The Witching Hour

The distraction I was looking for found me before I found it. Aurlin came walking out of the crowd side by side with a hobgoblin girl who seemed delighted as she clung to his arm. When Aurlin noticed me, he spoke a few words to the girl, and the two waved to get my attention as they approached. “Lady Morgana, allow me to introduce you to Irun, the most beautiful girl I have ever met.”

Irun gave me a calculating once over before she gave a wide grin and extended her hand for a handshake. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, lady Morgana.” Her words and smile were kind, but something in her gaze was cold. The jealous type, eh? I took her outstretched hand and returned her offered handshake with a firm one of my own. “The pleasure is mine, I assure you.” My reply seemed to catch her off guard.

Aurlin stepped up and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “My beloved, I need to ask Ms. Morgana a little something regarding your present. Would you mind getting the two of us something to drink meanwhile?” Irun hesitated for a moment, then dragged Aurlin in for a deep kiss. “Sure thing, darling, back soon.” She shot me another frosty glare, before walking off.

“She’s the jealous type, so I’d be careful about that.” Aurlin shook his head. “I think it’s you specifically, since you were my first crush. Anyhow, Lady Morgana…” I glanced around to be sure Irun was out of view. “You wouldn’t know a romantic spot that would be useful for… you know…” His voice trailed off as he pulled out a small wooden box and opened it, displaying a beautiful silver ring.

Well now, that was a surprise indeed. “Are you planning to?” He began nodding furiously while going beet red. Hmm. “Well, after the feast there will be a sky-light show. Before it goes off, you could take her up in the upper branches of the Great Oak to one of the observation platforms. They are even now open for reservation. Just mention you want one with a bit of privacy and the pixie in question will get the hint. You’re not the first that would want to use such a spot to do that.”

Aurlin stowed the box again and gave me a nod. “Thank you, Lady Morgana, I will do that.” Just in time, too, as Irun returned with two mugs. “Got us some wine, darling. You finished over there?” Aurlin shot me a grateful glance. “I am. Thanks again for your suggestions, Lady Morgana. Trust me, Irun, you’ll love this.” He wrapped his hand around her waist and pulled her into the crowd as she handed him his mug.

Aurlin settling down? Time sure flies. He used to be a womanizer of the umpteenth degree. It was almost to the point I suspected magic was involved… almost. Elves were extremely resistant to such spells, to the point of being borderline immune, not to mention Hobgoblins were notoriously bad at magic. It was a racial quirk. They were quick-witted, strong and disciplined. But if they tried to cast magic, it would almost unilaterally result in a miscast. Any Hobgoblin able to cast beginner level spells consistently would be considered an arch mage by their standards. They were that bad at it.

As I continued my musings, I felt Soot land on my shoulder. “It’s almost time for the feast and the presents. Are you ready?” I glanced over at him. “Of course, the question is, are you. After all, you have been hanging out with a certain person whose stomach is a void.” Ivy, who was snacking on a cherry while hanging out on Soots’ back, stopped her chewing and tilted her head, as if confused about my statement.

“Don’t act innocent Ivy. I know you have spent most of today doing nothing but eating, and will still be the one to eat the most during the feast itself.” She swallowed her current mouthful. “Can’t help it. Everything’s so tasty.” I just shook my head. If I didn’t know every pixie was like that, I’d say Ivy was a demon of gluttony in disguise, or something along those lines.

I pushed the thought away as the sun finished setting, signalling the beginning of the feast itself. That was my cue. I took a deep breath as I headed for a raised podium. How many times was this now? Well above hundred, I knew that. Well, nothing to it. As was a habit by now, I mumbled a familiar spell to myself. I didn’t need to use words, but it was something about it that helped steady my nerves. “Enhance my voice, I beseech, so I can make a great, big speech.”

I stepped onto the podium. “Ladies, Gentlemen, honored guests and beloved hosts. It is with great pleasure I welcome you all to this year’s Midsummer Festival.” As my magically enhanced voice rang out across the clearing, sounding loud and clear even to those up in the branches of the tree itself, everyone turned towards me. “The sun has now set, and as is a tradition, this means that the midsummer feast will now begin. So please, take a seat at the feasting table. I assure you, there is enough space for everyone.”

Those who were returning from earlier festivals, or lived here already, were doing so, with eager expressions as well. Newcomers to the festival itself hesitated for a moment, but soon followed suit, sitting down along the enchanted table and bench. No matter how many sat down, there would always be a comfortable space for more.

The only ones who didn’t sit down at the main table were the Highnesses, Nettle, Lilly, and of course, myself and my familiars. All three groups were afforded private tables for ourselves. "Everyone settled down? Great! Then it is, with great pleasure, I declare this year’s feast, as begun!"

A flash of golden light, and the empty feast table was now overflowing with an overwhelming number of dishes, all fit for a king. And I knew from experience that all of them were delicious. After all, they were all conjured versions of dishes I tasted in my long life. The only one missing was pancakes, as the ban on those was not lifted, even during the feast. Not that the pixies were complaining, considering the sheer volume of delicious things to eat. Not a single pixie would be capable of flight tomorrow, I was certain.

“Now, before you all enjoy yourselves, there is one last surprise for you all, though some of you already know what it is. As many of you know, every year I contribute something to the festival. Well, this year I have something special indeed. One hundred and eighty years ago, in the year ARC 358, by the local calendar, I created a rather famous strawberry wine. A wine so good that it apparently has taken on fabled proportions, if my compatriots that helped plan this festival are to be believed.”

I paused a moment for dramatic effect. “Well, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a bottle of ARC 358, enchanted not to run out tonight. Everyone is free to line up for a glass over at this podium. However, before we get ahead of ourselves, I promised her Highness Erydhe that she gets the first glass. So, your Highness, would you be so kind as to approach the podium?” As I spoke, I pulled out the bottle of ARC 358 Strawberry wine, and a ripple passed through the crowd. I am pretty sure, that if I didn’t request her Highness’ presence specifically, the podium would have been rushed by the crowd.

She rose from her private table, glass in hand, and with a dignity and elegance that was befitting a being of her station, seemed to float over to the podium. I jumped down and poured her glass full of wine. “I hope you enjoy the taste, your Highness.” Once that was done, I conjured a glass for myself, which I filled with no hesitation, then conjured a table which I set the bottle down on.

Then cast several hexes in rapid succession to prevent any fighting for, or attempted theft off, the bottle and conjured a bright glowing circle surrounded by a spiral line extending from it. “A last word of warning. I just warded the bottle against theft and the area around the table against violence. Only one person at a time can cross the circle to get to the bottle itself, and only from where the spiral contacts the circle. I will also add that the bottle will only give out enough wine at a time to fill a glass, then will refuse to pour more until the person who used to bottle leaves the circle.”

There was a murmur from the crowd. “Also, once a person has filled their glass, they cannot enter the circle again until at least ten other people have gone, so there is no point in trying to hog the bottle to yourself. I would not recommend trying to trick my spells. I am certain some of you can attest to how foolish of an idea that is. So keep it civil. Remember, there is enough for everyone. Now, enjoy yourselves.” With that, I lifted my glass in greeting to the crowd, and left for my table.

Midnight, Winter and Soot were all there, and so were Ivy and Miva, having been invited by Soot and Midnight, respectively. Midnight was busy gorging herself on a pheasant breast, Soot was enjoying a helping of several diced meats, while Winter was enjoying a rabbit steak. Miva was enjoying some kind of stew, and I couldn’t identify what Ivy was eating, as it left her plate too fast for proper identification.

I sat down in my chair and the food I wanted to eat materialized on my plate for me. Something I was unable to recall eating in a very long time. It was simple. It was tasty, and it was a delicious stone oven baked pepperoni pizza. The meal continued in virtual silence, mostly, as none of us were in the mood to chat when there was delicious food to be eaten.

That wasn’t to say the ones at the main feasting table weren’t talking, and there was quite a lot of noise from around the bottle as people tried to cut the line while doing nothing violent, only to get banished to the back of the line by my spells for the trouble.

After the first few line cutters learned the lesson the hard way, the line became orderly, with even the fairies fetching more wine for the highnesses waiting patiently for their turn. To the surprise of no one, there was no attempt at theft, nor violent approach. None wanted to find out the punishment for such a thing.

The feasting lasted for hours. By now, the last light of day was gone, and fireflies attracted to the lanterns and torches were flying all around. I could see Nettle and Lilly approach our table, which meant it was time for the present exchange now that the first part of the feast was done.

I could see the familiar’s eyes light up eagerly. Hmm, should we do Nettle’s last, just to prolong their curiosity? Before I could decide, the choice was taken for me as Lilly flew up to us. “Let’s do Nettle’s first, Ms. Morgana!” Well, since she was so eager… “Very well, just give me a moment here…” I made a show out of rummaging through my pack. “Nettle, would you be so kind as to hold out your needle for a moment?” Nettle gave me a curious glance, then looked over at Lilly for answers, but she just stuck out her tongue.

Deciding to humor me, she pulled it out and held it out sideways. I finally found what I was looking for as I pulled out a pouch of dark purple dust. Nettle gave me a confused look. “Dispelling powder?” I just gave her a coy smile as I sprinkled it over her needle. The illusion of wear and tear it was under from the night me and Lilly worked on it vanished instantly. In its place was now a beautiful fully refurbished needle, with a beautiful wavy pattern carved into its chromed sides so perfect you could use the needle as a mirror.

The point of the needle was now magically sharpened and the needle itself lightened and featured a cushion for Nettles shoulder. All the effects were suppressed by the same spell that created the illusion. But now that it was revealed, they all came into effect. Nettle looked at it, utterly speechless. “When did… how, I don’t…” Lilly flew up and hugged her. “Only the best present for my bestie!” She gave Nettle a light peck on the cheek.

I put away the dust again. “It wasn’t easy, I assure you. That thing was in desperate need of a repair. It nearly fell apart the moment I took it into my hands. It was honestly a miracle it lasted as long as it did. You won’t have to worry about that ever again, though. It now self repairs, self sharpens and self cleans. All thanks to a certain pixie beside you. She’s far better at such enchantments than I. As for when, the night of the same day as the two of you picked up Ivy after her brief bout of pancake induced forgetfulness.”

Nettle looked over at Lilly. “So that’s what that message was about, and why you burned it.” She nodded. “Couldn’t risk you suspecting anything and ruin the surprise, after all.” I rummaged through my bag again. “Speaking of surprises, enjoy this one, Lilly.” I pulled out a jar of honey from Jaldon Vale. “This is high-quality, honey. It’s far tastier than the honey you can harvest in these parts, but don’t eat it all at once. Doing so will cause a stomach issues, I know from experience. Which is why I usually use it for brewing.” Lilly looked at it with a curious expression, before she pulled the jar into her storage pouch. “Thanks, Ms. Morgana, I will enjoy it in moderation.” Coming from Lilly, that was actually a statement I could believe.

The two Pixies looked at each other, then nodded. “Our present to you. Ms. Morgana” Nettle opened her own storage pouch and a large bottle filled with an iridescent pale yellow liquid appeared on the table. “Moon Nectar? It must have taken you all year to gather this amount. That’s quite the precious gift, thank you.” The two pixies broke into cheerful grins. I could already imagine the reactions of my three little familiars when they got a taste of this.

As the gifting began in earnest, people began leaving the table to give their gifts in private. The feast would resume much later, after the skylight show. Or, as I liked to call it, magical fireworks. It wasn’t surprising that in a world where you could hurl a fireball with the same force as a cannonball, gunpowder wasn’t something worth inventing, after all.

As the gifting dragged on, both Tobin and Ivy arrived at our table with their own gifts. Tobin gave me a new comb from a Silverleaf. A rare wood with purifying properties. And when I presented him with the enchanted grooming kit, be broke into a wide grin. “Now that’s a worthy present. Thanks, everyone!” He gave a cheerful wave and ran off towards his home, no doubt to give it a test run.

Ivy was also ecstatic about the Amethyst she received as a joint present from all. “Thanks guys, I appreciate it.” She gave all of us a quick hug each, then handed us our present. It was a small shimmering sphere filled with a silvery liquid. “Ivy, how in the world did you get your hands on quicksilver?” She just grinned. Quicksilver, liquid time. According to one of my books, it could only be made by gathering moonlight using a Moon Mirror, a special alchemical device that I was still working out how to make as the ingredients were rare. No, rare wasn’t a fitting word for their scarcity.

From Soot, Midnight and Winter I received several finding stones, a naturally occurring magical mineral with the ability to find items or locations the user of the stones ever visited about or touched in the past. Quite useful, especially now that I got my hands on something so precious as quicksilver.

“Sorry guys, but because of what my gift to you three is, it’s waiting for you at home, all prepped and ready, and hidden under multiple layers of illusions.” The three glanced at each other with interest. “Fair enough, Mistress. Say, how about we go up into the tree to watch the show before the feast resumes?” That seemed like a good idea to me. “Sure, let’s go.”