“I’m Grim.”
“I know,” squealed Helia. “I hear you’re strange. Have you ever met a Pixie before?”
He was strange?
He shook his head. “No, we’re from very far away.” All of the eyes in the room watched Grim and his siblings.
“From the south,” Rudy added. Then all the heads nodded, as if in understanding.
He nodded to her.
Good call.
The sun dropped from sight and Valeria strode into the room. She had a walking stick and pointed it at the fireplace. She pressed a button and some flames began to lick at the wood that lay there.
Valeria cleared her voice. “Attention everyone! Attention!” She waited until all eyes were upon her. “We have seven newcomers.” She pointed to them and then motioned for them to sit. There were no chairs left so they took up space on the floor. “Since they are not from around here, I will make introductions. I am a Sylph, as you know. Dorian, whom you met earlier, is a Gargoyle, and Helia, who is floating over your head,” and Valeria motioned to the winged creature to stop fluttering about and sit down, “is a Pixie.”
She then pointed towards a delicate-looking girl who had green, flowing tresses with flowers and twigs poking out of her hair. She tried to hide the sinthoid part of her face with her long hair. She also wore a glove that went past her elbow. “This is Treeadora. She is a Dryad. Among some of the others are Sylphs, Kobolds, Trolls, Dryads, Pixies, Mewts, Sprights, and Elementals. And missing tonight is a Grundel.”
Valeria faced the others. “Also, since I have your attention, four weeks from today is the Summer Solstice Festival. We will all have to put in extra work when it comes.” There were groans from the others, mostly about how the sewers would get clogged. She pressed her hands together in front of her. “If there are no further questions…”
The Sylph then took a slight bow and strode out.
They all seemed to be more at ease with Valeria out of the room and the card game continued.
“Let me tell you the rules,” said Helia who was perched once more upon Grim’s shoulder. “There are four suits. For example, see Uva’s cards. She has one of Fire, Water, Air, and Land.”
Uva, who looked to be part rabbit, twitched her nose. “Helia! You just told them what I have!” Her mechanical ears stood up in irritation and it took all of Grim’s effort not to reach over and pet the girl.
Helia’s one good wing turned red in response. “Sorry,” she squealed. “Anyway, the card in the middle of the circle determines what suit is being played. Everyone must follow. So if it is Fire, everyone must play Fire. For every card you play, you either get points or lose points, depending on the direction. Each card you have is worth different points. Their numbers are written on the cards. Do you understand?”
Grim nodded.
“Good. Now, to change the suit to something else, someone must pick up a card from the pile and lay it. And if you want to change the direction, the Mystic must be laid. Hence the name ― Mystic’s Switch. The round ends when one person is out of cards or the Absinth card is laid. You add up the points of the cards you’ve played, then the person with the least points gets a letter. After every round, the letters add up. Eventually someone will spell out the word MYSTIC. When that happens, that person is out of the game. The game goes on until there is a winner. Get it?”
“I think so,” he replied.
“Can we play?” Rudy asked.
The others all nodded their heads in unison. Grim, Rudy and Treena all took up places in the circle. Ellen, Sam and the twins sat behind Grim and Rudy and watched as each of them were dealt five cards.
“Grim, since you’re next to Uva, and she dealt, you go first.”
He laid the Gargoyle of Water and Helia whispered in his ear.
“Good start.”
“Seven points,” Uva said.
The cards were played and Rudy changed the suit by picking up from the middle. When Grim’s turn came up again, he laid the Human of Fire and added the eight points to his previous seven. The round continued and as it came back to his turn again, the suit was still Fire and he had none.
“I have to pick up if I don’t have Fire, right?” he asked.
“Yes, unless you have one of the High cards.”
One of the cards had a woman standing in front of a black manor. It was the same for the other cards that had no suit. Grim figured it must be a High Card and laid it.
“Oh,” Treena said.
“What?”
“That’s the Baroness. You get to take all of Rudy’s points.”
Grim grinned. “I like this game.”
Rudy said nothing, but she rolled her eyes.
Grim studied the card briefly and the woman on the surface. At the base of the card was some sort of rune. The other High Cards were the same, each with a different one.
“What do these symbols mean?”
Uva shrugged. “No one knows.”
Grim reached for the cards in front of Rudy ― a Fire and a Water Sylph. He added the twelve points to his own. The game continued and Uva laid a Mystic. Grim winced as the direction of the game now changed. Everyone laying cards would be losing points.
“You know,” muttered Treeadora with the most gossipy tone. She’d been watching quietly in the corner brushing her hair and petting two little birds that were perched on her shoulder. “I’ve heard Madam Malkim’s has a spy.”
The others gasped.
It was now Grim’s turn. He did like the rest and laid the Pixie of Air in a new pile. There were two piles; one for adding points and the second one for losing them.
One of the Trolls who had a sinth leg and arm called over. He was big and meaty and obviously accustomed to lifting heavy things. His voice vibrated in Grim’s chest. “And what possible interest could anyone have with a bunch of freaks that no one wants?”
The Dryad motioned her head down the hall.
“I’m not sure, but I think you-know-who is connected.”
They all looked to where Valeria had disappeared.
Uva twitched her nose again.
“It’s true,” Treeadora said.
The Troll waved her off. “I can’t believe that. No one is interested in any of us.”
“Suit yourself,” Treeadora said with a tilt of her head. She returned to grooming her hair and the conversation then slipped into whose mother was likely a donkey, how best to light one’s flatulence on fire, and other such drivel.
In the next round, Uva summoned her card from the pile with a flick of her mechanical wrist. It zipped into her hand in a flash. When it was Rudy’s turn she closed her eyes and wriggled her fingers. She scrunched her face and everyone just stared at her. Grim knew what she was trying. It wouldn’t work.
Treeadora looked at her. “Do you need to use the crapper?”
Rudy shook her head and blushed. Grim snorted beside her.
“No, I’m all right,” she replied. She scowled at him and then reached over to pick up the card.
She lost two more points with a Faerie of Land. It was Treena’s turn next and the suit was still Land.
She played her last card. “And I’m out.”
Uva gathered up the cards. “What’s everyone’s score?”
Grim fared well with his twenty-four points, but Rudy had bested him. The rounds continued, and before he knew it, Grim was ousted. He remained to cheer the others on. It came down to Treena and Rudy. Finally, after three more rounds, Rudy won. The twins made a huge fuss over it, hooting and hollering.
And at that point Valeria stepped into the room. “It’s time for bed. Off you go.”
A few groans and whines followed, but most looked tired enough not to resist. The two moons now rose above the cityscape, both full and round. Grim wished the others a goodnight and crawled into his lumpy bed.
The following morning Grim dressed in his new clothes that arrived from Madam Sloan’s. It was similar dress as Dorian and the other boys. He decided
it was acceptable.
It beat a blue frilly suit any day.
Grim stepped out into the darkened hall. The group made their way once more to the kitchens where they swallowed day old toast that scraped its way down his throat. He nearly gagged on the cold scrambled eggs that slithered behind it.
After breakfast, Dorian led Grim and the others through the Academy. Down one of the corridors, Aunt Patrice eyed them as they strode past. She nodded her head and returned to speaking to one of the other staff ― a crusty-looking old man who wore a helmet with various looking-glasses attached. On his belt were a plethora of tools. He looked like the maintenance person.
Dorian left them at a large room, wishing them good luck, and it wasn’t long before a very short man with a long coat walked in. He looked like a butler.
“Follow me,” he said, motioning towards Treena.
Grim wished her good luck as she left the room. Next up was Sam. He walked out with Toby. Ellen was next, then the twins. Then Rudy.
“What’s your name?” Grim asked when his turn came.
The man seemed a little surprised at the question. “Keltin,” he replied with a smile and a bow. “Finneas Keltin, at your service.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Finneas. I’m Grim. Grim Doyle.” He stuck out his hand. Finneas seemed hesitant and then shook it.
Grim followed him through a corridor and into another room.
A man that looked as old as the dusty books that surrounded him was perched behind a wooden desk. Grim could barely see his leathery face, round protruding ears, and wiry, unkempt beard. Half his face and one of his eyes were sinth. It protruded like a telescope and examined Grim before he said a word.
“Come, come, sit,” he croaked with a hoarse voice, and motioned to the single, cushioned chair in front of him. He coughed up a gob of something yellow and spit it into a little bowl at his side. “Going to have to get someone to clean that soon,” he mumbled, and gave Grim a nearly toothless smile. Grim sat in the chair and prayed that he not be asked to clean out the slime-covered bowl.
“My name is Halffast Cobblepot. I help to manage the finances of Madam Malkim’s. Your name is Grim, yes?”
Grim nodded.
“Good. I would like to ask you a few questions. First, can you read?”
“Sure.”
“I will require proof, of course.”
He pressed a button on his desk that released a pair of mechanical arms attached to a wheeled platform. It scooted along the loaded shelves and reached up to grab a thick book. It glided back and plopped the book on the desk in front of Grim.
“Please go to page two hundred and twenty-three,” the man said. “There you will find a passage circled in red ink.” Grim grabbed the book, and blew the dust off it.
He sneezed.
The book was titled: The Mystery of Jinns.
Grim flipped the brittle pages until he found a fine, ink circle surrounding a passage in the book.
He began to read: “ Jinns are untrustworthy, ethereal beings that command the elements. The powers for which they were once summoned are no longer required in a world where we can meet those demands with a little ingenuity and absinth. That’s not to say that there may not still be some use for them, but since the decline of the Mystics they will likely remain in obscurity, especially since the closing of the Tower of Celest.”
Grim stopped. The old man now stood upon his stubby legs and his mouth was wide open.
“Magnificent!” he said. “I like to run that test first to see if I might catch a rare jewel out of the orphans that come through here. The next reading was going to be quite simple. I hadn’t expected that at all. Well, let’s move on, shall we?”
He was quite agitated now, and waddled about with an agility and speed Grim did not expect. They moved next to mathematics and Master Cobblepot was quite surprised at the ability with which Grim could handle numbers. “Better than some of the Academy’s students,” he muttered. “I have much that could use with a servant like you.”
Servant. Wonderful.
Master Cobblepot ushered him out the door before Grim could say a word. He was relieved he hadn’t mentioned his bowl of spittle.
Finneas Keltin seized Grim by the wrist and yanked him down the hallway. “This way. No time to waste.”
He brought Grim to another room.
Inside a sturdy-looking woman waited. She was easily more than a foot taller than Grim and had long hair tied back. She wore snug pants and a loose blouse with frilly sleeves. The woman was built like a bear.
She was human. Completely.
Without warning a white ball hurtled towards Grim’s head. He barely had time to think before he caught it.
“Please come in,” said the woman as she took long strides towards him. “Good catch. My name is Madam Adelaide. I catch a number of you orphans off-guard with that ball. Too many black eyes and lumpy foreheads leave this room. Well, let’s get on with it, shall we? Your name is Grim, correct?”
Grim nodded.
“Interesting name. Well, let’s get you up on this plank then.” She pointed to a piece of wood suspended over two pillars that stood about four feet off the ground. The plank couldn’t have been more than four inches wide. It reminded Grim of the balance beam back home. This would have been more suited to Rudy. He hated to admit it, but she was better balanced than he was.
“Up you go then,” she said and lifted Grim with one hand. He took a deep breath and stepped forward, making sure not to look down and instead focused on where he placed his feet. With one foot in front of the other and hands outstretched for balance, Grim inched across the plank. After a few more steps, he exhaled and stepped onto the final pillar. He jumped down and landed lightly on his feet.
“Not too bad,” she said as she flicked dirt from underneath her fingernails. “I’m new to this job, but you’ve got some of the best balance I’ve seen in the last couple of days.” Out of the corner of his eye, Grim saw another ball flying towards him. He caught it with one hand.
“Very good. Almost no one gets the second one. I can’t tell you how many useless servants go running out of here crying because of that second ball. I’m impressed and I have seen enough to know what I am going to recommend for you.”
“Like what?” he asked.
What could possibly require balance?
“Two orphans are in the infirmary with broken limbs after cleaning the tower.”
“What happened to them?”
“A massive bird flew at them and they slipped clean off the rain-soaked roof. They bounced off the tree, fortunately for them. Their fate was better than my predecessor who had to be scraped off the ground.” She grinned. “You’ll be my new replacement.”
The Tower? Was she crazy?
She shooed him out the door. “Good day to you.”
Again, waiting for him was Finneas. He snatched Grim by the arm before he could say a word.
Grim was then dragged down long corridors that seemingly had no end, into rooms where he faced yet someone new each time. With Master Galan, who was the new Alchemist, Grim knew little about what things needed to be mixed together. The man decided that even though he could not use him as a servant, he would teach him what he could, knowing he was new to this world.
Then there was Master Rickett, the Caretaker — the same man he saw Aunt Patrice talking to in the corridor earlier. Grim walked through piles and rows of items that needed repair. Most of the things in the room ticked and hooted when Grim approached them. There were bugs flying about the room that reminded him of fireflies, but they were sinth.
The old man was at the back of the room. He had a monocle covering one of his eyes and was a gruff looking fellow with wild gray hair that looked as if a windstorm had swept through it.
He paused to look at Grim, motioned him over, and then returned to working on whatever was in his hands.
The object in front of him appeared as if it were some sort of metallic spider. And when Mast
er Rickett poked a part of the body with a probing device, the legs would jerk sporadically.
“What is that?” Grim asked.
Master Rickett lifted the other eyebrow, the bushier one, and paused. “Haven’t decided.”
Grim laughed. “You don’t know what it is?”
“You’d be surprised what you can do if you just give your hands a little freedom. Sometimes it’s utter junk. And sometimes it’s worse than junk. But every once in a while you create something that has promise. That’s the nature of tinkering, boy.”
“Can I watch?” Grim asked and settled himself on the floor in front of a hodge-podge of junk. He picked up a piece of chain.
“Pass me that. That’s exactly what I need.”
Grim passed him the chain and watched as Master Rickett attached it to the spider-creature, deep inside its body.
“What else do your hands tell you, boy?”
Grim shrugged and grabbed a pincer-like object. It appeared quite sharp.
“Good, good.” Master Rickett took it and fastened it under an item that looked like a head.
“Again,” he said.
Grim grabbed some red crystals this time.
“Very good.” The man snatched them up, placing them inside the metal skull. “More!”
Grim then began grabbing various cogs and gears, handing them to the tinkerer as fast as his hands could move. And every time Master Rickett would place each inside the metal creature, all the while shouting words like: “Astounding!” and “Magnificent!”
Then Grim paused.
“What is it, boy?”
He looked about the pile. His fingers hesitated and hovered over a shimmering blue sphere.
“Well?”
Grim looked at the old man and saw a twinkle in his eyes. And there was something else there as well, like Master Rickett was studying him. Grim grabbed the stone. “This is the last item. There’s nothing else.”
“Where does it belong?”
Grim looked inside the spider creature and as he held the stone it seemed to beat like a heart. He knew exactly where it belonged. With a swift motion he placed it inside. He pulled his hand away as he heard a whirring sound and the squeaking of metal on metal. Red beacons glowed in its head and the thing rubbed against Grim’s leg. He could swear it was almost purring.
Land of Verne Page 6
