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Excitement and nervousness fought inside Tom’s head. He wanted to see more of the Eye and the Realm of Water, but he didn’t want to come across the weird and dangerous creatures that lurked beneath the waters. Well, actually he did want to see them, but from a safe distance.
The four of them were at the back of a shallow cave looking out over the gorge. It was hot and airless, and Tom was uncomfortably sweaty. He could just see Woodsmoke and Brenna in the darkness as they leaned against the walls, seemingly deep in thought.
“So what’s the plan?” he asked.
“We need to find another portal, Tom,” Woodsmoke said, “so we can take you back home. The portals between the four worlds are rarely used now. We certainly don’t know where to find one here, so we’ll need to search, but we can’t do that at night.” He groaned and rubbed his hands across his face. “It could take us days. And if we can’t find one, it will be a long journey back to our realm.”
Beansprout spoke, her voice quiet. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault we’re here. I got carried away...” Her voice trailed off with a sigh.
Tom asked, “What happened?”
“I’d just come out of the tower when I saw the hole in the ground and thought I should check it out—you know, just in case. So I stuck my head in and then ended up sliding in.” She shrugged. “Once I was in, I thought I’d see where it went.”
“But why didn’t you call me when you saw it?”
“In case it was nothing. I followed the tunnel, which was really amazing, and then I sort of stuck my hand into that black hole, and it pulled me right in!” She sounded sheepish and delighted with herself all at the same time. “I freaked out initially, kind of froze, and then decided I should sit tight and hope someone came for me—and here you are!”
Woodsmoke sounded angry. “Well, you are very lucky we found you intact. In fact, you are lucky we found you at all.”
The word ‘intact’ seemed to hang in the air.
“I am really sorry,” Beansprout repeated. “I know it was stupid, but it was exciting, too! It’s not every day you find a hidden passage. I have food to share as an apology, if that helps?”
“Great idea,” Tom answered, trying to ease her guilt. “I’ll share mine, too. While we eat you can tell us about this place, and how you know our granddad.”
“Very well,” Woodsmoke said, and while Beansprout and Tom passed out food, he began. “First, you need to know we are no longer in your world. I’m sure that’s obvious. We are in the Otherworld, which lies alongside yours. There are four realms here—Earth, Air, Water and Fire—and different spirits and beings live in each. This, as you know, is the Realm of Water, and we have arrived in the Eye, the absolute centre of the realm, where the Emperor lives. Brenna and I are from the Realm of Earth. Years ago we passed between the four realms all the time, but for years now we have remained separate. It’s the same with your world—we no longer come and go from there as we used to. In your world we have different names—faeries, elves, fauns, nymphs, or even Sidhe.”
“Faeries!” gasped Beansprout. “Like in the old stories—the ones where people would disappear and never be seen again?”
“That’s right. At certain times of day—dawn and dusk—and in certain places, the boundaries between our worlds would dissolve and humans could pass from their world to ours, usually by accident. Now, for most people, only the portals will enable passage, but they’re well hidden.”
“Hidden how? By magic?” asked Tom.
“Of a sort. And they are usually built underground, or in remote places, with concealed entrances. My grandfather, Fahey, was trapped in your world for many years. When he was released from the spell, he managed to find the portals in the wood. He said he could hear our realm singing to him, as if to call him home, and he followed the music.”
Beansprout paused, her sandwich halfway to her mouth. “Where was he trapped?”
“In that old yew tree at the edge of the wood beyond Jack’s garden. He was trying to travel to Avalon, but triggered a spell. For years we had no idea what had happened to him, although we searched and searched.” Woodsmoke shook his head at the memory. “And then he returned a few moons ago with your grandfather, who was the first person he saw after he was released from the spell.”
“Wow! Your grandfather was trapped in a tree!” Tom exclaimed, “So why is Granddad here?”
“My grandfather asked him to join him, and I guess he liked the offer. I know how much I missed my grandfather—that’s why I agreed to bring you that package, so you wouldn’t worry.”
Tom nodded as he listened, happy to finally have some answers. “So your grandfather, Fahey, is our grandfather’s new friend.”
“No wonder he was so vague,” Beansprout pointed out. “He couldn’t have told the truth! We would have thought he’d gone senile.”
“Then you must know why we want to see him, Woodsmoke,” Tom persisted.
Woodsmoke shuffled uncomfortably. “I do, but it’s not that easy. Our world is dangerous, full of magic, strange places and even stranger creatures. It’s far more dangerous than your world is to us. I have heard rumours of the Emperor here. If they are true, he’s someone we should keep away from.”
“If this is the Realm of Water, why are we on land?” Beansprout asked.
“A portion of it is land, although it’s filled with rivers and waterways. Most of the realm is under the sea. Whole cities are sprawled across the sea bed, or perched on underwater mountain ranges or deep within trenches, far from light. From what I have heard there are different groups there who all fight for control, and petty skirmishes are constantly breaking out. The Emperor must be a busy man,” Woodsmoke said thoughtfully.
“Do people fight in the Realm of Earth, too?” Tom asked.
“Sometimes. There are disturbing rumours coming out of the Aeriken Forest in our realm. The Queen of the Aerikeen is strange, and rarely seen. Her people have disappeared from the villages.” He exchanged a worried glance with Brenna. “We fear something terrible is happening there.”
“Do you know Jack too, Brenna?” Beansprout asked.
“Yes,” she answered from the darkness. “At the moment, I live with Woodsmoke and his family. We’re friends. I said I would travel with him, for safety. And I was curious, too. After meeting Jack, I wanted to know what your world was like.”
Tom was still determined to try to find him. “If Granddad’s safe, then it must be all right here.”
“Your grandfather is with Fahey, in a safe area,” Woodsmoke replied. “We are a long way from there.”
While they were talking, there was an almighty roaring sound, and the clatter of what sounded like hooves racing along the path. Shouting started to fill the gorge.
“By Herne’s horns!” Woodsmoke sounded exasperated, and he jumped to his feet and peered out of the cave. “I think we’ve been found,” he said over his shoulder.
Tom’s heart beat faster, as if it might leap out of his chest. Beansprout waited motionless beside him. The rumbling and clattering became louder, accompanied by wild singing and laughing. A huge, towering water spout erupted from the river, filling the cave with spray, before collapsing and leaving a murky green light to illuminate the night.
Woodsmoke stepped back as a large figure appeared in the cave entrance, a black shadow against the eerie green glow. A booming voice declared, “Welcome to the Eye, travellers.” It didn’t sound welcoming.
Woodsmoke replied with a bow, “Greetings, we thank you for your welcome.”
The voice answered, “The Emperor is waiting to see you.” He stepped aside, gesturing for them to leave.
He left them no choice, and as they made their way out of the cave, they saw dozens of horses below them, carrying men and women armed with swords and spears. The green light was coming from the middle of the river, and it illuminated a mass of giant tentacles that seemed to be reaching for them.
They scrambled down to the path, and were each hustled onto a horse with another rider. The animals stamped impatiently until the four of them were seated, then wheeled around, heading back to the lake. Tom gripped his rider anxiously. He’d never been on a horse before, and was convinced he was going to be thrown off.
The castle that had been beneath the water was now above it, with hundreds of lights shining from the windows. They raced up the broad ramp, along the parapet, and onto the bridge that had previously crossed the lake, but which now led to huge gates in the castle walls. They swept through them and entered a courtyard that felt like a prison. Its sheer black granite walls rose above them, and Tom glanced nervously around, noting Beansprout’s worried face. He tried to smile reassuringly, but failed. The riders quickly dismounted, and tossed the reins to others who emerged from the shadows, before heading towards a broad entrance on the left.
Tom, Beansprout, Woodsmoke, and Brenna waited in silence, wondering where they were expected to go. Tom imagined deep, dark dungeons, dank and cold. However, the man with the booming voice shepherded them into a large dining hall, crowded with people eating and drinking at long tables. Servants milled around, replenishing enormous plates and dishes as the sound of music came from a group in the corner of the room.
The room fell silent as everyone turned to look at them.
A voice came from the far end of the room. “So, our visitors finally arrive in my hall.”
Craning his neck, Tom saw a man, his dark hair streaked with grey, sitting at a table raised on a dais. He leaned forward on his ornate chair, looking at them intently. This must be the Emperor.
Woodsmoke and Brenna immediately bowed, a sweeping gesture reaching down to their feet, and Woodsmoke said, “I would like to apologise for our unannounced presence in the Eye. It was completely unplanned, and we were aiming to be out before disturbing Your Majesty.”
“Were you indeed?” The Emperor’s voice boomed out across the hall. “And what did you hope to achieve by visiting the Eye? Are you spies?”
“No! We came to rescue this human child who passed through the portal. It was an accident.”
Tom felt all eyes fall on him and his cousin. He opened his mouth to take the blame, but before he could speak, Beansprout said in a shaky voice, “I’m sorry, Your Majesty. It was my fault. I didn’t realise what would happen.”
“So, human child, it is you who brings visitors to my hall.” The Emperor peered closely at them. “How did you find the doorway? It has surely been closed for many years.”
“I saw a hole in the ground and found it that way.”
“It was our fault,” interrupted Woodsmoke. “We left the passage open. But I would like to reassure you that it is now closed, and with Your Majesty’s permission, we will leave tomorrow to return the visitors to their home. If you could direct us to a portal, it would be most helpful.”
“And what,” asked the Emperor, “are two of the fey from the Realm of Earth doing with humans? Didn’t we stop passing to their world many hundreds of years ago?”
“I had to deliver a message. A guest came to our realm of late. He wanted to send a message to his family, telling them that he was safe.”
The Emperor paused, his face stern as he stared at Woodsmoke. He spoke softly. “It has also been a very long time since anyone from the Realm of Earth came to the Eye.”
Woodsmoke gave a thin smile. “Too long. But you are not who we expected to see, Your Majesty.”
After another long pause, during which there was only a breathless silence, the Emperor said, “No, I would not be. There have been many changes here.” He gazed into the middle distance for a moment, and suddenly relaxed. “Well, I would be a poor host if I did not offer you food. Come and sit, all of you, and you can tell me what is happening in your realms.”
With that, the general hum of noise started again. The people sitting around the Emperor moved aside to make room, and Tom and Beansprout sat on the Emperor’s left, while Woodsmoke and Brenna sat to his right. The Emperor started talking to Woodsmoke, leaving Tom and Beansprout to entertain themselves.
Servants put plates in front of them, and they picked from the platters in the centre of the table. There were whole baked fish the length of a man’s body, piles of mussels and oysters, and steaming bowls of fish stew. Tom took a bite of something green that was probably fried seaweed, and discretely spat it into a table napkin. Beansprout was merrily tucking into a huge bowl of trifle.
Looking around the room, Tom realised the other guests weren’t really ‘people,’ in the usual sense of the word. Neither were Woodsmoke and Brenna. The Emperor had called them ‘fey.’ Tom couldn’t quite explain what made them different, other than a peculiar awareness they seemed to have. It was quite unnerving. When they looked at you, it was as if they could see right into your mind. Not to mention, Brenna could turn into a bird! He wondered if the people in the Eye could turn into animals, too. They looked a little different from Woodsmoke and Brenna. Their skin was slightly shimmery, as if dusted with silver, and their eyes were a bright, shiny blue. And the castle—what an amazing place! This hall was similar to the old English halls he’d seen in books, but instead of having fireplaces, there were fountains in alcoves along the wall. The water seemed to cool the hall, a welcome change from the sticky heat outside.
Tom tried to look at the Emperor without being too obvious about it, watching him out of the corner of his eye. He was much younger than Tom had thought an Emperor would be. His hair was pulled up into a knot on his head, his face was sharp, his eyebrows high and quizzical, and he wore long, loose robes of dark blue, which pooled like water at his feet. His chair looked as if it were made from polished coral.
Suddenly, Tom felt a long way from home. It was hard to believe that only this morning they were in the wood by his house. It was then that Tom realised his father would have no idea where he was, or Beansprout’s family, but there was nothing he could do now. He still wanted to see his granddad before going back.
Tom was incredibly tired, and he noticed Beansprout’s eyes beginning to close, her head nodding gently before she snapped it up, trying to stay awake. He turned to her. “You okay?”
“Exhausted. But I don’t want to go to bed—there’s too much to see. This is all so weird.” She shook her head as she gazed at their surroundings.
“I know exactly what you mean. Do you still want to find Granddad?”
“Absolutely! We’re so close, it would be mad not to. Woodsmoke will take us. We’ll make him!”
“Good, because I’m not ready to go home yet.” He gestured at the room. “This place was under water earlier. Can you believe that? And nothing is wet. Well, not like you’d expect.”
Beansprout stared at him, wide-eyed, trying to stifle a yawn. “Really? How does that happen? We have to stay. Have to!”
The Emperor turned their way, saw Beansprout yawning, and immediately summoned a servant. “Give our guests a room each in the East Tower.” Turning back to them, he said, “You two are tired. You do not keep such late hours as we do. Sleep now, and we will talk tomorrow.”
Tom caught Woodsmoke’s attention, and he nodded reassuringly, so they followed the servant out of the hall.
He led them along winding corridors and up stairs both grand and sweeping and small and spiralling, until they were completely disorientated. They ended up on a short corridor and were shown rooms next to each other. Tom lay on his bed thinking he’d be awake all night, but in minutes he was fast asleep.
