by Vance Huxley
Eventually the four parents got the whole story, or the public part. Claris wouldn’t go back to town, for any reason, not yet. The solution came as a complete surprise. “Right, in that case she’d better move in here so I can keep an eye on her. Though you three and Laurence will be off every few days so Abel will still get time with her.”
“How come Rob doesn’t get to go on these trips?” Abel’s mum fixed him with a look. He’d no idea what she thought, but the truth couldn’t hurt.
“We can’t cram Rob in Laurence’s car.” Abel bit back the bit about Melanie going.
“I could go, but then Claris would be unhappy. She feels safer with Abel.” Rob stopped as a big smile lit up Mrs. Ventner’s face.
“I can solve that. Why don’t the five of you take the BMW?” She looked around the table where everyone looked back baffled. “Apparently it’s mine. I’ve had a new BMW as a gift from my soon-to-be ex-husband every year even if he never mentioned it. He sold the old one in my name, some sort of tax avoidance thing, then claimed expenses for using my car at work. I can’t even drive, but it’s sat there insured for any driver until next year.”
“Bonny’s Tavern can use a company car?” Mr. Forester glanced at Jenny. “You know this Claris girl, don’t you? Will I recognise her from the Acro dancing?” Jenny nodded. “Then after we’ve done with the business, I’ll go and ask her to come over. She can verify what’s been said so we can be sure you’ve told us everything.” He looked back at Abel. “Can she afford lodgings?”
“Mum won’t mind.”
“Sorry Kelis, but if she can pay it would be handy. We will lose the house, completely, when the bank takes it for the business debts.” Mrs. Ventner sighed, then braced herself. “As business partners you should know there’ll not be much money from me. We won’t be completely broke because in addition to the car I also have a mystery bank account where he paid my mystery wages for the mystery job I did. What’s in it is mine, all clear and legal because I’m not responsible for the debts.”
With a little smile she turned to Kelis. “You have a little nest egg as well. Your dear father gave you regular gifts for birthdays and Christmas, then sold them and put the money into your own mystery account. Something to do with a regular gift being tax-deductible. I’ve talked to the bank and daddy dear won’t be getting near any of it now.”
“How soon will you have to leave here?” Mr. Forester looked a little guilty. “I’m sorry, but we need to know for the business.” His wry look at Abel’s mum didn’t have much humour. “It’s a pity we haven’t got the church. We could have had our first homeless customers.”
“We should be all right at Christmas but it will all be over by Easter at the latest.” Mrs. Ventner managed real humour. “Since I’m allowed to take furniture, we could have really fitted the church out. I’ll have to either sell it all or find storage, because the bank aren’t having my comfy chair or kitchen set. These chairs can go as a gift to Bonny’s Tavern, wherever it ends up.”
“I’ll find you storage if you need it. We’ve got plenty of places I store building supplies. Considering what we’ve all just learned, maybe we can leave Frederick’s house until another time? Then we can get that young lady over here and clear that up at least.” From his look Jenny’s dad still wasn’t happy about the explanations to date.
“I need the loo before I go and get her. Nerves?” Because Abel felt sure nobody would be allowed over there without parents, so he needed privacy. A few minutes later Zephyr flew off, safely out of sight of his mum, to make sure nobody’s suspicions were confirmed. While Jenny and her dad went to get Ferryl/Claris, the other parents continued the inquisition.
At least Ferryl/Claris had exactly the right manner and answers to get everyone partly off the hook. They all got an ear-bashing but no groundings and no police, which looked a definite possibility for a while. Mr. Forester certainly felt that way, as did Kelis’ mum. Abel knew he’d get the third degree when Ferryl/Claris sat down next to him, holding hands with their shoulders touching so they could communicate. At least that settled anyone’s doubts about Jenny’s reaction to the alleged break-up, it didn’t bother her at all.
Ferryl/Claris moved into Kelis’ house that night, with Rob and Abel bringing all her stuff across the next day. Abel survived the earache from his mum, while Kelis, Jenny and Rob weathered their own storms. The results were definitely unexpected.
Not Claris’ mum visiting Brinsford after Claris admitted where she lived. Ferryl/Claris still refused to go home, but finding her daughter living in a big house with Kelis’ mum mollified Mrs. Ellsworth a little. Instead, completely out of the blue, her mum started a campaign to get the school to accept Claris back again. That way Claris could repeat last year and take her A-Levels.
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Mrs. Ellsworth also visited to help the other parents at the official Tavern meeting, the one for every player where there’d be no mention of magic. Laurence turned up in tight jeans, riding boots and a frilly shirt, carrying what might be a real rapier which he refused to unsheathe. He told Kelis he’d had to promise not to, or his dad wouldn’t let him take it. The sombrero with a peacock feather set the lot off, though Laurence swore he’d do better. Many Taverners brought food and soft drinks as promised, which were set up on the front lawn because this time the crowd simply wouldn’t fit in Kelis’ house. A quick count came up with a hundred and seventeen young people ranging from thirteen to twenty-five, with at least a third making a creditable attempt at a costume. Almost all the rest wore a couple of badges with magical symbols, or something else from the game.
There were two other schools represented now, a local academy as well as Shannon’s church school. News about supporting a real charity had gone round like wildfire, with dozens of suggestions about how to fit it into the game. Although many preferred the usual smash and grab quests, a good few were really interested a different type. Those wanted a way for players to improve their levels, or maybe earn health bonuses, if they could prove a certain level of real charity work. That would take some doing, though Abel felt sure Mr. Forester would push the designers to manage it.
Samantha, Rob’s big sister, had played Bonny’s Tavern with him and Melanie a few times so she declared herself qualified to attend. She swore that her ‘costume’ of a crop top and shorts with a strip of cloth hanging from the back of her waistband looked like Ferryl Shayde. Melanie came in her full kit as Cackle the Crone with a beat-up toy fox as her bound creature. That still wasn’t a playable character but Cackle and a few other subsidiary types such as Champ the Tavern bouncer had real fans. Rob’s dance with Lovingly Sculpted turned into three when someone told her who’d come up with the name.
Abel finally had a character, Wind Chaser the sprite catcher. His jeans, boots and an old shirt with the sleeves torn off weren’t much, even if the colour glyph meant his wooden sword and knife shone like metal and his shirt looked like leather at first glance. Several magic symbols on wooden discs, hung around his neck on leather laces, and a dozen badges bearing more magical symbols allegedly protected him from prowling sorceresses. Ferryl/Claris, with her red hair and a dress patterned like flames, showed that one of them had got through his defences. Abel’s main costume accessory made all the magic users laugh. The wide thin balloon tethered to his arm, with fangs and eyes drawn on with felt tip, really did lunge and swoop realistically. It would, with a totally real Zephyr inside it. She had a wonderful time, even remembering not to hunt properly while wearing her rubber suit.
The number of happy young people crowding onto the last bus to Stourton underlined one thing. Even if they hadn’t sold a single copy yet, Bonny’s Tavern had a fan club. Mr. Forester, helping the other parents with policing the crowd, wanted to sell them a beta version. None of the designers were that confident yet. At least this meeting wasn’t as bad as the birthday party, because nobody did any magic. Afterwards Rob’s big sister had plenty of questions, though mainly about phone numbers. According t
o her Rob should have a list of all the members, and any real brother would let his sister have a quick look.
The party managed something else, it blew away a lot of the worries about bullies, sorcerers, Creepio and leeches. Abel and his friends relaxed into really enjoying this summer holiday. Better yet, with the BMW Abel no longer felt guilty about Rob not coming on the days out.
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The first time he took the keys Laurence looked wary about driving an almost new BMW belonging to someone else. Mrs. Ventner wouldn’t take no as an answer, confessing she’d been worried about Kelis having an accident in Laurence’s small car. As a bonus, having Rob along took some of the attention off Abel and Claris being together.
The big party meant Kelis had finally relaxed around others while with Laurence. Once she started talking about her outings to theme parks and other attractions, several of the Taverners wanted to come along. Shannon and other Taverners with licences promised to borrow a parent’s car when they could, while Jenny thought she could persuade her dad to let someone drive one of the pickups from his building business. The summer passed in a blur of days out, glyph practice and game design. Meanwhile Claris put on weight and exercised until she regained her Acro Dancer’s figure. As a side effect Abel found it increasingly hard to remember it was all an act when Ferryl/Claris decided she should kiss him.
Two days before Laurence went off to Germany he asked Kelis to a dance at his house, a fancy dress ball so she could wear her Windcatcher sorceress outfit. As a surprise Ferryl/Claris turned the circlet for her head into real gems and gold, though she complained that the plastic took a lot of work. Her mum and Rob’s sister Samantha helped Kelis get the makeup and her hair right, and her crowning glory fixed in place. She even went in the BMW rather than risk her hairstyle in Laurence’s Corsa. When Prince Charming finally brought Cinderella home, she texted Rob and Abel to say it had been fabulous but wouldn’t talk about it the following day.
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Kelis finally talked properly at the next Bonny’s Tavern meeting, the day Laurence left for Germany. He had completely fooled her about the evening. Laurence wanted her in the long silky robe for a dance but not a fancy dress one. Some of his German relatives were there, expecting Laurence to bring Seraph or no partner as usual, and he’d wanted to really floor them. According to Kelis, Laurence’s mother had been in on the plot. She’d loved the robe and whole look but altered the hair and makeup so it wasn’t quite so sorceress, then to top it off she’d loaned Kelis a necklace to go with the circlet.
Kelis had danced all night, because Laurence’s two cousins made a huge game out of trying to steal his new girl. They were even more determined after finding out she played a sorceress, wanting her to show them magic spells or turn Laurence into a frog. The pair apparently practiced fencing, and at one stage fought a mock duel over Kelis until Laurence defeated them both, allegedly. They’d asked her to come to Germany for Christmas, to a real ball, and generally treated her as a princess. So had Laurence, his family, and the other relatives from Germany. Not a princess maybe, but as if Kelis belonged.
“Are you going to be all right, or will you mope about him for the next two weeks?” Rob had a little smile, but both he and Abel were worried. The summer holidays had been brilliant, the best ever, but by the time Laurence came back they’d be in school again. There’d be no days out for Kelis then, not if Laurence started work as well.
“I might look a bit wistful? It’s traditional, otherwise the next sucker might think I’m totally heartless and run a mile.” Both of them stared as Kelis laughed. “I’m not all starry-eyed, I promise. This summer has been lovely, but I always knew how it would end. Laurence will go off to work, abroad some of the time, and K’liss Windcatcher will don her disguise as the innocent schoolgirl Kelis.” She really did look wistful, for a moment. “Though it really has been nice, just enjoying myself for once without that pig waiting at home. Or Henry lurking to cause trouble, though I’ve barely thought of him since Easter.”
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Abel wished he’d kept his trap shut when Kelis smiled, a sort of sad-and-dreamy one.
“Yes. After the dancing, before I came home, we went for a walk around the grounds. I told Laurence I really enjoyed summer, but he was a bit old for me. I won’t have time for a real boyfriend, not the sort who’d want to take me out at weekends, not while I’m studying for A levels.” Her sad face probably meant Kelis wasn’t totally sure. “Laurence said okay, but hoped I’d still answer his calls if he needed an emergency princess or sorceress.” Kelis took a deep breath and looked at the pair of them with a bright smile. “So that’s it.”
Her tone meant Kelis didn’t want to discuss it anymore. “That just leaves the usual problem, what to do about Abel’s girlfriend.” Rob turned with a huge smile. “Let’s hope the teachers are prepared for her first day greeting.”
“Definitely. Though going by past performance, she might not last that long. We’d best warn the rest of the girls at school.” Nothing wistful about Kelis now she’d started on her favourite tease, Abel’s girlfriends.
Though Abel had his own ammunition now. “It’ll be Rob’s fan club causing raised eyebrows. After all, Claris might not be there.”
“Don’t bet on it. Claris’ mum reckons she’s got a meeting this week. That means the school must be considering Claris retaking the year, and that is one very determined lady.” Kelis shook her head. “I wouldn’t put pure bribery out of the question.”
“Never mind your love lives or my host’s mother, who may not need bribery. Look what I’ve got.” Ferryl/Claris placed a long strip of black cloth on the table. “The ends of the belts are elasticated, and that fastening can be tightened as much as you wish.” She turned it over, to reveal a row of oblong shapes fastened together by short lengths of wire. “These were steel, and I used heat to fuse the wire to the blocks before altering the whole strip to gold. The whole belt is a single store, waiting to be filled with magic. Then if the glyph on this block,” she tapped the engraved one, “is lined up on a glyph in the skin, that extra magic is always available.”
“Wow, brilliant.” Kelis glanced down at her waist, then at the belt. “Do I have to burn another tattoo?”
“No, a drawing should be good enough, though the best way is to place it under the skin. The same way as the glyphs on the tree roots that feed the barrier in Castle House?” Ferryl/Claris turned to Abel. “Though Abel couldn’t manage that last time he tried.”
“Not likely. I burned those glyphs on, which would really hurt inside my skin. It’ll be marker pen until we learn to heal.” Abel glanced at his own waist. “The belt might still slip a bit. How far is too far to connect?”
“We’ll experiment, and you are wrong about burning. This version is more like colouring the skin, but under the surface. Learning to recognise how materials are made or skin is constructed will help with being able to do that.” Glum faces greeted Ferryl/Claris’ smile, because none of them could get even a hint of that yet. Zephyr had tried to help Abel, but he couldn’t understand what she thought she saw so it might be wrong.
“At the worst we can hook a thumb behind the belt and picture the glyph on it, pull magic that way?” Rob picked up the belt. “Crikey, it’s a good job we all exercise.”
“A couple of the Taverners reckon magic training works better than diets. One reckons it’s the first time she’s ever managed to lose weight. The rest are finding out that exercise really does stop their arms hurting after casting. We could make a video and call it Fitness is Magic to finance the Tavern?” Abel took the belt from Rob. “How about what I first suggested, a bar to carry in my pocket? I still reckon this or the watch strap will slip too far. The strap definitely does because we marked it, and Rob’s skin, before he jumped about a bit.”
“You mean he rolled about like a ferret in a wasp’s nest, which definitely moved the strap too far. Though once again that would be a store even if the sorceress had to pu
t a hand on it.” Kelis touched her little silver angel. “I suppose one of those big solid gold necklaces would work the same, except I’d have neck muscles like a bull. Or Henry. Crikey, he’d carry enough magic to flatten a town.”
“Henry? I haven’t seen him all holiday?” Abel thought hard but no, they’d not seen a sign.
“We might not see him again. After all, he doesn’t need more schooling to be a farmer, not with growing up on a farm. He’ll probably inherit half his Dad’s.” Rob drooped sadly. “Oh dear, I’ll really miss him.” He grinned, straightening up. “Like toothache.”
“He’s learned his lesson. Now I want lessons on putting glyphs under tree bark. That sounds safer than under my fair skin.” Kelis stuck her nose in the air and sneered at Rob. “It won’t matter to Rob of course. Barbarians are supposed to have big ugly scars all over.” The meeting degenerated into the usual wrangling, except for making plans to draw things under the bark of the trees in the Dead Wood.
Leaving both Kelis and Ferryl/Claris behind still seemed a bit odd when Rob and Abel left Tavern meetings. So far Kelis’ mum seemed happy to have a lodger, and had definitely eased off on the paranoia about Kelis walking round the village without Rob or Abel. On the way back, a shadow called from behind a wheelie-bin. “Sorcerers. The batlins have agreed. If the sorcerer lets us scavenge all the bins in the streets around the house and gives us a safe haven we will split the meld. In return we will guard the garden, keeping out any magical creatures and especially tethered watcher-birds. When will you know if he agrees?”
“He agrees. You’ll be leaving as soon as Jenny can persuade her dad to let her borrow the pickup truck again.” Abel watched the Goblin creep off back towards the churchyard. “With Laurence gone we won’t have a driver so we’ll not be going out as often. There again, we’ll be back at school in a week.” The two Olds and a Batlin had travelled in the boot of the luxury car, so their trip scouting had been easy to organise.