Ellanor and the Curse on the Nine-Tailed Fox

by K T Durham

  “I’m back,” she whispered, smiling into his shoulder and hugging him back. Oh, how she had missed him! She wished Mama, Papa, and Aron were all there with her. She wondered what Kaelan was doing. Had he thought of her much at all?

  She looked up and saw that Mrs Silverwinkle – Larabeth Goldberry - was beaming and rushing over with open arms. “Oh, thank goodness you’re safe and sound!” she cried, looking over Elly anxiously before she wrapped the girl in a tight embrace. Elly was glad that Miriam had convinced her to bathe and get changed before meeting the Order.

  She smiled at her idol and hugged her back. “It’s so good to see you, Mrs Silverwinkle!”

  Mr Huerin gave a whistle and clapped his hands. “Bravo! You’ve done an outstanding job. Well done, Elly!” She blushed and grinned at him over Mrs Silverwinkle’s shoulder.

  Blaine, the Vierran, looked as stoic as ever as he stood by the window. But even there was a hint of a smile on his face. “Ellanor,” he said in his deep, resonant voice, as way of acknowledgement. She nodded back and bowed deeply.

  Mrs Silverwinkle clapped her hands. “Elly, you really caught us by surprise! Tell me, why did you land so far from the portal when you teleported back? Normally, one would appear right next to the portal. Was it because of Guardian Graille?”

  Elly chose her words carefully. “Yes, it is because of Guardian Graille. But I’ll explain about that later. I should like to return the luthain first.” As she looked at them, a wave of mixed feelings crashed over her. She was glad to see them, but she also felt other things that confused and frightened her.

  Sadness. Anger. Resentment. Distrust.

  Why was she feeling this way?

  She gave them a big smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes and once again bowed deeply. “I have restored Graille, the orb of light,” she said formally, and her voice quavered at the mention of Graille’s name. Then she opened her Royan and retrieved the glowing white orb. Grandpapa beamed, looking very proud. Gently, she handed the glowing white orb to Blaine, who cradled it in both hands reverently before slipping it into a silver teardrop vessel.

  “Wonderful, wonderful job. You have made us very proud, indeed,” Mrs Silverwinkle said happily, taking Elly’s hand and giving it a squeeze. “We have been so worried about you! Now, tell us all that has transpired before you go home for supper. Your parents are absolutely overjoyed, Elly. You were gone for six months this time, and your poor mother—” She stopped short and shook her head. “Unfortunately, we lost track of you the moment you entered that macabre forest on Jejudo.”

  Elly frowned. “Couldn’t you track me with the secron you infused in Greymore?”

  Mrs Silverwinkle sighed. “We did track you through the earlingrand, and the tracking was going smoothly until you teleported to Jejudo. Transmission got progressively worse and then – nothing. We lost your signal. For almost six months, we had no news of you. We could not get in touch with the other Guardians, either. It goes without saying that we were beside ourselves, praying for the best, fearing the worst.” She pursed her lips and shook her head. “Then all of a sudden, yesterday your signal returned. We saw that you were still on Jejudo. Shortly after, we tracked you teleporting back to Seoul and London, then finally home to us.”

  Mr Huerin nodded fervently. “You have no idea how happy we were when we received your signal again, Elly! We had all been worried sick. Mrs Silverwinkle was preparing to go look for you in Gaya herself,” he declared, and Mrs Silverwinkle threw him a reproachful look.

  Elly looked up darkly. “But you haven’t fully recovered, have you?” she asked the headmistress, who was looking more robust than she had six months ago. Elly knew that the black poison from the tainted orbs had debilitated Mrs Silverwinkle’s powers last year.

  Mrs Silverwinkle smiled. “Well, not quite fully recovered. But we couldn’t bear not knowing what had happened to you. This time you simply vanished on us, Elly. We feared for your life. The only thing that kept us hoping was that we could still sense your life force, but your aura was vague and difficult to decipher from afar. We knew that you were alive, but we had no idea whether you were safe.” She paused, then shook her head. “But first things first. You must be thirsty and hungry after all you’ve been through.” She snapped her fingers, and a tall goblet of dragon honey ale and a plate piled high with cinnamon sweet cakes appeared on the desk before Elly. “Now, tell us as everything. All the information you divulge here will be recorded for the annals. All shall remain confidential, of course.”

  Despite herself, Elly eagerly took hold of the goblet and bit into a sweet cake. She was absolutely famished. In fact, as a result of the time warp, technically she had gone without proper food for six months!

  What was real time then? She shook her head. That was too mind-boggling …

  In between sips of ale and bites of sweet cake, she recounted what happened: meeting Jong-Min and his grandmother in Seoul, deducing that Sue Cobble was the birth mother of Jong-Min; teleporting to Jejudo, getting stranded in the time-warped petrified forest that nullified her magical powers, fighting the terrifying warflings and recovering from her wounds, maiming the tentacled water monster, and finally meeting and freeing Guardian Graille.

  Mrs Silverwinkle looked aghast as she listened to Elly describe the wounds she sustained from the attack of the warflings and Razunok. Grandpapa’s face grew dark upon hearing how badly hurt his granddaughter had been. Blaine, however, looked at Elly with undisguised pride, and Jestor Huerin was shaking his head in awe.

  “Oh, Elly, we had no idea you would get stranded in such a terrifying forest with such vile creatures as warflings,” Mrs Silverwinkle said weakly, wringing her hands.

  Blaine shook his head. “I didn’t think warflings even existed in Gaya,” he intoned.

  They all fell silent as she spoke of Graille’s death with a quavering voice.

  “Such an enormous loss. May he rest in peace with Freya.” Mrs Silverwinkle wiped at her eyes. “We are so grateful to Guardian Graille for sending you home. You survived a terrible ordeal.”

  Grandpapa looked solemn. “Sacrifice becomes necessary for all of us in these precarious times. It pains me that you got so badly hurt, that your life was put in such danger, Elly. I’m so sorry that you had to witness the Guardian’s passing. All of that must have been very hard to bear.”

  Elly stared down at her hands that were now covered in fading scars. She took a deep breath. “There is a traitor among us in Alendria,” she said slowly. “Graille told me.”

  One could have heard a pin drop in the heavy silence that ensued. She looked up at the Order and saw them exchanging knowing looks. Blaine spoke up first. “Yes, that is correct. We have long suspected there is a traitor, but we have not been able to identify who it is. Yet.”

  Grandpapa leaned on his staff. He looked tired. “Gutz managed to teleport to Gaya after it escaped from our watch a year ago. It would not have been possible, unless somebody … an elf … helped the goblin. But Sir Jarome does not remember ever seeing the goblin or any elf attempting to go through the dome to reach the portal. After being drugged by a sleeping potion, Sir Jarome swore never to let down his guard again. So, the traitor’s identity is still a mystery to us.”

  Elly shuddered at the possibility that an elf would willingly be in league with a goblin. Who would do something so unconscionable? Whoever it was, she would never forgive them.

  “Since then, we have raised security measures,” Mrs Silverwinkle chimed in. “After much persuading, Sir Jarome finally agreed to let four protectors stand guard at the portal, and two outside the dome. Sir Jarome is skilled and experienced, and he loathes having the other protectors there with him, as it implies his protection is lacking. But putting pride aside, he understands we cannot take any risks.”

  Elly nodded. Who was the traitor? She looked around at the Order, and once again that feeling of distrust
crashed over her. It could not be one of them … could it? She bit her lip, guilty that she would even suspect them for a second. What was the matter with her?

  Blaine spoke up. “It sounds like the other three Guardians may also have been compromised in some way. This does not bode well for us. We are running out of time.”

  Elly nodded tiredly. “Yes, that is what Graille said.”

  Grandpapa looked at her closely. “You must be exhausted after all you have been through. Though it felt like only two days, you were actually gone for months. You need to rest,” he said in a low voice. Elly stared down at her hands.

  Mr Huerin whistled. “We’re going to throw you a homecoming party after you’ve rested up, Elly!” He grinned. “You have your very own war story to tell. You have accomplished a truly amazing feat, worthy of celebration!”

  She smiled faintly. Problem was she didn’t feel like celebrating at all. “Let’s have the orb restored first,” she said, and Mr Huerin looked taken aback by her subdued manner.

  The Vierran held the silver vessel that contained the orb. Mr Huerin stood up. “We’ll see you soon, Elly. We have an errand to run.” He winked, and she couldn’t help smiling back. No matter how bad she felt, Mr Huerin always managed to raise her spirits.

  Blaine and Mr Heurin stood close together, tall and commanding, as they murmured in low voices in Yahana. Then suddenly they vanished, leaving behind a wisp of smoke.

  Elly gasped and leapt up from the chair. “Where did they go?”

  Grandpapa gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “They are now in Aranon, where Graille, the orb of light, is to be reinstated. The locations of the four luthains have been changed, protected by powerful enchantments. Only the Bonded know of the locations.”

  Elly frowned. “The Bonded?” Before she could query further, the ground beneath them shuddered. The ewer on the desk toppled over, but Grandpapa steadied it with a flick of his finger so that only droplets of ale splashed onto the dark oak wood. Elly lost her balance and grabbed onto the desk for support. Then suddenly, all was still once more.

  “What was that?” she cried.

  Mrs Silverwinkle calmly sat down. “That was the orb of light being reinstated. The Tree has begun to regenerate by small degrees now that Graille has been restored, thanks to you.”

  Elly resisted the urge to touch her amulet. “Have you heard from the other Guardians?”

  Mrs Silverwinkle shook her head ruefully. “Not yet.” She looked out the window. The rumbling of thunder was getting louder. “Reinstating even one of the orbs makes a huge difference. The Beast has been brewing an army of goblins, and as a result it will be taking longer to regenerate. Now that one of the luthains has been reinstated, the Beast will find it just that much harder to overcome the Tree, even in its current weakened state.”

  Elly nodded slowly, then took a deep breath as she looked at Grandpapa and Mrs Silverwinkle. Finally, she had them all to herself.

  Grandpapa frowned. “We had gravely underestimated the extent of the danger you would face in Gaya, Elly. I am horrified that you got attacked by warflings! I’m astounded you healed so well without the assistance of manna, but to be on the safe side, we must have you examined by the healers immediately.” He glanced at Mrs Silverwinkle, who nodded slightly. Grandpapa cleared his throat. “On another note, Elly, we’ve been thinking—”

  “I don’t need to go to the healers right now. I feel fine,” she interrupted. “Guardian Graille healed my wounds before he passed away.” She swallowed down the lump of nervousness in her throat. “It’s my turn to ask questions.” There was a steely note in her voice that made her grandfather look up in surprise and Mrs Silverwinkle peer at her closely.

  Elly bit her lip as the same feeling of foreboding crept over her again. She looked out the window and saw that the dark clouds were gathering fast. Alendria had not seen a storm in five centuries, not since the War of Wrath long ago that had claimed many lives from the Celendis Clan, because of the treachery of her grand-uncle, Idril Gailfrin Celendis.

  Greymore rumbled. Ellanor, if you confront them, there will be no turning back.

  She took a deep breath and looked at her grandfather in the eye. “Who is Goldie?”

  Shocked. Thunderstruck. Guilty. Pained.

  These were the words that Elly would have used to describe the looks that crossed their faces as Grandpapa and Mrs Silverwinkle stared back at her. Seeing their reaction, the feeling of foreboding burrowed deeper, and she realized: this was a truth she didn’t want to hear.

  But she had to know. “Tell me,” she said quietly.

  Mrs Silverwinkle’s voice quavered. “What do you know about Goldie?”

  Elly went to stand closer to Mrs Silverwinkle, who couldn’t meet her gaze. “I’ve been dreaming of her. I told Grandpapa about it last year.” At this, Mrs Silverwinkle glanced at her grandfather, who was silent as he gazed down, seemingly at nothing, with his face shrouded in shadow.

  Elly tried to keep her voice from shaking. “It started on my twelfth birthday, and the dreams, which were always quite hazy, continued when I was stranded in Gaya the first time. After I returned, the dreams of her stopped for a year, just like that.” She snapped her fingers. “Then when I was stranded in that petrified forest on Jejudo, the dreams resumed suddenly. But this time the dreams have been much clearer, and I could remember a lot more after waking.” She paused. “Goldie looks exactly like me. Horace and Miriam can testify to that.”

  Grandpapa looked up and narrowed his eyes, and Mrs Silverwinkle’s gasped in shock. “Goldie met the Cobbles?” she cried.

  Elly glanced at Grandpapa, whose face suddenly looked much older. “I deserve the truth. I’ve come of age, and surely I have already proven my worth, haven’t I?” she insisted.

  Grandpapa nodded slowly, then turned and looked into her eyes. “Goldie is your sister.”

  For a moment, the ground seemed to shift beneath her feet. She must have heard wrong. Or there was something wrong with Grandpapa. She stared back at him, and he did not flinch.

  “She’s my what?” Her voice was deathly quiet.

  Grandpapa looked at her with tenderness and regret that made her world crumble around her. “Marigold … Goldie … is related to you by blood, Elly. She is your twin sister.”

  At this, Mrs Silverwinkle closed her eyes. “Galdor …” Her voice was pleading.

  “We need to tell her now, Larabeth. She knows. It is the right thing to do,” he said softly.

  Elly stared at them, uncomprehending. Was she dreaming? Maybe she was still stuck in that petrified forest, and this was all a hallucination. None of this made any sense. Surely, if none of it made sense, it couldn’t be real. It couldn’t be true.

  Greymore rumbled. Ellanor, are you prepared for the truth?

  Don’t tell me you’ve always known about this.

  No. But I sense that what we are about to find out may cause you much pain.

  She clenched her hands and started shaking her head. “I don’t understand. Goldie and I … we can’t be related by blood. Goldie’s lived in Gaya all this time. She’s a human. Besides, why would Mama and Papa have kept her a secret?”

  No, they must have gotten something wrong. There must be a good explanation for this mix-up. Maybe … maybe …

  There was a noisy pattering from somewhere above her, and it took her a moment to realize it was raining hard. Lightning crashed down, startling her. She turned to look at her grandfather, who sat down heavily as he leaned on his staff for support.

  When he spoke, it was the first time Elly ever heard his voice tremble, ever so slightly.

  “Goldie is part human, Elly. Just like you.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  TJ

  No. It couldn’t be true.

  She looked at them as if they were insane. “But my parents …” Elly stammere
d. “Mama and Papa … they’re pure-blood elves, right? How could I possibly be part human?”

  There was a heavy silence. Elly looked up to see that Mrs Silverwinkle’s eyes were brimming with tears, and Grandpapa was on the verge of saying something he did not want to say.

  Then her heart twisted as she understood.

  “Mama and Papa … they’re not my birth parents, are they?”

  Their silence was confirmation.

  Her head started spinning. She staggered back, her mouth dry. Was this all a bad dream? There must be a good explanation for this. There must be …

  “Who are my birth parents?” she croaked. She could hear the rain pouring outside, the wind howling. Thunder clapped, mirroring the storm that was brewing inside of her.

  Mrs Silverwinkle began to cry. Elly stared, for she had never imagined that someone as strong and formidable as Larabeth Goldberry would weep in front of her. The old woman clasped her hands together and took a shuddering breath. “They died shortly after you were born, Elly. I’m so sorry.”

  Dead?

  Elly clutched her goblet hard. No, she must be dreaming. Otherwise, it couldn’t be possible that everything she had known all her life was based on a lie.

  Mama and Papa were not her birth parents. Her birth parents were dead. Luca wasn’t really her brother. She was part human. She was an orphan.

  All the adults who mattered to her knew of the truth.

  She wrapped her arms around herself to contain the scream that was threatening to rip out. “When were you planning on telling me? No, let me rephrase that. How long were you planning on lying to me?” Her cheeks flamed from what was boiling inside her.

  And she finally understood what that awful feeling of foreboding had been trying to prepare her for.

  Mrs Silverwinkle looked pale as she extended a hand towards Elly. “We are sorry you had to find out this way, Elly. We did what we did because we believed it was for the best. Please, just sit down and listen to us explain ev—”