by Nancy M Bell
She returned his embrace and then stepped back to take a better look. “You look great, Gort. And you don’t stutter anymore, that’s awesome.” It was on the tip of her tongue to ask if he’d already met Gramma Bella, too, but Aisling grabbed the bag slung over Laurel’s shoulder and heaved it into the car.
“Get a move on. Coll can’t stay parked here very long without getting pinched.”
Gort took the suitcase and crammed it into the tiny trunk of the car before he and Aisling scrambled into the rear seat. Laurel hesitated on the pavement, suddenly shy now Coll was right in front of her.
“Hurry up,” Gort shouted. “We’re blocking traffic.”
Laurel ducked into the passenger seat beside Coll. “Hey,” she greeted him. “Thanks for picking me up.” She turned to smile at him. He kept his eyes straight ahead and didn’t look at her.
He muttered something in response to her greeting but she couldn’t make out what it was.
“Nice to see you again, too.” She loaded the words with as much sarcasm as she could muster.
“He’s just concentrating on driving, didn’t mean to be rude, did you, Coll?” Gort tried to play peacekeeper.
Laurel shook her head and turned her attention to the countryside as they passed the Marazion Marsh and bird sanctuary. The conical shape of Saint Michael’s Mount appeared to float on the high tide. Something about the place drew her to it.
“We should make sure to visit Saint Michael’s Mount before I leave.” Laurel spoke over her shoulder to Ash.
“Agreed, maybe we’ll see Corm again,” Aisling replied.
“Do you guys know anything about somebody being in trouble? Like I explained on the phone, Ally, Gramma’s neighbor, said she was sure someone was in trouble and Gramma was going to help sort it out.” Laurel turned as far as the seatbelt would allow so she could look at the passengers in the rear. They were sitting close to each other with their fingers entwined. She smiled and raised an eyebrow at Ash. Her friend grinned back at her.
“Ash can probably answer that better than anyone,” Coll said, breaking his silence.
“You remember Gwin Scawen, don’t you, Laurel?” Aisling began.
“Of course, I remember him. How is he mixed up in this?”
“Gwin got himself in some kind of trouble, playing tricks on humans that weren’t very nice. Actually, they were kind of funny in a mean sort of way, but he never meant no harm by it. Anyway, the Council of Kernow called a meeting and Vear Du went to speak for Gwin. It might have been better if he’d steered well clear of it, ‘cause some of the council members have it in for the selkie over something that happened a long time ago.”
“Did Gwin get off?” Laurel hated the thought of the little man being punished.
“Gwin did, but Vear Du didn’t. They’ve banished him from interacting with humans. Since a selkie is part seal and part human, sort of, it’s a pretty harsh penalty.” Ash wiped a tear away.
“What? Does that mean I can’t see him? Even if I use the talisman to call him?” Laurel asked.
“I don’t know. He might be compelled to answer your call, but if he did, I think it wouldn’t go well for him.” Gort broke in.
“Who is on this stupid council?” Laurel demanded.
“I don’t know them all, only the few that Gwin talks about, and they’ll be the ones with little or no power, otherwise he wouldn’t even mention their names in front of a mortal.”
“Did Gramma have a chance to see him before he was banished?”
“I don’t know, you’ll have to ask her when you see her,” Aisling said.
Laurel settled back in her seat and watched the familiar landmarks flash by as Coll negotiated the narrow lanes leading to Sarie’s.
“Are you mad at me about something?” Laurel touched his arm.
Coll glanced over at her, a semblance of a smile twisting his lips.
“I’m not mad at you. It’s just weird to have you back.”
“Weird, how?”
“You look different, older and … I don’t know, just different.” He shrugged and let his words trail off.
“You look different too, you know. And you’re driving, that’s new. You got your license a while ago, I remember you telling me about it. But hearing about it and seeing it are two different things.”
“I guess. What about that bloke at home, are you going around with him?” Coll glared at the rear of the car ahead of them.
“You mean Chance? We hang out some, but his sister is usually there, too. I‘ve known them forever. God! It would be like kissing my brother. Gross!” She studied his profile as he drove. The blurred lines of adolescence had matured into the lean hard lines of the adult he would become. A very handsome man, she realized with shock.
“Oh, so you’re not going out with him? Why does his Facebook status say he’s in a relationship with you?” Coll scowled again.
“Huh, I didn’t know that! Well, it’s only in his own mind. Believe me.”
Coll still didn’t seem to be convinced. Laurel turned and caught Aisling’s attention and raised her shoulders in a helpless gesture.
“Don’t be such a git, mate. Give Laurel a break.” Gort reached forward and punched Coll lightly on the arm.
“Bloody hell, I’m driving, you bleeding eejit,” Coll snarled.
“Ease up, mate. What’s got your knickers in a knot?”
“Can we just call a truce?” Laurel put a hand gently on Coll’s forearm and looked at her two friends in the rear seat. “Please? I’m already on pins and needles about seeing Gramma Bella again. I can’t deal with you guys fighting and arguing with each other.”
Coll grinned ruefully. “Right then, truce,” he agreed.
“It’s about time,” Ash remarked.
“Let’s talk about this later, okay?” Laurel spoke to Coll in a low voice.
He nodded and took his eyes off the road long enough to smile at her.
A few minutes later the Mini bounced up the lane to Sarie’s house. Laurel leaned forward as they rounded the last curve and the house came into view. It was exactly as she remembered it. “It feels like coming home. I can’t wait to see Sarie and Gramma Bella.”
Chapter Eight
The Mini was still rolling when Laurel jumped out and made a bee line for the house. She was scarcely down the path when the door burst open and a vaguely familiar woman hurried toward her. Sarie followed behind, her expression a mixture of happiness and concern.
“Laurel! Is it really you? I can’t hardly believe it.” The woman stopped in front of her and studied Laurel’s face. Laurel halted as well, her emotions threatening to overwhelm her, tears pricked the back of her eyes and her breath hitched in her throat. She raised a trembling hand to push a piece of hair behind her ear and swallowed hard.
“Gramma, Gramma Bella? I missed you so much.” Fighting back the tears, she threw herself into the woman’s open arms.
“My little love, my only granddaughter, I missed you, too,” she crooned in her ear.
Bella seemed reluctant to break the embrace. Laurel tried to take a step away, but the embrace only tightened. Sarie cleared her throat. “Let the child get some air, Bella. There’ll be plenty of time to get to know her. Just now, I want a hug, too.”
Gramma released her, allowing Laurel to hug Sarie. “It’s been too long, lovey. My word, you’ve grown up so much. You look like a young lady now instead of a little girl.” The older woman held her at arms’ length and the heat rose in Laurel’s face under the scrutiny. “Come in the house and have a cuppa. The tea’s steeping and we can have a good natter.”
“It’s good to be back,” Laurel glanced around, “and it is so amazing to see you again, Gramma. I thought you were dead.”
“Why on earth would you think that, child?” Bella appeared stunned.
“Dad and Mom let me believe it. You disappeared so fast, one day you were there, and then you were gone. They were both upset and Mom kept crying when she thought I wasn�
��t around. Dad said you’d gone away to live in a better place. That’s what they told me when my old barn cat died. I was only a little kid, so I never questioned it. Why did you never try to get in touch with me?”
“I promised your father I wouldn’t. A promise I’ve lived to regret bitterly.”
“Let’s go in and enjoy our cuppa. Come along, Bella, you and Laurel can catch up inside,” Sarie urged.
“Where do you want the suitcase?” Coll dragged the large suitcase up the path. Gort and Aisling trailed behind laden down with the rest of her stuff.
“In the spare room at the top of the stairs, across from the one Laurel had last time, please Coll,” Sarie said. “You can put the rest of her things there too.” She nodded at Gort and Aisling.
“Thanks you guys, but really I can cart them upstairs myself,” Laurel protested.
“No worries, glad to do it. You go spend some time with your gramma, just save some cream tea for me.” Gort grinned at her as he went past on the narrow path.
“Cream tea? Yummy, let’s go,” Laurel exclaimed. With Sarie on one side and Bella on the other holding her hand they headed for the front door. Almost before she could blink, Laurel was sitting at the table with a mug of tea in front of her. Coll, Gort, and Aisling pushed through the door from the hall into the kitchen. The old Aga stove radiated a welcome warmth. It was just like old times.
Coll slid into the chair beside Laurel, who caught the amused look that passed between Gort and Aisling. Gramma took the chair across from her. Laurel glanced at Coll when his leg bumped against hers under the table. She was grasping for the right words to say when Bella interrupted her thoughts.
“I suppose you want to know what your dad and I fought over all those years ago,” she said.
“I imagine it was when he found out Grampa D’Arcy wasn’t his real father,” Laurel said bluntly.
Bella gasped, all the colour leaching from her face. “I didn’t realize you knew that.” Her voice was thin as if she couldn’t get enough breath to speak at a normal volume. “Did Anna tell you?”
“No, Vear Du told me,” Laurel informed her.
“When was that? When you were here last, when Anna was so sick?”
Laurel nodded, dismayed by the tears coursing down Bella’s cheeks.
Sarie laid a comforting hand on her friend’s shoulder.
“Does your father know you discovered my secret?”
“Not a chance, he’d go ballistic. Mom knows though, I told her what I found out when I was here last time.”
Coll’s hand curled around hers under the table. Laurel glanced at him and tightened her fingers around his.
“I met Ally, your neighbor in Bragg Creek. Chance drove me up there to find you. She said you left in a hurry and you were upset. Who is in trouble?” Laurel steered the conversation away from her dad. “Is it Vear Du? Ally said you kept muttering ‘oh dear, oh, dear’ but I’m pretty sure you meant Vear. Am I right?”
Laurel jumped, her pulse racing as a small disembodied voice interrupted whatever Bella was planning to say.
“’Tis all my fault, so it is. No one can tell me different.” Gwin Scawen materialized out of thin air, sitting cross legged on the table in front of Aisling.
“Gwin Scawen! Hi, it’s great to see you,” Laurel greeted the piskie.
“Hello, Mistress Laurel. It’s good to see you back in Kernow.”
“What is your fault, what are you talking about?” Laurel asked.
“It’s not really his fault, although he did set the wheels in motion. In the end, the blame rests on the Council,” Aisling replied.
“Not all of them, just a few, but enough to influence the vote,” Sarie said.
“It’s not fair, I’m sure that old witch pressured the weaker members to vote with her.” Ash was vehement, her eyes flashing with anger.
“Oh, do be careful, Mistress Aisling, my flower. The one you speak of has spies everywhere. You don’t want to bring her wrath down on your head,” Gwin Scawen whispered.
“I’m not afraid of her,” Aisling declared.
“Who are you talking about, what council?” Laurel interrupted.
“Maybe you should explain, Bella, seeing as you’ve had to stand before them in the past,” Sarie said.
“It’s not a memory I like to dwell on. But I’ll explain it the best I can,” Bella agreed.
She took Laurel’s hand and smiled at her across the table. Coll tightened his grip on the fingers of Laurel’s other hand.
“I don’t like the sounds of this at all,” he muttered.
“Be quiet,” Laurel hissed at him.
“You should all be well aware, after your adventures last time, that there’s a parallel world that co-exists alongside the one we know. There are those who can slip between the veils that separate us by simply concentrating and taking a step sideways. Everyone at this table is capable of that feat. Creatures and things of magic exist there. It is where most of the legends and myths of the area were born. In order to keep some semblance of balance and keep the inhabitants of that place from wreaking havoc on the mortals, The Council of Elders was formed.” Bella paused and looked at Laurel. “Each region has a Council, our local one is the Council of Kernow, and there is a Grand Council that oversees it all.”
“Who is on this council thing?” Gort interjected.
“The Selkie king and queen, the Mermaid of Padstow, Cormoran and Bottrell for the Giants, Bucca Gwidden and Buca Dhu represent the Knockers, Pobel Vean stands for the rest of the Piskies, the Witches of Logan Rock send a representative when Council is convened. They only assemble when something has gone seriously wrong, something which endangers the balance between the worlds.”
“What did you do?” Coll demanded of Gwin.
“T’was only a small matter, so it t’was, Master Coll.” The leathery little brown man wrung his hands together.
“Or so you thought.” Sarie favoured him with a stern stare. “You caused all kinds of a ruckus, and now someone else is paying the piper instead of you.”
“I know, I know,” he wailed.
“What did he do?” Laurel ignored the piskie who was blubbering on Aisling’s shoulder.
“He thought maybe it would be a good idea to have a piskie hooley down at the Jubilee Pool in Penzance. Invited everyone he knew, and they invited everyone they knew. At some point the revelry got a little out of hand and they started playing pranks on the humans who were there, all unawares that there was a host of piskies underfoot. It went from tipping over tables and chairs to tossing towels into the water. Then someone had the brill idea to allow the humans to see them. They pretty much violated all the rules The Council has mandated.” Sarie scowled at the little man who burrowed his face deeper in Aisling’s shoulder.
“It just sounds like fairly harmless fun,” Laurel defended Gwin.
“Oh, it was only meant in fun, I grant you that. But in all the confusion, a child almost drowned. Got knocked into the water by a bunch of ill-mannered piskies who should never have been there. Those Red Caps are always trouble,” Sarie said.
“Is the kid okay?” Laurel asked.
“Last I heard he was doing fine, still in the hospital in town here.”
“How did Vear Du get mixed up in it,” Gort asked.
“He showed up when Gwin here called for assistance in saving the boy and controlling the mob of little men and women who were fixing to rampage all over Penzance creating as much havoc as possible,” Sarie replied.
“So he saved the kid from drowning and scared off the Red Caps, what’s so bad about that?” A frown creased Gort’s forehead.
“Vear Du used magic to save the child. Something he is forbidden to do in the presence of mortals. It was his second offence and The Council didn’t take kindly to his actions. To them one human more or less isn’t a matter for concern.” Sarie raised her shoulders helplessly and glanced at Bella.
“You don’t need to look at me like that, Sarie! I know I wa
s the cause of his first transgression all that time ago when we were young,” Bella declared.
“Anyway, Gwin got hauled up before the Kernow Council and got raked over the coals, but the real target of their wrath was Vear Du.” Sarie shook her head. “There’s been bad blood between him and some of the local Council ever since he and Bella got together. They’ve just been waiting for him to take a wrong step so they could pounce on it as an excuse to banish him.”
“What so they mean by banish, exactly? Where did they send him?” Ash stroked Gwin’s shoulder and the little man pulled a hanky out of his pocket and blew his long nose with a great deal of honking.
“It means he can no longer interact with humans. The king and queen of Selkies are also angry with him, so he is not welcome in their community either. It is a sore, sad place they have put him in,” Gwin said morosely.
“Did you get to see him before this happened?” Laurel touched Bella’s hand.
“Just once, for a very short time. He must have anticipated how the Council meeting would go. He told me to meet him at Nanjizal on the next new moon. His friend Treagle is always there doomed to fill the bay with sand only to have it washed away again. Treagle has promised to create a diversion of some kind so I can slip through the cleft and be with Vear. I’m not sure how long I will be able to stay, but I haven’t come this far to not straighten things out between us,” Bella replied.
“I could help,” Gwin spoke up.
“Best you lie low. We may need you to speak to Pobel Vean on Vear’s behalf if his request for an appeal is granted. He’s going to need all the support he can get,” Sarie said.
“Aye, he will that,” Gwin agreed.
“What can we do to help?” Laurel and Aisling spoke at the same time.
“Nothing right now. It is a shame that Vear and Bella are parted again now that she’s back in Penzance,” Sarie said.
“I never should have left, I should have defied Da and stayed right here. He had to be mental to think I would ever marry Daniel Treliving.” Bella shivered with disgust.
“Daniel…my Uncle Daniel?” Gort was aghast at the idea.
