Return to Colgilor

by Colin Gibbins

  The following day she gathered her army in the Great Cavern, and as she stepped forward to address them the rowdy chatter quickly subsided. ‘I have finished my preparation here and now need to return home to finalise the plans to abduct our mutual enemies and bring them back to implement our revenge.’

  ‘When do we go?’ cried one of the fairies. ‘We are all ready and willing.’ He lifted his sword and waved it in the air, and the whole army broke out, waving their weapons and chanting, ‘Revenge! Revenge!’

  Baba Yelka raised her hand and again silence was restored. ‘I have thought long and hard to devise this first part of my plan and have decided just to take a small group from each race to enter their kingdom and carry out the abduction. You, the Dwarf who spoke up, you said it would be impossible to storm their forge, but just the three of you could enter unnoticed with a little help from myself. It’s the same with all of you who spoke. Even if we sent in our whole army we will struggle to gain advantage. So we have the Dwarfs, the fairies, the leprechauns and the Low Elves: are there no goblins in our army?’

  Three goblins pushed their way to the front. ‘We know of this band: they came to our kingdom seeking our help but they helped our brothers. The boy with the hammer smashed his way into an old mine that had claimed the lives of our friends and relatives when it caved in while they were working there, many years ago. Our brothers tried several times to reach them over the years without success, but the boy not only succeeded, but when one of our most loved leaders, Geriba, was left inside the mine paying his respects again, there was a huge cave in and without a thought for himself the boy rushed back in to save him just as the entrance collapsed, this time sealed forever. We were all attending a special ceremony a few days later to bury our dead relatives’ remains and of course to pay homage to them, Geriba and the selfless hero, the boy Shaun, when suddenly he appeared from the mountainside carrying Geriba who had been injured in the rockfall.’

  ‘Tell me,’ said Baba Yelka. ‘How have you ended up here and why have you not spoken earlier?’

  The goblin dropped his head. His shoulders hunched and he sighed out loud. ‘We were and still are so ashamed of the reason we have always been proud of our race and loyal to our leaders. But the following day after the burial, some of the relatives returning to the ceremonial site were outraged to find that several of their treasured possessions laid by the graveside had disappeared. There was a full-scale search and enquiry, and one of the articles was found in our dormitory. We were blamed for this evil act but we swore then, as we do now, that we had no part in this dreadful misdeed but our leader listened to several witnesses and decided we were guilty and were banished from our kingdom. What really hurts is that Geriba was a close friend: we had known him all our lives, yet he refused to speak for us.’

  ‘And do you not seek revenge for this wrongdoing?’ said Baba Yelka.

  The goblins looked at each other. ‘I suppose so. Geriba knew us so well and one word from him would have saved us, but alas, he told us he had to remain impartial.’

  ‘Very well.’ Her voice echoed around the hushed Cavern. ‘You will have your revenge: you three will travel with me and the other groups that spoke earlier back to my den and we will go over each plan in great detail to ensure the success of each attack and your safe return. If you will prepare yourselves for the journey we will leave the day after tomorrow.’

  As she headed off towards her private chamber the army broke out into discussion, whispering at first then gradually growing in volume until the whole cavern was filled with loud rants, most of them angry at the fact that they were being left behind. Surely they thought that larger numbers would have greater success in the planned raids. But finally they realised that Baba Yelka, like her sister, was not to be crossed and once they had made their decision, nothing they could say would change their minds. They would get their chance once the prisoners were brought back, and would be able to question the ones responsible for their plight and make their lives as miserable as their own.

  On the day of departure the rest of the army had come to terms with Baba Yelka’s decision, and were all fully behind her and the small task force she was taking with her. And they cheered out loud, waving their weapons in the air as they watched. Baba Yelka ushered each of the groups carrying their arms and equipment through the portal. As the last group slipped through, she turned and raised her hand. ‘I am depending on you to have everything in place for when we return, as I’m sure we will have to be prepared for a fierce battle from our enemies in Colgilor once they realise what we have done and where we have taken our prisoners.’ She again waved her hand, turned and disappeared through the portal.

  When they arrived at her den she showed them to one of the large rooms at the back of the house which she had turned into a dormitory with rows of beds and just the bare essentials of living accommodation and facilities. At the far end was a large, wooden door with heavy, metal bolts top and bottom and a shuttered view panel. She swung the door open to reveal a prison cell with a row of straw mattresses along the back wall, and metal shackles on the wall above each bed. ‘This is for our honoured guests. Do you think the Royal Dwarf will feel at home here?’ she snorted loudly, her shoulders juggling up and down. ‘But at least he’ll have company.’ The army joined in with her mockery, bursting into fits of laughter. ‘Now,’ she said, composing herself, ‘if you would sort yourselves out in the dormitory and make yourselves at home and have some refreshments: there are all the facilities of home.’ She smothered a little cackle to herself. ‘It might be basic but I’m sure you’ll manage. I have something really important to see to, so I will join you when I have finished and we will talk and I will answer any questions you may have.’ She gave off one of her smug, condescending grins before ambling out of the room, leaving the groups to squabble over the sleeping arrangements.

  She went along to her magic room and took out five small mirrors; one by one she placed them on the rickety table at the centre of her pentagram alongside her large portal mirror. She pointed her ring finger towards it and mumbled several strange rhymes while waving her magic wand in the other hand and swirling it from the main mirror towards each of the smaller ones in turn. All of a sudden the main mirror misted up, swirling and curling in a thick haze before bursting out and splitting up into five smaller funnels of obscure vapour which circled around and around the table before disappearing, one into each of the mirrors.

  She returned to the dormitory to find the groups still quarrelling over who slept where, but as soon as she entered, the room fell into hushed silence. ‘Sort yourselves out,’ she said in a sharp, piercing tone. ‘We must work as a team or this whole plan will fail: each group must have their three beds together, so do it now.’ She watched as they dragged their beds close to one another with a gap between each group. Once they were all in line they stood in total silence at the ends of their beds waiting for her to speak.

  ‘That’s better,’ she said. ‘Don’t ever forget this is a war we are in: you must take every step seriously, as one mistake could mean your death or, worse, the failure of our task. Now, one group at a time, come with me.’ She beckoned the Dwarfs to follow as she headed for the door. A short time later they reappeared: one was carrying a small mirror, and the other two struggling with a wooden table. She indicated for them to place the table at the bottom of their beds and the mirror carefully on top. She repeated the procedure with the other groups. Once they were all in place and the groups sat on their beds with the mirrors in front of them, she stood in front of them.

  ‘Now the work begins. Each group will be responsible for the capture of the ones you named at our first meeting, those who wronged you and helped the boy, Shaun. To do this we need to study very carefully the safest way to achieve that, minimising the risk to yourselves or putting our operation in danger. So over the following day you will be able to see into the daily habits and movements of your victims through these special mirrors I have created. Watch th
em very carefully: take note of their most vulnerable time and place before choosing the safest way for your group to enter that place, make your snatch, and return without detection.’

  ‘But how is it possible to capture our Prince?’ said one of the Dwarfs. ‘He is always so well guarded, both inside the forge and when he is out of patrol, that there is no way the three of us could overpower his guards outside: they are the greatest warriors in Colgilor and feared throughout the land, and as I said before, your whole army would struggle to enter the forge; even if they did, they would never get out alive and certainly not with the Prince.’

  The witch’s face cracked into a sinister smile. ‘You are probably right, but what we lack in strength we shall have to make do with in stealth and cunning. I have told you to study carefully their movements day and night; you just decide when they are at their most vulnerable and I will do the rest.’ She turned to the other groups. ‘That goes for you all: don’t worry at this stage how you will carry out your attack, just when and where would be to your advantage. The one thing I haven’t told you that you need to know is that I have some special magical amulets: once placed on your victim’s arm I will have complete control over them, so you just need to use covert tactics. Surprise is the greatest of weapons: all you need to do is catch them off guard and two of you grab hold of your victim while the other slips on the amulet. Quite easy, you see, as long as they are not expecting your attack: it will be too late when they finally realise.’

  She approached the first group of Dwarfs and without saying a word she pointed her ring finger towards their mirror: to their astonishment the swirling mist cleared to show their Prince sitting with his father in his room. The personal guards stood either side; they could even hear their conversation. The three Dwarfs shook their heads in disbelief, aghast at what they were witnessing.

  ‘Can they hear us?’ whispered one of the Dwarfs.

  Baba Yelka broke out into uncontrollable cackling. ‘I certainly hope not or we are all doomed.’

  The Dwarf who spoke earlier sighed out loud. ‘I see now, we do have the advantage: this gives us great confidence and for the first time I believe it can be done.’

  ‘That’s what I wanted to hear. We need to believe in our success otherwise we are defeated before we start, and if this gives you confidence, then I could show you mind-boggling magic that can be used if required.’

  She left the Dwarfs sitting on their beds watching the mirror as she moved along the line. The leprechauns could see Louis sharing a meal with his father. The King and the fairies could see into the fairy camp with Ferreira walking around, talking with the elders. The elves watched Princess Elba, Ava and Ellena dancing with the other elves as they enjoyed one of their musical celebrations. The goblins homed in on their mine with the railway track running through; they could see Geriba supervising and directing the workers.

  ‘Just one last thing before I leave you. The elves and the leprechauns must work together: the two abductions must take place concurrently as once one of them goes missing, the other will be on full alert and impossible to catch off guard. So keep watching, taking turns to have a break. You will need to agree amongst each group as to the best plan, and once all groups have decided we will meet up again to finalise the details.’ She raised her hand and nodded her head before turning to leave the room with all the groups huddled around their mirrors, chatting excitedly. Over the following days there was lots of squabbling and raised voices as they all argued their case, but finally each group compromised and came to a final decision.

  Each group spent a day with Baba Yelka going over and over their plan until every doubt and detail had been ironed out. They were forbidden to discuss their plan with the others, apart from the leprechauns and elves who were called together so they could link one plan with the other, and this would be the first to be implemented over the following days. They watched every move he made and every conversation he held. Finally, after a long and frustrating wait, they saw Louis telling his father that he was going to visit Ava the following day, and could he use his horse-drawn carriage? That is what they had been waiting for. The elves returned to their mirror and the rest of the groups were told to prepare themselves for their missions.

  The elves saw Ava and Ellena sitting inside the ring of toadstools on the grassed area, chatting merrily away. Ava was looking forward to Louis’ visit and hoping he had news of Shaun. And as the sun slipped down towards the horizon and the light began to fade, Ava stood up, stretched out her arms and groaned out load. ‘It’s time we retired: I need to rise early as Louis arrives at the crack of dawn.’ She held out her hand, gave Ellena a pull up, and they skipped out of the circle hand in hand, and headed up the hill to their abode.

  The three elves watched and waited till the last rays of the sun disappeared and the whole camp was bathed in darkness. Before gathering their bags and with Baba Yelka giving them a reassuring glance, they stood beside the mirror as she pointed her ring finger towards them and they disappeared through the portal. When they appeared inside the camp they had to stifle their laughter, as each of them was dressed in the elves’ attire, but back at Baba Yelka’s house the leprechauns and the others all broke out into fits of laughter. She turned to them. ‘Don’t you laugh, you will all go through the same process. We don’t want any of you to stand out now, do we?’ The laughter ceased: they all nodded their heads in agreement and were heartened by the fact that she had planned everything to the last detail.

  All the groups gathered around the elves’ mirror in silence, watching as the three elves made their way silently and stealthily up the hill. The area was deserted apart from the odd elf passing by, and as they did they just put a hand up to acknowledge each other; obviously their disguises were working. They continued on passing by all the beautiful, brightly painted cottages which were dotted across the landscape, but just as they approached a cottage two armed guards appeared from the shadows.

  ‘Where are you three going? It’s late to be wandering about,’ said one of the guards in a harsh, strong voice.

  ‘We are just enjoying the fresh air and taking a little exercise: it helps us sleep better,’ replied one of the elves, his head lowered and trying to keep calm.

  ‘That’s a good idea. You should have our job: we have plenty of exercise walking about all night. Give us your names and we’ll put a good word in for you,’ he said, turning to his companion, and they both chuckled out loud. ‘Oh well, maybe not: enjoy the rest of your walk,’ but as they passed by the moon suddenly appeared from behind the dark clouds, lighting up the area and shining on the faces of the startled elves.

  The guards stopped in their tracks. ‘Just a moment, you are not one of us…’ Before he could finish his sentence, the three elves burst forward and disappeared into the shadows of some nearby trees with the guards in hot pursuit. Back at Baba Yelka’s house the watching group gasped out in unison, but Baba Yelka smiled and moved closer to the mirror.

  As the guards cornered the panic-stricken elves and moved threateningly towards them, Baba Yelka waved her wand towards them. The guards froze rigid, unable to move or speak as if in a trance. All the group broke out into loud cheers with a combination of relief and sheer amazement of her powers which, if they were honest, would agree that this gave them a boost of confidence for their coming attacks. Meanwhile, the three elves looked somewhat dazed as they glanced at each other, uncertain what to do next until one of them took the lead: whether it was his idea or planted there by Baba Yelka, he was unsure.

  ‘All we need to do is hide the bodies in one of these thickets. This must be the work of Baba Yelka and I’m sure she will keep them in this state until our plan is complete.’ They nodded their heads in agreement. One of them searched several thickets before waving the others forward, dragging the two guards over and placing them inside, making sure they were well concealed.

  They turned and found their way back to Ava’s cottage and were pleasantly surprised to find the d
oor unlocked. Silently they crept inside, with only a faint, milky light from the moon filtering through the windows. They tiptoed around, searching each room. One of them shook his head as he peered inside one of the bedrooms to see Ellena lying fast asleep. He moved on and he slowly opened a second door. A huge grin crossed his face and he waved his two companions to join him. They could see Ava asleep in her bed and they quietly crawled over towards her. Two stood at one side of the bed and the other leant over her from the other side. With a nod of his head they all sprang into action: one placed his hand over her mouth to prevent her screaming, one pinned her to the bed, while the other slipped on the amulet.

  Ava’s eyes burst wide open, horror on her face as she struggled to break free, but once the amulet was in place she sank back down and her eyes slowly closed, allowing the elves to move away. One of them placed a casket by her bedside, containing a second amulet, before joining the others heading for the door. But they came to a sudden stop as they heard footsteps walking along the passage. They quickly squeezed up together behind the door ready to pounce and held their breath as the door slowly opened. It was Ellena: she must have heard the scuffle and come to check on her sister. Luckily, she did not enter the room, simply glancing over to see Ava sound asleep before quietly closing the door and returning to her room. The elves sighed with relief: they waited until it was all quiet, before creeping back out of the cottage and back to the area where they had arrived. Baba Yelka opened up the portal and they stepped back through into the room with the relieved cheers of the groups ringing in their ears.