The Golden Fountain

by Zuheb Alep

  *

  The eight ships passed the Red Sea through the small gap between Egypta and Joranon, heading straight for the Mediterranean Sea. It wouldn’t be long before they arrived in Brytannia. Unfortunately, nearing the northern hemisphere at this time of year meant only one thing: cold winter. They all felt it, being used to the heat, and had slept soundly only because of the magical shawl.

  Aloncheir, the Ghost Boy and Lagunar never left Benjamin’s side. They were introduced to such people as needed to be aware of their presence. Abel, Jama and Anouk’s faces were amusing to see as they realised with shock that the lion and his companions were real. After being well-fed, Benjamin played football with his dear friends to pass the time until they arrived. Illoyids and Volva joined in the game; despite the fact that they were older, their hearts were as young as the children’s.

  It was a fair game, and fun. They used barrels of wine as goalposts at the clear area on the upper deck of the ship. Benjamin and Ruby were leading.

  The Three Kings smiled as they watched with Prince Chamillion on the side-line. Benjamin’s family was nearby: Sebastian, Edgar and Herman stood against the railing, talking business with the commanders and generals of other armies; Nadine and Jordanna strolled around chatting, passing the children every ten minutes to check on how they were doing. Kevin and Alby played nearby, happy in each other’s company. All their Eidoncheirs followed them wherever they went.

  Amberina suddenly looked down as if she’d remembered something which made her sad.

  “What’s up?” asked Ruby. Their Eidoncheirs turned to look at them.

  Benjamin saw that something was wrong, and approached them with Bana. “Is everything all right?” he asked.

  Amberina suddenly looked up. “It’s nothing,” she quickly said. She continued to play.

  Benjamin stood there, confused, and noticed Kelindra’s Eidoncheir nudge her.

  “Say something to Ruby,” it said.

  Kelindra ignored her.

  It was only then that Benjamin realised that Kelindra hadn’t spoken a single word to Ruby since their argument in the Far South.

  *

  Big Ben chimed a dozen times at the stroke of midnight. More than a hundred and sixty longboats, each containing at least fifty soldiers, landed on the banks of Westminster, right next to the parliament. It was eerily quiet. Most people must be asleep in their beds, with only a few enjoying the vibrant nightlife. A few hours ago the eight ships had sailed across the river Thames from the west, entering the large city of Londaron. Due to the low bridges ahead, they’d had to change their means of transport. The elephants travelled on foot, and should arrive in a day or two.

  Benjamin stood on deck all night till the sun rose, unable to sleep. It pained him to know that Ruby and Kelindra weren’t speaking to each other. It must be hard for Amberina, too, feeling stuck in the middle. While he thought about everything that had happened, he watched the sun rise in the east, and shortly afterwards his friends and family joined him.

  “I’m back in Londaron!” said Ruby. “I can’t believe it; we’re home.”

  White buildings with dark roofs were visible on both sides of the river, with hundreds of statues in memory of soldiers who had fought in the battles of World Wars I and II. Arching over these were tall trees with shaped branches. The Eidoncheirs of Benjamin and his companions were flying in the form of birds to get a better view.

  “Look, there’s Big Ben, and there’s the Londaron Eye!” shrieked Ruby. “I’ve been gone for two years, but it feels like a lifetime. I really missed it all! Nothing seems to have changed, though.”

  The city was cold and the smell of greasy hamburgers and popcorn wafted through the morning air. It was rumoured that Brytannia has the worst weather in the world, yet it didn’t seem so today; the sky was clear, in shades of light blue and orange, and streaks of golden cloud lay over it.

  “I must show you the whole city!” said Ruby.

  And so she did.

  All day, Benjamin, his band and all his friends did nothing but see the sights. First they walked to Grafalgar Square, near where the longboats had docked. They played around the two fountains that stood adjacent to the statue of Nelson. Benjamin stopped to see what lay deep under the water of the fountains, and saw thousands of glimmering coins.

  “What a lot of coins,” said Kelindra, appearing beside him.

  “It looks like a lot of people have made wishes,” said Hamish.

  “Do you think a wish would come true if we made one?” asked Kelindra.

  “Yours won’t if you tell me,” said Benjamin. “Keep your wishes to yourself.”

  Kelindra looked down with a sad expression on her face. In her hand lay a bronze coin in very bad condition; it looked unworthy to make a wish come true. Before Benjamin could try to raise her spirits, Hamish called everyone to gather around and they were parted. Abel’s greed roused Benjamin to speech again.

  “I’ll be rich!” he said excitedly.

  “Hey!” Benjamin shouted at his cousin. “If you take it, those people’s wishes won’t come true or will stop coming true. Why don’t we all make a wish instead?”

  “What if our wishes don’t come true?” asked Jama.

  “Be quiet!” snapped Anouk. “You just have to believe in it, that’s all!”

  Kaileena said nothing to them. She held a coin in her hand and said to Benjamin and Prince Adam, who were standing beside her, “We’ll make our three wishes on one coin; that will strengthen the wish.”

  Benjamin looked at Prince Adam who nodded and smiled back. From black to shiny, from bronze to silver and gold, each and every child took out a coin and made their wish, throwing it into the fountain immediately afterwards. What their wishes were, he would never know. He only hoped that his would come true: that they would all stay together until the end of time.

  The National Art Gallery was fascinating, with paintings of historical eras to be seen in every corner. Even the domed ceilings were covered with pictures of beautiful angels sitting on puffy clouds. They walked through Feicester Square and Piccajilly Circus, and then down to Draftesbury Avenue to get to Bottenham Court Road; it was like being on a new planet.

  The British Museum was Benjamin’s favourite. Galleries and museums may sound like boring places to visit, but it was truly wonderful; historical artefacts and relics from previous times in history showed how much the world had changed over time. Everyone who saw them wondered how such things had survived all these years.

  Full of food from the café round the corner, they hurried down to Oroxford Circus where they passed many thronged stores and attractive restaurants. Marmoreal Arch was situated opposite Harrington Park, which was considerably bigger than the small park back at home. They fed the ducks there and played on the luscious grass before taking another long walk. When it was almost time to return to the longboats, a group of British children approached them.

  “Hey, just letting you know – the Calling has been announced!” said a blond-haired boy.

  “Be sure to be there at four, before sunset,” said a ginger-haired girl. “It’s on the fifth of November; not tomorrow, but the day after. Got it? Remember, it’s at Valentine’s Park.”

  Then they ran off to inform the others.

  “What was that about?” asked Benjamin.

  “Calling?” Anouk muttered aloud. “Do you suppose it’s the same as our Summoning, back in Springhaven?”

  “It might be,” said Musab thoughtfully.

  “Actually, it is!” confirmed Ruby. “The Calling here in Londaron is the same as the Summoning in Springhaven! If they’re telling children from all over the city, then it must be an unusually big gathering.”

  “But for what?” asked Amberina. “Do you think we should go?”

  Aloncheir stepped in. “I think it would be best not to meddle in other people’s
affairs, as laid down in the children’s code,” he suggested. “We should leave it alone.”

  “It’s probably the same thing, anyway,” said Anouk, “information about the children that went missing. They might want to form groups to search for them, like we did with head boy Aquib.”

  “I doubt that,” said Prince Adam. “It will be more than that. The world now knows of the Aradian Alliance and our expedition to rescue the children. It was on the news this morning when we arrived. I think that’s what it’s going to be about.”

  “Will the children of this Calling get involved in all that?” asked Benjamin.

  “No,” said Lagunar. “They wouldn’t be allowed to come with us, anyway.”

  When they got back to the longboats, Ruby wanted to show everyone one last sight: the Londaron Eye, just across the Thames on the other side. They paid for a ticket each by pooling the spare money they had between them. The queue was tremendously long, and it was some time before they got the chance to board. The carriage was like an oversized egg, holding at least thirty people. When they reached the top, Benjamin went to the front and gasped at the sight of the huge city laid out before him. It reminded him of his own home and the view from the roof of Prince Adam’s palace.

  He was amazed; turning to Ruby, he said, “Londaron is truly beautiful.”

  Chapter 23

  Arcum Aeterna Lux College

  At noon the next day, Benjamin watched Prince Adam descend the gangway with a large group of soldiers and politicians. Supreme Commander Warrick, Colonel Rafe, Air Commander Mikael, Sebastian and Jordanna went with them, followed by the royal representatives of Prince Adam and the Three Kings.

  “Where are they going?” asked Benjamin.

  “To Buckingham Palace,” Musab told him. “They’re having a meeting with the Queen of Englandia and her royal family of the house of Windsor. They’re going to ask for more soldiers from her empire to aid us on our expedition.”

  “It’s unlikely that they’ll help us,” said Ruby.

  “Why do you say that?” asked Musab.

  “Five years ago the same thing happened, and three thousands of our soldiers died. Why would they agree to go through that again?”

  Benjamin watched the children turn away, uninterested; it was just another matter of politics to them. He stayed where he was, thinking how much he wanted to accompany the adults to the palace.

  As he was about to step down from the deck to join Prince Adam and his group, Aloncheir stopped him.

  “Benjamin, where are you going?” he said.

  “I want to go with them. May I?”

  “No. It’s best that you don’t.”

  “Why not? My older siblings are going, and all these other important people too. Am I not an important person from this army, too? You said I was special.”

  “Yes, you are, very much so, but because you are here, you cannot go.”

  *

  Benjamin spent the day trying to figure that out. What Aloncheir had said didn’t make any sense. He could find no answer to that strange riddle. When he told Kaileena, she couldn’t solve it either.

  While his friends played football on deck, Benjamin and Kaileena sat on the barrels of wine with Bana and Popalunar to await Prince Adam’s return.

  At precisely seven in the evening, Prince Adam ran up the gangway with Juariya.

  “Benjamin! Kaileena!” he called.

  “What is it?” they replied in unison.

  “They’ve agreed!” Prince Adam panted breathlessly. “The British army are coming with us!”

  Next day Prince William of the house of Windsor and Commander Albert of the British army presented themselves to Prince Adam with fifty of their men. Their armour was blue and red, with helmets as black as ebony in the form of a lion’s head, and they promised to bring at least five thousand soldiers. “Which should be more than enough,” said Prince Adam.

  Prince William and Commander Albert met the rulers or leaders of each army in the Aradian Alliance; King Renzillion, alongside his son Prince Chamillion; Queen Ellaria of the house of Merissé of the bird clan; Commander Illoyids of the Tuaryan, whose King Morandon of the house of Silmar was absent; Commander Benuviél of the elves, whose King Riverillien of the house of Ethanel was also absent. Commander Silvor of the dwarves presented himself on behalf of his King Thorebor of the house of Balfour who, once again, was not among them; Queen Ingvild of the Witches, who had just arrived, attended by Commander Volva; King Midas of the Spartans; and lastly, Princess Elma of the house of Bozorg of the elephant clan.

  While greetings were being exchanged, a prolonged process, Benjamin nudged Ruby.

  “Can you do me a favour?” he asked her.

  “That depends on what it is,” replied Ruby.

  “Can you take me to a school today, the Arcum Aeterna Lux College?”

  Ruby looked at him. “Well, yes, I can take you there, Benjamin, but it might be close because of the school break. Why do you want to go to that one particularly?”

  Benjamin sighed. “I’d like to visit an old friend. I hope it isn’t close.”

  Unobtrusively leaving the ship, they walked down the gangway with their Eidoncheirs. The tube train journey was long and Benjamin felt nervous. Thankfully, the bus journey to the Arcum Aeterna Lux College was a short one.

  Walking through the familiar streets and standing before the open gates of the college made Benjamin catch his breath. It was just as he remembered it, tall buildings of red brick with spires. Arcum Aeterna Lux College was the biggest in all Londaron, resembling the splendours of Oroxford and Camembridge universities. Memories flashed before Benjamin’s eyes; ringing the bell in the tower, picking daffodils, playing chasing games and stealing food from the kitchen all seemed as if they had happened only yesterday. The college catered for primary, secondary and university students, all in separate buildings.

  Benjamin sighed again.

  “I’ll wait outside,” said Ruby. “It’s almost three.”

  While she waited outside, Benjamin entered the reception area. He went to the desk, where a young lady with blonde hair and rimmed spectacles was dealing with a pile of paperwork.

  “Excuse me,” he said, catching her eye. “Does April Goldenberry live here?”

  The receptionist put down her pen. “May I have your name?” she asked. “You’re not a student of this school, are you?” She indicated the casual clothing Benjamin wore.

  “No, I’m not,” Benjamin replied politely, “but I used to be. I’m an old friend of April’s. I just wanted to see her.”

  “I’m sorry,” the receptionist began, sounding sad. “She never returned five years ago.” The receptionist pursed her lips and shook her head. “This school is closed for the break except for the elder students revising for their final exams. I’m sorry, but I must ask you to leave.”

  Benjamin had never been more disappointed in his life. He had been expecting to see her, and was anxious to tell her everything. He would have liked to relive the memory of being with her on the roof.

  “Okay,” he said, “but what about her mum and dad?” he asked then. He remembered them very well. “The headmaster and headmistress.”

  “They … died,” said the receptionist, as if she didn’t want to talk about it.

  “So the Dream Finder was right?” Benjamin was hoping that it wasn’t so.

  The receptionist nodded, disappointing him all the more.

  “Do you happen to know where April went?”

  “To be frank,” said the receptionist, “I have no idea. Even if I did, I wouldn’t be allowed to pass on that information. I’m very sorry.”

  “I understand.”

  Benjamin requested a sheet of paper and a pen. He didn’t want his presence to go unnoticed. April would realise he’d been there when she returned some day. On the page Benja
min wrote a short and simple note, left it with the receptionist and went outside.

  “Sorry you didn’t get to see April,” said Bana sympathetically.

  Benjamin said nothing, but a tear rolled down his cheek.

  *

  “Where did you go today?” Sebastian asked Benjamin while they were having supper in the banqueting hall.

  “I went to Arcum Aeterna Lux College to see April Goldenberry.”

  “From the expedition five years ago?”

  Benjamin nodded sadly, still disappointed that he hadn’t been able to see her. When he’d got back, he’d sat in the bathroom of his cabin and wept.

  Unfortunately, Sebastian made things worse. “Benjamin, why did you bother?” he said. “We didn’t come here to visit old friends.”

  “It’s not just that. I thought I might ask her to join us.”

  “We don’t really need her this time. We’ve got you and your band.”

  Sebastian still didn’t understand. Benjamin ignored him and looked down at the palms of his hands. He couldn’t speak.

  “Well, did you meet her?” asked Sebastian.

  Benjamin shook his head. There was a pause.

  “You didn’t really go to see April to ask her to join the alliance, did you?”

  Benjamin sighed and looked into his brother’s eyes. “No,” he said. “I went to see her because she was my friend. She was very special to me.”

  Chapter 24

  Toalla Kingsborne

  Standing outside the sweetshop on the pier the next day with his band, his friends and the Three Kings, Benjamin counted his money and purchased a pack of Blue Bubble. His mood had improved slightly, and Kaileena and Prince Adam had lifted his spirits by taking him to Harrington Park.