Ellanor and the Curse on the Nine-Tailed Fox

by K T Durham

  Then there was a flash of blinding red, and she gasped. She raised an arm to shield her eyes from the glare, lost her footing on the slippery rock, and fell. Screaming, she braced herself for the icy water where the monster would surely tear her apart and devour her.

  She let out a sob. She had failed. Failed everyone …

  Then her descent slammed to a halt several feet above the water. She shrieked and flailed about in the air, twisting every which way.

  “Ahh, I never thought that one day I would look at freedom in the face and be so glad to be reacquainted again.”

  Startled, she turned her head towards the voice and saw the gleaming white fox standing at the mouth of the cave, his nine tails fanned out majestically. He smiled and leapt off the ledge, landing softly on the wet sand.

  “I can’t believe it,” she cried incredulously. She had done it! She had aced the bull’s eye and freed the Guardian!

  Greetings, Ellanor.

  Her heart leapt, and tears sprang to her eyes. Greymore! You’re back!

  Yes, and I am ever so glad to be with you again. For a while, it seemed as though I was stuck in a doorless and windowless room from which I could not make my voice heard.

  Oh, Greymore, I am so happy to hear your voice again! You won’t ever leave me again, will you?

  Not if I can help it.

  Graille stretched gracefully. “You did it, Ellanor. The moment the arrow pierced the eye, I was freed, and I made sure you would not fall back into the water.” He smiled. “The enchantment over this forest has been lifted. Do you see?”

  She looked up, and what she saw took her breath away. The darkness in the sky was giving way to light, as though curtains were slowly being drawn open by an invisible hand. The forest emitted a collective sigh as a strong wind blew, and countless tiny water droplets from the lake and the waterfalls dispersed across the trees, and the former beauty of the forest was gradually revealed before her eyes. The stony greyness gave way to a staggering myriad of colours that Elly had never truly appreciated until now – vibrant greens of the dense foliage and grass, fiery reds of poppies and roses, robust browns of tree trunks and soil, bright yellows of buttercups and butterflies, and brilliant blues of sky and water.

  Then she heard a distant howling, forlorn and haunting, and she spotted a pack of grey wolves atop a far hill gazing at her, and then they raised their snouts skyward and vanished.

  She breathed in the fragrant air, smelling life and hope again. She was speechless as she took in the heartbreaking beauty that brought tears to her eyes. “Thank you,” she croaked, brushing her hair away from her eyes as she continued to levitate above the water.

  “No, thank you,” said Graille. “Razunok and the warflings pose no threat to us anymore. Along with the other foul creatures of the forest, they have vanished forever.” With a rapid swish of his nine tails, he transported her to the shore, where she was slowly lowered to the wet sandy ground. She sighed with relief and murmured a prayer of thanks to Freya. Then the most random thought occurred to her, and a grin slowly spread across her dirt-streaked face.

  Perhaps she should try out for archensoar, after all.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

  Elly climbed back up onto the ledge of the cave and collapsed onto her knees before the fire that was burning strong, the tall flames leaping and dancing.

  She was utterly exhausted. Now that the adrenaline had eased up, her body began to feel the full extent of her injuries. The pain in her right side made her breathless. “I can’t wait to get home,” she groaned as she sat down and stretched out her aching legs, forgetting all decorum in front of the Guardian. “Let’s get out of here together, Guardian Graille. Let’s go home!”

  Graille smiled at her. “You have done an admirable job, Ellanor. You certainly have been through the grinder,” he said, noting the bleeding cuts and angry bruises, her fractured right rib. Elly grimaced as she stared at her bloodied hands. She had never sustained so many injuries in her life. If she only had manna …

  Then Graille murmured something Elly could not understand and gave a great swish of his nine tails, and suddenly she felt a warm tingling all over her body. Startled, she looked down and gasped: the cuts on her hands had vanished! She jumped up and arched her back; the pain in her right side had gone away! She looked up at the Guardian, wide-eyed. “Did you do this?”

  Graille chuckled. “I said I would heal your wounds once I was freed, did I not?”

  “Thank you,” she said, awestruck, and bowed her head in gratitude. It was then that she realized she had her own war story to tell. She would have laughed out loud if it weren’t for the gravity of the situation. Oh, how she wished she could tell Aron about all that she had accomplished! Happiness surged through her as she thought about going home.

  Then something materialized inches from her face, and she gasped and leapt back.

  It was a glowing, tear-shaped, white stone suspended on a silver chain. Puzzled, she looked at Graille, who regarded her calmly. “What is this?” she asked, peering at the stone.

  He smiled. “This is my amulet, Ellanor. Every Guardian was given an amulet by Freya when we became the stewards of Gaya. Each amulet wields a special power. With this, you shall be able to teleport between Alendria and Gaya – without the full moon.”

  Elly gaped at him, astounded. This was given by Freya? She was going to teleport between realms without having to depend on the full moon? “You mean … I’ll just be like Larabeth Goldberry?” she cried, excited despite herself. That sounded too good to be true!

  Graille laughed. “Yes, that is correct. Now that you are burdened with such an enormous task, it is only fitting that you be able to travel between the two realms unencumbered.” He paused, and his eyes suddenly turned sad. “But you must take care of this amulet, Ellanor. There is none other like it.”

  With trembling hands, she gently took the amulet, warm and comforting against her skin. She scowled. “But why are you giving this to me? Don’t you need this?” she asked, confused.

  “It is my parting gift to you, Ellanor. I trust that you will use it well.”

  Bewildered, she nodded. She supposed Graille must have another way to teleport in between the two realms. She hesitated for a moment before she bowed deeply and carefully put on the amulet. It rested over the tiny mustard seed Grandpapa had given her, and she smiled. “Thank you, Guardian Graille. I don’t believe I deserve this,” she said, for she could hardly believe the Guardian had just given her something so incredibly precious. An amulet given by Freya. Its value was probably worth more than Evergreen City itself!

  “And it’s time that you went home,” Graille said firmly, and Elly’s eyes widened as her hand flew to her Royan. Greymore rumbled. Yes, Ellanor, I have kept the luthain safe with me. She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

  “Yes, I shall be fulfilling my promise,” Graille said smoothly, and her heart soared. After the orb gets restored, she would finally be able to go home! Quickly, she opened up her Royan, murmured in Yahana, and the glowing white luthain, the orb of light, rose from the pages. Then its light dimmed, and Elly winced when she saw that the orb looked blackened, as though dirtied with soot.

  “Ahh, my old friend,” Graille said softly, and the orb floated down and hovered before the Guardian, and for several moments Elly swore they were having a wordless conversation.

  Graille swished his tails. “A very long time ago, I created this luthain and poured much of my life force into it,” he murmured. “It grieves me to see that the black poison of the Beast has wreaked such damage.” Then he took the blackened orb in his mouth ever so gently, as though it were an injured cub. He looked at Elly, and she heard his voice in her head.

  Ellanor, remember this. We are all created by the One. We rose from the ashes and dust of the earth, and one day we all return as s
uch. Do not grieve too long, for death is not the end, and we are not bound forever by the circles of the world.

  She frowned. “What are you talking ab—”

  Then Graille leapt into the fire and coiled his nine tails around his gleaming white body.

  Elly screamed. “No!” She went to lunge forward, but she could not move a muscle. Graille had immobilised her. She stood rooted to the spot, gasping, eyes bulging. “What are you doing?” she cried, staring in horror as the flames licked his body. The luthain blazed red between his two front paws.

  “It has to be this way,” he said gently, and Elly watched in despair as the flames consumed him ever so slowly. “This luthain was forged with my life force amid the fires of Mount Organoth. And it must be restored in the same way as it was created. But the poison has gone very deep, too deep, and I must salvage this luthain before it is too late.”

  At the expense of his life.

  Elly began to cry. “I don’t understand. What was the point in saving you if you have to sacrifice yourself?”

  “It is my time.” He smiled sadly. “Sometimes, it is necessary to perish for others to live. This was what the Beast had intended; even if all four luthains are to be restored, each Guardian has to sacrifice much of their life force to restore them.” He paused as his white fur began to turn grey, and Elly gasped. He shook his head, reassuring her. “I have been imprisoned here far too long, and my powers are too far depleted. As a result of reaching out to Alendria, restoring this forest, this luthain, and restoring life to another, my own life force has been utterly drained.”

  Restoring life to another? Whose life? “But why couldn’t you have just waited until you regained your powers to restore the luthain?” she cried. “It doesn’t have to be this way!”

  Graille shook his head. “It was destined to be this way.” Now he was turning black, and she moaned at the sight. “Ellanor, you must make haste. Remember, time is warped here. By the time you get out, months would have passed in the real world.” His voice was urgent. “The elders of the High Council have been channelling their powers to sustain the Tree for over a year, and they have become greatly weakened. This does not bode well for when the goblins attack. War is brewing, and the Beast will soon unleash its army upon the elves. You must take this restored luthain back to Alendria and help the Tree regenerate straightaway.”

  She went limp and stared at him. “But we need you, Graille. We need all the Guardians. What will Gaya do without you?” she asked softly, tears slipping down her cheeks.

  Graille’s blue eyes twinkled up at her in his blackened face. “Nothing of this material world is permanent, Ellanor. Even the Guardians are here only temporarily – though it has already been a very, very long time. The age of the Guardians is finally coming to an end.”

  “Please don’t leave,” she pleaded, her heart breaking. She thought about Soo-Min and her son, Jong-Min, and how they would never know what Graille had done for them.

  Graille swished his nine tails for the last time. “Do not grieve long, child. The soul lives on. One day, we shall meet in a beautiful place.” He smiled. “There, I shall meet Soo-Min again.”

  And so the Guardian of Light bowed his head and died before her eyes amid the flames. His blackened body seemed to crystallize for a moment before evaporating into a cloud of ashes that melded with the earth beneath it.

  Elly took the glowing white orb from the ashes into her hands, sank to her knees, and wept.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Lost Time

  The onslaught of flashing neon lights agitated Goldie as she walked along, cold and hungry. Sebastian was keeping up beside her, his long strides outmatched by her speed. It had been ten days since they left the Cobbles’ house in the middle of the night.

  Miss M had breathed a sigh of relief when Goldie called her an hour after they ran out of the Cobble house. She and Sebastian were standing huddled together inside a phone booth on a dark street in front of a 24-hour corner store. It was almost four o’clock in the morning, and Miss M had not gotten a wink of sleep. “Goldie!” she cried, and that was the first time Goldie heard Miss M sound hysterical. “Thank goodness. I almost had a stroke when Horace told me you and Sebastian vanished after someone broke into their house! I’ve been trying to call you for the past hour!”

  Goldie bit her lip guiltily. “I’m so sorry, Miss M.” She went on to explain what had happened, and Miss M was silent for a long time. “Please apologize to Mr and Mrs Cobble for us,” Goldie said. “Our mobile phone ran out of battery half an hour ago, and it took us a little while to find a pay phone so late at night.”

  Miss M cleared her throat, gravely disturbed by what Goldie had told her about the mysterious bald man. “Don’t worry, I’ll explain to Miriam and Horace. They were quite shaken up by the break-in, but they were more alarmed to find that you’d both left the premises. Thankfully, they had the sense not to mention your names to the police, only reported that a burglar had broken into the house.”

  Goldie breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks for everything, Miss M.”

  But Miss M felt very uneasy. “There is something unsavoury going on. If that blonde woman is indeed Veronika, then why is she resorting to such extreme measures to pursue you? She could simply alert the authorities and have them knock on my door and question me about you. And that short, bald man … You sure you don’t know him?” She shuddered when she thought about that man wanting to hurt Goldie.

  “I’ve never met him in my life,” Goldie said firmly.

  Miss M hesitated before she said, “I have an awful feeling, Goldie. I feel like I’m being watched.”

  Goldie sucked in her breath and gripped the receiver. “What are you going to do?”

  Miss M drew in a breath. “Well, I haven’t taken annual leave for two years. I’ve accumulated more holidays than three people combined, so I’m going to take this opportunity to visit my cousins up in Yorkshire. I don’t feel comfortable staying in this house for the time being. My assistant librarian will help keep an eye on things while I’m gone for the next three weeks. You can reach me on my mobile, don’t you worry. Promise me you kids will call me once every few days to check in?”

  Goldie was relieved that Miss M would be out of town, far away from Veronika and the mystery man. She couldn’t forgive herself if something happened to Miss M. What if Veronika and her bald accomplice resorted to desperate measures and broke into Miss M’s house? What if they tried to hurt her?

  Miss M’s voice was tentative when she spoke next. “Perhaps we should involve the police.” Stricken, Goldie pleaded, “I can’t go back into the foster system! No, please, let me figure this out. Promise me you won’t call the police and tell them about me!”

  Miss M acquiesced, though she was afraid for Goldie’s safety. “But you are both in danger as long as they are pursuing you!” she protested. What was she going to tell Sebastian’s foster parents? The Weathertops were returning from another overseas trip next week, and as self-centred and negligent as they were, they would certainly ask for Sebastian’s whereabouts.

  Goldie frowned. “Look, I promise we’ll call you once every few days to let you know we’re OK. We’ll look after ourselves, don’t worry. Gotta go, bye!” Hastily, she hung up.

  Sebastian’s jaw dropped, having overheard the entire conversation in the quiet phone booth. “Miss M is just trying to help!” he said angrily. But one look at her face quieted him. They left the phone booth and walked in silence for a while, both exhausted. Sebastian glanced over at her. “I’ll stay with you for as long as you need, OK? I’m not gonna leave.”

  Goldie stuffed both frozen hands into her coat pockets. “Look, I don’t have a plan. I just know Veronika and that man are dangerous. But I’d rather die than go back to Hemlock.”

  “Then we’ll just have to make sure they don’t catch us, shan’t we?” he declared, and then he g
rabbed her hand and tugged her along on a light jog.

  “Wait, what are you doing?” she cried irritably, stumbling on her feet.

  Sebastian rolled his eyes as he ran with her. “We need to find a warm place to rest, you nob. Otherwise we’ll die of hypothermia. It’s the middle of winter in London, you know.”

  So off they went to the nearest train station, where they fell asleep on a hard bench next to a vending machine. Goldie’s head rested on his shoulder as his head bobbed back and forth over the next two hours, before the station started filling up with morning human traffic.

  Now, ten days later, they were still on the run. The January cold in London was made worse by the constant drizzling rain. They had been spending their nights sleeping in different train stations like vagrants, and they were looking a little worse for wear. If it had been summer, both of them would be reeking by now.

  “I told you not to go so fast!” he hissed under his breath.

  “This is my normal pace! I can’t help it if I happen to walk three times quicker!” she snapped through gritted teeth, and in her annoyance, she quickened her pace. The chain hanging from her belt swung back and forth, from which a small silver ball dangled. Clink, clink, clink. If there had been more light, one would have seen the engraved letters TJ on the shiny surface.

  “A man has been following us for the past ten minutes,” Sebastian muttered under his breath, panting as he kept up with Goldie. She gulped and glanced behind her, and her heart gave a jolt. A short man whose face was obscured by his sweater hood was walking briskly ten feet behind them. They were in a park, and they had just walked past an old water fountain. She felt her skin crawl. It was the same man who had broken into the Cobbles’ house and tried to attack her. She just knew it.