ Madryn asked.

  ‘Not long. It’ll wear off by tomorrow. But I can teach you how to renew it. And once you can convince people you deserve respect, you won’t need the glamour.’

  ‘It still seems a bit cheap,’ Madryn said.

  ‘A cheap fairy trick? That’s the clever part. They won’t suspect you’re wearing a glamour, so they won’t see through it. Let me give it to you. If you don’t like it I’ll take it away, I promise.’

  It took Madryn a while to agree. But eventually she relented, and let Blackbird take her hands in his, and weave the glamour about her. As the glamour took hold she stood straighter, more confident, and her face lost its childish sulkiness.

  ‘If this glamour is so good, why don’t you fairies use it?’ Madryn asked.

  ‘Most fairies still think they need to be sweet to get what they want,’ Blackbird replied. ‘They’re worried they’ll get beaten down if they stand too tall.’

  ‘You make it sound as if elves go around beating fairies for the fun of it,’ Madryn said. ‘You know that’s not true. Physical discipline is a good way of letting Annwn run smoothly.’

  ‘And what can a fairy do if he thinks an elf needs discipline?’ Blackbird asked.

  ‘Let elves deal with that. You just get on with – well, whatever it is fairies do.’ She walked over to an ornate mirror and inspected herself. ‘I don’t look any different,’ she said.

  ‘Not to yourself, maybe,’ Blackbird said. ‘But you’re holding yourself differently. Believe me, you look different. Anyway, only one way to prove it. Will you come with me now? The fairies will be waiting with the food.’

  ‘What about Tefyn’s tunic?’ she asked.

  ‘Let me take it.’

  Blackbird took the tunic to his room. It took a while and when he returned he found Madryn lounging in an armchair reading a strange book – handwritten, not printed.

  ‘That’s my favourite book’, Madryn explained, before replacing it on a high shelf. ‘Not many people have read it, I’m always worried I’ll come in one day and the librarians will have got rid of it. That’s why I hide it up here.’

  Blackbird noted where she hid the book. He’d have to use a ladder, but he was determined to look through it himself.

  They slipped out of the City Lodge, walking far enough apart that no-one would have suspected they’d even noticed each other, let alone that they were working together. It was fully dark now, and although the moonlight gave Blackbird plenty of vision, he knew Madryn would be almost blind in the low light. At least it would hide her from suspicious eyes. The main square was nearly empty when they reached it, but it didn’t take long for a fairy to materialise from the shadows and approach Blackbird.

  ‘We have the food and remedies,’ she said, simply. ‘How are you going to get them to our loved ones?’

  ‘This elf girl is going with you. Lead her to the prison and let her negotiate with the guards – she’s pretty good, courageous and stubborn too. If there’s any danger let someone run back to me – I’ll be in the library.’

  ‘Somebody with a lantern would help,’ Madryn said, pointedly.

  A lantern was found and handed to Madryn, who dealt with the shock of actually having to carry something herself quite well, Blackbird thought. Madryn and the fairy cloaked themselves, and they set off for the prison.

  Blackbird returned to the library and fetched down the book Madryn had showed him. It was handwritten in Elfish, and full of sketches of exotic landscapes and plants. It seemed to be a travel journal, but Blackbird couldn’t work out if it was true or fiction. The writer was describing a whole host of different worlds, not just Annwn and Terra and the other Near Realms, but places he had never imagined. He noted how the book fell open at a description of a world which, if he understood it right, had nothing animal in it, only plants and fungi. He guessed this was Madryn’s favourite part of the book; it looked well-thumbed.

  He browsed through the rest of the book, waiting for Madryn to return. She came back within the hour, quiet and pale. Madryn looked Blackbird directly in the eye for the first time. ‘Did you know about the secret prisons?’ she asked.

  ‘I’d heard rumours before my exile,’ he replied, ‘But I had no proof until earlier today. No-one ever said anything directly to me or Pefryn. I just overheard things between Tefyn’s staff.’

  ‘Well, you were both known as Tefyn’s little pets,’ Madryn replied. ‘I don’t think anyone – elf or fairy – really took you seriously.’

  Blackbird suppressed a scowl. She was right, after all. Tefyn was the only elf who’d considered him or Pefryn to be real people. The political fairies had considered them sell-outs and traitors. So, when he’d heard rumours of outspoken fairies disappearing, he hadn’t searched too closely for the truth. Other explanations – that they’d left for other realms, or been injured as a result of their activities – were easier to accept than the idea of hidden prisons. But the look on Madryn’s face, which she was trying to smother with arrogance, worried him.

  ‘It couldn’t be Hafren’s doing,’ she burst out. ‘It’s against all law and precedent, and Hafren just isn’t like that. He’s tough and firm, but he upholds the law. That place was just horrible.’ She slumped in a seat and sat with her face in her perfectly manicured hands, her shoulders shaking.

  Had she been fairy, or human, Blackbird would have placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and spoken soothingly. But he daren’t touch Madryn. Hesitantly, he offered to fetch her something to drink. She made a sniffing, sobbing sound. ‘Something with chamomile? Or fennel?’ he offered, realising how stupid he sounded.

  ‘It was disgusting in there,’ Madryn burst out. ‘I can still smell it. How can people bear to live like that?’

  She stood up and smoothed herself down, patting her hair back into place. She took a deep breath and, looking into space above Blackbird’s head, said, ‘I went with that kitchen girl, and made sure all the parcels went to the right fairies. No-one said thank you – they just grabbed the food and started stuffing themselves. But they were all so skinny, even for fairies.’ Madryn shuddered. ‘Some of them had lice. I could see them crawling.’ She wiped a hand down her arm, as if brushing off imaginary lice.

  Blackbird grimaced at that. Lice in your wings – once they were in there, it was almost impossible to get rid of them. He could just imagine them crawling about between feather and skin, biting and sucking blood. Their bites itched furiously. ‘Did you have enough powder for everyone with lice?’ he asked.

  ‘That kitchen maid wanted to go into the cells to dust everyone’s wings, but the guards wouldn’t let her. They said there wasn’t enough room, which was true, it was crowded in there, and also he didn’t want her to catch lice and spread them around Annwn, which seemed fair enough. But she had a couple of powder shakers that she handed over – they can dust each other.’

  ‘Did you find out who’s running the prison? Why it’s there?’ Blackbird asked.

  ‘That’s nothing to do with me,’ Madryn replied. ‘I just took the food and remedies, like you asked.’

  Blackbird decided to go and fetch a calming brew for himself. It gave him a few minutes away from the infuriating idiot Madr
yn, and allowed him to remind himself he’d achieved all he could for that day. Tefyn and Pefryn could release any innocent captives and transfer any genuinely guilty to proper facilities. He had made sure people were comfortable for that night – hopefully the last of their captivity. If there was anything more he could do, he couldn’t think of it at that moment.

  When he returned to the library, Madryn was reading the book again.

  ‘Tell me about the book,’ he asked. ‘Is it real, or just stories?’

  ‘I’ve never worked it out. I’d like to think it’s all true, even though they put it in the fiction section. But some of the details... look at this bit.’ She indicated a section full of numbers and symbols. ‘This is just lots of technical details – rainfall, oxygen levels – why would anyone put that in a story? But she seems to really love this world. Imagine somewhere with only plants and no animals!’

  ‘Do you know the history of the book?’ Blackbird asked.

  ‘I asked the librarians,’ Madryn replied. ‘Ledrana Sken was born about 100 years ago, so she should still be alive. She was from a good family, married young, had a child, all fairly average. But when she reached her 30s she became fascinated with the nixies. She wanted to know what they were, how they took people between worlds, what they did when they weren’t in the portals. She tried to talk to the nixies, but they never talked back. But there was one thing she did - it was at a time when a lot of the portals were going out of use. It was happening quite fast – apparently Annwn lost more than half its connections to other world in a few years.’

  ‘I remember that,’ Blackbird said. ‘But there were so many other problems at that time...’

  ‘Ledrana realised a lot of the portals were becoming polluted, so no wonder the nixies didn’t want to hang around in dirty water. She went around with her daughter and they cleaned out the portals and tried to make people keep them clean. People thought she was daft of course – if you chuck rubbish in a portal it disappears, so why not? But she thought maybe the rubbish was getting into the nixies’ world, so that’s why they closed off the portals. Anyway, one time she was travelling back from Terra when the nixies took her to a world she’d never even heard of. She didn’t see any people there; she didn’t stay long anyhow, just a few minutes, but she knew it wasn’t Annwn or Terra. It was quiet, but not like the mountains in winter are quiet, more like it was abandoned.’

  Madryn was quite different when she was talking about something important to her, Blackbird realised. It was the first time she’d shown any sign of real intelligence or insight. He stayed silent, encouraging her to continue.

  ‘Then the nixies brought her back to Annwn,’ Madryn said, ‘but she said that as they did, they gave her the idea that the world she’d just visited had been poisoned by stuff we’d thrown into it, and the creatures who used to live there had died. She tried to tell people in Annwn about this, but hardly anyone listened. Who cares about some other world no-one ever goes to anyway! But she and her daughter just worked harder, and a few other people helped out, so they managed to keep some of the portals open. Her work led eventually to the Protection Laws we’ve got now, and respecting the portals is Dahzen. But it took a long time, and during that time the nixies took her to lots of other worlds. And that’s what the book’s about – all the other worlds she visited.

  ‘But then her daughter died,’ Madryn said. ‘No-one I’ve asked can remember what happened; it seems to have been an illness. And Ledrana just disappeared. This was about twenty years ago, before I was born.’

  ‘And no-one knows where she is?’ Blackbird asked.

  ‘No. Most people think she went away to die somewhere, or was killed on her travels, but I like to think she’s still alive in another realm.’

  ‘And you’d like to find her?’

  Madryn was silent for a moment before she asked, ‘Are you mocking me?’

  ‘No, I’m not. Why should I?’ Blackbird replied. ‘Exploring is in your blood. If you can get the nixies to trust you the way they trusted her, I don’t see why you couldn’t find her. The nixies would know the last world she visited, wouldn’t they?’

  ‘That’s what I thought. I keep reading this book, looking for clues for how to get the nixies to help me,’ Madryn said.

  ‘Maybe just do what she did,’ Blackbird said. ‘Go to the portals, help to keep them clean.’

  ‘It’s not so easy now, though is it? With all this trouble with the fairies all the portals are permanently guarded.’

  ‘That will pass,’ Blackbird said. ‘Now that Tefyn is whole he can take charge of the situation. Hafren has been stirring things up; with Tefyn back in charge the situation will be calmer.’

  ‘You can’t blame Hafren for all the trouble in Annwn!’ Madryn said.

  ‘I’m not. I just think Tefyn’s a better diplomat. He can calm the situation. He’ll bring everyone together,’ Blackbird said.

  ‘Is that why he’s trying to get me on his side?’ Madryn sneered.

  ‘It will benefit you as much as him, or anyone else. Come to the celebration tonight. You want to, don’t you?’

  ‘I’m not allowed,’ Madryn said.

  ‘Tch, what kind of attitude is that for an adventurer?’ Blackbird said. ‘How will you face up to hostile otherworlders if you can’t even face up to your own mother?’

  ‘Have you met my mother?’ Madryn said.

  ‘I heard her earlier,’ Blackbird said. ‘Scary lady. She’s intimidating, but not invincible. I won’t tell you how to deal with her, but I really think you should be there tonight. And after what you did for us this afternoon, I’ll make sure Tefyn honours you. I’d give you an honour myself if I had the power – and if I thought you’d accept it.’

  Madryn didn’t respond to that. But the seed had been planted, and Blackbird knew her mind was fertile ground.