Ferryl Shayde - Book 3 - A Very Different Game

by Vance Huxley

  “No, and that includes sorceresses with a warped sense of humour who hide in furry seemings.” Abel noticed Kelis’s pointed look at their hands and asked Zephyr to explain to her, Rob and Jenny. Zephyr told him Jenny wasn’t here, not quite, because her Dad’s Mercedes was still coming up the driveway.

  Mr Forester got out to open the door for his daughter, but forgot for a moment. Instead he stood there staring around at about thirty young people in extravagant costumes, creatures and people he’d only seen as drawings in a game. He shook his head, opened the door, and said something as he swept an arm to invite Jenny out. Some sort of joke by the laugh on her face as Jenny stood up. Abel wasn’t sure if Mr Forester had deliberately come a little later so his daughter got her entrance, but it worked.

  A ripple of quiet swept across the Taverners as they turned to see what had caught other people’s attention. Jenny wasn’t dressed as any game character, which made her stand out. The Victorian dress suited Jenny perfectly, her hair had been put up the same as the internet picture, and either Jenny had a secret jewellery box or her mum had donated dangly earrings and a necklace. “Have you invented a new character, Jenny?” Laurence strode forward, his hand out to her dad. “Don’t worry Mr Forester, we’ll summon a fairy coach to get her home.”

  “There’s a taxi booked for twelve-fifteen, so no need. Don’t worry, I’ve had the lecture about fathers hovering at dances.” Mr Forester waved a greeting to Laurence’s parents, stood at the top of the steps to their house. “Though it looks like you are stuck with yours. I’m going home to read the paperwork for that game, and try to work out who all these people are supposed to be.” He shook his head with a rueful smile. “I’ll be looking under the bed before sleeping and probably have nightmares.” With that he got into the car and drove off.

  “Whew. I’m sure he’d have disguised himself and stayed if he could work out how to.” Jenny put down her school bag, gave a twirl and giggled. “Well?”

  “Out of costume, definitely. Unless there’s a new one?” Laurence turned to Kelis, which meant Jenny got a good look at the leather and cape and then Ferryl. The conversation descended into accusations of keeping secrets, and plotting to introduce more characters just to keep the rest on their toes. There’d definitely be a sorceress in leather and a crimson cloak, a real baddie. The big floppy hat with a huge plume that Laurence produced from the boot of his car came in for its own share of admiration and ridicule. Despite worrying about looking outlandish, Abel now found he didn’t feel the slightest bit conspicuous.

  ∼∼

  The first hour, up to 9:30 PM, went like any other party. The buffet took a hammering while people who rarely met outside school, or not even there, exchanged news. Most of it, the conversations away from the two cousins and Laurence’s parents, involved how they’d progressed with glyphs and who had recently discovered magic. Eventually all the twenty-nine Taverners had met Ferryl Shayde, and none called her Fay after the first introduction. Abel knew that, including himself and his four friends, there were now fifty-five locals who could flutter a leaf, with another seven further afield. Frederick and Effy were getting better with glyphs but had begged off tonight, both worried about fighting a large, dangerous monster. Eight of the less able users wouldn’t be safe here tonight and another nine were too young. At least the rate of discovery had slowed down.

  A slight undercurrent of excitement built as Zephyr passed messages and the Taverners moved into position. Kelis went to sit on one of the chairs along the wall, inviting the two cousins to sit with her so she could practice her German. Other Taverners spread out through the house. When Zephyr reported that there were Taverners near to every member of staff, Abel asked Zephyr to contact Laurence and Jenny. “All ready. Bring them in.”

  Laurence, with Jenny on his arm, brought his parents into the ballroom where two easy chairs had been arranged at one end. “We need judges for the fancy dress. I’m barred, because you’ll be biased about me, and Jenny isn’t in game costume, but the rest are really keen.” As Laurence explained, most of the Taverners began to form pairs. Kelis kept the cousins in place by making a big show of choosing one as a partner.

  “Everyone ready.” Abel started to pour magic into the steel glyph Ferryl had made. As the magic built up everyone in the house who didn’t have a ward felt sleepy, then fell asleep. The Taverners quickly made them comfortable and hung Dreamcatchers around each sleeper’s neck. Ferryl had spent hours creating a metal sleep glyph so it had a wider, stronger effect. She’d also turned the reels of steel wire into gold and created magical gems from the crystals she’d bought before Christmas. The other four had spent a similar number of hours bending and joining wire into glyphs, then fixing and filling the gems to make cheap decorations into genuine magical dream protection.

  “Give me a minute.” Jenny headed for the door. “This isn’t a monster-bashing dress.” Several other Taverners, the ones in the more fragile costumes, headed for the door as well. When Jenny came back everyone knew what had been in the bag, jeans, sweatshirt and trainers. Others came back in wearing similar clothes, while some like Laurence just put jeans or a jacket over part of their costume. Kelis took off her cloak, because it wasn’t very practical for chasing about in. She seemed oblivious to the reaction from several of the lads when they got a proper look at her in the form-fitting leather.

  “Will you be able to keep that up and throw magic? Won’t you run out?”

  Ferryl smirked, which Abel thought was a hell of a look with the whiskers. “I’ve got some of the new diamonds set into my bone and filled with magic. Since the wits were going to hurt going in, I decided to make it worthwhile. If the seeming slips a bit the skirt is real and I’m wearing a crop top under here.” She turned away from Abel. “Okay, where’s this monster we’re supposed to kill?”

  “How good are you at glyphs Ferryl, er, Fay?” Warren looked worried, as did some of the others. This would be a serious fight according to Ferryl Shayde, the one in Abel’s arm.

  “My dad was a warlock, but I never told Kelis until I got here and found out how much she and the others already knew.” Fay raised her hand and a tiny fire glyph enclosed in wind danced across the room.

  “Don’t waste magic. We may need it.” Kelis looked around the room where several people had raised hands to join in. “Has everyone banished any seemings? You can’t afford the wastage right now.” The wolf-sorcerer looked guilty and his fur turned to bandages. Eric had already taken off the head so he could see better.

  Abel turned as the last two Taverners came in, pulling on jackets. “Ferryl will be trying to keep everyone organised, but if she can’t you’ll all have to remember the important part. We have to drive the fursomnium out of the house, into the open where we can be sure of killing it. Once we surround it, don’t let even a fragment get away to find another victim.” He beckoned to Laurence. “We’ve got a treat for you. Let me have your rapier for a minute.”

  “I’m not allowed to….” Laurence looked at his sleeping parents and his face hardened. “There are several swords on the dining room wall. Genuine ones with steel blades. Who wants one?” As half a dozen people rushed off to collect the weapons he handed the rapier to Abel, hilt first. “I didn’t think they’d hurt magical creatures.”

  “But you knew my wooden bat did, you just need the same addition.” Rob held up the bag he’d just brought from the BMW. “Extra Tavern hexes, already charged. I need volunteers to lay them out to guide the fursomnium out of the house. If it looks like breaking past them, hit it with everything.” He glanced at Laurence. “Try to avoid fire in the house, or be very controlled.”

  “I’ll take the blame for a few little scorch marks if necessary.” Laurence looked upwards towards the attic. “I get the creeps just thinking about that thing lurking up there, even if it is asleep.”

  “Look at this lot!” Una came in with a sword in each hand. “Can I have one of these instead of my fake one?”

  “For ma
gical bashing, your fake one works just as well.” Abel put his palm on the blade of Laurence’s rapier, then snatched it away leaving a small Tavern hex burned into the steel. “Give that a moment or two and I’ll fill it with magic.”

  “I’ll do that bit.” Kelis blew on the blade. “I’d use air but I’m saving magic.” As Abel put his palm over the next blade, she spilled magic into the hex.

  “Will you have enough magic?” Petra held out a curved sabre. “We don’t want you running dry later.”

  “I brought enough.” Abel wore four of the belts made of small gold blocks linked with gold wire, each one holding at least eight lead bars’ worth of magic. He’d wondered why Ferryl gave him her magic belts, even when she claimed they would be hard to hide under her costume. The remark about diamonds in bone explained, she’d got a better way.

  Ferryl reached for Petra’s sabre. “I’ve got extra lead bars just for this.” Not really, but she’d probably got more spare magic than anyone else. “So has Kelis.” Kelis had her hand inside the leather suit where she’d unzipped it at the neck, and would be holding her supersized magic diamond.

  “Come here Eric.” Jenny waved him over and gently slapped him at the side of the head. “How much magic did the seeming for the fur use up?”

  “Not that much.” Despite being two years older, Eric looked like a kid getting scolded by mum. “Quite a bit, but I wanted it to look right and I brought the extra lead bars I use for the contracts.”

  “Then it’s a good job I brought extra magic as well. Give me the one you’ve used.” Jenny had two gold belts and her diamond, so she’d got plenty to spare. A few moments later she handed the lead bar back with a grin. “Now behave.” She raised her voice. “Anyone else use up magic on a seeming?” Several others congregated round her and Kelis.

  “What about you, Rob? Can you give me some magic?” Rob rolled his eyes but topped up magic bars as three of his fan club gathered round.

  Meanwhile Abel and Ferryl quickly worked through eight swords and sabres. Abel stopped at the last weapon. “Crikey, who’s going to use that?”

  The frost giant pushed forwards, picked up the long-handled axe and hefted it. “I can do it. Just don’t get in the way when I swing.” He swung it, but very gently. “This will be a lot better than punching, though I’d better not use it indoors.”

  “In that case you’ll be waiting when we drive it outside. We’ll want you and a few others to make a line and try to slow it until we get out of the house.” Abel burned the little hex into the blade and shook his hand. “I’ll have a blister if I’m not careful.”

  “Just one more. Can I have a bigger hex please?” Una fluttered her eyelashes, but her laugh spoiled the effect. “After all, you won’t be taking mine off me again.”

  Abel shook his head but did as she asked, though this time Kelis used a tiny reverse heat glyph so she didn’t have to wait before filling the hex with magic. “There you go, extra zap in there as well. Robin D’Ritche would pay for the best.”

  “Pay? Hah, steal the best.” Una peered at the sword, squinting a bit. “It’s got a tiny red glow like the hexes we fill up on the houses.”

  “I told you, extra zap.” Kelis glanced at Abel. They sometimes forgot the rest of the Taverners hadn’t been given the Ferryl eye-boost. Even the small active hexes glowed to the four who had, and that reminded Abel of something else.

  “Zephyr, ask Rob, Kelis, Ferryl and Jenny to help me if the creature gets somewhere really dark. The others won’t be able to see as well as we do.” The spooky-phone zapped out and all four nodded. A general movement started towards the ballroom door, with the swords being taken by those with the least skill in casting glyphs. The three armed teenagers going outside took two strong glyph-casters to back them up.

  ∼∼

  Getting everyone into place, and setting the hexes to herd the fursomnium down a given path, took time. Again and again Zephyr shot out her connections to move someone a little, to tighten the trap. While they did, Abel wanted a quick word with Ferryl. “What happens if the fursomnium gets a firm grip on someone?”

  “Their ward should fend it off, stop it getting a clean connection. Even so it could damage them. We must keep at arm’s length.” She looked around at all the Taverners getting into position. “We’ll have to be quick, cut off any connection before it gets a real grip on their mind.” Her hand caught hold of Abel’s. “If I had my wits we’d have shields!”

  Zephyr cut most of her connections so the others didn’t hear Abel. “What about that slippery type protection glyph you used when we chased the Aryadne’s hound? You said that made it harder for a glyph to catch hold.” Abel had been thinking about it, and the next bit made sense to him. “Will it stop a magical creature getting a grip?”

  “Of course! Stupid, stupid, stupid me! I am used to casting big, powerful glyphs, not the type a witch would use.” Ferryl looked around at the Taverners again. “Is there time for them to learn?”

  “I learned it when I’d barely started, while walking across a field at night. All these are a lot better than I was then, and you taught me in minutes.” Abel tapped his tattoo. “We don’t even have to tell them individually.”

  “Brilliant.” The hug surprised Abel, because Ferryl wasn’t the spontaneous type. Maybe it was the excitement of the hunt. “Ask Zephyr to connect please. This glyph will help to protect her as well.” Heads began to turn as Zephyr connected. From the relieved smiles as the Taverners carefully drew the glyph with their fingers and activated it, Abel didn’t think he was the only one who’d been worried.

  In a surprisingly short time everyone reported they were ready. The strongest glyph casters climbed to the attic to launch the attack, the five with the most magic tucked away and the most practice. The real reason only five people led the assault was that most of the bulbs in the attic had failed. The end of the corridor lay in darkness, so nobody else would see the fursomnium properly, though the rest didn’t know that.

  “Is it stirring yet?” Kelis peered into the gloom. “You said all the extra hexes downstairs might disturb it.”

  “It’s stirring, but the next ones will wake it. Be ready.” Ferryl turned to Abel, reaching out a hand to hold his. “It’s time.” Jenny put her hand on top of Abel’s and Ferryl’s, with Kelis and Rob quickly adding theirs. Zephyr wrapped around them all.

  Kelis raised the joined hands. “For luck. One for all. The Taverners are go.” She let go and glyphs began to build in both hands. “Whenever you like, Abel.”

  “Dream bop!”

  “Now, before I need an emergency toilet break.” For once Rob’s humour didn’t lighten the mood.

  Abel and Ferryl crept forward, past the closed doors of the old servants’ quarters up in the attic. The fursomnium sprawled in there, spreading through the walls across several rooms and under the floor of the corridor. Abel paused, looking at the third door. “Aren’t we past yet?”

  “No, it’s bigger than I thought so hurry up. I can feel it above us and on both sides, and it is waking.” Two doors later, nearly at the end of the corridor, Ferryl stopped. “Quickly now, or it will surround us.” She turned left and Abel turned right, each opening the last two doors their side and throwing a hex inside the small, dusty rooms. “Three, two, one, go!” Both of them cast reverse wind glyphs down the corridor, dragging open doors. Halfway down the corridor Kelis and Jenny did the same as Rob finished throwing hexes into the empty rooms at that end. Zephyr hovered, spooky-phone connecting through the floor to warn the Taverners below. The fursomnium, dream stealer, infiltrated rooms by extending webs through the walls so the Taverners below slapped hexes onto the walls it had claimed.

  Something scratched the inside of Abel’s brain, or so it felt. “The wards aren’t working!” Rob scratched at his head, then Jenny did the same. Kelis looked irritated, both hands filled with glyphs.

  “Yes they are! That is pain and anger. The hexes downstairs are hurting the fursomnium as they attack
its webs. Be ready.” Ferryl needn’t have bothered with the last bit. As Zephyr told the Taverners below to ignore the itchy feeling, and those in the attic stopped scratching and concentrated on glyphs, the creature boiled out of eleven little rooms. Zephyr snatched a connection back as a limb reached for it. Ferryl had warned that this creature could use them to get inside a person’s head.

  “Fly free Zephyr.”

  “The Ffod flies into battle!” Abel felt the tether part, because the fursomnium might even get into his connection. He had been rotating his cupped palms, facing each other but well apart as if smoothing a big snowball. Now he hurled the result, an ice ball, into the heaving mass filling the corridor. Even as he did so, Abel reflected that trying to suck out his brains didn’t stop the fursomnium from being pretty. A faintly luminous, transparent pale blue cloud billowed and flowed, full of tiny sparks of light. The effect would be downright peaceful if it wasn’t for those long tentacle-like limbs. Each one ended with a large web like a spider’s, the edges waving and reaching for him.

  “That’s all wrong.” Kelis sounded really upset. “Monsters shouldn’t be pretty. Die, lovely nasty thing.” Abel could see her right through the fursomnium. Kelis’s long ice spear flew towards him, or rather the pretty monster, propelled by Jenny’s wind glyph. It drove deeper and deeper into the amorphous mass as Abel’s ice ball did the same from his side.

  Abel released the ice glyph, and the much larger fire glyph inside the ball exploded deep in the fursomnium’s guts. The sparks kept expanding until they finally ran out of magic, he’d wanted the first shot to count. Ferryl had been building something that glowed a deep red. Now a web bigger than anything the monster had extended flew down the corridor, unravelling as it went. The reaching limbs fell in bubbling droplets as the mesh diced them in passing. Ferryl’s web clung to the main body for a moment, then the edges moved forward and drew in. As the edges came together, it tore a huge hole in the blue mass then shrank to a dull ball before flying back to Ferryl’s hand. Abel saw the glow start to build again, but paid more attention to his own glyphs.