“Try and eat something,” Elder urged, propping up her pillows.
“I feel like I haven’t eaten for a week.” She nibbled on a piece of bread and sipped her juice. “What happened to my arm?” She stared at the bandages wrapped tight around the wound.
“What is the last thing you can remember?”
She thought for a while, frowning. “I can’t remember anything.”
He held her hand and kissed it. “I owe you my life, Charlotte. Do you not remember saving my life?” He gazed deep into her eyes.
“I can remember coming here, and I can remember having a bath …” She struggled to recall the events. “We had loads to eat ... I remember this bedroom. Then we went to talk to Goffer, but that’s it.”
“You were taken by Dagan. Do you remember the explosion? When everyone came to their senses, we discovered you missing.”
Charlotte lifted her hand to touch the injury on his forehead. “Is that how you did that?”
“No, Dagan was responsible for that—when he hit me,” he replied, raising his eyebrows. “He took you to the dungeons. When I found you, he insisted that I fetch Goffer before he released you. I could not leave you alone with him. I refused. To my surprise, you attacked him. When he turned, I took my chance, but he hit me before I had time to react. That’s how I got this.” He pointed to his head.
“I remember! But, that’s impossible—it can’t be ...” She trailed off and gazed at her arm in disbelief. That was all just a nightmare? It didn’t really happen?
“You destroyed him, Charlotte. You must remember. With magic! I saw it with my own eyes.”
“But that was just a bad dream, wasn’t it ... Elderfield?” A rush of confusion and fear turned her stomach. “That couldn’t have really happened?” She stared at her arm. Tears rolled down her cheeks. “He stabbed me.” She began to sob, unable to stop herself. “I thought he was going to kill you, Elderfield. I didn’t know what else to do.”
He threw his arms around her, holding her close. “It is over now.”
The moment lingered. She listened to his rasped breathing, and enjoyed his warmth. She didn’t want him to let go.
Drew came back into the bedroom, followed by Middleton, who carried a tray with two mugs and some fresh baked pastries.
Elder pulled away and wiped his eyes on his sleeve.
Drew tended the fire, took a quick look at Charlotte from a distance, then left.
“Charlotte!” Middleton stood grinning for a moment, before placing the tray beside the bed. He gave her a hug.
“Mind my arm,” she said, putting her good arm around him.
He brushed her cheek, wiping away her tears with his sleeve, and sat on the edge of the covers. “How are you feeling?”
“Don’t ask.” She scrunched up her face, giving him her most serious look.
He smiled. “Sounds like you are definitely on the mend.”
“My arm really hurts, though.”
Elder leaned over, holding something in the palm of his hand. “Try some of this. Drew said it would help with the pain.”
She examined the contents in the clay bowl. “It looks disgusting!” she declared. “And it smells even worse than it looks. I’m not eating that. Haven’t you got any tablets or something?” She winced and turned away, wrinkling her nose.
Middleton laughed. “Stop being a baby.” He picked up a scone from the bowl of pastries and scooped out the jam with a spoon. He mixed in some of the repulsive smelling paste and handed it back to her.
“Do I have to?” She crossed her arms and stuck out her lower lip.
“Come on, you will not even taste it. Open wide.”
“You sound like my mum.” She opened her mouth anyway. She ate it, screwing up her face and waving her hand in front of her mouth.
Elder offered her the mug of warm milk and she drank most of it down in one go. She paused to take a breath, then finished the rest. She wiped her mouth on the bed covers before giving Middleton a dirty look. “That was horrible!”
They both laughed.
Charlotte was not amused. “I would like to see you eat some of that ... that bog slime.”
She sat upright in the bed, her eyes widening. “The dome! What happened to my dome? He had it. I remember now, he showed it to me. I told him to give it back to me, but he wouldn’t.”
Elder smirked. “Stop worrying. Your dome is safe and sound. Goffer found it still intact by the remains of the druid.”
“That means I can go home now, doesn’t it?” She bit her lip. “Can I? Can I really go home?”
He patted her hand. “Yes, of course, you can really go home.”
Charlotte snuggled down under the bed covers. She found herself growing sleepy as the medicine started to take effect. The pain began to subside, and she relaxed, knowing things were finally going right for once. As she thought of home, the voices in the room faded to a distant mumble. She drifted into a comfortable sleep.
For the next two days, Charlotte spent her time eating, sleeping and watching the view from her room high up in the mountains. The people below reminded her of ants during the day. Tiny black specks scurried around through the maze of streets, rushing from one place to another. During the night, the whole place looked no different than her own town. Pinpoints of flickering lights through mottled windows spread around the base of the fortress.
She had plenty of visitors to keep her amused while her strength and appetite returned. Goffer introduced her to a young, elven girl called Summer, who had become orphaned by Dagan’s assault on the Stronghold. Her father, a warrior, lost his life at the hands of the Druid himself. Her mother died in the explosion. Charlotte and Summer became great friends, spending many hours playing games and talking about the differences between their worlds.
Charlotte sat on the edge of the four-poster bed frowning at Summer as she struggled to explain something as simple as electricity without making it sound like some sort of magic.
“It’s a kind of power.” She bit her bottom lip. “It comes to your house in these long, metal things called wires.” She hadn’t realized just how hard it was to actually describe what electricity was.
Summer wasn’t much help as she just sat staring at Charlotte with an expectant gaze.
Charlotte tried again. “When it gets to your house, you can use it to make things work … Electric things, like a hair dryer.” She soon realized Summer still had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. “It’s really hard to explain.” She pointed to a candle sat in the hearth of the great stone fireplace. “When it’s dark, you have to light a candle, right? But in my house, we just turn the light on with a switch.”
Summer continued to stare, wide-eyed, her petite elven features overemphasising her amazement. “What’s a switch?”
Charlotte put her hands over her face and shook her head. “A switch … It’s like a button.”
Summer gave a cheerful grin. “I know what a button is,” she said, pointing at the large button that fastened her dark-green forest cloak.
Charlotte threw her head back with laughter. “Yeah, it’s like one of those. When you push it, the light goes on.” She leaned over and pressed the shiny brass button on Summer’s cloak. “Just like that.” She was grinning wildly at the look on Summer’s face.
“That is amazing!”
“If you think that’s amazing, you should see a telly. You’d probably freak out watching T.V.” Just the thought of Summer’s reaction brought an eruption of laughter. She rolled around on the bed chuckling until she hurt her arm again.
Summer laughed along with her, but still looked a little confused.
There was a loud knock on the door. “Come in!” they both called out together, sending them back into fits of giggles.
Goffer peered around the door. “Hello,” he said, a cheerful smile lighting his aging face. “How are you feeling, Charlotte?”
“I'm okay. My arm’s still a bit dodgy, though.” She presented him her ba
ndage. “Have you come to bring us some lunch?”
“No, I have not brought you anything to eat, but I have brought you something. I think you will be pleased.”
“Is it a present?” She bounced on the bed with excitement.
“No, it is not a present.” He laughed, and took a couple of steps backwards, beckoning someone to enter.
Charlotte stared at the door, half-expecting to see her mum and dad to come walking through, but when she saw who it was, she was equally surprised.
“I hope you have not been causing these nice people too much trouble,” came Swallow’s distinctive voice. “I know Charlotte can be a bit of a handful sometimes,” she teased, giving Goffer a wink.
“Swallow!” Charlotte sprang out of bed and rushed over to throw her arms around the stout woman. “What are you doing here?” She took a step back and stared at her jolly face. Her heart leaped with overwhelming joy and her watery eyes blurred.
“Goffer arranged for me to come so I could see you, of course, silly.” She brushed the dangling hair from Charlotte’s face, tucking it behind her ears. She cradled her swollen arm in her hand. “I leave you alone with those two and look what happens.”
“I got stabbed!” she announced, almost with pride. “Can you believe it? He stabbed me in my arm!”
Swallow sniggered. “The story I heard was you stabbed him first.” She raised her eyebrows. “What were you doing with a knife anyway? I bet Middleton gave it to you!”
She put her head down. “Yeah, I did stab him, but it was a good job I did, he was going to kill us. He attacked Elderfield with a big club thing with spikes on it. There was this massive explosion and the whole room filled with this bright light. I don't really remember much after that.”
Swallow cocked her head and gave a proud smile. “I think you are a very brave girl. From what I heard, you saved my Elder. As far as I am concerned, you are one of my family now.” She bent down and kissed Charlotte on the cheek.
The unexpected arrival of Elderfield and Middleton sent Charlotte into a flurry of excitement. She hijacked Drew as the dwarf brought her a tray of food, and insisted they had a party. Laughter rang out all afternoon with everyone eating, drinking, and playing games. Charlotte jumped on Elderfield in play fighting, most of which was a little one sided with her complaining he was being too rough with her bad arm each time he fought back. Soon, afternoon turned into evening without anybody noticing.
While Middleton and Drew battled to tell the most exciting stories about their many adventures, Goffer led Charlotte into the quiet of Middleton's adjoining room without attracting the attention of any of the guests. He walked to the huge, open fireplace and sat on one of the wooden stools, beckoning her to join him. “I have been meaning to speak with you alone, but this is the first time I have had the chance this evening.” He patted the seat beside him.
Charlotte hesitated. She had no idea what he wanted from her, and watched him as he reached inside his cloak. She felt a flutter of butterflies in her stomach.
He placed the Gateway in her small hand. “I gave this to you once before, and now I want to return it to you.” He paused, watching her closely. “This is rightfully yours and what you do with it is up to you. I must tell you though, Charlotte, one day our people may need your help.” His face turned dark. “As hard as it is for you to believe, you are the Truth Teller. In our realm, you have great powers.”
She was bemused and a little frightened by what he was saying. The worry must have shown in her face.
“Please forgive me for this burden I place upon you, sweet child.” His tone turned solemn. “You can return to your family whenever you choose, but keep the Gateway safe. If the light begins to fail, we are losing our fight against Siren, and our realm is in grave danger.”
She gazed at the delicate, crystal orb resting in her palm. “I still don’t know how to use it.”
The old man smiled and put his arm around her shoulder. “That is easy. You simply use it the same way you did when you came to our realm.” He took her by the arm and guided her back to the other room. “We had better get back before they notice us missing.”
She slipped the Gateway into her tunic pocket and soon forgot about it as the fun and laughter continued into the early hours of the following morning.
One by one, the guests retired to their rooms. Elder fell asleep on the makeshift bed and Middleton said good night and disappeared into his adjoining room.
Swallow was the last to leave. “Before I go to bed, I have something to show you. I forgot to pack them before you left the farm.” She dashed into the other bedroom.
Charlotte sat on the edge of the bed. Clenching her hands between her knees, she wondered what it could be.
Swallow returned, hiding something behind her back. “Can you guess what it is?” she asked with a wide grin. “Have you noticed anything missing?”
“No!” Charlotte frowned. “Come on then, what is it?”
Swallow held out her hands, revealing her favourite pink pajamas.
“My ‘jamas!” She clapped her hands with delight.
“I washed and dried them, but I forgot to pack them before you left.”
She gave Swallow a hug and put them on straight away. She climbed into bed and made herself comfortable. It had been a fantastic day. Everything was just perfect.
Swallow brushed off all the crumbs scattered over the covers. “I will see you in the morning,” she whispered, kissing her goodnight. “If you want anything, just call me.” She took a quick peek at her son then left the room, giving a wave as she went.
“Night, Swallow!” Charlotte called after her. She watched her until the door closed.
The fire crackled at random intervals. The gentle sound brought her comfort, lulling her, inducing a wave of tiredness. Her arm started to ache again. She rolled on to her side, glancing at Elderfield in the flickering candlelight. In the distance, despite the late hour, she could hear the muffled din of horses’ hooves. She started to drift off, but something nagged at the back of her mind. She stirred, restless and irritable. A thought came to her in a sudden rush. She snapped open her eyes. Her dome!
Sitting up, she reached for her tunic to feel through the pockets. She took out the Gateway and held it out in front of her. The room shimmered with an eerie glow.
She focused on the spinning globe inside, determined to figure out a way of using the thing. It couldn’t be that hard. She had done it before without even realising it.
The hypnotic movement blurred her thoughts. The room began to swirl in a haze on the edge of her vision. She could not look away. It held her concentration like a magnet. Nothing else mattered. It grew in intensity until the momentum overwhelmed her, churning her stomach. A strange falling sensation took her breath in a sudden rush. She closed her eyes and gripped the bed covers. The room fell still. She could no longer hear the crackle of the fire, or the shuffling of horses in the distance. She lay motionless for some minutes before opening her eyes. Flowery wallpaper stared her in the face.
She was back in the holiday caravan.
Chapter Fourteen
The Beginning
Charlotte lay still, staring at the glow of the night-light plugged into the socket on the opposite wall. Gusts of wind rocked the caravan in a slow, gentle movement. Clutching her covers against her chin, she glanced around her room. It looked exactly as she left it, including all her teddies lined up in a row, ready to pack away for their journey home. But I’ve been away for weeks! Terror swept over her. She had longed for this moment for so long, but now she lay frozen in fear.
“Mum!” she yelled. “Mum!”
At first, the silence added to her anguish. Then the sound of thumping footsteps flew through the caravan. The door burst open. She almost screamed, pulling her covers tighter.
“What on earth’s the matter?” her mum demanded.
Charlotte jumped out of bed, throwing her arms around her in a flood of tears.
Her mu
m sat her on the edge of the bed and hugged her. “You frightened the life out of me. Have you had a bad dream?”
“No, it wasn’t a dream—it was real! I went to this place and I was there for ages.” She sobbed. “We got attacked by this massive thing and we went to a castle in a mountain and ...” She trailed off, realising how stupid she sounded.
“Well, you’re safe now.” Her mum rubbed her back.
Charlotte paused, frantically trying to gather her thoughts. She noticed her dome lying on top of the bed and remembered what Dagan had done to her. “Look at this then!” She rolled up her sleeve, holding out her arm. There was nothing there. She prodded where the wound had been with her fingers, expecting it to hurt, but the injury had completely vanished.
“Come on now, it was only a dream.” Her mum rocked her gently. “Why don’t you get back into bed?”
Charlotte wept even harder. She clung to her mum, trembling. “Can I get in with you, please?” she begged. “I don’t want to be in here on my own. Please, Mum? Please?”
She sighed. “Have you seen the size of my caravan bed?”
“I’ll sleep on the floor, I don’t mind. I don’t want to be on my own. Please? Don’t say no.”
“Well, if it means I can go back to bed.” She stood up and yawned. “Just make sure you don’t wake your dad. You know what he’s like.” She rolled her eyes and made her way back to her bedroom.
Charlotte picked up her dome and hid it under her pillow before following. On the way past Beth’s room, she popped her head in to check on her sister. Beth lay surrounded by all her teddies just as she remembered her. Satisfied, she crept into her parent’s room, where her mum stood waiting.
“Come on,” her mum prompted, lifting the covers for her to get in. She waited for Charlotte to settle and climbed in next to her.
Charlotte snuggled up. “Sorry, Mum!” she whispered.
She gave her a kiss. “That’s okay, you pudding head.” Holding Charlotte’s hand, her mum soon fell back to sleep.
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