by K T Durham
Horace raised his eyebrows and grinned. “So you managed to find a relic, eh? Bravo!”
“Oh, I do wish you could stay!” Miriam lamented. “There’s so much we want to tell you. So much has happened since you went away!” They had expected Elly to return to see them much sooner, but when months went by and there was no sign of her, they started to wonder if she would ever be back. “Maybe she’s too busy for us old fogies now,” Horace had grunted, trying not to look sad.
Elly suppressed a smile; she knew they were burning to tell her about Jong-Min. But she had to pretend that she didn’t know a thing about the miraculous reunion between Soo-Min and her long-lost son, so she feigned curiosity. “I heard a rumour about Charlie and Sue. Is it true that they adopted a boy from Korea?” she asked casually.
Horace gawped at her, and Miriam put her hands on her hips. “Elly, how did you hear about this? We haven’t told you in the time you’ve been away!”
Elly laughed. “I have my sources, all right? Oh, I’m just so happy for Charlie and Soo-Min!”
“Golly, news sure does travel fast and far!” Horace exclaimed, wondering if Elly had found out from one of their neighbours or from Lily and Maddy. Miriam shook her head in wonder.
Elly smiled. “Look, you can tell me all about it some other time. I have to get going now.” She jumped up and started moving towards the door. She had to teleport back to Alendria.
Horace leapt up from the couch. “Wait! Before you go, we want to tell you about Goldie.”
Elly stopped in her tracks and turned around slowly. “What?”
Horace nodded fervently, as did Miriam. “We met this girl who looks pretty much exactly like you,” he said. “Except that she dresses very differently and has very short hair, which made her pointy ears show. Just like your ears. But she seemed very … human. I mean, it was like she didn’t know anything about elves, if you get my drift.”
“We were wondering if you might know her,” Miriam said.
Elly stood rooted to the spot. “She looks exactly like me?” she asked incredulously. Then she recalled the dream she had of Goldie when she was stranded in the petrified forest, and her eyes widened. Parts of the dream had been lucid while some parts were fuzzy, and she couldn’t quite recall much about the elderly couple with whom Goldie and Sebastian were supposed to stay. How uncanny that it turns out to be Miriam and Horace!
Then she realized: it could not be a coincidence. A chill went up her spine.
Horace crossed his arms. “Seriously, she could be your twin. Or your human doppelganger.”
Elly shook her head, perplexed. “I don’t know what that means.”
Horace cleared his throat and shrugged sheepishly when Miriam nudged him with her elbow. “A doppelganger is, umm, a double of a living person. We wondered if Goldie might be the human double of you,” he explained.
Elly tried to conceal her shock as she fingered the amulet. “Who is this Goldie? How did you meet her?” she demanded, her heart pounding hard.
They told her about their old family friend Winifred MacDougall, who asked them to take in a young girl named Goldie and a boy named Sebastian about six months ago, shortly after Elly had left them on Christmas Eve. “They’re good kids, but they’re in a bit of a pickle at the moment. Can they just stay with you for a few days while they figure things out? It’s not safe for them to stay at my place,” Winifred had said hurriedly on the phone.
Miriam continued, “Winnie used to babysit Charlie, and her grandmother worked as a housekeeper for Horace’s parents. She’s practically family! The MacDougalls come from goodhearted, decent stock. We trust Winnie, so we didn’t hesitate taking in Goldie and Sebastian. Winnie had been homeschooling them, even though they’re not even her kids.” She sighed. “Both of them are orphans and grew up in the foster system, poor things.”
“Goldie and Sebastian,” Elly said softly. This was yet more proof that they were not mere figments of her imagination. They were real, flesh-and-blood people. Goldie was real. And Miriam and Horace had met her in person.
Things were getting curiouser and curiouser.
Horace frowned. “But they left in the middle of the night, after some burglar tried to break in. What bad timing, eh? We thought they would enjoy staying with us for a bit. Guess the break-in scared them off. The last time Winnie spoke to us on the phone, she said the two kids were safe and sound somewhere in Scotland. Edinburgh, I think. So that’s a relief.”
Elly bit her lip as she recalled the dream she had. If she had been dreaming of real events, then Goldie and Sebastian were certainly not safe and sound.
Her head swirled with questions. Who was this Goldie who looked exactly like her? Why was she dreaming of her? And as improbable as it was, the Cobbles had crossed paths with Goldie. What did it all mean?
Elly had a gut feeling that the only people who could give her the answers were in Alendria.
Miriam had insisted a second time on Elly taking a bath. “Please don’t mind my saying so, dear, but you look really awful. Make yourself presentable, especially since you’re going home to see your family,” she urged, pushing Elly towards the bathroom.
So reluctantly, distractedly, Elly took a shower and changed into some clean clothes and donned a pair of shoes that humans called ballet flats. When she caught her reflection in the mirror, she stopped and stared at her face. Something had changed, ever so imperceptibly. She had the surreal sense that she was looking at somebody else’s face. What had changed?
Quickly, she ran her fingers through her hair and touched the tear-shaped amulet at her neck. She should teleport back to Alendria as soon as she said her goodbyes to Horace and Miriam. She was desperate to go home and make sure everyone was safe. Distractedly, she looked up at the inky sky through the bathroom window, her head teeming with questions and straggling thoughts. Then it struck her as she stared at the bright, round moon.
It had been a full moon on Jejudo just six hours ago. Jejudo was eight hours ahead of London.
The full moon would be waxing here in London in just two more hours!
Greymore rumbled. Ahh, yes. It was a full moon on Jejudo six hours ago. In that case, we will be home very soon. I am glad for that. Pause. Ellanor, I have just received a message from your grandfather in Alendria.
She gasped. “Grandpapa!” she cried. Overjoyed, she opened her Royan. Greymore flipped to a page on which was inscribed a message in Grandpapa’s unmistakable writing:
Elly:
We just received your signal again after six months.
Most importantly: are you safe?
And if possible, please come home immediately.
If you are indeed in London, the full moon will be waxing soon.
Do not worry about us. We are all safe and sound.
We love you and miss you, more than you can imagine.
Grandpapa
Tears of relief filled her eyes upon reading that everyone was safe. “Thank you, Freya,” she whispered, kissing the amulet. Then with her finger she wrote on the page, below the message:
Dearest Grandpapa:
I am sorry I’ve been gone for so long.
I am safe and sound. Do not worry.
Graille has been restored.
Yes, I am in London. The full moon will be waxing, soon.
I am coming home. I love you and miss you all, too.
Elly
Smiling, she shut her Royan and walked into the living room. It was one o’clock in the morning. Though it was supposed to be summer, it was still cold. What was happening to the weather? Did this abnormal climate have anything to do with the Guardians? Graille mentioned that Gutz was sent to Gaya to compromise the Guardians in some way, and that was why it had taken them so long to respond to Alendria’s calls for help …
She caressed the amulet thoughtfully. Since Grandpapa had ind
icated that everyone was safe, there wasn’t as much urgency to teleport back to Alendria straightaway. Instead of using Graille’s amulet to teleport, she could just wait for another couple of hours for the full moon. She looked down at the white teardrop. For some reason, she wanted to keep Graille’s gift a secret for now.
Greymore rumbled. Ellanor, now that you have the amulet, you can teleport back to Alendria any time now. Just mark Graille’s words: do not teleport between realms more than twice in the same day, for that would deplete your powers, especially since you are still so young and inexperienced in inter-realm teleportation.
I know. But it’s going to be a full moon in another few hours, so I shall teleport then.
At that moment, Horace and Miriam shuffled into the living room looking exhausted. “Are you all set?” asked Miriam with a yawn, tightening her housecoat around her.
Horace went to stoke the fire at the hearth. “Can’t believe it’s winter in July,” he muttered.
Elly nodded. “Yes, I’m all set to go. But I will be back again soon,” she promised. For it was true; she would be coming back to Gaya to restore the other orbs, after all.
Horace had taken the portal out for Elly. She smiled as her eyes fell on the palm-sized slab, recalling how difficult it had been to track down Organoth blue amber a year ago. She had certainly come a long way since then.
So Horace and Miriam sat with her on the couch by the crackling fire as they waited, Snowy curled up between them. Elly stared into the flames, which made her think of Graille …
All seemed so quiet, so tranquil. Very soon, Horace and Miriam started nodding off. It was nearly three o’clock. Elly quietly moved over to the couch by the large open window with the chiffon curtains fluttering gently in the breeze, her face turned up to the round moon high above. She held onto the portal with both hands, waiting and thinking. The moonlight she basked in lent her an ethereal air, and she could have passed for a forlorn, fragile marble statue if a passerby happened to peer up at the window.
Then in the eerie silence, a sense of foreboding crept over Elly, and she began to tremble. No matter how hard she tried to focus on thoughts of going home and seeing those she loved most in the world, she couldn’t shake off that horrible feeling, not even when the full moon waxed and its light streamed through the window, causing the portal to shimmer blue and golden yellow and grow hot in her hands.
Before Elly vanished in front of the slumbering Horace and Miriam, who both woke up with a start at the sound of the portal dropping onto the floor, one thought flashed across her mind.
This was the calm before the storm.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The Storm
Luca Celendis was walking home from Arvellon Academy by himself. He was supposed to walk with a buddy, but that day his two buddies had to stay back at school for archensoar training, and he decided it wouldn’t hurt to walk home alone just this once. There were dozens of guards keeping watch anyway. He thought that if they were doing their job properly, he really shouldn’t be in danger anyhow …
He wished he was already a grown-up. He was impatient to come of age, and even more impatient to grow taller, hopefully as tall as his father. As he leapt from rock to rock along the stream next to the Shevanie River, he felt something wet plop on his head. He looked up and was shocked to see that the sky had turned grey.
That was strange. The sky never turned grey even when it was raining; it was always awash with the colours of the rainbow. He didn’t like the ugly grey sky. He wished he could reach up and colour over the drab grey with the colourful paints he had in his bag.
Then he froze in his tracks when he spotted a figure standing under a tree watching him.
His heart lurched. No, it couldn’t be a goblin, right? But what if it was?
Then his eyes widened as he stared. He couldn’t believe it! “Elly?” he cried, breaking into a run. His sister broke into a smile and opened up her arms.
He leapt up and threw his arms around her. She was finally back! It took a moment to realize she had grown taller, and her crazy hair was now way past her waist.
He gazed up at her with a scowl. “Look at you! No fair, how come I’m not growing taller!” he whined, and she laughed and ruffled his black hair. She had missed him so much.
“What are you doing walking home by yourself? You know the new rules,” Elly admonished, glancing around as she put an arm protectively around her little brother. She only knew too well how unsafe Alendria could be from infiltrating, shape-shifting goblins. Before she’d left for Gaya, Elly tried to get around with Aron as much as possible. Sometimes, his archensoar practice didn’t overlap with her training sessions, and he would wait around for her to emerge from the Blue Room. But Aron never complained. For all he knew, she was attending intense after-school tutorial sessions to help her prepare for the fictitious internship in the human realm.
Luca shrugged and pretended he hadn’t been at all scared when he first spotted her at a distance, mistaking her for a goblin. “Well, it’s not that big a deal,” he said casually. “When did you get back?” he asked hurriedly, changing the subject.
“Just a moment ago.” She had been astonished that the teleportation landed her here, among the tall cedar trees near the Celendis House, far away from the dome in the Celestan Forest where the portal was located. Did Graille’s amulet have something to do with it? Perhaps it sensed where she most wanted to be ….
Luca grinned and began jumping up and down. She felt a lump form in her throat when he slipped his hand in hers. When was the last time he held her hand like this? “Let’s go surprise Mama and Papa!” he said excitedly. “They’ll be over the moon to see you! You were gone for so long this time. They’ve been awfully worried. Mama’s been—”
He gave a squeal and leapt back. Instinctively, Elly’s hand flew to the dagger at her belt.
A group of armoured protectors had materialized before them. She instantly relaxed as she recognized the tall, brown-haired elf in the middle as Randolin, the protector who had led her to the white dome on the morning she teleported to Gaya six months ago.
“Ellanor Celendis.” Randolin’s face was stern.
She nodded and bowed deeply. “Greetings, Randolin. It is good to see you again.”
Randolin nodded curtly. “We detected your presence. You must report to the Order at once. They are waiting for you in the Blue Room.”
She should have known that they would summon her the moment she teleported back. “Will my parents be there?” she asked quietly. She really wanted to see them and talk to them.
Randolin shook his head. “No, only the Order. Now, please come with us.” Then he paused and looked down at Luca sternly. “And you, young man, are in trouble for breaking the rules and walking home alone,” he said flatly.
Luca’s mouth dropped open. “B-but I can explain,” he protested, going red in the face.
“No exceptions,” Randolin said firmly. “It is true that we were keeping an eye on you as you walked alone, but rules are rules, and they are put in place for a purpose. It is always safer to travel with another person in these precarious times.”
Elly had to suppress a smile as she squeezed Luca’s shoulders. “They’re right, Luca. I can’t get you out of this pickle,” she quipped, and her little brother moaned.
“Mama’s going to make me do more chores around the house, isn’t she?” he mumbled.
Three protectors would accompany Luca home, where their parents were waiting. “I’ll see you at home soon?” he asked his sister tentatively, and when Elly nodded and smiled, he beamed and skipped away, flanked by the protectors.
Elly walked in silence with Randolin and two other protectors towards the direction of Arvellon Academy. She noticed Randolin glancing at her from the corner of her eye, and she turned to him with raised eyebrow. “What is it?” she queried steadily, and he looked
taken aback by her curtness. He sensed a change in her. Something about this elfling had hardened.
He narrowed his eyes as he looked straight ahead. “I was wondering why you did not appear at the dome when you teleported back,” he said, his lips barely moving.
She shrugged. “I’m only just starting to get better at teleporting,” she said. “I’m not really sure why, either.” That part was true. But she didn’t mention anything about Graille’s amulet and the possibility that it might have affected where she landed with the teleportation.
The sky was even darker by the time they arrived at the tall silver-wrought gates of Arvellon Academy. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and Elly could smell rain in the air. She looked up at the four emblazoned house flags billowing in the wind: red, blue, green, white. Her eyes fixed on the white flag of Graille House. Tears stung her eyes, and she quickly blinked them away. She walked through the gates and looked around the deserted school grounds. All the students had gone home for the day.
A sense of unreality descended upon her as she passed the assembly hall. After all that happened, school, bullies, and grades – none of it seemed to matter. She was relieved she didn’t have to deal with any of her school peers, most of all the Three Flamingos.
She looked up at the gathering gloom of dark clouds. “This looks like the sort of storms you see in Gaya,” she murmured.
Randolin nodded. “Yes. It seems that such unusual things have been taking place in Gaya lately also,” he stated, and Elly’s chest tightened. What could it all mean?
When she was standing in front of the tall, white doors of the Blue Room, Randolin nodded at her to go inside. “We will be waiting out here to escort you home,” he said, standing guard with his four subordinates.
Elly took a deep breath and pushed open the doors.
A throng of familiar faces and voices greeted her, and then arms encircled her.
“Elly!” It was Grandpapa, and he was smiling broadly as he embraced her tightly. She breathed in the familiar scent of him.
