Romulus continued to push on the bottom of the window and managed to crack open enough of a gap for Hangaku to crawl through.
Hangaku got to her feet, and just as quickly froze like a statue. Her gaze fell upon Macy and Olivia, both of whom instantly fixed a toothy smile on her.
She wore the same type of clothing as Romulus and had beautiful long flowing blond hair. The sight of two giant faces staring at her could have caused Hangaku to turn and run, but she didn’t. Instead, she flung her arms around Romulus’s neck, and hugged him close.
“When the window closed behind you I couldn’t help but fear the worst,” she sounded relieved. “But what is this place? And who are they?” she pointed hesitantly at Macy and Olivia. “Are they helpers or enemies?”
Romulus took her hands in his and held them tight. “Calm yourself and let me try and answer your questions.” He released her hands and cupped her face. “Don’t worry, they are just as surprised to see us as we are to see them.”
Macy lent forward, her face almost level with Romulus and Hangaku’s. “She’s beautiful. Olivia. Come and take a closer look.”
Olivia obliged. “She’s pretty. I’ll give her that.” A smirk drifted across her face. “A bit wrinkly … but pretty.”
Macy elbowed Olivia in the ribs. “Button it.”
Olivia recoiled. “Ouch! What was that for?”
Macy threw her a daggered glare. “Leave it out. She’s pretty and that’s that.”
Olivia gritted her teeth. “Fine.”
It all proved too much for Hangaku and she pulled away from her brother and made a dash for the window. Macy followed her with her eyes. “It’s okay. We’re not going to hurt you. Tell her, Romulus.”
Romulus went after his sister, placed a comforting arm on her shoulder and turned her to face her fear. “Don’t be afraid. They’re just children.” He looked at Macy and Olivia. “It’s not you. My sister isn’t normally so scared. But ever since we became this size—” he ran a hand from his head to his toes, “—both of us have found things difficult to deal with.”
He then let slip as to reason behind their diminutive size, and they were not born that way as Macy and Olivia might have thought. It had in fact been due to a terrible spell cast by Kraken, with the aid of a magical book, called the Book of Spells that he had acquired. Though stolen would have been a closer version of how Kraken had come to be in the possession of it as Romulus would explain.
Hangaku, calm once more, sat with her brother on the edge of the window sill and Romulus cleared his throat ready to enlighten Macy and Olivia further. But before he had time to utter a word the bedroom door flew open and slammed into the wardrobe behind with a bang.
A scruffy looking figure homed into view. It was Jack, and by the look on his face, he wasn’t happy. “What’s going on?” he demanded. “The walls are so thin, you woke me up with all the noise you were making.” He stretched his arms above his head and let out a half-hearted yawn. “I could hear your voices, but not clear enough to work out what you were talking about.”
Dressed in crumpled black pyjamas he moved into the bedroom. A bit dazed and uncoordinated he rubbed his eyes.
Macy could hardly contain her excitement. “Come over here and we’ll show you.”
Jack ventured further into the bedroom. “You’re lucky your aunt and uncle are sleeping further down the hallway, otherwise they’d be in here as well.”
Olivia screwed-up her face. “With the amount of noise you made opening the door. I’m surprised you haven’t woken them.”
Jack ignored Olivia’s snide remark … edged closer to Macy … bumped into the end of her bed and stumbled over to the window. His eyes bulged as he came to an abrupt halt … pointed a finger towards the window sill and stood open mouthed.
His throat ran dry. The words he wanted to say refused to come out. Instead, a single repeated word sprang the trap over his tonsils.
“Who…? Who...? Who...? His voice dried up again.
“You sound like an owl,” sniggered Olivia.
Jack’s gibbering lips exhaled a long gasp as he knelt in front of Romulus and Hangaku. “Who—?”
Olivia cut Jack off before he could continue. “Don’t start that again.”
Macy gave Olivia her second dig in the ribs that morning, thought softer than the first, and threw in a cheeky wink. “We were going to come and get you, weren’t we, Olivia?”
Olivia gave a less then convincing reply. “Err… Umm… Oh … yeah... Of course we were.” But in truth they’d had no intension of getting Jack at all and had been too engrossed with their new friends to have given him a second though.
Jack finally found the power of speech once more and strung a coherent sentence together. “Will somebody tell me what’s going on? I know I’m awake, but it feels like a dream.”
“Don’t worry, that’s what I thought when I first caught sight of them,” Macy giggled. “You’re not dreaming, they are Elves.”
Jack shook his head. “Oh yeah … pull the other one … it’s got bells on.”
Macy shrugged. “Come and sit down and see for yourself.”
Jack was unsure, but did as Macy asked, and they all sat in a semicircle by the window, like cub scouts round a bonfire. Romulus and Hangaku stayed in the same place, high up on the window sill.
— CHAPTER FIVE —
All in Agreement
The atmosphere in the bedroom was electric and Romulus felt confident the audience in front of him was ready to be filled in further on why he and his sister had come to be in the situation they were in.
Macy and Olivia had already heard about the false scroll, telling of a battle which had never taken place — the death of Kraken’s father — the kidnapping of Zorax and his wife — and the stolen Book of Spells. But Jack wasn’t as up-to-date as them.
And so, a brief round of introductions and catch-up ensued to help put Jack in the picture, after which Romulus looked to further his story. “As I mentioned to your friends, Kraken, a sworn enemy of my people, cast a spell over my family and turned us all into tiny shadows of our former selves. Kraken’s new-found power had come about after his loyal soldiers stole a magical book, known as the Book of Spells.”
Jack’s ears pinged back. “Elves and spells, now we’re talking.”
Romulus continued. “The Book of Spells had been taken from its rightful owner, a Sorcerer known as the Spell Keeper … as was the sacred Ring of Power.”
Macy looked lost. “Who is the Spell Keeper?”
Olivia piped up too. “What’s the Ring of Power?”
Romulus rubbed his chin. “The Spell Keeper was, and still is, a great friend and companion of my family. Indeed, since I can first remember he has always been at my father’s side. The Book of Spells is a powerful book, and when it is accompanied by the sacred Ring of Power, it can, in the right hands, produce the most wondrous things.”
“What kind of things does this magic book and ring do?” Macy was insistently.
Romulus didn’t want to go into too much detail. In the wrong hands they could be a dangerous set of magical pieces, and he had only just met the three children sat before him. To be honest, he still had a nagging doubt in the back of his mind as to whether they were indeed as good and trustworthy as they seemed.
Nevertheless, he felt he had no choice other than to put his trust in them in the hope they would prove loyal friends. And as such he decided to let them have a small insight into the workings and power of the two magical pieces.
“It is written in historical books — dating back many centuries, a man known as the Spell Keeper was found living deep underground, in a cave, on the outskirts of the Nebier Forest. There, he devoted his life to making and experimenting with magical spells and potions, taught to him by the Ultimate Sorcerer. He learned fast, but … before the Ultimate Sorcerer could show him how to harness his powers so only he could use them, he died in a fire that swept through the Spell Keeper’s cave.”
&
nbsp; “What?” Jack scratched his head. “If he was a Sorcerer … with so much power, how come he couldn’t cast a spell on himself to stop from dying in the fire?”
“Ah, if only it were that simple,” Romulus uttered.
“It is that simple,” remarked Olivia. “How come the Ultimate Sorcerer couldn’t save himself?”
Romulus looked rattled — sat-up straight, shook his head, and continued. “Because he’d used all his inner strength to guide his apprentice to fully fledged Spell Keeper. He’d sapped himself of every bit of power he could summon. He knew he was running out of time and energy, and I’m sure … even if he could have saved himself, he wouldn’t have. His quest had been completed with the finished product, his young protégée, the Spell Keeper.”
Olivia persisted. “You still haven’t told us what his powers can do?”
Romulus gazed skyward and wasn’t happy at giving away what he saw as valuable secrets about a close friend. But if what he said would not endanger either the Land of Tormencer or the Spell Keeper himself, he could tell them a few things on the subject.
But before Romulus could speak, Hangaku joined in. “Are you sure we can trust them?”
Romulus clasped hold of Hangaku’s hands for a second time. “I hope we can. I pride myself on being a good judge of character, and … although we have just met them, I’m confident in their trust the more we speak.”
Hangaku nodded. “Good. If there is one thing I know, it’s that I trust your judgement.”
Romulus acknowledged his sisters with a comforting smile and turned his attention again to Macy, Olivia and Jack. “The Spell Keeper is a great man, who possesses enormous power. And the Book of Spells is where the magical words needed to be spoken before any spell can be made are kept.”
“I’m loving this,” said Olivia in a faint voice.
“Keep quiet.” Jack wanted to hear everything Romulus had to say and didn’t appreciate Olivia’s interruption.
The room fell silent again and Romulus was free to carry on. “The Ultimate Sorcerer wanted to make sure a spell couldn’t accidentally be made, or … someone other than the Spell Keeper use the Book of Spells. Though the encryption of The Book of Spells hadn’t been completed the Ring of Power had been finalised. Without it any spell cast simply wouldn’t work. You need both magical pieces, held in either hand, at the same time, for any spell to be effective.” Romulus’s voice quickened. “So, even though it could still be used by anyone clever enough to unlock its secrets … both magical pieces would be needed to make a spell work.”
“That makes sense,” said Jack. “At least he had time to put a safety device on the Ring of Power. Otherwise you may say something without thinking and find out it’s actually a spell.”
Macy nudged Olivia. “Someone has been swotting up on magic in the school library.”
Olivia smirked. “You’re telling me — a real brain of Briton. Where did all that come from?”
Jack wasn’t fazed at being the butt of his friend’s jokes. Instead, he kept his concentration on Romulus. “So, if the Ultimate Sorcerer had completed his work, only the Spell Keeper could have used the Book of Spells and Ring of Power? And Kraken wouldn’t have been able to do what he has done to you and your family?”
“Exactly,” cried Romulus. “I can see you know a thing or two about safety measures.” It was praise indeed.
“Cheers, Romulus.” Jack’s cheeks gave off a distinctive red glow of embarrassment at being singled out.
Romulus leant forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “Sadly, Kraken is now in the possession of both the Book of Spells and the Ring of Power … and therefore has greatness beyond anyone’s wildest imagination in his grasp.”
Hangaku interrupted her brother. “Tell them the reason we escaped from Tormencer. If they are going to help us, they need to know.” Her voice had an eagerness about it.
Romulus sighed heavily. “It is my sworn duty to rescue my mother and father and save the Land of Tormencer from the terrible havoc Kraken will no doubt try and wield on it with his new power. But I cannot do it alone. Of course, my sister will be at my side—” he straightened his back, “—though I fear it will not be enough.”
Macy glanced at Olivia. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
A grin broke out across Olivia’s face. “I think so!”
Jack on the other hand didn’t seem to have a clue. “What are you two on about?”
Romulus spoke before Jack’s question could be answered. “You wanted to know a little of what the power once held by the Spell Keeper could do. Well, you’ve only got to look at my sister and myself... Kraken used the Book of Spells and Ring of Power to shrink us to this size.”
Macy already knew about Romulus’s size not being his true height, he’d mentioned it earlier, and thought it best not to push him any further on the spells and magic side of things. Instead, she seemed more interested in how he’d looked at her and her two friends. She knew what was coming next, and by the jubilant expression adorning Olivia’s face … it was obvious she did as well.
Jack? Well, he was still in the dark, and a peculiar high-pitch tone entered his voice. “What are you two smiling at?”
“You’ll find out soon enough,” replied Macy.
Romulus clasped his hands together. “I am a great believer in fate … and I strongly believe that fate brought us all together, and that I have been guided to you to seek your help.” Without beating around the bush he came straight out with it. “I beg you to come back with me to my father’s land and help correct a great wrong.”
Jack leapt to his feet. “Hang on a minute!” He’d finally realised what Macy and Olivia had already sussed out. “Let me get this straight. You want us to go with you to a strange land, find a sorcerer … beat up a bad guy … and rescue your family?”
Romulus was amused by Jack’s assumption. “Not exactly, but pretty close.”
“Excellent,” cried Jack rocking back on the balls of his feet. “I’m in.”
“Me too,” said Olivia enthusiastically.
Macy had a smug look on her face. “I told you we were going to have an adventurous time here.” She turned to Romulus. “What now?”
A blank expression appeared on Romulus’s face as Macy’s question seemed to have caught him off guard. But after a quick forehead, snout and chin rub he had an answer. “The Spell Keeper … yes. I propose we first need to find the Spell Keeper.”
Jack liked that idea. “Good move ... I love sorcerers and magic.”
Romulus continued. “As I’ve already explained … he had lived in an underground cave just outside the boundary surrounding the Nebier Forest, out of sight of Kraken and his soldiers. We must hope he is still there as it has been sometime since I saw him last—” he continued, “—the shrinking spell cast on my family by Kraken meant we couldn’t travel to his home.”
Olivia looked puzzled. “So, is your size going to be a problem?”
Romulus reassured her. “It would take far too long to travel and find the Spell Keeper on foot, we’re too small. A better idea would be for you to carry the two of us,” he pointed at Hangaku. “That way we will be much quicker, as speed is of the essence. I’m sure you’ll agree.”
Macy seemed bemused by Romulus’s first plan of attack. “What’s the point in finding the Spell Keeper? He doesn’t have any power left now the Book of Spells and the Ring of Power have been taken away from him?”
“You’re sort of right,” said Romulus. “But he does have an incredible knowledge about how to use them in the right way. There would be no point in someone like yourself trying to cast a spell, even if we found the two magical pieces needed. The words in the Book of Spells are written in an ancient text, known only to a certain few.”
Olivia jumped in. “The Spell Keeper and Kraken being two of them?”
“Yes,” nodded Romulus. “Which is why we need to find him. Without his help there will be no way any spells cast by Kraken can be brok
en. The Spell Keeper is the key to everything.”
Jack sighed heavily. “I thought anyone who found the Book of Spells and Ring on Power could use them? It’s what you said before.” He looked annoyed and had fancied getting his grubby little paws on them and trying a few spells out for himself.
Romulus shook his head. “No ... it takes a certain type of knowledge — be it good or bad. The Spell Keeper and Kraken have that knowledge, and as such they would be able to unlock all the spells they desired. But they aren’t the only ones. We must assume others have the knowledge to unlock and use the power as well.”
“What about you?” Macy asked inquisitively.
Romulus looked thoughtful at Macy. “Maybe.”
It wasn’t the answer Macy had expected. She would have preferred a decisive ‘yes or no,’ but a ‘maybe’ was all Romulus was going to say on the subject.
Romulus and Hangaku stayed on the window sill, whilst Macy, Olivia and Jack rushed to get changed. Well, they couldn’t go on a rescue mission in the matching black pyjamas Aunt Doris had bought especially for their stay.
Jack crept back to his bedroom next-door, careful not to make a sound that might trigger a wake-up call for Macy’s aunt and uncle further down the hall.
Macy and Olivia each pulled a suitcase out from under their beds and dragged them to the middle of the room. Like rabbits burrowing out a new home they dug deep into the mass of clothing they had bought with them … in search of something suitable to wear.
“What’s the weather going to be like? Is it cold where we’re going?” asked Olivia pryingly “I hope not... I don’t like the cold.”
Hangaku seemed amused. “It can be sometimes, especially at night. Make sure you take something warm to wear just in case.”
Macy stopped searching through her suitcase and poked her head over the lid. “The clothes you’re wearing look as though they keep you warm?”
Macy Vickers and the Book of Spells Page 4
