The Jack Brenin Collection

by Catherine Cooper

  ‘We’ll be back before you know it.’

  ‘Won’t it be dark in Annwn?’ asked Timmery. ‘The sun’s gone down now.’

  ‘Have a quick look for us and see what’s going on. If Nora’s still on the other side, she’ll see us straight away, but she won’t notice you.’

  ‘Ooh! The start of an adventure, I love adventures.’

  ‘I don’t think we’re going to be gone long enough for it to be an adventure Timmery,’ said Jack, but the little bat had already flitted into the green glow.

  ‘That was quick,’ said Camelin as Timmery re-appeared. ‘What’s it like? Was Nora there? Did anyone see you?’

  ‘Can’t see a thing, there’s bright sunlight on the other side.’

  ‘I’ll go,’ said Charkle. ‘I can see in daylight.’

  ‘Couldn’t you see anything at all?’ asked Camelin after Charkle had gone.

  Before Timmery could answer Charkle flitted back through the archway.

  ‘It’s safe to go through. I can’t see anyone around at all. It’s deserted.’

  ‘Deserted?’ croaked Camelin. ‘What d’you mean deserted? What about the fair?’

  ‘No fair, no people. Just hills and fields.’

  ‘Come on Jack, we need to go and see for ourselves. There has to be a fair.’

  Jack hesitated.

  ‘It’s alright for the rest of you, but if we get caught I’m the mortal. I’m the one who’ll be in trouble.’

  ‘They’d have to catch us first,’ laughed Camelin. ‘We can fly faster than anyone can run. Coming?’

  ‘I suppose so.’

  Timmery fluttered around the gateway.

  ‘What am I going to do? I can’t see a thing through there.’

  ‘Then you’ll have to stay here, Charkle can keep you company. We’ll tell you all about it when we get back,’ replied Camelin.

  ‘Or you could climb onto my back,’ said Jack. ‘But you’d have to hold tight.’

  ‘Oh I will Jack Brenin, I will. Thank you, thank you.’

  When Timmery had attached himself to Jack’s feathers Camelin hopped forward.

  ‘Ready?’

  ‘Ready,’ Timmery and Charkle replied.

  ‘How will we know when it’s time to come back?’ asked Jack

  ‘When we can’t eat anymore,’ chuckled Camelin. ‘Come on, let’s go and find that fair.’

  Jack watched as the others disappeared into the glowing green light. He hesitated for a moment before he took off and followed them through Glasruhen Gate.

  INTO ANNWN

  On the other side of the portal the green glow faded and was immediately replaced by dazzling sunshine. Undulating fields stretched as far as the eye could see to the left and right of a well-trodden pathway. Through the glare Jack could see that the sky was cornflower blue and dotted with slow moving clouds. The path snaked from the portal into the distance and eventually disappeared over the brow of a small hill. The only two trees near the gateway were the Sentinel Oaks. Camelin was perched on one of the lower branches.

  ‘Thought you’d changed your mind.’

  ‘Won’t the trees tell Nora what we’ve done?’

  ‘Naw, that lot in the forest have been sleeping for years and none of the Dryads followed us as far as the gateway.’

  ‘But what about the Sentinels?’

  ‘They haven’t stirred for hundreds of years. You’d need really strong magic to wake them.’

  Camelin danced around on the branch.

  ‘We’re here on official business,’ he croaked loudly then stopped and listened. ‘See, what’d I tell you, we don’t even know their names. They’re not going to wake up if we don’t address them properly.’

  Jack was relieved when the trees didn’t stir, he wasn’t sure that going to the fair would count as official business. He could see Camelin was getting impatient as he hopped from foot to foot.

  ‘Come on we’re wasting time. The fair must be near the Citadel and that’s got to be at the end of this path.’

  ‘I’m not sure we should go any further, you said we were only going to take a peek. And how do you know the Citadel’s that way?’

  ‘Gwillam told me you couldn’t get lost in Annwn; all roads lead to the Glass Palace and that’s in the middle of the Citadel. Come on.’

  Before Jack could reply Camelin took off in the direction of the hill.

  ‘Are you coming Jack?’ asked Charkle. ‘What harm can it do just to take a look?’

  ‘Oh please Jack, let’s go and see now we’re here,’ piped Timmery.

  ‘I suppose a quick look can’t hurt, hold tight.’

  As Jack followed the path he had time to look at the fields below. No birds sang and he couldn’t see a single person. Maybe they were all at the fair, but there was a strange emptiness. The only sound was their beating wings.

  ‘I don’t like this,’ Jack shouted to Camelin. ‘Why is it all so quiet? Where is everyone?’

  Camelin had reached the top of the hill and landed on the grass.

  ‘Aw Jack, come and look at this!’

  Jack landed next to him. He was too amazed to speak.

  ‘What is it?’ asked Timmery. ‘What can you see?’

  ‘You can see for miles,’ Jack told him. ‘And it’s all so beautiful.’

  ‘See, it’s just like I said,’ croaked Camelin.

  ‘What is?’ piped Timmery.

  Jack took a deep breath before trying to describe to Timmery the most beautiful place he’d ever seen.

  ‘There’s a lake surrounded by great oaks and in the middle is a palace with four glass towers. There’s a flag flying from each turret…’

  ‘That’s the Citadel,’ Camelin interrupted.

  ‘… and behind the palace you can see the mountains…’

  ‘That’s where the Caves of Eternal Rest can be found,’ added Camelin knowledgeably. ‘That’s where the Druids go.’

  Jack sighed.

  ‘Who’s telling Timmery, you or me?’

  ‘Carry on please.’

  ‘There are villages, more hills and what looks like a swamp with a great mound and a ring of tall stones around it, like the ones on Glasruhen Hill.’

  ‘But best of all, there’s a fair,’ said Camelin. ‘That’s why it was so quiet, the whole of Annwn’s there.’

  ‘Those mountains look like the best place to start searching,’ said Charkle.

  ‘We’ll go and look when we come back at Samhain,’ croaked Camelin. ‘Right now we have some serious eating to do, I can smell sausages.’

  Jack was still worried. He didn’t want to leave the hill. They’d had a look and he really thought they ought to go back through the gate.

  ‘If everyone in Annwn’s at the fair, won’t Nora and Elan be there too? They’ll see us and then we’ll be in a lot of trouble.’

  ‘Naw, they won’t be there, not a chance. See that tree in the distance, the one on its own near the mountains, that’s the Mother Oak. Nora and Elan will be there right now collecting Hamadryad acorns.’

  ‘What if they’ve got them already?’

  ‘You should have asked your Book of Shadows all these questions, we’re wasting time. Nora will need to go to the Crochan tree and pick the leaves to make the elixir, that’s going to take her a while. Then she’ll have to go and present the rhubarb to the King of the Festival.’

  ‘King of the Festival?’

  ‘He’s not a real King, there’s only a Queen in Annwn. If you’re chosen to be the King of the Festival it’s only for the day. Any fruit from the other side is given to the King, he passes it on to the cooks and they prepare it for everyone to share at the Festival Feast. We won’t be here for that as it doesn’t start until sunset. Now, are you coming or not?’

  ‘I’m not,’ announced Charkle. ‘I’m going to take a look at the mountains.’

  ‘We ought to stick together,’ said Jack.

  ‘It won’t take me long. I’ll probably be back before Camelin’s
finished eating.’

  ‘Fine,’ grumbled Camelin. ‘You go, and take Timmery with you if you want.’

  ‘I’m staying with Jack, it’s too bright for me. I can’t see a thing.’

  ‘We’ll meet you on the other side of the portal. There’s no point trying to meet up anywhere else. If you’re not back in time it’s your own fault,’ grumbled Camelin.

  ‘See you later,’ Charkle called as he flew off towards the mountains.

  ‘So, are you coming?’ said Camelin.

  Jack nodded.

  As they got closer to the ring of trees, they could hear the sound of music and laughter floating on the breeze. Jack could see crowds of people. He looked for Nora and Elan, but luckily they were nowhere to be seen. A large group sat on the grass, gathered around what could only have been a storyteller. At the edge of the lake, small boats bobbed up and down in the water. From the island, the four squat glass towers of the Palace glinted in the sunlight.

  Jack saw jugglers and then, coming towards them, two men in brightly coloured robes walking on stilts, their heads almost level with the lower branches of the great oaks. Under each of the trees which surrounded the lake were circular tables; most were piled high with prepared food, like cakes and pies, but the one Camelin was heading towards had an enormous barbecue beside it. A pig roasted over a fire in a pit, there was a great pan full of sweet chestnuts and Jack could smell jacket potatoes. But the most delicious smell of all came from a row of sausages on the grill. Jack followed Camelin. They landed on the branches of the first of the trees above a stall displaying handmade sweets. Camelin hopped excitedly from foot to foot.

  ‘Look at that! All my favourite sweets ... marshmallows, cinder toffee, nougat and fudge. I’m going to sample a bit from here before I make a start on the sausages. What are you waiting for? Come on, let’s go and help ourselves.’

  Before Jack could speak Camelin was descending towards the sweets. There was a loud cry from one of the women, she grabbed a broom and lashed out. Camelin swerved and returned to the branch with a beak full of fudge.

  ‘What happened?’ he managed to croak.

  ‘I think she called you a thief!’

  ‘She did,’ confirmed Timmery. ‘And she told you to keep your thieving beak off her fudge.’

  The disturbance hadn’t gone unnoticed. The crowd below were looking up into the branches, trying to see where Camelin had gone.

  ‘You’re supposed to be able to help yourself to anything you want here,’ he grumbled. ‘I’ve dreamt of this moment for years. This wasn’t how I expected it to be. No one ever said anything about being attacked with a broom.’

  ‘I’m not sure it’s free. Look over there. It looks like those people are paying money for something.’

  ‘Naw, that can’t be right, there’s no money in Annwn. Perhaps I should have done my shuffle dance.’

  ‘Maybe we should go. Those people don’t look too friendly to me.’

  ‘Trust me, I know what I’m doing. I’ll go and entertain that man over there at the barbecue and I’ll have a string of sausages back here in no time, you’ll see.’

  Jack knew Camelin had made up his mind so it was no use trying to dissuade him. The smell of the barbecue wafted up to them on the breeze. Camelin breathed deeply then hopped through the canopy towards the grill.

  ‘Here we go!’ he croaked as he swooped down and managed a loop-the-loop before landing gracefully in front of the man cooking sausages. He immediately began twirling and shuffling.

  Jack thought the man looked worried as he reached down and threw something, which Camelin caught easily in his beak. He flipped his prize into the air and swallowed it whole, then began to cough and choke.

  ‘Ugh! It’s charcoal.’

  The man launched two more pieces at Camelin and began waving his arms.

  ‘Plan two,’ Camelin croaked as he took off towards the barbecue. He swooped past the grill and helped himself to a string of cooked sausages. He struggled to gain height, but eventually made the safety of the branches with his prize.

  The man shouted angrily and pointed to the tree and a crowd began to gather. Camelin didn’t seem too bothered.

  ‘Supper!’ he cried triumphantly. ‘D’you want some?’

  ‘No thank you,’ said Jack and Timmery together.

  Jack felt very uneasy. The dense canopy shielded them from the group of people below but this didn’t feel like the beautiful, peaceful place he’d been told about. Something was wrong. It was time they went home.

  ‘I think we ought to go back through the portal now.’

  ‘Whatever for? These are great, you ought to try one.’

  ‘We shouldn’t have come.’

  ‘But we’ve only just got here. We haven’t been round the fair yet.’

  ‘I don’t think any of those people down there are going to let us go round the fair.’

  Camelin finished the last sausage and looked down, at what was now an angry looking crowd.

  ‘Maybe you’re right. We came and had a look. I don’t want any more lumps of charcoal thrown at me.’

  Jack felt a lot happier once they’d flown over the small hill above the village. He’d looked back a couple of times. There was no sign of Charkle, but more importantly, no one had followed them. There was only a short distance left before they reached

  Glasruhen Gate.

  ‘It’ll be different next time we come, we’ll be with Nora and Elan, they won’t throw charcoal at you then, we’ll be guests.’

  ‘It was worth it, those sausages really were the best I’ve ever tasted. You’ll have to have some at Samhain. It’s a shame we didn’t get a chance to sample the pies.’

  Jack laughed. He wondered if Charkle was already waiting for them on the other side of the portal. The open doors of Glasruhen Gate were just ahead. He could see the green light coming from the archway.

  ‘Ready?’ Camelin called as they approached the Sentinel Oaks.

  Jack didn’t get a chance to reply. He saw Camelin stop in mid flight, his wings continued to flap but he wasn’t moving. Seconds later Jack stopped too. He struggled to free himself from the invisible barrier they’d both flown into. Two men leapt out from behind the doors.

  ‘We’ve got ’em Jed, nabbed ’em good and proper.’

  ‘Sure ’ave, Teg, let’s get ’em back to the Citadel. His Lordship’s not going to be too pleased the Western Gate’s been opened.’

  Struggling was pointless, they were tangled in a fine silver net, which had been strung between the Sentinel Oaks. Camelin shook his head and made a low ssshh’ing sound, which Jack presumed meant he wasn’t to speak. Neither of them struggled as the two men unhooked the net, they were too entangled to escape. The men tied the ends together and made a loop, pushed a large pole through the hole, then hoisted it onto their shoulders and set off towards the Citadel.

  ‘You wouldn’t think a couple of birds could weigh so much would ya?’ said Jed as they struggled up the hillside.

  ‘Heaviest ones we’ve ever caught. His Lordship isn’t going to be pleased they got in,’ replied Teg.

  There was a lot of puffing and blowing as Jed and Teg struggled to the top of the hill. They put the pole down whilst they got their breath back.

  Jack wondered if Camelin had a plan. They might get a chance to escape once the net was removed. He’d already tried pecking it to see if he could make a hole, but the silver thread wouldn’t break. He didn’t think it was a good idea to talk. Maybe if His Lordship, whoever he was, thought they were just a couple of stray birds who’d flown in through the portal they might not be in so much trouble. It was then Jack really started to worry. What if they found out he’d opened Glasruhen Gate? It was obviously something His Lordship wasn’t going to be pleased about.

  Teg and Jed once more hoisted the pole onto their shoulders. Jack felt sick as the net they were suspended in swung from side to side. He could hear voices now as they neared the circle of oak trees by the water’s ed
ge. As they passed a group of people the chattering and laughing stopped. First there was silence then whispering began.

  ‘Stop!’ shrieked one of the women as Jed and Teg passed by. ‘That’s the thief what took my fudge.’

  ‘And there’s the one who stole my sausages,’ the man from the barbecue shouted.

  Jed stopped and removed a slate from his pocket. Teg handed him a pencil.

  ‘If you two would like to make a statement I’ll pass it on to the Captain of the Guard. We’ll be reporting to him as soon as we get across to the Citadel.’

  The woman from the sweet stall didn’t waste any time telling Jed all about the incident. Then the man from the barbecue stepped forward.

  ‘Make sure you put down that it was a whole string of my best sausages he stole.’

  ‘Best sausages, whole string,’ Jed said as he wrote.

  Jack was wondering how the people knew they were the same birds they’d seen earlier. Then Camelin burped and everyone looked round. Now they really were in trouble. Was it a serious crime if a bird took food? Birds on Earth took any food they could find, all the time. Jack wondered what they did with ravens in Annwn.

  Jed and Teg continued to the edge of the lake where a small boat was tethered. Teg clambered in.

  ‘Pass ’em over.’

  Jed didn’t seem to care if Jack and Camelin got bumped against the seats as he passed them in.

  It was uncomfortable in the boat. They’d been tossed into the bottom where a puddle of water washed over them each time the boat rocked from side to side. Jack was glad when they reached the other side and the swaying stopped. Once more the men hoisted the pole onto their shoulders. But instead of going up to the Citadel they began to descend a flight of steps which had been carved into the rock face. The steps led from the quay to a large door. Jed rapped on the door with the end of the pole and shouted loudly: ‘Prisoners for the dungeon.’

  Jack gulped. They really were in a lot of trouble.

  DEEP TROUBLE

  ‘In here,’ ordered the guard who’d opened the outer door.

  Jed and Teg slid the silver net off the pole onto the floor of the dungeon. Jack and Camelin landed in a heap on the stone flags. The light dimmed as the guards withdrew and the door slammed shut. A tiny grill in the door let in a glimmer of light from the burning torch on the corridor wall. The sound of footsteps walking back down the passage was followed by silence.