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~Compiled
by Alex~ Seething with embarrassment over having her hand trapped under Nick’s buttocks when Minuet restored his size, Gem politely takes her leave of the group in Rowena’s cottage. Those who remain reach an uneasy stand-off - Sebastian and Minuet remain curled up on the table together and Nick sits in a corner and sulks, while Rowena attempts to make peace and comfort all involved. Then, suddenly, Sebastian catches an intriguing scent on Nick and leaps off the table, rubbing around the man’s legs as he tries to figure out why Nick seems to be carrying the scent of a cat that smells almost exactly the same as Sebastian himself. Eager to keep his appointment to meet Rowena at the Hidden Village, John leaves the Seventh Stranger Inn, pausing only to ask Barbarella to take special care of Lysander for the next couple of days. He makes a brief detour to the market to purchase some breakfast before setting off through the forest with a light heart. When he finally reaches Rowena’s cottage, he stands in the doorway to deliver his greeting, giving his eyes a moment to adjust to the change of lighting. But before he is able to peruse the inside of the cottage, Nick - hearing the voice of his dear friend John - leaps to his feet and rushes at the monk, throwing his arms around him in a welcoming hug and babbling excitedly. Sebastian, startled back into his senses by the sudden disappearance of the man, remembers his friend the faerie and, ashamed at the way he had abandoned her, he calls out to ask her where she is. Engrossed in the scene unfolding in the doorway, Minuet answers him distractedly, and accidentally messes up the translation of the word “table” into the feline tongue. And so, hearing his friend say that she is in the pantry, that’s where Sebastian goes to investigate. John, meanwhile, recovers from his momentary shock at being accosted by someone he can only assume to be Nikolai Rhodan, and in a split second he forces Nick away from him and then pins the man’s arms to his sides, whispering vague but hate-filled threats in his ear. Startled and horrified, Nick wrenches himself free of John’s grip, and commences a tirade of protestations full of words like “Geldoff” and “historic” which baffle his listeners entirely. Eventually, a bemused Rowena intervenes, separating the two men and attempting to explain to each of them that the other is not who he thinks he is. They both take some convincing, but it’s not until Minuet pipes up with her opinion that John finally starts to believe that this man is not Nikolai Rhodan afterall. Before he can respond, however, there is a startling ruckus in the kitchen which serves to distract all of them - Poor Sebastian, searching for Minuet in the pantry, has caught his tail in the door and, leaping out of the cupboard with fright, has upset a large number of pots, sacks and jars, all of which come crashing to the floor around him as he lands... Keeping her promise to Brother John, Barbarella cooks a hearty breakfast for Lysander and asks Maeve to take it out to him, adding a request for Maeve to concoct a sleeping remedy for the young man to take that night. Maeve does as she’s asked, and as she greets Lysander and serves him his meal, the two of them are both taken a-back by the other’s attractiveness - something neither of them had noticed earlier in the kitchen. A brief and somewhat awkward introduction ensues, before Maeve makes a hasty retreat to the kitchen once more. From there, Barbarella hands her a purse of coins and asks her to go to the market to purchase some necessary items. Once again, Maeve obeys, stopping by Lysander’s table on her way out to ask if there’s anything else he needs. Lysander surprises himself, as well as Maeve, by replying that he would very much like to accompany her into town, if she doesn’t mind. And as it happens, Maeve doesn’t mind at all... Feeling bitter and miserable about the lack of understanding he’s received, Warren wanders the streets of Ashby looking for distraction. He is a little surprised when a young girl, no more than six years of age, suddenly introduces herself as “Alexa” and asks him to accompany her to the fair. Alexa had sensed that Warren was kind-hearted but lonely and wished only to cheer him up. Always ready to help those who ask, Warren agrees, and hoists the little girl onto his shoulders. His spirits much revived, the pair sets off for the fair together. They have not gone far, however, before Warren senses the presence of The Flame nearby, and he comes up with an idea for disguising himself from her. He purchases a couple of scarves to cover his face and head, and another brightly coloured one as a gift for Alexa, and as the finishing touch to his disguise, he politely asks the little girl if she would mind very much calling him “Daddy” for a while. Delighted with the idea, Alexa agrees, and proceeds to call him “Daddy” at every opportunity. But it is only moments later that Warren senses The Flame again, and spots her in the crowd, not too far away. The Flame, too, feels Warren’s presence at the same time and, impatient to find him, she asks for Simon’s help in scanning for his thoughts. But before Simon can make himself useful, she suddenly spots Warren coming towards her, instantly recognising him through his disguise. Knowing the game is up, Warren throws off his scarves, pushes Alexa aside, and draws his sword. “You wanted me?” he challenges her. “Now come and get me.” After Bantam’s regurgitation of his breakfast, Nicholas takes him by the hand and leads him out of the town and back into the forest, with the intention of finding him some food that he will be able to keep down. He leads the older boy to the cave where he lives, and there he performs his healing magic on Bantam once again, to soothe his irritated stomach. Then he gathers together a small meal of fruit, nuts and fresh water, which Bantam consumes gratefully, all the while asking Nicholas questions about his home, his situation and their mother. Nicholas, of course, does not answer - at least not in words. At the question about their mother, he sadly leads Bantam out of the cave and into a clearing, at the centre of which sits a grass-covered mound. Bantam watches his brother kneel on the ground and touch the grass sadly, and he finally realises that this is where their mother is buried. And at last, Nicholas gives way to the tears that he has been holding back for as long as he can remember. The memories come flooding back to him, of how his mother had refused to let him use his healing power to help her when she was sick. And then had come the day when she was unable to get up, and ignoring her instructions he had done everything he could to save her, spending whole days doing nothing but concentrate on healing her. But it hadn’t been enough. She had died, and the only thing that had saved him from the depths of despair had been the help of the faeries who comforted him and took care of him, and bestowed their gifts upon him. And eventually he had learned to move on, and to take care of himself without his mother. The summer fair in Ashby has drawn many newcomers to town, and amongst those is a band of Gypsies, led by a young man known as Adam. After taking some trouble convincing Marco, his right-hand-man, that he can take care of himself, Adam finally finds himself wandering through town alone. Also attracted to Ashby because of the fair, a brother-and-sister act by the names of Nigel and Khanada are keeping the townsfolk amused with their acrobatics - at least, one of them is. While Khanada performs to the delight of the crowd, her brother Nigel makes short work of their bulging purses from behind the scenes. Adam, a thief himself by trade, watches them at work with considerable interest. At the end of her performance, Khanada meets Nigel in a back alley, where she collapses from exhaustion in the summer heat. Admonishing her for overworking, Nigel suggests they find an inn to stay at and take a rest, and Khanada agrees. The pair sets off for the Seventh Stranger Inn, unaware that Adam is following. As they approach the front steps of the inn, Khanada finally faints from exhaustion and Nigel is forced to carry her inside. Adam rushes to his aid, bursting into the inn behind them and calling urgently for a damp rag and a bed for the girl. Indignant at the Gyspy’s interference, Nigel demands an introduction, which Adam happily provides, but feeling uneasy about the looks of suspicion being cast his way by the inn patrons, he suggests to Nigel that they wait for a little more privacy before talking further. Nigel agrees, and so the three of the them go upstairs to a room which Barbarella provides for them, where Nigel lays his sister down on the bed. Eventually, Khanada comes to, and Adam goes back downstairs to fetch her a drink of water. When he returns, the three of them make proper introductions to eachother, and spend a few minutes talking, before Adam regretfully announces that he must get back to his friends in the town. After he leaves, Nigel and Khanada marvel about his willingness to offer his help to complete strangers such as they. Andy returns to the Rum Runner Inn with breakfast for two tucked under his arm, and is momentarily stunned, as he re-enters the room, to find Ninnocha looking even more beautiful than she had the day before. But he recovers quickly and makes his offering of breakfast and roses with customary smoothness. Finding herself beginning to fall under Andy’s spell, Ninnocha finds it necessary to remind herself of her mission and of where her attention should be focused, so she casually asks Andy if he knows of a monk by the name of Brother John and whether he might be able to take her to see him. Andy’s heart sinks, but he realises that she will only resent him if he stands in her way, so with a touch of reassurance, he agrees to help her as best he can. Ninnocha smiles her gratitude and then delightedly rips into the breakfast Andy has brought with him. The pair agrees, as they eat, that they will pay a visit to the Midsummer Fair in town that day, and perhaps find some information about Brother John while they’re there. Andy, of course, has his own plans to make contact with the Guild, although he decides not to tell them about his new friend, but naturally he does not share these plans with Ninnocha. They finish their meal and head for the door of the inn, but just before they open it, they hear the commotion outside, of Warren and the Flame engaging in battle. Sensing that there is magic involved and deciding they don’t wish to get involved, the two companions leave by the back door instead. Warren and the Flame engage in the battle that has been brewing for so long. After deflecting a magic lightning bolt with his sword, Warren plunges the weapon into his opponent’s belly and then, assuming his blow has killed her, he turns to comfort Alexa who is sitting on the ground where she fell, crying. But the Flame’s magic is strong, and while Warren’s back is turned, she pulls the sword out of her flesh and her wound heals instantly. Keen to keep out of the way and not distract Warren, Alexa scrambles up a nearby tree in the hopes of watching from the safety of its branches. The Flame, however, overhears Alexa call Warren “daddy”, and her fury is kindled to new heights at the thought of Warren having a child with another woman. She flies at Alexa, screeching like a banshee and determined to take the girl’s life. At this, Warren finally discovers the deep-seated magical powers he had forgotten he possessed, and almost without his own control, the White Light of Goodness fills him and then aims itself at the evil Flame. It strikes her down in one short blow. The Flame is broken, and Warren rushes to lift Alexa from the tree and comfort her, tears of joy flowing freely down his cheeks. Maeve and Lysander have been deeply engrossed in conversation as they walk, and have discovered a great many things in common. But their conversation is interrupted when they happen upon the scene of the battle between Warren and the Flame, which is raging in the town square. Maeve is at first sickened by the thought that, had she accepted Warren’s invitation to accompany him that morning, this might have been *her* fate... but then she suddenly notices a man comforting a woman on the far side of the crowd, and her heart skips a beat. She doesn’t know how it can be, but there is little doubt that the man is her long-lost brother Simon. She calls to him telepathically, and Simon all but drops Vanya when he suddenly hears his sister’s voice in his mind. Forgetting all else, he rushes through the crowd to where Maeve is standing and sweeps her off her feet in a gleeful bear-hug. After exchanging a couple of brief question-and-answers, the two of them return to where Simon abandoned the frightened Vanya, with a confused Lysander in tow. Meanwhile, the guards have come to investigate the violent goings-on in the square. The first guard to look at the Flame’s body recognises her instantly, and when Warren admits to being the one who killed her, the guard falls to his knees in gratitude. The Flame, he says, murdered his entire family, and Warren has done them all a great service in ridding the world of her evil. Gradually, the entire crowd begins to applaud their agreement. “Hail to Warren” the people shout. Observing this, Maeve finds herself reassessing her attitude toward this man whom the people are now hailing as their hero. But without dwelling on the matter too much, she turns her attention to introducing Lysander to her brother and Vanya. Upon hearing that Maeve and Lysander are both staying at the Seventh Stranger Inn, Simon is torn between returning there for a drink and a long talk with his sister, and his duties to both Audra and Vanya. Eventually, he settles on making a telepathic offer to meet Maeve at the inn later, and then turns his attention to Vanya, offering to find her somewhere to rest and take some refreshment. But Vanya, upset at the death of the woman she had only just begun to think of as a friend, declines his offer. She returns the gift he had given her earlier and makes a hasty retreat toward the safety and solitude of her room in the castle. <<
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