by SJB Gilmour
Then the spirit rose and drifted away. Soon all the spirits had returned to their homes under the stones. There was a loud thud as Angela then collapsed on the heather. Mel rushed to her side and dressed her.
Sarah resumed her human form and stood, looking down at the amulet, feeling absolutely miserable. Benjamin, Robert and Roberta also assumed their human selves. Feeling numb and barely registering what was going on around her, Sarah bent down and picked it up by the chain. She reached out to grab it.
There was a hissing sound as the metal burned her palm. ‘Ow!’ she exclaimed and dropped the amulet. Her hand stung horribly and a large red welt appeared as if her skin had come into contact with something very, very hot. The amulet landed on the moist ground with a dull thud. Sarah held her hand, wincing in pain.
Roberta quickly produced a small tube of burn cream and began treating Sarah’s injured hand while James and Benjamin peered at the chain. James shrugged and bent down. He poked the amulet with one finger. His finger sizzled and burned the same way Sarah’s palm had. He hissed and withdrew his finger, shaking it.
‘What the chocking hell is the use of this thing if nobody can touch it?’ he demanded. He waved at everyone in the group. ‘C’mon guys, gather round. Sarah and I have given it a go, let’s all see if one of us can pick this thing up without being scorched.’ He peered down the hill at Ronny who had set up the camp. ‘You too, Mason!’ he called.
Obediently, Ronny trudged back to the circle while the others each poked the amulet with a finger. Each one received a sizzled fingertip for their trouble. When it was Ronny’s turn, he too wound up sucking his finger.
Mel, being the last to try, was scowling venomously at her cousin. ‘Why do I have to?’ she complained. ‘It’s just going to…’ and she touched it. Nothing happened to her finger. She picked up the heavy silver amulet.
The group gathered around Mel to peer at the amulet in her left hand. Now that they could get a closer look, Angela and Benjamin’s faces were rapt.
‘It’s beautiful,’ Angela breathed.
‘Exquisite craftsmanship,’ murmured Benjamin at the same time. ‘Look at the detail!’
‘What is this thing?’ Mel asked them.
‘It’s The Star of Planes,’ Angela told her.
‘Part of it,’ James pointed out. ‘Isn’t it supposed to come in two parts? Isn’t something supposed to go in that hole?’
‘The Star of what?’ asked Sarah, confused.
‘It’s a very powerful talisman, Sarah,’ Angela explained. ‘It’s said that when completed, it had the power of gods…’ She shook her head. ‘I don’t remember all of the legend,’ she confessed. She glanced at Sarah’s satchel. ‘Nathan would know.’
Sarah nodded and opened her satchel. ‘Nathan,’ she called gently to avoid startling the purple bookwyrm.
Nathan poked his head out of the satchel. ‘Oh, hello everyone,’ he said brightly. ‘How can I help?’
‘We’re wondering if we could pick your brain again, Nathan,’ Benjamin told his archivist. ‘It seems we’ve located one half of The Star of Planes. We’re wondering if you know how the legend’s supposed to go.’
Nathan’s eyes began to whir excitedly. He forgot all about being afraid of birds and wriggled out as fast as he could to peer at the amulet in Mel’s hand.
‘Oh yes,’ he confirmed, bobbing his purple head with excitement. ‘That’s definitely part of it!’ He gazed at the amulet for several moments.
‘Nathan,’ Angela reminded him. ‘The legend?’
Nathan nodded. ‘Oh, yes, the folklore…’ He shut his eyes for a moment, thinking. ‘Right,’ he said when he opened his eyes. ‘The Star of Planes. It was first discovered several thousand years ago in Neroland by Oliver Cromwell Senior. He found the pieces but could not manage to put them together or figure out how to operate it. Even his god Loki couldn’t or wouldn’t help him get it to work.
‘Cromwell examined the artefacts and claimed that they held incredible power. The early form of The Sorcerers’ Guild agreed with him. They too wanted to use the talisman’s power to operate Conundrum Gate…’ Nathan blinked, as he dredged through his memory. ‘Cromwell lost the pieces of The Star, or they were stolen, shortly after. They’ve been missing ever since.’
‘Why couldn’t they get it to work?’ Mel asked, not taking her eyes off the nine-pointed silver amulet in her palm.
‘Apparently, the consensus was that it required to sort of command prompt to activate it,’ replied Nathan. ‘All attempts to put the pieces together failed. For some reason, even though the centrepiece and the outer amulet you have there were an exact match and should have fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, they refused to combine. It caused quite a lot of consternation among The Guild and for Cromwell himself.’
‘Who made it?’ Angela asked.
‘I don’t know,’ Nathan confessed. ‘As I said, it was found in Neroland. How long it had been there and how it got there is as much of a mystery as Neroland itself.’
At that moment, Mel gasped in pain as the amulet, chain and all, sank into her palm and disappeared. Her hand shimmered for a moment and then returned to its normal pink-ish (if not too clean) state.
‘What the hell?’ Mel demanded, shaking her hand. The others expressed similar questions.
‘I can still feel it,’ Mel told them all. ‘It’s right there, inside my hand, but it moves and stuff! Look!’ She held her hand out and wiggled her fingers and clenched and un-clenched her fist.
At that moment, Sarah’s satchel gave a wriggle. Startled, Sarah opened it. Then she and Nathan peered inside
‘Excuse me, Masters all,’ the bookwyrm said politely, ‘but your new acquisition wants your attention.’
The black tome James had haggled from Siouxanne fluttered up out of the satchel. It floated up and hovered just in front of Sarah. Its cover flicked open to reveal a very lifelike drawing of an old Golden Mane werewolf.
‘Well, you made it,’ said the drawing of Rufus with a satisfied nod.
‘Most of us,’ added James sourly.
Rufus looked down at the bodies of Sarah’s parents and sighed sadly. Then he turned back to Sarah and fixed her with his golden eyes.
‘You must be strong now, Golden Mane,’ he instructed her. ‘Your parents will always be with you. At Wolfenvald you can talk to them any time you like. Every werewolf ends up there, just as you will too, one day. But remember, they are not the main reason you’re here.’
‘Then why am I here?’ she demanded bitterly.
‘Coppernick!’ Rufus barked harshly. ‘Mautallius has taken control of the Guild and that means he has control of Conundrum. You have to take it back. That’s why you!’ He looked about. ‘Who’s got the amulet?’
Benjamin resumed his wolf form. ‘Easy, old wolf,’ he growled at the tome. ‘She’s still a cub.’
Mel held her hand up. ‘I’ve got it,’ she told him. It’s in my chocking hand! How do I get it out?’
Rufus wagged his tail. ‘Good,’ he told her. ‘It’s safe in there. Don’t worry, when you need it to come out, I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Just don’t lose it. You still have to find the other half.’
‘Chocking?’ James asked Mel with one eyebrow raised.
Mel shrugged. ‘It might catch on. We all know what “chocking” means by now, thanks to you.’
Benjamin snarled again. ‘Rufus,’ he growled, ‘We’ve just put a lot of effort into finding you. Show some gratitude or I’ll pulp you and the prophecy can go hang. You owe us an explanation! How do we get that thing out this girl’s hand? What else is it going to do?’
Rufus gave a startled whine. ‘I don’t know!’ he protested. ‘What’s important is that you’ve got it.’ He turned to Mel. ‘You have got it, haven’t you?’
Mel nodded, rubbing her hand.
‘Now Rufus,’ said Angela crisply. ‘From the beginning, please.’
‘I’ve usually found that’s the best place to start,
’ James agreed. ‘I try starting in the middle every now and then, just for fun, but it’s just too confusing. I’m not a Hollywood film director.’
Rufus grinned at Mel. ‘Don’t lose that amulet, little girl. Without it, we’re in big trouble.’ He sighed and looked around at the group. ‘Okay, here’s the abridged version. I gave the amulet young Troy there is holding…’
‘Hazelwood,’ Mel corrected him. ‘And I’m not holding it. It’s inside me!’
Rufus gave a startled yip. ‘You’ve hardly got a Hazelwood gene in you, girly,’ he scoffed. ‘You’re your grandmother’s granddaughter through and through. In my tome, that makes you a Troy. Now don’t interrupt.’
James nudged Mel just as she had done to him moments before.
‘I gave the amulet to the spirits to protect it. Mautallius knew I’d found it. I couldn’t risk that lunatic getting his paws on it.’
‘Where’s the other piece?’ Angela demanded.
‘Hurry up and wait!’ Rufus shot back. ‘You’re jumping too far ahead.’ He looked back at Benjamin and shook his head. ‘You sure can pick ‘em,’ he growled. ‘Now there’s not much more I can tell you. After I left The Guild, I went about my own research.’
‘When was that, Master Rufus?’ Ronny asked him politely.
Rufus shrugged. ‘I’m not sure,’ he admitted. ‘It wasn’t long after that young grand-cub of mine, Mikolaj took a piece out Mautallius.’
‘Wait a minute!’ Sarah burst out. ‘Mikolaj was my grandfather! Does that mean you and I are related?’
Rufus sniffed. ‘Distantly, Coppernick. Very distantly. Do the math in your own time.’ He turned back to Ronny. ‘That’s was when I started piecing together as many prophecies as I could. My search led me to this tome. That’s all I can remember.’ He glanced up at the brightening sky. Dawn wasn’t far away and moonlight was getting weaker and weaker. ‘Damn,’ he muttered. ‘I’m running out of time…’
The image of Rufus faded and disappeared. Then the tome flickered and green, spidery writing appeared on the page.
Greetings Golden Mane. I thought for a long time about just how to say hello, but I’m afraid I couldn’t come up with much more than that. This isn’t about pleasantries. It’s about prophecy. The whole future of the universe is at your paws and if you don’t succeed, we’re all demon fodder.
Sarah gaped at the text. She didn’t like the sound of that at all.
Hold your nose, young wolf. There’s more to come. You’ve got one half of The Star of Planes. Don’t bother looking for the other half. It’ll find you when the time is right. I know your parents are probably what’s on your mind right now, but trust me, once you get to Wolfenvald, their passing won’t seem so bad. I’m afraid a lot more could die before this is out.
You can’t carry this first half because it’s made of silver. So, I’m afraid your young partner in crime is going to have to stick to you like glue. The other half is gold that nobody can handle but you. When the time comes, you’ll both need to be around to put the bits together.
The prophecy you’re all tied up in is divided into separate periods. The period you’re in now is The Time of Discovery. Next will be The Time of Learning. After that are two more. There will be The Time of War and that’s when the outcome will be decided. Depending on who wins, the last period, which is supposed to go forever, is either going to be The Time of Chaos, or The Time of Peace. You don’t have to be a genius to know which we want to happen.
Go away and study, Golden Mane. The Time of Learning isn’t yet upon you and if you get a head start now, it can only help you later.
Rufus.
PS: Oh, and do me a favour, will you? When you get a chance, bring this tome back to Wolfenvald and let me out? I’ve been in here for ages and I could really do with some fresh air.
Then the pages snapped shut and the tome drifted back to Sarah’s satchel.
‘Why?’ Sarah demanded. ‘Why me?’
‘And me!’ Mel added angrily. ‘Why do I have to lug this thing about inside my hand? It feels weird!
‘He didn’t tell us much at all!’ Sarah protested.
‘Well,’ said James. ‘What do we do now?’
Their attention was then diverted as Angela collapsed again. This time, she was out cold.
‘What happened to her?’ Sarah demanded. She changed form and bounded over to her teacher and sniffed at her with her cold, wet nose.
Benjamin sighed sadly. ‘The ancient necromantic rites are very dangerous. Contacting a good-natured spirit is hard enough, but an evil one like Miranda could have the aid of all sorts of demons and evil beings. The spirits of this place lent her some of their power, but even then, it was enough to drain her utterly. She’ll need to rest for a while. When she was younger, she used to do this sort of thing fairly often, but that was always during times of conflict. Battle rage is a great source of energy. Isaacs was right. She’s out of condition.’
The Silver shroud nudged Angela. He was about to begin licking her when Sarah pushed him out of the way by bumping her shoulder against his rump.
‘Let me,’ she told him and began licking Angela’s face with a very long and very wet tongue. She was feeling very confused and really quite rotten so it was good to have something to do that didn’t require a lot of thought.
‘Wake up,’ she whined to her teacher as she licked her face. ‘Wake up!’
Finally, Angela moaned and came to. She flinched and pushed Sarah away and sat up. She wiped her face with her hand and then looked around. ‘How long was I out?’ she asked the group.
James shrugged. ‘Long enough for Sarah to clean you up a bit,’ he replied with a grin. He made a show of sniffing the air. ‘You still stink though. How long since you last had a bath?’
‘Umm, excuse me?’ Mel called out to them, holding her left hand up in the air. ‘What are we going to do about this thing in my hand?’ It’s silver, remember? I could be dying here!’
Ronny looked at her and tilted his head to one side. ‘You don’t seem to be suffering any ill effects,’ he observed. ‘Still,’ he said with a shrug and whisked out a large thermometer from one of his many pockets, ‘better safe than sorry. Drop your pants and bend over. Let’s take your temperature…’
Mel gaped at the grey-skinned little gnome and then blushed furiously.
‘Oh put that thing away, Mason,’ James told his friend. He reached out and touched Mel lightly on her forehead. ‘She’s fine,’ he told the gnome. Then he looked at Mel seriously. ‘I usually check the soil before I plant a seed. Just to see if the right minerals are there. I’ve got a spell for checking for dangerous elements. Want me to check you over?’
Mel nodded.
James grinned. ‘Okay, hold still. I’ve never done this on a living being before, but I’m pretty sure it won’t hurt.’
Now Mel swallowed and her green eyes went wide with worry, but she held her ground bravely.
James put one hand on her head and commanded ‘Testus!’
Mel shivered as though she’d just been dunked in ice-cold water and shaken vigorously. Then every part of her seemed to tingle for a moment. Then, just when she was beginning to think the spell was all over, she felt an awful lump growing in her throat. She gasped and coughed out a screwed up piece of parchment. James grinned and caught it.
‘Now, let’s read the diagnostics,’ he muttered, flattening out the parchment. ‘Hmm,’ he murmured. ‘Carbon, nitrogen, iron, sulphates, plenty of other nutrients… Here we go, silver. Yep, it’s inert.’ He grinned at Mel. ‘Don’t worry kiddo, you’re safe. There’s silver in you, but it’s not doing anything. You’re fine. Let’s not worry about it right now. It’s safe where it is and you’re no worse for wear.’
He chucked the piece of parchment onto the ground where it immediately melted into the dirt and disappeared. He then made a face and sniffed the air in front of her.
‘Phew!’ he exclaimed, waving the air in front of his nose. ‘You smell as bad as Ang
ela!’
What Angela and Mel both told him then only served to make him double over with laughter.
Mel sniffed under one armpit. ‘Alright,’ she muttered. ‘I’m going to get cleaned up. I’m not going to wait around here all morning while the rest of them go to Wolfenvald.’
James nodded. ‘Good idea. I could use a drink, myself.’ He produced a tankard of beer out of thin air and took a long swig. Then he spat and made a strangled sound and began sneezing pineapples. A few moments and nearly a dozen pineapples later, James was absolutely furious. Blood ran freely from his nostrils and eyes.
‘Oh for chock’s chocking chocolate sake!’ he bellowed, hurling the tankard away. ‘Can’t a guy even have one chocking drink after that chocolate chock of chocking mess we just chocked up and chocked through? For chock’s sake!’
As if in answer, a glowing circle appeared on the ground in front of him. James’ expression went from one of complete apoplexy to one of love in an instant. He knelt on the ground and bowed his head. Demeter appeared, smiling.
‘Rise,’ She told him gently.
James stood up painfully. His knees creaked and he winced, but still his expression did not change. Demeter reached out and touched him gently on the shoulder. The air around him glimmered for a moment and then was still and clear again.
‘My curse has been lifted from you, my son,’ She told him warmly. ‘You have performed your task well. You make me proud!’
James bowed his head. ‘I live but to serve you, my mistress,’ he said humbly.
Now Demeter stopped smiling. ‘Can you guess your next task?’
James’ eyes narrowed for a moment. ‘I’m guessing it has to do with young Coppernick over there.’
Demeter nodded. ‘You have become part of her pack and so you must stay for the rest of your life.’
James gave a start but bowed his head again. ‘Whatever you command, my mistress,’ he vowed.