Dominoes

by Barbara Gaskell Denvil

  Richard was standing in awe. “This is a great deed,” he said. “You are people of great wonders, and your lands are utterly beautiful. I thank you for bringing me here to witness such glorious miracles, and I apologise deeply for having treated your friend as an enemy.”

  “It wasn’t your fault,” sighed Nathan. “It was Brewster’s.” He looked at Brewster who was now standing before him. “You have to let me cut the chain. You know I must. You’re only helping Yaark if you stop me.”

  Brewster paused, saying, “I act on my father’s orders,” then abruptly bowed his head. “You must do as you must,” he said. “And I will do nothing to stop you. But your knife is more powerful than I had realised. So there is something else you must do.”

  “Get rid of Yaark?” said Nathan.

  “One day, perhaps,” Brewster answered. “What mattered to me was the release of my brother from the trap of carrying Yaark within. Yet Yaark is my father’s friend, and my father cannot be ignored. He rules all the land.”

  “I think he’s controlled by Yaark too,” said Poppy under her breath.

  Brewster said, “But first, we must feed these starving wolves. They have not eaten for many weeks. They followed me this time because I promised to feed them. I have always kept my word.”

  Smiling in surprise, Nathan said, “That’s a kind thought, wizard. I’ll ask the knife.” So once again he held up the knife and spoke into the gleaming light. Poppy, Peter and Sam came to stand hopefully beside him, and Brewster stood back. The wolves themselves were confused and sat still licking their lips. Arom and his brother heads were so happy with Arom coming back to life, they were licking each other.

  The Knife of Clarr once again answered Nathan’s request. Gradually shadows and shapes began to appear all around the walls of the cave. At first it was impossible to make out exactly what this was, but then the shapes were obvious. There were great piles of dog-biscuit, platters of rice in hot milk, and huge mounds of meat, bones, and other treats. The food seemed to grow and grow until there was hardly any space left for the people, the pool, and the wolves themselves. Then, as the wolves waited, longing desperately to leap on all this delicious food and eat as much as they could, the black smelly fingers also disappeared, and the pool of silver water spoke from above the Eternal Chain.

  “I bring food to those who need it, and deserve it,” said the voice. “You are so good and so sweet natured that, even though you starve and are almost dying from lack of food, you wait to be told to eat in case this beneficence is not meant for you. But indeed, all this food is yours, my friends. Eat whatever you will, and carry out the rest to your families in the fields. And there will be more. Do not deprive yourselves, thinking to take every piece out to your hungry children. More will come. And then more. It will rain food once the chain is cut.”

  With small wails of delight, every wolf rushed to the piled bones and meat and began to eat ravenously and as quickly as they could. Nathan was delighted, and said, “People talk about wolfing down your dinner. Well, that’s exactly what’s happening.” And he grinned at Brewster. “This was your kind idea,” he said, tucking his knife away. “I should have thought of it, but I didn’t. Not yet, anyway. Thank you.”

  Brewster, smiling very gently to himself, had stepped back. His voice almost hidden beneath the growls of satisfaction, and the sounds of ravenous eating and slavering was barely a whisper. “But then, you don’t know me, do you my little Bumble-Bee-Head? You really know nothing about me at all.”

  Hugging each other in delight, Poppy, Sam and Peter watched from a corner, while Richard III, Henry V and Henry VIII all kept rather cautiously out of the way. But Nathan stood in the middle of it all, facing Brewster. “I’m glad you’ve got your twin brother safely back,” Nathan answered. “And I hope he gets better soon.”

  Brewster’s dark forked snake tongue darted out. But he smiled, saying, “Well, Bumble-Bee-Head, now you had best cut the Eternal Chain.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “One day,” sighed Messina, “that son of mine might actually obey what I tell him.”

  Granny doubted it. “You were missing for so many years from his life,” she said, “he sometimes forgets you’re his mother.”

  “But you were there to look after him and bring him up and protect him and read him stories,” Messina pointed out. “And half the time he doesn’t obey you either. Though admittedly he does what you tell him far more often than he does what I say.”

  “He’s the Empole,” shrugged Bayldon. “He needs to make his own decisions and decide on the best thing to do. If he is to learn, then he should learn from his own mistakes.”

  “We should admit that he doesn’t make too many bad mistakes,” smiled Granny. “And I have a good idea that by now he’ll be up in Sparkan getting ready to cut that Eternal Chain.”

  “You’re right of course,” nodded Messina, and she turned to Zakmeister and Sherdam. “We must all travel though the plains and marshes. We must warn those poor people that humanity is about to return. And we should take clothes with us, and promises to help repair their proper homes. Different food too. They’ll all need a great deal of help, and they deserve it.”

  “It’s time we stopped just making plans, and started achieving something,” said Granny at once. “All of us. The children are getting more done than we are. So – let’s start.”

  “You can’t go marching for miles over rough ground at your age, mother.” Messina regarded her mother and looked impatient. “You could make the food for the people, wonderful pies and cakes. And then for us when we get back, for we’ll be exhausted.”

  Frowning, and just as cross, Granny untied her apron strings and flung it on the table. There was a faint squeak from Ferdinand.

  “I shall do what I personally believe is best,” she said. “And I most certainly have no intention of doing as my daughter tells me, however well-intentioned. And I have quite enough magic to travel comfortably. I shall not be crawling on my hands and knees, any more than you will.”

  She turned away and marched from the room.

  Bayldon, having no magic, asked Messina to call the Sky Train, and both set off together to take the news to the people of the plains, while Zakmeister and Sherdam shot off together by magic, aiming for the marshlands and the river banks. “There are hundreds and hundreds of people who have spent years as small insects, birds, and other little creatures,” Messina sighed. “We must now tell them that hopefully, within two days, they will be men and women again.”

  “But what if cutting the chain doesn’t work?” demanded Bayldon. “They’ll get so gloriously happy and excited, but then nothing may happen. What a terrible disappointment that would be.”

  “I have absolute trust in our son,” answered Messina. “He will achieve this, I know he will. Lashtang is about to change forever and become a happy land as it once was when the Octobrs ruled.”

  “And what about Granny?” murmured Bayldon.

  “She’ll do whatever she wants, as always,” said Messina as she settled in the front seat of the Sky Train. “And no doubt she’ll do it better than me. Besides, she’ll have Ferdinand and he’s very helpful. For a start he can tell the difference between a real spider, and a person turned into a spider.”

  “A useful skill.”

  The birds pulling the rich swinging velvet seats up into the sky were squabbling as usual, and took their time preening their wing feathers. “We are in a hurry,” Messina told them. Two peregrine falcons were bringing up the rear, and they ruffled their feathers, as impatient as Messina. But at the front were two cross and long-necked vultures, and directly behind them flew two argumentative egrets, who had wanted a dinner break to go fishing, but had been called to work just as they were ready to fly down to the lake.

  “Quiet,” roared Bayldon. “We’re in a hurry.”

  This order had as little effect as everything else. “We should be allowed a dinner break,” insisted one egret. “I’m hungry.
Indeed, I’m quite peckish.”

  “Peck, peck, peck,” twittered a Pigeon. “You lot are always peckish.”

  A flock of six seagulls who were holding up two seats in the middle, all began to squawk at the same time. A large and elegant ibis, its thin black neck stretching up from the white feathers of its body, called for quiet. “There’s no one starving on this train,” it said. “Work first and feasts later.”

  “I need my strength,” said one seagull in a high squeaky voice. “I saw a school of sardines, but I was called away just as I dived.”

  “I bet you gulped down a few sardines first,” grumbled one of the vultures.

  “Well, alright, I admit I ate a few,” said the seagull. “But not as many as I wanted.”

  “Hush,” pleaded a cockatoo, raising his golden crest. “You’ll give us a bad reputation.”

  “Humph, we should put our prices up,” objected the first egret.

  “Most of the time we don’t charge anything anyway,” pointed out the second vulture.

  “Well we should. Even if it’s just in sardines.”

  “We have neither sardines nor crabs with us,” called Messina, “but this is the empress Octobr here, and I have important work to do. Take us immediately out onto the plains.”

  Meanwhile Granny whizzed herself by magic and arrived by herself on the banks of the marshy creeks where the land was muddy and soft. But instead of tramping through the squelch trying to find all the tiny creatures which Yaark had changed from people to insects, she clicked her fingers three times and called up a floating chair, very comfortable in grassy green velvet with lots of cushions shaped like flowers. It bobbed around a little in the air just above the ground, and here she sat very comfortably looking down at the creatures which began to arrive.

  “Tell the others,” she called down. “I am the Lady Altabella Octobr, and I bring interesting news. Call everyone you know to come and listen to what I have to say.”

  Gradually the marshy grasslands began to teem with activity. Swarms of large black and red ants rushed through the long grass, and six large iridescent blue dragonflies landed on Granny’s shoulders. Spiders crawled from the mud, and beetles scuttled out from the undergrowth. A hundred different sizes and colours of crabs came rushing from the waters of the creeks, marshes and streams, and turtles, lobsters, muscles and jellyfish arose from the river bed. A great many little birds flew down, squawking and chirping, and a large tortoise ran up, managing a faster run than any other tortoise had ever managed. Seven beautiful cockerels, followed by hens and golden balls of fluffy little chickens all arrived, and an army of different kinds of little lizards appeared from the bushes and grasses., followed by four rather fat grass snakes. Hedgehogs, wombats, and badgers raced down from the forested hills around, and more birds flew in from further away. Even some young deer trotted in and two very shy kittens with a hoard of ladybirds clinging to their backs crept into the back of the group.

  Other creatures were still hurrying in when Granny started to speak. Her voice was loud so that everyone could hear, and first she clapped her hands for silence.

  “I welcome all the fine folk of the plains,” she said. “You have all passed many brave and patient years in the bodies of insects, animals, birds, and even fish.” She looked down at them all from her floating chair and smiled. “As you all know, the wicked incubus Yaark turned you all one night, so you went to sleep in your own comfy homes as men and women, but you woke as little creatures which you knew nothing about. Many of you didn’t even know what you were supposed to eat. You lost your families, your homes, your clothes and your possessions. You have had to struggle ever since.”

  There was a lot of murmuring and agreement, with some creatures clapping and cheering.

  “Well, now I have good news,” Granny continued. “Many of you have met the new empole, or at least you have heard of him. Many of you answered what was called ‘Bannister’s muster’ and promised to fight for him when the rebellion comes. Many others have already been spying in the streets of Peganda and have brought the important news to the Empress Messina.”

  “Until Yaark destroyed all the city,” called out one little sparrow. “Some folk are building houses again, but there ain’t many yet.”

  “Many folk from Peganda have come to us for food,” said a large spiky hedgehog.”

  “Too many to feed,” added a badger.

  A large group of rabbits were cuddled up together below Granny’s chair. “We helped,” said the mother, who was a fluffy grey. “But we needed to keep some of the food for ourselves. I used to have my own little café, and very popular it was too. I bought all my supplies from the Peganda Market. But now it isn’t there anymore, and the folk come to get carrots from my garden.”

  “It has been difficult for everyone,” Granny said, leaning forwards and smiling down. “What courage you have shown. But it is about to get so much better. My grandson is not only the empole, but he is also the Lord of Clarr and carries the magical Knife of Clarr. You have all heard, I’m sure, that only cutting the Eternal Chain will break Yaark’s magic. It is also true that only the Knife of Clarr can cut the chain.”

  More clapping and cheering.

  “Well,” Granny continued, “The Eternal Chain has finally been discovered, although it was hidden for many years, and the empole, Lord of Clarr, has travelled there to cut the chain. This may happen at any minute, and you must be prepared. But you must also be patient. We cannot know how long it will take him. Perhaps several days. Or perhaps only several minutes. However, you must be ready for changing back suddenly into the people you used to be, could be most confusing, even a little painful, certainly difficult for you need to go back and see if your houses are still standing, find the right food, the right clothes, and your long lost families.”

  The noise mounted to an amazing chaos of shouting and cheering, spiders calling hooray, and lobsters yelling Three Cheers. Every creature began to run around, hugging each other (which was easy for the ants but not so easy for the tortoises), the grasshoppers and crickets began to clack and click into their favourite song, and the birds of every kind started to flap their wings and sing as loudly as possible. Indeed, the dancing and singing and the general celebration was so hectic that for some time Granny just sat swinging her legs in the air and waiting. Ferdinand, equally excited, sat on her lap and waved his arms in the air, jumping up and down on her lap until Granny had to politely ask him to stop as he was making a bruise on her knee.

  Eventually all the animals began to remember the problems that would arise when they suddenly reverted to people again, and they sat in groups, discussing how they would overcome such difficulties, and generally searching for other members of their family.

  Finally Granny spoke again. “We intend to open several businesses over the next few days,” she announced. “These will supply clothes, food, kitchen equipment, beds, chairs, bedding and cushions, and most of all, food. There will also be friends who will gladly help with repairs to your old houses. And –,” here she raised both her hands for silence, “all this will be utterly and entirely free.”

  There was a tiny silence before all the cheering and leaping started all over again. At first it seemed no one could believe the word ’free’, and some nearly fainted. But then it was all just too exciting and after everyone had thanked Granny a thousand times, they drifted off to start making plans.

  “Remember,” Granny’s last words, “this may happen very quickly, or it may take some time. The change back may prove easy or even painful. But it will happen soon if not sooner, and if you have to wait a week, don’t give up hope. Your life as little creatures of the plains is about to end forever. And please, whenever you see someone else in the same situation who may have missed my news, tell them carefully what is going to happen. The whole of Lashtang must be warned.”

  She waited for everyone to leave. This took quite a long time, but she was happy to wait in case anyone had special questions to ask
, but also to have a rest for herself. It was as she sat there, content and patient, that she looked into the distance across the streams that joined in one rush downhill as the marshes finished and the great river twisted and wound into the wide flat plains of grasslands and fields once cultivated. And there, wandering slowly past, she saw the great tiger. She sat up, raising her hand, but although she hoped this was Gilden, she was worried that it might be Yaark. But the tiger strode past, stopped very briefly for a drink from the river, climbed the bank and continued into the long far away shadows. Granny was puzzled. If this had been Gilden, she would have expected a greeting, whereas had this been Yaark, she would have expected a sign of anger, threat or warning. Yet there had been nothing.

  She sank down again in her floating chair and eventually, tucking Ferdinand onto her shoulder, she whizzed herself with magic back to the cottage.

  Sherdam and Zakmeister were already home and hurried to put the kettle on for her. They were both delighted to see her. Zakmeister said, “Well, we’ve worked hard all day and done our duty. We covered all the land up to the Tower of Clarr, informing every creature of what will happen and what they must do. Sometimes we separated and sometimes travelled together. No land has been left untouched, except the ocean itself.”

  Sherdam asked, “Exhausted, Altabella my dear?”

  “Very much so,” sighed Granny. “That sort of travel by magic isn’t easy, you know, Sherdam, and I don’t think I even have the energy to bake a cake.”

  “Sandwiches for dinner, then,” grinned Zakmeister.

  “And I shall make the tea,” offered Sherdam.

  “I just hope dearest Nat manages to succeed in this,” Granny sighed. “Otherwise there are going to be hundreds of bitterly disappointed insects.”

  Somewhat later that evening both Messina and Bayldon returned, extremely tired but satisfied with what they had achieved. After a quick and easy dinner knocked up by Messina, they sat around the kitchen table and discussed at some length both what they had done during the day, and what they wanted to do as soon as the amazing changes began to happen. The sunset, turning the distant hills scarlet, and then one by one the moons came up, one silver and one pink, and a thousand stars peeped out.