The Sinners of Erspia

He took careful note of his surroundings as they walked beside the stream. He recalled how Histrina had described the childlike innocents of Erspia-2 as ‘like fairies'. Perhaps there was something to that. The winged people of Erspia-3 were far too trusting.

None of the tree villages which usually were scattered about the forest seemed to be anywhere nearby.

The prisoners were placed from distance from any habitation. Which, too, was convenient.

Abducting the gnome would undoubtedly sour his relations with the fairies. They had accepted his tale of coming from some unknown world, and seemed content to leave him and Histrina to their own devices.

But before long he would be questioned as to his future intentions.

He and Flit soared up through the vent in the forest and went separate ways, Laedo back to the projector station. He wanted to check out his cargo carrier before nightfall.

It was not very often that he saw flying folk over the forest canopy. The population of Fairyland was not large, and the fairies did not spend their time flitting about in the upper air. Their economy was simple.

They gathered fruit, nuts and vegetables from their copious environment, and seemed never to have heard of agriculture.

There was one occasion when they did soar far above the forest. That was when courting or lovemaking.

Flight seemed to be inextricably linked with sex. Couples would hurtle, swoop and pirouette, then mate on the wing, membranes thrumming.

Laedo thought he saw some such display as he approached the projector station, but he received a surprise on coming closer. Not two, but several figures were involved. And one of them was Histrina.

She had shown her usual enterprise during his short absence. She had found the spare gravpack and had learned how to use it. Now she was disporting in the air with three female fairies, laughing wildly.

The fairies clearly found her playfulness infectious. They too were laughing, darting and dodging, as Histrina tried to catch them.

Then Histrina suddenly succeeded in seizing hold of one of them. Histrina's expression changed. She clamped her arms around the other girl's thorax, preventing her wings from beating, so that she was like a transfixed insect. Alarm came to the fairy's face as she realized she was helpless.

Histrina was looking evilly at the fairy girl's wings.

"Histrina!"

She looked round furtively on hearing Laedo's voice.

“Let her go!” Laedo ordered in a stentorian voice.

Histrina obeyed. The fairy girl fell a few feet, then fluttered away, glancing back before fleeing into the distance.

The others, too, were holding back, hovering, puzzled by events. Laedo pointed. “Back into the station, Histrina."

“You lied to me,” Histrina accused as she adjusted the knob on the strap of her gravpack. “You said there wasn't another one of these."

“That was to keep you out of trouble."

Back in the station, he relieved her of the pack. “I like those fairies,” she said. “The girls are so delicate. ”

She leered. “Do you know what I'd like to do? I'd like to take one of them right up in the air, you know, really high, then break her wings and watch her go tumbling to the ground, trying to fly with broken wings. That would be fun, wouldn't it?"

“Histrina, you must behave yourself!” Laedo shouted. “Stop thinking those things! Do you know what these fairies will do to you if you do anything like that? They'll kill you!"

She pouted.

Laedo debated within himself. What to do with Histrina during his trip to Gnomeland? She was a danger to others and to herself if left alone. On the other hand, he would endanger her life if he took her to Gnomeland with him. Should things go wrong, the gnomes would kill him or take him prisoner.

All in all, her chances would be better in Fairyland than in Gnomeland. Unfortunately he could not put a time lock on the projector station and lock her in temporarily.

“I'm going on a trip tonight,” he told her. “You are to stay here in the station, and not leave until I get back. Do you understand?"

“I suppose so."

Laedo decided that if he reached an understanding with the gnomes he would return and collect Histrina without waiting for the transductor to be manufactured.

Fairies did not care much for fire, and did not bother to light their homes after dark. As night fell the whole population would be asleep, though Laedo had been unable to ascertain whether a watch was kept on the world above. Probably not. He wouldn't put it past the fairies simply to assume that the gnomes would not attack by night.

With a final stern warning to Histrina, Laedo left the projector station and climbed up the hull to his cargo ship. Briefly he paused, looking overhead. Fairyland was very dark at night, due to there being little starlight, but the looming overhead landscape was not completely lightless. Glows and sparkles could be seen. The gnomes remained busy during the hours of darkness, tending their furnaces.