The Full Moon by Kathleen Duey

Author:Kathleen Duey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin
Published: 2011-09-27T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter

7

After three days the clouds cleared.

A bright autumn sun warmed the meadow a little. Everyone was busy doing all kinds of chores. Some of the faeries helped the cheese makers enlarge the root cellar so they could store all the cheeses they had made. The weavers worked day and night to make grass mats and covered the floor of the shelter. One of the cows had a late calf, and three of the older fairies built an extra shed for the mother and baby.

Alida’s father showed her the new binding magic.

It was difficult.

She practiced it constantly, and she did it in the woods so no one would see her. Most of the faeries were getting used to the idea of new magic—but some were still uneasy about it.

On the fourth day, Alida’s father explained how they would make the roof. “We need vines to bind together for the roof—strong, dry vines that have died back for winter,” he said. “Berries, ivy, wild grapes …”

The faeries began talking all at once. Alida’s mother quieted them and made sure they all understood how to stack the vines. Three days later, on a cold, windy morning, her father looked at the huge piles and told everyone he thought they had enough.

Five faeries, including Alida’s mother, lifted the vines into the air.

The weavers used their magic to tangle them together.

Then Alida and her father used the new magic.

Alida watched, amazed, as the vines grew together like the logs had. The roof would be as solid and strong as the walls of the shelter.

Everyone helped finish the shelter. They used simple lifting magic to cover the roof with the dirt that had been piled all around the huge pit. Then they scattered leaves, twigs, and acorns over the dirt. When they were finished, the shelter was invisible; it looked like a little hill that had always been part of the forest.

Alida could not stop smiling. It was amazing. The shelter had two doors and three tunnels. The doors didn’t look like doors. No human would ever spot them. The entrances to the tunnels were hidden the same way, with bushes and trees—and magic.

A few days later, some of the men built sheds for the cows and goats, using small logs and no magic at all.

Wooden pegs held everything together.

Then they added pegs to the weavers’ and cheese makers’ houses so they didn’t look magical, even though they were.

Alida’s mother waited until supper to explain to all the faeries at once. “If human travelers or Dunraven’s guards ever search the meadow, even if they find our buildings, they still won’t know anything here is faerie-made. And while they are trying to find out who lives here, we will hide in the shelter. We can use the tunnels to escape if we must.”

There was a silence, then everyone cheered. They shouted loud and long, and Alida’s mother didn’t hush them.

Alida felt a weight leave her heart. They were safer than they had ever been.

Everyone was relieved. As the days passed, there were fewer arguments.

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