CHAPTER 12
Moments later he found himself standing outside the main gates of the cottage. It was evening, the dark snow clouds were still there from the morning making the night even darker. The oak trees looked like giant shadows against the night sky but at least it had stopped snowing and none had settled on the ground, he asked the Gate Men if he could enter, the gates opened and he thanked them.
He had only taken a few steps inside and the gates were almost closed when two great booming voices called out.
“Stop Gwarcheidial, do not turn around, walk backwards and out of the gates!” He did as he was asked and was looking with his mind’s eye all around himself. The gates closed quickly. “Look on the back of your cloak!” Obeying he pulled his cloak around and saw what looked like half lizard and half-ugly toad hanging off it, he touched the thing with his staff. It leapt of screaming and howling with smoke pouring from it. Round and round in circles it went trailing smoke until finally it disappeared. Wizzo looked up at the Gate Men.
“Was that an entity? Or am I mistaken?”
“It was indeed an entity Gwarcheidial, with great power. It tried and almost succeeded in its refusal to go back to its own world.”
“I wonder who sent it on such a foolish errand, or could it have attached itself to me when I was dealing with the old Witch in the highlands, if it did she was more powerful than I thought gate men.”
“We did not sense its presents here before you arrived, then again it might have been hiding in the long grass a short distance away. We think that it’s not possible for you to have carried it otherwise you would have detected it yourself, because we are unable to see through your cloak we were unable to see it or sense it. Might we suggest, with all respect that in future you turn around so that we can make sure that nothing has attached itself to you.”
“I will do as you ask Gate men, but there’s something I still don’t understand, how did the thing attach itself to me in the first place! As I understood it nothing can fasten itself to my cloak, and by what means did it achieve such a thing?” the Gate Men answered him.
“It would seem that whoever sent it first coated its feet with gold so that your cloak would not reject it; it’s not possible for a witch to achieve such a thing, only a sorcerer would have the means and the knowledge to accomplish that. The entity would have had to have been under his complete control for as you well know entities are full of mischief and are normally uncontrollable with no mind of their own at all so normally cause no harm to anyone. A sorcerer must have found a way to gain entry into the mindless thing. It’s written in the great book as to the doing of such things. It was not known to us that there was at least one sorcerer that had the knowing of it, therefore must have in his possession one of the ancient books that tells of such things. It would be a wise to find it Gwarcheidial and either destroy it or add it to the great library. It must not be allowed to be used by those that seek to destroy all that we for so long have protected. It may be that he seeks to harm the dragon queen and as yet does not know of the whereabouts of the book that is hidden as told by the Scottish fairies that we now have some understanding of why they have become so defensive in their ways. It would mean that he needs the witch to catch a fairy, only that way could he obtain the books whereabouts. We might also assume that this sorcerer doesn’t live in the highlands, if he did he would not have needed the assistance of the witch.”
“I have much to think about Gate Men, I intend going up to the highlands in the late spring to see Queen Bethermere, also to make sure that nobody has interfered with Mary Mac Gentle, which is the name I have given her.”
“May I enter now Gate Men;” the gates swung open just enough for him to get through.
“I thank you Gate Men,” he next found himself at the single gate leading to the Cottage, “may I enter Gate Man” he said as he turned right around, the gate opened, “thank you my friend,” he said as he walked through. These were indeed busy days he thought as he entered the Cottage to be greeted by them all. Pee Wee wanted nothing more than to know all about Athermine. Was she safe, how bad was it snowing, was she cold, did she spin around and disappear. Through this barrage of questions, Wizzo could only smile at him.
“She is well and I would think by now curled up asleep with her mother and father Pee Wee.” Wizzo didn’t tell them about the Witch or the entity that the Gate Men had found on the back of his cloak, it was enough for them having to understand all the things that were going on in the Cottage let alone what he was having to do. He knew that Alice was really quite nervous she being of a kindly nature. It had crossed his mind that she was a good match for Archie. As he understood it, there was a great shortage of ladies in the village and she was a good-looking woman. Her dark brown eyes, well-kept brown hair carelessly flowing down over and past her shoulders, she had only been at the work house for just over eight months so hadn’t been subjected to the wretched food there for too long, so she was still a fine looking woman.
Sophie broke into his thoughts.
“Alice wants to go and see if er little uns are all right back at the workhouse Wizzo, she’s getting real worried about um she is.”
“Can you repeat that Sophie, I don’t think I quite understood your meaning?”
Sophie let out a great sigh, her shoulders dropping down.
“A-l-i-c-e--w-a-n-t-s--t-o--g-o--a-n-d--s-e-e--I-f--e-r--l-i-t-t-l-e--u-n-s--I-s--a-l-l--r-i-g-h-t--b-a-c-k-a-t-t-h-e w-o-r-k-h-o-u-s-e:” Her last word came out loud and in a hurry. He turned to Alice.
“Would now be a good time Alice, and there’s no need to shout at me Sophie, just because I’m a little bit on the deaf side,” he made a great point of pouting his lips, and then looking for some sympathy said. “Nobody cares about me at all, I’m just a lonely deaf old Wizard;” he now looked as if he was about to break out into floods of tears.
“Sorry Wizzo, I don’t mean no arm, really I don’t ---- I was just mucking about,” said the now concerned Sophie. Wizzo’s head was down as if in sorrow, he turned slightly so he could see Sophie out of the corner of his eye and to her surprise he had a big grin on his face, she pointed at him. “E’s avin a go at me e is:” all four burst out laughing.
“Now then let me see, it’s really dark outside but I can take you back there now or tomorrow morning Alice, which will it be?”
“Now would be just fine Wizzo, if that’s alright?”
“You see Sophie, Alice can speak proper when she wants to;” he said making a face at her and then putting his nose in the air said, “Why can’t you?”
“I shan’t talk to you no more, stick that in ya pipe and smoke it; so there”
“I think we’d best go Alice before I get myself into more trouble,” he then turned back to Sophie.
“And I expect to find you safely tucked up in bed by the time we get back young lady;” he said this with mock authority.
“Chance ad be a fine thing;” she said, with a cheeky grin on her face.
“Come along then Alice, we shall leave this cheeky young woman to her own devices;” he walked out followed by Alice.
“She don’t mean no arm Wizzo;” Alice said to him almost apologetically.
“I know Alice, the fact is I like her well and I know that she means no harm, but I was thinking that if she teaches her daughter to speak like that, the dragons won't understand her, for me, I love the way you both talk, it’s most refreshing, it really is.” His face took on the look of somebody that had just eaten a lemon. “Dragons can fly, breath fire; and even talk to each other, and to those that they consider to be their friends, but really apart from that they are simple creatures, even to the point of not being able to kill anything and so became vegetarians.
Many thousands of years ago, the so-called great knights in their shining Armor were the ones too spread all the terrible rumors about them. They said that the Dragons killed the farmer’s sheep and cattle and that they swooped down and took away young maidens. They made everyone afraid of these bea
utiful simple animals that harmed nobody and of course never would unless attacked and even then apart from breathing a little fire and looking terribly fierce they were an easy target for the Knights who even perfected a way of killing them.
“How did they do that? She asked.
“They would wait until a Dragon moved to close to a cliff face, then they would ride up trapping it between the cliff and themselves. They knew that a Dragon had to run for a short distance to be able to take off and fly, due to its small wings, but it was now trapped and at the mercy of the so called gallant knight. That’s why the Wizards hid what was left of the Chinese and Japanese dragons and of course, those that were left in other countries. Some were even turned to stone by Wizards so that they could be changed back by other Wizards when the people no longer feared them. Now there’s none left in the world, or so I believed until now.” Alice shivered.
“That’s horrible, men go around killing everything,” she said this almost to herself. They were now outside the main gates so he put his cape around her, the next moment they were in the alleyway just down the road from the workhouse.
“I’d best come in with you, I owe the old Witch as you call her some monies.”
They entered up the steps and through the main doors. Then it was down corridors left and right, down stairs and more stairs until they reached the dark damp and miserable basement. Wizzo had produced a glowing ball from inside his cloak and now held it in his hand to light the way for them. A few of the rooms they were passing were occupied; they were all asleep and huddled together for warmth, twenty to a small room as far as he could make out. There were slop buckets in the hallway outside the rooms, most of these had no lids on them so the air down there was more putrid than the fog outside on a real heavy day. They entered the last room at the end of the corridor; the children were all sleeping on the floor.
“They wouldn’t give them any beds, can’t work so no beds they said, but I managed to get some oil skin coats to go under the poor little darlins, that ways at least they stay dry most of the time.” he was horrified by what he saw.
“Dear me, what’s to become of them Alice?” she didn’t answer him.
“Tommy are you awake;” she called out softly.
“Is that you Alice?” a small voice answered.
“Yes it’s me, how's everybody doing, are you all well?” Tommy sat up.
“Blimey Alice I thought you was gone, we all did, little Colin’s been crying for you, e as.”
“O dear” said Wizzo holding the glowing orb up in the air so that he could see everything.
“Who’s the gent Alice?”
“He’s a friend Tommy.”
“Is that you Alice another small voice called out?”
“Shush Brian you’ll wake um all up,” said Tommy, it seemed that Tommy looked after the little ones when Alice was either working or couldn’t get there for one reason or another.
“We got a new one we ave Alice, e’s in ere wiv me. E’s got to ave is own bed e has, he keeps pissing in mine, that’s why I got im turned round that way, the little bugger was pissing up me back he was,” he stopped talking the glowing orb had got his attention.
“What’s that ya got in ya and mister, that glowing fing?”
“It’s a glowing orb Tommy,” said Wizzo
“Aint never seen one o them before, wared ya get it” said Tommy getting out of his bed and coming over to stare at the glowing orb in Wizzo’s hand. He inspected it closely, from this side, from that side, on the top and the bottom, his eyes big round and wide, “Can we ave one, its real dark down ere?”
“How would it be if I gave you a large box of great--big--candles, would that do Tommy?”
“Cor! We aint never add no candles mister, and we’d have to keepum hidden, the old Witch’ll be after them she would.” Alice was standing there smiling at this conversation. Wizzo produced candle after candle from inside his cloak.
‘Cor!” Said Tommy in amazement and at the same time holding out his arms to collect them all, his wide young eyes were following every movement of Wizzo’s hand. When his arms were full Wizzo stopped.
“There you go young fellow that should keep you going for some time.”
“Cor!” Was all Tommy could say? Producing candles as Wizzo was now doing was easy for him as long as he had a store of them to transfer from one place to another, being a Wizard had its advantages.
“You’ll have to find a safe place to hide them Tommy” Alice said, Tommy was looking round he then with his foot and lifted the oilskin coat up that was under his bed.
“If I put’um under er, they won’t come to no arm will they?” He turned and looked at Wizzo to confirm his idea.
“An excellent hiding place Tommy, I doubt if anybody would ever think of looking there.” Tommy went round and instructed one boy from each bed to take four candles and put them under and out of sight at the top of their beds. After this was done, and with Tommy making sure that not a candle could be seen anywhere, he came back, and stood as if waiting for further instructions.
Wizzo studied the young lad, he had brown hair that hung down to his shoulders, a pleasant honest face and large bright brown eyes and his aura was quite magnificent.
“Want an apple Tommy;” Tommy’s eyes grew even larger, especially when a large red rosy apple came out from inside Wizzo’s cloak.
“C---o—r!” his hand reaching out almost hesitantly not really believing what he was seeing, his eyes going up to Wizzo’s as if waiting for permission to take the wonderful gift.
“Take it Tommy it’s yours!” Tommy’s small hands took hold of the large apple; he stood there for some time just looking at his prize.
“Do I ave to share it wi’ve all them ov’ers mister?”
“No Tommy, I’ve got some more here for them.” In saying that Wizzo pulled apple after apple out from beneath his cloak and went round putting one at the foot of each bed and two or three on those where he could see more little tired but hungry heads emerging, now being woken by the shear mention of food. As Tommy was almost reluctantly forced back into his bed because it was so cold a little frightened fuzzy head popped up and whispered something into his ear.
“That’s are Alice, and that’s a gent, e just give us these apples” said Tommy as he reached down and retrieved another apple from the bottom of the bed and passed it to the little fellow.
“I dunno what e’s sayin, the big fellow said that e’s a Frenchy, whatever that is,” said Tommy. Wizzo was almost overcome by the look on the child’s face. He could be no more than five years old. He had a mop of light brown curly hair; his face if it hadn’t been so thin would have resembled the face of an angel. Tommy jerked his thumb in the direction of the small boy who was now sitting up and trying to hide behind him.
“E’s burfdays in free days Alice, born on the stroke of midnight e was-----so the big fellow says, ya know the one Alice, e put our poor Sophie out e did.”
“Wizzo who had been munching on his own apple, almost choked over this news, in between his coughing and spluttering he was now studying the little lad more intently. The aura that surrounded him was as far as he could tell a strong white, tinged with soft reds and blues but Tommy being to close he couldn’t be too sure.
“This gentleman’s looking after Sophie Tommy; we don’t need to worry about er no more.”
“C—o—r!” Said Tommy, this seemed to be his favorite word, “that’s where ya been Alice;” Alice looked with some concern at Wizzo.
“You all right Wizzo, gone down the wrong way has it,” she said vigorously slapping him on the back.
“You could say that Alice;” he replied with some difficulty and then having cleared his throat with the help of Alice he asked “has the young child a birth certificate?” Alice looked at him.
“What child?”
“The little one, with Tommy, I would indeed be interested to see it, if one should exist ---- where would they keep such documents Alice?”<
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“In the office by them main doors we come in, there aint no notice on it mind you, they don’t like people to know where their hiding.” He handed Alice the glowing orb then went out into the dark hallway.
The next moment he was standing outside the office that she had mentioned, he tapped the door with his staff and it opened for him. Once inside, he produced another glowing orb from under his cloak.
There were boxes of papers everywhere, he know what he was looking for so he concentrated on the date and the time that would have to be written on the document. Holding the orb up high he made his way slowly around the room until the orb became brighter and started to vibrate, then a beam of light shot out from it and onto a box in the far corner, ah, there you are my little beauty. He held out his left hand and commanded whatever it was that the orb had found to come to him, a crumpled piece of paper came out of the box and floated towards him, finally settling in his outstretched hand. He smoothed it out and brought the orb closer to inspect it.
Mothers name Michele Claudette Arondge, Fathers name not known, Place of birth, St Peters hospital, Name of child, James Harold Arondge, Born Twelve o’clock P.M. Seventh of February. Wizzo stood for some time looking at it, could this possibly be him, he had searched everywhere except in the hospitals, normally people who were destitute didn’t get to see a hospital bed. Folding the document up and putting it safely into his waistcoat pocket he closed the door and went back down to the basement. On entering he found that all the children were now awake sitting up in their beds and munching on their apples.
Tommy saw Wizzo coming back in and stood up.
“Ere’s the kind gentleman that brung ya them apples, ya best say thanks to him or e won’t bring ya no more;” there was a large chorus of thanks mister from a host of little voices.
“It seems as though they’ve almost eaten all of their apples,” said Wizzo as he casually walked up and down the small isle between the beds. Then, raising his voice so that they could all hear. “Alice you know these young people better than I, would it be spoiling them if perhaps I gave them.” He paused for effect “just one more apple! Do you think they could possibly eat another;” every child in the room had stopped breathing and their eyes were now glued to Alice, “I mean, it surely must be somebody’s birthday!”
Tommy jumped up.
“It’s Arnold’s birthday in free days!”
“Is that his name Tommy?”
“Well e ain’t got no other;” Tommy’s head went down, and he now stood with his hands clasped in front of him. “Sorry mister.”
“That’s all right Tommy,” Wizzo went over and picked the little smelly fellow up. “So it’s your birthday is it;” he was studying the lad, mostly his aura, it was indeed white tinged with soft reds and blues.
“Do you know if his mother is still alive Tommy, did the big fellow say anything about that?”
“She ain’t wiv us no more, least that’s what e said.” Wizzo turned the lad around to look at his back, he then beckoned to Alice.
“Hold the orb closer Alice!” There was a birthmark on his lower back and when Alice put the orb next to it he could see what looked to him like a framed Dragon, “a little bit closer if you would Alice;” now he could make it out, it was a Dragon in flight framed by a pentagon, he was puzzled by it but whispered excitedly into Alice’s ear, “this one’s mine Alice, he belongs to me!”
“You can’t just take him Wizzo, they may be heartless, but they’ll know for sure they will!”
“I’ll go to the courts just up the road first thing in the morning and adopt this little lad;” he held him up in the air and then in a loud voice spoke in the language of old.
“To all those that have the knowing of it, he is found.”
His name for the record is James Harold Aronge. I except the task of his training and shall teach him all that he shall need to know. This task I except gladly and willingly. So let it be known and let it be written in the great book for all time!” There was a tremendous roll of thunder that shook the whole building and then as it slowly faded away into the distance he said, “So it has been spoken and written, so shall it be done!”
Alice was as white as a ghost, Tommy was the only one of the children that he could see, the rest had dived under anything that would hide them, all he could see were trembling lumps in the beds, whereas little James was enjoying every minute of it.
“Coooor!” was all Tommy could say, standing there with his eyes wide and his mouth open.
“Sorry about that everybody” Wizzo said. He reached inside his cloak again “Now then another apple for each and every one. He gave James over to Alice and started pulling apples out from inside his cloak and throwing them to the children that were springing up from everywhere at the mention of more food. The last one he tossed in Tommy’s direction, it hit him in the chest and fell to the bed.
Wizzo went over, and kneeling down on his bed, he gently took hold of his hands and sat him down.
“I’m going to tell you a secret Tommy, a secret that you can’t tell to anybody no matter what, even if they torture you or offer you all kinds of things, such as sweets and roast beef with backed potatoes, can you keep a secret that well Tommy?” He waited for an answer, he received a nod of the lads head, Wizzo took from inside his cloak a small leather pouch with a leather thong attached to it, he tied it around Tommy’s neck and then cast a spell over the knot so that it wouldn’t come loose.
“Listen carefully to me Tommy. I'm a great Wizard, with a great Wizards powers, I see things and know of things that others do not know. This little pouch may not seem much to you at this time and what’s in it may seem even less, but as you have and will serve these children so I in your time of great trouble when it comes, and it will come, I will serve you. You will when that time comes simply hold it in your hand and call out the name ‘Wizzo! That is my name, but remember that it must only be used when you find yourself in very, grave danger and you can see no way out and your life depends upon the working of this magic that I give to you as your friend.” Tommy’s hands were now gripping the small leather pouch, “Keep it with you at all times and keep it safe, and tell nobody of this secret, this is between you and I Tommy;” Tommy nodded his head not really understanding the significance of what was happening. Wizzo got up then went over and took little James from Alice, “Are you staying here Alice or coming back with me?”
“I think I’d better stay if you don’t mind Wizzo, too much has happened here tonight; I’ll stay and tell them a nice Fairy story.”
“In that case I’ll see you in the morning Alice;” he tucked James under his cloak and walked out of the door into the dark hallway, in a short time he was back at the Cottage.
He found Sophie tucked up in bed fast asleep, taking James across the room he placed him next to the sleeping Pee Wee making sure that they were both tucked up snug and warm.
“Good night James, sleep well,” he whispered in French.