A lamp hanging in the middle of the street flashed and went out. It went pitch black. A group of three gnomes arrived. Each had his own task: the smallest climbed a sort of wooden ladder and put a firefly in the amber lamp, the light came back instantly and the three little gnomes left again as quickly as they had come.
“So you can see just how important fireflies are to us. Life could not flourish down here without them.”
They continued their stroll through the streets and the passageways of that strange city. Life swarmed around them on all sides. Merchants hawked all sorts of objects and curiosities on display. Hope noticed that most of the gnomes were paying for their goods with fireflies in small jars.
“What’s that above the city? Are they stars?”
“No,” Gom answered quickly, “they are lightstones. There are very few of them and sometimes they fall down here and we use them for our lighting. A lightstone is worth a hundred fireflies, so you can understand how scarce they are. Their light is eternal.”
“Who is in charge here?” asked Golmuth.
“He is called Gamar.”
“Can we speak with him?” asked Alexander.
“Certainly,” said Geum and Gom in unison.
“I’m starting to get hungry,” said Meredith, rubbing her stomach. Her attention had been drawn by a shopkeeper who was cooking something strange and grey.
“I would not eat here if I were you,” said Golmuth with a smile, “you might get a nasty surprise.”
“Why is that? I’m starving, I could eat just about anything.”
“Even stone?” Golmuth said, pointing to the grey thing that was cooking.
“Yuck, suddenly I’m not very hungry.”
Dongo, who had not said anything so far, laughed. “Oh yes, gnomes are stone eaters, they do not have the same diet as you.”
Meredith scowled and joined Hope.
“This is our ruler’s house,” said Gom, pointing it out.
It was without a doubt the largest house in the city. It had no windows, was three stories tall, and a strange bluish glow was emanating from the main entrance. The company entered the building and looked around. There were lightstones everywhere, sometimes cut, sometimes left rough. There were chairs and a table made of stone as bright as crystal. All the items contrasted with the stone walls. The parlour had been converted into a throne room in which stood a very old gnome. He was in discussion with several other gnomes and seemed to be talking about the Sorceress. He gave leave to his interlocutors.
“Welcome!” he said, addressing his new visitors.
Golmuth bowed.
“I see you do not know our customs, master dwarf”.
“Pardon my ignorance, my lord.”
“There is nothing to pardon, it is our own fault. Forced to hide from the world, nobody has been able to learn our customs. How is it that you found the hidden entrance to Kratoa?”
“That was me,” said Dongo at once, “I had heard talk of Kratoa and I knew where to tickle.” Dongo turned to Geum and Gom, who were staring up at the ceiling and whistling innocently.
“I see,” said Gamar, “and what exactly do you want with me?”
“We are looking for Werner Gravenstein. We want to go home and he is the only one who knows the way,” said Alexander.
“That seems a difficult task to me, Gravenstein lives on the other side of the ravine.”
“You know him?”
“He passed through Kratoa many years ago, fleeing the Sorceress Dementia. The only place she would never dream of searching is on the other side of the ravine. There is only a single way across and that is here in Kratoa, but she is not aware of it.”
“May we use this passage?”
“Yes, if you have enough to pay.”
“We have no money with us,” said Hope.
“I was not talking about money; we need more fireflies.”
“How many exactly?”
“With your kind entering the secret tunnel and seeing that you may one day reveal the existence of this tunnel to others by returning after meeting Gravenstein, I would say... a thousand fireflies.”
“A thousand fireflies! That’s impossible”, Dongo replied.
“That is my final offer,” said Gamar, sitting down on his throne.
It was not until this moment that Alexander realised that Gamar was, in fact, a ruler like many others: hungry for power and wealth.
“Very good,” Golmuth said, “allow us to consider your proposal.”
“I give you an hour to decide.”
Gamar took a glass made of lightstone and swallowed one or two pumice stones. The children left him and gathered before the entrance to his house.
“He looked so nice at first,” Amy said.
“Know, little Amy, that money can turn the kindest people into monsters thirsty for power and wealth,” Golmuth said.
“What are we going to do?” asked Alexander.
“The question is how to catch a thousand fireflies,” Dongo said, waving his arms.
“We know where to find fireflies,” said Geum, “but a thousand... nobody has ever achieved such a feat.”
“How do you catch one?” asked Hope.
“We have nets designed specifically for that,” said Gom. “The fireflies live in the dark marsh not far from here, Geum and I will take you there.”
Several minutes later they were in the dark marsh.
“It stinks here,” said Amy, pinching her nose.
“What is that foul odour?” said Dongo.
“That is the dark marsh.”
The water was black. Despite the beating sun, the rays could not penetrate the tree canopy above. The ground was spongy and each of the children left tracks behind them. Only Dongo, who weighed as much as a feather, left no trace.
“So, where are these fireflies?” asked Golmuth.
“Prepare yourselves,” said Geum and Gom at once as they shook a tree.
A flurry of fireflies shot out of a hole in the trunk and zipped about in all directions. The children swung with their nets and caught about twenty of them.
“Super!” said Dongo ecstatically.
“Only 980 more to go,” said Golmuth sarcastically.
They shook more trees but started to despair when they saw just how few fireflies they had managed to catch. The hunt had lasted for around two hours, Amy had fallen up to her waist in the black water and Golmuth’s weight had got stuck in the bog. Hope pinched her nose because she couldn’t take the stench and Alexander’s net turned out to be full of holes.
“We’ll never be able to...” said Meredith. She wasn’t able to finish her sentence before the ground beneath her feet collapsed. She tumbled down and found herself in some kind of chamber.
“Is anything broken?” asked Alexander, rushing over to the hole.
“No, I think everything is in one piece,” replied Meredith.
“What do you see?”
“Not much, but there is a tunnel with light further on! Come down quick, come and look!”
Alexander and Golmuth jumped down into the chamber.
“I think I’ve found a deposit of lightstones.”
Hearing these words, Geum and Gom also plunged into the cavern.
“Incredible! These are extremely rare. It has been years since we discovered as many as this.”
“Look,” said Geum, “the roof was being held up by rotting tree roots. That’s why the ground gave way.”
“Oh God,” said Hope, “the marsh water is starting to come into the hole, everybody get back up!”
“We must be quick,” said Gom, “we have to inform Gamar.”
“You will not be needing those fireflies anymore, my friends,” said Geum. “You have just discovered enough stone to pay for your passage under the ravine a thousand times over!”
The gnomes climbed back up to the surface and went to give the news to Gamar.
“Marvellous!” he said, “it has been years since we found such a de
posit, we thought they had all been emptied. Children, you may use the tunnel as many times as you need.”
“Thank you.”
“But please, never reveal its existence to anybody.”
“We promise,” they said.
“Geum and Gom, you will accompany them to the other side.”
Hundreds of gnomes set about retrieving the lightstone from the cavern while others were busy constructing an irrigation system so that the marsh water didn’t flood it. In the end, a hundred gnomes started to burrow into the cavern.
The children bid farewell to Gamar and followed a path through the city, admiring the lightstone illumination in the shining roof one last time.
“Here is the tunnel,” said Gom. “It is seventeen kilometres long.”
“It will take you quite a while to reach the other side, children. Here is a lightstone for each of you,” said Geum.
“What are those white curtains in the distance?” asked Amy.
“Those are spider webs,” Geum and Gom both answered.
“I hate spiders,” Amy replied.
“You must know that nobody has gone this way for many years,” said Gom.
“Is there any danger inside the tunnel?” asked Dongo.
“Not at all,” replied Geum.
In Aronia, in a house outside the town, the Sorceress materialised from a magic mirror.
“Welcome to Aronia, Queen Dementia.”
“I have come in person to check the progress of the creation of my army.”
The Queen was accompanied by Meyffrey. They followed a winding path and entered a fortified courtyard. Hundreds of soldiers were training with their weapons. Some were armed with swords, others with lances, fighting with precise synchronicity.
“I see you have brought company,” said the man.
“You should know that I rarely go anywhere alone, Riptide. Especially here.”
“Then you have no trust in the inhabitants of Aronia?”
“None whatsoever.”
The man gulped.
“Here is your army, my queen. Nearly a thousand men trained and armed.”
“A thousand men? What world could I invade with such a pitiful force? I will soon enter into combat with an army that is more than one hundred thousand strong, with iron armour and weapons capable of destroying my soldiers from a distance through the use of powder, and you want me to face them with one thousand men? I recall that I asked you for ten thousand.”
“I know, my Queen, but it is impossible.”
“Impossible, you say?”
“Yes, my Queen. We have already recruited all of the available men including the youngsters who are of fighting age.”
“Meyffrey?”
“My Queen?”
“Kill this madman.”
Meyffrey unsheathed his sword, but his hand began to tremble.
“What is happening, slave? I gave you an order!”
“No, I beg you,” said Riptide.
Meyffrey’s hand ceased to tremble and he pierced the unfortunate Riptide’s body. The Sorceress eyed Meyffrey and then walked out onto the balcony to observe her army.
“Your army of mages and soldiers is not powerful enough to invade the other world.”
The Sorceress struck Meyffrey.
“I know that, do you take me for a fool?” she said in an outburst of rage. “I will find another way, and may your hand never waver again...”
CHAPTER 7: THE BEARDED OLD MAN
“Light at last!” cried Dongo, coming out of the tunnel. “I’m blind, I can hardly see a thing.”
“Don’t worry, your vision will come back soon. You just have to get used to the brightness,” said Alexander.
Dongo’s sight returned several minutes later and he inspected the luxuriant forest extending before him with an expert eye.
“We will have to search through all of this if we want to find Gravenstein,” said Meredith with dismay.
“We have already come so far, we can’t give up now, so close to the end,’ Alexander replied.
“Look at this strange white rock!” said Dongo, kicking the stone.
It was large and an immaculate white colour. It started to tremble and the ground around it began to shake. A white giant with azure blue eyes rose up before them, standing three metres tall.
“What is it?” asked Dongo, hiding behind Alexander’s leg.
Out of fear, the two gnomes immediately transformed into rocks in order to remain invisible.
“It’s an Ice Orpe,” said Golmuth, “a giant made entirely of ice.”
The giant made to grab Dongo in his hand but the Elwing was too quick and he scurried around Alexander. The giant’s body was made entirely of ice and snow and only its joints were made of stone. Its face was the shape of an arrowhead with the point directed wherever it was looking.
“That’s enough!” said a voice coming from behind the giant.
The giant stopped and moved away. A bearded old man dressed in a grey toga stepped out and stared at the children and all their friends.
“Now here is strange company! Children, dwarfs, an Elwing and two gnomes.”
“How did you recognise us?” asked the gnomes, changing back into their original form.
“Your rocks were not very convincing.”
“Who are you?”
“My name is Berlin.”
“Do you mean Merlin?” said Amy.
“No, I am Berlin.”
“Berlin isn’t a name,” said Hope, “it’s the capital of Germany.”
The old bearded man seemed taken aback by Hope’s reply.
“Who are you?” he asked, suddenly suspicious.
“We are lost children. We are looking for Werner Gravenstein, he alone can help us return to our own world.”
“Your own world?”
“We are from the other side. We were on holiday when we found ourselves in Arboria but we don’t know how we got here. We were following a squirrel that stole Amy’s doll.”
The old man did not even flinch. “Follow me, we should not stay here. You must be hungry, let’s talk at my home.”
They all set off with the Ice Orpe in tow.
“What is that thing?” Alexander asked Berlin as they walked.
“An Ice Orpe. He is very gentle and he is my friend. He watches the tunnel entrance for me so I can make sure the Sorceress and her henchmen do not come through.”
“The Sorceress is looking for you?”
“Yes, she is looking for anyone who does not think as she does. She is very dangerous.”
Several moments later they arrived before a giant tree filled with what seemed to be holes, but which were in fact windows.
“Antarus, guard the tree, we cannot be sure that our friends were not followed.”
The giant bowed, sat down facing the direction the group had just come from and stopped moving. Berlin lit a fire in the fireplace and started boiling roots.
The tree comprised no more than two small rooms, a table and several wooden chairs. Beside the table was a wooden staircase which seemed to climb higher into the tree trunk and led to Berlin’s bedroom. The children sat around the little table and chewed on small pieces of root.
“This is very nice!” said Amy.
“It tastes like fish,” said Meredith.
“So, children, tell me this fantastic story of yours.”
“We met the dwarfen chief Eolmuth when we arrived here and he put us on the trail of a certain Werner Gravenstein. He told us that he was the only person who could help us. We have crossed the whole land trying to find him.”
“We were supposed to meet Silmaril at Rocaille but we arrived after the Queen’s guards.”
“Silmaril was captured?”
“Yes. We searched his house and discovered the secret tomb of Theodoril,” said Dongo proudly.
“The tomb contains a book written by Silmaril which says that Werner Gravenstein is hiding near the Quilar Ravine,” said Alexander.
“I’m astonished you were able to find Kratoa. It is a very difficult place to locate.”
“That was thanks to Dongo.”
“Yes, it was thanks to me,” Dongo replied, sniffing at his plate.
“Congratulations children! I have been hiding here thinking that nobody would be able to find me. Then along comes your little band and my best-laid plans are ruined. If you were able to find me then that means that the Sorceress will certainly be able to do the same.”
“You mean that you are...”
“Yes, it is me, I am Werner Gravenstein.”
The children were amazed, happy to have finally found the person who could help them return home.
“How do we get back?”
“Help us!”
“Calm down, children. I will tell you how to get back to your own world, but I warn you: it will not be easy.”
“We thought as much.”
“But first, let me tell you a story. It was the month of May in 1940. I was a young soldier in the German army, convinced that the war was necessary. I was part of the force which invaded the Ardennes. I witnessed unspeakable horrors during that invasion. My friends and my enemies fell in the trenches. I lived through the deafening sound of tanks advancing in the fields and the deathly silence that fell after the bombs. I think it was the worst time humanity has ever seen. I realised my mistake and fled into the forest, deserting my unit and leaving my weapons and equipment behind. I broke down somewhere in the forest and started to cry, when a dwarf appeared. He decided to help me hide. I told him that an army was invading but he didn’t understand my words. It was only later that I understood that I had stumbled into an unknown world where there was no war, no armies and where men lived in harmony with nature. I lived with the dwarfs for several years and then decided to explore Arboria. My journey took me through all kinds of places but it was at Lumenzia that I had a fateful meeting. A young lady, a little lost just as I was. She was very intelligent and spoke in a very old way. She showed me magic, she performed such incredible feats. I brought her to a guild of mages so that she could use her magic and develop her powers. She soon surpassed all the other guild members. I left for some time, thinking that I had put her in good hands, and came back to see her a few years later. I found her in tears; everyone at the guild was dead. She told me that a spell had gone wrong and, like a fool, I believed her. She begged me to take her to the king in Avengard so she could ask for a pardon. And so I took her to the king of Arboria. It was at that moment that she showed her true colours. She turned the king into one of those squirrels that he so loved. She sat in his throne and her face that was once so happy was now impassive. She locked me in the dungeons for several months during which she revealed her terrible secret. She had been using me since the beginning, she wanted to invade our world. Not Arboria, I mean your world. I do not know how she came to know about it. She seemed moved by an inexplicable desire for revenge and she ordered me to find a way to enter the other world. I accepted, but only so I could try to escape. That lasted for years. I watched her ranks grow, she built an army, chose her faithful henchmen and invaded all the human towns in Arboria. One day, while I was doing research in the library at the castle in Avengard, I stumbled across a book which described the world which exists outside Arboria. The book explained how to cross into that world and how to return. I understood that both worlds would fall under her hand if she discovered that book. I tore out the most important pages and hid them in the castle, in a place where I knew she would never find it. I also decided not to read the book in its entirety. I was afraid that she would learn that I had the necessary knowledge and would no longer need the book.”
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