The Gilweean Gateway

by R A Lindo

  “I just wanted to see what was behind us,” explained Guppy. “Looks like a tunnel.”

  “I don’t think getting off here is a good idea.”

  Guppy pondered this for a moment before agreeing. The possibility of being left on the cliffs once they disembarked was disconcerting to say the least, visions of a flock of Williynx descending on them in anger for encroaching on their territory. “Maybe we can come back here, if we get the chance to fly again.”

  “Maybe,” replied Kaira, wanting to get back into the air before Guppy’s inquisitive mind went into overdrive. “But all the other children are returning to the shore, so we should go.”

  Guppy nodded, remembering how her impulsive nature had gotten them into trouble recently. “Okay. Race you back.”

  Kaira was more than ready for the challenge, patting Mivrilyn’s bright, yellow feathers as her father had whilst keeping her arms around her companions’ neck, screaming as her Williynx went into free fall, descending at a frightening speed in order to keep pace with Guppy. Kaira’s screams continued as they got ever closer to the bank of clear, blue water below, a sense they were going to plunge into it forming whilst trying to rationalise this as unlikely.

  Guppy’s own yelps reached Kaira as their joint free fall turned into rapid, low-hanging flight above the surface of the water, racing side-by-side towards the adults and children who were cheering them on. The friends looked at each other and shared an ecstatic laugh as they neared the shoreline, lost in the wonder of it all.

  They edged each other as they closed in on Seyena Follygrin waving them in, Guppy’s competitive nature apparent as she leant forward, urging her Williynx to find a final edge of speed - speed which continued as they reached ever nearer until the sound of the water eased their pace, the colourful creatures using their clawed feet to ensure a safe return to land.

  Safely back on the shore and still buzzing with excitement, Kaira and Guppy ran over to Jacob and the awaiting adults.

  “You’ve got to try it, Jacob!” cried Guppy, still awestruck by what she’d just experienced. “It’s amazing! You can see everything!”

  Jacob laughed, pleased to share the moment with his sister without actually being up in the air - an idea that filled him with dread. “I’ll stick to the sand,” he replied before nodding towards Kaira’s dad, aunt and Farraday who were waiting for them.

  “I think it’s time for the serious stuff,” added Jacob. “We’re all meeting back in the house in five minutes.”

  “To talk about what’s been going in the Society?” checked Kaira, still recovering from the dizzying experience.

  “Yep. I think your dad and aunt know more than we think, Kaira.”

  “Does that mean we’re in trouble?” asked Guppy.

  “Maybe,” replied Jacob, watching as the Williynx returned to the sky after delivering their passengers to safety. “But, judging from what I’ve overheard, our movements haven’t gone completely unnoticed; all you need is a Follygrin to track people, and we didn’t use the Invisilis charm to cover our tracks.”

  “Which would have caused suspicion,” added Kaira.

  “Right. Anyway, we need to head back to the house before the meeting starts. No more flying for today.”

  Thoughts of the meeting triggered remnants of Kaira’s introductory days in the Society, listening in on a secret conversation with Guppy’s Looksee, using a Blindman’s Watch to discover what The Lady in White knew and Guppy’s mad chase into Dyil’s Ditch. Being in Gilweean was a welcome relief from such mayhem, flight infinitely preferred to an Ameedis attack, but Kaira knew this couldn’t last: shadows and secrets hung over the Society - including their own - and mysteries which needed to be unravelled before fatal mistakes were made.

  On returning to the small, thatched-roofed house, they were welcomed by a smaller number of adults this time, informed that Farraday, Elyn and Cynthia Renn were ‘preparing things for later’. Without further explanation, Aunt Phee ushered them in with a smile before handing them the wooden bowls currently being used as mugs.

  Kaira eyed the green liquid in the Parasil occupying the middle of the table, wondering if she and Guppy were going to be allowed some Jysyn Juice as a reward for their successful attempt at flight.

  They sat alongside each other whilst Jacob took the only other vacant seat - Guppy’s brother pondering how Gilweean felt less restrictive than The Cendryll, perhaps because he had just watched Guppy and Kaira fly ever upwards during their first experience of flight.

  On the other hand, Jacob thought, it was likely that the feeling of freedom was linked to his mother whose oppressive nature was suffocating: the very figure at the centre of a key mystery which, he hoped, would form part of the meeting.

  “Not too much,” instructed Kaira’s dad as Guppy reached for the brass tap on the Parasil, turning it and watching the green liquid bubble and drip into her cup. A dose of courage wasn’t something Guppy lacked but saying no to Jysyn Juice was mere folly, particularly when it allowed you to watch the glass container magically refill.

  “So, anyway,” began Lore Follygrin in a rather comical manner, mimicking an awkward expression as he glanced at Kaira and Guppy - a sign he wasn’t as stuffy as the other two adults in the room. “As good as flying a Williynx is, it’s down to more serious business now, and the quicker we get on with, the quicker I can get some food in my belly and fall asleep.”

  Kaira suppressed a smile as Lore Follygrin’s bulking figure reached for the brass tap of the Parasil, his large belly restricting his reach. Guppy offered to help, taking his enormous cup and filling it up until she caught another look from Kaira’s dad: a sign her attraction to rule breaking wouldn’t be tolerated in the current company.

  A man who was both authoritative, kind and immovably loyal, Casper Renn was not one to cross lightly, particularly if you were a thirteen-year-old guest on a journey of discovery.

  “So,” Lore Follygrin continued as he rested back in his chair next to his diminutive wife who raised an eyebrow as he gulped the Jysyn Juice down. “How did you like your first flying lesson?”

  Guppy sipped the green liquid, affecting a courtesy at a table of powerful Society members. “It was ace,” she replied, turning to Kaira for help as the group of adults studied them. “A little nerve-racking at first, but when you realise you can’t fall off, it’s the best thing ever.”

  “Want do it again?” asked Lore Follygrin whilst belching into his large hand.

  Both girls nodded.

  “Good. So, to keep this as straightforward as possible, we’re going to sense the temperature of things in the Society by asking you some questions. All you’ve got to do is be honest. You included, Jacob.”

  All three nodded, remembering the pact they’d made not to divulge any incriminating information unless the time came when they were forced to do so. That time was now, it seemed as Kaira’s dad, aunt and Farraday stood to leave the room.

  “We’re going to spend some time with Cynthia and Elyn before we meet again later,” Casper Renn explained to the three, reference to the two Renns who had greeted Kaira on the shores of Gilweean on their arrival yesterday - and whose relation to Kaira was yet to be clarified. “Our presence might make discussions a little awkward for the three of you, in terms of your adventures and where you may-or-may-not-have been …”

  He knows, thought Kaira the moment her dad’s concluding words were uttered. How she knew this couldn’t be explained, but she knew it nonetheless. Her dad knew about her journey to Dyil’s Ditch, entering the malevolent mudlands when she saw him in the Follygrin and thought he was in danger, mistaking the sky urchins for Ameedis and being sent back by Ivirin - the leader of the sky urchin army who was providing protection for her dad.

  Guppy’s legs continued to swing under the table - a sure sign of nerves - and Jacob filled his odd-shaped mug with Jysyn Juice, sensing he was going to need a little courage to explain how his supervisory role of his sister and Kaira had formed in
to a mischievous trio.

  With the mug filled, Jacob sipped the sweet, green liquid, keeping his eyes averted from Casper and Philomeena Renn as they left - Kaira’s dad and aunt leaving them in the capable hands of two adults they barely knew.

  With cups and mugs re-filled with varying quantities of Jysyn Juice, discussions began regarding what was known and unknown, seen and unseen in the blizzard of activity that had been Kaira’s introduction to the S.P.M.A. Seyena Follygrin took a backseat during the initial conversations, wise enough to understand that her initial meeting with Guppy Grayling had likely caused a semblance of unease.

  It was left to her husband to begin proceedings. Large, red-faced with a surprising amount of white hair, Lore Follygrin began gently, sensing that the young visitors were concerned for the potential consequences of revelations.

  “We hear you’ve been active in getting to know your way around The Cendryll.”

  Kaira, Guppy and Jacob nodded in unison, wondering who was going to break first and discuss their midnight marauding to The Pancithon - or how Kaira and Guppy used a Looksee to listen in on a secret conversation within minutes of Kaira’s entry to The Cendryll.

  Of course, there was the small matter of using a Blindman’s Watch to spy on The Lady in White, being chased by a Melackin above ground … not to mention Kaira watching Meyen Grayling vanish through The Floating Floor on her return from Dyil’s Ditch.

  None of the events placed them in the best light, Kaira knew - each, in some, way a transgression of the rules. However, they had been brought to Gilweean for precisely these transgressions so Kaira decided to speak first, beginning with the least questionable of their adventures: Jacob taking her up on the church roof to provide a bird’s-eye view of Founders’ Quad.

  “So, what was discovered on the church roof?” asked Lore Follygrin as the green liquid bubbled and refilled in the Parasil.

  “Nothing, really” replied Jacob whilst keeping Kaira and Guppy in his peripheral vision. Their growing closeness meant they could increasingly read each other’s body language - a particularly useful tool in their current predicament, attempting to judge what should be said and left out. “It was more to help Kaira get her bearings on her first day; it’s always overwhelming when you first enter the Society, realising that magic does exist and almost no-one else knows of our secret world.”

  “Don’t be afraid to share what you’ve seen and heard,” encouraged Seyena Follygrin. “Your visit here will help us read into things in more detail.”

  “With a Nivrium?” asked Guppy.

  “Not quite. The water and sand of Gilweean, when used together with Williynx feathers, provides certain readings…”

  The concept of the entire expanse of water in Gilweean acting as a prophetic instrument only added to its unique charm, making Guppy wonder if you could fly and see the future in the water at the same time. Realising that their laboured approach was raising questions about the truth of their stories, Jacob took it upon himself to open up about their adventures. As the oldest, he would shoulder the blame, putting Kaira’s and Guppy’s actions down to the impulses of childhood.

  “So, after the church we met Guppy and then we were chased by a Melackin.”

  Ignoring his sister’s gesture to tread carefully, Jacob continued, realising that this wasn’t about admonishment but a duty to a Society who had taken a risk on the three of them - similar to the leniency Weyen Lyell had shown after their flirtation with death in Dyil’s Ditch.

  “Who chased you?” asked Seyena Follygrin as she stood and relieved her husband of his cup, to his evident disgruntlement.

  “Prium Koll.”

  “How do you know Prium Koll?” Lore Follygrin asked.

  “He hangs around Founders’ Quad,” replied Jacob, remembering what Farraday had told him on his first day in The Cendryll. “Mainly found in black market establishments, scrabbling around for a living.”

  “And you escaped, we take it?” Seyena Follygrin prompted.

  Jacob nodded, about to reply before Guppy jumped in.

  “Yes. I used a Cympgus to get us back to The Pancithon.”

  This information brought a momentary pause to the mild interrogation, and a smile from Lore Follygrin.

  “Good one, Guppy,” he said before uttering ‘Cympgus’ followed by ‘Whereabouts’, causing a green ball of light to appear from the ring on the little finger of his left hand … a ball which spread and formed into a perfect circle of light under the window.

  At the utterance of ‘Undilum’, the portable Perium disappeared. Kaira briefly studied the penchant worn by Selena Follygrin: a silver necklace decorated with the green peridot gemstone, offering protection and connection to the many spheres making up the S.P.M.A.

  “When we got to The Pancithon,” continued Guppy, increasingly comfortable that their information wouldn’t get them in trouble or, at least, not too much trouble, “we saw someone acting suspiciously.”

  “Cialene Koll,” commented Seyena Follygrin who had clearly heard of the events in Dyil’s Ditch. “Which is when you chased her into No Man’s Land, leading to Cialene’s unfortunate demise…”

  Suddenly feeling a bout of tiredness fall over her, Kaira felt it time to summarise things, fearing they would be stuck in the room for the rest of the day. She wanted to see how the water of Gilweean became a Nivrium, assuming when sand was placed into the water it would rise and fall as the three, silver lines did in the Nivriums used in The Cendryll.

  “We didn’t follow her then,” began Kaira, rubbing her eyes to regain a greater state of alertness. “We had an idea to use a Blindman’s Watch to detect what she was doing, so we put the pamphlet in the bookcase opposite. When we came back the next day to test the pamphlet, it was blank, meaning she was covering her tracks.

  Guppy then thought of an easier way of finding out what she was doing - a Now Then - which we used to study her nervous behaviour the day before. She was searching for something inside one of the books. When she found it, she panicked and left…”

  “What did she find?” enquired Lore Follygrin.

  “A note with The Rise of the Ameedis written on it,” replied Jacob who nodded for Kaira to continue.

  “The Sinister Four - Implementers who run The Pancithon - were closing in on us so we put the Now-Then away which is when Cialene Koll created a Cympgus and vanished through it.”

  There was a pause in proceedings as Kaira judged certain other critical information to be problematic for all three of them. If she mentioned overhearing Aunt Phee and Weyen Lyell discussing the possible existence of The Terrecet - the probable reason Cialene Koll had been killed - the adults may close ranks and bring an end to the questions, sensing the discussion had moved into territory too dark for children’s ears.

  Equally, any mention of seeing Meyen Grayling vanish through The Floating Floor would put her friends’ mother under the spotlight, but also make her look unmanageable and, potentially, a liability in darkening times.

  Protecting Guppy and Jacob was as important as helping adults she barely knew, decided Kaira, who now wished her dad had stayed because, at least then, she would know how much trouble she was in. It had also crossed each of their minds that they didn’t have any real evidence that Meyen Grayling was up to no good, so bringing up her vanishing act seemed unfair on her friends.

  They had ample artefacts - The Follygrin, Looksee, Now-Then - to carry out further surveillance on Guppy and Jacob’s mum when they returned to The Cendryll. For now, selective information seemed the safest option: an option recognised by Lore Follygrin who stood and clapped his hands, calling the meeting to a close.

  “Well, I’m starving and that’s plenty to go on with the other clues we have.”

  Neither Kaira, Guppy or Jacob took the bait, reading ‘clues’ to mean their other exploits.

  “What do you think it all tells us?” asked Jacob as he helped to clear the table.

  “Gilweean will reveal more when the others retur
n,” Lore Follygrin explained, offering no further elaboration whilst leaving the question of Kaira’s familial link to Elyn and Cynthia Renn unanswered.

  4

  Suspicions in the Sand

  As the sun hovered above the cliffs of Gilweean, the short journey was made to the shore to study the temperature of the Society in the water of Gilweean. Elyn Renn walked with the other adults whilst Cynthia Renn kept Kaira, Guppy and Jacob company. Sensing Kaira would benefit from an explanation of a complicated family tree, she used their short walk to the shore to offer some insight on the matter.

  After all, she knew Kaira had been kept in the dark regarding the Society’s existence and her dad’s role in it, further complicated by Isiah Renn who was both legend and pariah: Kaira’s grandfather whose sighting on the Society boundaries was viewed as a sign of bad tidings.

  Emanating a grace attributed to most Renns, the silver-grey dress and matching headscarf were carried off with effortless poise as Cynthia Renn walked alongside Kaira, ready to explain their familial link, and that of Elyn Renn. It may confuse Kaira more, she pondered, but insight was better than absence so she began as Guppy and Jacob moved ahead, both keen to see the magical ritual enacted in the waters of Gilweean.

  “Do you like it here?” Cynthia Renn began, her flawless, brown skin and warm personality reminiscent of Kaira’s aunt.

  “It’s amazing,” replied Kaira with a smile, watching as Guppy kicked sand at Jacob before running towards the adults who had gathered on the shoreline. “I heard my dad and Jacob say that Renns are ‘water people’…”

  “Yes. The Renns are said to be able to read water.”

  “Read it…?” queried Kaira, having already heard this claim from her father but wanting to explore the idea, along with her extended family ties.

  Conscious that they were limited for time as the others stepped into the water, Cynthia Renn offered a succinct explanation of the Renns’ affinity with water and the link each Renn within their small entourage had to each other.