Kendra's glow

  The fairy laid a tiny palm against her cheek. Gradually, the fairy grew brighter, until she was beaming orange stripes onto the surrounding foliage. Kendra squinted her eyes against the fiery brilliance.

  The striped fairy removed her hand and drifted away, the intensity of her radiance fading only slightly. Other fairies flocked to them, hovering curiously.

  "You're dazzling," Kendra said, holding up a hand to shield her eyes.

  "Me?" the striped fairy laughed. "None of the others are looking at me. I'm barely the moon reflecting the light of the sun. "

  "I'm not glowing," Kendra said, noticing that the twenty fairies surrounding them were indeed all staring at her.

  "Not on the same spectrum as I am," the striped fairy said. "But you shine much, much brighter. If you were radiating on my spectrum, we would all be blinded. "

  "Are you all right, Yolie?" the feathery fairy asked.

  "I may have overdone it, Larina," the striped fairy answered. "Care to share the spark?"

  The feathery fairy streaked over to the striped fairy. Yolie kissed the feathery fairy on the forehead. Larina flared brighter as the striped fairy dimmed. When they parted, their luminance was about equal.

  Larina examined the intensified vibrance of her multihued feathers. A bright aura shone around her like a rainbow. "Magnificent!" she cried.

  "This is more manageable," Yolie said, still gleaming.

  "Is she truly a mortal handmaiden?" asked the sparkling white fairy who had illuminated the blossom.

  "Can there be any doubt?" Larina exclaimed.

  "You got brighter because you touched me?" Kendra asked.

  "You are a reservoir of magical energy like I have never encountered," Yolie said. "Surely you can feel it?"

  "I can't," Kendra said. Yet she knew she had magical energy inside of her. How else could she recharge depleted magical relics?

Chapter 5