CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: Acrobatic aerial stunts.
West Haven’s town centre was a scene of wonderment. The people were emerging from there hiding places to a different world from the one they’d known all their lives. Amongst the ugly bodies of Orcs lying dead everywhere, stood the most wondrous beings they’d ever seen. With their pale angular faces, pointed ears and graceful movements they were distinctly unhuman. But the people couldn’t help being intrigued by them. The humans who had fought with them felt able to approach and talk with them and were impressed with their air of serenity and calm. The Sprites came out of their trees and the people stared at their wings in amazement, many of the Sprites enjoyed the attention. Connor especially relished being on show and did acrobatic aerial stunts above the largest crowd he could find, shimmering with delight.
In the Town Hall was gathered the Mayor, the head of police and other leaders of the community debating what to do. They were all still in shock by what had happened to their town, but knew that the people were relying on them. So far the head of police had been able to report that all the Orcs seemed to have been killed or have fled and so far there was no incidences of civil unrest as the people were still trying to make sense of what was happening. However this would not continue for long. The last vestiges of Adzaq’s magic had not diminished and the force field around West Haven was still in place, cutting off any communication with the outside world. A huge crowd was gathered outside the town hall eager for information and the Mayor had spoken to them asking for calm and reassuring everyone that they were doing their best to return the town to normal and that it would be soon. He went back inside hoping what he had said would bcome true. The group of community leaders looked at each other, hopelessly. What were they going to do? They were dealing with things they knew nothing about, that no town had had to deal with before.
“We need to speak to Taule,” the head of police stated. “He at least seemed to know what was going on.”
“But he’s one of them,” a councillor said.
“Have you any better ideas?”
A policeman entered the room.
“Excuse me sir,” he said addressing the head of police. “There’s an Elf downstairs wants to see you. He’s the one from the television.”
“Send him up.”
The policeman left the room and returned soon after leading Taule accompanied by two other Elves plus Branwell, Edrea, Jude and Ruby. The people in the room felt like a dignitary had just entered the room and they all stood up and stared in awe. Taule, his usual calm and serene self said. “Greetings to you, leaders of the people of West Haven. I am Taule.”
Pulling himself out of his inactivity due to his wonderment, the Mayor introduced himself and the other leaders and Taule then introduced the others accompanying him. Taule then told a silent audience what had happened since the broadcast, that the wizard Adzaq was defeated and that they were now safe from attack.
When Taule had finished speaking. The Mayor asked. “But what about the force field? Can you lower it to enable us to get back in touch with the rest of the outside?”
“We have been able to disenchant the man who informed the country of the nuclear explosion and get a message to the authorities outside informing them that they are safe. All the enchantments that Adzaq used to convince everyone that they were in danger of being poisoned have gone. The force field is the only part of his dark magic that has remained.”
“But can you get rid of it?” the Mayor asked.
“With Edrea’s help I can do this,” he replied. “But at the moment I am ensuring that it stays in place.”
“What. Why?” said the Mayor in a sharp voice.
“It has all been a trick, you are trying to overthrow us,” almost shouted the head of police.
“Not at all,” Taule said in the same calm voice. “The only people who know about our kind are within this force field and once it has gone, the knowledge will spread throughout the world quicker than I could look up at the stars. We do not want this.”
“You’re going to keep us prisoner here so we don’t tell anyone about you?” said the Mayor incredulously.
“No, of course not,” said Taule with a smile. “I will perform a spell that will make you forget about us.”
“You’re going to wipe our minds?”
“Nothing so drastic. It will just change your memories of this incident, you’re having trouble believing in us to begin with, it will be harmless and painless, and you won’t even remember it,” said Taule reassuringly.
“But why don’t you want to join us, why go back to being hidden, wouldn’t you rather be able to freely walk as you please amongst us?”
“It is best that we are hidden,” replied Taule. “We are old races and our ways are not your ways. There would be much curiosity about us, some well intentioned and some not. You have seen for yourselves what we can do, our skills and our magic. Can you honestly say that no one would come looking for us that would not want to exploit our gifts? They would be dangerous to all mankind in the wrong hands. We are better able to protect ourselves and our skills by keeping hidden.”
“You are right of course,” said the Mayor sadly. “We would not be able to stop you if we wanted. Would you not consider not changing everybody’s memories, but allowing some to keep theirs? You have a lot of wisdom, I would greatly appreciate your advice in troubling times for West Haven.”
“It cannot be so,” replied Taule. “We cannot risk the knowledge leaking out. But as you can see our friends are not exclusively Elf, Dwarf or Sprite, we have some contacts with the human world.” He indicated Branwell, Jude and Ruby.
He’s not mentioning that Branwell and Ruby aren’t completely human thou thought Jude. Does this mean that I won’t have my memories erased too? The thought of loosing everything he had seen, done and experienced over the last few days filled Jude with dread. He glanced at Ruby, he was sure he wouldn’t be able to forget her.
“When are you going to cast this spell?” asked the head of police.
“We will leave here and return to our hiding places, taking the Orc bodies with us to dispose of. When all evidence of our races has been removed, there we will perform the spell.”
“What will we remember?”
“You will remember that terrorists attacked your town and tried to blow up the nuclear power plant. This they failed to do due to the valiance of the inhabitants of West Haven who fought them off. Does that not seem a more plausible explanation of events than what actually happened?”
“Given the two options we’re going to believe the terrorist one aren’t we?”
“I hope so. I would like to thank your people for fighting alongside mine and my regret for any loses or injuries that they sustained.”
“It is more our place to thank you. You have saved this town and this country from a grim fate.”
Taule put his hand on his chest and bowed to the Mayor and the other leaders and left the room, his followers behind him.
They returned to Aldea with all the Elves, Sprites and Dwarves. When all evidence of there existence had been removed from the town. Taule, Edrea and two more of the Elves performed the spell to change the people of West Haven’s memories and remove the force field. The four Elves stood to the north, south, east and west and stretched out their arms so their hands touched forming a square. Balls of white light formed where their hands met and Taule began the incantation for the spell. Jude noticed that the light coming from Edrea was no longer green but white. The air hummed with their magic and then the white light spread out in a circle outwards away from them to meet the green force field around the town. When the white bubble met the green, both vanished and the sunlight came streaming down on them. The Sprites flew about in the sunshine giggling. The Elves and Dwarves smiled to see their antics relieved that the last vestige of the wizard Adzaq had been defeated.
The sun was soon setting in a blaze of reds and oranges streaking the sky. The Elves, Sprites, Dwarves with the
ir other guests sat down to a joyful Elven feast to celebrate their victory.
Branwell, sat slightly apart from the others with Edrea, saw her looking towards where Jude was sat very close to Ruby. They were smiling into each other’s eyes and they appeared to be holding hands under the table. Edrea had a small smile on her face as she watched him talking to Ruby.
“Are you going to tell him?” he asked.
“No,” she replied quietly. “He has his own life to lead, he doesn’t need an evil grandmother.”
“Someone told me that grandmothers are like angels, they watch over you.”
“I would like to keep an eye out for him,” she said with a smile.” But I have a feeling he’ll doesn’t need it. My son would be proud of him. I’m proud of him.”
“Are you still so sure you’re evil?”
“I think you were right,” she said turning to him. “I’m not evil, but I have done evil things.”
“But good things today.”
“No amount of good deeds will erase the evil done. Elves have long memories. Aldea could never truly be my home.”
“Then will you come away with me?”
“Are you sure you still wish to live in a pine forest with me?”
“I am.”
“Pine forests have huge spiders,” she said with a half smile and raised eyebrow.
“I’m sure you’ll protect me from them,” he said with a returning smile.
They held each other’s eyes. He thought she looked happy.
Jude returned home the next day, slightly uncertain of what his Mum would say to him, had the spell worked on her too. He walked through the door. She engulfed him in a hug.
“Oh Jude, I’m so glad you’re home, you wouldn’t believe what has happened. Terrorists, trying to blow up the power plant, attacked the town, while I was at work too, luckily the alarm went off and we all had to hide in the bunkers, so I never saw anything. I was so glad you were away on your camping trip and safe. Did you have a good time by the way?”
“I had a great time, Mum. It really helped clear my head. I’m really sorry about what happened earlier, you know the whole monsters thing. It was just my over active imagination in dim light. I’m really sorry I worried you, it won’t happen again.”
“That’s all right Jude,” said his mum with a genuine smile. “You’re a teenager, they’d be something wrong with you if you didn’t worry me.”
She gave him another hug. Then noticed the amulet around his neck, she picked it up and looked at it closely her brows knitted.
“Where did you find that?” she asked earnestly.
“I don’t remember,” Jude replied feeling slightly nervous. “I probably picked it up somewhere.”
“Oh,” Ella said quietly with a shrug. “Your father had one exactly the same.”
She turned around and put the kettle on and so didn’t see the shocked expression on Jude’s face.
EPILOGUE
A doctor was doing the rounds of his patients, he was new to Ravenscar, it was a large Institute and he was enjoying the challenge. He came to room 13, he had been slightly incredulous when he’d been told that the former Ravenscar director was resident here. He opened the door; they still had to keep Doctor Anderson in a strait jacket.
“How are we today Doctor Anderson?” he asked.
“You’ve got to let me out, they’re after me. You don’t know what’s out there. Dragons and Elves and Dwarves, they want to kill me.”
“Jolly good. Same as usual today then,” he moved on to his next patient.
Doctor Anderson was a warning to all who worked with the mentally ill.
THE END
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