The Gilweean Gateway
Page 27
“The moment we find out, we’ll go and see your mum. Wherever she is, my dad and aunt wouldn’t have put her in danger. It would need to be a place safe for you to visit. If my granddad built The Revolving Room, like my dad said he did, it looks more-and-more like it wasn’t only built for secrecy but, maybe, need.”
Guppy turned away from the blinking lights of the Christmas tree. “Need…?”
“Yes … need, Guppy. If you think about it, The Revolving Room was built around a need for secrecy. Secrecy, though, is a bad thing in the Society because it draws suspicion, suggesting that people are up to no good.”
“So….?”
“So, The Revolving Room is an authorised form of secret travel, offered to those with a legitimate need for private journeys.”
“Like seeing a parent who’s been banished from the Society, you mean,” added Jacob who was beginning to follow Kaira’s train of thought.
“Exactly. And the more I think about it, the more I wonder if my grandad built it knowing his own family might need it one day.”
“Maybe your dad used The Revolving Room to see your grandad, after he was banished from the Society,” conjectured Jacob.
“So, sort of like a room of compassion,” added Guppy.
“Right,” replied Kaira. “Which is why we’ll be able to use it to see your mum. I don’t know why my dad and aunt aren’t telling us, but there’s normally a good reason for their decisions.”
“To stop the wrong people finding out,” suggested Jacob. “Mum made a lot of enemies.”
“It’s just sad to think of her on her own, in a strange place, at Christmas,” said Guppy as the cloud of grief returned.
“Sad Souls,” came a familiar voice from the living room door: Aunt Phee. “Your mother is being looked after in a place called Sad Souls. We couldn’t tell you in The Cendryll because of the danger of being overheard, or you repeating it within earshot of interested parties. I’ve already enacted the Worble charm so don’t worry: we’re free to discuss things now.”
The news brought Guppy and Jacob to their feet.
“Can we see her soon?” asked Guppy.
“Very soon, Guppy. We just need a little more time to stabilise her and then we’ll show you the way.”
“Using The Revolving Room?” enquired Jacob, recognising that, despite the repressed anger he and his sister had towards their mother, they clearly couldn’t simply abandon her to a self-imposed fate.
“Yes,” added Philomeena Renn with a soft smile. “The Revolving Room will provide the smoothest passage.”
Kaira looked on, conscious of her aunt’s choice of words … using ‘stabilised’ rather than ‘rehabilitated’ in regard to Meyen Grayling’s transition from Society seniority to Melackin. It was a topic no-one had directly addressed and, clearly, one neither Guppy nor Jacob were prepared to.
“Is she on her own?” asked Guppy.
“No. She’s being looked after by an old friend. Your mother is comfortable and in good company. The circumstances are obviously complicated, Guppy, but she is in trusted hands.”
Brother and sister understood Sad Souls to be synonymous with isolation and loss, knowing what their mother had given up in her pursuit for power. However, now wasn’t the time for bitterness and resentment; they each needed to find compassion in the season of good will.
“We’ll be eating soon,” stated Aunt Phee before leaving them to ponder the new information provided: Meyen Grayling in the land of Sad Souls.
With the scent of food and mulled wine filtering into the living room, conversation returned to the presents stacked under the Christmas tree. The adults nestled within 12 Spyndall Street, gradually embracing the festive mood as the streets outside buzzed with festive spirit.
The only magical charms currently in use were those providing protection, ensuring a security and privacy for the blessed few who existed between the above-ground world and a secret, magical universe.
As Guppy and Jacob did their best to enjoy the Christmas season, Kaira’s attention returned to her grandfather - the mysterious figure whose interest in the power of Gorrah had sealed his fate. Nothing about human behaviour was straightforward, Kaira was quickly learning, and simplistic moral judgements were not sufficient to understand the driving forces behind complex decisions. Darkness and light were the interplay of all human interaction, making her increasingly keen to know the full story of her grandfather’s banishment from the Society.
The theme of family also brought memories of Kaira’s mother to the surface. It was her mother’s death that had formed a hollowness in her - an absence only fully realised now the house was filled with a collective sense of belonging. Her father and aunt loved her dearly and had always been present, but the life of an only child brought isolation by definition. Shared experience with a trusted few forged a bond as powerful as any magic: a bond worth fighting for.
Before long, cowards would fade and heroes would rise in the face of increased danger, and Kaira took comfort in the knowledge that her father and aunt were not fighting the battle alone. Gilweean was an ally, as was The Wenlands - a place she had yet to venture. Many journeys lay ahead, Kaira imagined, along with a race to accelerate her training in the secrets of spells.
A sudden collection of competitive cries came from the kitchen - a sure sign the adults were playing a familiar Society game.
“Come on,” said Kaira in an attempt to lift Guppy out of her sullen state. “Let’s join in. It’s Christmas, after all.”
The kitchen table had been cleared for a game of Rucklz: a Society invention requiring skill and wit. Each dot on the board could be transferred into an object of attack or defence, depending on the order of play. Smyck, the self-proclaimed master of the game, was teamed up with Theodore and Conrad Kusp whilst Kaira’s dad, aunt and Farraday were doing their best to counter the elaborate attacks formed of light and energy.
“Come on, you lot!” ordered Farraday as he brushed the thinning hair away from his face. “Get stuck in.”
After a gentle prompt from Kaira, Guppy and Jacob joined the losing team in an attempt to stem the tide of defeat.
“Hey!” cried Conrad whose mood had been significantly improved by his father’s release from captivity. “How’s that fair? It’s five against three!”
“And they’re still losing,” teased Smyck as a spinning orb was released from his hands, pivoting out of danger at every attempt to destroy it.
“Kaira, come on,” called Guppy. “We’re losing.”
“One second,” replied her friend as she paused to take in the joy filling the house, providing the perfect antidote to a gathering storm.
With the Mirriul charm in place, ensuring the above-ground world didn’t glimpse the wonders of the Rucklz board game, Kaira looked out at the Christmas lights lining the way to Founders’ Quad, remembering her first, dizzying day in the Society. Much had happened in her short time as the youngest member of the S.P.M.A. and there was, she suspected, much more to come.
For now, though, it was time to enjoy the temporary solace unique to the Christmas season with the group gathered around her. Finally joining the game of Rucklz, Kaira touched a dot on the board game, preparing to activate it into a magical weapon of attack or defence: an appropriate symbol of the opposing forces forming in the Society. Forces that had been put to rest - for now.
Want more Kaira Renn…?
Also by R.A. Lindo
The Rise of the Ameedis: A Fantasy Prequel
The Sign of the Symean: Kaira Renn Book 1
The Legend of the Terrecet: Kaira Renn Book 3
About the Author
I’m the author of the Kaira Renn fantasy series set in The Society for the Preservation of Magical Artefacts. The Sign of the Symean is the first book in the series. The series will consist of five volumes, spanning the magical realms of the Society and Kaira’s many adventures within it as she attempts to unravel ever-deepening mysteries
If you enjoyed
the book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon.
To receive updates and a chance to win free copies of future titles, sign up to my newsletter here.