They leapt into her waiting arms. All three had eyes filled with tears, a mixture of grief and joy. The children’s grandmother smothered them with kisses while holding them tight. Their embrace lasted for quite a long time. No one wanted to let go. Finally, Sam and Ruth reached the porch laden with luggage.
Brought back to reality by the appearance of the magi the children’s grandmother relaxed her embrace. Annie and John, had also become more aware of their surroundings. They realized Zindle had been running in circles around them licking at their legs in a desperate attempt to be included in the great hug. The children laughed, watching him, in spite of themselves.
“Hello Ruth and Sam. I’m so happy you finally made it here.” The old woman greeted her new guests. “Oh, you must think I’m horrible having you stand out here carrying all those things.” She quickly opened the front door guiding Annie and John inside. Zindle squeezed in alongside them determined to stay close to Annie. Ruth and Sam followed.
They entered the large foyer of the Victorian style home.
“You can put those things over there.” Grandma said as she pointed toward the front parlor. Sam and Ruth set down the heavy bags they were carrying. Grandma showered Annie and John with kisses as she checked them over
“Now, how much sleep has everyone had?” Grandma asked looking around at each of them, making sure they were in perfect condition. She even took the time to give Zindle a quick look over.
Sam spoke up. “Well Mary, Annie and John just woke up. I think they got about four or five hours of sleep.” Sam let out a long yawn. “Ruth probably had an hour or two of sleep. I drove the last leg in.” Sam answered.
“Are you up to going to the High Coterie tonight?” Grandma asked Sam. Sam nodded to indicate that he was up to it.
“You all have a seat for a minute while I make sure everything is ready.” Grandma reached over and flicked on the light to the large dining room opposite the parlor.
Everyone took a chair at the antique oak table. Zindle laid beneath Annie’s chair. John and Annie felt much safer now that they were at Grandma’s house. They could hear their grandmother making a phone call in the kitchen. She came back in the room with a wide smile across her face carrying a tray full of goodies. She put a glass in front of each of them. She took a gallon of milk from the tray and poured some for each of them. She even placed a saucer of milk on the floor for Zindle. She then placed they tray with the rest of its contents in the middle of the table. There were several packages of store bought cookies.
John and Annie looked at each other and gave a little giggle. Their grandmother was a wonderful cook but, she had never been very good at baking. Memories flashed through both Annie and John’s heads of Grandma’s attempts at baking. Most of them ended with the blaring sound of the smoke detector. All of them ended with a large pile of cookie remains in Zindle’s bowl that not even he would dare to eat.
Grandma filled everyone in as they munched on the milk and cookies. The High Coterie would be sending over several magi. One would finish unloading the van and then get rid of it just in case anyone had noticed them leaving in it after the tornado. Two others would help to provide protection as they walked to meet the High Coterie. It was decided that it would be safer for them to walk. It was late and it would be much less noticeable if they all simply walked out the back door.
If anyone was looking for them they would follow the van when the magi took it. This would be the final step in making sure they weren’t followed. Tears welled up in Grandma’s eyes as she looked at her grandchildren. “My dears.” she whispered taking one of each of their hands. “The High Coterie will explain everything to you including what happened with your parents.” She gave their hands an extra little squeeze and then got up from the table. “The other magi should be here any moment. I need to get dressed.”
They all finished their cookies while Grandma got dressed. Soon they heard a knock at the front door. Grandma came running down the stairs, now dressed, to answer the front door. Grandma took a quick glance out of the decorative window next to the door and then flung it open. Standing on the front porch were three magi.
Annie peered around her brother’s chair to see them as they entered. She almost laughed. One was extremely tall, one was kind of a normal size and they last one was very, very, short. They each wore a different colored coat but, each had a hood that covered their head. The tall one wore a long black coat that look familiar to Annie. As the front door closed they took down their hoods.
Right away they recognized the shortest of the three. It was Helga. Everyone smiled to see a familiar face.
“Great to see everyone.” beamed Helga looking around the room. “Now Mary, Ruth and Sam you’ll already know Celeste and Matt.” She said nodding towards her companions. “Celeste this is Annie and our John you’ve been hearing so much about.” Helga said patting the children each on the head. “Hello.” said Celeste smiling at both of them. “Momma, they are just as adorable as you described” Celeste exclaimed. It was then that John and Annie noticed the family resemblance.
Celeste was taller and her skin tone was much darker but she was just about the same shape as Helga. Her hair was brown but, had the same texture and untamed look as did her mothers. Her taste in clothes was, apparently, better than Helga’s. Celeste was dressed in jeans and a simple cotton shirt. It wasn’t exactly what you would call high fashion but, at least it matched. Which was more than could be said for Helga’s ensemble. As usual Helga was wearing badly mismatched clothing that looked as if it had come from a second-hand store. The children were both very surprised to hear that Helga had a daughter. She had never struck them as the motherly type.
Helga then gestured toward the tall man. His hair was canary yellow with a distinguished looking white steak on one side. “John. Annie. This is Matt.”
“Matthew.” The tall man corrected her as he bowed low before them. The children noticed that Matthew had a strange accent they had never heard before.
They all got up from the table to get ready to leave. They all went down the hall to the kitchen to leave through the back door. Celeste proceeded to give each of them a hug. She hugged John last giving him an extra squeeze she had not given the others. “It has been an honor to be able to meet you.” she whispered in his ear. Then she straightened herself again. “I’ll leave everything from the van in the parlor with the other things. I’m afraid I won’t make it back in time to see you all again tonight. We’ll catch up some other time.” With that she headed back down the hall to take care of the van.
The rest of the group headed out the door. Zindle tried to follow but, the door shut too quickly. Annie looked back at the door. She didn’t want to leave Zindle. It would be the first time they had been apart in months. She began to sob. She wanted Zindle.
John noticed his sister begin to cry. He saw Zindle in the kitchen. “Annie needs Zindle. Can’t we take him along?” he asked Sam. Sam’s answer was no and the other adults agreed. They attempted to guide John and his sister toward the end of the back yard.
Annie began to sob harder. John couldn’t stand hearing his little sister cry anymore. She’d been through enough. “We’re not going without Zindle.” John announced loudly. With that the back door suddenly popped open and Zindle come running toward him and Annie.
The adults exchanged worried glances. “We do not ‘ave time to argue.” Matthew said breaking the silence. “D’ dog can come. We must be going now.” he finished. Sam and Ruth led the way. Grandma took John and Annie’s hands with one on each side of her. Zindle stayed by Annie’s side, as usual. Helga and Matthew brought up the rear. The group wound their way through the dark streets of the town.
“Aaahhh, ‘ere we are.” announced Matthew. John looked up to see they were in front of a large gate. Behind the gate was a huge old mansion. Peering more closely through the darkness John realized they were actually looking at the back of the grand old mansion.
Helga hurried in front of them and pulled a la
rge old key from her coat pocket. She put it in the large old lock on the gate. The gate swung open. Once they were all safely inside Helga locked the gate up behind them. As they approached the stately manor John could hear the magi whispering something low, under their breath. He thought it must be some kind of enchantment.
Annie shivered as they entered the grounds of the sprawling old mansion. It was pretty creepy looking in the dark. There were no lights outback. They only had moonlight too see where they were going. Annie reached down and gave Zindle a little pat on the head. She was sure he must be as scared as she was.
A moment later they were all standing before a pair of gigantic old wooden doors. Without warning the doors suddenly opened. John and Annie looked around but they could not see the person who had opened the doors. It was strange inside the mansion. The walls of the room they had entered were covered in books. The room was dimly lit by the orange glow of several exit signs.
As they moved from room to room they noticed that all of the rooms on that floor were filled with books. Some rooms even had desks with computers. John tried to take in everything he was seeing. He was sure it all must have something to do with mystic echoes and would be important later. The children were directed past all this and up a winding staircase. They continued up to what seemed to be the 4th floor.
There was a large old door with a huge old lock. Just before they reached the door it swung open for them, much like the door had when they entered the mansion. The children stepped back, a bit scared. They were pushed forward by their grandmother and the magi with them. Again, John and Annie looked but saw no one who would have been close enough to open the door for them. The room was large and lit by warm torch-like sconces on the walls. There was a large granite table and sitting around it were four figures.
One of the figures spoke but, in the dim light neither Annie nor John could see which one it was. “Magi, I thank you all for seeing the children safely to us. Ruth and Sam, you will be rewarded for your quick thinking in saving the children’s parents.” The voice boomed. Everyone let out a sigh of relief. The voice continued. “Yes children, your parents are safe. There is much that must be explained to you tonight. Magi, I ask that you all retire upstairs for the night.” With that Sam, Ruth, Helga and Mathew all left the room. “Please take a seat.” The voice requested.
John suddenly noticed that the warm glowing light at the center of the table had grown brighter illuminating three chairs at the table opposite the four figures. Come to think of it he did not remember there being any light at all on the table when they first entered the room. John felt Grandma’s hand on his shoulder guiding him toward one of the chairs. He was a bit apprehensive but, he took a seat next to his grandmother.
Annie held her grandma’s hand tight as she took her seat. Annie motioned for Zindle to take his place under her chair. As usual Zindle did whatever he could to stay as close to Annie as possible. Annie looked at the four figures across the table. It was hard to make out what they looked like. The voice began to speak again. Annie watched the four figures closely and realized that the voice was not coming from any of them.
“I think the best place to start, as with all things, is at the beginning.” the voice said. Annie couldn’t help but to take notice of the warmth in the voice. It made her feel more at ease. She made herself more comfortable to hear what the voice would be telling them.
“The mystical world and the world of today used to be as one. All the fantastic stories of dragons, unicorns, witches and wizards are real.” the voice began. This definitely got the attention of both children. The voice continued. “That is, they are based on real mystical beings and the use of mysticism here on Earth. Through the ages, as stories were passed down, a lot of the facts were distorted, as they always seem to be with the passage of time.”
As if he had always been hidden in the shadows, a man came into view. His skin was very dark which may have helped him to be unseen. By the dim light in the room he looked quite old. He was the one who had been speaking to them. He turned and looked John straight in the eye. “Now you are wondering if this is true, then why is there no real magic in our world today. Well, the truth is that there is still some magic on earth. Our people have never called it magic. That is a word of the fargi. We have always called it mysticism and we the magi have the ability to use the mystical arts to control it. Now it is rare and those of us who are aware of it do everything we can to keep these remnants, these echoes of mysticism as we call them, hidden and safe.” With that he turned and looked at Annie.
“The next question running through your head is, safe from what?” He turned his attention back to John. “This brings us to one of the most important and most concealed events in the history of the world. A being of great evil came to have great power. He called himself Gistramino.” The man paused again. This time he looked at the four figures seat on the other side of the table. One at a time they each nodded their head as if giving their approval for him to continue.
He went on. “He threatened to twist all of mysticism to his evil way and make all beings on earth serve him. Great battles were fought. Many tried to defeat him but, all failed. His goal was to corrupt all of magic making it evil and make all beings on earth serve him. Finally, in a desperate attempt to save all that is good, the oldest, wisest and most powerful mystical beings came together. They secretly deliberated for 300 nights and in all that time none of them could think of a way to defeat Gistramino.” He stopped again.
“I am quite parched. Would anyone care for anything to drink?” He questioned the room. Everyone nodded yes. “Alease, if you wouldn’t mind.” He said to the second figure from the right. Alease stood up and said some words most of which the children had never heard before. The large stone in the ring on her hand began to glow and suddenly there was a pitcher and eight glasses on the table. Alease took the pitcher and filled each glass. She then passed one to each person in the room.
John took a big gulp. He was thirsty. Mmmmm, it was a wonderfully sweet lemonade. He picked up his glass and motioned for Annie to take a sip from hers.
Annie had not taken a sip of from her glass. She wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to eat or drink things created by mysticism. She watched her brother and grandmother closely as they drank. They both seemed fine. When John held up his glass for Annie to see and made a motion for her to drink she decided it would be ok. After all, if she couldn’t trust her big brother who could she trust. She slowly put her glass to her lips and took the tiniest of sips. Mmmmm, it was fantastic! It tasted like a root beer float.
“Thank you Alease, you always make the best favorites juice.” The man said raising his glass toward Alease. “Favorites juice? What’s that?” John asked before he even realized the words were out of his mouth.
A great smile spread across the man’s face. “Wonderful, Wonderful! Jonathan, I see you have found your tongue.” he said clapping his hands together in delight. “Favorites juice is just what it sounds like. It is a drink that will taste like whatever is your favorite. Each person tastes something deliciously different.”
“Sir?” John began to ask. “Yes, Jonathan? How can I help you?” the man replied.
“Well, Sir, you know my name but, I don’t know who you are.” John finished a little sheepishly.
The man bowed low to all of them. “Please forgive me. In my eagerness to educate you about our world I have forgotten my manners. My name is Mhotep. Myself and those you see before you are the High Coterie, the high council of the mystics. There are seven of us in all. Two of our members had to attend to other matters and were not able to be here with us tonight. The first seated here is Francis.” As Mhotep called his name Francis stood and took a bow. Both John and Annie stared hard but, neither could make out exactly what he looked like in the dim light.
Mhotep pointed to Alease. “As you have already heard this is Alease.” Alease gave a little nod of her head but, did not stand. Mhotep walked behind the last two figures.
He clapped a hand on the shoulder of the figure to his right. “This is Ricardo.” Ricardo stood and made a little curtsy pulling up the robe he was wearing and exposing some very hairy legs. Everyone in the room had a good laugh. Everyone, except Francis, who gave a sniff of disgust. Mhotep made a grand gesture with his hand pointing to the last figure. “This is Helena.” Helena stood and bowed very stiffly. “Hector and Evelyn are the two not present tonight.” Mhotep finished. He looked at John to see if he had anything more to ask. John remained silent.
“Well, now that we have that out of the way I have a history lecture to finish.” Mhotep gave a little chuckle to himself as if he had made a very funny joke. No one else laughed. Mhotep ignored this, cleared his throat, and continued. “Where was I? Oh’ yes I remember. The oldest, wisest and most powerful mystical beings came together. They deliberated for 300 nights and could not think of a way to defeat Gistramino.” Mhotep took a drink from his glass and cleared his throat again.
“On that three hundred and first night word came that Gistramino had discovered them and was coming to attack. All seemed lost … then fate stepped in and saved us all. Young Silvia, a simple servant girl, was passing out rations to those attending this secret conference. As she did so she sang a traditional nursery rhyme of her people. This song was, in fact an ancient prophecy. It talked of separating the world to keep good and evil balanced. Wendeor the oldest and wisest of those present heard her song and realized it’s meaning. He announced to all that he knew what must be done and explained that they had young Silvia to thank for showing them the way.” Mhotep stopped.
Annie was unexpectedly aware of a sound. She listened harder. It was music, someone singing. It was Alease. She was singing a song very quietly. Annie could not make out the words. Again, they seemed to be of another language. Annie thought it was the most beautiful song she had ever heard. She looked and saw that John was listening to it too. He had his head bent toward Alease to hear her better. Then the music trailed off and the song was finished. Mhotep then continued as if he had not heard the song and had stopped talking for no reason at all.
A Mystical Journey Page 9