by K T Durham
The sunlight streaming through the tall open windows was so dazzling that she had to shield her eyes with her hand. There was a small figure standing behind a desk, silhouetted against the glaring light. On either side of the room were willowy plants bearing pretty pink and purple flowers, so tall that they reached the high ceiling, its vines snaking over the walls.
Then Elly saw the cloud of white hair held together by a peacock feather, and she found herself staring into familiar, piercing blue eyes.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
What Goes on in the Blue Room Stays in the Blue Room
Elly gasped. “Mrs Silverwinkle!” she cried, staggering a little. “You’re the new headmaster?”
Mrs Silverwinkle laughed. “Well, more like headmistress, dear.”
Elly gawped at her, and noticed the yellow budgie perched on her shoulder. The bird had fixed its small dark eyes on Elly. “But Mrs Silverwinkle, I… I thought you were a substitute teacher.”
Mrs Silverwinkle chuckled. “Dear Elly, do you think that a headmistress-to-be would neglect to make an effort to get to know the students? Your former headmaster, dear Sir Baerin Greenleaf, had long ago expressed a desire to retire. He asked me to come test the waters over a month ago. The Edellina debacle was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. Sir Baerin decided to hand over the reins earlier than expected.”
She smiled wryly. “I’ve come into this position at a very interesting time. But you’ve been thrown right in the middle of things, so I shouldn’t complain.”
Elly didn’t quite know what to say as she stood there, stunned.
Mrs Silverwinkle rubbed her hands together. “Now, let’s sit down and have something to drink, shall we?” She snapped her fingers, and immediately a floral teapot appeared in mid-air. As she settled back into her plush armchair, the teapot started pouring its steaming contents into two teacups on the large oak desk.
Elly sank down in one of the armchairs. When she had calmed down a little, she grasped a cup and took a sip. Her eyes widened. “This is… this is chamomile tea!”
Mrs Silverwinkle smiled smugly. “Yes, indeed! You are not the only elf who has acquired a taste for human beverages!”
Before Elly could ask where she had obtained the tea, Mrs Silverwinkle cleared her throat. “Elly, I called you to my office to discuss a matter of great importance. I shouldn’t keep you long from your morning classes, so for now I shall brief you.” She paused, set down her teacup and clasped her hands together. Elly braced herself.
“Elly…”
“Am I in trouble?” she blurted out.
Mrs Silverwinkle blinked, then gave a roaring laugh. “No, no! You are definitely not in trouble. The opposite, in fact. You have no idea how much you have accomplished in the past month, Elly. You are now in a position to do a great service to us. But we need to seek your consent, of course.”
Elly stared at her. “A great service?” she asked weakly. What in the world was Mrs Silverwinkle talking about?
The headmistress nodded fervently. “Yes, you are the youngest elf to have ever ventured into Gaya, and the first elf to do so since the portal was sealed one hundred years ago. You have come through the ordeal relatively unscathed, and certainly stronger and wiser. You have been sorely tested, and you have shown your quality, Elly. Courage and resilience are even more priceless than the most expensive Organoth blue amber, you know.”
Taken aback, Elly blushed. What could I possibly offer, Greymore?
Ellanor, just listen patiently.
Mrs Silverwinkle took another sip of tea before continuing. “I am about to make you a proposition. You might take it as an opportunity to serve, or as a burden you do not wish to bear. It is your choice to make. Either way, we will support you in your decision and make best with what we have. But before we proceed, I need you to meet with three of my colleagues after school today. What do you say?”
Elly’s head was spinning. An opportunity to serve? Courage and resilience? She did not know what to make of it all. “Mrs Silverwinkle, I am greatly honoured. If indeed I can be of service, then I will listen to what you need from me.” She paused. “Have… have my parents been informed of this?” she asked tentatively. She didn’t want to go behind their backs again.
Mrs Silverwinkle chuckled. “I see you have become more cautious, which is wise! Yes, we have already discussed this with your parents, Elly. They have given us permission to speak with you.”
Elly nodded slowly. Was that why Mama and Papa had looked so worried this morning? “Then I shall meet with you after school. Though I can’t imagine how I can be of service.”
Mrs Silverwinkle beamed. “Excellent! I expect to see you at the assembly later this morning. I dare say some of your classmates will be dismayed to see who their new headmaster is!”
Elly giggled, recalling how Mrs Silverwinkle had put the Three Flamingos in their place. “When Mr Huerin told me I was being summoned to the headmaster, I thought I was in trouble for telling off Darrius this morning!”
“Oh?” Mrs Silverwinkle’s twinkling eyes fell on Elly’s hands clutching the tiara, and her grin broadened. “Pray, do tell me what happened!”
After Elly described to her how she had stood up to the Three Flamingos, Mrs Silverwinkle threw back her head and laughed. “Well done, Elly! See, I wasn’t wrong—you are definitely a mover and a shaker!”
Elly smiled ruefully and shook her head. “But I have a feeling Darrius and her friends will continue to use my grand-uncle’s name to torment me,” she murmured.
To her surprise, Mrs Silverwinkle looked up sharply, and there was a steely note in her voice when she spoke. “Idril Gailfrin Celendis was condemned as guilty before he was ever proven innocent. In some places, those accused of a crime are innocent before proven guilty. It is unfortunate, given all our strengths, that our judicial system is still so utterly flawed.” Then she stopped abruptly, as though she had just caught herself saying something she shouldn’t have.
Elly frowned. “What are you saying?” she asked, baffled. “Is it possible that my grand-uncle wasn’t a traitor after all? That he didn’t actually betray the elves’ hideout in the north to the goblins during the War of Wrath, which led to most elves from the Celendis House being slaughtered in the ambush?” When Mrs Silverwinkle didn’t answer immediately, her eyes widened. “Wait, were you actually friends with my grand-uncle, Mrs Silverwinkle?”
The headmistress faltered, shook her head, and sighed. “Elly, what happened with your grand-uncle happened a long, long time ago. Most of us wish to forget that it ever came to pass. In any case, you shouldn’t worry what other people say about you and your family. Those who slander and gossip about you don’t truly care for you. Why waste time on them?”
Elly nodded. “That’s true,” she conceded sheepishly.
It was only much later that Elly realized Mrs Silverwinkle hadn’t answered her last question.
The bell rang. It was time for her to return to class. Mr Huerin would have already started the second lesson.
As she turned to leave, she spotted a painting on the wall facing the windows. “Oh, this is a lovely portrait!” Elly exclaimed, inching closer for a better look at her role model. Was Mrs Silverwinkle also an admirer of her favourite explorer?
Then Elly’s eyes fell on the yellow budgie in the portrait. It was perched on the subject’s shoulder.
Her jaw dropped, and for a few moments she ogled silently at the portrait, realization dawning like a swift sunrise. Then she turned and stared at the yellow budgie on Mrs Silverwinkle’s shoulder. It winked at her.
“Wait,” Elly said slowly, “Wait… you can’t possibly be…”
Mrs Silverwinkle laughed merrily and put her hands on her hips. “So, I have been discovered at last! I stopped going by my maiden name after I married Mr Silverwinkle and retired from the field. It has been many years sinc
e I was just plain Larabeth Goldberry.”
By the end of the school day, Elly was a restless bundle of nerves.
Not only was Mrs Silverwinkle the headmistress, she was actually the famous explorer, her heroine, Larabeth Goldberry! Elly felt as though she had just opened up a gift to discover it wasn’t what she had expected; it was even better. To top it off, seeing the stricken expressions on the Three Flamingos’ faces at the sight of Mrs Silverwinkle had been absolutely priceless.
After school, Elly told Aron that their catch-up at Meridien Meadows would have to wait; she promised to tell him everything after an important meeting with the headmistress.
Aron gawped at her. “The entire student body was surprised when Mrs Silverwinkle stepped onto the stage at the assembly! Who could’ve guessed? But now you’re telling me there are more surprises? An important secret meeting, Larabeth Goldberry? What… is… going… on?” he asked with exasperation, feeling horribly left out.
Then he narrowed his eyes as he stared past Elly. “Well! You’re awfully popular today!” he muttered. She turned to see Kaelan walking up to them. Her cheeks burned as she turned back to Aron. “Listen, I’ll talk to you soon, okay? I’ll meet you at home tonight after supper. I’ll just have a quick word with Kaelan.” She had to suppress the huge smile that was threatening to break out.
Aron rolled his eyes. “Fine, I’ll see you later.” Aron started walking away in the opposite direction of Kaelan, who raised a hand in greeting. Aron nodded stiffly and strode away without looking back.
Kaelan smiled, and she felt her heart flutter as she smiled back shyly. “How are you doing?” he asked in a low voice. He put a hand on her back and gently steered her forward. They began to walk together under the purple weeping willows that lined either side of a long, wide pathway blanketed with purple petals. It was quiet, save the twittering of birds; most of the students had gone home.
Kaelan broke the silence. “I wanted to come visit you the moment I got word you had returned. But I figured I had better let you rest and spend time with your family before I intruded.”
She relaxed a little and smiled. You could never be intrusive, she wanted to say. “Aron told me Luca’s quite taken with you.”
He laughed. “Yes! He’s a little rambunctious, but he’s a good boy. He keeps on insisting that I train him up for archensoar, but I’m sure your father would be a much better instructor.” Indeed, Sereth Celendis had been touted as an extraordinarily gifted player when he was a student at Arvellon.
Elly nodded and smiled. “Thank you for visiting my family while I was gone.” There was so much she wanted to say to him, but she was a little tongue-tied.
Then her heart almost jumped to her throat when Kaelan took her hand. “I was really worried about you. I’m so glad you made it back safely.” Then he paused and hesitated. He took out something from his back pocket. “I want to give you something.”
He held it out in his palm; a bracelet made of shining lunar stones entwined with sparkling white crystals harvested from the Shevanie River. “It belonged to my mother,” he said. “She used to wear it all the time. It was like her talisman. But she wasn’t wearing it on the day she went missing.”
Elly gazed at the bracelet. “Oh, it’s so beautiful,” she said in a whisper. “But surely I can’t take this. It’s too, too precious.”
He shook his head and smiled ruefully. “I’d like to think it will protect you. I know it doesn’t make sense, but sometimes I wonder if my mother would’ve been safe if she had been wearing this.” He looked at her with his serious eyes. “You’re the first real friend I’ve come to care about. Please—it’ll mean a lot to me.” He pressed the bracelet into her hand.
Elly hesitated, then nodded slowly. “Thank you, Kaelan. I will keep it with me always.” She slipped the bracelet over her wrist and smiled, barely able to believe this was happening. Did Kaelan just give her his mother’s keepsake?
He grinned at her. “You know, I’m going to work really hard to become the best protector in Alendria. I don’t doubt you’ll become an accomplished explorer one day. Do you think…” At this, he looked at her hopefully. “Do you think, perhaps, we can be there to cheer on one another—no matter how tough things might get?”
This time, Elly did not hesitate. She took his hand and smiled. “I promise.”
Elly made it to the Blue Room just on time, looking flushed and breathless after having raced all the way from the weeping willows. She had stayed talking with Kaelan longer than she had intended. The sky was slowly getting dark.
Mrs Silverwinkle was waiting for her, and she wasn’t alone. There were two other elves seated at the table with their backs to Elly, heads bent together in discussion. When they turned around, Elly froze in her tracks.
One of them was Mr Huerin and the other was… Grandpapa! She gasped, quite forgetting to greet them properly.
Galdor Celendis winked at his granddaughter. Elly narrowed her eyes. He must have known all along that Mrs Silverwinkle was her heroine Larabeth Goldberry! Why hadn’t he ever mentioned this to her before? She glowered, and made a mental note to interrogate him later.
It was then that she noticed there was a fourth elf at the window, even taller than Mr Huerin, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long, muscular limbs. With his regal bearing, he seemed set apart from the others as he stood shrouded in the shadows, watching the darkness slowly dissolve the ribbons of scarlet and gold that stretched across the horizon.
Then he turned around and looked straight at her with his fierce golden eyes. She stared in amazement.
A Vierran!
Elly had never laid eyes on anyone from the reclusive elven race that dwelt in the remote and cold northern region of Aranon, with its harsh, rugged landscape. The Vierran were very tall, with skin the colour of cocoa and fair hair streaked with gold that complemented their golden eyes. They bore markings on their faces and arms that were ancient runes in their northern dialect.
Elly thought the Vierran looked beautiful.
Then she came to her senses and blinked. “I… I’m so sorry,” she apologized, her ears growing quite red. “I don’t mean to be rude. I have only ever read about your people, but I never thought I would ever have the opportunity to meet you.” She smiled bashfully.
But the Vierran did not smile back. He gazed at Elly long and hard. He was wearing some sort of sleek black armour that gleamed even in the fading light of dusk. Then he spoke in a deep, magnetic voice that reminded Elly of the Ancient Wells nestled deep in the hills along the Shevanie River.
“So, this is the child of whom we have been speaking?”
Mrs Silverwinkle nodded. “Yes, this is Ellanor, granddaughter of Sir Galdor Celendis.”
The Vierran raised one golden eyebrow. “I see.” His expression was hard to read.
Mrs Silverwinkle smiled and beckoned for her to come closer. “Elly, I would like to introduce you to our order. Here is Blaine Eisendor, who has travelled far from his homeland to be with us today.”
Elly blushed and bowed deeply to the stern-faced Vierran, who gave her the smallest of nods.
Elly looked around at the faces before her warily. This was some sort of secret order? It seemed ludicrous that she was here in the presence of such prominent elders.
Mrs Silverwinkle continued with the introductions. “I believe you’ve met Mr Jestor Huerin, your new class teacher. And your Grandpapa, of course.” Mr Huerin grinned at Elly and gave her a thumbs-up.
Grandpapa chuckled and leaned forward to embrace Elly. “In time I will explain everything,” he whispered into her ear. “Then you can decide whether to be cross with me.”
Then Mrs Silverwinkle gestured for Elly to sit down in one of the armchairs. “As you know, we have something very important to discuss with you. This will take some time, as we must explain from the beginning. First, we can do with some r
efreshments.”
A tall crystal ewer of bubbling spring water appeared on the table in front of Elly, along with five silver goblets and a plate of something familiar. Her eyes widened.
Boh loh bau! Pineapple buns!
“Oh!” she cried as she stared at the round, golden-brown buns. “But how… how… ?” Gingerly, she took one with both hands and breathed in the aroma. These were definitely made by Aunty Mabel!
Mrs Silverwinkle laughed. “Elly, dear, we had to do some damage control after you left Gaya so abruptly. There were quite a few loose ends to sort out with Lily and the Cobbles the day after. I decided to pick up some souvenirs in the process of tying up those loose ends.”
Elly’s jaw dropped. “You went to see Lily and the Cobbles?”
Mrs Silverwinkle winked. “Yes, and I certainly agree with you—Mabel’s pineapple buns are heavenly. They go very well with chamomile tea, don’t you think?”
Elly was bewildered. “But… but how did you teleport to Gaya? There hasn’t been a full moon yet.”
Mr Huerin was heartily chewing on his pineapple bun when he piped up. “Each of us is gifted with talents of some sort, Elly. No matter how seemingly small, one’s gift will have an impact upon the course of the future.” He smiled. “One alone cannot change the world. But with each of our unique abilities, we can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples. Everyone has a part to play in the scheme of things. Your mama is gifted in making sweet cakes. Your papa is gifted in the art of silversmithing. Mrs Silverwinkle is gifted in something extremely rare—inter-realm teleporting.” His eyes twinkled. “That is, she can cross over to Gaya through the portal without the full moon.”
Elly looked around wide-eyed at Mrs Silverwinkle, who was smiling modestly. Inter-realm teleporting? That partly explained Larabeth Goldberry’s insanely prolific career.
Then she looked at the others in the room. What were their gifts? She suddenly felt very small, certain that she had no special talents whatsoever.
