by R A Lindo
“Like the brass handles on all the doors?” queried Kaira.
Her dad nodded. “Precisely. The Revolving Room acts as a more discreet Perium to various realms within the Society. For the purposes of Conrad’s tour, there are many ways to move between realms: Periums, Cympgus’ (which are, essentially, portable Periums used for emergencies) and so on.
Although rules have changed for the allowance of underage members, the position of many adults hasn’t. You will continue to be viewed as an annoyance to some, and a threat to others; therefore, you must move with care.”
Jacob and Guppy knew only too well who they posed a threat to - not least their own mother who had become increasingly venomous in her pursuit for power.
“Can it take us anywhere?” asked Jacob as he, like Kaira, struggled to look at the spinning wonder without feeling an onset of dizziness.
“Anywhere which is known and can be envisioned,” added Farraday.
“Stick to the ‘known’ part, this time,” suggested Smyck whose all-black attire and bald head belied a paternal concern. “No more rushes into No Man’s Land, if you don’t mind. Certain creatures give me the heebie-jeebies.”
“Will it take me to where my dad is…?”
Conrad Kusp’s first words to the adults brought a pause to the impending adventure awaiting the young. It was, naturally, his central thought - a portal to reconnect with his father who was ‘elsewhere’ … a generalisation that clearly wasn’t sitting well with him.
“Not quite,” added Philomeena Renn. “The Revolving Room is one of a number of secret Periums. Another unique pathway will take you to your father very soon, Conrad. Rest in the knowledge he is safe and, equally, knows that you are. It’s a temporary, although painful, absence necessitated by the very problems we currently face.”
“The shadows in the sand,” uttered Kaira.
“Indeed,” her father added. “Shadows which will have been notified of your return and, perhaps, your knowledge of their secret plans to breathe life into unpleasant things.”
“What things?” asked Conrad with a touch of frustration. “If it’s the same people who’ve forced my dad into hiding, I think I’ve got a right to know.”
“You will,” replied Farraday. “In time. First, you need to know how to navigate your way through certain realms the others are familiar with, and how to navigate yourself in-and-out of danger.”
“From who?” challenged Conrad, not sharing the deferential position of the others.
“From the people you will meet sooner rather than later, I imagine,” added Smyck.
With a light tap on Conrad’s shoulder, Casper Renn added, “Certain types of knowledge can only be gained through experience, Conrad. This is no different in our world … the world you have just stepped into. Loss, temporary or otherwise, is acutely painful; however the emotional fallout of loss must be understood and managed.
The very people who are keen to track your movements are formed from loss: a loss which has made them evil. Control your anger and use the love for your father to protect yourself and his name. We have offered protection to you both on the understanding that, even at such a young age, you have a responsibility to move with care, act with caution and use the powers you will soon acquire for good.”
The deferential mannerisms Conrad had initially lacked were suddenly acquired in the face of a man who had suffered great losses and made great sacrifices, and as Casper Renn gave Kaira a light hug which both embarrassed and reassured her, he nodded to the revolving room.
“As Farraday said, you dial yourself in. Begin with known places: The Pancithon, for example, returning to The Cendryll or a trip to Zucklewick’s. Ivo Zucklewick has been made aware of your need for covert movements. Ivo has already provided you with a Blindman’s Watch and will be of further service, should you need his assistance?”
“Did the Merrymope twins build The Revolving Room?” enquired Jacob.
“No,” replied Casper Renn. “My father did.”
A statement which formed a silence few were willing to break.
Why would Kaira’s grandfather build The Revolving Room, she wondered? And why would the twins allow the ongoing use of something created by one of the most wanted men in the Society? More to the point, why would her dad use something created by the very man he had disowned? The man who had ‘gone bad’…?
“So, do we just jump on?” asked Guppy, ever keen to begin a new adventure
“You’ve got to slow it down, first,” instructed Farraday.
“How?” asked Conrad.
“Like this,” offered Smyck as he knelt and pressed the palms of his hands onto the iron floor.
Not quite catching what he had uttered, the young quarter felt the vibrations under their feet … soft, at first, before growing into a pulsating rhythm felt throughout their bodies.
“The room’s following the rhythm of the vibration,” stated Conrad who picked up on the alignment of rhythm and movement first.
“That’s right,” added Philomeena Renn, dressed resplendent in a dark, green trouser-suit. “The Affinyx charm connects human and non-human forces. The name of the charm is from the word ‘affinity’, meaning a connection.”
“So, we’re connecting with the revolving room?” asked Kaira.
“Yep,” added Farraday.
“And we’re going to learn how to use the charm so we can slow the revolving room when we need it?”
“All in good time,” her dad replied as Smyck removed the palms of his hands from the iron floor. The spinning room had slowed to a speed allowing entry. All that was left was the timing of the step through one of the open doorways, towards the dial in the centre of the revolving room.
“One more thing,” added Aunt Phee. “Once you’ve stepped through one of the open doorways, move directly to your left, against the wall. Don’t attempt to move towards the dial straight away because you’ll lose your balance and, potentially, topple backwards out the way you came.”
“So, in and left,” repeated Jacob as he took a step closer along the iron pathway connecting the perimeter ‘dock’ and the revolving room.
Aunt Phee tapped Kaira on the shoulder. “Here’s some Fillywiss once you’re through and on the other side. It’s a different type of dizziness so be sure to share it around.”
Kaira placed the small vial of purple liquid in the Keepeasy stitched into the pocket of her jeans. Sensing a tinge of apprehension on Conrad’s face, she offered him a brief smile before saying, “We’ll jump into the revolving together, and you can have the first sip of Fillywiss once we’ve dialled into our destination.”
Conrad nodded, his copper-blonde hair sticking up in a small quiff at the front. He seemed less withdrawn, Kaira thought, as they took a few steps closer to their spinning wonder which was teetering at the pace Smyck had set.
“It will begin to speed up again soon, so I’d get on with it,” commented Farraday in his typically blunt style, his thinning hair combed backwards, partially hiding the gold, hoop earring in his left ear.
“Come on, Jacob,” prompted Guppy who stood behind her brother impatiently. Never one to hesitate, she could already see the revolving room picking up speed. They needed to discuss the plan to find out what their mother was up to, along with locating Conrad’s dad, and they couldn’t do that standing at the edge of another Society wonder, pondering another step into the unknown.
“Now!” Smyck barked as he clapped his hands to trigger Jacob into action.
It worked, the others watching Jacob time his jump perfectly and move to the left, leaning against the safety of the wall. Guppy followed before Conrad and Kaira took the leap together, all remembering Philomeena Renn’s advice - to move to the left, against the wall, to avoid being thrown back out.
As the revolving room began to pick up pace at an alarming rate, Farraday shouted, “Use the Magneia charm to draw you to the dial, in the centre. Don’t move until you’ve each enacted it. You’ll feel like you’re losing your balance
; the Magneia charm will counteract this.”
“We will use Follygrins to keep a track of your movements, and Smyck and Farraday will always be close by,” added Casper Renn as the room’s revolutions reached a frightening speed, its creaking sounds drowning out the adults’ voices. “Stick to known places to begin with and, remember, your role is to observe. Your penchants protect you from significant harm which doesn’t mean you should go looking for trouble.”
“Enact the Magneia charm!” Aunt Phee shouted above the noise, gesturing at the dial attached to the post which became a blur as the room spun ever faster.
Each did as they were told, Kaira deciding to lead the way with Guppy close behind. Conscious that Conrad hadn’t learnt the charm yet, Jacob uttered ‘Magneia’ and grabbed onto the lost boy, using the magnetic force drawing them to the dial to counteract Conrad’s fear of falling. It was a particularly strange sensation, the body falling one way then the other as they each neared the dial before grabbing on for dear life.
“It’s easier if you sit!” Guppy called over the cracking sound as they spun faster and faster.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” uttered Conrad as a peculiar expression formed.
“Where are we going?” asked Kaira, assuming they had a plan.
Their earlier visit to Zucklewick’s was part of the plan, it seemed, as Jacob uttered the very name.
“Haven’t we just been there?” countered Conrad who was yet to be familiar with the mild mayhem forming most of their plans.
“Yes, to prepare the ground for what’s next,” replied Jacob rather cryptically. “I’ll dial us in.”
“I can do it,” suggested Guppy, always keen to be at the centre of adventures.
“Remember, we need to able to imagine the place we’re going to, Guppy,” explained Jacob as he held up a hand to stop his sister touching the dial. “We’re going to Ivo’s private quarters above the shop, which only I’ve been to, so I need to dial us in.”
Conrad gripped onto the pole with his eyes closed as Jacob stood once more, hanging on whilst dialling the letters to transport them to the Society bookshop.
“How do we know it won’t just transport us into the main shop?” asked Kaira, also wishing this to be over.
“Because the revolving room offers secret passage, like your dad and aunt said, but we need to imagine the place before we dial. It wouldn’t be particularly secretive if we appeared in the middle of a crowded Society establishment, containing above-ground people.”
With the explanation complete, Jacob used the brass dial attached to the centre of the revolving room. As he did so, Kaira felt the room slow once more as images flickered in the four open doorways: images of what she presumed to be the top floor of Zucklewick’s bookshop.
“Wicked,” uttered Guppy as the images shimmered.
Conrad’s retching was enough to hurry them along, Kaira stepping away from him as the vomit left his mouth, only to splatter back onto his face and hair.
“I’ll help Conrad,” offered Jacob as Kaira and Guppy moved towards one of the doorways. Remembering to keep the Magneia charm active to avoid toppling to the floor, Kaira looked at Guppy and said, “After three?”
Each nodded, counting down, “Three, two, one…” before jumping into the flickering illumination which became the warm, well-lit top floor above Zucklewick’s book shop.
“It’s weird,” said Kaira. “Although Periums and Cympgus’ take you to another part of the Society, The Revolving Room lets you see the place you’re walking into.”
“And Cympgus’ are risky because you have to find somewhere out-of-sight to use them,” added Jacob. “I always worry that an above-ground person will see us using one.”
“Which is why The Revolving Room is perfect for our needs, I suppose,” suggested Guppy as she studied Conrad somewhat sympathetically. His jumper, face and hair were covered with vomit, causing a flush of embarrassment.
“I’ll show Conrad the bathroom,” Jacob said to his sister and Kaira. “In the meantime, if you set up the Follygrin, we can start our investigations.”
Kaira and Guppy nodded and went to work, first ensuring to lock the door before creating a space on the cluttered coffee table near the open fire, the orange glow from the logs symbolising Ivo Zucklewick’s desire to make them feel at home.
As Conrad followed Jacob into the bathroom, Kaira uttered ‘Comeuppance’ and reached for the Follygrin in her jeans’ pocket. Placing it onto the cluttered coffee table, she whispered, “Do you think Conrad likes it here?”
Guppy offered a shrug, keen to get on with studying her mother’s movements which, she was increasingly convinced, were suspect. “It’s a lot to take in. The first day’s always the hardest.”
“Maybe we should teach him some magic … creative charms to cheer him up.”
“Yep,” agreed Guppy, gesturing for Kaira to open the Follygrin. “But, first we need to get down to Society business and find out what’s going on. If the figures in the sand - the ones we saw in the waters of Gilweean - are who we think they are, then the fragment my mum’s hidden below The Floating Floor could really be a Terrecet fragment.”
“And then?”
“Then we make a trip below The Floating Floor.”
“You want to follow your mum there?”
Guppy looked up from the Follygrin at this statement, before turning to Kaira. “Or pre-empt her visit. We can track her using the Follygrin, or fall through The Floating Floor first to spy on her when she gets there.”
“Doesn’t it feel a bit strange, Guppy? Spying on your mum, I mean?”
As they kneeled together, ready to use the Follygrin to begin their investigation into potential betrayals, Guppy pondered Kaira’s point before replying, “It feels really strange but if my mum is going bad, I want to stop her before she does. However rubbish she is, I still love her, and I know Jacob feels the same. If we don’t stop her, and she gets caught with the fragment, she’ll end up banished from the Society, or worse.”
Without having to utter it, both envisioned Meyen Grayling banished to her fate on Quibbs Causeway, without the protection of her penchant - faced with the maddening Mantzils’ Cry known to induce insanity.
As a flicker of emotion touched Guppy’s eyes, Kaira placed a reassuring hand on her friend’s shoulder. “We’ll find a way to help your mum, Guppy … and Conrad’s dad.”
Guppy smiled at the gesture from the friend she had so needed. Kaira had been the only other child mentioned by Guppy’s mother after she had discovered the wonders of the S.P.M.A. Her place had only been fought for because the only other alternative was abandonment at home, Jacob having reached the magical age of eighteen. Guppy, of course, had been abandoned anyway, finding sanctuary in Quandary Corner where the adults’ glares were less intrusive.
Her daily ritual of communicating her book requests to The Quij - books she used to learn more about the artefacts ‘borrowed’ from her mother - had become dull and uninspiring because it was the shared experience of magic that Guppy had craved. Kaira’s appearance offered her just that, and now they were here, firm friends, attempting to use such shared experience to save Meyen Grayling from a terrible fate.
Guppy shook off the moment of sadness at the sound of Jacob and Conrad approaching from the bathroom. The vomit had worked its own wonders, thought Guppy, forcing Conrad to remove the garish, orange jumper. Seeing the expected interest in the magical artefact open on the cluttered coffee table, Kaira offered the necessary explanation.
“It’s a Follygrin. Think of it as a visual encyclopaedia and a location device.”
“You use it to find out things, and find out where people are,” added Guppy for purposes of simplicity.
“So, we can we find out where my dad is?” asked Conrad as he knelt alongside Kaira.
“You can basically find out anything with it,” confirmed Jacob, deciding to warm his hands by the fire, letting his sister and Karia lead Conrad’s introduction to magical
artefacts.
“How does it work?” asked Conrad.
Kaira nodded for him to move closer to the Follygrin. “Like this.”
Undoing the brass clasp on the circular, leather-bound artefact, Kaira carried out the familiar process of turning to the first page to the letter ‘A’ in the centre. Rubbing the elegant letter with her forefinger, she prompted Conrad to watch the ink as it bled into the page before reforming into a string of familiar letters Ask and You will Find.
As much as Guppy and Jacob wanting to find out what their mum was up to, they each knew that Conrad’s need was more pressing: he had no idea where his father was or why, so his request took precedence.
“Theodore Kusp,” uttered Kaira before handing Conrad the Follygrin as the bleeding ink formed into an intricate drawing of a room no-one present recognised.
“Rub around the glass edge to rotate the picture,” instructed Kaira as Conrad peered closer, trying to get a clearer picture of his father to gauge his mood and general well being.
“I can’t make much out,” he commented as he held the circular, leather-bound Follygrin as if it were too precious to be in his possession.
“Here,” offered Jacob as he took charge, explaining the intricate workings of the Follygrin. “Like Kaira said, rub around the edges to rotate to the angle of the picture you want to view from. Also, lightly rub vertically up and down to enlarge the picture. We’ll give you some space.”
Kaira and Guppy were a little puzzled at Jacob’s gesture to leave Conrad with the Follygrin, entering the study next door. With the door closed, Guppy fired off the first of many questions.
“Are we just going to leave him with the Follygrin? I mean, he could just get up and walk out.”
“He won’t,” replied Jacob as he studied the dust-covered bookshelves crammed with Society manuals. Tucking his shirt into his trousers and blowing the dark fringe away from his eyes, he added, “He’s been on the verge of tears all day, and I doubt he needs us to be there when they finally fall.”
“Did you recognise the place?” asked Kaira as she looked out of the circular window onto Founders’ Quad, wishing there had been time to taste Henkle and Bevan Merrymopes’ new milkshake.