Glasruhen Gate (10 page)

‘If it doesn’t work the first time we can try again. It’s not like the window in time. Now you’ve found it we can keep trying until it opens.’

‘Now if you don’t mind Jack, can you ask my Book of Shadows for the instructions to get this gateway open?’

Jack’s wand felt familiar in his hand now. He pointed it at Nora’s book and commanded: ‘Show me the instructions for opening Glasruhen Gate.’

The pages turned. Eventually they lay still and Jack read:

Instructions for opening a Portal into Annwn
To open up a Portal wide,
Into Annwn’s fair countryside,
The sacred Treasure must be sought,
Then before the Sentinels brought.

‘We’ve done all that,’ complained Camelin. ‘What’s next?’

‘It’s alright Jack, don’t take any notice of him. What else does it say?’

First put five branches in a row,
And say the ritual words you know.
Hold the Treasure from the shrine,
Then let the golden acorn shine.

Jack felt worried.

‘I don’t know any ritual words…’

‘I do,’ interrupted Nora. ‘All you have to do is will the gateway to appear, I’ll say the right words. Just keep concentrating and pointing your wand at the archway. We only want light, no sparks, is that clear?’

Jack sighed.

‘I’ll try my best.’

‘Now Elan, take the five branches and lay them in order, starting from the other side of the sentinels, oak, beech, willow, birch and lastly the pine.’

Elan laid the branches in between the two trees, making a green carpet on the bare forest floor. Nora passed Elan the acorn and she laid it in the centre of her open palm.

‘All is ready,’ announced Nora. ‘Let us begin.’

Jack pointed his wand and willed the gateway to appear with all his might. Nora whispered some words Jack didn’t understand and a soft golden light began to glow from Elan’s palm. The harder Jack concentrated the brighter the acorn grew. He tried to keep a steady light at the end of his wand, but his hands were trembling. Without warning it seemed to erupt and a blinding light forced Jack’s eyes to close. He blinked then opened them again. Before him rose a pair of tall green doors. They were covered in golden carvings, which gleamed as brightly as the acorn.

‘You did it!’ cried Camelin. ‘You did it!’

‘What a welcome sight,’ said Nora. ‘I’d begun to worry that we might not see Glasruhen Gate again.’

‘At last!’ sighed Elan. ‘Well done Jack, now there really is hope for us all.’

Jack couldn’t take his eyes off the doors, which filled the archway between the two Sentinel Oaks. He’d never seen anything like them before.

‘What happens now?’ he asked.

‘We go through into Annwn,’ replied Elan.

‘We won’t be long, we’ll be back in a flash so you can wait here for us and then we’ll get you back home before 10 o’clock,’ fussed Nora. ‘I think we’ll take your wand with us too Jack, just in case. We don’t want any accidents, you really shouldn’t use it unsupervised.’

Nora and Elan picked up the cauldron and stepped forward. As Nora passed Jack she paused and waited while he put his wand and her Book of Shadows inside the cauldron, next to Camelin’s wand.

‘Be good,’ she said as they stepped onto the first branch.

A low rumbling noise filled the forest. The two doors parted and a green glow shone through the crack. When they stepped onto the second branch the doorway opened wider, then it creaked loudly, and finally swung open completely. Nora and Elan stepped onto the beech branch then disappeared.

‘Where’d they go?’ asked Camelin.

‘They just vanished.’

Camelin hopped over to the first branch and peered into the greenness. Jack couldn’t move. He was still shaking.

‘What can you see?’

‘Nothing, come on, let’s go and have a look, just a quick peek, it won’t do any harm.’

Jack wasn’t happy.

‘We can’t, we promised.’

‘Now that’s where you’re wrong, we didn’t promise anything.’

‘Weren’t you listening? It said in the book that we can’t enter until Samhain. If we do we’re in trouble.’

‘I was listening but it didn’t say anything about ravens, did it?’

Jack shook his head and tried to protest, but Camelin continued.

‘Naw it didn’t. And we won’t have to walk over the branches we can fly through. What d’you say?’

‘Nora will be back soon. We’d better wait here as she asked us to. What would happen if she came back and found us gone?’

‘I want to go to the fair!’

‘So do I,’ piped a familiar voice.

‘And me too,’ said Charkle.

‘You followed us again,’ snapped Camelin.

‘Nobody said we couldn’t. You were supposed to come and tell us when you were going on another adventure,’ Timmery replied. ‘Don’t forget, we have secrets now.’

Camelin frowned at the little bats.

‘Maybe my family went into Annwn, through one of the other gateways before they got closed. I can’t rest until I’ve searched everywhere. I’d like to go and look for them.’

‘Come on Jack, we can say we were helping Charkle. You did promise him that when the cauldron was remade we’d help him.’

‘I did,’ agreed Jack. ‘But…’

‘No buts, let’s transform now. We can leave your clothes here; no one’s going to find them. Close your eyes everyone.’

Jack shook his feathers. He still wasn’t happy about going through Glasruhen Gate, even as a bird, but the green glow from the gateway did look inviting. And he too wanted to see the fair.

‘You promise we won’t be long, just a quick look. I told Orin I wouldn’t be late tonight.’

‘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.’