The Black Fortress

by E. G. Foley

  Jake’s aunt Ramona was there. The Elder witch sat all the way to the left. Her patrician face nearly quirked a smile when she saw how frightened Dani was.

  Next to her sat the ancient Master Balinor, his mysterious owl perched on the lowest of the Old Yew’s branches.

  Beside Balinor, Sir Peter Quince lounged in his chair, legs crossed. He was garbed as usual in his long black academic robes. Dani was most relieved to see the cheerful wizard there.

  She was almost positive that if she was in trouble, Miz Jillian would’ve used whatever influence she had on her husband to put in a good word for her. The non-magical had to stick together around here.

  Beside Sir Peter, Dame Oriel sat in a meditative pose, her plum-colored hair burnished in the glow of the morning.

  Lord Badgerton fidgeted in the chair next to the clairvoyant, looking disgusted with everything, as usual, but at least he had cleaned the mashed potatoes out of his mustache.

  To Dani’s surprise, the last person present on the dais was not an Elder at all, but a Lightrider.

  Waiting in the shadows beneath the tree leaned none other than Finnderool, the slim and graceful wood elf who had brought them back from Sicily.

  His long, pale hair seemed to glow in the shade as he offered Dani a princely nod, his hand pressed to his heart in the standard greeting of his people. A slight smile played about his lips, but he always looked secretive and slightly superior. After all, he was quite highborn, kin to elvish royalty. Still, the Lightrider had a no-nonsense manner that Dani and the other kids agreed was decidedly intimidating. He was not unkind; he was simply all business.

  As she waited to hear what they had to say, Dani was mystified that so many important personages had assembled here this morning for the sake of one magically talentless girl.

  I must be in even bigger trouble than I thought.

  Her heart skipped a beat, but Dani offered her audience a respectful curtsy. “Y-Your Excellencies wanted to see me?”

  “Sit down, Miss O’Dell. We’d like to talk to you.” Sir Peter rose from his chair and, with an idle flick of his wand, instantly conjured a wooden chair for her to sit on, out in front of them all.

  “Thank you, sir.” It was always a little disconcerting when the gifted did that sort of thing, but Dani sat down, folded her hands on her lap in a demure pose, and tucked her feet under the chair, doing her best to look well behaved.

  “Now then,” Sir Peter said, as though he could practically hear her thumping heartbeat. He was used to conducting the Assessments, after all. He had a talent for putting nervous kids at ease with his breezy manner. But today, even Sir Peter seemed somewhat solemn. “You must be wondering why we’ve called you here.”

  “Yes, sir,” Dani forced out, but at that moment, a flicker of motion caught the corner of her eye.

  One more person appeared, stepping out of a small arched opening in the side of the maze. Her eyes widened in disbelief when she saw him.

  Da? She had not seen her father in over a year!

  To be sure, Patrick O’Dell, Sr. was the last person in the world she’d expected to see, but this was no conjured illusion.

  It was him, all right, her papa, in his same shabby coat and scuffed work boots. Ruddy-nosed and potbellied, the lowly Irish laborer was holding his old wool hat in his hands and looking even more out of place than she was here in the magical world.

  “Mornin’, lass,” he greeted her in a low tone, then he sat down on the chair that had been provided for him a few feet apart from the Elders.

  Dani couldn’t even blink. Her heart was suddenly in her throat. Oh no. They’ve sent for him to take me away.

  “Good, then. We’re all here,” Sir Peter continued in an easy tone.

  Then he started rambling on with a sort of introduction about what they were all doing there, but Dani failed to hear a word.

  Because she knew now for certain they were sending her home.

  If Da had come all this way from London, then obviously, the Elders must have sent for him to come and fetch her. Take her back to the city with him. Back to the rookery, with its drab lanes and crumbling buildings, its sewage-stinking curbs and brawls in the streets. Its violence and poverty…

  No fairies. No magic. No Jake.

  She sat there in shock, her stomach twisting, her mouth dry. She felt her lower lip start to tremble as she realized her worst fears had come to fruition.

  All because Jake had accidentally flung a glob of food at Lord Badgerton?!

  It must have been the last straw, after all his wayward behavior.

  But why were they taking it out on her?

  The adults were all talking; she could see their lips moving, but she registered not a word of it.

  The seconds were ticking by and Dani knew it was only a matter of time before they handed down her sentence. She couldn’t even think. She wanted to jump up and flee, but the maze would murder her if she ran, so she sat frozen, her heart in her throat.

  They’d at least better let me say goodbye.

  “It’s really very exciting,” Sir Peter was saying, while Father Yew smiled at her in leafy benevolence.

  Dame Oriel, however, tilted her head slightly and studied her, as though she, at least, had realized Dani wasn’t paying attention.

  “Peter,” the clairvoyant Elder interrupted him.

  “Yes, Oriel? Is there something you wish to say?”

  “I…don’t think the girl is catching all this,” Dame Oriel said with an arch smile.

  The younger wizard grinned. “Or perhaps she is in shock.”

  “Um,” Dani said, trying to look like she’d been paying attention the whole time and wondering what she’d missed. “Sorry. What?”

  The Elder witch arched a silvery brow at her.

  Balinor had missed at least as much as she had, for he had dozed off, his arms folded across his chest.

  “Tell her again what you said,” Oriel suggested, nodding at Sir Peter.

  “Of course. I was just saying it’s not every day that Gaia makes her choice so clear, but she took to you right away, it seems.”

  “She said you’re down to earth, Miss O’Dell,” the Father Yew himself rumbled to Dani. “’Tis the highest compliment Mother Gaia can give.”

  “Indeed,” Sir Peter agreed, beaming. “When Master Finnderool came and told us her wishes, I must say, we were all quite pleased.” The Elders glanced around at each other and nodded—except for Lord Badgerton.

  “You have great potential, Dani,” Lady Bradford said. “I’ve always thought so.”

  “We are all so happy for you, my dear,” Oriel chimed in.

  “Me too, lass,” Da said, hat in hand.

  Wait, what? Dani stared at them blankly.

  “Well, speak for yourselves,” Lord Badgerton huffed. “I want it noted in the minutes that I am against this appointment. We barely know this urchin. Her selection smacks of nepotism, frankly.”

  “Nonsense, Boris!” Sir Peter said. “There was no favoritism at play here. Think of all she’s done—without a whiff of magic at her disposal!”

  “I agree,” Oriel said firmly.

  Dani’s head turned back and forth, tracking each speaker, as though she were watching a game of tennis.

  “It’s all come from the girl’s own, well, gumption!” Sir Peter declared. “Most of the children here were born into this life, but this plucky young lady has earned it by her own brave deeds.” The wizard sent her a knowing wink and sat back down.

  Finnderool was nodding as well, as he sauntered out of the shadows. “Ultimately, my lord, it doesn’t matter whether you approve of her or not,” he said to Badgerton. “We don’t pick the program’s applicants; Gaia does. As you are well aware.”

  Badgerton harrumphed. “She’s a nobody,” he muttered.

  Da threw down his hat and shot to his feet. “I beg yer pardon! What did ye say about me daughter?”

  Badgerton gave Mr. O’Dell a pugnacious look, which her rookery
Da returned.

  “That will do,” Lady Bradford interjected sternly, and the two simmered down.

  Dani still wasn’t sure what in the blazes was happening.

  “Master Elf, kindly continue your explanation,” the Elder witch said to Finnderool.

  The wood elf bowed to her. “Gladly, my lady.” Finnderool sauntered across the row of chairs, heading toward Dani. “Miss O’Dell: I trust you remember when I came to fetch you all from the villa in Taormina and escorted everybody through the Grid.”

  Dani gave an anxious nod. “Yes, sir.”

  “And what did you think of your first trip through a portal?”

  In spite of her confusion, the memory brought a faint smile of wonder to her lips. “Why, ’twas the most amazing thing I’ve ever done.”

  She still tingled at the memory of her molecules gently dissolving into light particles and then whooshing over the earth along the invisible ley lines from one portal to the next.

  “Did you feel at all queasy afterward?” he asked.

  “No, sir.” She remembered that the others had, though.

  Even Jake and Maddox had gone a little green when they stepped out of the shimmering portal onto the lawn at Merlin Hall. Archie had puked. Isabelle had staggered with dizziness, and even tough Nixie had needed to lie down and chew a piece of the medicinal ginger candy that Finnderool had passed around to settle the stomachs of anyone who needed it.

  Dani had wondered what was the matter with them. To her, it had just sort of tickled.

  Of course, those who tried to travel through the Grid without an authorized Lightrider to escort them would be instantly vaporized. It was part of Gaia’s defenses, she’d heard.

  Whatever the reason, Dani had had no ill effects from the trip. In fact, she had found it exhilarating. Her molecules had reassembled quickly and easily as they neared the terminus, then she had skipped right out of the shining tunnel, landing on her feet while her friends lay around retching on the grass.

  “Gaia liked your energy a great deal,” Finnderool said. “That’s why you had such an easy time of it.”

  Dani stared at him, not quite comprehending. “My…energy?”

  “Your life force, dear,” Dame Oriel explained. “It’s the sum of who and what you are. Your heart, mind, spirit. Your experiences. Strengths and weaknesses—and talents waiting to emerge.”

  “That is why we have summoned you here, Miss O’Dell—and your father, too.” Finnderool gestured at Da. “The program can be dangerous at times, so no aspiring Lightrider can begin the training without parental permission.”

  Dani’s eyes flew open wide. Wait, what?

  “The Elders have discussed the particulars with Mr. O’Dell,” Finnderool continued, “and I am happy to say he has given his blessing.”

  Da gave her an encouraging nod. “It’s yer choice, lass, but I say go’n’make yer mother proud.”

  Balinor awoke with a jolt, having been elbowed by Sir Peter.

  The old wizard cleared his throat and rose to his feet, then took something out of the deep pocket of his voluminous wizard robes. “Ahem! Miss Daniela Catherine O’Dell, you are hereby cordially invited into the Lightrider training program.”

  Dani’s jaw dropped. It was possible her heart stopped briefly.

  Then the old wizard held out the object he had slipped out of his pocket, and Dani stared at it in shock. Draped across his palms lay a white cloth sash, its silver threads glistening in the sun.

  The Lightrider sash.

  “Do you accept?” Balinor asked.

  “Hoo!” said his owl.

  “My thoughts exactly!” Dani burst out. “Who, me?”

  The Elders chuckled, but she was in earnest.

  “Is this real?” she cried, heart pounding. “Are you serious?”

  “This is no jest, young lady,” Dame Oriel said with amusement.

  Sir Peter tried to stifle his laughter behind his fist; even Finderool smiled. Lady Bradford gazed at her, waiting for the news to sink in.

  Dani just sat there like a lump, her mouth hanging open. “You want me…for the Lightrider program?”

  “Correct,” said the Old Father Yew.

  “There must be some sort of mistake,” Dani spluttered.

  “That’s what I said,” Badgerton mumbled, and Balinor frowned at him.

  “Gaia chose you,” Finnderool reminded her. “She said you seem very well grounded.”

  “She talks?” Dani asked haplessly.

  The stern wood elf cracked a smile. “Only to the Green Men, Miss O’Dell. But Lightriders can sometimes sense her reactions—like Guardians can sense danger. Now, do not waste the Elders’ time, child. Either accept the sash or decline.” Finnderool swept a graceful hand toward Balinor, who was still holding out the prized silver belt.

  Dani gulped. “Oh…oh, yes. Thank you. I most certainly do accept.” Still in shock, she rose from her seat and gave the Elders her best curtsy. “I-it would be my honor.”

  “Come forward, child,” Balinor said, a slight smile quirking his lips beneath his bushy white beard.

  Heart thumping, Dani walked toward him slowly until she reached the chief of the Order.

  “Wear it with pride,” Balinor said as he presented the sash to her.

  Once she had taken it, Sir Peter burst out with fervent applause. “Well done, Miss O’Dell!”

  Oriel joined in, and even Lady Bradford and Master Balinor clapped politely.

  Finnderool merely bowed to Dani, his hand on his heart.

  But Da jumped out of his chair and applauded the loudest, laughing. “That’s me wee girl!” He even whistled through his fingers, just like he’d taught to her do.

  Finnderool looked over at the rowdy Irishman in shock.

  But Sir Peter rose from his chair, gesturing to Dani to return to her seat. She walked back to the chair he had conjured for her, fingering the Lightrider belt with a sense of unreality.

  Was all this a dream?

  Her amazement doubled as she realized what this meant.

  Not only did she have her own rightful place here now in the magical world—no longer a tagalong—but when they chose Jake for this program, as well, which the Elders undoubtedly would when the time was right, they could go through all of it side by side. They’d become Lightriders together!

  She sat down in her chair again, but now she was so happy and excited that she could hardly sit still. This was the best day of her life!

  Twisting the soft cloth belt around her hands, she began swinging her feet with her eagerness to run and tell her friends the incredible news.

  When Balinor returned to his seat, Sir Peter strolled past his colleagues with an easy, swinging gait, hands in pockets. “Well! Now that we’ve got all that sorted, I call this meeting adjourned.

  “As for you, Miss O’Dell, you’ll start your training this week. You will join Finnderool’s group of Lightrider students tomorrow morning at nine o’clock sharp, and I know you will take good advantage of this excellent opportunity.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The bespectacled wizard smiled warmly at her. “Congratulations, Dani. You’ve earned it.”

  The Elders echoed his sentiments and started getting up to return to the palace. Dani watched them with stars in her eyes. She couldn’t believe this was happening to her, that she was finally a real part of the magical world all on her own, not just holding on to Jake’s coattails.

  And an important part, too!

  “Lightriders don’t have to have magical powers, you know,” Dame Oriel said fondly, as though reading Dani’s thoughts. “You’ve met our own dear Tex, haven’t you? Well—Agent Munroe. Unfortunately, he is missing just now, but when we get him back, I’m sure that mad cowboy will enjoy regaling you and your friends with the tale of how it was when he was chosen.”

  Dani gave her a tremulous smile. “Thank you, ma’am.”

  Dame Oriel smiled back, then turned away to get on with her day.

 
“Come along, Mr. O’Dell,” the Elder witch said to Da. “Would you care for some breakfast in the dining hall? I have a feeling your daughter wishes to share the news with her friends straightaway.”

  A grin broke across Dani’s face. “Oh, am I allowed to tell them now, milady?”

  The Elder witch snorted. “Of course you are, dear. I know the lot of you have no secrets among you. You may have lunch with your father before we return him to London.”

  “Thank you, milady.” Dani gave the baroness a heartfelt look of gratitude, then ran to hug her father. “I’ll see you at lunchtime, Da!”

  “Aye, I’ll look forward to that, poppet.”

  As soon as Da released her from his hearty embrace, Dani ran like a maniac across the Field of Assessment, clutching the folded silver belt in her hand.

  She could not wait to tell the others. She leaped off her feet, punching the air over her head with a laugh of wild victory. Then she raced on, heading for the opening in the maze through which she had arrived.

  The same gnome was waiting for her there—or maybe it was a different one. Who could tell? She wanted to scoop the grumpy little fellow up in her arms and dance him around like a doll.

  But she refrained from that particular show of enthusiasm, otherwise, he might take offense and lead her into some spiked booby trap to teach her a lesson.

  Her knee-high guide beckoned to her to follow and trudged back into the maze, but this time, he couldn’t go fast enough for Dani. In her excitement, she hurried him along as quick as his stubby legs could carry him.

  Bursting to tell her friends this astounding news, the return trip seemed to take forever as they went traipsing back and forth through the endless twists and turns of the labyrinth.

  Considering this was the biggest thing that had ever happened to her, Dani decided to gather the whole gang into one place so she could make her announcement to everyone at the same time.

  At last, she spotted the end of the maze ahead. A straight green lane headed out to the lawn, where she’d last left Gladwin.

  The fairy courier must’ve had to go back to work, for she had disappeared.

  Unable to hold herself back anymore, Dani set her sights on the opening ahead and raced past the gnome, yelling, “Thank you!” over her shoulder.