The burdock flowers all grew right along the edge of the river. It was all very anticlimactic how easy they were to gather and no crafting or gathering XP had been forthcoming. I kept an eye out for slimes, but none raised their nasty, gooey heads. All I needed now was the sparrow heart.

  I watched birds flit over the water, darting at the insects. Were any of them sparrows? Or were they one of the birds in the woods, perching on trees and singing to claim territory? How was I supposed to match the picture of the heart to a living bird?

  We walked aimlessly for a bit, and Dekka ran off down a little road that led away from the river. Since I had no better idea of where to find a sparrow, I followed.

  What we found was not a small bird but a large circle of stones. Walking around the foot of a grassy knoll we came upon space that looked as if it had been intentionally created. There was a flat area with lush ground hugging growth dotted with low wild flowers in pinks and purples. Around the clearing was a ring of stones, that ranged in height from my waist to just over my head. The sun sliced through the clouds and lit up the grass in the centre.

  A quest?

  Dekka ran around the outside of the stones chasing butterflies; neither she nor the insect entered the circle, even though there was lots of space for her little body to slip through and take a shortcut.

  I studied the stones walking around the perimeter. The stones looked ancient, they were grey and mottled with lichen and moss, and there were spider webs all around linking the stones, dew glistening on their strands. Either the spiders rebuilt the webs regularly, or it looked like animals didn’t pass between these stones often.

  I made a full trip checking to see if there was an obvious entrance to the circle but all the stones were even placed and their gaps blocked by webs. I reached out to feel the texture on one of the stones.

  It made a noise! I touched the next one, it responded with a discordant note.

  I passed a few stopping at one of the tall stones, and stroked the top to feel if there were any markings carved into it. Another discordant note

  BLAAT!

  I moved on to the next and it too made an unhappy noise when I touched it.

  I walked a bit farther and all the stones were giving the same BLAAT sounds. At least I wasn’t able to discern a difference. Then I came to a rock that looked as random as the rest. But when I touched it the most beautiful and pure tone rung out.

  This must be a puzzle quest!

  There were at least sixty or more stones so figuring this out was going to take some time. I walked around touching stones, trying if there were any notable features.

  I fucking love puzzles, and this one seemed complicated. I clasped my hands in glee.

  Yes, fucking glee.

  Finally something fun in this game. Nothing looked to be trying to kill me and it didn’t seem like I would be needing to bash anything with my club in the near future.

  I bet this quest would give good loot.

  With Dekka beside me this game might not be the worst thing ever if I could get some decent gear.

  Walking slowly I let my hand run along the tops of each one. Now they all went BLAAT. How curious. I got back to the first one and it sang.

  Figures. I scowled at it. I touched the stone again.

  BLAAT!

  Dekka shook her head and trotted off to search for things to chase or bite. I didn’t blame her.

  I touched the stone again, the pure sweet note filled the circle. I noticed a flicker in the centre. What was that.

  I

  touched the stone - BLAAT! But no flicker.

  I touched the stone again - Sweet sound and a flicker of a figure bent over in the grass in the middle of the henge. It was there for only the merest moment but I got the impression of a very delicate person and wings.

  Oh! oh! I knew this one. Solve the puzzle—save a fey. This was definitely going to pay well.

  I kept walking around touching stones. There were seventy seven stones. By accident I touched the correct second stone. It sung with the fading note of the first. Oh that was pretty!

  I examined the stone carefully to see if there was any pattern. There was nothing on the top. I brushed the font, finding nothing that I could tell there either. The stones were uniform in type but varied in shape, each one weathered and pitted with time. If there had been a pattern it was long gone. The spiderwebs connected it to the next. They were consistent, the gap between each one had webbing. I wondered if that was part of a containment feature.

  You know, break the webs carelessly and the fey resting in the middle vanished along with the quest. The fact Dekka hadn’t barrelled through made me think I was correct. My little terrier never had much respect for barriers of any kind; spider webs never even slowed her.

  But she had acted like the circle was solid.

  The grass was soft; I took my shoes off and walked barefoot. The cool ground was heavenly to my sore soles, and my blistered ankles were relieved to be freed from damp leather. I made another lap, looking over each stone carefully, but only from the front and top so as not to disturb the webs. It took me all morning, but I was happy. As the kids say, ‘Brain go brrr’

  I found nothing, but I was not at all dissuaded. The sun was warm on my back and not a single monster had tried attacking. Dekka and I had lunch in the shade of a large oak tree that was growing at the edge of the meadow. As I ate the last bun and cheese from my pack, I looked out over the circle of stones. I had such special memories of the ones back in the real world that I had visited; they had seemed magical in a world devoid of it.

  This was like that feeling, only with ‘real’ magic. I watched a small bird land on one of the stones. Was that a sparrow? Even if I had a bow to hand I don’t think I would have loosed. It felt wrong to bring weapons near this circle. Even though I didn’t like to be away from my club, not due to any sentimental reasons, just that it bashed skulls good. I left it with my pack by the tree.

  By midday, the stones blurred together. More than half the circle had BLAATed at me, my fingers were numb from the vibration, and Dekka had given up, sprawled belly-up in the shade.

  By luck I had figured out the first three notes. It was the first stone skip three, then skip seven. When the three notes rang I could make out the figure in the circle more clearly. I was sure it was a fairy. It looked like a grown woman the size of a toddler with gossamer thin wings sprouting from her shoulders. Then she would fade as the sound drifted.

  She never moved. Either she was sleeping or she was unconscious. Her wings moved slightly with her breathing, so I knew she wasn’t dead.

  I spent some time watching the shadows the stones made. For a while I was convinced that they were the key. But as the sun got lower I decided they weren’t, as the pattern I had made up didn’t predict more than a couple of the notes.

  I started to feel a bit guilty. I should be looking for a sparrow heart for the main quest. But this quest felt legendary, special. I wanted the better loot saving the fairy would give me. Also, this was way more fun than gathering and far less gross than plague ridden peasants.

  Perhaps I should leave and finish the town quest and then come back to this. I looked over at the stone circle. It wasn’t going anywhere. I took a deep breath. The NPCs weren’t real people, but I thought of Bess and that cough… They weren’t real but they still suffered.

  Picking up my pack and calling Dekka I went to leave. But as soon as I started to leave the environs of the stone circle my vision flashed.

  ABANDON QUEST? Y/N - Abandoning this quest will lead to the death of the Elf. You will not be able to return.

  I thought about it. If I left, I would cause the elf to die. Some villagers might die but I wasn’t the one killing them, that was the illness. And chances are they would be fine once they got the medicine. I thought of the delicate figure in the centre of the stones. I felt drawn by some force to help save the elf.

  I’d stay. Not just because I love puzzles, I didn’t want to be the cause of the death of a person, even if they were just an NPC.

  I concentrated on the ‘N’ to stay with the quest and returned to the stones. The sun was setting and it lit up the webs, making them sparkle like the finest jewelery, it was very pretty for material that came out of a spider’s butt.

  The webs!

  I had only looked at the stones. I jumped up and sprinted over. I was right! while each web was similar on close examination I could see they were slightly, but significantly different. Either there was a highly organised sect of spiders or these were magic. They were your typical orb spider type web with strands crossing each other in the centre, their ends attaching to the stones on either side. But the difference was the ones going around. Each web had thick webs and thin webs. The thick ones were the ones catching the light almost glowing.

  I went back to the stone I had figured was the first. I looked at the webs on either side.

  The one to the right, the strands making the around part were very circular compared to the more angled ones on all the other webs.

  Ok, ok! I was on to something.

  The circular one, the only web unique in this way marked the start. And it was to the right of the stone.

  I touched the stone again and watched the webs on either side of it. The circular one vibrated with the sound, but the one on the left was immobile. I don’t think the breeze that lifted my hair moved the webs.

  The circular web had three thick strands. The stone I knew was next was the 3rd stone counter clockwise. Excitedly I tapped the first then ran over to the next and added its voice. The web to the right of it had seven thick webs.

  The third stone soon joined the song.

  I did a little dance of victory. Dekka didn’t know why I was excited but she woke up and joined me, barking happily.

  This stone’s web had two thick strands. I sprinted to the stone two down. I patted it confidently.

  BLAAT

  What? I was so sure I had it.

  I went back to the start, just to make sure I hadn’t made a mistake.

  Three singing stones, then — BLAAT

  What the fuck? What was I missing. I was annoyed and not a little defeated.

  I decided to start a fire and roast some haunch for our dinner. Thinking was better with a full stomach. When I was gathering wood I noticed the stones seemed to shimmer if I got too far. I rushed back. I didn’t want to accidentally cancel the quest.

  Eventually it got too dark to continue so I set out my bedroll and put a haunch on the spit to roast. As I was turning the meat I idly turned it the other way.

  The other way! I was going counter clockwise. What if the directions weren’t just how many stones, but the direction as well!

  I was up with the dawn. I had a restless night, and I was eager to get back at the puzzle.

  In the waxing light I realised that ignoring the radial strands had been a mistake. There was a pattern to them as well. The first two had even numbered radial spokes, the third one had an odd number. Walking around I saw that there was a seemingly random mix of even and odd numbers. The third stone’s web had two thick strands going around and an odd number of radial ones, so I turned and went back two stones.

  I took a breath. I really hoped I was right as I was all out of ideas if this didn’t work. I tapped the stone.

  It rang out and joined the others as they faded.

  Hells yeah!

  There was still a problem, though. I had to tap the next stone while the last one was still making a sound. If it faded out I had to start again. Some of the webs were hard to see depending on their angle to the sun. At first it wasn’t bad, I could memorise the pattern, but with seventy-seven stones it got to be too much.

  I was lying in the grass, panting from my last run, Dekka standing on my chest and trying to lick my nose when I had a thought. Could I mark the stones? I didn’t have a marker or anything, and defacing them seemed wrong, in any case. But I had sticks, and rocks and leaves at my disposal.

  I used a combination of Roman numerals made with slender twigs, small rocks to denote the direction and a bit of memorisation to remember the pattern.

  I was laughing, Dekka was at my heels and the air was filled with the most beautiful and haunting melody I had ever heard. When the final note was rang out I could feel it in my bones and it made my heart swell with longing.

  The figure in the centre became corporeal and slowly stood up.

  I had been mistaken. This elf was male. A man in fact. Just very delicate and of unsurpassed beauty. He lifted his face to the sky and his skin was like porcelain. He fluttered his wings, which were those of a dragon fly as if to loosen them up. They folded neatly along his back and then transformed into a robe. The fabric was reminiscent of both his wings and stained glass, but soft and flowing.

  We stood transfixed as he lowered his gaze to look at me. He stretched out his hand and invited me to join him.

  I hesitated. The fey were almost always trouble.

  But what was the worst that could happen? Death? And he was so very beautiful.

  Stepping forward I saw that the webs were all gone. Dekka stayed behind but she didn’t bark or seem upset. She just sat at the edge of the stone circle and waited.

  “Hello fair Traveller,” his voice was like honey, golden and warm. “Thank you for saving me from the curse. I am sure I would have gotten free of he enchantment eventually.” He laughed, it wasn’t cruel but it let me know he didn’t think much of me, that I wasn’t that important. “But you did save me a few score of years of slumber.”

  That’s not what the game said. But I didn’t argue with him.

  He stepped forward and held something out to me. “Let me give you a boon for your effort.”

  As soon as I touched the bundle I squinched my eyes closed.

  CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE QUEST OF THE SLEEPING ELF - You have saved Galendelar from the curse his brother, his main rival for the Throne of the Bright Court, had placed upon him.

  You have gained +4 to wisdom and +1 to charisma.

  You have received a Rare Item - Cloak of the Fair Folk. When wearing it you get a +5 to all charisma checks and a +1 to speed.

  You have received one gold coin.

  Ohh yesss this was more like it!!

  Before he turned to leave I asked him. “Sir, do you know where I can find a sparrow heart”

  He laughed at me, his voice like falling ice. And before he vanished he said “Beating in a sparrow’s chest.”

  What a jerk. That tracked though. The Fey were notorious for misdirection and an allergy to straight answers.

  I sighed, stretched and looked at the sky. Still fairly early in the day. Time to go find a sparrow.