The Lost Treasure of Annwn Read Free

hadn’t meant to upset Camelin but he was overjoyed that Elan was back and there were lots of things he wanted to ask her. A walk to Newton Gill would give them plenty of time to chat. Nora gave Elan some money and then put her hand on Jack’s shoulder.
    â€˜Don’t take any notice of Camelin, he’ll be fine, off you go and have a good time.’
    As Jack and Elan reached the hedge, Medric flew past them cackling loudly.
    â€˜Three and four have hatched now,’ explained Elan.
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    Grandad was pleased to see Elan and was happy for Jack to go to Newton Gill. He fished in his pocket and gave Jack his loose change. Jack and Elan waved from the gate before turning into the back lane. Jack had been to town with Grandad a couple of times but he’d never walked there before. When they reached the stile Jack saw the fairy mound, which lay between the oak, ash and hawthorn trees.
    â€˜Have you been here before?’ asked Elan.
    â€˜Only once. There’s a talking door knob in one of the tunnels under that hillock.’
    â€˜Ah! The fairy mound. You haven’t met the fairies yet have you?’
    â€˜No, only the door knob when I was looking for the Dorysk.’
    â€˜Fairies are fine in small numbers but when they get together they can be really noisy. It’s even worse if they lose their tempers. They instantly shape shift into large angry bees and can only change back when they’ve calmed down.’
    â€˜What do they look like when they aren’t angry?’
    â€˜They’re like tiny dryads. They don’t have wings of their own so if they want to fly they shape shift into a small winged insect. Some prefer to be beetles, others butterflies or damselflies, nothing too big.’
    As they climbed over the stile into the field a pale blue butterfly flitted past them.
    â€˜How you can tell if it’s a fairy?’ asked Jack.
    â€˜You can’t, not unless you’d been formally introduced and they decided they liked you. Only those who’ve eaten fairy food can see them, and only invited guests are welcome to join them for a meal. Once you’ve been to a feast with the fair folk you can see them in whatever form they may take.’
    â€˜Can you see them?’
    â€˜Oh yes, so can Nora and the Dorysk too.’
    â€˜What about Camelin?’
    â€˜Fairy food wouldn’t interest him and he probably wouldn’t eat it if they offered it to him.’
    â€˜Camelin! Refuse food?’
    â€˜You obviously don’t know about fairy food. It looks revolting and doesn’t taste much better. It’s a test to see how polite you are. They like people with good manners. The Dorysk doesn’t mind what he eats and is quite partial to maggot pie.’
    Jack pulled a face. He wasn’t sure how polite he could be if he was offered a plate of maggot pie, especially if the maggots weren’t cooked.
    â€˜Not far now,’ said Elan as they climbed over the stile at the other side of the field. ‘Once we get to the end of this lane we’ll be there.’
    â€˜What are we shopping for?’
    â€˜Nail varnish, scrubbing brushes and jam covers.’
    Jack looked puzzled. It wasn’t the answer he was expecting.
    â€˜Is the nail varnish for you?’
    Elan laughed.
    â€˜No, it’s for Ember.’
    â€˜Ember!’
    â€˜She’s agreed to take part in the festival and I want to give her a surprise. We’ll need scrubbing brushes to clean her feet and lots of silver nail varnish to paint her claws. I’m going to make sure she lives up to her name. By the time we’ve finished grooming her she’ll definitely look like Ember Silver Horn the Magnificent.’
    Jack laughed. He’d never imagined that he would find himself grooming a dragon.
    â€˜And the jam covers?’
    â€˜They’re for Nora, she’s going to make lots of blackberry jelly to take with us for the