anything next? He knew he was tired.
“I vote we go to sleep.” He yawned.
“Oh, Seb, don’t be boring,” Scarlet snapped. “Don’t you see what we can do now? We can go anywhere … anywhere!” Her eyes widened with excitement.
“I’m not sure it quite works like that, Scarlet,” Aiden said timidly. “Like Nat said, I think we have to have a need.”
“Well, I need to see where the teachers are. I think they’re all having a secret meeting with the Dryads and someone called Heath.”
“Scarlet,” Nat said. “We weren’t invited. If they wanted us there they would have come and got us. I don’t think we should be, well … spying on them.”
“I do!” Zach twirled his staff and eyed his physique in the full-length mirror to his right. He turned back to Nat. “Maybe they are waiting for us to use some initiative and find out stuff for ourselves.”
“I am sure they are, but I don’t think that includes spying on them.” Nat sounded stern.
Zach, in the face of her disapproval, backed down. “Okay, well, at least show me your house. I could join the sleepover,” he grinned, “and Aiden could open the door to let me back again in the morning!”
Sounded simple, and Aiden nodded excitedly.
“It’s not a sleepover, Zach,” Scarlet said. “Some of us have been forced to sleep there because our own homes have been destroyed or families can’t look after us.”
“Poor you.” Zach didn’t sound at all sympathetic. “It’s still a sleepover and you are excluding me.”
Aiden said, “I’m happy to have Zach come over, aren’t you?” He looked around at the others.
“Of course,” Nat said nicely. Seb nodded. Scarlet crossed her arms and frowned.
“Great! Come on, Aiden. Do your thing.” Zach clapped him on the back.
“Aren’t you going to get some pyjamas, a toothbrush, perhaps?” Scarlet asked.
“What? Oh, mm. Such details, Scarlet; you really need to lighten up.”
“No, you need to cover up … and clean up,” she huffed.
Shrugging, Zach grabbed a pair of lounge pants and a T-shirt from a messy drawer. “I’ll borrow Aiden’s toothbrush,” he said, hurriedly dressing and retrieving his stick.
Aiden didn’t seem bothered and opened his tin. For a brief second Seb worried whether Aiden would be able get them back; what if he opened the door to somewhere else at such a late hour, like the middle of a dark forest or a cemetery – or even the ogre corridor at school? How awful would that be! He wondered if the ogre would be there and a shiver ran down his spine. His hand tingled slightly.
Catching the light from Aiden’s freckles, illuminated by his tin, Seb reflected it onto the headboard. The door materialised as before and, without giving anyone else a chance, Zach bounded up and opened it, stepping through with a “Well done, Aiden.”
Following the others, Seb heard their muffled talking, then shouting as he emerged into semi-darkness which became complete darkness as, with a click, Aiden closed his tin and the arc of light provided by the sparkling doorway vanished. Gradually his eyes adjusted and to his dismay he realised they were standing in the ogre corridor!
“Aiden, why here … why did you bring us here?” Scarlet asked, fear making her tone sound angry.
“I … I didn’t!” Aiden sounded horrified.
“Open the door, Aiden,” Zach shouted. “Get us out of here!”
Seb could hear Aiden practically sobbing as he fumbled for his tin. There was a clattering sound. “I’ve dropped it; I can’t find it!” He was almost hysterical.
“Calm down, Aiden.” Scarlet got herself under control. “It’s there.”
“Where?”
Seb was straining his eyes, looking at the floor, trying to locate the silver object.
“There!” Scarlet sounded annoyed and jostled Seb as she bent to retrieve it, and then they all froze as there was a loud slam.
“It’s here!” Nat whispered.
Seb could hear wheezing and there was an area of darker blackness about six feet from them.
Nat spoke quietly, “It’s really okay. I’m sure it doesn’t mean to hurt us; it’s just very sad.”
“No, Nat. It’s very big and very ogreish. Aiden, open the door!” Zach pushed Seb and the girls back and stood, like a sentry, between them and the ogre, stick in hand.
“Here …” Scarlet handed the tin to Aiden.
Seb now wished they had ignored Nat and gone to spy on the teachers; anything was better than this.
Aiden’s face appeared, bathed in pink light, as he opened his tin. Seb lifted his hand and focused the light from Aiden’s face onto the wall behind him. In a flash of sparkles the door materialised.
Scarlet yanked it open and called to the others, “Come on!” then darted through. They leapt after her. Zach, last, pulled the door closed.
They tumbled out the other side into a vast, domed room where warm flames danced over logs burning in a massive fire pit. The five teachers and The Caretaker sat around the fire with Alice and Dierne hovering above it.
Heath
Mr Duir smiled at Seb as the door fizzled out of sight. Seb remembered later he found that smile disturbing as much as it was reassuring; he was expecting us!
The sound of footsteps to the right made him turn. A man appeared, walking around the raised plinth surrounding the fire pit. Framed by a cascade of silver hair which fell from temple to shoulder in glossy waves, the face that regarded Seb was vibrant and youthful – smooth skin, piercing blue eyes, a firm, set jaw. Six feet tall and athletically built, the man clapped his hands, a wide grin spreading across his face.
“Welcome to you all. Don’t hover over there; come and join us. Budge up, Trudy, Glen, Dom – make room.”
The teachers shuffled up though Mr Duir, Dierne beside him, stood up and walked round behind the fire. Seb lost sight of them as Scarlet and his friends crossed the room and parked themselves on the comfy cushions covering the bench seats around the firepit. Seb hesitated.
“Seb, is it mistrust of us, or of yourself?” The silver-haired man grinned at him, such a friendly grin, but Seb still didn’t move.
“How do you know I’m Seb?”
The stranger chuckled and the flames in the fire rose higher. “Do come and join us.” Feeling awkward with everyone staring at him Seb wandered over and took a seat. “I am Heath,” the silver-haired man announced with a bow. Seb felt himself smiling. This man exuded confidence, friendliness, happiness. It was impossible not to be engaged by the spirit and character of him. “I too am a Custodian.” He stood beside Seb.
“Like Seb’s supposed to be?” Scarlet stared at Heath.
“No supposed to be about it.” Heath slapped a hand on Seb’s shoulder. He felt a powerful jolt through his body. “Seb is the next Custodian, just as you all have your roles.”
Alice swooped down and stood beside Seb.
“Did you miss me?” he asked without speaking.
“Haven’t had time!” Seb answered silently. He was about to add more but suddenly noticed a dark shape to his right. He turned, fearing the ogre had followed them through the door. And then he lurched backwards, falling to the floor.
“Seb, what are you doing?” Scarlet was angry at his apparently stupid behaviour.
Seb pointed, backing away. A shimmer of silver sparkles danced and now the other four responded as the object he highlighted appeared to them. Zach bounded up, staff to the ready. Aiden moved fast and cowered behind the benches.
Scarlet leapt up, shouting, “That wasn’t there before!”
Only Nat appeared calm. She stood and smiled.
Seb stared in fear and disbelief at the slobbering creature flopped against the wall, sniffing and snorting. It had the basic shape of a wolf but was four times the size. From its huge paws to its massive head it was covered in silver fur; its eyes were like glowing green light bulbs, with no apparent pupils; its pointed, dog-like
snout ended in a shiny, wet black nose, nostrils flaring and spraying snot as it breathed in and snorted out. It raised a heavy paw and swiped at its own nose, then gave a hacking cough that shook and rippled the muscles of its body. It snorted then stood, hanging its head, its huge tail drooping.
“Stay back!” Zach shouted.
“Zach, that’s really not necessary.” Miss West joined him.
Heath, laughing, strode across to the beast, which was easily twice his height, and placed a hand on its left foreleg. “Sit down, Cue, you’ll adjust to him soon.” The wolf-beast sneezed, sending a stream of snot across the floor which nearly reached Zach’s feet.
“Gross! What is that thing?”
“That, Zach, is Cue. He is a wolf-stag or hæþstapa. He will struggle for a while with the new Custodian.” Heath patted the giant wolf and chuckled.
Cue slumped his rear end back onto the floor and his front end followed. He looked a pathetic sight as he placed his huge head on his front paws and whimpered.
“What’s wrong with it then?” Scarlet, relaxing, walked over to it.
“Seb has brought you all into Cue’s world and he must adjust to your physical presence.” Heath smiled apologetically at Seb. “Seb, when you focus on the creatures in the worlds between they become part of your world; you understand that?” Seb thought he did. He nodded. “Well, when you bring them into your world, you also place yourself, and your friends if you choose, in their physical world. Cue here, is a hunter; his senses are attuned to his existence in the world between. You have introduced a new and alien presence into his world and he is, well, I suppose you would describe it as allergic. He