by R A Lindo
“It still goes against the need for caution the adults insisted on,” commented Jacob. “The whole point of The Revolving Room is to move without detection and avoid situations like this.”
“Meeting a killer, you mean?” quipped Guppy, maintaining an odd ability to shake off fear.
“Jacob’s right,” said Kaira as they pushed through the hordes of excited children outside Wimples - a perfect foil for anyone tracking them. Few adults could fit into the tiny sweet shop at the end of Leaning Lane, leaving them ample time to reach the Perium situated behind the shop counter. All they had to do was ask for a certain quantity of sweets: half a pound of Up Yours and two Put a Sock in Its.
Smyck was hovering on the ground floor of The Cendryll on their return, the look on Conrad’s face enough to tell him they had, once again, managed to find trouble.
“I’ll take it from here,” he stated, steering Conrad towards the spiral staircase on the far side. “Conrad’s got charms lessons to attend, and your aunt’s waiting for Jacob in Restrictive Charms.”
Smyck offered a cursory nod to them as he led Conrad away under the vast skylight. Kaira took the nod to mean channels of communication needed to remain open between the adults and children now. Secrecy was no basis for an alliance any more than sharing information in the presence of an unknown quantity, like Conrad Kusp, was. For now, the group who had travelled to Gilweean would protect the knowledge gleaned in the land of the Williynx.
Discarded copies of the Society pamphlet No News is Good News were strewn across the marble-patterned floor and The Seating Station: a sign that anxiety was growing regarding rumours of sinister shadows re-appearing. Whisper of Erent Koll’s name hung in the air as they passed, doing their best to keep their eyes averted from the pamphlet which, as far as Kaira could tell, remained blank.
Kaira remembered Guppy telling her how No News is Good News had been blank for years, signalling the sustained peace within the S.P.M.A. Yet, as the discarded pamphlet littered the circular structure of The Cendryll, Kaira knew it was only a matter of time before the ink began to form: ink with familiar enemies stamped in large letters.
Tucked up safely in Philomeena Renn’s quarters, the trio focused on establishing what was known and yet to be understood. Kaira and Guppy sat on their beds while Jacob glanced at the walls adorned with drawings of artefacts and creatures found in various Society volumes. He sat cross-legged on the floor, eyeing the bagful of sweets on the table between the beds. Churchill, Kaira’s cat, had taken up his favourite position in her lap.
“What do we say if we’re questioned by your dad or aunt?” asked Jacob.
“Nothing,” replied Guppy flatly. “We keep quiet unless they ask about this morning.”
“We should use a Scribberal to let them know we’re back safely,” suggested Kaira. “If Smyck doesn’t tell them, and if Erent Koll was seen near The Sylent, they’ll panic and come looking for us.”
“Good idea,” Jacob said in agreement. “The less they worry, the more likely the two of you will be left in peace.”
“Where are you going?” asked Guppy.
“Back to work. Smyck said Kaira’s aunt is waiting for me in Restrictive Charms; the later I am, the more suspicious she’ll be.”
“And what about our mum?” prompted Guppy, utterly convinced now that Meyen Grayling was involved in a sinister plan.
“We organise a trip below The Floating Floor this evening,” suggested Kaira. “We know how to fall beneath now, and we’re going to need to put these pieces of information together before we’re questioned.”
“Sounds like a plan,” stated Guppy as a fizz of anticipation rose in the room.
“He seemed a lot like your dad,” commented Jacob as he prepared to return to work and the endless traffic flooding into The Cendryll. “Your grandad, I mean.”
“He did,” agreed Kaira as she left the bedroom to retrieve a Scribberal, wondering how two men so alike could have reached a point of no return.
She returned with a small, metal box decorated with a lever protruding from the front and the S. P. M. A. logo engraved on the lid. Scribbling a brief note to her aunt who was likely to be in her offices in Restrictive Charms, Kaira lifted the lid and placed the note inside. She then moved the small, metal lever upwards and across, causing the Scribberal to wobble a little: a sign the message had been sent.
Now it was time to formulate a plan to understand the origins of the fragment hidden underneath The Floating Floor: the fragment some were desperate to keep a secret and others had potentially killed for. In the event that the plan went without any major mishaps - not something they were relying on - they would find a way to access the room in Aunt Phee’s quarters, housing an illustrated window and hundreds of boxes: a room of clues.
11
Guppy’s Plan
As the light faded in the large skylight of The Cendryll, the fluttering forms of the many-coloured Quij offered their unique form of illumination as Kaira and Guppy discussed the shocking events of the morning, finally resting on the question of her grandfather’s guilt. Erent Koll’s guilt was beyond doubt - a murderer of men, women and children whose magical powers were only equalled by his mercilessness.
It was obvious to Kaira and Guppy that if anyone was desperate to get their hands on a Tereccet, it would be Erent Koll. He wouldn’t be working alone, though, The Sinister Four entering The Sylent suggesting an alignment with The Prince of the Underworld.
Kaira’s grandfather, on the other hand, had run contrary to the prevailing myth of his brutal nature. He had offered them protection and secret passage, risking his own life in the process. His explanation for being one of the most wanted men in the Society: dark magic which needed to be understood in order to be defeated.
You couldn’t defend what you didn’t understand, he argued - a point somewhat supported by the grey gemstone, decorating the ring on the little finger of his left hand: his penchant. Although the gemstone had lost its purple hue, it didn’t have the ink black colour of those who had actively embraced Gorrah (dark magic). Therefore, there was more to the man and more to the story: a story Kaira’s dad had chosen to be selective about for reasons yet to be revealed.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” stated Guppy as they shared the remaining sweets from their last visit to Wimples. “Your granddad is supposed to be as bad as Erent Koll - much worse than Melackin - but he didn’t lay a finger on us.”
“I doubt it helps that he didn’t hang around to face the charges against him,” commented Kaira. “All my dad ever says about it is that he ‘went bad’ and disappeared, blackening the family name.”
“Well, he didn’t seem very bad earlier on,” offered Guppy. “The fact he appeared when we were in danger suggests he’s been watching over you.”
Kaira nodded, having already come to the same conclusion. It clearly wasn’t a coincidence that her grandfather had arrived as Guppy had prepared to use the Looksee. Perhaps, he’d been using a Follygrin to track her movements although, if this was the case, why hadn’t he come to her rescue when Prium Koll chased them on Kaira’s first day in the S.P.M.A.?
Guppy’s quick thinking had got them out of danger then, directing them to a desolate lane in Founders’ Quad where a Cympgus transported them to The Pancithon and into the path of The Woman in White. There were no simple answers, Kaira realised, just as her grandfather had suggested: the adult world was, indeed, more complex than she realised.
“Hey, Kaira,” said Guppy before sticking out her tongue to reveal a moving illustration of a red-faced man - steam coming out of his ears. The gesture created the hoped-for burst of laughter from Kaira. “Your turn,” prompted Guppy as they settled into the early evening of The Cendryll, thankful for the sanctuary their temporary bedroom offered, and the friendship it had forged.
Kaira popped a sweet into her mouth, looking in her bedside mirror to study the wondrous creation. A constellation of planets moved on her tongue, circling one another in eleg
ant rhythms.
“Brilliant,” uttered Guppy as she leaned in closer to inspect the new wonder courtesy of the magic of Wimples.
The evening meal provided the opportunity to enquire about the ‘room of clues’ in Philomeena Renn’s quarters … the room Isiah Renn had suggested was important. Kaira remembered how her aunt had tapped her teacup with a silver teaspoon, causing the door closest to the kitchen to open. Behind the door was a room lined with boxes, and an illustrated window, providing interchanging images of numerous faculties within the Society.
From the moment they had returned from their second brush with death, The Cendryll was abuzz with Erent Koll’s name. To their surprise, they hadn’t questioned them on their morning jaunt above ground. Kaira was certain that Smyck had picked up on Conrad’s fear when they returned. If Smyck had sensed something was up, the inevitable questions would have begun by now, but no interrogation was forthcoming.
On questioning Kaira’s aunt about the room of clues, she responded briefly with reference to timing and necessity. Kaira wondered if Aunt Phee’s reluctance to divulge more was due to Conrad’s presence. There seemed to be a shared sense of caution around the youngest member of the group - partly to protect any further revelations causing him pain and, perhaps, to protect the critical information falling into the wrong hands.
Little was known about him except for the fact that he was Theodore’s son. What he had heard in the presence of his father was unknown. Had he been present when his father was selling Laudlum to Melackin…? Had he overheard things he shouldn’t have…? Did he know the reason his father was hiding, and who from…? Revelations worked both ways so, for now, the lost boy would remain in the dark.
If questions were suddenly thrust upon them, their plan was to offer limited responses, arguing that they had kept a low profile, as requested by the adults (not entirely true) and reported back when prompted. Secrecy continued to form part of every interaction in the Society, allowing room for manoeuvre when it came to full disclosure.
After all, thought Kaira, adventure relied on an element of secrecy, including their forthcoming one to get a closer look at the actions of another questionable adult: Meyen Grayling. As the food was served, the clock ticked towards the fateful hour when everyone but The Cendryll’s stragglers would have retired for bed, and a vanishing act would ensue.
The time came for Farraday and Smyck to return to their midnight duties, lessening now they had been tasked with the protection of Conrad. Farraday would return above ground to keep an eye on black market activities, typically carried out under the cover of darkness.
Smyck, on the other hand, would take Conrad to Casper Renn’s quarters and the spare room awaiting him. Later in the evening, with Kaira’s dad retiring to keep an eye on Conrad, Smyck would join Farraday above ground, re-forming the formidable team that made malevs and Melackin crawl into hiding.
Conrad needed a protective layer around him until he could be reunited with his father; Casper Renn had decided that his expanding S.P.M.A. family would provide this protection, offering various support at appropriate times. Kaira, Guppy and Jacob would look after Conrad in the day whilst the adults would take care of things in the evening, knowing more about the midnight movements in The Cendryll.
Little did Casper Renn know that tonight’s midnight movements would involve his daughter - movements leading them one step closer to the sinister workings within the Society … malevolent movements involving a power-hungry adult whose seniority provided her with freedoms she had, thus far, used to her advantage.
The plan was relatively uncomplicated although this did little to reassure Jacob who felt one particular aspect of the plan needed to be revised. As they made their way down to The Seating Station via The Floating Floor - a regular evening practice to create the necessary separation from adults that all teenagers required - Jacob clarified his concerns via the use of a Worble charm. Now wasn’t the time for complacency, particularly when it concerned spying on his own mother.
“I just think we should wait for any signs of her appearance before vanishing through here, ourselves.” Jacob tapped his foot, immersed in the illusory water of The Floating Floor - the Society wonder which provided access to The Phiadal below. The Phiadal was the place where all bovies were kept: artefacts with complex magical properties.
The Quij illuminated their way, fluttering above the bannister Kaira was currently running her hand along, conscious that this would encourage the beautiful, luminous creatures to rest on the warmth of her skin. She never tired of the sight of the Quij, gaining comfort in the coloured light emanating from their tiny, winged bodies: an array of colour washing over The Cendryll which was gradually sinking into darkness. Before long, the Quij would retire along with adults - the final ray of light fading in the skylight their call to rest within the alcoves high up in The Cendryll.
“I thought we were agreed on the plan,” stated Guppy as they reached the spiral staircase, each scanning the ground floor for Society stragglers - lonely adults who had made The Cendryll their home, finding nothing enticing about the above-ground world. “It’s much more risky following our mum through The Floating Floor because, once she’s beneath it, she’s bound to see us falling through.”
“Plus, we’ve seen what The Phiadal looks like,” added Kaira, “when we used The Follygrin to watch your mum move towards whatever she’s hidden down there.”
Kaira watched the Quij float towards the alcoves which rested beneath the large skylight, their glowing bodies fading as sleep beckoned. Sensing the darkness closing in as they did so, she uttered ‘Spintz’ … the fountains of white light forming above them offering necessary illumination.
Thus far, they had only passed two Society stragglers: a man pacing the fourth floor in his dressing gown, staring intently at pieces of paper, and a younger woman appearing through one of the many doors lining The Cendryll, returning late from another realm of the S.P.M.A. Both adults offered perfunctory nods to them as they passed, the early enmity felt towards the Society’s youngest members ebbing to tolerance.
They sat in the central area of The Seating Station, giving them the best view of The Cendryll, including the many doors which now rested in their ill-fitting frames. The lift, situated behind them, rested on the ground floor, and the spiral staircase sat in silhouette ahead. There were also the doors positioned behind The Seating Station - doors which would be heard if they were activated by someone returning from their evening activity.
“Guppy’s right, Jacob,” Kaira said in defence of her friend. “Our best chance of watching your mum without being seen is to lay in wait beneath The Floating Floor.”
“Hidden where?” queried Jacob, a degree of concern for his sister and Kaira evident. “We’ve all seen the layout; it’s a maze of boxes bolted to frames. There’s nowhere to hide.”
“We just use the Verum Veras charm that Isiah Renn showed us,” replied Guppy.
“A charm you’ve never practised or used before?”
“Which is why we’re here now,” Guppy added with a smile her brother only knew too well.
“I’ll try first,” suggested Kaira as she stood in the centre of The Seating Station, the Spintz charm hovering above the group, continuing to emanate a fountain of white light in the otherwise dark Society faculty.
Realising that he wasn’t going to win this argument, Jacob stood with Kaira and his sister and prepared to practise the Verum Veras charm with them. First, they needed to know the precise action required to activate the protective charm effectively. Unsurprisingly, Guppy had just the book tucked away in the Keepeasy stitched into her jeans’ pocket: Penchants, Charms and Remedies.
Uttering ‘Comeuppance’, she took the small, battered book out and flicked to the ‘Protective Charms’ section, quickly locating the page on the Verum Veras charm. Although the book was small, it was packed with over one hundred charms, making it sensible to learn relevant ones as and when necessary - the current situation being
a case in point.
“It looks like you’ve got to rotate the fingers of the hand you’re using to create the charm … then you say ‘Verum Veras’ and close the fingers of your hand, imagining you’re gripping onto an invisible curtain. You then part the invisible curtain before stepping through the gap in the atmosphere to take cover.”
“Sounds a breeze,” commented Jacob with a trace of sarcasm, his tone hinting at a repressed frustration.
“We won’t go through with it if we can’t make the charm work,” offered Kaira, conscious of Jacob’s darkening mood. They watched as Guppy practiced the charm without success.
“Guppy gets lost in the emotion of things,” Jacob explained, looking at Kaira with an expression of mild exasperation. “She forgets the element of danger which typically lands her, and us, in trouble.”
“We’ll be careful.”
“It’s not you I’m worried about. It’s my mum. Guppy hasn’t experienced her true darkness … the lengths she’s willing to go to in order to get her way. If it really is a Terrecet fragment down there, she’s not going to let witnesses get off lightly - even her own children. If we haven’t mastered the charm in the next five minutes, we change our plan.”
Kaira nodded, a little taken aback by Jacob’s admission of his mother’s repressed ferocity. Having taken an instant dislike to Meyen Grayling, she was nevertheless appalled at the thought of the implied psychological and emotional abuse her friends had experienced, explaining the air of fragility surrounding them.
Kaira had picked up on Jacob’s nervous mannerisms on the morning she had met him, herself a little disoriented as she stood on the margins of The Cendryll. She remembered her embarrassment as she tripped over his sleeping figure but, more to the point, she remembered the mild fear in his voice along with the nervous mannerisms: tucking in his shirt and brushing his dark hair away from his face.