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She couldn’t unravel their riddle, but she felt the importance of their words.
Again, she shared looks with Sai, hoping to find answers in his eyes. But as the journey progressed, he more frequently kept his gaze from her. Though they bonded physically and mentally whenever they could, as often as she wanted, somehow, she sensed him pulling away.
As if she was holding onto shadow or smoke. Even when she clutched him deep inside her body, even when his heart beat steadily against her own.
He felt farther and farther away from her with each passing day.
Pixies, too, began to appear. Whenever they took a forest road or travelled across a particularly picturesque hill.
The tiny fairies, no taller than four inches, loved pretty flowers. When they stopped for a nature break beside a field of heather, Brigid spotted a whole village of Pixies. Even Ben couldn’t see them flitting to and fro from their tiny houses built of sticks, leaves and flowers, woven together by the finest spider silk.
Ever curious, several of them flew close, and even shuttled through the carriage on gossamer wings. To Annie, who had felt the breeze and heard the thrumming from their wings, but who hadn’t actually seen them, it seemed that a small bird had darted through one window and out the other.
Brigid knew them for what they really were. Full of mischief but beauty as well. Pixies could be sweet and friendly, but they could also unintentionally cause havoc. They liked to play tricks on humans for a good laugh. They didn’t understand pain or sadness.
But Brigid communicated with them in her own way. She let them know where they were going and why. She asked for their help to keep the Darkness at bay.
They agreed readily, and she knew that they would keep their promise. For she was Titania, Queen of Summer and Light. It was by her grace that the Pixies could create and enjoy beauty in nature.
To thank her for helping them thrive in the human world, the Pixies, too, gave her a song:
Oh, Fairest Queen of Light and Joy
Beware of Evil’s master ploy
To lure you into the Darkest Heart
Keep you and Love forever apart
By now, Brigid stopped pulling Sai into her dreams during the day. Her thoughts were too confusing; she could barely make sense of it all. At night, though they made endless love and awoke each morning still intimately entangled, she did not dream.
Her dreams frightened her. For, an ominous shadow had started to seep into her world like a thick black fog. It carried the droning whispers of insects and the screeches of birds, and sometimes, the haunting echoes of twisted laughter.
Heading deeper into her homeland gave her strength, of a certainty. But her heart also pounded harder with fear and premonition.
At night, if they still travelled on the roads or through the woods to advance the pace, tiny bright lights would swarm around them, guiding the way.
Humans might mistake these floating glows for fireflies. But they were not. Brigid could tell by the pale, bluish light they gave instead of warm yellow.
They were small fairies called Devas. They guided humans to medicinal herbs when they sensed someone in pain or suffering from unseen illnesses or wounds.
Thanks to them, Brigid found a small pouch of crushed lavender, rosemary, cloves and other herbs waiting for her on the seat of the carriage when she came back from stretching out her legs.
Like a humming in the air, she heard the Devas say:
Your Prince loses sleep, fair Queen.
Brigid blushed and looked surreptitiously around her. She was alone for the time being. The others were off in the nearby woods answering the call of nature.
It is my fault,she said back through her mind.
I have kept him...busy.
That is not the source of his enervation,the haunting mesh of voices whispered back, like a ghostly song.
Darkness is near. The shadows engulf him. Time is running out.
At this, Brigid sat up right, spine straight as she focused all of her senses on the Devas’ warning. She clutched their gift to her chest like an amulet to ward off bad omens.
