“Wait!” he asked urgently. “Where are you going?”
“Somewhere safe,” came the echoed reply. She was fading further. “Until I’m needed again.”
Around him, the sand waves broke, flowing across the gardens like water. Outside of the walled garden, the stairway that James and Raelinn had used rolled itself back up. Then the walls dissolved, and the scene started shrinking inwards, letting the hilltop and its trees replace it.
James was mesmerised by the scene retreating towards him. There seemed to be no stories here, just the replacement of one scene with another. It was as Y’an had said. It was a bubble, a captured moment. Now it was being released.
James stepped through the doorway. Then the doorway and the roofed structure disappeared.
In the Boston Library realm, Yas, Sam and Janine were talking and trying to make sense of what had just happened.
“So, who do you think is behind all of this?” questioned Sam.
“I don’t know,” replied Janine, walking over to a desk and sitting down. She was exhausted.
“Who were those men?” asked Yas, “Zombies? Skeletons? With their faces all messed up?”
“Soldiers of Orfeo I suspect,” replied Janine. “Seems like the army we’ve heard about.”
“So, what’s this army of his doing?” asked Yas. “Initially they wanted us,” she continued, remembering what one of the men had said.
“He said you,” corrected Sam.
Yas was silent. Sam was right. She’d wanted to ignore the fact that she was being singled out, but it was true. They’d wanted her initially, and then they’d seemed to change their minds about that when the Fates appeared.
“The Fates…” Yas started.
“From Greek mythology?” interrupted Janine. “You’ve encountered them before then?”
“Yes,” replied Yas. “They appeared to me that day in the library when I argued with Sam.” She paused, remembering. “They warned me about McVale and the upcoming Battle for the Peacekeepers.”
“That makes sense now,” replied Janine. “I’d heard stories of hauntings in the library. Disembodied heads, that sort of thing, but I never would have connected the two.”
“The soldiers took the Fates instead of us,” Yas continued, realising. “The Fates sacrificed themselves to save us.”
“I think they did that to save you, Yas,” corrected Janine. “They asked you to save the Custodians.”
“So, presumably, the Fates were more valuable than me to Orfeo?” suggested Yas. “Why though?”
“That’s a good point,” pondered Janine, rubbing her fingers on her temples. “And yet another piece of the growing puzzle.”
“So, we need more information, right?” urged Sam, sensing the discouragement.
“Well,” Janine started. “We think that Orfeo is using the Hall of Mirrors to observe, and we also know he’s building an army. For what endgame is unclear.”
“And Yas was asked to save the Custodians,” added Sam.
“Yes,” confirmed Janine. “The question is, where would he be hiding them? What is he using them for?”
A doorway appeared, interrupting their chain of thought. Peter stepped through.
“Hi,” he said, making his way over to where Janine was sitting. He saw the frustration and weariness on each of their faces. “Have I arrived at a bad time?”
“No,” she said, reaching up and touching him on the arm. She couldn’t help noticing that he looked a little ragged. “Are you okay?”
Peter smiled. “Of course,” he replied. “We were able to break up the protest before it really got going. Nothing much to worry about.” He paused. “What were you guys talking about?”
“We’ve just been trying to figure out what we know and don’t know,” Janine replied.
“Oh, it’s as bad as that?” he commiserated, looking at her exasperated expression. “More don’t knows than anything?”
“Right,” she said.
He sat down.
“So, Dad? What was really happening at the library?” asked Sam.
Peter sighed. “Another protest. Whoever was behind this one managed to work the crowd into a real frenzy, but fortunately we got there quickly. What was odd though, was that even as we sent them away in the back of the police vans, they were still calling out for the Word Guardians, telling us that they were to blame. It’s as if they were possessed or something.”
“Dare I ask… how’s the library?” asked Janine, concerned.
“There’s some damage downstairs,” Peter replied. “But most of it’s superficial.”
“Why did they have to do that?” sighed Yas.
“As with other protests,” explained Peter. “I get the impression it was more about sensationalism than anything else. Get a message out blaming someone, some law or lack of and do it in a way that means it will be picked up and reported on.”
“So why are they after the Word Guardians?” asked Sam. “How do they know about us?”
“I don’t know,” replied Peter. “I guess that gets added to our don’t know list,” he quipped. “Honestly, there was nothing to substantiate any of the accusations made by the protestors.”
“So, it’s like a gang mentality, then?” asked Janine. “Someone suggests a chant and an action, and others follow?”
“Pretty much,” agreed Peter. “We still need to check into the backgrounds of those arrested to see if there’s some other common thread or sympathy to a particular cause that could be drawing them together. There was nothing obvious from quick checks at the scene though.”
“It’s worrying that these protests are getting closer to home,” added Janine. “Closer to us.”
“I agree,” Peter replied.
“What can we do?” asked Yas, echoing Janine’s concern.
“Well,” said Peter. “I think we carry on doing what we’re already doing. We follow up on leads, take precautions where we can, and keep our heads down otherwise.”
“Keep our heads down,” repeated Yas. She remembered the argument she’d had with her dad that morning.
“Yes?” replied Peter, looking at her questioningly.
“Sorry,” added Yas, realising. “It’s just that my dad said that to me the other night, when the invitation to the Commissioner’s dinner arrived.”
“He’s probably just looking out for you,” Peter reassured. “Dads tend to do that,” he added with a smile.
“I guess,” agreed Yas. “It feels like something more than that though.” She sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe I shouldn’t go looking for signs everywhere.”
“Trust your instincts, Yas,” urged Janine. “That always works for me.”
Yas nodded. She remembered similar advice from her mom also recently.
There was a mild vibration around them. Two doorways appeared and Dai and Kierra stepped through into the library. They exchanged hellos, questioned why Yas and Sam were also present in the Sentinel meeting place, and were brought up to speed by Janine and Peter.
Once they had asked similar questions to those that Yas, Sam and Janine had been asking, their thoughts turned to the previously agreed action plan, that of visiting the Hall of Mirrors.
“So, are we ready to do this, then?” asked Dai.
“Yes,” said Peter, standing up. “I think it’s time we go and say hello to Orfeo.” He looked at Janine. “You said you had an idea about how to open a doorway?”
“Yes,” replied Janine, standing up. “This way,” she said, heading off to the end of the hall. The others followed.
“Where are we going?” asked Dai.
“Well,” replied Janine. “Peter and I had been trying to decipher some clues about the location of a set of doorways used by Sentinels in previous generations.”
“That’s a wild goose chase, if I ever heard one,” dismissed Kierra. “You’re not the first to go looking. From what I heard, those that did went crazy, never able to give up the quest. Like looking for the Holy Grai
l!”
“Exactly,” replied Janine. “It’s long been considered that these portals were the holy grail for the Sentinels.”
“Right? So?” continued Kierra. “What’s your plan?”
“Well,” replied Janine, continuing walking. “There are murals here in the library by the French painter Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, in the ‘De Chavannes’ Gallery.”
They reached the end of the hall and ascended a marble staircase. At the top, on either side, sat two large statues of lions, looking inwards, guarding the space between them.
“Wow,” mouthed Sam, impressed.
Janine turned to her right, walked around behind the huge plinth that one of the lions sat on and then up further steps, wrapping around behind the statue and leading to an upper gallery. The others followed, admiring the statues and décor.
Above the staircase and around the top of the walls were arched panels. There were five at the front, the three center panels being glass, with the two outer ones being murals. Then there were three on each side wall running to the gallery landing at the back, which itself was separated from the stairwell by three more arches, this time columns with arched tops joining them.
“These,” Janine gestured up at the murals, to continue her explanation.
“Okay?” said Kierra, not really understanding. They continued climbing to the gallery landing.
“Each of the murals is in an arched frame,” continued Janine, unfazed. “Like a doorway.”
“Could just be coincidence,” countered Kierra, not convinced.
“The story is that he never visited the library to see his commissioned work, yet he made a model of the size, space and marble so that his work would complement the space.”
“You’re thinking he did that in a realm?” suggested Yas, leaping to a conclusion.
“Yes,” said Janine, as she walked along the gallery at the top and stopped behind the middle arch. “This is his only work outside of his native France. And it’s here, in a meeting place for Guardians.”
There was silence.
“There’s evidence in the archives too to support my thinking that he was working with Word Guardians of the time.”
“Okay,” said Kierra, trying to sum things up. “So, you’re saying he painted realms?”
“Not just realms,” continued Janine. “Entrances to realms, to help other guardians travel between them.”
“Like keys?” asked Sam, absent-mindedly touching his necklace.
“That’s all well and good, but how does this help us get to the Hall of Mirrors?” asked Dai, getting impatient.
“De Chavannes spent time in Versailles and painted a landscape. A view of the Palace.”
“And you’re thinking we can access that somehow,” added Peter, understanding where she was going with this.
“Yes,” replied Janine. “Through here,” she gestured to the middle arch in front of them.
“What now?” said Dai incredulously. He stepped forwards and looked over the edge. “That’s going to be a leap of faith!”
Kierra also looked. “Brief madness and death, anyway,” she added.
“Why not through the doorway behind us?” asked Peter, gesturing to the back wall and the doorway that ran through the middle of another mural. It depicted muses either side of the doorway, welcoming a central winged character, the ‘Spirit of Light’. The muse immediately on the left of the doorway was sitting, holding a stone tablet.
“No,” said Janine determinedly. “If you look at that character,” she said pointing above the doorway. “The Spirit of Light is focussing there.” She gestured to the middle arch of the gallery landing.
“Could just be looking out the windows?” grumbled Kierra, looking back and forth. “What makes you so sure?”
Janine walked over to the character on the left of the doorway and touched the shoulder of the lady gently. In response, it looked up at her.
“Woah,” said Dai. “I take it you knew it was going to do that?”
“I noticed this some time ago,” explained Janine. “But it’s taken me until now to figure it out.”
“Study?” she asked, looking at the character in the mural. “May I look at the tablet, please?”
Janine leaned forwards, half bowing out of respect, and Study handed it to her. Janine took it and held it reverently. The tablet became a book in her hands, and she started to turn the pages. The others moved over to get a better look.
“Ahh, yes” she said eventually. “It’s here. The Palace of Versailles.”
She handed the tablet back to Study, who nodded to her.
“Peter,” Janine asked. “Would you mind just tapping the figure of ‘Contemplation’ on the shoulder please?
“Who? Her?” Peter asked, moving over to and pointing at the figure on the right-hand side of the doorway.
“Yes,” replied Janine.
He did so.
Immediately, light started to emanate from each of Study and Contemplation. They all stepped back, wary of what might happen next.
The figures glowed strongly, then the light channelled upwards to the character above the doorway. When the light reached the area just above his hands, two beams shot outwards towards the middle portal. Projected in the space was now the painting of the Palace of Versailles, looking across the water from a distance.
“There,” said Janine, satisfied.
Sam noticed that the pendant on his necklace had become warm. “A doorway,” he said, realising. He looked at Yas who was touching her pendant also. She nodded.
Janine turned and looked at the others. “We’ll enter the realm here and then head towards the palace. That way we can assess and return quickly if need be.”
She looked at Sam and Yas.
“Given that we don’t know what we’re heading into, and given what happened at the library, I suggest the two of you stay here.”
Yas’s shoulders slumped. She was disappointed and wanted to protest but could see from Janine’s expression that it wasn’t up for discussion. She looked at Sam. He looked equally deflated.
“Okay then,” Janine looked at Peter, Dai and Kierra. “Let’s go.”
Janine stepped up onto the wall just below the portal and touched it with her hands. The image rippled. That was a good sign. Then she stepped through and disappeared.
Even though Dai and Kierra had travelled by portal many times before, they couldn’t help but glance through the leftmost arch over the edge of the balcony.
Peter stepped up onto the wall also.
“Let’s hope we have the element of surprise,” he smiled, before stepping through.
Dai and Kierra followed. The portal stayed active after they had gone through.
Sam made a move towards it and touched it gingerly.
“What are you doing?” Yas asked.
“I just wanted to… you know… see what it felt like,” he replied. He took his hand away and turned to face her. “I kind of feel like we’re being sidelined,” he huffed.
“I know,” she said, also feeling the disappointment he was portraying. “What are you thinking? Should we go anyway?”
“I don’t think we’d be too popular if we did,” Sam replied, walking back towards the wall and the character of the Study.
“What do we do then?”
“I guess we wait here?”
“Right,” agreed Yas reluctantly, joining Sam. “I guess we may as well look around. I’ve never been to the Boston Library before.”
“Or me,” agreed Sam. He put his arm around her. “And at least we get to spend some time together.”
Yas smiled and together they made their way along the gallery and towards one of the other rooms.
As they walked, they became aware of a scratching, vibration sound.
“What’s that?” asked Yas, stopping and looking around. The sound became louder. She wondered if there was a small creature nearby.
“I think it’s coming from you,” said Sam, stepping away
from Yas a little and looking her up and down.
Yas touched her necklace. “It’s getting warm,” she said, looking at Sam.
“Mine too,” he said. “What’s it from?”
“I don’t know,” Yas said, taking her jacket off and inspecting it. “Wait!” she said. She put her hand in one of the pockets and pulled out a white card, the one she’d picked up from her box of memories the night the invitation had arrived at home. “It’s this,” she said, turning it over in her fingers.
Words were forming on the surface on their own. The scratching sound was that of an invisible pen, creating cursive script.
“What does it say?” asked Sam.
“Meet me at the Hanging Gardens,” said Yas, her eyes widening. “As soon as you can.” She looked at Sam. “It’s from Akoni,” she said. “He wants to meet us.”
“Do we go?” asked Sam. “We still don’t know if we can trust him.”
“True,” replied Yas. “I guess it’s an opportunity for us to try to learn more, though?”
Sam shrugged. She was right.
“How will we let them know where we’ve gone?” he asked, concerned.
“We leave a note,” suggested Yas matter-of-factly, turning and looking for something to write on.
“But why is he wanting to meet with us urgently?” asked Sam. “Doesn’t that seem a little odd?”
“Yes,” replied Yas, frustrated. “But wouldn’t you rather do something, than nothing?”
Sam sighed. “You’re right.”
Yas walked over to him. “What’s up? What’s worrying you?”
He looked into her eyes. “I don’t know. I guess… every time my dad goes off into a realm, I just want to know he’s okay, you know?”
She grabbed his arms gently. She understood. It was a reoccurring worry after his dad had been betrayed and kidnapped previously.
“I get it,” she said softly to him. “But he and Janine have got others with them, this time. They’ll all take care of each other.”
He nodded and looked back at her.
She pushed herself up on tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss.
“Come on,” she soothed. She could see the worry in his eyes. She hoped that she was right.
He smiled at her. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s find something we can leave a note on.” He started walking through the doorway in the back wall of the gallery, searching in the room.
The Word Guardians: and the Twisting Tales Page 16