‘I don’trecommend more than half a mug if you want to attend the balltomorrow night.’ said Bellen with a smile.
‘Thank you.’replied Miranda as she carefully tasted a mouthful. It nearly blewthe top of her head off.
‘Wow’ was allshe managed to get out as her mind swam and a warm glow spreadthroughout her body. They all cheered and laughed and started themusic up again and continued their chaotic frolicking around theroom. She turned to Yllandril and said
‘I wish I coulddance and sing with them. This is the first happy time I’ve hadsince I’ve been in Moonmist.’
Yllandrilobviously said something to Bellen as he immediately darted out ofthe room and returned a couple of minutes later with a wand. Hestood in front of her and said
‘Tonight dearlady yer wish is my command.’
He waved thewand and Miranda began to shrink and change form to that of atrixie. She jumped up, changed her glamour to look like a littletrixie dress and charged into the fray, madly whirling, spinningand gyrating and cavorting with the music and anyone nearby.’
The littlestone spider had more important things on her mind and talkedseriously with Bellen well into the night. What she heard shockedher. Several hours later Miranda woke up on the grass outside thehut with an incredible hangover. She groaned and tried to stand upbut was too dizzy.
‘You really letyou hair down last night.’ laughed Yllandril.
‘You’re luckyto be alive with the amount of that trixie brew you drank.’
‘By the graceof The Lady, those little fellows know how to party. I haven’t hadthat much fun for years.’
‘What about theball tonight?’ asked Yllandril.
‘I haven’t beeninvited so who cares.’ replied Miranda lying face down on thegrass.
‘After lastnight maybe the trixies will invite you.’ suggested Yllandril.
‘Hey, that’d begreat.’ said Miranda rising to the crawling position.
Yllandrilwalked over placed an arm against Miranda’s leg and sang acleansing mantra designed to detoxify poisons.
‘Ohhhh, thatfeels better. I was going to do that next, as soon as my head wasclear enough to think.’ said Miranda as she stood up still dizzy inthe head. Druids are immune to most poisons. We can generally drinkanyone under the table and out the other side but I must say thattrixie brew is potent. I’ll have to get their recipe.’
Llalorax cameout of the hut.
‘Oh I seeyou’re still alive. Good for you. This Spring Ball is going to bethe biggest show for decades. I was hoping that you wouldn’t missit.’
‘What are wegoing to do? Sit around your bucket and watch the fun.’
‘Yes.’ repliedLlalorax, ‘that’s the general idea. One never knows what’s likelyto happen. It should be exciting.’
‘Great,’ saidMiranda. ‘I can’t wait. Have you got any food? I need food.’
‘I’ve got anice supply of fresh rats here.’ said Llalorax.
‘Great.’replied Miranda.
‘They’ll make anice stew. What herbs have you got?’
Miranda true toher word prepared a sumptuous rat stew and ate the lot herself asLlalorax liked his food uncooked and Yllandril didn’t need to eatanymore.
After another short napand a session of meditation she felt ready for a fun night’sentertainment. She hoped fervently that the trixies would indeedsend her an invitation but unfortunately it never arrived.
Chapter 31 Dress Parade withAppetizers
In the late afternoonAquitain and Terrin chatted and Terrin finally revealed what shehad been doing while Aquitain had been growing up. At Granddad’sinsistence, Terrin had given up all her magic powers. She was boredand frustrated. She needed another outlet so she had become anassassin haunting the night in Panmagica.
While youngAquitain slept she was active. She was involved in robberies,drugs, poisons, the sex trade and of course murders. To keep thebalance she worked for no one in particular but was often employedby members of the religious cults to eliminate a competitor. Shealso worked for granddad eliminating anyone who threatened thefamily’s livelihood.
Terrin wasdefinitely not the person he would ever choose to have as aguardian or even want to associate with yet his heart went out toher. She was closer to him than his own mother or Alpha while theywere bound together by spirit and body. He couldn’t help wonderingwhat Alpha had known about this arrangement but Terrin refused totalk about Alpha.
‘So what do youthink of me now!’ she had said to him after telling her story.
Aquitain didn’treply but instead was quiet for some time considering what he hadlearnt in the last few days.
‘Okay Terrinyou have finally convinced me. Everything that has happened is notreal it’s been a fantastic dream. I’m suffering from power narcosisand I’ve become trapped in a microcosm of my own making. Somethingmust have happened back in my workshop when I was doing that lastjob. Granddad must be frantically trying to get me out of it. Youare probably a psychic surgeon sent in to help me get out?’
‘Ah. Youguessed.’ chuckled Terrin thinking that Aquitain was having alittle fun with her.
‘Come onTerrin. I know that you’re trying to help me. I’ve always beenquite imaginative and I’m actually quite reasonable at working outwhat’s possible and what’s not. Everything up until Astaria hasbeen within the realm of possibility. So I have accepted it andrefused to come out of the dream. Why would I? Everyone wants to bea hero and I’m no exception. This is the best dream I’ve ever hadbut it’s only a dream and I can accept that now.’
‘Isn’t itcurious? Miranda was probably a suggestion sent in by granddad tohelp ease me out. Fancy the old fox putting a tattoo on her to stopme having too much fun. He changed tack and sent in Curbut to killme off in the dream in attempt to get me out of it but it didn’twork as my dream girl Mandy saved me. Then he had Miranda trappedin a microcosm like this to show me what had happened to me but Iignored it and being the hero type I found a way to get her out ofit. That must have annoyed him no end.’
‘I’ve beenwondering why I kicked Alpha and Zephira out of the dream. PerhapsI was afraid they’d tell me it was only
