Once he had shuffled away, Perry clapped his hands.
“Shall we be off, then?”
Much later that evening all the keep’s children were gathered around the tables, eating their evening meal. Besides the orphans, in attendance were their headmistresses, the schoolmasters, and Dr. Lineberry, who was looking rather astonished at all the healthy, vibrant children who’d been so ill just hours before.
Ian was particularly grateful that Jaaved’s health had been restored. Beaming at his friends from the other side of the table, the Moroccan boy appeared as healthy as he ever had.
The only one who seemed fatigued was Eva. She sat shyly at her place of honor at the head of the main table. Dr. Lineberry was seated to her right and was asking her all sorts of questions until Madam Dimbleby sniffed, “My good Dr. Lineberry, please allow the poor girl to eat something, won’t you? She’s exhausted herself this afternoon, giving so much attention to all our sickly residents.”
Dr. Lineberry blushed, nodded, and patted Eva’s hand. “Of course, of course,” he said to her. “But tomorrow I should very much like you to come with me on my rounds, young lady. I have a few patients within the village who would surely benefit from your particular touch.”
Ian looked at Eva closely. He could see she felt uncomfortable with the idea. And luckily, Madam Scargill didn’t seem to approve either. “Now, now,” she said, then tsked as usual. “There will be none of that, Doctor.”
“None of what?” he asked innocently.
Madam Dimbleby explained for her cousin. “What Gertrude means, Alfred, is that if we send Eva outside of this keep to cure all the world’s ills, we’d hardly be able to get her back. No, I think it best that Eva remain our little secret for now, especially in light of all the trouble the children have had these past few weeks. We don’t want to invite any unwelcome guests to Delphi Keep, now do we? We have a duty to protect our special children, after all.” Madam Dimbleby eyed Theo, Eva, and Jaaved meaningfully and the doctor seemed to understand.
With a sigh he said, “Very well, Maggie, I see your point. And to that end, I propose that we leave the quarantine sign up over the door for now—lest anyone in Dover wonder why the children weren’t confined for the full thirty days.”
There was a collective groan at the table, and the doctor held up his hands to quiet them. “I think it best if you stay on the keep’s grounds, but I won’t confine you all to the indoors if you promise not to breathe a word of this to anyone outside the orphanage.”
Thirty-odd heads nodded in agreement and the doctor lifted his water glass and toasted his decision.
Later, when most of the younger children had been put to bed and Dr. Lineberry had seen himself out, the schoolmasters sat with Ian, Carl, and Theo in the parlor and talked at length about the dramatic events that had unfolded through the portal.
“So you say that Germany will invade Poland at any moment?” Thatcher asked.
Ian nodded. “Yes, sir. We overheard the Germans talking about meeting up with the main force in Warsaw.”
“This is very bad, Perry,” Thatcher said. “Very bad indeed.”
“I’ve sent a telegram to the earl,” Perry told him.
“Is the earl well?” Ian asked. They’d heard nothing of the earl’s health, other than he’d been confined by quarantine to his own flat in London.
Perry smiled. “He’s quite well, lad,” he said. “Carrying on his business as usual by telephone, letter, and telegram. Why, with this latest news I should expect he’ll attempt to alert his friends in Parliament, but for now, I’m afraid there’s little we can do.”
Thatcher frowned into the cup of tea he was holding. “There is one missing piece to this adventure that has yet to be rectified,” he said softly.
“What’s that, sir?” Ian asked.
Thatcher looked up at him. “You brought the Healer back but not another silver box, lad.”
Ian’s eyes widened. He’d had no time even to consider searching for another box, but they all knew there was one for each Oracle they needed to gather. “Oh, no,” Ian said, and looked round at Theo and Carl as it sank in that perhaps they’d failed in their mission after all. Without the next box in the sequence, there was no way to know how to find the next Oracle.
But Carl said, “There’s still a bit of the prophecy we haven’t encountered yet, Ian. Perhaps there’s a clue or two there.”
“‘Search for box within the mist,’” recited Theo. “‘Past comes forward with a twist.’”
“What mist?” Ian asked no one in particular. And then he remembered what the crone had said to him in the little tree house before sacrificing herself. “The crone,” he told them. “She told me that it was important to our quest that the Guardian enter the fog and discover the answers there.”
“But what fog?” Perry asked.
Ian was still recalling the crone’s words to him. He closed his eyes to concentrate. “She said that the Guardian and the One must both eventually seek the wisdom of the mist, a place called Ynys Môn. The crone told me that the Guardian should look for the answers first, and that whatever questions I might wish to ask would be the right ones in the end.”
“What questions was she referring to?” Thatcher wondered.
Ian opened his eyes and shrugged. “Perhaps I should ask it where the next box is hidden.”
“What did you say was the name of the place she told you to go, again?” Thatcher asked.
“A place called Ynys Môn—at least, that’s what I believe she called it.”
“Do you think she and Laodamia were referring to the same place?” Perry said.
“Absolutely,” Theo confirmed, her eyes staring far away. “Especially since the crone mentioned the One and the Guardian specifically. She must have meant for Ian or me to go to this place to discover the location of the next box.”
Carl scratched his head. “But where is this place? I mean, I’ve never heard of Ynys Môn. Have you?” he asked the schoolmasters.
Perry and Thatcher exchanged a look. “No,” they said in unison. “But perhaps Professor Nutley has,” Perry added.
“How are we to ask him?” Theo wondered. “Dr. Lineberry may excuse your visit to us here at the keep, but I quite doubt he’ll allow you all a trip to London.”
“Leave it to us,” said Perry, getting up from the sofa and waving for his brother to follow. “Come along, Thatcher. It’s late and we mustn’t keep these three up any longer than necessary.”
Thatcher got stiffly to his feet, his limp slight but still evident. “Yes,” he agreed. “Leave it to us. We’ll bring the professor here soon enough.”
* * *
But as it turned out, it was a full three weeks later before the professor was able to pay them a visit. As Theo had predicted, Dr. Lineberry was insistent on seeing that the rules for the quarantine remained intact so that no one from the village would suspect that it had been lifted early.
In the meantime, word managed to make its way to the keep that Germany had in fact invaded Poland, which had surrendered almost immediately. On hearing the news, Eva was all but inconsolable and spent many hours in her room crying on her bed.
Only Carl could comfort her, and Ian had to admit, grudgingly, that his friend definitely had a way with the ladies.
Two days after word arrived that Poland had fallen to the Germans came the terrible news that Great Britain and France were declaring war on Germany. Thatcher and Perry delivered this headline to the keep, and for the rest of the week, a sense of great fear and anxiousness permeated the orphanage. Ian noticed that even Madam Dimbleby, who was almost always chipper and optimistic, was much more pensive and subdued.
Theo spent much of her time up in the tower, staring at the churning waters of the channel, lost deep in thought. And try as he might, Ian wasn’t able to pull her away even for a short period to play a game of cards.
A day after they found themselves at war, a telegram arrived from the earl. He’d been n
otified of their venture through the portal, and while he was clearly displeased, he realized that without the Healer, many of his children might have been lost to the virus.
He also indicated that Major Fitzgerald had notified him that a call to war meant the major would likely be deployed overseas. Still, Fitzgerald intended to have Theo stay with his sister until his return, and although her leaving the keep might be delayed a week or two while he sorted through his plans, he was still insisting that she leave Dover to join his family in Debbonshire.
This sent Theo into an unresponsive and weepy state, and Ian found himself staring at the ceiling of his bedroom long into the night, sorting through any possible way to hold on to his adopted sister.
He knew that their former plans to escape to Amsterdam were permanently lost; several German U-boats had been spotted in the channel and Dover was on high alert for German invaders. With the entire village scrutinizing every person who came to and went from the port, Ian was convinced they’d never make it to France without being questioned and directly reported.
He thought about writing a letter to the major and begging him to change his mind, or at least allow Ian to come along, but when he suggested such things to Theo, she simply regarded him sadly and said, “It’s no use, Ian. He’ll never change his mind.”
All these events caused Ian great worry until Dr. Lineberry arrived and took down the quarantine sign, announcing that the keep’s residents were now free to come and go as they pleased.
No sooner had the good doctor left than a familiar motorcar came rumbling down the drive. “The earl is here!” cried Carl, who’d been standing across from Ian as the boys kicked a football back and forth.
Ian swiveled happily to spy the earl’s prized yellow Packard pulling to a stop near the front steps. Theo appeared in the doorway just as the earl got out of the car, and to Ian’s surprise and delight, Professor Nutley and the schoolmasters also stepped out onto the drive. “Hello, children!” boomed the earl to a gathering crowd of excited young orphans. “I’m so very glad to find you all looking so robust and healthy!”
The earl then seemed to catch sight of Eva, who was standing shyly on the steps next to Vanessa, as the two girls had ironically formed a fast friendship. “And this must be our newest addition, Eva, is it?”
The girl fiddled with the pouch about her neck containing a small piece of the Star of Lixus. “Yes, my lord,” she said with a curtsy. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
The earl approached her and took her hand fondly. “Thank you for the gift of your presence, young miss. I’m delighted to see you here, and am very grateful to you for saving my children, Master Goodwyn, and Madam Scargill.”
Eva blushed down to her toes and curtsied again.
Next to her, Vanessa also flushed, and Ian could tell she felt a great deal of shame for having been identified as the source of the outbreak. Their kindly patriarch was not one to miss such things and he next took Vanessa’s hand and said, “Not to worry, my dear. None of this was your fault. You meant no harm, after all.”
Vanessa attempted a smile before she curtsied too and thanked the earl.
“Might we have a word with Theo and Ian?” the professor asked, looking impatiently from just behind the earl.
“Can I come along?” Carl asked.
“Of course,” said the earl, who waved Ian, Theo, and Carl forward. “Let’s have a word in the headmistresses’ study, shall we?”
One by one, they filed into the study and took their seats. Ian hardly had time to wonder what this was all about, as the professor got right to the point. “Masters Goodwyn have informed me of everything that happened on the other side of the portal. And I was most intrigued to hear that the crone instructed you to venture to Ynys Môn.”
Ian nodded. “Yes, but we don’t know where or even what that is, Professor.”
The professor leaned forward, looking thoroughly excited. “Why, lad,” he said softly, “I’m sure you’ve heard of this place before. Ynys Môn is the old Welsh name for Avalon.”
Ian’s eyes widened. Carl said, “You mean, King Arthur’s Avalon?”
The professor nodded and grinned. “That is exactly what I mean.”
“So when Laodamia was referring to the mist, she really meant the Mists of Avalon?” Perry asked.
“I believe so,” said the professor. He stood up then and began to pace back and forth. “Ynys Môn is the old Welsh name for the Isle of Anglesey, located just off the western coast of Wales. I’m quite familiar with it, because it is practically covered with standing stones and Druid ruins. And one additional detail that is worth noting here is that Anglesey’s northernmost point is particularly boggy, filled with marshes and swamps. It’s hardly habitable.”
Theo sucked in a breath. “Laodamia’s prophecy!” she exclaimed, looking pointedly at Ian.
He knew exactly which section she was referring to, and recited from memory, “‘Leave more questions to the fog, lest you sink within the bog.’”
“So, Professor, you believe the next box can be found somewhere on this Isle of Anglesey?” asked the earl.
The professor’s eyes twinkled. “I do indeed, my lord,” he said. “And according to the crone, it is up to Ian—our heroic Guardian—to enter the mist and seek the location of the box. Legend has it that the mists are bound to answer any question a traveler might ask, in fact, so if there is time, lad, ask anything else your heart desires.”
Ian immediately thought of the two questions he’d always longed an answer to: who were his parents and where could he find them?
Theo interrupted his thoughts, however, when she asked, “You said if there is time, Professor. Do you mean Ian can stay as long as there is fog?”
The professor shook his head. “No, lass,” he said. “The legend is very strict on this: a traveler may enter the mist to gain its wisdom, but absolutely no one is allowed to stay past the bells.”
“Bells?” inquired the earl. “What sort of bells?”
The professor tugged at one bushy eyebrow. “According to legend, the mists will signal when they are ready to receive a visitor by ringing a bell. Once the visitor has stepped forward into the fog, a second bell will sound when the mist is ready to receive the visitor’s inquiries. A third bell will sound when it is time for the visitor to leave.”
“What happens if you don’t leave after the third bell?” Carl asked.
The professor sighed. “No one really knows,” he confessed. “And this might be because no one who has ever stayed past the third bell was ever seen again.”
Ian gulped. “As long as I obey the rules, I’ll return unharmed, is that it?”
“Yes,” said the professor with confidence. “And because it appears we are not yet finished with Laodamia’s second prophecy, I say we travel to Wales and discover what this mist has to share.”
In the silence that followed, Ian felt butterflies fluttering about in his stomach. Until the year before, he’d spent his whole life trying very hard not to think about his parents, because if he thought about them, he would have to conclude that he was unwanted or that they had both died. Either thought always left him feeling sad.
But that was nothing compared with how he’d felt a year earlier when the earl had told him that on the other side of the portal, a gardener had discovered Ian’s mother clutching her newborn child and that, for reasons unknown to anyone, his mother had insisted the gardener take Ian before she had disappeared behind the wall, shutting out any further knowledge of her forever.
Ian had been crushed by the revelation that he now knew all he would ever know about her. It was as if all hope of discovering who he really was and where he had come from was forever lost to him.
For months he’d looked for the gardener, who, upon arriving at the earl’s home with a newborn babe and an improbable story, had been summarily dismissed. But Ian had found no record of the man after he’d left the earl’s employ. The gardener was as lost to Ian as his own mother.
Yet as Ian now stared at the earl, his schoolmasters, the professor, Theo, and Carl, hope bloomed wide within his chest, and he knew he would stop at nothing to gain the answers the mist might provide him. “When do we leave?” he asked.
The professor smiled broadly but left it to the earl to answer. “Tomorrow,” the earl announced. “We shall leave tomorrow.”
THE MIST
The seven members of the traveling party stood silently in the marshy fields at the bottom of a hill in the early morning hours. Dawn had barely broken on the Isle of Anglesey, and the landscape was shrouded in a fog so thick Ian couldn’t even make out his own feet. It was as if the whole world were floating on a fluffy white blanket.
Beside him Carl yawned and rubbed his eyes. “I would’ve liked another hour in bed,” he grumbled.
“You were welcome to stay there,” Ian reminded him.
“What?” Carl said. “And miss all the fun? I don’t bloomin’ think so.”
“Shhh!” Theo scolded. “We’re supposed to be listening for the bells!”
Carl regarded her moodily. “We’ve been standing here for half an hour, Theo, and we haven’t heard them yet.”
Theo frowned. “We need to be patient,” she insisted.
But Ian was beginning to have his doubts. He wondered if perhaps they’d chosen the wrong location.
When they’d arrived on the island, Professor Nutley had inquired with several local residents about the mists. Some had scoffed at him and told him not to bother with fairy stories. But a few had suggested that they fully believed in their magical isle, and that the mists could be found in one of four locations.
They had left it up to Theo to decide which one to visit and she had selected a particularly swampy section near a graveyard that had giant megaliths dotting the hillsides just behind it.
Ian quite approved of her choice, and that morning he’d been brimming with anticipation and confidence, but the longer they stood about waiting for something to happen, the more crestfallen he became. “What if they don’t sound?” he whispered to Theo. “What if the bells never call me forward?”