by R A Lindo
As they walked, Guppy nudged Kaira and whispered, “Do you ever think that the founders of the Society had too much time on their hands? I mean, I’m sort of waiting just to walk through a door into a normal room.”
Kaira raised her eyebrows in mock surprise. “It sounds like you’re missing the above-ground world, Guppy.”
“Hardly. Who’d want to be there when we’ve got all this?”
“Terrecet fragments, the Ameedis and Erent Koll, you mean,” quipped Kaira in an attempt to lighten the mood. The adults had been relatively quiet on their way to another dimension, now facing the tiled wall as the lamp hovered above them … a lamp which emanated a ringing noise, causing a muted voice to be heard on the other side of the tiles.
“Who is it?”
“Casper, Theodore. We’ve all come along to say hello, including Kaira and Guppy.”
“One second,” came the reply before the lamp, hovering above them, descended slowly and attached itself to the tiles. Its glow softened as it shrunk to the size of a door handle - a handle Casper Renn turned, opening a secret doorway hidden within the wall.
19
An Uneasy Host
Theodore Kusp shook the hand of the adults nervously whilst offering a polite nod to Kaira and Guppy. A tall, gangly man with a rather awkward manner, he had the air and attire of an ageing professor - the tweed suit, ruffled hair and small glasses completing the look. Conrad was, as yet, nowhere to be seen in space which encompassed a single floor overlooking Society Square.
From the window, which stretched the length of the room, you had a clear view of the church roof which Kaira had stood on with Jacob on her first day in the Society. The enormous spinning shoe atop the shop of the same name caught Kaira’s eye once again: an establishment Jacob had suggested would come in use over time.
Along with the impressive view, a purple, velvet sofa encompassed one side of the room - a partition wall separating the living and sleeping quarters. Kaira imagined Conrad to be cooped up inside one of the bedrooms, perhaps not as keen to reacquaint himself with the girls who had dragged him into danger on his first outing above ground. As the door faded into the tiled wall, Theodore Kusp offered his visitors a drink.
“Tea would be nice,” Philomeena Renn suggested, placing her black handbag onto the purple, velvet sofa.
“Tea it is,” Theodore Kusp replied, doing his best to hide his agitated state. “Conrad has told me about your escapades above ground,” he commented to Kaira and Guppy who offered an awkward smile. Needless to say, they had a habit of running into trouble and doubted Conrad was going to thank them for a traumatic meeting with Erent Koll.
The collective tension hanging in the room was a need to get the truth out of Theodore - in particular, what he had let slip in his black market trading of Laudlum to Prium Koll: a Melackin whose need for Laudlum was also something to be investigated. Revenance Remedy rehabilitated Melackin, removing criminal thoughts. Laudlum prolonged life for those struck by curses. So, who was Prium Koll buying Laudlum for and, more critically, what drunken ramblings had Theodore shared with him?
Conrad’s father was known for having a loose tongue - a reflection of his fizzing mind and elaborate imagination. For many years, he was considered eccentric until the recent death of his wife - a sudden, unexpected loss which had caused him to descend into an alcoholic fog. What was uttered in these moments, few knew, for he lived two lives: one within the Society and the other above ground. Like Casper Renn, he wanted his son, Conrad, to have a normal childhood for as long as circumstances would allow, and he had achieved this until the fateful evenings drinking and trading Laudlum with Melackin … all of which brought him to this point … hiding away in a safe house in the knowledge that his theoretical musings had unleashed a dark army.
Within the stylish, well-lit space only accessible to those he had put his trust in, Theodore was ready to talk, finally realising that not doing so was only putting people in danger - including his son. As the adults settled on the long, purple, velvet sofa, Casper Renn turned to Kaira and Guppy, suggesting they take some tea - and the cherry cake on offer - to Conrad.
“He’s looking forward to the company,” Theodore added, offering a smile which didn’t quite hide his nerves.
Kaira sensed that the conversation was going to be uncomfortable for everyone involved, remembering how compassionate her dad, aunt and Farraday had been when Theodore had been brought into The Cendryll for questioning. The Looksee had allowed them to listen in - the very thing Guppy was pondering now as they took the tray of tea and cake towards the door underneath the wooden beams.
Conrad appeared at the door, the sullen expression Kaira remembered replaced with a bright smile.
“Hi,” he offered as he welcomed them into an immaculate bedroom, suggesting he had tidied in expectation of visitors. “I wasn’t sure if you were coming.”
“We wondered where you’d gone,” replied Kaira as Guppy put the tray on the carpet.
“I wasn’t coping very well so your dad and aunt brought me here to be with my dad. They said it would be best for me to stay … that I’d gone through too much to be separated from my dad and thrown into an unbelievable place I still can’t get my head around. I suppose you noticed how miserable I was.”
“Not me,” commented Guppy as she stuffed a large slice of cherry cake into her mouth - a ploy to lighten the mood.
“You’ve been through a lot,” added Kaira as they sat on the floor with the tray of tea and cake within reach.
“Anyway, it’s good to see you both. My dad’s better with me here, I think. We’ve only really got each other now.”
“And us,” mumbled Guppy though a mouth of cake - a gesture of compassion that brought a glow of appreciation from the lost boy.
“We’re all missing someone, in a way,” explained Kaira in reference to the mother she barely remembered and, in some ways, the life above-ground she was gradually leaving behind. “Guppy and Jacob were amazing to me when I first arrived here.”
“And your dad and aunt were amazing to me when I was allowed entry,” stated Guppy, reaching for another piece of cake.
As Kaira poured the tea, Conrad explained why he had retreated to his room. “It’s going to be hard enough for my dad to talk about whatever he’s done, without me being in the room.”
“Has he mentioned anything to you?” asked Kaira, offering Conrad and Guppy a cup of tea.
“Just that he feels responsible. It makes him uncomfortable talking about it, and when he does, it sort of takes him back to my mum and…” The death of his mum had sent his dad spiralling, Conrad knew, although this was also a secret country he currently allowed no other person in - not even his son.
Sensing the question had touched a nerve, Kaira thought of the very thing Guppy produced from her trouser pocket seconds later: a Looksee.
“You might not want to,” began Guppy with a new degree of sensitivity, “but this will let us listen in.”
Conrad studied the small glass, hexagonal object, rubbing his forefinger over the silver clasp. “A Looksee,” he uttered, remembering its first appearance during their spying mission outside The Sylent.
“That’s right.”
“So, we can listen in…?”
“Look and listen, but only if you want to.”
“I think I need to,” stated Conrad, mildly fascinated by the power contained within the artefact. Rubbing a hand over his copper-blonde hair, he picked up the tray, placing it on his bed before asking, “How does it work?”
“Like this,” replied Guppy as she placed the Looksee on the floor, lifting the silver clasp and opening the lid. A soft, humming sound formed before an image flooded the space on the floor between them - offering a bird’s-eye view of a critical conversation.
As the Looksee flickered into life, Kaira, Guppy and Conrad leaned closer to the shimmering image of the adults’ meeting next door. Now, there was no need to use a Pryal charm to listen in, ears pressed to th
e door dividing the rooms. As Guppy had explained, a Looksee allowed you to look and listen - and all from the comfort of a bedroom floor. The adults’ conversation didn’t take long to begin, the sense of urgency already stated by Philomeena Renn.
The Cendryll members were restless whilst Jacob was fending off his mother’s questions regarding the morning’s very public run-in with The Sinister Four. Meyen Grayling’s behaviour only added to the growing tensions - all centred around a mystery which had begun with the appearance of a sign: The Sign of the Symean.
With Kaira, Guppy and Conrad settled on the bedroom floor, remnants of the cherry cake nearby, the conversation between the adults began, leading to clarifications and revelations which would accelerate the race to avert catastrophe.
“It’s critical that we know what was discussed in your conversations with Prium,” Casper Renn began, deciding to position himself by the window which stretched floor-to-ceiling. His physical distance from Theodore Kusp suggested an unease, centred around suspicion or, perhaps, the discomfort formed from interrogating a friend.
“Take your time, Theo,” encouraged Smyck as he unbuttoned his black shirt, seemingly searching for a drink to take the edge off the mild unease brewing.
Conrad’s dad sat somewhat awkwardly on the edge of the sofa, the tweed suit and glasses symbolising his thirst for learning. Beginning nervously, he narrated the theory he had formulated regarding the very thing dark agents were hunting: the Terrecet. “You have to understand that I only relayed this knowledge as a theory; a theory I’ve extrapolated from the various sources of the legend of the Terrecet.”
“You suggested you didn’t recognise the sign on Prium’s neck when we questioned you in The Cendryll,” commented Philomeena Renn.
“I panicked a little … once news of Searings flooded the Society along with multiple sightings of the Sign of the Symean, above ground. Although Prium flatly denied it when questioned, I sensed that the string of attacks was linked to our conversations during my unfortunate selling of Laudlum.”
“Try to be precise, Theo,” instructed Farraday in a tone which was more prompt than command. “We need to move swiftly and haven’t got the luxury of exploring false trails.”
“Yes,” Theodore uttered as he stood from the end of the purple, velvet sofa, glancing towards the door Conrad, Kaira and Guppy were stationed behind. “The compassion you’ve shown me, after my stupid mistake, is more than I deserve. I just hope that Conrad understands, once the full story is out … that what I believed to be simple theories, borne from my interest in Society legends, has morphed into a monster not of my making.”
“He’ll understand,” added Casper Renn as he loosened the silver tie decorating a white shirt, framed by the dark, green suit. “The fragility of life commonly arrives when youth has passed. For now, we have to focus on the potential fragility of our world, faced with something truly dangerous.”
“Perhaps a Worble charm would benefit us now,” suggested Theodore, although this was politely dismissed by Philomeena Renn.
“Secrets won’t benefit anyone now, Theo. We’ve spent this morning unravelling some long-held ones, recognising that knowledge is the very thing to empower the young. In some ways, our father was right: it’s impossible to defend against something we have limited knowledge of.”
“Gorrah,” uttered Theodore.
Kaira’s aunt nodded at the word to describe dark magic. “Secrets will only hinder us so help us to understand your theory - in the earshot of the children, perhaps - in order to provide us with the necessary insight required to act in time.”
Taking his time to reveal all, Conrad’s dad positioned himself in the furthest corner of the room, designed to minimise how much could be overheard. Of course, he had no idea a Looksee was being used by his son and friends in the bedroom. He was, in many ways, talking to a room of equals - some immediately present and some listening in a short distance away. His theory, which was already spinning within dark circles, would finally be articulated: the theory of an evil legend abandoned to time and fate.
“The theory is both simple and convoluted,” he began as he stood in the shadows, encompassing the far corner of the secret location. “In simple terms, it is the sequel to The Curse of the Saralin Sands … what happened after Elias Reepe had been fooled into a devil’s deal in ‘the land of spinning moons and stars’ … the boy who traded time for the ‘artefact that can defeat death, beckon the creatures of Saralin and bend the will of men’. Of course, the story in Menphelin’s Fables has remained just that to many, but I always like to ask ‘What if…?’ My theory answers this question. What if the fable is based in fact…? If so, our magical universe could only have survived and thrived if, at some point, Elias Reepe had been defeated.”
“Go on,” encouraged Farraday, sitting on the purple, velvet sofa alongside Smyck.
“Because the original fable ends with Elias Reepe burning with rage, ready to turn the instrument of evil - the Terrecet - onto the very world that had robbed him of much of his life. His first act is to destroy the spinning moons and stars of Saralin, after which, the story suggests a path of brutal destruction, the Terrecet’s infinite, dark power ripping through the world.
Obviously, if it really was just a fable, the Society’s battles have been with different enemies. However, if the fable is based in fact, the greatest battle we have fought would have been against the very figure in the story: Elias Reepe.”
“Battles that aren’t recorded,” uttered Philomeena Renn, “or at least not in the traditional manner.”
“Well, it looks like your ramblings have substance, after all, Theo,” commented Smyck who still harboured some resentment towards the man whose active mind had fed a dark legend.
“Not really my theory, Smyck. People have hunted the Terrecet for generations, believing the fable to be true.”
“Fools chase fools gold, Theo,” commented Kaira’s aunt, “and we’ve gone to a lot of trouble to take pre-emptive action against potential threats. Are you sure you haven’t fallen under the spell of a legend, like those hunting it?”
The response of Conrad’s dad made the young trio peer closer to the flickering image produced by the Looksee: a sudden production of a Canvia charm, allowing the illustration of anything that could be imagined.
“The only known description of the Terrecet is in The Book of Gorrah,” Theodore explained as his hand moved in an elaborate dance, creating an intricate design which hovered in the air. Taking the shape of a shield, marked with various symbols too small to decipher through the Looksee, the explanation continued.
“Whilst carrying out my now-famous misdeed of selling Laudlum to Prium Koll - for medicinal purposes, or so I believed - he suggested that those who hunted the Terrecet had knowledge of its design: seven connecting weapons made of black Mithium - indestructible steel - soaked in curses and dark sorcery. The design of a single, piece, according to Prium, looked something like the image we’re looking at now. I shrugged off the information as an old wive’s tale, trying not to feed his interest.
It was only when I saw the branding of The Sign of the Symean on the back of his neck, that I realised he had fallen under the spell, as well. Prium, like all Melackin, has had criminal thoughts removed via Revenance Remedy, giving me a false sense of security in discussing my theory, it turns out.”
“Trusting a Melackin is rarely wise, Theo,” stated Farraday whose faith in his friend seemed to be fading. “Although they can no longer carry out criminal acts or a return to dark practices, they often become slaves to those who can - like Erent Koll, for example.”
Conrad’s dad winced at this mild admonishment before continuing. “Something I should have thought of, my only defence being the fog of grief I was swimming in after Frencine’s death.”
“A particularly difficult time for you, Theo,” offered Casper Renn, hinting at the compassionate stance the others needed to take. “We’re not here to judge but to decide on our next steps.
All considerations of the knock-on effects of the conversations with Prium Koll will be of benefit.”
“Yes, Casper … of course. As we know, of all the families within the Society with potential knowledge of such a legend, the Kolls are the prime candidates. Erent Koll, after all, was the person who shattered the family’s noble tradition, splintering it between respectability and criminality.”
“And it was Erent who turned family whispers into war,” uttered Casper Renn who continued to follow Theodore’s elaborate theory. “His obsession with a dark legend becoming a brutal pursuit, which is when Searings began on others hunting the Terrecet … until fatal curses were used to remove his enemies.
The Book of Gorrah would have been studied by the criminal side of the Koll family as their obsession became legendary within the Society, developed into an underground cult which, until now, was formed of secret meetings and practices in buildings like The Sylent. Cialene’s death in Dyil’s Ditch; the attack on Blaze Flint soon after and the irrational battle The Sinister Four tried to commence in the trading lane earlier today … they all carry the hallmarks of a group turning against the fundamental rules binding our world together.”
“Another person has, of course, fallen under the dark cloud spreading in the Society,” added Kaira’s aunt - an indirect reference to Meyen Grayling.
The silence falling between the adults was mirrored by the quiet reflections in Conrad’s bedroom - each group considering the validity of a convoluted theory. Of those present, only Kaira’s dad had seen a Terrecet fragment (or what was believed to be one) explaining, perhaps, why he was less dismissive of the theory.
“He looks convinced,” whispered Kaira, watching as her dad moved away from the window and studied the object spinning in mid air: the sparkling, spinning representation of a burgeoning threat.
