Li stood and stretched the aches out of his back. A warm drizzle washed his face and he grimaced as yet more water made it way down past his collar. You would think he could not get any wetter. Bending back down to the weeds his sigh drifted across the field and got lost in the gentle hiss of the rain.

As he bent down he spied a face in the gloom. About time. He smiled encouragingly and kept weeding. The sidhe were fickle. He had been leaving the usual offering of milk and bread for this spirit for weeks. He had even tried to be clever leaving other foods to see if they might work better. After weeks of work the spirit had begun following him. He would be working on something and look up and see the distinctive little face in the shape of the branches of a nearby tree. Or in the bubbles in a stream. Or once, memorably, in the tangle of his brother’s hair. Not that that was too surprising. The spirits all loved his brother.

But this was to be the real test. It would take hours for Li to work this field unaided. The spirit could do it in seconds. He just needed the spirit to understand what needed to be done and to want to help him. Li was hopeful the little being was going to help. You could not always tell with the sidhe - some could be dreadfully lazy. But this spirit had always seemed bright and cheerful and seemed to appreciate what Li had given it.

Bending back to his task Li tried to feel enjoyment in the work. Zen said that that always helped. A sidhe might like to help but they did not understand our world. So they would wait until the found you working on something you enjoyed and then lend their aid. At least they would if the mood caught them. Everyone agreed the Sidhe could read the emotions of those around them as if they were laid out on parchment. Although they also agreed that the Little Ones were as fickle as they were powerful and could be very easily distracted.

The spirit drifted a little closer and Li tried to hide his mounting excitement. His plan was working. With this field weeded and ready the two bothers would have fulfilled their obligating to the village for the month. Li had been working every hour, even skipping school, in order to fulfil not just his duties but his brother’s as well. It was his wedding gift to his brother: enough time for his bother to fashion a gift for his bride. Li had seen the work in progress. A beautifully carved and shaped table that would sit at the centre of the couple’s home and their life together. Zen had always been obsessed with family and this table would be where his new family would gather. Where the would build a life together. He was putting all his considerable skill and gifts with the spirits into crafting something worthy of that dream.

And Li was going to give him all the time he needed to do it. Even if it meant he was dropping back in classes again. Li loved his brother and was in awe of his soon to be sister in law. Some day maybe he would meet someone too although he wasn't sure how since none of the village girls seemed remotely interested in him. He quickly pushed down on those thoughts. Now was not the time to be distracted. He needed to concentrate on the job at hand.

The sidhe had been floating beside Li for a few minutes. Gently the little face began to smile and a glow surrounded it. It was still only an outline of a figure, mostly just the face, made of leaves and specks of dirt caught as if in a swirl of breeze. But slowly it gained form. In front of Li the weeds in the row he was working began to shrivel and die. Li held his breath trying to tamp down his excitement. It would not do to distract the creature now.

A sudden cry made Li glance to the left. A hawk had appeared in the mists, a young pigeon in its claws. Bearing it to the ground the powerful bird began ripping feathers from its prey. Li watched enthralled for a few seconds before realising his mistake and glancing back to the sidhe. It had stopped glowing and was already drifting off, its interest in the weeding dimmed.

“Come back you foolish creature” Li yelled at the departing spirit. “Come back. I need you!”

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But it grew even less distinct before vanishing completely.

Li grunted in frustration and hurled a sodden handful of weeds into the basket beside him.

Why did this always happen? He had put so much work into impressing that sidhe and now it was for nothing. He looked at the carefully tilled rows of the field as they disappeared into the misty rain. This was going to take all day to finish. He kicked at a rock at his feet. Stupid bird. Stupid spirit. Why could nothing he did ever go right?

The sound of slow clapping came from behind him. “Well that was amazing. I see you live up to your family’s name for magic”.

Li’s heart sank. As if things weren't going badly enough.

“Get out of here and mind you own business, Simon.”

“But thats just it. It is my business. This is a village field. We all need the food here to grow. Its all our business that it is being done properly. Carefully. Not by some ignorant peasant trying to take shortcuts they haven't earned.”

Li gritted his teeth. He scrambled to his feet and turned around. As expected he saw Simon and his usual hangers on. Simon had a cruel twist to his lip as he looked at Li. It grated at Li that even standing at his tallest he ahd to look up at Simon. Simon was one of the tallest boys in the village. Tall and strong and son of the village chieftain Simon got his way with everything and no one but Li seemed to mind.

“What is it Simon? I'm busy here.”

Simon laughed. “Just trying to get some insight in the sidhe from the village’s magic expert. I’m a  bit surprised you scared off your spirit. But I’m sure someone as knowledgeable and careful as you has your reasons. Probably part of the deep magical knowledge handed down to you by your parents. I'm guessing wherever they are they are so, so proud of you.”

The others began to snigger and Simon turned to grin at them.

Li could feel his jaw clenched and his pulse beating strongly in his ears. He wasn't going to react things time though. He had gotten in enough trouble in the past.

“I'm busy Simon, get out if here.” He turned back to his work.

There was a brief pause as the sniggers died out. Li felt Simon step closer and hiss at him. “Can’t even get a spirit to weed a field for you? You are useless. Completely pointless. All those stories of your parents dancing on treetops. Of magic without the sidhe. I always knew they were lies. Nothing your family did could ever be special. I don’t know why my father ever put up with a worthless orphan like you. And your brother. What a waste. I thought he at least knew his place. But he is marrying well beyond himself. Scroungers both of you.”

Li whirled to face Simon both hands held in front of him to strike. But with a grin Simon danced back out of range. The others looked on in shock. They hadn't been close enough to hear what Simon had said but they could read the rage on Li’s face. More than a few judgemental looks were cast his way as Simon sauntered back to the group and away though the mists.

Li turned back to the field. His stomach burned with bile. He could take take any abuse Simon hurled about him. Spirits knew he had gotten enough over the years. But it was different when the insults were aimed at Zen or his family. His brother Zen had raised Li from an infant after both their parent had died. To this day no one knew what had killed his them although the rumours persisted of a savage beast they had been hunting in the deepest forests. Thy were not the only stories about his parents.

No one in the village believed the tales of his parents running on tree tops and building their stone hut in an afternoon, but Li did. 

Li had been so young when they died that those stories were all he had of his parents. He could only remember a pair of warm arms around him and the sound of a woman’s voice. And his father’s smile. But other than the hut and the stories and those bare few memories nothing else was left. So Li held on to those stories as tightly as he could. His brother would sometimes talk to him about his parents and he remembered every word. Zen believed the stories as well but didnt really care if anyone else did. Unlike Li.

Those stories were important to him.

The people in the village might not believe in any of those tales and some like Simon might heap scorn on him because of them but what did they know? His parents had travelled from a long way away. Even further that Bolann. What would a bunch of ignorant villagers know of lands so far away? 

 And he didn't care how many sneers and jeers he got from the other village boys. Or how many fights he had had becasue of his beliefs. They were all just fools. Those stories were real. There must be a better way of channelling magic. The sidhe couldn't be the only way. His parents’ must have known how. And one day he was going to find it.