Behind the Sorcerer's Cloak (6 page)

Adam slept heavily.

While waiting for him to wake, the Dark Being devised magical spells to penetrate the Mists of Time and Gaia's Earth Magic and reveal Zorianna's whereabouts.

Nothing worked. It was as if the tiny planet below had opened up and swallowed her emissary. There must be more to Gaia than met the eye.

The Dark Being glared down. She and the Shades were poised, ready to destroy, but she wanted Myrddin's staff and Zorianna first. Then it would be such a pleasure to teach the pretty little planet a lesson.

She gazed at the boy sleeping at her feet. What a gift he was! She would use him.

When he woke, she would persuade him to reveal what he'd learned as a Magic Child. Then he would be her slave.

She smiled as a new thought struck her.

If she had a Magic Child, she didn't need Zorianna!

Yes! This boy could go back to Gaia and bring her the staff.

How amusing! A new emissary, a human child who believed she was the Lady. A Magic Child she could use as a hostage.

The Dark Being threw back her head and laughed. The loss of Zorianna no longer mattered.

Still smiling, she returned to watching for a weakness in the Mists of Time, so she could send some Shades to spy on Gaia.

Myrddin's hypnotic whisperings had sent Chantel into a deep sleep. A healing sleep that strengthened her body and her mind. A dark sleep, a telling sleep, where age-old secrets whispered and hidden knowledge stirred. A dreaming sleep, a helpful sleep, where answers hovered.

Chantel slept her way into a safe dark place with solid rock beneath her and at her back. She could hear waves crashing, pounding rhythmically against a cliff below her. As each wave broke, the rock at her back shuddered.

Her body vibrated with the rock, yet she was not afraid. She trusted the rock. She knew it would not give. Not ever!

The waves didn't scare her either. They made a comforting sound, the strong steady pulse of Gaia.

Despite her trust in the safety of the place, Chantel longed for light.

No stars glimmered. No promise of sun lightened the sky. The dark was so thick that without the sound of the sea below, even up and down would be in question. The only certainty in this place was the rock at her back. She leaned against it and wondered why her life was so dark.

Tears flowed.

Meow.

A luminous softness brushed against her arm.

“A white cat! What are you doing here?” Chantel swept the cat into her arms and rubbed her cheek against its fur.

The cat purred and lay still despite the tightness of the child's grip.

Bit by bit, Chantel relaxed.

For a long while, the cat offered warmth and comfort. At last, it lifted its face and rubbed it one last time against Chantel's cheek. With a wriggle the cat slipped from her arms and disappeared.

“Cat, please come back.” Chantel's wail cut the night. “I need you.” Her eyes searched frantically for the glow of the cat's luminous fur.

The only glimmer was from the few hairs left on one arm of her T-shirt. Chantel stared down at them, three white hairs that gleamed in the dark.

She stretched out her arm and patted the ground beside her. She leaned sideways and touched and stretched farther, beyond the rock. Aah…her hand felt the prickle of grass. She plucked several long stalks and wove them blindly together into a clumsy ball. One by one, she lifted the three hairs off her sleeve and inserted them into the woven ball.

The hairs glowed.

Chantel scrambled to her feet. Her heart flooded with hope and her body flooded with renewed energy. She could be strong like the rock. She could fight darkness.

She had made a lantern. She had made light!

The more she rejoiced, the stronger the light became.

Holding the small lantern high, she looked around.

She was at the top of a cliff. Waves crashed magnificently below. The dim light reflected on foaming white crests that looked like the tossing manes of horses charging toward the shore to surround and protect her.

Remembering Equus, Chantel smiled.
I am always here
, he had said when she first met him. Maybe he was.

“Chantel. Chantel…Wake up.” A voice echoed through the darkness. Someone was calling her. A voice she knew. She must go back.

Chantel lifted the homemade lantern once again and made her way around the rock, away from the cliff edge, through the blackness. She moved with assurance, stepping to the beat of the waves, knowing she was not alone. She was not helpless. Equus would always be there in her heart, and her own actions could create light. She emerged from her dark sleep into the sunlight.

The three cousins held a hurried meeting sitting on Chantel's sofa.

Chantel's new-found confidence was shaken when she heard of Adam's capture, but she held her emotions in check.

“We're going to rescue Adam and wake the Lady,” said Holly, holding Chantel's hand in a firm grip.

“We have to lose Mr. Smythe,” said Owen. “He'll try to stop us. He's terrified.”

“Let's find him a job to do,” said Holly. “Remember how helpful he was when we were looking for the Red Mare? He needs something to keep him busy while we do magic.” She looked at the others. “You realize that's what we have to do, don't you? We have to start doing more and more Earth Magic on our own. And we should split up to do it so there's three times more Earth Magic working and growing.”

Chantel's eyes were enormous. “I get to do magic on my own?”

“Especially you,” said Holly. “You were the first Magic Child. You were the first to hear Equus.”

She stood up and stretched. “It's odd. I'm terrified for Adam, and I know things are getting worse, but I have this feeling deep inside my heart that something's changed and it's going to work out.”

Chantel leapt up and threw her arms around her cousin's waist. “I love you, Holly Berry.” She reached out and grasped Owen's hand. “You too.”

Owen looked embarrassed, but he didn't snatch his hand away. He returned a big squeeze.

“Holly's right,” continued Chantel. “Let's stir up enough magic to beat the Dark Being and get Adam back.”

As Holly and Owen left the patio to wake Chantel, Myrddin touched Mr. Smythe's arm again. “We need a private talk, my friend.”

“We certainly do,” agreed Mr. Smythe grimly.

They stepped down into the garden out of earshot of the children.

Mr. Smythe looked bitterly at Myrddin. “You and your magic,” he said.

Myrddin did not meet his eyes.

“This is hell. You must get Adam back without delay. He must be terrified. I am.” Mr. Smythe glared at Myrddin. “I've been entrusted with the children. And I trusted you. How can I explain Adam's disappearance to his parents, and his aunt and uncle?” Mr. Smythe shook his finger. “Find Adam now. Only you can do it. And you must not put the other children in danger. I'm taking them home. You should never have involved children.”

“We never intended to involve children,” said Myrddin. “They were the only humans who heard our messages. In your world, magic is almost gone. No adults hear us or believe in us. Even you have trouble believing what is happening.”

Mr. Smythe dropped his eyes.

“The children offered assistance of their own free will,” continued Myrddin. “It was their offer combined with their belief in the Old Magic and their innocence of the nature of darkness that enabled them to outwit the Dark Being and her supporters.”

“Then they have played their part. Now it is too dangerous to continue,” Mr. Smythe said. His voice was stern. “The children could have been killed several times over. They were lucky. But not lucky enough. This time, Adam failed. He is lost, and Zorianna has your staff. It is over.”

Myrddin shook his head and smiled. “No, my friend. Adam did not fail. Not only was he able to unlock the Earth Magic that bound the staff within the Tor, but by hanging onto Zorianna's cloak he slowed her down. He gave Old Magic time to respond. The Mists of Time have been inactive for years. Now they are alive again, protecting Earth. They helped prevent Zorianna's escape.

“The sorcerer Manannan has confined Zorianna and she is unable to return to the Dark Being.” Myrddin clasped Mr. Smythe's hands. “Adam gave us a victory, my friend. Zorianna and my staff are held in a place of safety, imprisoned by Earth Magic.” He smiled. “We
will
rescue Adam. Then the Magic Children have another chance to succeed.”

“I'm taking them home,” repeated Mr. Smythe.

“My dear Smythe, the Dark Being and her Shades are upon us. Gaia is on the verge of total annihilation. Don't you realize what is happening? Wars are erupting in all parts of the world. No earthly superpower with armies and bombs can end these conflicts. They are fuelled by the Dark Being's presence. However…” Myrddin peered under his bushy eyebrows at his friend. “However…Holly, Owen, and Chantel have the power to save both Adam and Gaia. Will you prevent them from doing that?”

Mr. Smythe pulled his hands from Myrddin's grasp. “The children are in my care,” he muttered. “I must protect them. I cannot allow them to face more danger.”

“Yes, we must protect them. They are Adam's and Gaia's only hope,” repeated Myrddin.

The two old men stared at each other.

“We know we are Adam's and Gaia's only hope,” said a quiet voice. “We will carry on.”

Myrddin and Mr. Smythe swung around.

Holly stood above them, looking down over the edge of the patio. Owen and Chantel stood on her either side. All three children seemed to have grown in stature.

“We know we are the only ones who can do Earth Magic,” said Holly gravely. “And you both know we cannot go home without Adam. We will continue to help you, Myrddin.” She smiled at Mr. Smythe. “Thank you for trying to protect us, Mr. Smythe. But you must understand. There is no one else.”

“Yup. We have to get Adam back, and if we don't help Gaia, we're all goners anyway,” said Owen. His bluntness made Mr. Smythe cringe.