A huge marble hall was illuminated by many crystal lamps. The walls were decorated with relief images of the most significant moments from the history of the world in which the fairies had taken part.
Suddenly, a strange breeze blew in from nowhere, and, as if inspecting everything in the place, it circled the hall. Then it moved to the center in an instant and disappeared the same way as it had arrived. There was a slight trill from all around, and fairies began to appear in the hall.
To an outside observer, if they were allowed to attend such a meeting, they would probably be curious: why were all the fairies dressed in blue? Only the shades of blue were different. There was nobody there apart from the fairies, so there was nobody to ask this question.
At first the previously empty and quiet hall was filled with the rustling of wings and conversations. A few minutes later, Tsi appeared in the middle of the hall. Everyone immediately fell silent. A very old fairy flew out to meet the new arrival and bowed:
“Welcome to our Council, Tsi!”
Before answering, the High Fairy looked around the hall attentively: the fairies' reaction to her arrival was, of course, different. Some were embarrassed, and some looked on with respect. There were other emotions, but nothing negative from anybody. Satisfied, Tsi smiled at the old fairy:
“Thank you, Siyatintil! I'm glad to see that you are in good health and that your magical power has not weakened one iota.”
Then she addressed the whole audience:
“You all know why you have been invited to this emergency Council of Celestial Fairies.”
“The young fairy Leah, who was trained up to the initial standard, has made a terrible mistake. Her mistake is the mistake of all of us, including me. The first days that a Newcomer arrives into the world, they are weak and helpless as a small child. They do not know our laws and customs, and are completely without abilities and knowledge. Because of the error of one of the Celestial Fairies, this Newcomer will not receive the knowledge that we owe him. Moreover, he does not have a basic “Vorto”, and we could lose him completely in two months.
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A frightened cry passed through the room, followed by comments on all sides:
“There are not enough Newcomers!”
“You can count on the fingers of one hand how many Newcomers and patrons come here! This one is the only follower his patron has.”
“We need to do something!”
Hearing the words she wanted to hear, the High Fairy waved her magic wand, and the whole hall fell silent.
“Your suggestions, my dear fairies.”
A fairy in cornflower colored clothes came forward.
“I'm listening to you, Tirelel,” Tsi said, addressing her.
“I think we need to write down for him all the knowledge that we are obliged to convey to every Newcomer.”
“Great idea,” agreed the High one. “Organize the creation of a textbook for him. As you know, you only have nine days: use as many fairy helpers as you require.”
Tirelel bowed and disappeared into the crowd.
“Are there any more suggestions?
A middle-aged fairy in cobalt colored clothes came forward:
“My name is Neurel. I'm Leah's mentor and think her mistake is my own.”
Tsi nodded in agreement, confirming what the fairy had said, indicating that she wanted to hear his proposal.
Neurel seemed to shrink under her gaze:
“I want to watch over the safety of the Newcomer along with my student until he has all the strength that he needs and feels confident in the forest.”
“Great idea, the High Fairy smiled. “I was looking for such suggestions. I think it's worthwhile to think about compensation for him, perhaps some useful gift from the Celestial Fairies, but we can do this later. I declare the Council closed!”
Having said this, Tsi disappeared from the hall.
Gradually, all the Celestial Fairies left the hall. Neurel sighed, and was the last to leave.