by R A Lindo
“Why doesn’t he say so, then?” questioned Conrad as he peered closer, his nose almost touching the flickering image spread on the floor between them.
“He’s thinking,” replied Kaira, recognising the frown forming on her dad’s face - an expression which had historically meant trouble for her. Consequence, however, was about to fall on another’s head, made most evident by Casper Renn’s concluding words:
“It fits to what we know and have witnessed. It also fits to what’s potentially hidden below The Floating Floor … something that cannot end up in the wrong hands … so, we move tonight to locate and move the fragment to a safe location. We need to make our way back to The Cendryll, Theo: there’s no time to waste. We will, of course, stay in touch via the usual means until we can return you to a life free of fear and judgement.”
Kaira heard the silver object rattle first. “A Scribberal,” she whispered, recognising the main communication device used within the S.P.M.A.
“What about it?” queried Conrad.
“It’s just rattled … your dad’s taking something out of it?”
The trio peered closer to the illustration flooding out of the Looksee on the bedroom floor, desperate to read what was written on the notepaper taken out of the Scribberal.
“You need to hurry,” advised Conrad’s dad. “It’s Jacob. Meyen’s agitated and has left her quarters. He thinks she’s on her way to The Floating Floor, taking the opportunity to move the fragment before you return.”
Casper Renn uttered ‘Comeuppance’ and took a Follygrin out of his pocket. Carrying out the usual routine to activate it, he commented somewhat anxiously, “She isn’t appearing.”
“Meaning she’s used an Invisilis charm to hide her movements,” added Farraday.
“We need to go,” ordered Kaira’s aunt. “Now.”
A tap on the door quickly followed, causing Guppy to utter ‘Undilum’ to deactivate the Looksee.
Recognising the mixed feelings of confusion, anger and betrayal running across Guppy’s face, Conrad offered, “It might not be what you think”
With a fierce glance, Guppy replied, “It’s exactly what we think, and we’re going to stop her. Your dad made an understandable mistake; my mother is about to betray us. There’s a difference.”
The second knock forced a fleeting goodbye, Kaira thanking Conrad for the tea and cake and reassuring him that they’d return. “Hopefully, you won’t be cooped up here for too much longer.”
“Fingers crossed,” replied Conrad with a forced smile. “Anyway, you’d better go before your dad and aunt get annoyed. Good luck with whatever it is you need to do. I sort of understand but everything’s happening so fast.”
“Trust me,” offered Kaira in farewell, “I know the feeling.”
20
Dark Bargains
The return via the secret, numbered pathway underneath The Cendryll’s skylight was carried out with greater urgency - Jacob’s information via the Scribberal confirming what they had suspected: Meyen Grayling was preparing to dance with the devil. The devil in question was Erent Koll - Prince of the Underworld - whose only interest was unrivalled power. Such unfettered power only came from singular forces, one of which was the very thing Guppy and Jacob’s mother was attempting to move.
They moved in silence, stepping from number-to-number, Kaira and Guppy remembering the pattern of following odd-to-odd and even-to-even numbers. The spacewalk felt less alien to Kaira this time whilst the bright, luminous Quij were always a joy to behold. Like the Williynx who had offered Kaira her first experience of flight, the Quij could morph into something other than their common form - their blood-red fury in The Pancithon a symbol of another force at their disposal.
Transformation, it seemed, applied to adults as well, particularly in terms of their shifting loyalties which could be hidden behind facades of duty. After all, thought Kaira, if everyone who had a questionable thought was swallowed by The Web of Azryllis, The Cendryll would be a much quieter place. Intention was the defining mark … the intention to act in one way or another … protecting or destroying, loving or despising, honouring or betraying.
Guppy’s excitement in tracing danger had turned to apprehension - her steps becoming laboured as it dawned on her that family had become the enemy. Did she really want her mother to be punished for unproven crimes? Would a life without both parents in it be the simple adjustment she’d convinced herself it would be? Most of all, could she just watch the battle on Quibbs Causeway? Whose side would she be on? Who would she defend if either’s life was in danger?
As the skylight above illuminated their return to more solid ground, questions became concerns as the stark reality of what was about to be enacted struck home - a battle for supremacy and stability was about to take place in a location only the desperate and unstable chose to inhabit: Quibbs Causeway. Land of the Mantzils … the invisible, screeching creatures who waited in the wind, preparing to add their distinct chorus of chaos.
Jacob was waiting for them in Philomeena Renn’s quarters on their return, pacing in an agitated manner which suggested a desire to know the outcome of the meeting with Theodore Kusp. He had exited his mother’s quarters moments after she had left him, offering an excuse regarding issues in Protective Charms - an excuse Jacob knew to be a ruse, allowing her to vanish through The Floating Floor.
Although he hadn’t been keen to be appointed to stay behind, he understood that events were gathering a momentum which couldn’t be ignored. After all, Sylan Ryll, Aneesha Khan, Ulyn Pavel and Tunula Creswell were senior figures in The Pancithon - figures who had attempted to harm Kaira and Guppy before enacting battle with Casper and Philomeena Renn. They had clearly chosen a side, and not the one fighting for peace and protection.
Imprisoned in their temporary steel cage, they would be transported to a secure location to be interrogated. Few survived the close attention of The Orium Circle, and they would be no different. The deeper question was their decision to align themselves with dark agents such as Erent Koll - a path Jacob’s mother had succumbed to. His pacing reflected a moral dilemma. On the one hand, he was a loyal member of the S.P.M.A. and, on the other, he remained the son of Meyen Grayling.
Like Guppy - and, to some extent, Casper Renn - he was quickly realising the difference between general feelings of detachment and the actuality of discarding a family member. Family ties remained, like an invisible transmission that couldn’t be turned off, and the mixture of anger, concern and guilt ran through Jacob as he listened to the plan to stop his mother.
“How long ago did your mother leave, Jacob?” asked Casper Renn after a Worble charm had been enacted by Farraday.
“A few minutes ago.”
“Still nothing in the Follygrin,” added Smyck as Churchill peered out from the bedroom Kaira and Guppy shared, sensing now wasn’t the time to seek comfort.
“The Panorilum, Kaira,” instructed Casper Renn, clicking his fingers impatiently for the artefact immune to the Invisilis charm.
It didn’t take long for the suspected act to reveal itself … the figure in blue moving between the shelves of glass-and-steel boxes beneath The Floating Floor. Guppy struggled to look, although Jacob was more determined to see proof of his mother’s betrayal. In seconds, remaining doubts and hopes faded as the box she had returned to time-and-time again became the centre of her attention once more. Uttering something, Meyen Grayling placed her hand within the glass outer shell if it were liquid, grasping the smaller, steel encasement - the force required to hold it in her grasp evident for all to see.
“Do you really think she’s going to Quibbs Causeway?” asked Jacob, unable to mask his discomfort. “I mean, why?”
“Your mother has succumbed to the power of a dark legend,” explained Philomeena Renn who stood by the door, ensuring no-one entered to disrupt the gathering. “Or, perhaps an offer of the power she has longed craved.”
“Selling out to evil to get what she wants, you mean,” speculate
d Guppy in a tone laced with bitterness.
“We haven’t got time to speculate,” interjected Kaira’s dad who stood at the open entrance of the spectacular kitchen which stretched to the heavens. “Wherever Meyen is going, she’s clearly taking the artefact with her. Assuming it’s what we think it is, it follows that it’s going be used for something other than good.”
“A devil’s deal,” uttered Guppy as Kaira’s dad and aunt prepared to leave.
“Farraday - stay with Kaira, Guppy and Jacob. Keep the doors locked and make sure the Worble charm stays intact when we leave. Smyck - keep a lid on the nervous noises ringing around from various factions in The Cendryll. No doubt, others will follow our movements as we track Meyen down. If any problems arise, you know who to contact.”
Both men nodded as Casper and Philomeena Renn moved towards Kaira, each placing a hand on her shoulder before moving to a quieter corner of the room.
“It’s a shame that events have taken over your formative time here,” her dad offered as he buttoned his dark, green suit. “The rhythms of the Society, like all things, are unpredictable and, at times, infuriating.”
“Why do you always have to go?” queried Kaira as her aunt stood on the opposite side of her, her immaculate skin and elegant, black dress not quite fitting the warrior Kaira had briefly witnessed in the trading lane.
“Fate has a way of calling us,” replied Philomeena Renn, mirroring the words Cynthia Renn had uttered in Gilweean. “Don’t worry, Kaira; we’ve negotiated Quibbs Causeway before.”
“What about Erent Koll? If Meyen Grayling really is going to meet him, it’s going to be dangerous. The Mantzils sound horrible.”
“We won’t be travelling alone,” stated Kaira’s aunt as Churchill appeared, circling in way of silent comfort.
“Sky urchins?”
“Something similar,” her dad replied. “If Meyen’s plan is to trade the artefact for Erent Koll’s promise of dark power, then Quibbs Causeway would have been chosen because of the danger the Mantzils pose.”
“But, why would Meyen travel their unprotected?” queried Kaira, conscious that Guppy was looking over, keen to understand the reason for familial secrecy.
“On the promise of protection,” replied Casper Renn. “Erent has a habit of breaking his promises so, for the sake of the Society’s protection and Meyen’s sanity, we need to set off. If it helps to put your mind at rest, you can keep an eye on things with the Follygrin and Panorilum.”
The cloud of concern lifted from Kaira’s face. “Really? I thought you’d ban me from checking.”
“That would only make you worry more,” commented her aunt who picked up a mildly annoyed Churchill - Kaira’s cat feeling an increased sense of neglect since his arrival in a strange, magical world which shifted and spun at an alarming rate. “Studying our movements will offer reassurance and an education, of sorts,” continued Aunt Phee. “Because, as more people succumb to the evil wind, other realms within the Society will become increasingly important, including dangerous ones.”
“Casper, Phee…” came Farraday’s voice from the dining table in the centre of Philomeena Renn’s quarters. “Time to move.”
With a hug from her dad and aunt, Kaira took Churchill and watched them head towards the door. Once again, she would have to manage feelings of absence whilst suppressing her fears for their safety. Once again, she would have to subordinate her needs for the needs of the magical world she had so long wanted to know about. Sacrifice came at a significant price and what, at first, seemed like an innocent world of wonders had quickly shown itself to be a labyrinth of danger.
Conflicting forces were conjuring tricks in an attempt to gain the upper hand in a spectacular universe stretching far beyond Founders’ Quad … to the wonders of Gilweean contrasted with the soulless mudlands of Dyil’s Ditch. What ramifications would the race to Quibbs Causeway bring? wondered Kaira as Guppy and Jacob moved over to pay Churchill some overdue attention, and who would suffer as a consequence?
“We stay put and stay calm,” instructed Farraday as they sat around the dining table, studying the Follygrin and Panorilum.
The group were strangely silent for some time, waiting for the expected battle to take place. For now, the intricate illustration of Kaira’s dad and aunt highlighted nothing untoward. In fact, there was nothing in the image that suggested danger as they travelled to Helping Hand - the simplest way to gain access to Quibbs Causeway.
The most dangerous thing to occur was the circle of light surrounding them inside the room … the same feature which had been activated in the trading lane this morning.
“Just in case anyone has the sudden need to run through a Cympgus, towards their death,” Farraday said in a clear warning. “The Ameedis are harmless flies compared to the Mantzils. One chorus of ear-piercing squeals is enough to shatter the mind so no one’s going anywhere.”
Guppy retreated a little as Farraday’s glare fell onto her - a reminder of the consequences of her mad rush to follow Cialene Koll … leading into Dyil’s Ditch and the terror of the vampiric Ameedis. She had no such intention to follow her mother into the unknown, partly due to a burgeoning ability to control her impulses but, also, because she knew both she and her mother were out of their depth. Whatever the artefact was in her mother’s possession, and whatever hold it had over her, any meeting with Erent Koll was bad news.
The feral, fire-red eyes and pale skin … the body crouched on all fours sniffing out its prey haunted Guppy’s vision … remnants of her first meeting with The Prince of the Underworld outside The Sylent. No promise would be kept by such a man, least of all the promise of acquiring the very thing he apparently craved: the Terrecet. Had her mother really given in to his evil charms…? Or was she foolish enough to believe she could out manoeuvre a man who killed at will? Was she about to witness her mother’s execution through the magical prisms of the Follygrin and Panorilum…? Could she…?
As Casper and Philomeena Renn strode through the busy streets of Founders’ Quad, Helping Hand came into view, the vast, ornamental hand decorating the front of the building reminding the young trio of their time spent on the top floor, recovering from their terrifying adventure to Dyil’s Ditch.
“When they enter, things get juicy,” explained Farraday, reaching inside his pocket for a familiar remedy: Jysyn Juice. “We’ll probably need some of this because, whatever happens, you stay put and let the adults take care of things.”
“Even if our parents are about to be killed?” challenged Jacob with a hint of anger.
“The army on their way to defend your parents are more than enough for Erent Koll,” reassured Farraday as he took a big gulp of Jysyn Juice. “Which doesn’t mean blood won’t be shed. Unlike training, you haven’t got time to administer healing remedies such as Srynx Serum. You fight until the battle is won.”
“Or lost,” countered Guppy as her legs began to jig up and down - a sign that her anxiety was rising.
“We’re talking about the Renns,” added Farraday somewhat impatiently. “Wizards without equal. Watch and learn.”
As the restrictive power of the Infernisi charm - the circular band of orange light bursting into flames the moment anyone approached its boundaries - flickered around them, Kaira, Guppy and Jacob studied the Follygrin and Panorilum in a shared state of agitation. Now, increasingly confident in their own abilities at defending against enemy forces, they each found it painfully difficult to watch the impending danger their parents were about to enter - albeit, for different reasons.
Kaira felt no unique affinity with the seemingly infinite powers inherent within the S.P.M.A., but she was young and inexperienced. The fact the Renns were ‘water people’ hadn’t yet translated to the powers her father, aunt and grandfather held. If anything, Guppy was the one who learnt the quickest, remembered the most and reacted the fastest. Perhaps Kaira would turn out to be the anomaly in her family lineage - a pedestrian witch at best. Although, the point Aunt Phee had ment
ioned before departing resonated with her … the very thing Cynthia Renn had said in Gilweean … that ‘fate has a way of calling us - often much earlier than expected’.
It seemed to Kaira, then and now, that her distant Gilweean relative was referring to her: a girl called into the secret, beating heart of the S.P.M.A. before her time. The more events unfolded, the less the timing of Kaira’s entrance appeared a coincidence. A Society which had enjoyed peace within its factions for decades. The Society pamphlet No News is Good News remaining blank for the same amount of time, acting as reassurance to the paranoid and anxious. The fates, it seemed, were aligning as predicted and Kaira wondered how long it would be before she discovered the unique benefits of belonging to a family of ‘water people’ and, critically, the extent to which it would bless or curse her.
“Remember,” commanded Farraday as Casper and Philomeena Renn entered Helping Hand, nodding to the busy proprietors providing goods to those in need, “whatever happens, you stay put.”
“What if we panic and forget about the circle of light, stopping us from going anywhere?” enquired Guppy.
“Then you’ll be faced with a ring of fire so I’d do my best to follow orders.”
“Are they almost there?” asked Jacob as he peered closer, straining on his chair at the dining room table, flicking his attention between Kaira’s dad and aunt, and his mother’s shimmering figure in the Panorilum which hovered above the table.
They each studied the intricate, moving illustrations as Kaira’s dad and aunt entered through a door - a Perium, no doubt - before following a seemingly never-ending stairwell towards another door at the bottom … this one decorated in peeling, black paint and a small peephole which Casper Renn peered through. Meyen Grayling’s shimmering figure braced herself against the impending Mantzils’ Cry, raising an arm against the whipping wind as the tide on either side rose to alarming heights.
