by K T Durham
Before Elly realized it, she was nodding. “Okay, I promise.” She desperately didn’t want Edellina to think less of her.
Edellina grinned. “That’s more like it!” Then she pressed something cool into Elly’s palm. It was a small glass vial holding some clear liquid. Elly looked at her quizzically.
Edellina kept her voice to a whisper. “This is something I’ve concocted. It’s a perfume that makes you invisible. You’ll need to put some on before you come meet me in the forest—to pass all those guards and protectors. A lone elfling wandering about so late at night would surely invite suspicion.”
Elly’s jaw dropped open. “How in the world did you learn to make something like this?” She was terrible at concocting potions of any kind, though it was a compulsory subject at the academy. But they hadn’t yet learned how to make the invisibility potion in class.
Edellina laughed softly. “I have my vices, Elly. Now, let’s go get some food!”
She linked her arm through Elly’s as she steered them towards some sweet cakes. Mama was feverishly refilling the platters of food.
Papa was still talking to Kaelan. Apparently, Kaelan’s father had once trained with him; the two were apprentices under the same master. “A fine craftsman he is, your father!” Papa boomed, patting Kaelan on the back.
Elly looked around and finally spotted Mrs Silverwinkle and Grandpapa. They were talking at the back of the room, their heads bent close together, their expressions serious. Elly watched them intently.
Then suddenly they both turned to look in Elly’s direction. Feeling a pang of guilt, Elly quickly looked away. Neither of them had been smiling.
CHAPTER FOUR
The Portal
The party had been a blast. Everyone seemed to have a good time except the Three Flamingos, who spent most of the evening running away from Luca. Elly noticed that Mama hadn’t really tried to stop him.
Elly blushed and giggled to herself as she recalled her dance with Kaelan. She had not been a wallflower tonight after all. As the guests were trickling out, heavy with food and drink, Kaelan went up to her and whispered, “Goodnight, Elly. See you in class tomorrow.” Darrius had given her the most withering look.
Elly smiled. For the first time, she was actually looking forward to going to school. Except… as Mrs Silverwinkle was leaving, she asked Elly to see her early the next morning. “Come find me at the fountain as soon as you get to school, dear,” she said with a smile, looking pale and tired.
Elly frowned. What did Mrs Silverwinkle want with her? She couldn’t be in trouble… could she? Mrs Silverwinkle couldn’t possibly know what she and Edellina were up to.
Then she looked up anxiously at the moon. It was almost time. It’s just a peek.
She went into her parents’ room, leapt onto their large hammock and hugged them tightly, thanking them for a wonderful party.
Mama grinned mischievously. “Tomorrow morning, you have to tell me all about that nice boy you danced with! Very handsome, too.”
Papa cleared his throat. “It’s perfectly fine to be friends with Kaelan, Elly. I’ll cut him some slack since his father and I once trained under the same master. It’s tragic, what happened to Kaelan’s mother all those years ago. It must have been a grievous loss to bear.”
He sighed, then smiled and wagged a finger at her. “I expect Kaelan to be a perfect gentleman around you. Let me know otherwise.” Elly giggled and kissed them both goodnight before bouncing out.
She waited until the light went out in their room and Papa’s gentle snores could be heard. Then she tiptoed to her room, took out the vial that Edellina had given her, and looked into the mirror. “Here goes nothing,” she muttered. She unscrewed the tiny cork on the vial and sniffed at the perfume. It did smell rather nice—a mixture of lavender and some sort of spice. Then she dabbed some onto her neck, feeling very grown up. Mama wore fragrance like this, and she insisted that Elly was still too young for it.
Marlow was looking at her solemnly. Then he squawked and his eyes flashed.
Elly looked into the mirror and gasped. She could not see her reflection. The perfume had worked! She was invisible!
Excitedly, she blew out the candles in her room and peered out of the window into the quiet night. The stars were nowhere to be seen in the unusually murky sky.
Though she was invisible, Marlow could still follow her scent. He moved closer to her and squawked unhappily.
“I’ll be back very soon,” she soothed, stroking his neck. ‘Promise me you’ll keep quiet and wait for me to come back?”
Marlow gazed at her, imploring her to stay. He did not like it that Elly had suddenly become invisible, and now she was going off to meet Edellina so late at night. They were definitely up to no good! Marlow shook his head vigorously.
“Please, Marlow,” she pleaded, “I’ll be fine, don’t worry! Wait here for me.”
Without another word, she leapt off the windowsill and made her way down the rope ladder into the darkness. She did a double take when she saw that there were about half a dozen protectors on watch very close to the Celendis House. Elly looked around, perplexed. Why was her home suddenly under such tight security?
But she was too excited and nervous to think about it more. As she walked past the protectors as soundlessly as she could, she thought she heard a couple of them sniffing at the air. She breathed a sigh of relief once she stepped into the Celestan Forest. She had done it!
Elly snapped her fingers. A group of fireflies appeared and flew ahead of her, lighting up the way as she walked. The chirping of cicadas grew louder as she meandered through the dark cluster of rustling trees, venturing deeper and deeper into the heart of the forest. For some reason, a feeling of creeping dread came over her.
Legend told that a long time ago, a pair of black Mohawn bears had been patrolling the forest with protectors when they were ambushed by a group of goblins; the two protectors fought off the goblins, but not before the bears had been turned into stone by the goblins’ foul black magic.
Finally, up ahead Elly saw two hulking shapes among the trees. Her heart gave a jolt.
In the darkness, Edellina was perched on one of the Mohawn bears, a basket in her lap as she sat swinging her legs. She was talking in a low voice as though to herself, but stopped abruptly when she spotted Elly.
She gaped at Edellina. Papa had once told her that even though the bears had been turned into stone, their souls were still imprisoned inside, and could not find rest. “You should always treat them with respect, as if they were still alive,” he had said.
“Edellina, you shouldn’t sit on them like that!” she said reproachfully.
The invisibility enchantment must have worn off, because Edellina looked straight at her and sighed. “Don’t be stupid, Elly,” she scoffed. “These things are just stones, it doesn’t make a difference whether we sit on them or break them.”
She leapt off and rubbed her hands. “Now, let’s go take a peek at the portal!” she said brightly. “I’m sure you can convince Sir Jarome to let down his guard, because it’s your twelfth birthday. Besides, he’s ever so fond of you.”
Elly frowned. Did she ever tell Edellina about Sir Jarome? She couldn’t remember.
It was true that Sir Jarome was fond of Elly, and he was old friends with her grandpapa. When she was younger, she would sometimes visit him in the forest so that she could listen to the wonderful tales he told, over and over again. In exchange, she would bring along his favourite wild berries. Though Elly had always been curious about the portal, she had never asked to see it. She understood it was out of bounds, and elves were forbidden to trespass ever since it had been sealed.
I’m not really trespassing, she tried to convince herself. It’s harmless to just take a little peek, right? It’s not like I’m going to pass through the portal.
Only then did she realize th
at the fireflies had vanished. Where did they go? she wondered. In fact, the forest suddenly seemed unnaturally quiet, as though all the creatures nearby had scuttled away. The only light now came from the moon in the inky, starless sky.
“How do you know where to go?” she asked Edellina breathlessly, trying to keep up. Edellina was striding along swiftly. “I didn’t realize you know the forest as well as I do.”
Edellina gave a low chuckle. “I guess I’m full of surprises, aren’t I?”
Finally, they saw a flickering light in the distance. As they approached Sir Jarome’s small house near the dome, massive and glistening white in the dark, Elly heard a rustling and a banging. Then a large shadow loomed up, and a pair of fierce blue eyes pierced them like laser beams. She froze.
Then those fiery eyes recognised her and softened. “Elly! My goodness, what are you doing out here in the middle of the night?” Sir Jarome spoke in a deep gravelly voice. His face looked older than she’d remembered.
Edellina jabbed her in the back. Elly winced in pain. “Just tell him what I told you,” Edellina hissed, thrusting into Elly’s hand the basket she had brought with her. In it were bunches of wild berries and a dozen sweet cakes and walnuts left over from the party.
Elly rearranged her face into a big smile. “I bid you a good evening, Sir Jarome! It’s my twelfth birthday, and I thought it would be a real pity not to share some of the delicious food we had at my party! I was so sorry to hear you couldn’t attend.” The latter was true; she had wanted Sir Jarome to have attended her party. But the food basket was Edellina’s idea. “A little bribery should do the trick,” she had chuckled as Elly looked at her uncomfortably.
What are you doing, Ellanor? You should stop right now.
But Elly ignored that voice. It’s too late to back down now, she thought.
Sir Jarome’s stern face melted into a smile. “Thank you, dear Elly, how very kind and thoughtful. Happy birthday! Indeed I was very disappointed that I could not attend your party. But nobody with the right qualifications could guard in my place tonight. The protectors are being kept quite busy these days. Oh, look! You haven’t forgotten… my favourite wild berries… and your mother’s scrumptious sweet cakes!” He grinned and popped several berries into his mouth. Then his eyes fell on Edellina, who had been standing behind Elly.
“Who do we have here?” Sir Jarome asked with a frown. Edellina gave him a charming smile, but did not reply.
Elly forced a laugh. “Oh, this is my friend Edellina! She is ever so nice to keep me company.” She nudged Edellina to bow, as was polite of elflings to do when greeting their elders. But Edellina ignored her as she peered up at the tall elf silently.
Sir Jarome seemed oblivious of Edellina’s poor manners. He was blinking rapidly, trying to get rid of his blurry vision. His face suddenly ruddy, he sat down heavily on the ground, both hands clutching the basket as he slumped back against the tree trunk.
“Ahh, I could get used to this!” he slurred sleepily, rubbing his stomach. To Elly’s horror, he gave a great yawn; then his head dropped to his chest and he began to snore gently.
Elly gasped and cried out in panic. “Oh, my goodness! He’s fallen into some stupor!” She looked at Edellina accusingly, alarm bells sounding in her head. “What did you put in those berries?” she demanded, her head spinning. What have we done?
But Edellina laughed as though the funniest thing in the world had just taken place. Elly stared at her.
Edellina scoffed. “Don’t worry, you silly girl! It’s all harmless, and he’ll wake up soon enough! We certainly don’t need him breathing down our necks while we do our peeking, now do we?” Then she pointed at the golden key on Sir Jarome’s belt, and looked at Elly expectantly.
But Elly shook her head slowly, backing away. “I didn’t know you would pull such tricks, Edellina,” she said, her voice shaking. “You said I could try to convince him to let us take a look. You never mentioned… drugging him. We need to put a stop to this before it’s too late. Look at what we’ve done to poor Sir Jarome!” She gazed down at the sleeping protector guiltily.
Edellina’s eyes flashed with anger as she clutched Elly’s arm, nails digging into her skin. Elly yelped.
“Don’t you dare bail on me now! You promised you’ll do this with me!” Edellina snarled through gritted teeth.
“All right, all right! Just let go of me!” Elly rubbed the sore spot where Edellina had grabbed her. There were nail marks on her skin. Why was Edellina behaving this way?
Edellina took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment, then smiled sweetly at Elly. “Honestly, it’s just a peek, Elly. You’ll be the first elfling at school to ever lay eyes on the portal! Don’t you think Kaelan would be impressed?”
Elly looked at the dome with longing eyes. Just a peek. Yes, then she would have something interesting and impressive to tell Kaelan. Bracing herself, she leaned towards Sir Jarome and carefully unhooked the golden key from his thick leather belt.
How was she going to explain her way out of this? She would get into so much trouble. But she’d worry about that later.
The key was cold and heavy in her hand. She had once heard that the key was fashioned to burn off a goblin’s hand if one ever tried to seize it. Quivering, she walked towards the dome and stood before the giant white marble doors, with Edellina close behind.
Ellanor, this is dangerous. Don’t do it.
Elly inserted the key into the lock, and turned. Click.
She pushed open the heavy doors. There was a long, steep flight of narrow stairs that seemed to lead into utter darkness. On either side of the stairway were two high, black stone walls lit by faintly glowing white stones. Gingerly, Elly walked down those stairs, with Edellina close behind.
At the end of the stairway was a brilliantly lit chamber, the white ceiling arching high above. Though it was dark outside, the interior of this chamber was brightly illuminated as though by invisible lights. Then Elly realized that the white marble was actually glowing, and there were mirrors lining the walls on either side of the chamber. It was so quiet she could hear her own heavy breathing.
Then she heard something. She stopped, straining her ears. She swore she could hear tiny voices whispering in Yahana. She caught a few words:
Two elves,
Both look fair.
Their eyes shine bright,
But one—what does she hide?
“Can you hear that?” she asked Edellina, who was walking behind her quietly.
Edellina shrugged. “No. There’s nobody here but us. You must be imagining things.”
On the opposite side of the dazzlingly-bright chamber was a massive black door. Elly walked towards it nervously, clenching and unclenching her hands.
The door was shut tight. It had no keyhole, no handles. Stumped, Elly stepped closer and peered at the ebony surface. Then she gasped.
Etched into the smooth black marble were Yahana runes, the ancient Elvish script that none other than elves could decipher:
Fools fear.
Deaf men hear.
Miser’s offering.
Desired by goblins more than the world of the elfling.
“What does it say?” Edellina demanded. Elly was so preoccupied that she did not realize Edellina should have been able to read the ancient runes herself.
Elly narrowed her eyes in concentration. What do fools fear? What do deaf men hear? What do misers offer? What do goblins desire more than Alendria?
In a heartbeat, her eyes widened.
“Nero,” she whispered in Yahana. Nothing.
Immediately, the sleek door swooshed open. Elly heard Edellina’s sharp intake of breath.
“Let’s go,” Edellina urged, steering Elly forward.
This second chamber was small and almost pitch-black. Elly looked up but could not tell how high the ceiling wa
s; it was too dark. It felt strangely cool. Then she noticed a glowing blue light coming from the far end, about thirty feet away. She stopped in her tracks.
The portal!
It wasn’t like anything she had imagined. There stood a massive round slab of a glowing dark blue, about ten times the size of Elly. It seemed to stand upright by itself, and it was made of some sort of gemstone, but none that she had ever seen before. When she got closer, she saw that the surface seemed iridescent, shimmering like water. The edges were lined with a silver glow.
Then she noticed a shaft of light beaming from high above; she looked up and saw the moon through an opening in the ceiling. The portal was literally being bathed in the moonlight.
She put her face close to the shimmering blue surface. It suddenly glowed a golden yellow, startling her. It was humming, emitting a comforting warmth that she welcomed in the cold of the dark chamber.
“Wow,” she whispered. This was worth just taking a look. Now, they must turn back.
Ellanor! Behind you!
There was a hissing sound followed by a snarl.
Her heart lurched. “Did you hear that, Edellina?” she cried, swivelling around.
She screamed.
Standing before her was a hollow-cheeked creature with a small pointed face, its scaly skin an ugly mixture of green and grey, looking at her with cruel, lidless, blood-red eyes. Its back was stooped, long sinewy arms hanging low to the ground as it flexed its bony fingers. It let out a screeching laugh, baring jagged yellow teeth as a long, thin, blue tongue darted in and out.
Elly backed away in horror. “Who are you? What did you do with Edellina?” she cried, looking around wildly. This couldn’t be happening!
The creature gave a mock sigh of frustration. It spoke in a strange, rattling voice. “Tsk, tsk. Ellanor, I am Edellina, you silly girl. Well, to be precise, my name is Gutz. You’ve been a great help to me, haven’t you? I wouldn’t have been able to come this far without you.”
