by Vance Huxley
Abel took the coin out of his pocket. “One step inside the entrance, then I’m stopping while you follow. I’ll be watching the plant and dragon, and if the front door tries to close it should just help to shove both of us clear.” Five minutes later a despondent group stood outside watching the door lock itself, again. “Plan B or 6 or whatever. It won’t let anyone else in so I’ve got to practice wind glyphs until my arms drop off.”
“I am wind with a name, a thinking wind glyph, and I am allowed inside. Will the coin let me touch?” Zephyr flew out of Abel’s tattoo. “The room let me move as far as your arm would reach. That is far enough to reach the back of the box.” Abel took out the sovereign and Zephyr slowly flew nearer. “The magic is reaching for me, but is not gathering as it did before. Though I did not try to touch before.”
“Wait, let me try again so we know if that’s a change in the coin or how it treats you, Zephyr.” Ferryl slowly put her hand out but stopped well short of the coin. “No, the magic is already gathering and it doesn’t look at all friendly. From the amount, the coin must be supplied with magic through a link, probably from inside the house.”
Zephyr flew close to the coin again, waiting until the magic reached out to touch her. “It tickles, the same as the room did.” None of the humans could see any change.
“Move closer, Zephyr. I am watching the flows as well and it still looks friendly. There isn’t as much magic gathering.” Ferryl watched intently until Zephyr touched the metal. “The only reason I can think of is the tether. The house treats Zephyr and Abel as one. I suggest Zephyr tries to pick up the coin.” Ferryl tried to keep the excitement from her voice but all of them were thoroughly wound up now.
The shimmering ball of wind slowly lifted the gold coin clear of Abel’s palm. “Oh yeah. Up yours, Catch-a-car!” Kelis punched the air. “Team Tavern wins.”
“Not yet.” Though even as he tried to calm everyone down Rob wore a big grin. “We still need Creepio.”
“Why? Zephyr can solve the puzzle, then Abel peeks through the door. If the big bad is there he slams it smartish.” Kelis smirked at Abel. “After all, he’s got the get out of jail coin.”
“Unless the outside door closes when the inside one opens and he hasn’t got time to close it again. Oops, as you wouldn’t have time to say.” Ferryl tried to scowl but the smile kept winning. “Though if Creepio’s creature can’t sense anything nasty waiting for Abel we can get into the house itself before Christmas.” She stopped smiling, looking very thoughtful. “Abel had to find a missing magical key for the first door, then take a trip to Woods and Green and pass the claiming test, then solve a puzzle to open the next door. We’ve no idea how many more doors there are, and the rest are likely to be harder. I doubt we’ll get this lucky again.”
“I’d settle for finding a way to bring everyone inside the house so we have somewhere warmer and drier to meet. We can clean the place up a bit, or if the furniture has rotted we can bring in some chairs and a table.” Abel held out his hand and Zephyr dropped the coin for him to pocket it again. “If the next door is harder to open, I want us all to be able to inspect it.” He pulled out his phone. “We’d better get Fay’s story straight before she meets Creepio.” A phone call to Woods and Green confirmed that any inquiries would be met with legal confidentiality. Anyone magical asking about her would learn that her father had been a warlock and Fay had some ability, so her inheritance came under the magical laws.
The phone call to Creepio resulted in dire warnings about proceeding without him. A patient Abel pointed out he’d phoned so he wasn’t being secretive, and would appreciate something less than Armageddon. That calmed Creepio down but he wanted three days, to arrange for a creature that would recognise danger but remain under control unless attacked.
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Knock, Knock
With three days to spare before Creepio came to check out the door in Castle House, the friends had time for another trip to town. Rob bought Melanie’s Christmas present, a big floppy witch’s hat for her Cackle the Crone outfit, but asked Kelis to hide it. He didn’t have anything like enough cash to buy what his big sister wanted, high top leather boots like Robin D’Ritche. The whole gang had extra money because Abel split the thousand pounds with Kelis and Rob and, after some thought, Jenny and Fay. Jenny had never hesitated to back them in anything magical, and actually did more work towards selling the game than all the others put together.
Despite the jokes about getting preferential treatment because she’d once been Abel’s girlfriend, the diamond and extra magic and tuition weren’t because of that. Jenny had somehow become one of their gang, or whatever a collection of trainee magicians should be called—a “turmoil” according to Rob. To cement Jenny’s new status, Ferryl drew an invisible glyph on her skin. Abel ceremonially took her pebble glyph away, and Jenny had free access to Castle House gardens. As with Dead Wood, she found it made the place welcoming rather than just not threatening.
Claris hadn’t become part of their gang—quite the opposite. She spoke to Abel, Kelis, Jenny, Fay and Rob when they called in on Frederick, and occasionally at school, but otherwise kept to herself. According to Frederick, she seemed to be coming to terms with what had happened, helped by the soothing effect of stroking her ward. Despite being magically aware, Claris refused to practice glyphs. She seemed content to help the younger Taverners such as Justin and Warren with decorating Frederick’s house or concentrate on schoolwork. Effy, nearly twenty-eight, spent a lot of time reassuring Claris and had forged a real friendship.
Ferryl, as Fay, began to build her new life. Kelis’s mum welcomed the extra cash from her new lodger while the solicitors organised the orphan’s affairs. Her final home might be a flat or lodgings, depending on the eventual state of her finances. While in town, Fay allegedly reclaimed her clothes from the hostel, using more of the remaining money from the gold statue to kit herself out properly. The five of them split the rest, just over six hundred pounds, between them. While in town Abel nipped in to see Woods and Green, leaving a message at the desk asking if he owned any property in Stourton. The following day a letter told him he didn’t.
Abel now had over three hundred pounds, and still couldn’t spoil his mum. Rob and Kelis had the same problem, as did Jenny though she had a little more pocket money to explain a better present. She still didn’t have enough to suddenly splash out, or her dad would ask questions. Ferryl offered to make cheap jewellery into the real thing so it looked better, but someone would get it valued for insurance. Then the allegedly cheap gift would attract questions.
Meanwhile, in the three days before Creepio came, Rob constructed a computer version of the 3D transparent maze. He even created a cyber-coin that could be moved through the passages, rooms, and openings to work out the best path to the slot. Abel went back twice for more pictures at different angles to help place the openings exactly right. By the time Zephyr had to go into the puzzle box, Abel had a print with a red line showing the best route from the entrance to the destination.
While they stood outside Castle House, waiting for Creepio, Abel, Kelis, Jenny and Ferryl debated the benefits of Ferryl casting a seeming of Claris. Abel thought that would stop the vicar prying about the new person inside Castle House gardens, Fay. Better still, Creepio wouldn’t be tempted to find Claris to question her. Ferryl finally persuaded them not to take the chance. Creepio would be bringing some means of detecting a dangerous entity lurking just inside Castle House. If it detected her seeming, the vicar wouldn’t appreciate them trying to fool him.
When Rob finally arrived, he wanted to talk about his troubles at home. His little sister Melanie had run downstairs last night claiming that a troll had looked over the back fence. Rob and his dad had gone out to see what had upset her and found nothing. Despite the fact that the troll was not found Melanie insisted that she recognised it from the picture and description of trolls in the Bonny’s Tavern gameplay. If a tro
ll really had been there, she might have seen it even if Melanie wasn’t magically aware, because the soil and rock bonded into their skins made them visible to everyone.
Melanie’s dad declared she’d been playing Bonny’s Tavern too much and started imagining the game’s monsters, so he’d banned it for three days. Rob might not have worried too much and come to the same conclusion, except there’d already been one troll incursion into the Dead Wood. He’d also remembered Abel talking about trolls in the fight at the leech lair. Ferryl racked her brains but she couldn’t remember if leeches could compel or inhabit trolls. She felt almost sure a troll couldn’t be a leech host because they were mostly magic inside their tough hide, without any blood at all.
There must be an adult troll somewhere close to Brinsford, because although adolescents like those in the leech lair might roam, a juvenile like the one in Dead Wood wouldn’t stray far. Even so, a troll should have no interest in Brinsford, where its identity would be too obvious and quickly killed by the church. Unless someone controlled or employed it because, being almost immune to magic, trolls could pass the hexed posts that protected the village. The others promised that tomorrow they’d join Rob in a search of the grounds around Brinsford to see if they could find any sign of a real visit.
By the time Rob had calmed down, the five of them had to walk up to Castle House to meet the vicar.
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Creepio kept his visit low-key, as he’d promised. Only one car arrived, pulling up just before reaching Castle House gardens. A very serious archbishop came to see them on his own, leaving his driver sat on the car bonnet. “The driver carries something powerful.” Ferryl squeezed Abel’s hand as she passed the message. Zephyr, out in the open and connected to the rest, passed everything on.
Creepio eyed the five of them, standing in a line holding hands, and his eyes narrowed at the way the light rain neatly parted around them. He almost commented, then switched his attention to the door of Castle House. “There doesn’t seem to be any more damage.”
“No need. Not only can I walk in any time I wish, but I’m pretty sure I can open the next door. As agreed, I’ve told you first.” Abel hesitated, but they’d come too far to back out now so he pushed on. “When I open the front door you will see the entrance hall. Please don’t throw glyphs, because the doorway won’t like it and they won’t get through. What I’d like to know is if anything truly nasty lurks behind the second set of doors.” He glanced left and right at his friends. “We can’t detect anything we can’t deal with.”
Creepio inspected the front door, then the five of them. “I can answer you now, without using our creature. Yes, something powerful and evil lurks in Castle House. You know that, so what you really need to know is how far inside.” The vicar hesitated, then sighed and continued. “If I tell you not to open any more doors, please don’t. I’ve made tentative enquiries and even the Sorcerer’s Council don’t know exactly what Celtchar captured. They know it’s strong enough to stop any of them finding out more, which should be enough to make you very careful.” One hand gestured back towards his car and his tone lightened a little. “My driver has a tattoo that contains a bound shade, which he will partially summon. The creature should be able to sense the strength of whatever lies just behind the next door. With luck it can also sense where the really dangerous entity is waiting. I doubt the house will respond if our creature stays on the road.”
“If something comes out please don’t try to enter the gardens, or even throw glyphs at it, unless the creature or guardian breaks out. The garden and house would react badly. We have our own precautions.” Abel wasn’t happy about it, but Rob carried the bone glyph captured from a sorceress. If activated, it would kill and bind whatever it had been aimed at by latching onto and invading their own magic.
“You are that confident?” The vicar glanced at Ferryl, then Jenny. “We must talk about that later. But first, do you want us to leave while you open the door or do so before my driver releases the creature?”
“Opening the front door isn’t a secret. I have a key.” Abel let go of Jenny’s hand to take it out of his pocket and hold it up. “There you are, a big old-fashioned key with lots of gold and jewels on it. Don’t try to steal it because it will fight back. I’ll hold it at the edge of the boundary and let you inspect it with your cross, from there and very carefully, just so you don’t try.”
The vicar did, looking very thoughtful once the pale tendrils of church magic retreated to his cross. “There is too much magic in there, and it rejects any attempt to investigate it. Is the key linked to the house?” Abel nodded, because that had been their best guess. Creepio turned to beckon the man by the car. When the driver reached them, the vicar passed on the warnings, all of them. He turned back to Abel. “Please don’t be alarmed. It is under complete control.” Creepio turned back to the driver. “Make sure you keep tight control. Do not let it attack even if it sees an enemy, not unless the target crosses the boundary.”
“I can do that if it isn’t fully materialised. It doesn’t need to be very solid just to sense danger.” The man put his hand inside his coat and the air near him shimmered and then smoked. The cloud grew rapidly, upwards and outwards, and thickened until something about six metres tall and three wide appeared within it. Glowing green eyes opened but only suggestions of huge limbs, possibly a tail and definitely forked horns could be seen. Abel assumed the creature was under control, because the driver’s voice sounded calm and relaxed. “Ready when you are.”
Ferryl let go of his hand, Zephyr flew into her tattoo, and Abel went up the path and opened the front door. He walked in and up to the double doors at the back, then froze. Instead of just opening its eyes, the frog-dragon came awake! It half-slithered, half walked on its eight little legs past him and up to the opened door, then coiled up blocking it. When Abel turned he didn’t have to see its eyes to know why, its whole attention had fastened on the smoky creature.
The creature reacted immediately, lunging towards the boundary and Castle House. Beside it the driver took two steps backwards, putting his other hand inside his coat. As it flapped open, Abel caught a glimpse of several big crosses hung on his chest. Creepio raised his hand, calling out to his struggling companion. “Hold it, John, hold it!” The vicar had his own cross out, hesitating between the frog-dragon and the huge thing trying to become solid in the road near him.
The frog-dragon began to uncoil, moving out of the door so Abel shouted, “No!” To his great relief it stopped. “Guard, not attack.” The stone guardian settled back into coils but watched intently, with Zephyr hovering above it. She exuded the same sort of intent wariness. Outside Abel’s friends split up, all building glyphs as they raised their hands towards the monster in the road. Its outline solidified, with massive limbs, clawed paws and a body covered in square, metallic-looking scales or armour taking shape in the smoke. A short, thick tail lashed.
Creepio didn’t wait any longer, his glyph hit it and coated the front of the creature with ice that shimmered and changed from blue to green and back again. Behind the translucent barrier the creature recoiled, its fanged maw opening in a bellow. “Call it off. Get it back inside, John. Now!” The driver, John, switched his hand to another cross, so they were probably magic stores. He staggered and doubled over but Abel could already see the creature becoming less solid, smokier. Once that started, the monster quickly became shapeless and shrank until the last trickle disappeared inside the driver’s coat. He straightened but staggered again, almost falling until Creepio took hold of his arm.
The driver, John, pointed at the doorway and the stone frog-dragon. “It recognises that creature even if I don’t. They must be old enemies.” He turned away, doubled over and once again struggled as a little smoke appeared. It cleared quickly.
“The feeling was mutual, and that thing didn’t seem afraid of an ogre or either of us. Perhaps these young people were right and we have underestimated what lives here.” Creepio raised his voice. “
Can you call it off, Abel? Our servant will not be appearing again.”
Abel wasn’t sure just how much control he had. “Come back, frog-dragon. It’s all over. No danger.” The stone flowed as if made of real flesh and scales and the guardian’s head turned. For long moments it hesitated, so maybe it disagreed about the danger. “Please. I invited those two men to watch, and they have removed the threat.” Zephyr’s spooky-phone connected and she assured the creature she’d keep watch. The frog-dragon seemed to accept that, uncoiling to move back to its usual position beside the inner doors. This time its head stayed turned to watch the doorway. “Thank you. I will be going outside to speak to those men. They will not enter the garden.” The frog-dragon turned its head to look at Abel, then back at the outer door. It didn’t need words. Abel clearly understood they had better not, for their sakes. As he walked back outside and the door closed behind him, Abel heaved a big sigh of relief.
Zephyr flew back into her tattoo. “I promised to keep watch. Can I warn our guard if the enemy comes into the garden?”
“Oh yes, because if that thing comes past the boundary we’ll need everything we can get.”
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Abel joined his friends and nodded towards where Creepio and John, the driver, had their heads together discussing something. “What did Creepio say?”
“Something about underestimating what lived in Castle House. It’s about time he got that message.” Ferryl’s smug tone disappeared as she looked towards Castle House. “Though I’ve never seen anything like that. Stone guardians are controlled by a set of instructions on a glyph inside, so they either defend or attack. They do not react as living creatures, assessing the situation and listening to other instructions.”