This Little Light - A New Appreciation

[Loxiel]

Another sleepless night. Loxiel stared up at the ceiling feeling completely awake despite the late hour, and the sounds of gentle snoring coming from a few of the Fae who shared the same room at the orphanage.

He sighed in frustration. Though it was common for him, this persistent insomnia. Often, Mistress Karya who ran the Home would remark on his sluggishness and constant yawning when they rose in the morning. One of the Fae had even offered a sleeping spell, to which he had immediately said "no"; he had a resentment to magic and a secret jealousy at those in whom it so freely resided ... which was pretty much everyone in Ajteire. A herbalist had given him a sleeping tonic, which had worked, but he would only give it to him for a short time, saying that people could become dependent on them quite quickly - though Loxiel thought this a small payoff to endless sleepless nights! His protests fell on sympathetic ears, but the herbalist was quite firm.

After tossing and turning for what seemed like an eternity, he swung his legs from under the sheets and sat on the side of the bed. Rubbing his eyes, he glanced out of the window to the soft glow beyond made by the ever present fireflies that surrounded Ajteire. "The fireflies protect us from the dark creatures that would take a life as eagerly as you eat sweetmeats and biscuits." Karya had explained to them, when they were much younger. "Beyond the barrier that these blessed creatures make, lies things not worth scaring you all with, but be thankful for them." When asked how they protected the city, the old Elven woman said: "Long ago, powerful Fae imbued the little creatures with their own magic, and thus the light they naturally created, became magical too. The undead and all manner of evil things cannot bear to look upon that light. So say a 'thank you' to our protectors when you go to sleep at night."

While everyone else had talked about the fireflies with a new wonder and awe, Loxiel had always been sceptical. Magical insects? The Changeling was pretty sure that it was the city guard that kept them safe; the men and women who patrolled the city in the dark, fighting off any undead (or any other hostile being) that came too close. How could a firefly ward off a demon when one could easily squish one of the bugs with a single hand?

Loxiel was sure he would be getting no sleep tonight, so he slipped on his moccasins and walked towards the window. Since it was always warm, and the glass was rare, there was only a simple netting to keep out the biting bugs. He unhooked one corner, and with a quick glance around him to see if anyone was watching, since they would certainly report him (he didn't have many friends here), he shifted into his hawk form and hopped onto the ledge. He perched on the windowsill and looked out; hawks didn't have particularly good eyesight at night, but he could see enough to get him a small way away. Besides, hawk flapping through the city at night would definitely draw attention!

Dropping from the window, a few thrusts of his slender wings brought him about ten feet from the Home, and he landed on a patch of soft grass, shifting back into his regular form, and moving to the shadows. This is where Inya's training came into its own; the Kerasoka Elf had spent months teaching him how to move softly through the forest, and it had now served him well when he wanted to sneak around at night. He was doing this more and more, these days. He couldn't sleep, after all, so he might as well try and keep his stealthy skills honed and ready. It was a bit of a sport evading late night goers and even the patrolling guards!

Slipping from shadow to shadow, Loxiel would stop, cocking his head to listen for any signs of people out and about, but so far, no one seemed to be about. So he continued.

He didn't really have a destination in mind, but as usual, he found himself heading for the city limits. He was always drawn to the forest, ever since he was a youngling, and especially after his training with Inya; it had instilled a cautioned confidence. He was still wary if he ever left the city, but with the intense training the Elf had put him through, he felt a little more comfortable going out on his own.

At the thought of her, his hand went to his belt on which hung the silken scarf she had gifted him; it was his most prized possession, and it always seemed to give him a boost whenever he held it. "Hero" in Elvish had been stitched into it; something he had always dreamed of becoming. And with no magic, or skill with arms, his path was that of the heroes he had heard about who relied on their wit and cunning to succeed. Alas, those types of stories were often dull to others, who dreamed of clashing swords or raining fire from the sky, but to Loxiel, it felt as if they were stories designed for him!

As his foot was about to leave the shadow of one of the great trees that supported the houses and pathways that were littered among the huge branches, a noise caught his ear and he slipped back.

"I swear by Dainyil that this is the hundredth time I've been on night-watch!" A man's voice said, softly. The sound of footsteps on the floor suggested two people

"Dainyil?" A woman gave a small laugh. "I never had you down for an artistic spirit! Besides, it's just three nights. Stop complaining. You'll be nice and warm in your bed before you know it."

Loxiel remained completely still as they passed. No doubt they would have been more vigilant if they were patrolling the outskirts, but inside the city, there can't have been much to worry about. When he could no longer hear them, he carried on.

It took some time to reach the outer limits of the city, and the soft glow of the fireflies increased. There was less shadow now, so he was careful when he stepped out of the ones he had. Often he would spend two or three minutes just waiting. Once, another patrol passed him, but they were further away, shadows cast by the light of the fireflies. Three shapes, one tall and the other two shorter. So one Elf and two Fae, Loxiel had concluded.

After a short while, he stepped into the area where the dancing bugs were the thickest. Most of the time he had just stepped through them to get to the forest, but tonight he didn't really feel like going out into the darkness and being so on edge, so instead he picked a tree, sat down on the grass, put his head back against the rough bark and just watched the fireflies.

Loxiel had never paid that much attention to the little bugs; of course he knew the lore from the teachings. Everyone spoke about them with warmth and reverence, but to him, they were a tease ... these tiny creatures had more magic in them than he did! It hardly seemed fair.

He couldn't deny their beauty as he sat and watched. The blinking lights of so many meant it never fell dark; there must have been thousands! For a time he just watched their dancing, which at first seemed random, but as the time passed, he began to see something, something he had never
noticed before. Their movements began to lose the aimlessness that he first assumed. Though it took some time, he began to see patterns, almost as if the tiny creatures were drawing in the air with the light. Was this how they protected the city? Was it more than just the mere presence of light that kept the evil at bay?

The Changeling sat up a little straighter at this, watching with renewed interest. No one had actually explained how they kept out the undead, other than vague explanations of 'being magical', but Loxiel began to wander. Did they do more than simply fly around and keep the perimeter alight? Or were they actively using magic?

From the swarm, one of the fireflies flitted across and over to him. Loxiel blinked in surprise, and watched as the little bug danced in front of him, it's tiny light flashing as it moved this way and that. There was a pattern! It took some minutes to see, but soon he noticed a pattern; what it was and meant, he had no idea, but it was there.

As if reading his mind, the firefly zipped around his head a few times, drawing a delighted laugh from the Shifter, and off it went to rejoin the rest.

***

"Hey, boy!"

Loxiel's eyes snapped open. He hadn't even felt tired, but had fallen asleep, enamoured by the scene before him and lulled into such a state of calm that he must have nodded off. Now he looked up to see the stern face of a Fae guard scowling down at him.

"What are you doing out here alone?" The man demanded. He held no weapon, so probably simply used magic if he ever needed to fight anything.

Loxiel scrabbled to his feet. "Sorry, sir!" He said, quickly. "I just fell asleep, I didn't mean to .."

"Oh, leave him be Raen," a familiar voice said. Stepping into view, the tall and slender figure that was Inya. "There's no crime in falling asleep in the by a tree." She glanced down at the Changeling. "I taught him, myself, and besides; he's quite safe here amongst the fireflies."

Raen glowered, anyway. "Kids should be in bed at this hour, not wandering the city limits."

"I'm sixteen!" Loxiel protested, weakly.

"You look like a youngling," Raen countered. "And besides, what if the undead were to ..."

"But they wouldn't, my friend." Inya interjected, smoothly. "He's as safe here as he is anywhere." She stepped forward, put her hand on Loxiel's shoulder and looked him in the eye. "And besides, he knows better than to go off into the woods during the night, isn't that right, Loxiel?"

Loxiel flushed, under her gaze. "Yes, ma'am."

Straightening up, Inya smiled. "Very good. Now go get some breakfast, and be sure not to lie to Mistress Karya as to where you've been. She'll only hear the truth from us if asked. So, on you go."

***

At the cooking station, Loxiel sat alone at a table nibbling on a slice of toast. He seemed in a sort of trance; all his mind could consider was the dancing fireflies. The patterns, so varied and complex, could never really be fixed in his mind, but just imagining it brought a peace to him.

Perhaps they had cast some spell on him, affected him with their magic, or maybe they were simply so beautiful that, with their dancing in his mind, Loxiel slept soundly that night.