The Jack Brenin Collection

by Catherine Cooper

  Jack looked at the beautiful white rat. He couldn’t let her end up like Rolph. He had to do something.

  ‘Don’t worry Motley, I’ll get her back.’

  Jack burst into the kitchen. The Spriggans froze. The light from his wand blinded them. He held it high in the air and let the sparks fly out of the tip. He could see the Spriggans hopping around as hot embers landed on their brown leathery skin. Orin twisted up and bit the hand that held her.

  ‘Owwww!’ the Spriggan squealed, but he didn’t let go.

  Jack aimed his wand carefully above Orin and concentrated the tip into a glowing ball.

  ‘Hold still Orin,’ he shouted, and watched as her body went limp. He could see the fear in her jet black eyes. He let the ball of light fly towards the Spriggan’s arm. This time he dropped his prize.

  ‘Run Orin… over here,’ shouted Motley.

  ‘Take her up to my room and stay there,’ ordered Jack. ‘I’ll deal with this lot.’

  Motley and Orin disappeared. Jack turned to face the three intruders. The middle one was hopping wildly around the kitchen holding his arm and wailing. He was dragging the other two behind him. If Jack was to do anything he had to do it now while they were confused and tangled by the rope. He’d managed to toss the Bogie out of the bush by waving his wand. It might work again if he tried it on the Spriggans. He pointed it at the Spriggans’ feet and willed them back into the hole. To his amazement the three little creatures shot across the kitchen floor and disappeared into the tunnel.

  ‘Close!’ Jack commanded the gaping hole in the floor. It sealed itself instantly. No one would ever know the floor had been damaged. Jack put his wand in his pocket and turned on the light as Grandad came in through the door. The kitchen was a bit of a mess.

  ‘That fox got into the greenhouse,’ grumbled Grandad as soon as he saw Jack. ‘Dug a great hole right under the plant pots. It’s taken me ages to fill it in but I can’t have it damaging any more of my vegetables.’

  Grandad looked at the mess and smelt the air.

  ‘It’s been in here too. That’s my fault for leaving the back door open.’

  ‘I’ll help you clear it up.’

  ‘No it’s alright. You get yourself back off to bed and I’ll sort this lot out.’

  When Jack got back to his room Motley and Orin were sitting on the table. Orin looked shaken. Jack held his wand so he could talk to Motley.

  ‘They’ve gone.’

  ‘They’ll be back but not tonight… hope you don’t mind Jack… called the guards in… not safe to go back out yet.’

  Jack looked towards the window. He could see several tails hanging below the curtain.

  ‘That’s OK, you can all come out.’

  As the rats jumped one by one from the window ledge onto the table Motley introduced them.

  ‘Morris… Fergus… Raggs… Berry… Lester… Podge… Midge.’

  ‘Pleased to meet you,’ said Jack and nodded back to each of them as they nodded to him.

  ‘All right if we keep watch from the window tonight?’ Motley asked.

  ‘Of course you can, but if Grandad comes in make sure you pull your tails up.’

  ‘Have to wake you early… you’ll need to let us out,’ replied Motley. ‘We’ll give Nora a full report in the morning.’

  Jack could see that Orin was still shaking.

  ‘Orin can sleep on my pillow,’ he told Motley. ‘She’s too upset to keep watch.’

  ‘Orin isn’t in the watch… only ever eight of us… usually make a circle so we’ve got every angle covered.’

  Motley and the rest of the Night Guards took up their positions around the circular table, each with their backs facing inwards and their faces out.

  ‘Like a compass!’ exclaimed Jack.

  ‘Bright boy,’ replied Motley. ‘I find North, the rest know where to stand… last thing we do is link tails.’

  Jack watched as they all intertwined their tails in the centre.

  ‘Precaution… no one can snatch us without the others knowing… easier to give them a jog too if they fall asleep,’ added Motley giving a quick pull on his tail. Seven other tails moved and seven backs straightened up.

  ‘Night watch… dismiss.’

  Jack watched as the rats saluted Motley then scampered back onto the window ledge. Motley gave Orin one more stern look.

  ‘Hope that’s a lesson to you!’

  ‘I’m sorry. I won’t do it again,’ she whispered.

  ‘Don’t allow females on the watch… too dangerous… their pelts are softer… make better hats.’

  Orin eventually stopped shaking and settled down on Jack’s pillow. As Jack’s eyes adjusted to the darkness he could see eight small silhouettes on the window ledge. He didn’t understand what Orin whispered in his ear but her soft velvety tongue licked his cheek several times before she curled up into a ball.

  Jack lay awake for ages. Somehow he had to get rid of the fear in his heart or the ritual wouldn’t work. Eventually he came to a decision. Tomorrow afternoon, instead of going through the gap in the hedge and coming straight home from Ewell House, he’d go further along. He’d try and open the Yews. He needed to find his way back into Glasruhen Forest. If anyone would understand and be able to help, Arrana would. He had to see her again before Nora performed the ritual.

  PREPARATIONS

  ‘Motley told us how brave you were last night,’ Elan said excitedly when Jack walked into the kitchen.

  ‘I was only helping out.’

  ‘You saved Orin. I don’t call that just helping out,’ replied Nora. ‘Motley saw what you did in the kitchen and he was very impressed and grateful. Poor Orin wouldn’t have survived if it hadn’t been for you.’

  Jack’s cheeks were burning. He felt proud but also embarrassed.

  ‘Should I have sent you a message? It was very late.’

  ‘You didn’t leave anything for us to do,’ laughed Nora. ‘Besides the trees keep me informed and the Night Guard report here every morning.’

  Elan laughed. ‘Nora gives them breakfast but don’t tell Camelin. He’d only get jealous.’

  ‘I won’t,’ promised Jack. He could imagine exactly what Camelin would say if he knew. ‘Motley said he thought the Spriggans would be back. What do you think they were after?’

  ‘Oh anything and everything,’ replied Nora. ‘We haven’t had a Spriggan problem for a long time. They’ll think twice about coming back to your house after last night. They don’t like magic.’

  ‘But they do like to sneak around looking for anything valuable,’ explained Elan. ‘They prefer precious stones, silver or gold, but they’re just as likely to steal your dustbin.’

  ‘Of course they don’t see it as stealing, just taking back what they think belongs to them. Like Gnomes they have underground kingdoms. Whatever comes from the earth they consider is theirs,’ continued Nora, ‘but it looks like they were hunting rats last night and they won’t be very pleased to have lost such a valuable one.’

  Jack was relieved they hadn’t been after Nora’s golden acorn.

  ‘The Spriggans were arguing over Orin. One of them said she was for Him, and Motley said she’d be for their chief. Do you know who he is?’

  ‘That would be Chief Knuckle. He’s the oldest but probably not the wisest Spriggan. They say he has a cloak made from the fur of pure white rabbits. I imagine he’d have loved a white hat to match. Rat pelts have a built-in candle-holder, which is very useful for a Spriggan.’

  ‘Motley explained that to me last night. They were roped together. Is that so they don’t get lost in the tunnels?’

  ‘Oh, goodness no!’ exclaimed Nora. ‘That’s for safety; a Spriggan left on it’s own turns into a giant and that could be dangerous for anyone close by. A gigantic Spriggan could crush anything in its way without even knowing what he’d done. They’re not the brightest of creatures.’

  ‘Nasty little creatures if you’re talking about Bogies,’ said Camelin as he shuf
fled into the kitchen.

  ‘We were discussing Spriggans,’ Nora informed him.

  ‘Ergh! They’re even worse. You’d recognise one immediately, covered in dirt, great wide mouth, always grinning and at what I’ve no idea. You can usually smell them first. I swear they never have a bath.’

  ‘Jack saw three last night in his kitchen,’ continued Nora.

  ‘He was brilliant,’ interrupted Elan. ‘Saved Motley’s little sister and sent the Spriggans back to where they’d come from.’

  ‘Why didn’t anyone tell me? Why do I always miss all the good stuff?’

  ‘Probably because you spend too much time in that basket of yours in the loft,’ laughed Nora.

  ‘You should have sent me a signal,’ Camelin said to Jack. ‘Can you do an owl?’

  Camelin threw back his head and hooted loudly.

  ‘That’s the call of the raven owl; at night it means there’s a problem. We’ll practice it sometime. Any more trouble and I can come and sort it out for you.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Jack replied, ‘I wasn’t alone last night. The Night Guard were with me.’

  ‘Fat lot of good they’d be if there were Spriggans around. Bet their little legs were shaking like jellies.’

  Camelin started to laugh and wobble his spindly legs until he saw Nora’s face.

  ‘Any more of that and you can go back to your loft,’ she said sternly.

  Jack thought he’d better change the subject.

  ‘I came to ask you what time I should arrive tomorrow night. It didn’t say on the invitation. Grandad says I should ask if I need to wear my best clothes.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter what you wear,’ replied Nora.

  Camelin began to snigger and everyone looked at him.

  ‘He won’t need any clothes at the Raven’s Bowl.’

  ‘You’re not being very helpful,’ Nora said and gave Camelin another stern look. She turned to Jack. ‘It’s more important that you’re ready for the ritual.’

  ‘Don’t forget to bring the golden acorn with you,’ added Elan.

  ‘Is it your birthday tomorrow?’ Jack asked.

  ‘No,’ she laughed. ‘We just needed a good excuse to invite you to stay.’

  ‘Can we go now?’ asked Camelin.

  ‘Go where?’ enquired Nora.

  ‘Upstairs. There’s something I need to do with Jack before tomorrow.’

  Nora and Elan looked puzzled but Camelin wasn’t saying any more. Jack shrugged his shoulders. He had no idea what Camelin wanted either.

  ‘That’s fine,’ said Nora. ‘We’ll see you later.’

  Once they were in the loft Camelin shuffled to the far corner and brought the bottom of the old pizza box over to Jack. He’d neatly pecked it away from the lid. There were bits of tomato smeared on it and what could once have been a mushroom. Camelin flipped it over and looked at Jack.

  ‘I want you to make me a sign. It’s got to say keep out. I don’t want Nora or Elan coming up. I’ve been practicing my letters and I don’t want them to find out.’

  Camelin went back for the lid and showed Jack what he’d done. There were three wobbly pictures of a jelly, a pie and a long stick.

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘It’s you… j for jelly, a for apple pie and k for kebab.’

  ‘But you’ve drawn a stick!’

  ‘I copied it from this one,’ replied Camelin as he rummaged around and triumphantly produced a grubby bamboo skewer. ‘I only keep this bit. I eat the rest.’

  Jack wanted to laugh but Camelin was being very serious.

  ‘You need a cake in there too, like this.’

  Jack drew the cake in between the apple and the kebab stick and wrote the letters of his name underneath.

  ‘Will you make my sign?’

  ‘Not a problem, but we’ll need two holes at the top and some string to put through the holes so I can hang it up.’

  Camelin swiftly stood on the lid and used the end of his beak to make two holes, one quite a lot bigger than the other. He skipped off into the corner again to look for some string, whilst Jack took the pencil Camelin had left him and wrote in large capital letters…

  KEEP OUT

  ‘That’s great. You can put it up on your way out and I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ve got things to do.’

  ‘Things?’

  ‘I’ve got to look my best for the party. Got some serious preening to do and all my claws to clean. No time to chat today.’

  ‘See you tomorrow then,’ said Jack as he hung the sign in the middle of the ladder where it couldn’t be missed.

  Nora and Elan seemed surprised when he came back to the kitchen alone.

  ‘Camelin’s got things to do,’ explained Jack. ‘Grooming I think.’

  ‘He’s so vain,’ said Elan. ‘He’s always looking at himself in the mirror.’

  ‘He told me how he’d got his scar yesterday.’

  ‘That’s good,’ said Nora and nodded. ‘That means he trusts you.’

  ‘Do you mind if I go now? I’ve sort of got some things I need to do before tomorrow too.’

  ‘Not at all. We’ll see you here about 6 o’clock.’

  ‘I’ve got to come to the front door, Grandad said.’

  ‘I’m sure Camelin will keep a lookout for you. We’ll see you tomorrow. I think we’ve all got things we need to do,’ smiled Nora.

  Jack made his way down to the bottom of the garden. He looked to see if anyone was watching. Instead of going through the gap in the hedge he went and stood in front of the yews. He took his wand out of his bag and held it firmly. Once the rough bark had become smooth he stood very still and concentrated. He willed the yews to open. Nothing happened. He held the wand higher and took a deep breath.

  ‘Open,’ he commanded.

  The yews remained closed. Maybe he ought to raise both hands as Nora had done. He was about to try when some of the branches parted. A small nut-brown face shook its head.

  ‘You can’t come through without permission.’

  ‘I wanted to see Arrana. I mean, Arrana the Wise, Protector and Most Sacred of All.’

  ‘You still need permission and you’re going to have to wait until I get an answer. It’s already been sent. Please wait.’

  The head disappeared and Jack realised he was still standing with his wand in mid-air. He busied himself and put his backpack on but kept the wand out in case the yews opened. It wasn’t long before he saw the message returning. It came rustling through the trees and stopped at the great yews in front of him. The head reappeared.

  ‘Follow me.’

  As Jack stepped forward the trees creaked and groaned. They only parted slightly, just enough for Jack to step onto the path. Once he was through they closed behind him. He looked around to find out whose face he’d seen. Behind the first tree was a tall willowy woman. Her long golden hair almost touched the bottom of her flowing robe. She had a circlet of flowers on her head and a belt of ivy twisted around her waist. She smiled at Jack and beckoned him forward. Her feet hardly touched the ground as she flitted from tree to tree. When they reached the end of the yew tunnel she stepped inside the trunk of a large beech tree and disappeared. The trees ahead rustled and another Dryad stepped out. She was similar to the first except her hair was silver and she wore a pale grey gown.

  ‘This way,’ she beckoned.

  She led Jack into Glasruhen and left him where the oak trees began. The faces of the Dryads he’d seen on his first visit peered at him from behind the trunks of the gnarled trees. They darted in and out of the oaks and flitted on and off the path. Jack followed them deeper and deeper into Glasruhen. His thoughts went back to Newton Gill. It must have been exactly like this before their Hamadryad faded into nothingness and became a hollow tree. He understood why the Gnarles were so lonely and missed the Dryads.

  They led him to the clearing; it wasn’t long before he stood in front of Arrana again. He bowed low and held the golden acorn flat on his palm towards the Hamadryad. He
didn’t speak aloud. He spoke with his heart as he had before.

  ‘Arrana the Wise, Protector and Most Sacred of All, I need your help.’

  Jack watched as the trunk of the massive oak shivered and quaked. He heard the Dryads whispering. As the trunk became a blur, everyone, including Jack, held their breath until Arrana towered above them. She smiled and nodded.

  ‘You’ve done well since I saw you last. You’ve shown compassion and great courage. You’ve used the twig I gave you well.’

  ‘I don’t want to fail you.’

  ‘You won’t.’

  ‘But I’m afraid. I don’t think I’m going to be able to fly.’

  ‘You’ll feel differently when you’ve been transformed. Camelin felt exactly the same at first. He had to learn to fly without anyone to teach him. He spent the first few months on Nora’s shoulder. He was so frightened he wouldn’t even try.’

  ‘But Camelin doesn’t mind heights.’

  ‘And neither will you. Once you’re a raven you’ll have the instincts of a bird. You won’t feel like a boy.’

  Arrana’s words made Jack feel a lot better. If the ritual worked he’d overcome his fear. If Camelin had, he could too.

  ‘The ritual will work if you want to be a raven with all your heart.’

  ‘I do. I want to save you.’

  Jack remembered the Gnori, the hollowness and emptiness of the dead tree. Tears ran down his face.

  ‘I don’t want you to become a hollow tree or the forest to die. I don’t want Nora to die either. I want this to work with all my heart.’

  ‘And so it will Jack Brenin.’

  The forest erupted with song. Jack turned to see the Dryads. He could hear their beautiful voices, only this time he understood their song. They were singing about him! When he turned around to thank Arrana she was gone. The Dryads parted for Jack to reach the pathway and return home.

  They kept him company until he reached the gap in the hedge. He quickly darted past so no one would see, but Elan called to him from the other side of the hedge. Jack froze. How could he have been so stupid? Nora would have known straight away he’d been through the yews. He knew how Camelin felt now.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ he said as he entered the garden.