by Vance Huxley
“How big? Will a chunk of this one do?” Rob eyed up the broad trunk. “We could cut a piece out for you.”
“Cut it! This is my tree!” The dryad subsided again. “But my tree is dying, so the magic is leaking away and even half the trunk would not hold enough for such a long trip.”
Rob persisted. “But how big a piece if it is absolutely stuffed full of magic, and doesn’t lose it?” He glanced at Abel and Kelis. “The fence posts? We filled them.”
“We can burn off a piece of wood, big enough for the dryad, small enough to carry?” Abel saw the dryad shiver at the word burn. “Can we supply enough magic?”
“We cannot carry enough magic with us, not to keep replenishing the dryad and also power the glyphs to carry the wood.”
With a sigh Abel faced the dryad. “We can put enough magic into a smaller piece of wood, but it will run out too soon and we will take a long time to recover our magic. Too long.”
“Why not take magic from these unguarded trees? If they really exist.” The dryad looked suspicious again. “I thought you were sorcerers, or at least witches and warlocks.”
“We are only trainees. How do we regain our magic using a tree?”
“If I tell you, you will swear to take me to a tree large enough to sustain me?” The dryad looked at its tree. “Even so, I do not know if I can leave my tree. We have been together since we were both saplings. A dead piece will not be the same.”
“Pull off a shoot and grow it. Then your tree doesn’t die.” Rob shrugged. “Mum does it with some plants. When it’s big enough you could move back in.”
“Oh no.” Kelis pointed. “Too late.” A pickup truck bounced along the edge of the next field. As it grew nearer Kelis sighed. “Henry and Tyson. Wonderful.” She smiled, “Unless one of them swings, so it’s self-defence?”
“Restraint, Glyphmistress. They’ll just tell us to leave because we’re trespassing. This is Copples farmland.” Abel didn’t expect much restraint if either of them tried to hit her, but didn’t think they would. Though even if Abel argued about the trespassing, nobody could rescue the dryad with Henry standing here.
The real problem turned out to be much worse. Once Tyson parked up Henry reached into the back of the truck and hauled out a big chainsaw. “Tyson noticed a tree blown down, so we thought we’d come and get the firewood before some thieving git nicked it.” He looked at the three of them with a sneer. “So if the trespassers will sod off, we’ll get on with it.”
“The tree will lose the magic much quicker if it is cut into pieces. Then the dryad will die before we can find more wood for it to ride in.”
Abel turned his back on the brothers, speaking quietly. “We can’t stop them.”
“We can.”
“Not without causing a big ruckus and being prosecuted for trespass. They’ll get the coppers if we argue.” Otherwise Abel would have tried, but he couldn’t do much about the law.
Rob nudged Abel and raised his voice. “We aren’t trespassing. Right to roam, Countryside Act. This land isn’t exempt so we can wander all over it, and we’ve wandered here.” He grinned at Tyson and Henry. “Why don’t you go home and ask your dad?” Rob turned to Abel and Kelis, lowering his voice. “Mum knows I’ve been searching for all the local mature trees, but not that I’m asking dryads of course. She worried about me trespassing while crossing the fields and made me check the law.” He turned back to raise his voice so Henry heard the rest. “It’s a pity the landowner’s idiot sons don’t know the law.”
Abel rolled his eyes, because he knew Rob wanted the Copples to take a swing. Rob still complained occasionally that he owed Henry, big-time. Instead of fighting, Henry sneered and pulled the starter on the chainsaw. “Watch out then, because that means you also have the right to sawdust and flying splinters.”
Kelis turned to Abel in a silent appeal while the dryad cowered among the leafless branches, invisible to the brothers. “We can’t stop them, Kelis. It’s their land.” Abel wiggled a finger a little. “I’m tempted to fix the chainsaw but it might blow up. We’re stumped unless it conks out.”
“Good idea. Back in a moment.” Ferryl poured out of her tattoo and flew across the gap to the pickup truck, detouring around the brothers. She hovered around it then disappeared under the bonnet, reappearing soon after with a slightly singed gremlin! It shot a look of pure malice at Abel and scampered across the ground to Henry, climbing swiftly up his trouser leg. Ferryl flowed back into her tattoo.
“How did you know?” Abel wouldn’t be heard over the chainsaw as an oblivious Henry cut off small branches.
“I remember the hex on that vehicle from when we were working out why some are never activated. You told me that is a cheap make and when I just checked, the hex isn’t working. This is a farm with lots of machinery so there will be gremlins. The rest is luck.” Ferryl sounded triumphant. “The gremlin will be very angry after a singeing and threats. It will make a very good job of the saw.”
As Ferryl finished speaking the chainsaw coughed and smoke began pouring out of it. “Turn it off you idiot. What did you do?” Tyson snatched the machine as soon as it stopped, trying to see what was wrong. Oil dripped down his clothes. “You bloody fool, you’ve left the drain plug loose.” The metal plug dropped free and oil gushed briefly.
“I didn’t. It was fine.” Henry turned to the three grinning faces. “Don’t laugh too much. I don’t know what this tree means to you, but I’ll cut it up by hand if I have to.”
“Come on, there’s another chainsaw back at the farm, or you can have a go with an axe if you’re that keen. I’ll hold your jacket.” Tyson scowled at the spectators and threw the chainsaw into the back of the truck. As he got into the cab, the gremlin climbed over the top and after glaring at Abel, slipped under the bonnet. Tyson gunned the engine and roared off along the side of the next field, heading home. Before he’d gone far, the engine started coughing and spluttering.
“A very angry gremlin. The machinery on that farm will have a terrible few days.”
Ferryl had trouble staying connected with others out in the open because of the wind so Abel passed that on, adding, “But hopefully the pickup will get out of sight.”
“Probably, or they’ll walk home and won’t be back for a long time. The gremlin will want to get to the farm before wrecking the engine, so it can start on the rest.”
“Now it’s down to the dryad, and how big a piece of wood it will need.” Abel turned to where the creature had now come out of the branches, looking much more hopeful. “Dryad, I promise on my name, Abel Bernard Conroy, to find you a mature tree with no dryad inside and allow you to move in. Now how do we get the magic?”
“That does not truly bind a human to keep your word, but I must take a chance.” The dryad hesitated. “Dryads do not usually take chances.” It looked from one to the other. “Cut a glyph as if draining magic to power a spell such as a barrier. Can you do that?” All three humans nodded. “This time cut through the bark into the live wood. Create the same glyph on your limb, your hand, and place it over the cut glyph. You will be able to draw magic. Please do not take too much from one tree.”
“There are a lot of big strong trees. We usually hide the draining glyphs under the bark on roots, to power the barrier.” Though Abel still couldn’t do that on his own, without Ferryl helping.
“For this the glyph must be available on the outside and reach right through to live wood. It will heal up eventually, once you stop stealing magic.” Dryad shouldn’t sound so bitter, considering the reason.
“I should know how to get magic that way!”
“I know, it’s in your wits, somewhere.” Abel really wanted Ferryl to find her wits, or read the ones she’d got, because they sounded like a magic encyclopaedia.
Kelis had already moved closer to put a hand on the fallen tree. “How big a piece, dryad? Abel can cut it, and put the rest of his and Ferryl’s magic into the piece. Rob and I can fill it up and start moving while he t
akes Ferryl and gets topped up because Abel can run fastest. We get a twofer with Ferryl.”
“I hear and obey, Glyphmistress.” Abel moved towards the tree as the dryad reluctantly showed them a suitable section.
Rob laughed. “Blimey, still under the spell?”
Abel and Kelis grinned at each other and she pointed dramatically and snapped her fingers. “Hurry up, slave.” With Ferryl advising and the dryad cringing, Abel burned off a chunk. The green wood didn’t catch fire, the sap spitting and hissing as the heat glyph worked through.
The slave laughed when he’d finished. “That will give Henry a headache, trying to work out how we managed to burn a lump out of the middle of the trunk.” Abel and Ferryl poured magic into the hunk of timber. “It’s going to take a hurricane to lift.”
“Not now. May I take control of both hands please, while we have some magic left?” After getting permission Ferryl created a ball of wind to protect one hand, and put the other under it, palm down. “The bottom one pushes straight down, while the protected hand stops either one being crushed. The protection is a wind glyph on top of a reverse wind glyph, at different angles and pulled in tight.” She wriggled both Abel’s hands into the soft earth under the chunk and the glyphs strengthened, lifting it clear of the ground. “No actual weight on your hand but this will be expensive in magic. We could not do this at Christmas without draining everyone, but now that doesn’t matter.” The wood wobbled. “We will need two people to keep it steady.”
“Then you’d better get off and get topped up. Shoo.” Kelis turned to the dryad. “Let us know when you can move in.”
“Hang on.” Rob snapped off a shoot and tucked it in his belt. “Ready.” As soon as Ferryl agreed Rob and Kelis had the protective wind glyphs right, and Abel had given all the magic he should, Abel set off running. The running away practice finally came in handy.
* * *
Tree magic felt lovely, cool and fresh, pouring into Abel’s hand just as the dryad had promised. Ferryl promised to work on a way to create a store, once she could remember or work out how to do it. For now, Abel’s magic ‘battery’ couldn’t hold any more. He ran back as fast as possible and as soon as he took the weight, Kelis borrowed his penknife and set off running. Ferryl compensated for Rob tiring, and they continued their slow clumsy way until Kelis came back wearing a big smile.
“That tree magic feels lovely.” She patted the piece of wood. “Thank you, dryad.”
“He will not answer, because it uses magic.”
“Be careful taking over. If you get it wrong the tree scrapes through the glyph barrier.” Rob showed Kelis a skinned knuckle. “Does it matter which tree?”
“A big one, that’s all. If we only take a bit from each they’ll all recover quicker.”
“I’m more worried about how fast I recover.” Kelis frowned, concentrating on the glyphs. “I’ll need a long sleep after this.”
“It’s a pity the trees won’t recover as easily.” Abel felt guilty somehow. “How long will they leak?”
“We can heal the trees straight away, now I have thought about it. The same glyph you drew across the grass in Castle House garden will work, and use very little magic.”
“All that crawling about, those lines in the dirt, were a glyph?” Abel tried to imagine a pattern to all those swirls and lines.
“Yes, drawn very large. Why do you think the grass and bushes recovered so quickly?” Abel didn’t have an answer, though he really did feel better about healing the trees. He’d had visions of them bleeding magic for days, even if it didn’t work like that.
An hour later they all agreed about a long sleep though as Kelis came back from topping up they could see the target tree, a Sycamore because dryad wanted the same species. It had been very tempted by an oak, but didn’t feel comfortable switching. Rob ran off to top up but when he came back he hesitated before trying to take over. “Can you make it, Abel?” He showed his skinned knuckles. “You and Ferryl are a bit more precise than I am.”
“We’ve got plenty of magic left for this stretch.” Abel glanced back at a shout over the fields. “You could slow up Henry, because that’s who it’ll be. We can hide this bit of tree once dryad is home safe.” Abel chuckled. “Henry won’t come into the wood anyway.”
“The wood will rot to nothing if we drain every last dreg, or rot enough so it cannot have come from the fallen tree.” Ferryl sang a few words, sounding a lot like Kelis when she’d made the first ward. “Because I can do magic.” All three laughed because this close together Ferryl had connected up.
“So can I, so I’ll go and tease Henry.” Rob held up both hands. “I promise not to deliberately provoke him, but only because we don’t want too many people looking at that burned tree.” He jogged off with a happy smile.
“One last effort?” Kelis’s smile showed the strain as they staggered into the wood. “Close enough?”
“Next to the tree. Dryad may be weak, despite us topping up the magic in the wood.”
Ferryl must have been right because dryad seemed to stumble moving from log to tree, disappearing without a word. Abel picked up the shoot from against the trunk, where Rob must have propped it. “We’d better plant this. I hope it grows.”
“It will.” Both Abel and Kelis jumped as a long, slim, definitely woody hand plucked the shoot from Abel’s hand. They looked up to see a rough face in the sycamore trunk. “This tree is strong, filled to the brim. Already I feel better, and have plenty of spare magic to keep this alive.” A small hole opened in the tree and the dryad slotted the shoot partly inside before the bark closed up to hold it. “Once I am fully recovered, I will find a place to plant. Does it matter where?”
Abel swept a hand around. “Choose a clear spot, near enough to protect until it is strong enough.” He looked up at the face. “Are you comfortable? Does the barrier bother you?”
His answer briefly gleamed white inside a hole in the bark, before being sealed away. “I will keep your glyph safe.” The face became much more human-looking. “I thank you. You may take one of my seedlings to tell the other dryads you speak truth, once one is strong enough.”
“Brilliant!”
“We can protect the village.” Abel and Kelis turned to each other, then their arms were round each other and Abel’s second kiss felt just as nice as the first. Maybe better, and possibly longer.
“Oh yes, go and annoy Henry, Rob. I should have known you just wanted a chance to pounce on the poor girl.” Rob stood with his hands on his hips, trying hard to look indignant.
Kelis blushed. “I just wanted to make sure of the spell.”
“From the look of Abel, it took the first time. I suppose I’ll have to put up with this behaviour from now on? I thought you would have stopped another enchantment, Ferryl?”
“They told me to close my eyes so I did. What happened?” Ferryl laughed. “Will I have to close my eyes very often?” Ferryl sounded a little bit tipsy, she’d been that way since her first top-up from a tree.
“Maybe?” Kelis smirked. “A Glyphmistress does not give up her captures too easily.”
“Maybe? A lot more than that, considering you’re still clutching his sweaty paw.” Rob broke up laughing. “I wish I had a picture. You pair look priceless, like you’d been caught swigging your Dad’s whiskey or something. Petra wanted to bet Abel would kiss you again before we went back to school, but I’m not that much of a sucker.”
“When was this? Have you been stroking her fur again?” Abel didn’t think they’d had much time to talk but wanted to distract Rob because yes, Kelis still had hold of his sweaty paw.
“No, she’s too old for me and I’m definitely too young for Petra. There are telephones. Petra finds me easier to talk to about magic, because I’m still learning. Have you two topped up your magic, or were you too keen to get to the snogging?” Rob held up his hands when Kelis glared. “All right, I’ll be good. Eventually.” He kicked the log. “What happens to this?”
“We drain it of magic.”
A shoot grew from the sycamore and connected to the log. Moments later the log visibly aged, drying and cracking, and the bark crumbled off.
Abel shrugged. “Or dryad will. Come on Kelis, let’s get topped up.” It wasn’t until they went to cut the glyphs either of them realised they were still holding hands.
“I warned you.” Ferryl sniggered. “I don’t suppose you’ll both agree to break the connection, not yet?”
Abel didn’t want to ask Kelis, but worried a bit that he should. He’d had the same lovely warm tingle again from his ward when they’d kissed, and hoped that wasn’t some sort of magical love charm affecting her. He still couldn’t decide after going home to get changed out of his wet clothes, and when the three of them met later Kelis seemed cautious, unsure. They didn’t hold hands or kiss, but Abel for one definitely thought about it quite a lot.
* * *
Abel slept really well, but still felt stiff walking down to the school bus the next morning. The other two felt as bad, so the magical lifting didn’t take all the strain. Once at school, break and lunch became a whirlwind because Petra arranged for Abel, Rob and Kelis to team up with her and break the news to four betas, the ones who were getting a strong reaction from their meditation. Once all three explained that the tingle really could be magic, Petra fluttered a bit of paper over her hand to prove it. All the betas agreed to close their eyes to talk to a real Ferryl Shayde, but opened them again though this time the spooky-phone stayed invisible. Finally Petra and Rob explained training and what a pain it would be. Petra kept smirking at Abel and Kelis, but didn’t actually say anything.
Talking about how the Tavern would develop now and if the betas were that or a coven kept the three of them occupied on the way home. Pandora’s Box had been opened, because all four of those betas were now determined to make a leaf flutter at least. Somehow Stourton and the surrounding villages would have to cope with a sudden outbreak of magic, even if everyone agreed to keep it a secret. The bit about adults being driven insane ensured that, nobody wanted to send a parent barmy.
