by K T Durham
Elly remained quiet for several moments. Shape-shifting elves? She had had no inkling. “But I thought goblins shun the light…”
“Yes, but goblins shun the light out of choice. Gutz, disguised as Edellina, was able to move about in broad daylight, though I imagine the goblin must have loathed it.” He paused and looked at her solemnly. “At some point, everyone must choose the path of light or darkness, my dear.” Elly flashed him a puzzled look. Why must Grandpapa speak in riddles?
Then she frowned. “When did Mrs Silverwinkle become suspicious of Edellina?” she asked softly.
“The first time she saw you standing with Edellina and Aron at the school entrance on the morning of your birthday. That was the first time Mrs Silverwinkle saw her. You see, Mrs Silverwinkle had been away from Evergreen City for many long years, and she returned just over one month ago. She was disturbed by Edellina’s… aura. Or lack thereof, I should say.”
Elly looked at him questioningly. She knew that an elf’s aura, or energy field, conveyed the essence of their character. Beyond that, she had little idea. Grandpapa cleared his throat. “You see, Elly, not all elves are sensitive to auras. But Mrs Silverwinkle is one of those who are.” He paused. “She could not make out Edellina’s aura clearly, and that troubled her. It was only later that we understood why—shape-shifters also have a way of concealing their auras.”
Elly was shaking her head in wonder. Grandpapa continued. “The feeling that there was something amiss about Edellina grew stronger the more Mrs Silverwinkle observed her. Then at your birthday party she noticed the covetous way Edellina looked at your Royan.”
Grandpapa gripped the goblet in one hand and stretched out his long legs. “Mrs Silverwinkle shared her misgivings with me at the party, and she decided to talk with you at school the following morning to learn more about Edellina. She did not want to alarm you on your birthday. But nobody could have guessed Edellina was a goblin, and that things would turn out the way they did that night.”
Elly recalled their unsmiling faces at the party as they looked over at her and Edellina, and it all made sense. “It’s an uncanny coincidence there was a full moon on my birthday,” she murmured.
Grandpapa regarded her solemnly. “Was it a coincidence?” She looked at him quizzically, but he did not elaborate. He fell silent and gazed into the distance, as though recalling some long-forgotten memory.
Then Elly said, “I heard shouts and footsteps approaching just before the goblin pushed me through the portal.”
Grandpapa nodded. “Yes. We were a second too late to stop you from falling through the portal, but we arrived just in time to stop the goblin from going after you. Freya knows what Gutz would have done to you once it had you all to itself in the human realm. Thankfully, the forest creatures must have been repelled by the presence of the goblin, because they had all scurried away and called for help when they heard your screams. Mrs Silverwinkle and I were discussing matters at her house when we heard their cries. We immediately summoned the protectors.”
He interlocked his fingers. “The goblin did not expect such a sudden interference. That’s probably why it shoved you through the portal. That foul creature had run out of time.”
While Grandpapa was in his house consulting the earlingrand, the protectors threw the goblin into a deep, narrow pit riddled with powerful elven magic that made it impossible for Gutz to escape.
“I think… I think Gutz wanted Greymore,” Elly whispered, fingering her Royan.
He looked at her gravely. “Yes, and Gutz wanted to escape into the human realm with you and your Royan, fully aware that it would be easier to elude capture in a foreign realm.”
Elly asked the question that had been on her mind for the past month.
“But why me? Why did Gutz choose me, and why did it want me in the human realm?”
Grandpapa remained silent for so long that Elly had to look and make sure he had not fallen asleep. Then he sighed. A blue butterfly chose that moment to flutter towards him and alight on his shoulder.
“The goblin obviously had great ambitions. But it was taking orders from a higher power.” Elly frowned, confounded.
He looked at her. “Elly, on the night of your birthday, during the bonding ceremony, I entrusted something very, very important to Greymore. It was done in secret. I will tell you more once we’ve clarified some matters. For now, you must keep Greymore with you at all times. You must always trust him. Do you understand?”
Elly felt dizzy with countless questions swirling and bursting to be asked. So Grandpapa put not only a tracking device but something else as well on Greymore? How could she have missed it? She nodded, baffled. “I promise I will do my best,” she said softly.
There was a silence as she pondered what Grandpapa had told her. “Where is Edelli— . . . I mean, where is the goblin now?” she asked shakily.
Grandpapa’s frown deepened. “I regret to say that we lost the goblin. It escaped, seemingly with help. It seems that Gutz had its own allies. It was very strange. The guards that were keeping watch over Gutz fell into a deep slumber.”
Elly thought about the wild berries that Edellina had given Sir Jarome, and shuddered.
“We have quadrupled our security. You will see many more protectors near the cross points, and Mrs Silverwinkle is working on a way to sniff out imposters like Edellina. She’s even concocting an antidote to prevent any sleeping potions from affecting the guards and protectors again. We have to be more vigilant than ever. You’ll be followed constantly by a team of protectors, Elly—and don’t try to use the invisibility perfume again,” he said sternly. Elly ducked her head sheepishly. The perfume that Edellina had given her had already been destroyed.
Grandpapa stroked Marlow on the head. “We believe Gutz has returned to the underworld. But how did it pass through without getting caught in the first place?” He paused. “It is possible that Gutz was disguised as one of the guards to get past undetected.”
Elly shivered and looked out the window, half expecting to see the red eyes of the goblin lurking in the shadows.
Grandpapa patted her hand. “Do not worry, Elly. For now we are safe. Your papa and I will make sure of that,” he reassured.
Then Elly remembered what she had been wanting to tell him. “Grandpapa, do you… do you ever have strange dreams?”
He raised his bushy silver eyebrows. “Well, most dreams can seem strange, Elly. What is really on your mind?”
Elly hesitated, then plunged ahead. “In the past month, I’ve been seeing the same person in my dreams. I don’t know who she is, but there seems to be something familiar about her.”
Grandpapa knitted his brow. “Oh? Can you describe what this person looks like?”
Elly propped her chin up thoughtfully. “Well, I wonder if she is someone from our clan whom I might have met when I was little? She has green eyes like me, and black hair like mine, but it’s really short. She seems to be about my age. But every time I try to focus on her face, things become blurry, and then I wake up.”
Grandpapa had gone very still. “Interesting,” he murmured, putting down his goblet and sitting up. “When did these dreams start?”
Elly frowned. “I think… it started on the morning of my twelfth birthday. Actually…” She wavered.
Grandpapa looked up sharply. “What is it?”
“Well, on the morning of my birthday, I think… I think I saw her in the mirror. It happened for a split second, and then she was gone.” She looked up at her grandfather. “Do you know who she might be? I mean… could she be trying to tell me something?”
Grandfather suddenly gave a hearty laugh, startling her.
“I’m sorry, my dear. I don’t really know what to make of these dreams, but I wouldn’t think too much of it. You are growing up, and you have a very active imagination, after all. Perhaps, the girl you’ve been seeing in your
dreams is just another version of yourself?”
Elly cocked her head. “What do you mean?”
“Well, our mind can do mysterious things of which we are not aware. Perhaps there is a part of you that wants to break free. Maybe you want to cut your hair short!”
Elly looked at her grandfather dubiously. “Well, I suppose it’s possible.”
He patted her on the shoulder. “Don’t fret, my dear. You’ve been through more than any other elfling your age.” He paused. “I suggest that you keep your dreams between us, Elly. Your parents don’t need more cause for worry, especially your poor mother, distraught as she was.”
Elly nodded slowly. She hadn’t thought about that. It had taken Papa a long while to convince Mama to leave her daughter’s bedside to get some rest. She couldn’t imagine what she had put her parents through in the past month.
Grandpapa cleared his throat, then glanced up at the moon. “Look here!” he exclaimed. “It is way past your bedtime. You have been through a lot, and you need your rest. Go to school as usual the day after tomorrow. You will face a curious bunch at school. We had to make a public announcement about a goblin shape-shifter that masqueraded as an elf named Edellina, and news of your disappearance spread like wildfire. You have become rather famous, my dear.”
“Or infamous,” she muttered. Then she sighed. “I suppose I’ll have to face Mr Holle tomorrow,” she murmured with dread. Not to mention the Three Flamingos.
Grandpapa shook his head. “No, not Mr Holle. He is currently on a long leave of absence.”
“Oh!” Elly brightened, not even bothered to ask why. “Does that mean Mrs Silverwinkle will be substituting again?”
Grandpapa laughed. “No, not Mrs Silverwinkle.” Elly’s face fell. “You will have another substitute teacher. I dare say he will be more… lively and pleasant than his predecessor.”
Murmuring goodnight, Grandpapa kissed Elly on her forehead, and a heavy drowsiness came over her. She fell into a dreamless sleep with Marlow next to her, ever watchful.
So three days after Elly returned home, she tried to slot back into her former routine. She walked to school with a sullen-faced Aron.
The instant he was notified of Elly’s return, he dropped what he was doing (writing an engrossing paper on the Vierran elves) and raced to the Celendis House. Elly had been gone for thirty days. “It felt like months to me,” he said solemnly. “I feel terrible about Edellina. How could I not have sensed anything?” He paused and fiddled with his belt. “But in hindsight… there were times when I thought she was a little strange. For one, we never got to meet her family. She always came up with excuses. She never invited us over to her home. And she would become really intense whenever I talked about the goblins.” He paused. “Besides, she looked like one of us, and she was so…”
“Alluringly beautiful?” Elly offered with a grin.
Aron went red in the face. “I know we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover,” he admitted grudgingly. “History has taught us that time and time again.”
“Don’t feel so bad,” she said, playfully ruffling his hair. “Grandpapa said that we are too young and too trusting to have figured out Edellina was an imposter. Even the elders didn’t suspect anything until Mrs Silverwinkle came along, but by then it was almost too late.” She shook her head. “It’s not like we had had first-hand experience with goblins, right? In our eyes, she was just a friend.”
Aron was silent for a moment. “Speaking of friends, Kaelan called in on your parents while you were missing.” His voice was gruff.
Elly’s cheeks burned. “Oh, really? What did he want?” She tried to sound nonchalant.
He smirked. “Well, you better ask him. He went to your house almost every day asking for news of you. Luca’s gotten pretty chummy with him, not to mention your parents. What can’t he do?” he muttered under his breath, kicking at some pebbles.
They arrived at school. Students turned to stare at Elly, whispering to each other. Self-consciously, she put a hand on her Royan. She felt as if a hundred pairs of eyes were boring into her.
Aron gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “You’ll be the centre of attention for a while. Just try your best to ignore it. Don’t let the Three Flamingos bother you too much. I’ll see you later, okay?”
She nodded, and promised to meet him after school at the Meridien Meadows. There was so much to talk about.
Just as if nothing had changed in the past month, the Three Flamingos were standing at their usual spot near the doorway of the classroom, whispering about the new headmaster, who had arrived early that morning, but whom no student had yet seen. The former headmaster, Sir Baerin Greenleaf, had recently handed in his resignation.
“I’m too old to deal with goblin spies parading around as students. Time to pass the baton to someone else with more zest,” he’d announced matter-of-factly to the High Council. The new headmaster was to be formally introduced at a special assembly later that morning.
Behind the Three Flamingos, Elly spotted Kaelan beaming at her. Her heart skipped a beat.
That was when she made her decision. This time, she did not try to flit past the three girls.
Darrius gasped dramatically as she tossed back her long auburn hair. “Oooh, look who’s back! Our little Raven, returned from her adventures!” She towered over Elly and stared down at her. “You reek of human, don’t you? Perhaps I should lend you my perfume!” Lorelana and Morganai tittered.
But Elly did not flinch. Darrius frowned, them leaned over and pushed her face right up to Elly’s. “Why don’t you go get lost in some other realm and try to make friends there? Or are you worried they’ll turn up like your little goblin friend?” she hissed.
For the first time, Elly did not bow her head or look away; and because of this, she could see that many of her classmates were not smiling along with the Three Flamingos. In fact, some of them rolled their eyes and squirmed uncomfortably. Kaelan shook his head and locked eyes with her. He started to stand up, as if to intervene. But she shook her head slightly and gave him a rueful smile.
All this time, I thought all of you had been laughing at me. If only I had held my head high, I would have seen it wasn’t true.
I never really paid attention. I’m sorry, Elly. I was too self-absorbed to care about anyone else. The one thing I do regret is that I hadn’t taken notice before. I wish we had become friends much earlier.
Don’t be sorry, Kaelan. What matters is that we’re friends now. I think perhaps I can start coming to my own defence.
Elly took a deep breath and looked squarely at Darrius, who was still smirking. Lily’s face flashed across her mind, and gave her the last morsel of courage she needed.
She spoke in a steady voice. “I feel so sorry for you, Darrius. You don’t know how foolish you appear. I guess you’re not clever enough to realize that when you say such repugnant things. I really shouldn’t take it personally, because what you say is a reflection of your character. You’re the one with the problem.”
There was a ringing silence. All eyes were riveted on Elly, shocked to witness this confrontation. Some started murmuring amongst themselves, impressed. Kaelan was grinning at her.
The Three Flamingos were speechless. They had been totally blindsided by this comeback from small, quiet, mousy Elly.
Darrius was glaring at her, livid, her mouth moving soundlessly. But there was also something like shame in her eyes.
Then someone yelled, “Bravo! Well said!” Elly swivelled around.
A silver-haired elf with sparkling grey eyes stood there with a huge grin on his lean handsome face. The first word that came to Elly’s mind was whimsical. Unusually tall and lanky, with a pointed, crooked nose and a strange tear-shaped mark on his cheek, he was dressed all in white, his hair worn in a long ponytail down his back. He walked with a spring in his step as he surveyed the faces before hi
m with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
There was something inexplicably familiar about him, though Elly was certain they had never met before.
“Good morning, my little elflings!” he sang as he swept into the room, his white robes billowing behind him. He had a strong vibrant voice. He beamed at Elly. “I believe you must be Ellanor Celendis. I am the new substitute teacher, Mr Huerin.” Then he snapped his fingers; a spray of glimmering stars sprang from his fingers and swirled into a tiara on Elly’s head.
“Oh!” Elly gasped and touched the cold silver atop her black curls.
He laughed merrily. “There! How fitting for a star! Welcome home, Elly!” he cried, applauding loudly.
Then the rest of the class joined in, except the sour-faced Three Flamingos who were still standing. Some students pumped their fists in the air and chanted, “Go, Elly!”
Kaelan beamed at her. That was impressive. Can I catch you for a few minutes after school?
Her heart singing, she smiled at him and nodded, trying very hard not to look overjoyed.
The Three Flamingos stalked to their chairs and self-consciously touched their heads to check if any fiery letters had sprung up.
Just as the class was settling down, Mr Huerin beckoned to Elly. “Forgive me for singling you out so early in the morning. The headmaster has summoned you,” he said with the same mischievous twinkle in his eye. “Go to the Blue Room at once.”
Elly was bewildered. The headmaster? What would he want with her? With a pang, she wondered if she was already in trouble for making a scene with Darrius.
The Three Flamingos glowered at Elly as she walked out, especially Darrius, who made a grotesque slitting gesture across her throat. But they had been quelled into silence for the rest of the day.
In trepidation, Elly took off her tiara and lumbered down the long corridor towards the Blue Room, her former good mood in tatters. She knocked on the tall white doors with dread.
“Come in!” barked a stern voice. Elly swallowed nervously and pushed the doors open.
