by Lady Ellen
“Aw, hog’s wallop! I could have kept me lips zipped, thank you very much!”
“But, but....who, who?” stammered Persy again.
“There she goes again,” said Thaddeus, laughing loudly.
The lady in lilac smiles kindly. “My poor dear, you’ve had quite a day. I am Laurel, your grandmother.”
1669
“Man!” Persy declared regaining her clear thinking. “I’ve got family coming out of the woodwork lately!”
They walked into the meadow and found a copse with low flat rocks to sit on. Benson lit on the corner of one and closed his eyes, soaking up the sun’s rays. Felt great after the cold, windy cave.
Laurel smiled softly and with great caring. “There is much for you to learn about this world, Persephane. I will take over your teachings now, just as I have been tutoring Thaddeus. Thaddeus Twynam,” she said tapping Thaddeus on the shoulder.
Although she’d spent time in Bellarya, she knew little about this time. In a long discussion about the local inhabitants, Persy was brought up to speed on how they live, their habits and customs and language terminology. Old English was not something she was used to, so she’d have to do a crash course to be able to understand them without seeming that she was from another planet.
“Don’t fret yourself about it, Persephane,” Laurel said. “It’s more important you learn to understand it. I’ll put an Interpretive Charm on your speech...called ‘Lange Locale’, which will convert it to their dialect in their ears. We will hear your real language.”
As they rested and chatted, Persy noticed the sun was going down, and figured it would be about 4:00 pm at home. The early evening here was still warm and she loved the fragrant meadow.
Out of the blue, from the left came the sound of pounding hooves, and in the distance Persy saw little puffs of dust getting closer and closer.
They turned to see the most colourful, deep pink and green, short, pudgy dragon come galloping along.
Thaddeus jumped up yelling, “Hey! Over here,” waving his arms.
The dragon spotted him, made a bee-line and came to a grinding halt in front of them. Thaddeus hugged him and stroked his scaly head.
Benson woke with the clamour. He was further aggravated by the anticipatory look on Persy’s face, very much wanting to meet the dragon. ‘Humph.’ Once more going over in his mind how he yearned to be a real dragon, not a blinking “fly” variety. He decided to pretend he was still asleep, maybe this would all go away.
“Oh, my gosh, Thaddeus!” Persy swooned, “He’s gorgeous. What’s his name?”
“Um,--well--that’s where it gets a bit odd,” Thaddeus said slowly, “It’s—um--Prissycups.”
“PRISSY-CUPS!” blurted Benson, no longer able to keep up the sleeping act. “Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Oh, no...sniff...sniff…,” tears running down his face. “Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”
Great Scott. The universe DID have a sense of humour. Benson was rolling around on the rock laughing so hard that he plunked over the side onto the ground. Even this couldn’t contain his mirth. His somewhat muted guffawing could still be heard where the others were sitting.
Persy was very embarrassed by Benson’s behaviour and told Thaddeus and Prissycups.
“It’s Ok,” said Prissycups. “Happens all the time. I was originally hatched by a Magical family with nine witch and wizard children. By the time I came along they all had pets except the youngest, a three-year-old girl. She was the one who named me and once a dragon is named, there is no changing it. Friends mostly call me P-C. It’s kinder.”
“Well, then...P-C, it is,” declared Persy. She turned abruptly and called, “Benson. Here. Now.”
Benson slowly struggled back up over the side of the rock, still giggling and snorting. “Yes, missy...or is that Prissy? Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.” He lost his grip and fell back over the rock again. A soft ‘thud’ was heard.
“BENSON.” demanded Persy. “NOW!”
Benson flew this time in a staggering manner up to Persy and sat on her shoulder, “Ah, oh my – heh, heh, heh.” He wound down and appeared somewhat more together.
“Benson, this is P-C, Thaddeus’ dragon. I want you to say hello—politely,” said Persy, sternly.
“What? Are you kidding? No way, dearie, This is rich...just too rich. Sorry, but I can’t let this one pass. Prissycups? Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. Oh, my...Oh, my,” gushed Benson.
“BENSON. I swear…I’m going to look for a big, nasty, hungry bird for you, if you don’t stop this minute,” Persy said, tightly through her teeth.
“Ok, ok,” Benson agreed. “I’ve heard it all before my dear...I’ll behave.”
“Hello...P...snigger, snigger...C,” Benson said. “Lovely, and I DO mean lovely to meet you.”
“Yeah, sure,” replied P-C. “Nice to meet you, too, I think.” P-C’s head was lowered. Thaddeus was not amused.
Things calmed down, and they sat quietly for a bit. Then Persy remembered something she wanted to ask her grandmother.
“Grandmother, when Fawna said we’d be landing in your meadow, she also said it was not far from the Forest of Depravation. Where is that? She also mentioned she would meet us with a friend of hers.”
“The Forest is about a half a mile from here,” replied Laurel. “See over there, those tall trees? You’ll notice how dark they are. How the sun even as bright as it is today, doesn’t seem to penetrate them. That’s the edge of the Forest. And we’ll catch up with Fawna later on.”
Persy looked to where Laurel was pointing, and saw the trees and their unnatural darkness. In the mists beyond, she could just see the tall turrets of what seemed like a castle.
“What are those towers?”
“That, my child, is Bodesnoir Castle where Melanthios lives. That is the home of your aunt,” stated Laurel, very quietly.
Persy’s face hardened. “Yes, we’ve had a visit recently from her.” Her heart raced at the thought of her evil aunt and the damage she could have done to Mom and Benson.
“So I heard.” Laurel’s eyebrows lifted, she took Persy’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
The sun had almost gone, and Laurel suggested they start the walk to her house on the far side of the meadow. They meandered in that direction, chatting about this and that when Laurel’s house came into view.
It was an enchanting stone manor, three stories high with six windows on each floor facing them. Fruit trees, heavy with apples, pears, plums and peaches were in the front garden. There were many other gardens filled with both common and strange plants and a few small gardens with just flowers.
“Oh, Grandmother, it’s magnificent,” Persy was thrilled.
“Yeah, not bad digs,” Benson said and looked at P-C, snickered a few more times.
Laurel smiled and said, “Come everyone, we’ll go inside and have dinner, for then we have plans to make. Very, very serious plans.”
The Key
They moved to Laurel’s back garden after dinner, Persy in particular eyeing the herbs and flowers. Even in the dark, there were many Persy recognized from studying with her mother. Several of the more unusual ones Persy knew Mr. Hornby grew in his garden next door, which now seemed even stranger to her.
The garden was planted in the shape of a pentagon with a circle around it. “I start a garden with a pentagram for protection,” said Laurel. “From there I plant each area as it relates to the elements.”
“I can see the Lady’s Mantle. I remember Mom using that to aid in transformation spells...it’s like an activator,” said Persy as her eyes ran over the plants while she tested herself mentally on those she could identify.
“And, oh, there’s Asafoetida...that’s to banish negative energy and evil spells. That could come in handy, for sure.”
“I should think so,” Benson chimed in. “That stuff seriously stinks. It’d scare anything away.”
“Very true,” smiled Laurel. “Very true.”
Thaddeus asked,
“Laurel, what is that glow over there, beside the Vervain?”
They turned to look and the glow became larger, eventually forming a small figure.
“Fawna!” cried Persy. “Over here.”
Fawna flew over to the group and gently landed on Persy’s right knee.
Everyone knew each other, the little fairy had been a regular visitor at Laurel’s, trying to arrange aid for her confined fellow folk.
“I’m glad you’re here, Fawna,” said Laurel. “I wanted to go over with all of you how I think we can break this Binding Spell on the Fairy Folk. I have conferred with some of the Magicals on the Governing Council, and also pored through my Book of Shadows and this seems the best way:
Attached to every Binding Spell is a doorway, if you will...a weaker point of energy and secured by a Wyrd Lock. ‘Wyrd’ comes from Druid magic meaning ‘Web of Life’ but in this case is an entrapment web. Here, as it’s a geographical spell and not a Binding Spell that is only cast on one individual, they are different. This Wyrd Lock responds to a particular key. Now the deal with Binding Spells like these is that although they seem impossible to break on the surface, there is always a physical key and if you do what is necessary, then the key will break the spell.
It’s also advised that we burn Dragon’s Blood berries when we open the Wyrd Lock. They are very good for astral travel and will aid the Fairies when they flee the spell.”
“What’s Dragon Blood?” Persy quizzed.
Laurel pointed down the garden, “See that little palm? That’s Dragon’s Blood. Normally it only grows in hot climates, but I have a Warming Charm on it, so it does quite well here.”
“So where would this key be?” Fawna asked.
Laurel continued, “Well, it seems that according to my Book, the keys to these spells are in the domain of the person who threw the spell, in this case, Melanthios. So it’s probably in her castle.”
“Oh, that’s just ducky,” complained Benson. “How on earth are we going to get it then?”
“Yes, that’s what I’ve been working on with some of my colleagues,” explained Laurel. “We believe the best way to go about this is this; Melanthios has her castle guarded by Norwegian Trolls...”
“Great, those guys are gigantic—about nine feet tall--and a few sandwiches short of a picnic basket.”
“True,” Laurel agreed. The corners of her mouth twitching. “But that’s the good thing about them—they are not very bright and are therefore easier to trick. And to top things off they are fairly blind. They guard with their senses, they feel the energetic field of whoever is approaching rather than see them first.”
Thaddeus jumped in, “So how do we turn off our energy?”
“You don’t.” Laurel reached for a book on the table. “I will teach you to mask it with an Energy Veil, but it will make you listless and tired, so you have to be quick to get by the trolls and then Persy will do the counter charm.”
Persy saw Thaddeus’ lips press together and his eyes darkened. Was she crossing some line here? He’d obviously been with Laurel for ages and yet she was being asked to do major spells. They needed to talk alone.
“How do we know what to do once we are inside?” Persy asked, switching her attention back to Laurel.
“All we have been able to figure out is that once inside the main door there will be some clue, something out of place, we think.” Laurel flipped through the book. “These keys leave very subtle traces of their existence. Once you decipher the first clue, there most likely will be a trail to follow. From everything we could find, you are all going to have to work together, pooling your various talents to retrieve the key. Retrieve it you must, as it is the only way to free the Fairy Folk.
I also want to tell you about that forest; they are fraught with ‘Truth Tests’,” said Laurel. “You could be approached by animals using Silent Speak, gnomes, elves, brownies even witches and wizards. Whatever you do, think very carefully before answering the quizzes as the consequences are usually dire if you get it wrong.”
“E-e-w-w-w-w that sounds like fun,” gushed P-C.
“‘Bout as much fun as swallowing razor blades, Bozo,” replied Benson. “These guys are for real--a wrong answer and we could be history.”
“Oh,” said P-C.
“Alright everyone, I think we should soon retire for the night. Tomorrow morning I’ll take you four to the edge of the Forest of Depravation where you will start your journey to claim the key for the Wyrd Lock,” said Laurel, rising and going into the house.
The others said good night to Fawna and followed Laurel inside.
Bodesnoir Castle
They were up and ready to go at first light the next morning. Laurel packed bread, cheese and fruit in a knapsack for them. Fresh water was easy to find in the forest.
“Persy,” she said, as they stand at the edge of the Forest of Depravation, “I’ve enchanted your wand with the Energy Veil. Just before you approach Bodesnoir, simply incant ‘Tegos’ as you tap everyone and your energy fields will be hidden. But I remind you...move quickly past the Trolls and get inside the castle, as you will feel weak in a short time. Once inside, tap everyone again and declare ‘Laxos’ and the Veil will be removed.”
Persy slid a side glance at Thaddeus. They hadn’t had a chance to talk on their own. He seemed a bit sulky to her. They were going to have to be on the same page for this whole quest to work out. She bit the side of a nail. Maybe on the walk to the castle.
“Got it,” said Persy. She was ready, full of confidence now. She could do this. Persy had a vast heart for anything nature and its beings. There was nothing more she wanted at this moment, than to free the Fairy Folk.
They bade Laurel good-bye and started on the path into the forest. It was true; it was much darker in there than it should be. The sun was bright and hot in the meadow, but here, not a ray broke through the trees. Very strange, indeed.
Fifteen minutes hadn’t passed before an ugly gnome jumped out on to the path. He had incredibly large ears, a great hooked nose and his face was dotted with warts, spewing out long hairs.
“Not so fast, my fine looking troop,” he sneered. “Just where do you think you are going?”
“Can’t see where that’s any of your bother,” said Thaddeus. “What’s it to you?”
“No one passes here without answering a Truth Test. Mine are tests of wit, which will decide whether you are worthy to continue through my forest,” said the gnome.
“Your forest?” said Persy. “I’d think it would be referred to as Melanthios’ forest if anyone’s.”
The gnome smirked, “Think of me as one of her ‘agents’ then.”
“Oh goodie...a puzzle,” P-C says.
“Oh, brother,” sneered Benson.
“Well, get on with it,” demanded Persy. “We haven’t got all day.”
(Note from Lady Ellen: See if you can answer the puzzle before our heroes tell you the answer!)
“Patience, my pretty,” said the gnome.
“Here’s your question: There are five wizards walking along a pathway in the meadow. All of a sudden it starts to pour rain. Four of the wizards begin to hurry to get to their destination as quickly as possible. The fifth wizard does absolutely nothing to hurry at all and is present throughout the whole journey. They all arrive at the same time and the fifth wizard is completely dry. There are no carts, wagons or carriages involved. How did this happen?”
The four of them stood in a huddle and began to exchange ideas.
“Maybe the fifth one has an umbrella,” said Thaddeus.
“Yes, but that doesn’t explain how he gets to the destination at the same time. He doesn’t hurry,” replied P-C.
“Hmmmm,” said Benson. “Maybe he Time-Linxed to where ever they are going, he can get there at the same time--and he’d stay dry.”
“No, the gnome said they were all present throughout the journey,” said Persy, thoughtfully.
“Well to stay dry, he’s covered with somet
hing,” said P-C.
“Right you are, P-C,” Thaddeus agreed. “But what?”
“How about a covered wagon?” asked Benson. “Maybe he’s in a wagon and the others are pulling him; that’s how he arrives at the same time without actually changing his speed. And they can have covered him which would keep him dry.”
“But he said no carts or wagons are involved,” stated Persy, bursting Benson’s bubble.
“Hey, Benson,” Thaddeus jumped in, “I think you’re on to it. If they can’t use a cart or anything, they must carry him, because it only makes sense as he manages to stay with them and not change his own speed.”
“Of course,’ cried Persy. “And why would four wizards be carrying a fifth?”
“Because he’s dead,” said Thaddeus.
“Oh, and being in a coffin would keep him dry!” said P-C, doing a jig on the pathway.
“Perfect,” said Thaddeus, grinning from ear to ear.
They turned to the gnome in complete synchronization and tell him their solution.
“Rats,” he pouted. “Smart-butt, rotten kids...and whatever,” scowling at Benson and P-C.
“You may pass,” the gnome grumbled.
The group ran down the path, in fear the gnome would change his mind.
They trudged along their route to Bodesnoir for another half hour. Thaddeus and Persy shared stories of their lives and where they grew up. Thaddeus told Persy that he’d been with Laurel since he was three and really didn’t remember much before that. Evidently his parents vanished in the Witch Trials and of course weren’t dead, but to protect him, haven’t made any contact.
“I know they aren’t dead or that I’m actually an orphan, but I may as well be,” Thaddeus said in a sad voice. “I always believed I could have met up with them in another time, after the Trials and we’d be a family together. Safe. Never happened.” He turned away, hiding his watery eyes.
Persy’s heart went out to Thaddeus. As much as she, too, wished she knew her biological Dad, she at least has one true parent and Robert’s been a great step-dad. How can any parent just leave their kids when there was now ways around the threat. Mystified her.
