10 Chapter 10

Malina paused from her work to let her back rest a moment, and to check on the children. Here she was, kneeling in a stream, doing the washing like any Elf or Human woman With a wry inner smile, she thought that this was perhaps Theuli's way of settling an old score. Hitching up her peasant dress to her lap and wringing some of the water out of it, she then sat on a wide, flat boulder that was black and smooth, sun soaked and deliciously warm against her bare backside and the backs of her legs. The coolish water gurgling about her feet sounded as cheerfully effervescent as it felt, and she wriggled her toes, taking no small delight in this simple pleasure.

She looked up for a moment at the tall weeping-willows, hoary with moss and ancient, that shaded the stream, and listened to the wind hissing quietly through their variegated canopy of yellow-green leaves, watching their fine branches move irrhythmically as the light breeze caught at them. Beneath the trees grew thick aromatic beds of herbs which bloomed with tiny flowers of red, blue, white, yellow, lavender and pink. Here and there along the stream's banks were thick beds of iris, peony, lily, crocus, daffodil and sweet William, bachelor's buttons, snowdrops and bleeding hearts which thrived in more shady places, and myriad other wild flowers that may have had no name . . .

She had once been very much a part of this setting. Not long ago her home, located only a few short miles up this very stream, had been an old bird's nest lined with feathers and thistledown, situated amongst the upper branches of an enormous oak tree, itself as hale and ancient as a well-maintained mansion that had survived untold generations of change. Her only real means of safety had been to make herself as small and inconspicuous as possible. Even then, her existence was often fraught with danger, for many deadly creatures such as hawks, owls and carnivorous arboreal reptilian and mammalian creatures preyed on small things which lived in trees. For a long time, her only true hope in life was that she might simply be overlooked.

To one side of her dwelling, concealed beneath a worn scrap of tooled leather, was her precious booty: a bit of brass chain, a few broken shards of brightly painted crockery, some pretty stones and snail shells, some smooth-worn pieces of coloured glass, a wooden clothes pin that someone had made into a little doll, that no doubt some child had lost. The thought of these things, once so dear to her, was enough to cause her eyes to mist, her throat to ache. She had played with that doll for untold hours, she playing the part of her own mother, trying to comfort herself in the form of the little doll, trying to explain over and over again why she had disappeared one day, never to return, to leave her young child so utterly alone in the world.

But there had been happier moments. There was a natural rhythm to living in the forest, and when one became attuned to it, participating in the endless unfolding of life itself, one became imbued with a deep sense of peace and belonging. Malina had been able to more than revel in this feeling, however, for her connectedness to this world had gone beyond a simple feeling. She had been physically able to merge with it, becoming invisible to any but those with a discerning eye, a breath of wind that was not a breath of wind, a living sense of watchful wonderment that was no less exhilarating than flying.

But Rowf had inadvertently changed all that for her. From the moment he had first scooped her up in his arms on his front lawn, that physical closeness and contact, something she had experienced only with her mother, had touched remote places in her being, evoking strong, unknown and unfamiliar feelings of longing and desire. But being a Pixie, there were no words or associations she could make, to explain or understand what she felt.

Irresistibly drawn to these new sensations, upon returning to her own world, she had been forced to make a choice; either to return to what she was, a Pixie, child of Nature and innocence, or to follow her feelings and try to become something else.

Well, now the choice was made, and already she was paying the price. All about her was magic; in the air, in the water, in the ground, in the trees . . . magic she could no longer touch. She was separate now, not only from her own world, but from her old life. She thought of her Pixie dress, where it lay a world away, safe and hidden at the bottom of a drawer. She did miss it, but like her childhood, it belonged where it was, a carefully preserved and happy memory.

Perhaps she was missing out on all those things that went with her old life: regardless, she was not going to risk going back to who and what she was, and losing all hope of ever being with Rowf. Leaving her Pixie dress behind was not so much a conscious decision, as it was an affirmation of who and what she was determined to become. As for what little remained of her Power, she found that it actually came as a relief. It meant that at the least, she belonged to herself now, and not to her old life.

A movement under the water caught her eye; a large, bluish crayfish was working its way along the stream bed. As it crawled slowly away from her, she sighed. At one time, the creature wouldn't have even noticed her presence. Now, however . . .

But she smiled wistfully as she watched Rani and Zuic playing together. They seemed, in a way, to be a world and a lifetime away, laughing happily, at peace amongst the tall grasses, and green and yellow shadows, as timeless and ephemeral as the filtered sunlight which passed through the willow-trees.

Turning her attention back to her work, Malina pulled the last of the laundry into the water, and tried to sort out the disturbing undercurrents of emotion which tugged at her whenever she had a moment to reflect on the changes that had taken her so far from a life she thought she knew.

A while later, she was struggling with the laundry basket, with Rani in tow, and Zuic wandering further ahead up the trail. Despite the weight of the damp laundry, and having to toil up and down the winding path from the stream back to the farm, Malina found that she enjoyed this walk through the forest. This particular spot especially reminded her of the home she once had. The thought crossed her mind that she could easily visit her old home if she chose; but another part of her answered, some day, perhaps.

'May I ask a question?' Rani asked her, suddenly. 'I mean, mother said it might be rude of me to ask, but I thought that you would tell me yourself if it was . . .'

'If it is about babies, or anything like that, then you had better ask your mother,' Malina replied with a smile.

'Oh, no, it's not that,' Rani said quickly. 'Mother has told me all about where babies come from. The Earth Mother Herself brings them to you, when She feels that you are ready to look after them.'

'I see,' Malina replied with a smile, admiring Theuli's tact. 'What is your question?'

'It's just that . . . it's about the way you do things now,' Rani said. 'You walk everywhere, you don't cast spells any more-'

'Ask,' Malina told her.

'Well . . .' Rani muttered, 'I was just wondering why?'

Malina was several moments in considering her answer. It was one matter to keep such things to herself where adults were concerned, but children were another matter. Doing her best to emulate Theuli, she finally said, 'Haven't you ever done things so that you can fit in with your friends?'

Rani frowned. 'You mean, getting mother to cut my hair cut the same way as the girls I know, or wearing my frilly dress?'

Malina smiled in response. 'Something like that. Well, when I was sent away, I had no magic, and I had to learn to live as my new friends did.

'But that is how they came to know me, and now that they've come here, I want things to remain the same between us.'

Rani pondered this over for several minutes. Or perhaps she's simply bored, and thinking about something else, Malina mused.

At last, however, Rani said, 'Does that mean you're going to turn into a Human girl and marry Ralph?'

'Whatever gave you that idea?' Malina blurted in barely concealed chagrin and slight annoyance, wondering whose conversation the girl had overheard.

Rani shrugged. 'Your crib's right next to ours. I hear you talking in your sleep sometimes-'

Mortified, Malina almost stopped dead in her tracks, but kept going, hoping the girl hadn't noticed.

'I see. Well, you should not pay too much attention to what people say in their sleep. After all, they're only dreaming.'

As they continued their journey, an echo of those same words seemed to mock her from the background of her thoughts.

When they finally reached the crest of the last hill before the farm, Malina hesitated when Rani tugged on her sleeve, making her turn around.

'Malina ' Rani whispered. 'Look '

They stopped walking. Looking about, Malina saw nothing, until Rani inclined her head at a spot further away in the forest amongst some tall ferns. She swallowed, fear and apprehension in her every line. Probing the area with her truncated Pixie senses, she relaxed a little. Only one But what did she want?

'If you're trying not to be seen, you're not doing a very good job of it,' Malina said, setting the laundry basket down.

The figure separated itself from the foliage and approached them, cautiously, hesitantly. Malina's fear and unease returned sharply when she realised that the creature was an Imp.

'Rani,' Malina said, trying to keep her voice steady, 'stand behind me.'

'Why?' Rani asked, watching the creature with frank curiosity.

'Do it ' Malina hissed, making Rani's eyes go wide with chagrin. At last realising that something was amiss, Rani sidled towards Malina and stood behind her, poised to run, watching the stranger carefully. When the Imp was within yards of them, Malina said, 'Come no closer What is it you want?'

The Imp's dark skin made it difficult to tell where her leafy garment ended and her skin began. Her long, jet-black hair was tied back, and her black eyebrows arched upwards at the corners, giving her leaf-green eyes a predatory look.

'A Pixie, and two Elf children,' said the Imp, coming closer still. 'What sort of riddle have we here?'

'Do not come any closer,' said Malina, watching the Imp's every move.

Surprised, suspicious, the Imp said, 'Ah-h, stranger still A Pixie who wears strange clothing, who cleans garments in a stream like an Elf-woman, and who doesn't transform and fly away in fear from an Imp And I see you have lost your Power as well. Tell me, Pixie with no Power, why do you not run from me?'

'I have little ones to protect,' said Malina, trying to sound confident, 'and make no mistake; protect them I will.'

The Imp hissed in surprise. 'You would fight me?'

Malina didn't hesitate. 'I would.' She found herself thinking, perhaps irrelevantly, that the Imp would have been very beautiful if her features weren't marred by the treacherous intent that lurked within.

'Then it is true,' muttered the Imp, seemingly distracted by some thought.

'What is true?' Malina asked her cautiously.

The Imp fixed her with its gaze. 'The Earth Mother has abandoned her Creation. All is chaos and ruin . . .'

Malina knew instinctively that the Imp's presence represented danger, and that she should try to get the children away as quickly as possible, but she replied, 'Why do you say that?' There was something bleak in the Imp's visage that sharpened Malina's scrutiny of her.

'I was to have been . . . I went to the Festival . . . but the Vedh-ahn failed to answer the Summoning. There are no daughters . . . no renewal.'

Malina could tell that there was truth in what the Imp was saying; her pain was obvious. But the Imp's duplicity screamed at Malina's senses, and she picked up the laundry in revulsion.

'Stop Where are you going?' The Imp began following them, and Malina tried to ignore her. The Imp began to become increasingly agitated, until she physically tried to block their progress.

'Get out of my way,' said Malina in a low voice, 'or I shall hit you.' Despite the fact that her voice was shaking with fear, she found that she meant it. The Imp backed away in surprise. Once again, Malina and Rani began making their way towards the farm, and once again the Imp followed, becoming even more agitated, looking back towards the deep wood as though seeking assistance, and once again she tried to block their way, though they were nearly out of the wood and within hailing distance of the farm.

Then, Malina's senses caught something, from further back in the forest. They were being followed, by more Imps, judging by the nature of their stealthy movements through the undergrowth.

'So ' Malina said, angry now, 'You seek to detain us In typical Imp fashion, your words are nothing more than lying deception ' As she moved forward, the Imp tried to block her way again. Anger making her fearless, Malina pushed the Imp roughly to the ground and began walking hurriedly towards the farm, watching the forest cautiously, and making Rani walk in front of her. They hadn't gone far when Malina heard running feet behind her. She yelled to Rani, 'Run ' dropped the basket, and met the Imp's charge.

Malina had never once fought in her life, but as the two women tussled in the grass, she fought as though more than her own life depended on it. The Imp, however, was experienced and crafty, and soon had Malina pinned to the ground.

'Now, damn you You will help us find out what has become of the Festival, and the Earth Mother as well,' the Imp shouted in her face.

'Why should I help you?' Malina retorted. 'And why would you need me?'

The Imp, her face suffused with rage, screamed at her. 'Your kind knows the Earth Mother hates us She suffers us only because she must, to preserve the Balance. Without you, or one like you, we can do noth-'

The weight suddenly gone from her chest, Malina got to her knees, breathing hard, and stared as the Imp struggled wildly to escape Rowf's grasp. He had her by the back of her garment, and she couldn't break his grasp.

'You okay?'

Malina got to her feet, a little shaken, but otherwise unhurt. 'I am all right. But there are more of them, not far from here. Back in the forest.'

The Imp began yelling in her strange tongue to her companions. They came to the edge of the forest, but no further. Ralph was prepared to let the Imp go, but Malina forestalled him.

'Don't release her just yet She and her friends are up to no good. They may try for one of the children. Or worse.'

Ralph raised his eyebrows in surprise. 'What am I supposed to do with her, then?'

Malina retrieved the laundry basket and began walking towards the house. 'Let's bring her with us and let Pran have a word with her.'

At the mention of Pran's name, the Imp became incoherent, and struggled wildly once more. As they neared the house, the others had all come to watch this strange spectacle. From the barn came Zuic and Pran leading Rani by the hand, followed by Theuli. It was difficult to read Pran's disposition as he approached, but from his mien it was apparent that he was angry.

'We were forewarned by Zuic of your predicament,' Pran said quietly, to Malina's surprise, gratitude and relief. 'You may release her.'

Ralph did so. The Imp watched as Pran approached her, trying to appear defiant, though she was clearly frightened. To Malina, Pran said, 'Zuic has told me that this Imp attacked you.'

Malina shrugged. 'She has harmed neither the children nor me. But she did try to hold me against my will.'

Pran sighed, and held the Imp immobile with his eyes. 'What is your name?'

She tried to tear her gaze from his, but he reached out, took her face in an iron grip, compelling her to look at him and give answer.

'Your name '

It was hard for the others to watch as he forced the name from her, as she suffered greatly from having to utter her own name in front of those not of her race. It was not his wish to be cruel, but in the end, he tore the name from her.

'Iniiq '

Once the name was uttered, she gasped as though in pain, and slumped to the ground, holding her knees miserably, not looking at them.

'Iniiq,' Pran said. She covered her ears reflexively at the sound of her own name.

Kneeling beside her, Pran said, 'Iniiq, hear me.'

'I-' she hiccupped, 'I hear you '

'Iniiq, I charge you by your name to tell us why you and your people are here, and to leave nothing unsaid.'

The others listened in anger and in pity as she told Pran her tale. This year, there had been no Festival. The Circle of Pa'an, an eldritch clearing deep in the forest where the Festival had been held since time immemorial, had been burnt and defiled. A Summoning was attempted, but in vain. In fear and desperation, (for their very survival depended on the continuance of the Festival), they had begun searching for one who could find and speak to the Earth Mother for them. Iniiq thought her hopes answered when she chanced upon Malina, thinking her the ideal choice because she was without her Power, and they surmised, therefore, that it might be possible to capture her.

'Why didn't you simply ask me?' Malina said, her feelings a mixture of pity and disgust.

'You would not have come,' the Imp replied.

'Wouldn't a Goblin Loremaster have served you better?' Theuli said, unable to contain her sarcasm because of the threat to the children, but regretted the jibe the instant it was uttered. Tears welled in the Imp's eyes at this insult, and she stared incredulously. Lowering her head to the ground, she muttered, 'Please, kill me and have done with it. I have told you all.'

The others started in anger and surprise. 'Kill you?' said Pran. 'Why would you say such a thing?'

'Because ' she replied brokenly, 'It was by Elven hands that the Festival was slain.'

To everyone's surprise, Malina decided to accompany the Imp. In response, Pran nodded and said, 'You will not go alone. I will accompany you.'

Deborah was looking straight at Theuli when he said this; watched her reaction. But the Elf-woman said nothing. That evening, as Theuli packed Pran's saddlebags with a few days' provisions, Deborah approached her as she went about the task, her movements wooden. The two men, thankfully, were outside somewhere, working late at some task.

'You think this is a bad idea,' Deborah said quietly, standing beside the table.

Theuli stopped for a moment without looking up. 'I think,' she muttered, 'that my husband would not welcome my interference in this matter. And he would be right. What is the selfish foolishness of only one mother and wife, compared to the plight of a people we have so wronged.'

'Was that true,' Deborah asked tentatively, hoping she wasn't being rude by asking, 'what the . . . that Imp said . . . about the Elves . . . ?'

Theuli stopped what she was doing, her features grim and set in the yellow glow of candles which were set at each end of the table where she worked. 'Yes.' She sat down.

Uncomfortable standing over the Elf-woman, Deborah seated herself across from her.

'I don't think that I need remind you that the King and his soldiers are now openly bent on exterminating our Faerie kindred.' Theuli told her.

'Why? Are they some kind of threat? I heard one of the neighbours say something about the Imps that made me wonder-'

Theuli laughed bitterly. 'No. Arlon was angry only because they had stolen some vegetables from his family's household garden. At worst, they are a minor nuisance, and even then they are seldom so. Being a nomadic people, and without any physical magical properties to speak of, unlike others of Faeriekind, they will often turn on those who antagonise or attack them; but otherwise, any threat they represent is but a minor thing. Nevertheless, the King and his minions would destroy them, if ever they had free rein to do so. Many, like Pran my husband, resist the will of the King, though it is very dangerous to do so. If he was ever to be caught . . .'

Deborah thought this over, the two women sitting in silence a while. Then, 'Do you think she's still outside?'

Theuli craned her head as though listening. 'She wanders near the barn, afraid to re-enter the forest.'

'Why?'

Theuli turned a look of guilty pity towards her. 'The telling of her name to outsiders will make things very difficult for her.' In a lower voice, she added, 'They may very well kill her.'

Shocked, Deborah said, 'Then why did Pran force her?'

'It was necessary,' Theuli replied. 'The fate of her people is that of the Pixie folk and all other Faerie creatures. That is no small thing. And make no mistake; the truth had to be forced from her. Where outsiders are concerned, Imp's are deceitful, treacherous to the unwary, and often vengeful.'

'Well . . . shouldn't we at least offer her some food or something?' Deborah asked. 'And maybe a blanket?'

Not looking at her, Theuli nodded. 'You may try, but I doubt that she will thank you for your patronage, however well-intended.'

Carrying a small oil lantern, Deborah spotted the Imp huddled on the ground, just inside the entrance to the barn. She was hugging her knees, staring miserably in the direction of the forest. When she saw that Deborah was coming in her direction, she fled into a dark corner of the barn.

'I've just come to bring you something,' Deborah said, placing her lantern and a bundle on top of a bale of straw. 'There's some food and blankets here, if you like.'

'Your help is not wanted,' came Iniiq's sullen reply out of the darkness. 'Nor do I ask for your pity.'

'Look,' Deborah told her, 'I'm not from this world. I don't understand what's going on here, but I don't like it, and neither do my friends. They came here to help.'

The Imp was silent a moment, possibly considering Deborah's words. And then, she asked in a voice that sounded disturbingly disembodied in the darkness, 'Why have you come here?'

Deborah had to think for a moment. Why had she come here? With a mental shrug, she decided to be as straightforward as she could.

'I don't know, exactly. It's like there are things that have happened to me, and somehow there's a pattern to them, and it leads here.'

'What sort of things?' Iniiq asked, approaching out of the darkness like dawning clarity, moving into the light of the lantern.

'Bad things,' Deborah replied quietly, and as she said those words, the darkness around her seemed to echo them menacingly.

Perhaps hearing more than Deborah's words, Iniiq said, 'Is foolish to try to fight magic when you have none. Or have you left your magic behind?'

'There is no magic in my world,' Deborah replied sadly. 'It's something that people like me . . .' her throat constricted around an inexplicable pang of grief as she said this, 'It's something that people like me can only dream about.'

'No magic?' Iniiq breathed in disbelief. She asked, hesitantly, 'Is this why Pixie inside has no Power? Did your world take it from her?'

'I don't know,' Deborah replied, but the Imp's question struck her with a pang of misgiving. 'I'm not sure.'

But the Imp seemed all too sure. 'Elves do very bad things to people. Even to each other.' In a small, defeated voice, she added, 'And to me.'

The next morning, Ralph, Deborah, Doc, and Theuli assembled to watch Pran and Malina mount a pair horses and leave for the forest. Theuli had to assist Malina onto the horse's back. Once Malina had gained the saddle, she looked very nervous.

'Just try to move with her,' Theuli said reassuringly. 'There is no need to worry; she won't bolt, and she won't let you fall.' Malina tried to smile and appear confident, though she instinctively knew that she fooled no one.

Pran called Iniiq from where she was hiding in the barn. She came slowly, rubbing sleep out of her eyes, and stood uncertainly in the doorway.

'Iniiq,' Pran said quietly, 'we are going in search of those places I know of nearby, where the Earth Mother has been known to show her presence. I require your assistance.'

Her fear of entering the forest showed plainly in her face. 'My assistance? For what do you need this?'

'To help me speak to your people. If I try to approach them without you, they will flee from my presence.'

She glared at the ground darkly. 'If I enter the forest, my own people will most likely kill me, as you well know.'

'You will ride with me, and therefore come to no harm, at least in my presence,' he said. 'Come.'

She approached, studying the ground, and stood beside his stirrup. 'I will walk.'

'I think not,' he said, and leaning over, caught her under the arms and lifted her lightly, placing her sideways on the saddle before him.

Theuli approached them, and touched the Imp lightly on her bare leg. 'I suggest that when you are done, that you leave the Elf Kingdom as others before you have done. Take heart, for I foresee you leading others away from this place. Tell any whom you meet upon the way to do the same, whichever of the Faerie Folk they may be, for there is a darkness descending upon the Elf Kingdom. Please, go in peace. Not all Elvenkind is your enemy.'

The Imp tried to muster what little dignity she possessed, and replied, 'That may be. But I see less help for my sort than I see your own self-interest, you and your Elvenkind. I have felt the touch of this darkness you speak of, and know that it comes solely from your King and his lackeys.'

'The King,' said Pran in a tight voice, 'will someday be made to answer for his actions, I assure you.' The Imp turned to him, an angry retort on her lips. But Pran's mien silenced anything she might have said. He clucked to his horse once and they left, the timeless forest seeming to absorb their very essence into itself the way rainwater vanishes into the sea.

Watching them go, Ralph found his feelings tangled with an unfamiliar anxiety.

'I don't believe it ' he muttered to himself in wonder, unaware that Theuli listened at his shoulder. 'I didn't think she'd have that kind of nerve.' Finally noticing Theuli's presence, he said, 'Does she have any kind of idea what she's getting herself into?'

'She does,' the Elf woman replied distractedly, but she was thinking more of the danger to her husband and family than anything else.

Swallowing, biting down on his own conflicted feelings, Ralph left and began making his way towards the corner of the barn which was the blacksmith shop.