Unlikely Allies

by Davina Jolley

  ‘But you have Elina and me now,’ Primrose said.

  ‘We had older and more experienced magicians back then too and little good it did us,’ her grandfather added. ‘No, Primrose, we are still too weak and you still have a lot to learn. Furthermore, both of you are too inexperienced in battle. We must play a waiting game.’

  ‘We could do with Evelyn,’ their grandmother added sadly, ‘We believe Violette not only swapped Darius’s belt that night, but stole Evelyn’s bracelet too. It is why she could not be located and brought here or brought herself. I fear she has been lost to us forever. After the Great Flood her bracelet was found washed up at our burial site and spotted by the keen sight of our kestrel, another familiar.’

  ‘I think I might have met Evelyn, but I’m not sure,’ Elina said.

  ‘I sensed that too, when I read your mind, but I believe it to be an extremely, clever automaton and one to be extremely careful of. It is gaining the trust of too many,’ her grandmother added sadly.

  ‘An automaton?’ both Elina and Primrose asked simultaneously.

  ‘Nastarana, your grandfather’s twin, uses robots in the form of cleverly shaped drones. These drones replicate the movements of animals and continually monitor the Ancient Forest,’ Forrestiana explained. ‘The last drone we discovered was an owl, a cleverly constructed long-eared owl. Its flight path was effortless and smooth, a brilliant piece of technology. It had one fault - its feathers never moved. Thank goodness our kestrel’s keen eye-sight detected that flaw. Now, thanks to Elina’s memory we know of another. Our familiars will be working extremely hard once more trying to locate it - a large bat that you spotted at the edge of the forest.’

  Elina recalled the memory and knew that in future she should take more notice when something seemed odd or out of place. She needed to take heed of her sixth sense and act on it.

  Changing the subject rather abruptly their grandfather spoke and brought the subject back to Evelyn.

  ‘Our daughter had,’ he then quickly corrected himself, he so much hoped she was alive, ‘has lovely, brown eyes, with flecks of green in her right eye. She used to pretend that it was a spy camera that took secret photographs. If you see her again, examine the right eye. My brother might be extremely clever, but he has a tendency to ignore the smaller details and can be, at times, complacent, a weakness we hope to exploit in the future.’ Their grandfather reminisced sadly. His family had been completely destroyed, one way or another by his twin. He felt useless trapped in this ghostly underworld.

  Forrestiana continued, looking at Primrose, ‘If Sweet Briar had not turned you to stone; Violette would have been persuaded eventually to deliver you into his hands as well.

  ‘So, Lina and I have been destined to meet each other either way,’ Primrose said thoughtfully, ‘What part does Vile Vi play in all of this?’

  ‘That is yet to be fully revealed,’ their grandfather said. ‘She has been known to help us, on rare occasions, as well as helping Nastarana. She could be playing her own game or being forced to play his. I believe and hope it is the former. I sometimes wonder if the cakes she sold from her company had a little extra something in them; that is why we need our Alchemist to discover what that elusive substance is.’

  ‘I was hoping that Sharna would return with another sample. However, she has not been back since giving Violette an impromptu visit. I am finding her tardiness a little bit unsettling and hope nothing has happened to her.’ Their grandmother spoke sadly. Elina sensed she was deeply troubled.

  ‘Sharna?’ Primrose asked.

  ‘Your mother’s familiar, a brown rat.’

  ‘I’ve seen it!’ Elina said excitedly.

  ‘Classic! Vile Vi hates rats with a passion,’ Primrose spoke out with a loud laugh.

  ‘The night we left Violette’s my scarf vibrated,’ Elina said, ‘at the time, I thought the way the rat looked at me was odd; it seemed to want to give me a message, but we were in such a rush to leave the apartment that I hastened Shadow away as quickly as possible.’

  ‘Sharna would have been pleased to see you leaving, as it was the task she had been assigned to do,’ her grandmother said.

  ‘At rat helped me find my way into the Ancient Tree,’ Primrose added, remembering the time she had nearly given up.

  ‘Sharna also helped Dilly escape from a pack of wolves too,’ Forrestiana remarked, ‘She has been extremely helpful these last few weeks. On the subject of familiars, Bruin and Felina will be part of your next training sessions. Bruin and Felina are going to try and set up a territory in your part of the forest. I want Shadow and Dilly to try and chase them both away. They are to be part of a diversion I have in mind. As they run I want you to chase them with the orbs. This will help you practise all that you have learnt under more pressure, and at the same time, we can try and locate further automatons. Nastarana sends his drones out daily,’ Forrestiana paused and turned towards Primrose.

  ‘Primrose, you need to learn how to use the spheres when they are outside your protective barrier, especially the black ones. Keep the barrier tight to you and do not let it impede your arm movements. You need to practice with the wind and the different elements that will affect the spheres’ movements.

  ‘Also, I want you and Elina to be creative in the making of them by using the magic you both possess and taking note of the various power combinations.

  ‘As soon as we finish here, your grandfather is going to give you, Primrose, a quick practise session in how to tighten your protective barrier and improve your control of the orbs. I found it interesting to note that even Darius gave you a lesson or two in the art of stalking and observing the minute actions of your prey in order to capture them. However, in your case you liked to eliminate them.’

  Primrose looked at her grandmother, positive that she had just received a slight rebuke from her.

  ‘Are you talking about the computer game?’ Primrose asked, momentarily confused how her grandmother had known about the game she had once played with Darius.

  ‘I read your minds, remember,’ their grandmother answered patiently. ‘It has been really helpful putting different threads of your memories together with our intelligence. We believe Nastarana is preparing for another strike against us.’

  Elina surprised everyone when she added, ‘I believe it will be on the night of the next Full Moon. My father has convened another meeting to take place at our mother’s resting place. There will be many present. I sense some sort of fire energy and lots of it.’

  ‘Are you sure?’ Arvensis asked, ‘That place is situated above our heads. That would mean he is definitely going to try and destroy us again. Fire would make sense; he’s tried air and water before. It also ties in with the Ancient Ballad’s prediction.’

  ‘Can’t you just join us at the Ancient Tree?’ Primrose suggested.

  ‘We are not allowed above ground, unless certain criteria are completed or Ancient Laws are contravened,’ Forrestiana explained.

  ‘That’s easy then. Lina and I will complete the criteria you speak of,’ Primrose added, becoming excited.

  ‘We do not have enough time, the moon is nearing its last quarter and unfortunately you lack the experience needed to complete all of the tasks,’ her grandfather said.

  Primrose felt her frustration rising and said loudly, ‘Experience, experience, experience and the lack of it, that’s all I keep hearing!’

  ‘I am sorry, oh granddaughter mine, but if we act too rashly now we will never recover from the danger that threatens us.’ Arvensis said, trying to calm Primrose. ‘My brother’s one big weakness is that he believes himself to be invincible. We need him to truly believe he has won and that none of us have survived. We have waited too long to jeopardise our plans at this stage.’

  Elina, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly had an idea, ‘If he is to act on the night of the Full Moon when we are all gath
ered together in one place, can we not bring the meeting forward a day? No one gets hurt that way.’

  ‘But that just delays the inevitable and to an unknown time and that is even more dangerous.’ Forrestiana said, ‘At the moment we have the advantage, we know an attack is pending, and when. We also believe that Nastarana is also unsure whether we survived his previous attacks.’

  ‘I believe Elina has a good point. If everyone meets on the eve of the Full Moon we will gain more time and Darius, Sweet Briar, Elina and Primrose will be more powerful with extra training from us,’ Arvensis suggested.

  ‘I need to think on it,’ Forrestiana said, ‘we could move to a safer place. It could buy us time and if he does strike here, he breaks the Ancient Laws again and then who knows what will happen…’

  ‘What happened to you, why are you here?’ Primrose asked.

  Arvensis laughed. He had wondered when one of his granddaughters would ask about them; it had taken them longer than he had expected. ‘Many years ago, my brother Nastarana tricked us into a battle. It later became known as the Battle of the Roses, because of our names. As you may be aware all magicians are named after a rose. We obviously lost, and as a punishment he banished us here. However, as we turned our backs on him, he must have had a change of heart because he blasted us with a bolt of superheated air, believing that it would kill us outright.’ Arvensis paused, remembering the moment.

  ‘What Nastarana did not take into consideration were the Ancient Laws. In trying to kill us, he had broken them,’ Forrestiana continued, ‘We were allowed to live on as ghosts. The next time he tried to kill us was the night of the Great Flood. He wished to drown us; luckily for us the waters gave way too soon. That time, as the laws were broken again our magic was restored to us. However, if Sharna has been captured, he may now know where we are and also that you two have survived, as well as Violette’s own child. The danger we face is very real.’

  ‘Violette’s daughter?’ Primrose asked.

  ‘Your mother saved her on the night of the flood.’ Forrestiana explained, ‘Hopefully, you can meet Villosa next time you come, but we need to get you back to the Ancient Tree soon, and Primrose, you need to work with your grandfather and perfect the use of those dark orbs. I will talk with Elina to try and find some ways of weakening Nastarana’s magic. Now, I cannot stress how important it is for you both to remain completely invisible at all times, even if you were to meet your father again. It is vital that Jack gives no one any clue of your whereabouts. I still believe Nastarana has no idea where you are or how strong your magic has become, especially in such a short time. He would consider it incredible, therefore unbelievable.’

  Forrestiana stopped speaking and exchanged a quick glance with Arvensis. Primrose noticed a small, nearly imperceptible shake of the head from her grandmother.

  ‘What just happened then, don’t you trust us?’ Primrose asked with an edge to her voice.

  ‘You are too sharp, oh granddaughter mine,’ her grandfather replied, looking directly at Primrose, ‘You may not like what just passed between us, but I will tell you nonetheless. Once Nastarana has destroyed this place, he will then destroy all other magical places and anyone who helped us.’

  ‘Our tree!’ Primrose called out as her grandfather’s words sunk in.

  ‘Our friends! The Cottage!’ Elina moaned, ‘Surely he wouldn’t be so cruel as to kill the animals as well?’

  ‘I am sorry, but yes,’ Forrestiana answered regretfully.

  ‘Well that’s so not going to happen, I won’t let it,’ Primrose said firmly.

  ‘There can be no other way,’ Forrestiana said, ‘Nastarana needs to believe he has been successful, believe himself to be invincible, and more importantly be convinced that we are all dead.’

  ‘Well, I will find a way to save the Ancient Tree, even if I have to create a special barrier. I will not let it die, not after what it has done for me,’ Primrose declared.

  Forrestiana remained silent; she knew it would be pointless arguing with Primrose. She looked at Arvensis as he quietly stood up, it was time for him to take Primrose’s mind off of the Ancient Tree.

  ‘Come, oh granddaughter mine, time for some action and practise. Come and take your frustrations out on me.’

  Primrose left the room with her grandfather, while Elina remained with her grandmother to discuss all details and possibilities that might arise on the night before the Full Moon.

  When Elina was sure that Primrose was out of earshot, she looked at her grandmother and whispered, ‘Do you really think your wish is possible, if Nastarana tries to take your lives once more?’

  Forrestiana’s eyes narrowed and she looked sharply at Elina.

  ‘I can read your mind. I saw your dream and hopes for the future,’ she told her grandmother.

  ‘But your magic is not strong enough to do that! For a magician of your age to be able to read the mind of a magician like me is unheard of, the last magician with that ability was Rosa Hugonis. Can I?’ Forrestiana reached her hands towards Elina and gently placed her hands on her forehead once more to scan the depth of her magic.

  ‘This is truly amazing. In fact, it is totally unbelievable. Your magic is incredibly strong. I was considering using Bruin to relay messages between us, but I now believe you and I will be able to communicate telepathically. It is another skill that you should not have. We can use it when you are above ground. What do you think, Elina?’

  ‘It’s definitely worth a try. Who was Rosa Hugonis?’

  ‘An extremely powerful magician; he sacrificed his magic on the condition that all magicians and accomplices who survived the battle would be banished underground to this Sanctum. He saved four of us, but then Nastarana turned his magic on him as well. To this day we don’t know what spell was cast on him.’

  ‘Do you know what became of him? Is he a relation of mine?’ Elina asked, Hugonis was her surname.

  Forrestiana looked deeply into Elina’s eyes and sighed deeply, ‘He’s your father, Elina. It is why the magic you both have is so special, combined with that of your mother’s the possibilities and strength of what you both possess is unknown. Nastarana would dearly like to be able to control you both.’

  Elina became very quiet as she thought over her grandmother’s words and was somehow not surprised to learn that her father had once possessed magic, but it was someone else her thoughts had turned to - Violette. She began to suspect that Violette might have been playing a very dangerous game. What if Violette knew of the danger that threatened both her and Primrose? Could that be the reason why she had allowed Primrose to be kept as a statue, protected by Briony’s magic? Elina remembered her scarf had vibrated strangely in Violette’s room the night she had left. The scarf had never vibrated in Violette’s presence before, so what magic had been nearby that night, she wondered. Had Violette secretly warned her to leave?

  ‘Now to business, how can we weaken Nastarana’s magic?’ Forrestiana said, interrupting Elina’s thoughts.

  ‘Slowly, bit by bit,’ Elina stated, with no idea where that thought had come from.

  Forrestiana and Elina conversed for another hour, discussing ideas and plans of what they believed could happen if the family were to face Nastarana on the night of the next Full Moon.

  25. Primrose’s first lesson with an expert

  As they left the room, Primrose asked her grandfather why he wore the gauntlets.

  ‘To keep everyone safe; oh granddaughter mine. My Dark Magic is very powerful and without these I would, in time, be just like my evil twin. They have been specifically designed for me; silver for everyone’s protection and to keep me in touch with my softer side and emotions; pewter to control my energy and miniscule veins of gold to boost the powers of the metals.’

  ‘And I thought you wore them just because they looked good,’ Primrose joked.

  Her grandfather smiled at her co
mment and opened a door, beckoning her inside. Primrose found herself inside a large underground cave. She had never seen anything like it before and marvelled at its beauty, but her grandfather gave her no time to admire her surroundings - she was here to learn.

  The cave was lit with many flickering candles that shone off the wet walls that were coloured in many shades of orange. From the ceiling hung wonderful formations of stalactites and from the floor stalagmites stretched majestically towards their hanging cousins. Deep pools mirrored the light and the ceiling, giving the illusion of unknown depths and dangers.

  True to his word, Primrose was shown how to tighten her shield around her body to maintain both her invisibility and safety. Afterwards, she was shown how to create the smallest of black, magical orbs which resembled grains of rice but still packed a powerful punch. Her grandfather then made his own orbs and sent them spinning and skidding around the cave, weaving them skilfully around the fantastic rock formations and across still pools of water, enhancing the optical illusion of depth and danger. Primrose watched spellbound as she studied his movements closely.

  ‘Stop gawking and chase my spheres with your own,’ he ordered in a tone not to be argued with.

  For the next few minutes, with Primrose’s skill improving, she managed to hit just one of his orbs. She believed it to be by pure luck, as she cut off its course when it spun round one of the cave’s formations. She waited nervously for the impending explosion, but none came, and her hesitation made her lose all of her orbs to her grandfather.

  ‘Where my brother is concerned, there can be no hesitation. One moment’s loss of concentration and you are…’

  Suddenly, Primrose found herself the target of all her grandfather’s orbs and had to dodge, jump and run to avoid them.

  ‘Not fair…’ she screamed at him.

  ‘Nothing is fair in war. Fight back Primrose. Darius taught you better than to run.’