The Jack Brenin Collection

by Catherine Cooper

  Jack lay back on the pillow and thought about Max. It was hard to imagine him without his beautifully groomed hair.

  The snores coming from the end of the corridor told Jack his grandad was sound asleep. He didn’t want to leave anything to chance. If he could summon the crystal and ask to be taken to Elidon he could tell it exactly where he wanted to go. He closed his eyes and thought of Glasruhen Hill. When he felt himself drifting off to sleep he opened his palm and tried to visualise his crystal but nothing happened. He tried again and again. His only hope was to fall asleep and be transported to Elidon in his dream, as he had been before. Jack felt his body relax, his arms and legs felt heavy and finally his eyes slowly closed.

  ‘What happened last night? You didn’t go back without me, did you?’ Camelin asked as soon as Jack walked into the kitchen at Ewell House.

  ‘It wouldn’t work, I tried but nothing happened. I came over early to see if Nora might have an explanation. Do you know where she is? I don’t think I’ve got long before Techno’s due to arrive.’

  ‘She’s gone over to the island to take everyone their breakfast. You should see how much the goslings have grown.’

  ‘I’d love to but not just now. I need to be here for Techno.’

  ‘Techno this, Techno that, hasn’t he got a proper name?’

  ‘It’s Praket Kawle,’ said Elan as she placed a basket full of tomatoes, lettuce and radishes onto the table.

  ‘Not salad for lunch!’ grumbled Camelin.

  ‘With homemade quiche,’ replied Elan.

  Jack watched Camelin’s eyes grow big.

  ‘Well that’s different.’

  Elan ignored him and turned to Jack.

  ‘Is everything alright?’

  ‘Not really, I couldn’t summon the crystal or get back to Elidon last night.’

  ‘Crystal magic chooses its own path. You’ll be taken back when the time is right for you to go.’

  ‘And me,’ said Camelin, ‘I get to go too, Kerne said I could.’

  Jack felt helpless. There was nothing he could do to hurry events along. What if he failed? What if he never got back to Elidon? He tried to put the nagging doubts out of his head.

  ‘When’s the buggy going to be finished?’ asked Camelin.

  Elan looked surprised.

  ‘I didn’t think you were interested in the buggy.’

  ‘I’m not, I just want things to get back to normal around here and the sooner the buggy’s finished the sooner all the visitors will be gone.’

  ‘Grandad says it will be ready to test at the weekend,’ said Jack.

  ‘We’d better get going,’ said Elan. ‘Your grandad must be on his way by now.’

  Camelin looked crossly at Jack before shuffling out of the patio doors.

  ‘He’ll be fine when it’s all over,’ said Elan.

  Jack nodded in agreement. He felt the same. He knew he’d feel a lot better when the buggy and the race were both finished, and more importantly, his quest completed. He followed Elan down the path to the shed. Grandad and Techno came through the front gate together happily chatting. Although Jack couldn’t hear them, he could guess what they were discussing.

  Jack offered to help Nora make lunch again. He felt more at home in the kitchen than he did in the workshop.

  ‘Everything will be fine, you’ll see,’ Nora told him.

  ‘If I knew the right question to ask my Book of Shadows I’m sure I’d get the answer. I’d just feel happier if I knew what to do or when to do it.’

  ‘Have you got your Book with you?’

  Jack nodded.

  ‘Off you go down to the library, you won’t be disturbed in there. There’s a chapter about Elidon you might like to read. Just ask for information about the Land of Shadow and I’m sure your Book will give you an answer.’

  ‘What about lunch?’

  ‘It’s fine. I can manage. If I’m running late I’ve got a very effective spell I can use.’

  Jack and Nora both laughed. He didn’t doubt Nora could have lunch ready in a couple of minutes if she needed to. He picked up his rucksack from by the dresser and made his way down the corridor to Nora’s library. He opened the double doors and stepped into one of his favourite rooms. Sunlight streamed in through the windows. Tiny dust particles danced and swirled inside the shaft of light. Jack loved the feel and smell of the old leather-bound books. He sat down and placed his Book on the table. For a few moments he let the peaceful atmosphere of the room wash over him before closing his eyes. He placed his hand on his Book and whispered.

  ‘Tell me about the Land of Shadows.’

  His hand jerked away from the Book as the cover flew open. The pages turned rapidly until they arrived at the chapter on Elidon. After a general introduction the chapter was divided by sub-headings. Jack was able to find the relevant information easily. He didn’t have time to look at the whole chapter, but he knew enough from the little he’d read. To enter Elidon again he must use his crystal and he’d only be allowed to return at the same time too. Both he and Camelin were going to have to wait until Saturday night and then the Saturday after for their next two visits. This was the rule for all visitors who wished to return, and there were no exceptions. Jack sighed as he closed his book. He took one last look at the bookshelves before putting his Book inside his rucksack. He closed the library doors and went back to join Nora in the kitchen.

  ‘Did you find the information you needed?’

  Jack nodded.

  ‘Not good news then?’ asked Nora.

  ‘We can’t go back until Saturday night.’

  ‘At least you know and won’t be worrying about it now. Lunch is ready. Will you go and fetch the others?’

  Jack smiled and nodded a lot during lunch as the others told Nora how far they’d progressed. He hoped the others hadn’t noticed his disappointment; he didn’t want them to think it was anything to do with the buggy. It was going to be a long wait until the weekend.

  Jack woke early on Saturday. He spent most of the morning lost in thoughts of Elidon. After lunch, a knock on the front door announced the arrival of Techno and his dad. Jack wrote a message to Elan, in his Book of Shadows, to tell her it was time to go. He waited for her to arrive at the kitchen door. He could see she was excited as she ran up the garden. They joined Techno at the front of the house. Jack had expected they’d all be waiting for them but as he closed the gate he could see the buggy was still on the pavement. It seemed to take forever to get the buggy safely onto the back of the trailer. Jack watched as Grandad and Techno’s dad secured and padded it. They pushed and shook it until they were satisfied it wasn’t going to be damaged. Thankfully the journey to Monument Hill didn’t take long.

  Once the buggy was unloaded everyone except Techno’s dad made their way to the top of the hill. He stayed at the bottom to signal to Grandad when to let the buggy go so he could start the stopwatch.

  Jack and Elan insisted Techno went in the buggy first. Jack wasn’t happy when he saw how fast the buggy sped down the hill.

  ‘That should be a great time,’ Grandad shouted, as Techno pulled the buggy back to the top of the hill.

  ‘Now you Jack,’ said Techno, as he passed him the crash helmet.

  Jack didn’t say a word; he looked pleadingly at Elan as he offered it to her.

  ‘Thanks Jack. I won’t be long.’

  Elan also sped down the hill. Jack swallowed hard. He knew he’d not be able to get out of having a go.

  ‘Well done,’ Grandad said when she reached the top of the hill. ‘There you go, Jack, put the helmet on. It’s your turn now.’

  Jack reluctantly climbed into the seat. Grandad strapped him in and checked the seat belt was secure. He felt a jerk as Elan and Techno released the buggy. The ground rose up and down as he sped along. His stomach churned. He closed his eyes but quickly opened them again as it made him feel worse. Thankfully he was almost at the finish. The buggy was no longer pointing downwards. It slowed, and eventually st
opped. Techno’s dad helped Jack undo the safety belt. He could feel himself trembling as he stepped out of the buggy.

  ‘Are you alright?’ asked Techno’s dad.

  ‘I am now, thank you.’

  He gave Jack a piece of paper.

  ‘Take this up to your grandad for me. It’s got all your times on.’

  Jack took his time as he pulled the buggy back up the hill. That was the last time he ever needed to race. When he joined Elan and Techno at the top Grandad gave them their positions.

  ‘You were in third place Jack, Elan was second and Techno first.’

  ‘Well done,’ said Jack, ‘really well done, you deserve it.’

  ‘Best of three?’ said Grandad.

  ‘Not for me,’ replied Jack. ‘It should just be between Elan and Techno.’

  ‘Are you sure? You might pick up a bit more speed if you have another go.’

  ‘I’m sure,’ replied Jack. The thought of going down the hill even faster was not appealing.

  By the end of the afternoon Techno was the clear winner of the time trials. Elan had proved herself the strongest by being the only one who could push the buggy uphill without any problems. Jack felt relieved. He also felt grateful to Techno because if he’d not been on the team Jack would have been in the driving seat on race day.

  As they drove back to Glasruhen, Jack blocked out the excited chatter about the way the buggy had handled. His thoughts were elsewhere. He was impatient for the day to end. He had a return journey to make to Elidon before morning.

  RETURN TO ELIDON

  Jack woke with a start. He was lying on his back; he knew he was back in Elidon. He felt for the leather thong around his neck. He’d put the hag stone on at bedtime and it was still there. He was glad he’d remembered, especially since he didn’t seem to have much control over when, or how, he returned to the Land of Shadow. He hoped Camelin had remembered to put his on too.

  Jack lay for a few moments until he felt completely awake. As he moved slightly he heard the rustle of dead leaves underneath his back. Was he in Newton Gill forest again? The only way to find out was to open his eyes. He expected to see bare branches but above him was the canopy of an enormous tree. Through the dense leaves he could see a darkened sky.

  Jack stood up and visualised his black tracksuit and trainers. His pyjamas and slippers transformed instantly. He wondered if he ought to materialise himself an umbrella too but decided he’d leave that to Camelin. Jack tried to orientate himself and work out his exact position. He was somewhere in Glasruhen Forest, but he didn’t know exactly where. It was time to summon Camelin. He closed his eyes and whispered his name but nothing happened. How had he summoned him before? He’d wished for him to be there. Again Jack closed his eyes, and said the words in his head, I wish Camelin were here by my side. A rustling of leaves and a jolt on his arm told Jack his wish had been granted.

  ‘You took your time,’ grumbled Camelin as he shook his hair and straightened his back, ‘I’ve been up for hours, waiting for you to call me.’

  Jack watched as Camelin visualised his clothes. He was relieved to see the yellow sou’wester hadn’t re-appeared even though the wellingtons had. Jack tried not to laugh when he saw Camelin standing in a pair of black leather trousers, a jacket that was zipped up to his neck and matching gloves. Jack thought it was an improvement on the previous outfit until the umbrella appeared, swiftly followed by a clothes peg on the end of Camelin’s nose. Jack burst out laughing.

  ‘What’s so funny?’

  Jack laughed even harder. The peg had drastically altered Camelin’s voice.

  ‘The peg,’ Jack managed to blurt out as he clutched his sides.

  ‘Why? Didn’t you bring one?’

  Jack managed to compose himself so he could speak again.

  ‘No, what would I want a peg for?’

  ‘You said we’ve got to go to the cave at the bottom of Glasruhen Hill, you know, the one where the Hag lives. I’m not going in any Hag cave without some body and nose protection. I’ve got a spare if you want?’

  ‘It’s OK thanks. Why don’t you take it off for now and you can put it back on later if the cave smells.’

  ‘If! What d’you mean if the cave smells? It’s a Hag cave, it IS going to smell.’

  ‘Maybe the hag stone will stop the smell.’

  ‘Humph! Please yourself, I’m keeping mine on.’

  Jack didn’t speak for a few moments until he was sure he wouldn’t start laughing again.

  ‘Do you know where we are, or more importantly, do you know where we have to go?’

  ‘Didn’t you ask your Book of Shadows? You’ve had all week and you didn’t find out where the cave is.’

  ‘Did you?’

  ‘I didn’t but I already know where it is.’

  ‘Do you think you could lead the way? I did hope we might be able to get this piece of the torc back tonight.’

  ‘If we do, can we come back and have a bit of fun next time?’

  ‘This isn’t the kind of place to be having fun. Don’t you remember what Kerne said, we don’t want to meet any men here, especially one man in particular.’

  ‘I know, but you get to be a boy and a raven. I had to choose. These three visits are my only chance to be a boy again; we didn’t get to have any fun last time. Please, Jack, if we get the torc tonight, please say we can come back again.’

  Jack felt awful. Camelin was right. He could transform into a raven at any time. He had the best of both worlds but Camelin didn’t.

  ‘Alright, but only as long as we choose somewhere safe to visit.’

  ‘Aw Jack! You’re the best pal in all three worlds.’

  ‘Lead on, we’re wasting time.’

  Camelin licked his finger and held it up above his head.

  ‘This way,’ he pronounced as he spun around.

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘’Course I am.’

  ‘And you can tell from licking your finger?’

  ‘Naw, I’ve seen people do it when they’re testing which way the wind’s blowing; I know which way to go, follow me.’

  Camelin chose a path through the trees. Occasionally Jack caught a glimpse of the top of Glasruhen. They seemed to be walking around the base of the hill in an anticlockwise direction. The only sound was the crunching of old leaves and twigs beneath their feet, and the squeaking of Camelin’s leather clothes.

  ‘Are we nearly there?’ asked Jack.

  ‘We’d have been here a lot quicker if you’d known where we were going. You could have just wished us there.’

  Jack made a mental note to plan more carefully in future. Camelin stopped suddenly, held his finger to his lips and pointed towards a rock face that was partially hidden by a tangle of brambles, and some small bushes.

  ‘It’s over there,’ he mouthed.

  Jack nodded and made his way towards the brambles. The entrance had to be somewhere in the rock face. As soon as he stepped around the thorny thicket he could see an opening. He approached the entrance as quietly as he could. Even though he knew he was going to be invisible, he didn’t want to make the Hag suspicious. He inched his way along the wall then listened carefully. A rasping sound echoed around the inside of the cave. The Hag was at home. Jack took one step in front of the entrance and gagged. The smell coming from the inside was revolting. He swallowed hard and made his way back to Camelin as quickly as he could.

  ‘I think I’ll have that spare peg, if you don’t mind.’

  Camelin smirked as he partially opened his umbrella, fished inside and triumphantly produced the peg.

  ‘The Hag’s asleep,’ Jack whispered, once the peg had clamped his nostrils together. ‘With any luck, we’ll be able to find the piece of torc and be out of there before she wakes up. Come on, I need your help.’

  They retraced Jack’s steps. Before Jack stepped inside he took a deep gulp of fresh air. Once inside the cave, it took a few moments for their eyes to adjust to the darkness. The only light w
as coming from a badly made stone hearth. A few embers still glowed inside the circle of large stones. The snoring came from the left-hand side of the cave. Jack doubted the Hag would sleep with the torc in her hair and reasoned she’d probably have put it on a table close to the bed. He started walking in the direction of the snores. Camelin followed. The squeaking sound from Camelin’s leather trousers seemed louder inside the cave, it could quite easily have been mistaken for a mouse. Camelin stopped abruptly and stood very still when the Hag stirred. She coughed noisily as she rose before shuffling towards a huge pile of rubbish. She cocked her head on one side and listened intently before her long nose began twitching.

  ‘Mmm! I hear meeses… must be breakfast time! Here meesy, meesy, meesy,’ the Hag cackled as she searched underneath a pile of bones.

  Jack and Camelin froze when she moved closer to them. She sniffed the air close to Camelin’s head before turning her attention back to finding what she thought was a mouse. She kicked the debris on the floor and bent over to sniff around the bed. Jack was grateful Camelin had brought the pegs; even in the dimly lit cave he could see clouds of dust rise. He knew the smell would have been unbearable. He also knew he needed to take another lungful of air. His plan had been to return to the cave mouth each time he ran out of breath but he didn’t want to move and alert the Hag to his presence. He took a deep breath, then immediately wished he hadn’t. The taste of rotting fish and mouldy mushrooms in his mouth made him want to cough. His cheeks puffed out as he choked back the taste. Jack could see Camelin was having the same problem.

  ‘Come out little meesy, Devorah Dytch wants to meet you!’

  The Hag almost kicked Camelin’s wellington as she continued to disturb the rubbish on the floor with her long toed boots. Jack put his hand over his mouth and crept over to where the Hag had been sleeping. It was too dark to see anything. He contemplated trying to summon the crystal but then the Hag would know they were there. As she neared the entrance, a shaft of moonlight shone onto the cave wall. Devorah stood in front of a stone basin full of water and peered into it. As she looked at her reflection she stroked her cheeks.