Rae of Light

  The windows of Brairton's office were small and high up on the wall.   So high up that he could not see out of them.   He didn't care much for what the scenery outside had to offer.   If he could have it his way the place would have no windows at all.   But he needed easy access for his spies.   The feline part of Brairton's nature wanted always to swat at the wasps buzzing their news to his ears.   But if he killed them before they relayed their information his whole Buzz System would be quite pointless. So he resisted. Regretfully. So finally, he now knew how the goat fitted into Lac Taal’s network.   It had taken careful planning and positioning of his spies to find out that key point.   Brairton considered letting the queen's consort know, but decided he would keep this nugget of information locked away for the present.   A time would come when the queen would truly understand his worth and see how she had underestimated him. H...

  "This is so cool.   Are you going to start a riot?   There hasn't been a riot since... forever!   Actually, I don't even know what a riot is, but it always sounds so exciting when mum and dad talk about the rioting hordes in the old days."   Muggy's voice raced to keep up with the speed of her movements.   She weaved in and out of her older brother's rapidly moving legs, dodging body pops, complicated high kicks and exaggerated Irish dancing feet flicks. Her brother, Badoo, tried his best to ignore her.   Younger siblings, they were nothing but trouble.   It wouldn't be so bad, but Muggy was the youngest pixling in his family and seemed to think she had to look out for him.   But Badoo was fed up of Muggy always getting under his feet.   His paggle had a thing to do and it just had to be done.   He'd been practising his steps and he didn't want to get it wrong.   Now Muggy was threatening to bolas his feet from under him ...

  Back in Larell's study Curly's goatee trembled as he spoke.   “There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind the ice sprite is depressed  Larell.   The stench of it filled the room.   It’s a wonder the poor plants didn’t just keel over instantly.” Depressed. That word again.   The first time Larell heard it he had to ask Curly to explain it to him.   “It’s good to have someone on the inside Curly.   Thanks for doing the job at such short notice.” The goat shook his head from side to side.   “I owed you Larell.” “Did he exhibit any other signs we need to be aware of?”   Larell paced back and forth behind his desk. “Well, I think he’s going to do something to himself.”   Curly sat back on his haunches. Larell’s head whipped round.   “Do something!   You don’t mean…?” “I do.”   The goat nodded sagely. “This is just too much Curly.   It’s …” Curly and Larell spoke together.   “Unheard of.” “I don’...

Aurelia sighed.  If it were not for the protective layer of Andian crystal in the walls, floor and ceiling which shielded her private chamber the floor would be carpeted with the tiny star tipped Eidel flower her people wore to commemorate their dead.  Sometimes the constant response to emotions her land evinced tore at her.  At these times she wished for nothing more than to be in some other world where emotions did not lay so close to the surface nor run so infinitesimally deep.  She worked so hard to keep her thoughts and feelings in check.  With Elumin she could be freer but at times even his demands needed to be shut out.  Perhaps that was why he did not like this room. But every day now she felt the need to sit here for a while, to still the broiling mass of emotions she felt would overwhelm her if she did not have some time to simply be.  Protected by the walls of crystal she had fashioned with ancient magic, Aurelia could let her thoughts dri...

  “You do know Lac Taal is completely infatuated with you?”  Elumin looked over at Aurelia as they walked towards their private gardens. “Of course I do.   It makes him work harder to please me.   Why do you think I addressed him directly?” Elumin trailed his finger along Aurelia’s arm before linking his fingers with hers.   “It was your cruelty which first attracted me to you, you know.” As Aurelia tilted her head and looked up at him she was careful not to change the expression on her face.   Her heart ached because he thought her cruel. Elumin chuckled as they entered their private scented glade.   He flicked out a spell to shield them.   A sigh of relief escaped Aurelia as she relaxed her hold on the control she had been grasping to so firmly. Now, where ever her feet touched the ground, little tendrils of ground cover coiled verdantly as star-like flowers opened with the sound of bubbles popping.   The air was filled with the s...

  To dream of winter. Like a snowglobe. I closed my eyes and I was there, inside. There was a frozen pond. It was white, cold, crystal. It was white, iceberg white. It was beautiful. All around there was snow. I felt it falling on my face. Light snow. I breathed it. A light cloud, a small crystal, many drops of light. Snow falling down.   I was winter. Snow was falling. Deep snow. I wanted to skate. That was the thing about winter. I wanted to skate. I dreamed of skating. Lutz. Salchow. Axel. Flip. The Loop. Of moving my arms. Of moving my feet.   The music begins. I spin my left foot and so I’m moving. My left foot crossed my right. And I’m moving. Swirling, gliding, skating. I loved my arms when I am skating. They are afloat. And when I lifted my right leg, there was balance. I was gliding on one leg with the other far above me. Once I am upright I pull my right leg back and strike into the ice. My left leg swings around my right leg. I pull my arms in and spin....

Larell Lac Taal’s ankle winglets tingled.  The air of the Court Chamber fluctuated with uneasy echoes. Whispers of past conferences clung to the curves of the vaulted arches.  Larell’s sensitive winglets twitched at the almost imperceptible vibration the room emitted as it ingested the underlying tension. Today the disquiet of the Senex seemed to overwhelm the chamber’s soothing capabilities.   Perhaps my own concerns are shaping my perceptions.   He scrutinised each of the Senex members in turn: their Royal Highnesses like carved stone; Queen Aurelia, alabaster but for her eyes, warm as amber, Prince Elumin's colouring more that of green marble, Brairton’s cat eyes flashing in Larell’s direction, whiskers twitching. He occupied his chair with languid ease leaning over towards Mirasel beside him.   But, she furled her delicately arched wings away from Brairton. Mmmm, she mistrusts him. Larell's attention was drawn to Emuelle and Rhil as they arrived...