29 Fire Bird (1/2)

Nelda stayed on the back edge of the white sand, sitting on a driftwood trunk caught in the seagrass.She could just imagine a mermaid breaching like a hunting orca and dragging her into the dark sea.

SmithGuild came to join her leaving Herby arguing with the satyrs about what can and cannot be thrown on a bonfire (and asking: what is a bonfire anyway.The growing flames were drawing in an increasing, jumbled, congregation of Japser phoenixes.

There came a moment when the Jaspers also got the idea that they could throw things on the fire themselves and Herby had to take up the argument with them.

”You don't look too worried,” Nelda commented to SmithGuild.

”It's closer to the sea than the house.” -- A Jasper flitted down the beach, it's tail on fire – ”That could be a problem, though.”He trotted off in pursuit of the flaming bird.

Logically, the flying leaf here works the same way I could use it to avoid the mermaids until arriving at harpy island.But I would need SmithGuild to sort-of carry me there.

[That would be a real Barbarella moment.]

By her best estimate it took some time for the hern to work.She had taken it near dusk and woke floating onlt just before dawn.But they had a whole day and night before needing to be on the idland, and she was not inclinded to spend to much of that bobbing around like a parade float.

SmithGuild returned, shaing his head.He lay down in the sand and rested his head on his folded claws.His ear tufts flicked as the satyrs were arging loudly about whether to through a pile of seaweed onto the fire.Which was now ringed with Jaspers, glowing even redder than usual.Herby had filled a couple of apple buckets with water and was standing by.

[Maybe it wasn;t a ploy and Herby jist has some kind of phobia about fire?”

”So….” Nelda broke the companionable silence.”Do the Jasper phoenixes all have a Jasper stone?”

SmithGuild blinked.”They seem to.They can find red Jasper around the place.It doesnlt seem to replicate with them when they are twin. Why do you ask?”

”Just a thought.Might that be…” [Should I be telling SmithGuild the Lapises business?Would they tell him if they could talk, or would they rather he didn't know?] ”It just struck me that lapis might be more rare. Around here, at least.”

”Hmmm.”

”I'm also wondering when my people migt make the next attempt to pull me back.The attempts so far…”She sketched a line on the sand and marked the days.”Occurred on the second and fifth day.But the time back home seemed almost unchanged the first time. Bt the second time it was later that day and possibly a number of days later.”

”Two and five is a sequence that suggests the next recurrence on day ten.”

”Maybe, or may it just takes two days to prepare and when I first n=vaniches they were already prepared.That means it could happen again when we are at the Harpy island.”

”We are going to parlay with the mermaids then?”