Other Worlds: Vesta Mansion Trilogy - Book Two - Fantasy

by P. A. Priddey

  ‘Yes, we be quite tall for gnomes, not like those silly garden ornaments.’

  ‘They only show you how popular you are with people.’

  ‘They be small with red pointy hats, and I’ve never known a gnome to wear red.’

  ‘I never did like those hats, anyway I’m Alex,’ he said, and offered his hand.

  ‘I be Fergal,’ said the gnome, shaking the hand with a very strong grip. ‘This is me eldest son Lorcan, that’s me youngest son Gearoid, and outside is me wife Roisin.’

  ‘My friends outside are James and Michelle, and this lovely lady is Carrie.’

  ‘When did the pucas ever watch a film?’ said Fergal.

  ‘They’ve watched quite a few at our home, and they’re very fond of them.’

  ‘Why they be at your home?’

  ‘They’re on holiday, we would like them to stay permanent, but Briana says they need their own forest.’

  Fergal sat down next to Alex, and although he may have been only four-foot tall his weight made Alex rise slightly. ‘And you be doing all this for them?’

  ‘Yes, they are our friends, and Michelle has put electricity in for them.’

  ‘You humans be strange.’

  Carrie nodded. ‘You can’t argue with that.’

  ‘When will they be back?’ said Fergal.

  Alex shook his head. ‘She hasn’t said how long she’s stopping for.’

  ‘Where do you live?’

  ‘In a mansion in England.’

  ‘That be a shame,’ said Fergal, sounding a little sad. ‘A shame indeed.’

  ‘Why’s that?’

  ‘There be a special occasion that we wanted her to attend.’

  ‘The birthing ceremony, she told us about that, and she will be attending.’

  ‘That be good news after all,’ said the gnome, a lot happier.

  ‘I can take you to her when we finish up here.’

  ‘There won’t be time as we have to travel far south in a couple of days.’

  Alex smiled, it was a smile he knew he would use a lot in the future when it came to the vase. ‘I can have you anywhere in seconds, and will save any walking you might have to do.’

  ‘You can do that?’ said Fergal, looking surprised.

  ‘As I said, you’ve only just missed Briana, and she’s already at our home.’

  ‘Well that sounds much better, and you wouldn’t mind doing it for us.’

  ‘Of course not, you’re friends of Briana, and that makes you our friends.’

  The others entered the cottage, and Michelle started setting up the channels on the television. ‘James said you’re grumpy, but I think your wife is charming.’

  Fergal nodded. ‘Yes, she be lovely, and I was a bit grumpy, I do apologise.’

  James patted the gnome on the shoulder. ‘You’re allowed when you’re worried about people you care for.’

  Carrie sat there with her elbows on her knees, and her chin resting on her hands bemused by it all, when the youngest gnome sat next to her.

  ‘Films are not very exciting,’ said Gearoid, looking at the screen.

  ‘It’s not a film,’ said Michelle, ‘I will show you one of them after I’ve set it up.’

  ‘And if your parents are OK with it,’ said Alex. ‘You can watch them at our home over the next couple of nights.’

  ‘Yes, that will be fine,’ said Fergal, and gave Alex a sly look. ‘Do you have ale at your home?’

  Alex grinned at that. ‘We have plenty . . . we have a bar.’

  Roisin, who had her long brown hair tied back, folded her arms. ‘Fergal, we have to be somewhere else.’

  ‘Yes, and we will be there early without having to walk all night,’ said Fergal, quite pleased with himself.

  Eventually Michelle got images on the television, and tried the DVD player. Gearoid looked very interested until she turned it off.

  ‘We have a much bigger screen at home,’ said Alex.

  ‘That’s me finished, said Michelle, ‘we can go back now.’

  ‘I don’t want any of you to worry, but we will be in another house before you can blink,’ Alex told the gnomes.

  Fergal stood, and the other gnomes joined him. ‘We be ready.’

  ‘House take us home.’

  The gnomes were more confused than startled when they arrived in the main hall.

  Summer was sitting on a sofa and spilt her tea again. ‘I think you do that on purpose.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Alex apologised.

  Summer pulled her top away from her body to look at the stain. ‘At least in Star Trek they have a room for that.’

  Alex looked sheepish. ‘This is the beautiful Summer, she does the cooking.’

  The gnomes all bowed. ‘A cook is very special to us,’ said Fergal.

  ‘I like your new friends, they will have a large dinner,’ said Summer, and climbed the stairs to change her top again.

  ‘Gnomes are very clever I notice,’ said Alex, who got a questioning look from Claire who closed her book.

  Fergal winked. ‘We like to think so.’

  They walked into the library where Briana had her back to them.

  ‘Some friends of yours want to say hello,’ said Alex.

  Briana turned around on her chair and saw the gnomes, and she got up straight away and knelt down embracing them. Alex left them and stepped back into the hall.

  ‘I always thought you were a loner,’ said Claire, ‘but every time you go out you bring someone new back.’

  Alex sat down next to her. ‘You were the first to get trapped here.’

  ‘Trapped, how d’ya work that out?’

  ‘Can you ever imagine leaving here with all the things you’ve seen and done? You’d want to tell someone what happens here.’

  James grinned at Claire. ‘They would lock you up, not that you would need to tell stories to get locked up.’

  ‘Half the time I feel like I’m in one,’ said Carrie, as she sat down.

  ‘In what?’ said Alex.

  ‘In an asylum, as if I’m dreaming and I’m someone else in a fantasy world.’

  ‘I bet that’s what the people in town say when we go on one of our trips,’ said James. ‘Oh look they’ve been given a day out again.’

  ‘You’re only saying that because you’re the driver,’ Claire sniped.

  ‘Is that how you see it, Carrie?’ said Alex, as he never called her Cas.

  Carrie pursed her lips. ‘No, it’s like I’ve had some sort of breakdown, been put on drugs, and this is a dream.’

  James laughed. ‘I can see you waking up like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, and recognising us.’

  Claire grinned. ‘Yeah, and she will say you were the scarecrow.’

  The two younger gnomes came out of the library staring at all the machines, and the television which had the news on. Alex introduced them to the others. He noticed Lorcan had a bit of a beard but Gearoid had no growth yet.

  ‘Is that the bigger screen you mentioned?’ said Lorcan.

  ‘No, you will see that soon, but first come and meet all the others,’ said Alex, and took the younger gnomes into the party room.

  The pucas ran straight over to them, and the children followed. Alhena put her arms up to Alex, and he picked her up.

  ‘Who are our new friends, Papa?’ she asked.

  ‘Lorcan and Gearoid, they’re gnomes.’

  ‘They’re much bigger than the ones in books.’

  Lorcan’s eyes grew big. ‘There are books about us?’

  Alex nodded. ‘Yes, but they’re not very accurate, like your father said they’re small with pointy hats.’

  ‘Like the ornaments?’ said Lorcan.

  ‘Yes, but only because they don’t know what you really look like.’

  ‘They know of us though, so it’s not too bad.’

  ‘I’d rather them know you as garden ornaments.’

  Lorcan was about to say something when he was picked up, as was Gearoid. ‘Nobody pick
s up a gnome,’ he said, a little surprised, and saw who it was. ‘Lady Luella!’

  ‘Hello you,’ she said, and hugged him.

  ‘Lady Daralis, you’re here too,’ he said, as he saw her holding his brother.

  ‘Yes, little one, this is our home now,’ she said.

  ‘And the pixies?’ said Lorcan.

  ‘Yes, there are lots of them now.’

  Alex stepped back into the hall and saw Fergal talking to James.

  ‘I owe you and apology for how I spoke to you,’ said the gnome.

  ‘You already have, but there’s no need as you were only looking out for a mutual friend.’

  ‘Fergal, are you here for another drinking contest?’ said Luella, as she came into the hall still carrying Lorcan.

  ‘Me lady, there’s no way I would try to out drink you again.’

  Alex raised an eyebrow. ‘Mother, I’m shocked.’

  ‘It was a long time ago, dear,’ Luella told him.

  Fergal looked surprised. ‘He’s your son.’

  ‘Yes, you met him many years ago.’

  ‘And this is another one,’ said Alex, as he picked up Thomas.

  ‘We have so much to catch up on,’ said Fergal. ‘And is my son not too heavy for you?’

  ‘I’m stronger than I look, but he’ll be too heavy soon,’ said Luella, putting the gnome down. ‘I think the children want to show them around.’

  After dinner the group ran to a forest which had pixies, so they could take them back to try the new clothes. Alex used the vase to bring the other pixies back, and the mansion was full of their harmonious tunes.

  ‘How wondrous,’ said Fergal, looking at all the pixies.

  Joseph and Briana stepped out of the library and walked down the hall. ‘We believe we have solved the message,’ he said.

  ‘Is it as important as I hoped?’ said Alex.

  Joseph poured himself a coffee from the pot which Summer had placed on a tea trolley. She had bought it so drinks were freely available at any time. ‘Well it is about finding someone.’

  ‘What does it say?’

  ‘If you search in the present, your search will be in vain, you must look to going back, and find them in another time.’

  James poured himself a drink, and gave the older man a wry smile. ‘Go back and do it again, it didn’t rhyme.’

  ‘And just how do you know it didn’t rhyme in the language we translated it from?’

  Alex interrupted the conversation. ‘So it’s a message for me saying I’m not going to find them.’

  Joseph rubbed his tired eyes. ‘In the present you will not find them, so you have to go back.’

  Alex scratched his head. ‘Back to the warlock’s house?’

  ‘No, back in time. The witches are hidden because of you, but they won’t be hiding from you in the past.’

  ‘Time travel? Is that even possible?’

  ‘I’ve never heard of it,’ said Luella, ‘but I wouldn’t be surprised if the one I worked for did.’

  ‘What makes you think that?’

  ‘He was planning for the future, as if he knew what was going to happen.’

  Alex knew who Siphon was, but didn’t know why he had done what he did, or why he chose him. An image flashed in his mind, he didn’t know what it meant, but believed he would have to make a sacrifice. He shivered.

  ‘Maybe he could just see into the future,’ Blaze suggested.

  Joseph nodded. ‘Yes, and if someone can do that, maybe they can see into the past also.’

  ‘That would make sense,’ said Alex, as his children ran down the hall.

  ‘You OK, Papa?’ said Adhara, as she jumped on his lap.’

  ‘Yes, sweetheart,’ he said and held her tight.

  Carrie pulled Sarin to her as she noticed Alex shiver, and it didn’t go unnoticed by the white witches. He turned away from their looks.

  ‘I read about time travel earlier,’ said Skye, and searched for the article through the books on the tables.

  ‘So the dream you had of my cottage was important,’ said Daralis.

  Alex held Adhara as Talitha somehow squeezed herself between them, and neither minded. ‘Yes, and to think you all thought I was spying.’

  ‘Some of us still do,’ said Summer, with a big smile.

  ‘You’re too happy.’

  ‘I think it’s because of the baby she’s been holding for a long time,’ Paige muttered.

  ‘Don’t be mean,’ said Summer. ‘I’ve been slaving away in the kitchen all day.’

  Asima sat cross-legged on the floor while stroking one of the cubs. ‘My people believed they could send their minds back in time to talk to the Old Ones.’

  ‘Did they succeed?’ said Joseph.

  ‘I’m not sure, but they believed it.’

  ‘They did send you to look after my daughters?’ said Alex.

  ‘The elders did.’

  ‘They must have been able to see something.’

  ‘Maybe, but they are members of the Order, and were told things many years ago.’

  Skye looked up from the book she was searching. ‘I’ve found it.’

  ‘Read it out for us,’ said James.

  ‘A theory in time travel,’ Skye started. ‘This is the beliefs of Professor Peter Wiseman, which many academics believe is a contradiction in terms as they call him an eccentric crackpot. His theory, however, goes like this. Time travel is possible, but it has limits. You cannot travel in physical form, you must separate your spirit from your body and travel this way. You cannot travel to a time which has never been; hence you can only travel forward when returning from the past. You will require an item made in the time you want to go, concentrate on it, and you will find yourself travelling spiritually into the past.

  ‘An eccentric crackpot they called him,’ said Alex, ‘but it seems more realistic to travel that way.’

  ‘Why do you say that?’ said Skye.

  Alex put the two girls down so they could play on the machines. ‘It would be much harder to change things and affect the future that way.’

  James scratched his head. ‘Sounds a lot harder to me, how on earth are ya gonna separate from your body?’

  ‘I do that in some of my dreams, the item from the past is more important.’

  ‘Anything from before we killed the warlock should do it,’ Blaze suggested.

  No it has to be something specific, House told them.

  Alex rubbed his temples. ‘He didn’t say it had to be specific.’

  He was not right about everything.

  ‘You know something don’t you.’

  Yes, but I did not know how to tell you until Joseph read out the riddle.

  Alex looked up. ‘What is it?’

  Your answer to the problem is to look at me, and all you have to do is look in the study.

  ‘Did you just make that up?’ said Alex.

  Yes, it was short notice.

  ‘And it had to rhyme.’

  It seemed appropriate.

  ‘What does it mean?’ said Alex.

  I cannot tell you any more than I have.

  ‘I don’t understand what it means.’

  ‘You have to look at House in the study,’ said George.

  Luella put her hand on Alex’s shoulder. ‘Leave it until tomorrow please, dear.’

  ‘Why’s that?’

  Luella gave him a concerned look. ‘If you manage to go back in time and find where they are, you will want to go after them tonight.’

  ‘You don’t have to worry about that . . . I just want to know where they are.’

  ‘So you wouldn’t go after them?’

  ‘Not tonight, I would want too, but we have been on a run and Claire gets cranky when she’s tired.’

  James grinned. ‘Is she always tired then?’

  ‘I’m sitting right here you know,’ Claire huffed.

  Alex smiled at her and walked to the study followed by a few of the others.

  ~~~~


  Fergal scratched at his beard. ‘That be one of the strangest conversations I ever did hear.’

  ‘It’s quite normal for this place,’ said Claire, and stood to join them in the study.

  ‘Why they be looking for witches?’ said Roisin. ‘I thought that’s what you be.’

  ‘They are dark witches who are hidden,’ said Luella.

  Fergal twisted the ends of his beard. ‘That’s the best way to keep them.’

  ‘Yes, I agree’ said Daralis. ‘But they have already made an attack on this place, and they have a prisoner who Alex wants to free.’

  Fergal looked around the hall with keen interest. ‘A prisoner, not someone from here?’

  Luella shook her head. ‘No, from a long time ago.’

  ‘I take it by how happy everyone is that their attack came to nothing.’

  ‘We have some very talented people here.’

  Do I come into that category? House asked.

  ‘Yes, I always think of you as a person.’

  That is kind of you.

  ~~~~

  ‘So what part of House are we searching?’ said Carrie, as they all stared at the walls.

  Alex sat on the edge of the desk while glancing around. ‘Something which was made in the past.’

  Claire looked confused. ‘I thought it all was.’

  ‘Not really,’ said Joseph, ‘as nearly everything’s been covered in new stuff, like plaster and paint.’

  ‘Maybe, but even that’s the past now.’ Alex glanced around the study. ‘Wait a minute, where’s that painting I had off you?’

  ‘Over here,’ said James, and put it on the desk, he removed the cloth covering it. They stared straight at the mansion painted into the picture.

  ‘Look at me,’ said Joseph. ‘That was clever for short notice, House.’

  Thank you, said the spirit.

  Alex pointed at two black shapes near the top of the painting. ‘Look at this, I thought they were birds at first.’

  Carrie leant over the painting. ‘They don’t look like anything.’

  It was night, and he saw the shapes in the sky and painted them.

  ‘You think they are the witches?’ said James.

  ‘Yes, but why was he painting at night?’

  It was just something he liked doing, said House.

  ‘OK, so what happens now?’ said James.