by SJB Gilmour
Mautallius grinned. ‘So Coppernick is the last Golden Mane then?’
Marzdane’s grin was just as wicked. ‘Yes, my Lord. And with the bloodlines of the remaining Blacks and Browns so strong and the recessives like Greys and Reds dying out, there probably won’t be any more either.’
‘Her parents were Browns,’ Mautallius pointed out.
Marzdane nodded. ‘Yes, that’s true,’ he admitted, ‘but they were the result of a carefully laid out breeding programme that Rufus designed. Since they’re dead and have had no other offspring, the blood-line has died out, except for Coppernick herself of course. They had pack-mates, but without Rufus around to arrange marriages, the chance of another Golden Mane coming along is pretty slim.’
‘Why did that old dog design such a programme?’ Mautallius asked Marzdane, genuinely curious.
‘He was always strange. He tried to hide it, but there was no disguising he was true believer in the old legend of Werenmesse.’ Marzdane scratched at his beard.
‘You mean the coming of one who will rule Wolfenvald?’
Marzdane nodded. ‘I think that’s it, or something like it.’ He made a scoffing sound. ‘As if the werewolves could be united by anyone! They couldn’t decide what to have for breakfast.’ He waved his hand dismissively. ‘Not that it matters. Coppernick’s the last Golden Mane, and she’s as dumb as wood. Couldn’t rule in a pink fit. If the Werenmesse is going to happen at all, it’s hundreds of generations off yet, I’m sure.’
‘Then you’ll just have to make sure Coppernick does not breed, won’t you,’ Mautallius ordered him.
Marzdane grinned. ‘It would be my pleasure, my Lord. My pleasure indeed.’
Susan glared at her husband. ‘David, I’ve had sixteen sons and two daughters. I think we all know that by the time they’re in their teens, they’re pretty much able to look after themselves. Mel will be alright.’ She was hot, emotional and not in the mood for arguing, yet David had been fretting about whether they should have let Mel go off with the others in search of Cromwell. ‘Besides, she’s just about joined at the hip with Sarah, she’s got James, Angela and Benjamin looking out for her, as well as the two Coppernicks, and He’s also keeping an eye on her.’
David acquiesced. ‘Alright. I’m sorry. It’s just that with the kids all scattered all over the place, and now with everything going on, I just feel like… I just miss her.’ He frowned. ‘As for Apollo watching her, you can’t blame a father for being concerned.’
Susan was about ready to snap at him, but managed to check her temper. She smiled at him, grateful that he was feeling so protective of his youngest daughter.
‘I know,’ she said softly. ‘If it were up to you, she’d not leave home until she’s a hundred and then only with a dragon on one side and an ogre on the other. And you needn’t worry about Apollo. He’s watching Mel certainly, but not in the way you’re thinking. He’s fixated on Angelina,’ she told him, using her sister’s birth name. ‘He has been for centuries now.’
David nodded with a wry smile and turned back to the scroll he’d been writing in before the argument had begun. He had weighted the wriggling piece of paper down with a coffee mug and a crystal ball to keep it from rolling itself up again, but even then, he had to keep his arm over it to keep it still.
‘Okay. Back to the list. I’ve got Sally. She’s at Lentekhi. Beau and Mikey are posted somewhere with the Colombian Irregulars… Their head office should know where they are—’
Susan nodded, grateful they’d stopped arguing. She was always more emotional when she was pregnant.
‘Frankie, Freddy and John are still working at the Peruvian Alpine Hospital, Dan’s in the Congo still with the Royal Solomon Guard and James, Ian, Roger and Antony are in the Amazon.’ She sighed. ‘What is it with boys and jungles? Simon, Paul, Peter and Luke are all in Borneo and Eddie and Eli are still in their shop down from Frank Stein’s.’
David shook his head in admiration. ‘I don’t know how you keep up with all of them.’
Susan smiled. ‘I know their birthdays too,’ she teased him, knowing full well that her handsome husband had never had a good memory for dates.
He looked up at her, serious for a moment. ‘You know we’ll have to be extra-careful with this one, Suz. I’m not just saying this as a protective father. We’ve never had such a powerful enemy before. If Mautallius finds us, we could be in real danger.’
Susan nodded. ‘I know,’ she said with a quiet smile. ‘And we’re stirring up more trouble every day. He’s bound to send spies out to find us.’
‘Then where are we going to go?’
Susan gave him a confident, secretive grin. ‘I’ve got a few ideas,’ she said mysteriously. ‘You stick to writing. Leave the security to me and mother.’
Chapter Seven
Uncle Benjamin smiled and gave the strange man a polite nod.
‘Cromwell,’ he said calmly. Obviously the two sorcerers new each other quite well.
Cromwell looked intently at Melanie and then even more so at Sarah.
‘Ahh,’ he mused almost to himself. ‘There certainly is a prophecy at work here.’ Then he straightened and looked back at Benjamin. ‘You’ve brought them here for tutoring?’
Sarah stepped forward. ‘Please, Master Cromwell,’ she said politely. ‘I’m Sarah—’
‘Coppernick. Yes, yes, I know who you all are. And I know that you’re the last Golden Mane known to exist. You’ve probably been getting all sorts of odd information lately. I’d be surprised if you’re not feeling a tad confused. What I haven’t heard from any of you is what’s in it for me?’
‘Sounds familiar,’ Melanie muttered, giving James an arch look. ‘Is this what I have to look forward to?’ she asked him slyly. ‘Am I going to turn into a grumpy old—?’
James elbowed Melanie in the ribs. ‘He makes perfect sense to me,’ he whispered back.
Angela smiled at Cromwell. ‘Why don’t we all go inside and discuss it?’ she suggested.
Master Cromwell considered this. ‘Okay,’ he said finally. ‘Get yourselves settled into the guest wing. My staff will make sure you have everything you need. When you’ve done that and had some supper, we’ll talk.’ Then he disappeared.
‘Well, there’s no point hanging about here all day,’ Ronald suggested eagerly. At Cromwell’s mention of supper, his eyes had widened appreciatively.
The group made its way along a sandy path to a large building in the middle of the island. It was several storeys high and appeared almost circular. Rising above the centre of the building was a tall tower, topped with a large glass-roofed dome.
Angela looked at Benjamin with one raised eyebrow.
‘A nine-sided building?’ she asked.
Benjamin shrugged. ‘He built The Nonagon and the tower to Conundrum Gate. Maybe he liked the design?’
‘Either that or the entire building is one made for the express purpose of reaching through planes,’ she remarked with a look of profound disapproval.
‘Well, he is a necromancer, Angela,’ Benjamin told her. ‘I’m a spellweaver and librarian. My offices are labs, workrooms and tome-stacks. It makes sense that his place suits his work.’
Angela sniffed but didn’t say anything more.
Ronny looked about with a satisfied nod. ‘Whatever it was built for, it looks nice and organised,’ he observed. He inhaled deeply through his nose. ‘Definitely some gnomes on his staff.’
True to Ronny’s assessment, a gnome appeared out of the main door. He wore a severe black uniform with a bow-tie. He marched purposefully up towards them on stocky little legs. His stiff manner and even stiffer-looking uniform gave him the appearance of a walking pot bellied stove.
‘Good evening,’ he said with a polite bow. ‘I am José Diamond, Master Cromwell’s Chief Butler.’
José then led them all inside and showed them to several superbly furnished rooms. Each had large baths, plush couches and beds and various other chairs and desks. Ornate
tapestries hung from the stone walls and animal skins spread out on the stone floors in front of open fireplaces. The adults’ rooms all had fully stocked liquor cabinets while Sarah and Melanie’s rooms had large student desks and cabinets stacked with various tomes and enchanted potions in glass bottles.
Once everyone had settled into their rooms and had a good look around, they met in the main dining room. A large supper of cold roasted meats, fresh breads, cheeses and fruits, along with large jugs of icy cold water, foaming beer and cool white wine was set up for them.
Aunt Roberta and Uncle Robert appeared quite bemused by all the rich furnishings and the extravagant meal.
‘I’d be quite happy with a warm spot beside a fire and a light snack. This is more fitting for royalty,’ Robert remarked as they met. He wagged his tail nervously. ‘He’s certainly going out of his way to make us comfortable.’ He sniffed at one of several large flat cushions that had been set down on the floor for the werewolves.
‘And that makes me a little un-comfortable,’ Roberta added. She pawed at one of the cushions suspiciously then shrugged to herself. She trampled around on it a few times then lay down on it and rested her muzzle beside her paws.
Benjamin growled. ‘Not just that. There’re so many enchantments and charms about the place, it’s a wonder we can function. Giving me a headache.’ He nodded at the walls around them. ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if you feel like someone’s playing tricks with your mind.’ As soon as he, Robert and Roberta had settled into their rooms, they had all gone wolf. Now the Silver Shroud was crouched on the floor and gnawing on a large leg of roasted goat that he was holding down with one paw.
The ground gave a slight shudder all the crockery and glassware on the tables rattled. Sarah, like Robert, Roberta and Benjamin, felt slightly uneasy about the ground not being completely solid beneath her paws.
‘See what I mean?’ growled Benjamin.
James shook his head. ‘I doubt it’s anything so sinister,’ he disagreed, also looking about. ‘Though Oliver certainly has strange tastes in architecture.’ He waved at some stone columns at the far end of the hall. ‘You’d think that with all his power, he’d make the place a bit more modern.’
Sarah had a chance to look around before she arrived at the dining room.
‘Why does he need all this?’ she asked Angela. ‘I mean, so far we’ve only met Oliver and his butler. There’s room for hundreds in this place.’
Angela nodded as she sliced up an apple. ‘Cromwell’s in a unique situation. He’s not the sort to get visitors who drop in on a whim.’
‘So when they do,’ James added, ‘they mean business. Say The Guild sent a delegation here, there’d easily be up to dozen or so hangers-on per delegate. They’ve all got to be fed and pampered as a matter of form. There’d also have to be enough accommodation in the barracks for the guardslins.’
Ronald agreed. ‘The Gnomish Royal Family never goes anywhere without a retinue of at least one hundred. There are soldiers, courtiers, administrators and, of course, all the medical staff and lawyers. We never go anywhere without a strangle of lawyers.’ The gnome climbed onto one of the chairs that had been stacked with a few extra cushions for him and reached up over the table to grab another chicken leg.
‘Strangle?’ Mel asked, half giggling.
Ronny nodded. ‘Sometimes it’s even a hell of them,’ he mumbled with his mouth full.
‘Strangle is the collective noun for three or more lawyers,’ Angela supplied.
‘And a hell is when there’s more than that,’ James added sourly.
‘Don’t talk to me about lawyers,’ snarled Benjamin. ‘They don’t even taste good.’ He crunched the goat leg noisily for a few more moments then padded over to a large ceramic tub of water. He immediately put both paws in the tub and drank noisily. When he had drunk his fill, he wiped his muzzle with both paws, one at a time, until he was once again neat and clean. He stepped out of the water and shook his head several times until he was dry-ish.
Another slight shudder made both Robert and Roberta whine in surprise.
‘And that,’ whined Roberta, ‘is even more un-natural. I don’t like this place.’
‘Me neither,’ Robert complained. Lying on his large cushion, he rolled onto his back with his paws in the air. Then he shook himself back onto his belly. ‘How can anyone relax with this stupid place shaking like that?’
Soon José reappeared. ‘When you have finished your meal, ladies and gentlemen,’ he began officiously. ‘Master Cromwell requests that you join him in his observatory.’ He looked at the puddles of water near the water tub and at the crumbs of bone on the floor and sighed wearily to himself. Then he gave another bow and vanished again.
After everyone had finished eating, except Ronny who took several more chicken wings with him in his pocket for later on, the group made their way through the building to the centre where they found a large circular stairway leading up through six storeys to the observatory.
Ronny looked at the stairs with a puzzled expression.
‘What’s the matter?’ James asked him.
‘These stairs,’ Ronny told him, waving one stumpy hand at the staircase. ‘They look like they’re only six storeys high, but something’s not right. It’s like they go up forever.’ He looked puzzled. ‘It’s not an illusion either — or at least not one like any I’ve seen before.’
James looked up at the stairs and then back at his friend. ‘Are you bonkers?’ he asked. ‘They look fine to me!’
Ronny shook his head. ‘Uh uh,’ he argued, tapping his grey-skinned temple. ‘We gnomes can tell a lot about the structure of things. Inside, especially. We call it our bump-of-uppses. I tell you, those stairs go up an awfully long way.’
James shrugged. ‘Well, let’s find out,’ he remarked casually and began climbing the stairs. The others followed with puzzled expressions. About halfway up, everyone felt their ears pop suddenly, which was odd but hardly alarming for them, but Ronny went a pale green colour and rushed to climb up the rail when he craned his head over the side and was very noisily ill. When he had finished throwing up, he took a swig of Chinese Fighting Maple Rum and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
‘What’s the matter with you?’ Roberta asked. ‘Too many chicken wings?’
Ronny shook his head, trembling. ‘We’re a lot higher than the twenty metres or so that we should be,’ he told them all. ‘I don’t like this place.’
Sarah and the others looked at Ronny and then each other with surprise.
‘Probably more of Cromwell’s enchantments,’ James conceded. ‘Maybe he’s got a few floors of this place that he doesn’t want us poking our noses into.’ He shrugged, dismissing the matter. ‘Let’s keep going.’ He took Ronny’s flask and took a long swig and handed it back to his friend then turned and continued climbing the stairs.
When they reached the top, James strode forward and thumped on the door with his fist.
‘Open up, Cromwell!’ he bellowed. ‘We’re here!’
The door swung open. Inside the building was one large circular room. Groaning bookcases stuffed with tomes lined the wall. Every few metres, arched windows looked out to the shore. Near the door, were several tables and chairs and two large blackboards on wheels. On one of the tables was a huge pile of maps and on other, were rolled up scrolls. There were also six smaller student’s tables and chairs. In another part of the room, a large open fireplace was roaring along merrily. Dozens of large wax candles were scattered all about the room, providing a flickering yellow light. Several leather couches surrounded the fireplace. There was no sign of Oliver.
James looked about with his hands on his hips. ‘Come on, Cromwell!’ he shouted. ‘We don’t have time for your games!’ He glared about the room. ‘If we were coming here to pick a fight, you’d have known about it before we got off the ship!’ He then looked at the others. ‘Go sit down,’ he told them, pointing to the couches near the fire.
Suddenly, Oliver a
ppeared behind his desk. ‘Right then,’ he said, glaring at James. ‘What do you folk want here?’
‘Education for these two,’ Benjamin replied, nodding at Sarah and Mel.
‘I’m not taking students any more,’ Oliver replied instantly with a deadpan expression.
Angela raised one eyebrow. ‘Why not?’
Oliver shrugged. ‘The last student I had was awful. No talent at all. I can’t be bothered wasting my time.’
‘Not even for a Golden Mane?’
‘Let Wolfenvald teach her.’ Oliver looked straight at Sarah when he answered.
Mel pushed past her aunt. ‘What about me? The last of the line of Troy?’
This brought Oliver up short. His eyes narrowed as he looked Mel up and down.
‘You’ll have to get over your silly little issues about the rites.’
Mel gulped but bravely stood her ground. Then with a show of indifference, she shrugged.
‘Whatever it takes,’ she almost drawled.
‘Alright, I’ll tutor you,’ he told them and nodded at Benjamin, ‘for quadruple the usual fee.’
Again, Sarah wondered just who Uncle Benjamin had paid Oliver to tutor before, and when.
‘Quadruple?’ Benjamin protested.
‘Double the students, double the trouble. That’s two doubles which equals one quadruple. Take it or leave it.’
Before Benjamin could argue further, James nodded.
‘Alright. Done.’
Benjamin scowled at him. Cromwell ignored the annoyed Silver Shroud and glared at James.
‘That explains what these two are doing here.’ He waved at Sarah and Mel. ‘What do the rest of you want?’
‘They’re here,’ growled Benjamin, ‘to find out whether or not you’ve managed to remain un-possessed.’ He looked at the necromancer meaningfully. ‘I knew you’d come around and agree to tutor them.’ He nuzzled Sarah affectionately. ‘Though, all things considered, I’m not the one who should be making the decision. I wanted the others to see with their own eyes that it was safe.’
