Other Worlds: Vesta Mansion Trilogy - Book Two - Fantasy

by P. A. Priddey

  ‘That’s very kind of you, and I can see by their faces that they will love them.’

  Orlaith performed the ceremony with help from the other white witches. It was similar to a christening and it ended with a big cheer. Alex was not sure if the cheer was for the ceremony or for the fact they could now celebrate. The cheers stopped abruptly when it started raining.

  ‘I knew it was going too well,’ said one of the gnomes.

  Nessa looked surprised as she tried to keep the babies dry when she noticed it was not raining on them.

  ‘Sorry we can’t make it any bigger,’ said Kristina, as she and Millie protected most of them from the rain.

  ‘It be a rare gift you have there, but we’ll not be able to celebrate in this,’ said Jarlath, to a few understanding groans.

  ‘Ok, it’s back to mine,’ said Alex, which made him sound like someone in a pub at closing time.

  Jarlath turned to face Alex. ‘It be a nice offer but a little too far.’

  Fergal patted him on the shoulder. ‘He will have us there in seconds, and they have a bar.’

  Jarlath smiled. ‘You have the power to do that?’

  ‘It’s not my power,’ said Alex, ‘but a gift we had off Joseph.’

  ‘Then we gratefully accept your offer.’

  Alex waited for them to come closer. ‘Can we all bunch together please, and some of you might want to shade your eyes, as the room will be bright.’

  They appeared in the gym, with many of the gnomes covering their eyes.

  ‘What room be this?’ said Jarlath.

  ‘This is where we train,’ Alex replied.

  Claire gave him a hard stare. ‘We train?’

  ‘OK, I come and watch now and then.’

  ‘While we be here I can show you the axe I used,’ said Fergal, and took half the gnomes to the other side of the gym where many tested the weight of the axe.

  ‘How come you didn’t say come back to our house?’ said Claire.

  ‘It was something I always wanted to say, you want to come back to mine,’ said Alex, and winked at her.

  ‘You’ve been single way too long,’ Claire laughed, and grabbed his arm.

  They made their way into the hall. It was a big group and the new pucas seemed very interested in the machines.

  ‘What are all these?’ said Orlaith.

  ‘Games,’ Briana replied.

  ‘Do you play them?’

  ‘Just the horse racing game over there.’

  ‘I guess they are going to want to play them,’ said Orlaith, meaning the pucas and young gnomes. A small hand pulled at hers and she looked down to see Alhena. ‘What is it, honey?’

  ‘Can they watch a film with us?’

  Orlaith smiled. ‘Yes, of course they can, sweetheart.’

  ‘Just like that?’ said Brianna.

  ‘Could you imagine their faces if I said no?’

  ‘I’ve seen one of them sad and frightened once,’ said Alex, ‘and I would never want to see that again.’

  ‘When was that?’

  ‘After the warlock’s demons attacked them.’ Alex decided not to mention Gort and the shampoo.

  ‘Fergal said that you saved them.’

  ‘A few of us did. Gort was trying to protect Flax who was unconscious on the floor, but there were too many of them.’

  ‘The poor things,’ said Orlaith, ‘how could anyone hurt them?’

  ‘They were demons,’ said Alex, ‘and we did sort of lose our temper with them.’

  ‘Were they badly hurt?’ said Orlaith.

  Alex led them down the hall past the stairs, with the gnomes looking around in wonder. ‘Gort had cuts and broken ribs, but Flax was a lot more seriously wounded.’

  ‘But you healed them.’

  ‘House is a great healer, and the women were also a great help.’

  ‘You’ve grown fond of them I see.’

  Alex opened the door to the party room. ‘Very much so, it’s hard not to like them.’

  ‘You might want to watch him,’ said Claire. He might want to keep yours, especially the female ones.’

  ‘That’s a bit harsh, I’m fond of them all, although I have a soft spot for Flax and Daisy.’

  ‘I can understand Flax,’ said Claire, ‘but why Daisy?’

  ‘She was my cat for a couple of weeks when I was a child,’ said Alex, which got him some odd looks while Luella and Briana just laughed.

  James and Asima took bar duties for everyone’s first drink, as others pushed tables together in lines. Music played from the stage and the pucas danced to the amazement of the newcomers.

  ‘Oh dear,’ said Orlaith, ‘what have you done to them?’

  Alex smiled. ‘The children showed them how to do that on one of the machines out in the hall.’

  Orlaith accepted a drink with a smile. ‘They are wonderful to watch even if mine don’t know what they are doing.’

  ‘We haven’t known them that long but I’ve found that they pick things up very quickly.’

  ‘They are very adaptable,’ said Orlaith. ‘Do you dance?’

  ‘I try not to, as I’m a bit clumsy on the dance floor.’

  ‘He is not kidding there,’ Paige retorted.

  ‘I have offered to teach him how,’ said Carrie, as Alex felt a welcoming arm slide inside his.

  ‘That be nothing to be ashamed of,’ said Fergal.

  Paige glanced at him. ‘Don’t gnomes dance?’

  ‘Oh yes, and I did once on my union to Roisin.’

  The dancing lasted an hour before the children and the pucas went to watch a film. It meant the gnomes could tell their tales and sing drinking songs, which contained some strong language. The baby gnomes were fast asleep and put in one of the bedrooms. Alex noticed from the tales the gnomes recounted they rarely got involved in the wars of men. Nationality did not matter as a gnome is a friend of another gnome whatever country they are from.

  ‘Are there any of you up north?’ Alex asked Fergal.

  ‘There were, but we haven’t heard from them in a long time.’

  ‘Is that because of the warlock?’

  ‘Yes, and although we were safe in Ireland it was too risky to travel in small parties. He might have been powerful, but he would never attack a large group of us that had white witches.’

  ‘Did you ever think of going to live in Ireland,’ Alex asked Daralis.

  ‘Yes, but the pull to our own forests was too much.’

  Alex looked inquisitively at her. ‘Is that pull still there?’

  Daralis sipped on her drink. ‘No, now that you mention it. I still want to go to forests and look after the trees and plant life, but not to live there.’

  Blaze sat down next to her. ‘I’ve never searched for gnomes.’

  ‘How do you mean search, dear lady?’ said Fergal.

  ‘I have a crystal ball which lets me see nearly anything I want.’

  ‘That’s almost like spying.’

  Blaze had a wry smile. ‘Yes, and more, but we only use it to look for our enemies and making sure our friends are safe.’

  ‘That would be handy, you said nearly anything.’

  Blaze nodded. ‘Yes, if they hide themselves using magic, I won’t be able to see them.

  ‘There are two more of us up north,’ said Luella, ‘as well as gnomes and pucas.’

  Alex rubbed his chin. ‘We will have to pay them a visit one day.’

  ‘It might be a good idea to do it soon,’ Daralis suggested.

  ‘What’s the hurry?’

  ‘They might not know the warlock’s dead. I wanted to go before, but decided to wait until you solved the witch problem.’

  Alex stood. ‘OK, I’ll go tonight, I might need someone else though,’ he said, looking at Fergal.

  The gnome grinned. ‘Count me in.’

  ‘Can I come, too?’ said Carrie.

  ‘Of course, this might be fun,’ Alex said.

  ‘You’re going now?’ said Luella.
<
br />   ‘Yeah, some of them might want to join the party.’

  ‘That be true,’ said Fergal, ‘we best get going.’

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Friends up North

  They appeared in a dark forest and Alex scanned ahead with his night-site. ‘Let Carrie and I walk on.’

  ‘They won’t come out to you,’ said Daralis. ‘They’ll stay hidden until you’re gone.’

  Alex smiled. ‘Oh I don‘t know, I think our red eyes will have them curious.’

  ‘That be true,’ said Fergal. ‘I’d want to know why such as they were walking through my forest.’

  Daralis gave Alex a stern look. ‘This is a game gnomes will not appreciate.’

  ‘Not the gnomes, the ladies. You arrived as the wicked witch, and Briana became the grey lady. I just want to see what they do,’ said Alex, as Daralis threw her hands up and Fergal grinned.

  Alex and Carrie took a shortcut through the bushes while Daralis and Fergal walked around. They found a clearing and followed it with their eyes glowing. The gnomes could see in the dark, but their eyes didn’t glow. They moved forward, looking at the trees and small animals scurrying about some of which stopped and watched them with bright eyes. Fifteen minutes later he could see shapes moving either side of him. Bushes rustled, and they saw gnomes, as two figures ahead came into view. Two women in white dresses were floating along the ground. Both had their hands forward with their black hair sticking out as if caught by the wind. They looked hideous with contorted mouths too big for their faces, and large black eyes.

  Carrie gripped his arm. ‘They’re freaky.'

  Alex stopped walking. ‘Tell me about it.’

  ‘Leave this forest now,’ the women said, in ghostly whispers.

  Alex glanced up at them. ‘Believe me, if I didn’t know what I know, I’d be running at great speed away from you.’

  The witch to his left hissed at him. ‘You might want to do that now.’

  ‘Who are you? What are you doing in our forest?’ the other witch asked.

  Alex stared in amazement and wondered if they watched films. ‘That’s a neat trick.’

  ‘What are you talking about?’

  Alex grinned. ‘The whole look . . . the floating thing that you’re doing is a nice touch. I can float but the way you do it is really creepy.’

  ‘Are you mocking us?’ said the witch on the left. ‘You see our power, and you’re surrounded by gnomes who are all armed.’

  Alex smiled at the gnomes who were not hidden to anyone who could see in the dark. ‘No they’re not . . . I can see quite clearly they have no weapons.’

  ‘It would only take us a minute or two to fetch them,’ said a voice, which made both Alex and Carrie burst into laughter.

  ‘You’re not frightened,’ said the other witch. ‘Do you know of us?’

  ‘Yeah, you’re the reason I’m here.’

  ‘What do you want of us?’

  ‘We’re here to invite you to a party. The other white witches and gnomes are there, and the pucas of course.’

  ‘You have our friends? If you’ve harmed them in any way we’ll destroy you,’ the first witch said, as the gnomes approached them.

  ‘Please be gentle with my nephew, Aileen,’ said Daralis, shaking her head at Alex. ‘Luella would be most upset, and believe it or not he would be missed.’

  The witches stopped floating, and walked over to her, as did most of the gnomes who went to greet Fergal. One, however, walked over to Alex and Carrie.

  ‘You be a strange pair. You appear on your own when you could just have approached with your friends and be accepted without question,’ said the gnome, in a Scottish accent.

  Alex smiled ruefully. ‘I’m sorry, but if I did I might never have seen the ladies float like that.’

  ‘They are a sight to behold I grant you, Laddie, but what made you think they would do it?’

  ‘Our red eyes,’ said Alex, and saw Carrie enjoying every moment of it.

  ‘Yes, they got our attention, and we don’t get many strangers here.’

  ‘I can imagine why,’ said Alex, and glanced at the two witches who had now changed into attractive women.

  ‘That’s disgusting,’ Carrie huffed. ‘Why are they so beautiful and not plain-looking like the rest of us?’

  Alex raised an eyebrow. ‘You’re far from plain-looking.’

  The gnome looked fondly at the white witches. ‘We call it the curse of kindness.’

  ‘That’s a nice term.’

  ‘They have kept us hidden for a long time.’

  ‘What’s your name, friend?’

  ‘It’s Dougal, and yours would be?’

  ‘I’m Alex, and this is Carrie. My mother, you will know, is Luella.

  ‘Yes, I remember you as a little boy.’

  ‘We’ve come to invite you to a party.’

  Dougal smiled. ‘I’ve not been to a party in a long time . . . where is it?’.

  ‘In England,’ Alex replied, as they walked over to the others.

  ‘That might be a little too far to go for a drink.’

  ‘I’ll have you there in seconds.’

  ‘Tell me, young man, do we still scare you?’ one of the women said, in a Scottish accent.

  ‘Yes, actually you do,’ said Alex, as he saw a puca holding a baby, who gladly gave it to him when he held his arms out.

  ‘Nice move that,’ said Dougal.

  ‘Crafty more like, and whose side are you on?’ the woman asked.

  ‘Me dear Lady Aileen, you do not need to be hideous to frighten someone, your beauty can still have the same affect.’

  Alex raised an eyebrow. ‘That was smooth.’

  ‘Very smooth,’ said Aileen. ‘Well, Alex, you know my name and this is my sister, Morven.

  ‘I’m pleased to meet you both, and this is the beautiful Carrie,’ he said, adding the compliment mainly due to what Carrie had said about the women, and the fact she was beautiful.

  ‘Pleased to meet you,’ said Carrie smiling.

  Morven, who had the darker hair, a colour Alex couldn’t tell because of his sight, folded her arms. ‘Did it not worry you that we might have attacked straight away?’

  Alex shook his head. ‘No, I knew you only wanted to frighten us off, and I know the gnomes have too much honour to attack an unarmed man and woman.’

  ‘He has you there,’ Dougal retorted.

  ‘I am Roth, of the northern clan,’ said a fierce-looking gnome, in a sleeveless knee-length coat. His arms were large and hairy. ‘Lady Daralis said you have news for us.’

  Alex nodded. ‘The warlock and his demons are dead, and the great wizard Adair has returned.’

  ‘Is this true?’ said Roth.

  ‘Yes, it’s all true,’ Daralis replied. ‘They killed the warlock, his demons, and rescued my brother.’

  Alex watched as others moved closer. ‘We had a ceremony earlier, and the celebration for the birth of gnome twins is at our home.’

  Roth folded his big arms. ‘Why would they celebrate it at your home?’

  ‘Because it started raining after the ceremony,’ said Fergal.

  Alex put his free hand on Fergal’s shoulder. ‘There is plenty to drink, and we can have you there in the blink of an eye.’

  Aileen put her own hand on Roth’s shoulder. ‘We would love to come, but first let’s make sure everyone is here.’

  Morven, who had been quiet, spoke. ‘Adair is back?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Daralis. ‘He had been held prisoner by the wizard’s spell.’

  ‘Tell me . . . is your brother still as handsome as I remember?’

  ‘He’s not changed in the slightest.’

  Alex glanced at the pucas as they all gathered together. ‘Is this normal?’ he said, now looking at the baby puca he was still holding.

  ‘Yes,’ said Aileen. ‘They always let friends hold their children.’

  Daralis shook her head. ‘He didn’t mean that, is there another baby here?
’

  ‘No, just the one,’ said Morven. ‘We hoped the other was down south or over in Ireland.’

  ‘We have two already,’ said Daralis.

  Alex scratched his head. ‘Maybe he hasn’t been born yet.’

  Morven shook her head. ‘No, they are usually born within a month of each other.’

  ‘Then we have one too many,' said Roth.

  ‘Or we are missing one,’ said Daralis.

  Aileen put a hand to her mouth. ‘What are we going to do?’

  ‘We celebrate, and tomorrow we work out if we have one too many or if we have another search on,’ said Alex, which got a lot approval from the gnomes and pucas, apart from the baby’s parents who looked sad. ‘Don’t worry little ones, we’ll find him.’

  ‘Is he always like this?’ said Morven.

  ‘No, he’s usually much worse, and I have to warn you he will corrupt the pucas and your children,’ said Daralis, and some of them backed away.

  ‘There are many things at our home they will love doing,’ said Alex. ‘Like watching films and playing on the games.’

  They arrived in the gym, in the dark, but after a few seconds the room lit up.

  ‘That was different,’ said Carrie.

  ‘It was very dark in the forest, and House worried it might hurt their eyes if they suddenly appear in a bright room.’ Alex turned to Daralis. ‘Will you take the ladies and the adult gnomes into the party room while I see to the pucas and children?’

  ‘Of course, would you like me to take the baby off you?’

  Alex walked over to the double doors of the cinema. ‘No, it’ll be OK . . . I best show her to the other pucas.’

  ‘What’s in there,’ said the puca who had passed him her baby.

  ‘I will show you in a moment.’

  A female gnome looked up at him. ‘Are we to leave our children with you?’

  ‘I’ll take them to the other children and puca’s as the adults have started telling tales and singing songs,’ said Alex. ‘Do you really want to take them in to the party room?’ he added, and they happily left their children with him.

  ‘What’s going to happen to us?’ said a young gnome.

  Alex smiled at him. ‘You’re going to watch a film.’