Thieving Fairies

Oscar was a metalsmith and he supplied the town and thereabouts. He hammered and joined metals for every need and occasion: he made a tin man that was twice the size of the largest knight, and stood him outside for all to see. Alberto would talk to the shiny giant when he visited from the shop beside, and place little rounds of bright red wax into his huge palms as pretend coins.

All was going very well for Casper and Oscar until the fairies came and started carting away some of their wares in the night.

At the first Casper had noticed his wax pots were missing. There was an internal door that connected the other’s store - and Casper asked Oscar had he taken them.

To which Oscar replied “no”.

A few nights later Oscar was missing ten bright bars of silver - his prized pure silver - and he went to Casper and asked of him, had he taken them? - to which he replied “no, I did not”.

Nightly their stocks both diminished - and it did not take long for them to realise that it was the fairies who were thieving their wares.

-Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

Casper's Wax

Casper generated wax of every variety - supplying the town and roundabouts.

Waxes for sealing clay pots for food and for finery; waxes for documents, candles and death-masks; with colours and perfumes, raw and fine resin; wax to make luxurious seed hives; doll’s heads, wax for the carvers, the cloth dyers; the bronze-smith; and the cheesemaker. The only wax he would not sell was the blackened wax, used for effigies and unsavoury magic. He did not like the customers this brought in.

His wax was in high demand and his business was so strong that he worked night and day, and some.

His small son, Alberto, would watch him as he busily laboured; and when his papa had his back turned, he would hurl small objects into the melt pot and watch them sink, or put them on sticks and coat them like candied apples.

- Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

Throw Some Salt

The party around them were perplexed at the elongated silence and the smiles coming from the two in silent discourse.

“Perhaps we best just leave be?” suggested Robin.

“Agreed,” said Francis.

“Nought to be done here,” said Robin.

“I supposeth not”, echoed Francis.

“Will you join us on the mountain for supper? I should very much like to catch up.”

“Excellent. … Oh, and I brought you some gold, I almost forgot”

Robin drew out a small satchel from his tunic and handed it to Francis who nodded with the slightest of bows.

“Got to go now”, said Francis to the circus-master who was glaring at him.

“Good luck trying to teach them to dance. You might want to throw some salt upon them from time to time.”

The two parties of monks gathered into one as they set off back to the tracks to the mountain.

-Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

Francis Quizzed

“These demons are an angry group”, agreed Francis to Robin telepathically.

They both knew that the men around them would be best kept from such talk, and were used to such consultation in private. And so although in a seeming silence, they chatted backward and forth.

“They come from an angry place”, nodded Robin - and then added: “not metaphorically, but in reality - the isles of the Liquorice moors.”

Francis squinted and gestured - “a joke?”

“No, no - an observation. The lands have been warring for two centuries and are often provoked all too easily. These are their offspring - these ghouls of antiquity. They must have been attached to the beasts in order to move their location.”

This was precisely what had troubled Francis from his first sighting them. He knew that they were not your ordinary garden variety goblin or demonic entity. They had a malice far stronger than most.

“They feed on salt water, brine and the weed of the sea - and when they are far from the waters and have nought to sustain them, they then anger tenfold.”

”“Have you then brought salt?”

“I have not”, the tall monk answered.

“Have you then brought anything that might help?” Francis quizzed (in his mind of course).

“I have not.”

-Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

Demonic Creatures

“I would not eat that”, he said mockingly - as gave the charred beast a kick with his foot. The elephant expired an almighty fume of putrid odour.

“How keepest thou self? Have thee charms for this travesty?”

“I have not”, replied Robin.

He looked over at the demonic creatures - and alike to Francis, could see them most plainly as well.

As far as everyone else in that gathering could tell there was little being done or said. And the party was growing weary with the boredom of it.

“Have you any incantations that might work this lot?”

“I have not,” said Robin plainly, poking at the first goblin who was pelting him with invisible sods.


- Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

Robin Appears

“Francis, Francis, what are you thinking of?” Tobias tapped him a little sharply - concerned that he was going into one of his trances yet again.

The eleven elephants remaining had started to screech louder, with the circus-master appearing more agitated than ever. The demon that had been holding him close had disappeared from sight - which would have been a good thing were it not for the fact that it had actually entered his body and had imbedded itself there.

“I know someone methinks will be most able to help us”, answered Francis …

“Hail Robin! I was in great hope that you would join us!” Francis called so loudly that he startled the company about him.

Three more monks had now reached the clearing, and the one to whom Francis addressed was the tallest of all of them - with a fine silver cross at the neck, and robes of mule brown, that although plain, were finely loomed; matching his embossed boots of soft leather. He strode towards Francis and gave him a huge embrace.

-Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

La Famiglia

Later that day, when the stranger had departed, Pica asked her son if he had been frightened to meet him.

“No Moma, I am not frightened of him. He is famiglia.”

“But you have never met him before my son, why would you say that?”

"Because Moma, he has visited me ever since I was very small. He must live close to us I think because he is always coming here.”

And with that he returned to his play, neatly parcelling the little carvings back into the giant ark.

- Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances