The Jeremy Curst Story Part 7

Jeremy and the girl, Dalia as Jeremy learned, spoke for awhile longer while she began making dinner. She explained that she and her brother, Kyle lived alone having lost their parents years ago to a sickness that swept their town. She was so thankful for her older brother who had fought to keep her and was her guardian and provider now. He worked in the nearby village as a woodcutter and she helped out by sweeping his shop and keeping things tidy. Her brother spent a lot of time in the Ever Woods and she would go along with him on many of his trips. As the sun began to set Kyle returned home. As he entered the small hut Jeremy sprang to his feet to thank the man who had saved him.
Kyle was tall and very strong. He held out a large hand that felt rough as Jeremy shook it, but his smile was like a light that brightened the darkest shadow in the room. "Those fairies almost had you young man. I am so glad that I was nearby to rescue you. It cost me a new ax but it was worth it."
"I will repay you if you wish, I have a few things that are worth some money I am sure. The king gave me a pouch of supplies for my quest. I will gladly let you look through it with me and you can pick whatever you will from it."
"Nonsense Jeremy! I wouldn't dream of it. However, we should look through it to see what you have to work with if we are going to get that feather."
Jeremy opened the pouch as Dalia came over to the table with warm bread and milk. Jeremy poured out the contents. There was a golden ball, a pouch of silver coins, a blank paper that was creased into quarters, and a thin black thread that Jeremy would have missed had it not been for a small needle tied to one end and a bronze ring on the other. Jeremy did not know what to make out of any of the items. They seemed useless for his quest (except of course the coins. Jeremy could figure out how to use them easily enough.)
"This is odd," Kyle said, "They gave you silver coins which are pretty much useless in this part since all trading is done through wood and food in this area. Perhaps they will be more useful in another part of your quest. The golden ball looks like a seer-eye. I have heard of them and believe you should keep that safe. It is very useful but not with the black fairies. The paper has me puzzled as well. I am not sure how it will be useful as of yet. But this black thread is just the thing you need for the fairies. It is just what they would want. It is useful to them and I can see them trading for it fairly easily as long as they do not realize the importance of the feather you wish to get from them."
"Will they be able to know the importance of the feather to me if they can see my future?" Jeremy wondered out loud.
"Yes. They will, however, a black fairy can only see the future of the person standing in front of them. So..."
Dalia had begun the thought but Jeremy finished it, "If I get someone else to make the trade, someone to whom the feather means very little to, the fairies will be none the wiser! Would one of you be able to do the trade for me?"
Kyle shook his head, "I have already traded with them for you. They only allow us one trade a piece each week. If you want to wait a week here I could do it for you, but I am sure you would rather be on your way."
Dalia smiled, "I have not made a trade this week. I could do it. Kyle do you think it would be okay?"
"I don't see why not. You have made many trades with them in the past. I am sure they would enjoy the chance to gain something new for their collection." Kyle smiled and rubbed his little sister's shoulder, "Lets eat that good food before it gets cold. Shall we?"
Jeremy and Kyle put the items back in the pouch and Dalia divided up the soup and cut the bread setting a plate out for each of them. Jeremy enjoyed the dinner and company of new friends. That night he would enjoy comfort and warmth. He would dream of the days ahead and the unknown. Sleep was not a very good friend. He awoke a few times in the darkness of the hut but he would fall back to sleep each time to the memory of a soothing lullaby his father used to sing to him. It was always the song he thought of when the night seemed to never end and the daylight was slow to come.