Clearheart Page 7

  Considering her announcement about Dixon disappearing, Don Posiblemente settled himself heavily in a deep purple armchair. ‘Pixies are known to disappear on a whim, you know Ella. I wouldn’t worry too much. Unreliable at the best of times, pixies. Really they are.’ Ella noticed that there were more Literditties asleep in the bookcase.

  ‘That’s what Wrinkles told me,’ said Ella. ‘He dismissed me altogether, in fact. But I know something is wrong.’

  Don Posiblemente leaned forward in his chair. ‘Interesting,’ he said, more to himself than to her. ‘Well, maybe you are right. I do sense that I should take your concern seriously, for lately the Flitterwig Files have been opening to the same page every day.’ Don Posiblemente stopped and rubbed his beard thoughtfully, as though considering very seriously the import of what he was about to say. ‘The page where the second part of the Prophecy of the Clearheart unfolds, as a matter of fact.’ Ella shivered involuntarily when he said this, and the hairs on her arms stood on end. ‘But what exactly do you think is amiss?’

  Ella sat back to ponder the question. Carmen reappeared with a tray of milkshakes and set them down upon a small table before her and Charlie. Charlie grabbed for his greedily. The sight of his hand darting forward sent a tingle down Ella’s spine. Her hair flared and she caught her breath. She remembered the same freckled hand flying out at her in a lollipop factory months ago. She remembered the dark emptiness in Gloria’s eyes when she cornered Ella the other day in the loggia, her brancharm clasped firmly around her shoulder. Only then there had been claws flashing like spears from the tips of both children’s fingers.

  ‘It has something to do with the Duke,’ she said with certainty, trusting her instincts.

  Don Posiblemente sat back in his chair, surveying the child most seriously. ‘The Duke?’ he repeated, his voice a rumble of thunder.

  ‘Yes,’ said Ella, sensing the danger in her bones. ‘I’m sure of it.’

  ‘But we cannot find the Duke,’ said Don Posiblemente. ‘Why would he suddenly pop up in relation to a pixie? Unless…’ Don Posiblemente stood up and walked over to his desk, deep in thought. He pointed to a large leather-bound book resting on a fine wrought iron stand upon the desk. The book’s pages swiftly turned one after the other, all by themselves, as though a wind had whipped across only that small space. It stopped abruptly almost halfway through and lay open and still.

  ‘There is nothing in the Flitterwig Files that suggests a pixie might come to harm at the Duke’s hands. However…’ Don Posiblemente sat down at his desk and the the wrought iron stand slid over to him. He passed a finger across the words before him.

  Ella and Charlie sipped at their milkshakes while Don Posiblemente read to himself. Literditties began to stir in the bookshelves, shaking themselves from sleep to blink at the visitors with mild interest. Don Posiblemente stood up and, coming over to the children, settled himself back in his armchair.

  ‘However, it is written,’ said Don Posiblemente slowly, after an inordinately long pause, ‘that the Clearheart’s spirit will be shaken by a loss. This loss will be the sign that the Giants must be raised from their miserable slumber in order for the second part of the Prophecy to unfold.’

  Don Posiblemente sat, deep in thought. The children began to fidget. Charlie felt so uncomfortable he was about to stand up and ask where the bathroom was, even though he didn’t need a wee. Then Don Posiblemente launched forth once more.

  ‘I must say I find it very hard to believe that a missing pixie can be the loss the Files refer to, Ella. I do.’ The great man shook his head slowly. ‘And I find it hard to believe that the second part of the Prophecy should begin so soon after the first has played out. But Magic works in strange ways, and a pure heart is simple. Its needs are few. I am going to take a chance here, child. I am going to tell you a story. But you may find it a little hard to believe.’

  chapter 11

  stories & sniggers

  Ella took a deep suck on her inhaler. Don Posiblemente had just revealed to her and Charlie that a whole other species existed, under the ground.

  In the Land of Gommoronahl, the land of the Giants.

  Ella sat back to absorb what he had told them, but before she could begin to mull, Charlie launched forth.

  ‘So what you’re saying,’ said Charlie, picking his nose absently and leaning forward so his arms rested on his knees, ‘is that underneath us right now, there are heaps of extremely sleepy, solitary, not very clever Giants, who look after the elements inside the Earth, like gold and stuff, feeling really sorry for themselves. Who get dizzy if they are above ground for too long. And that when they get cross, they can stir up the Earth’s core or make a real ruckus so that a volcano erupts, or a tidal wave is started.’

  ‘In a fashion,’ said Don Posiblemente, looking slightly worried that the children had misunderstood him. ‘Although they prefer to prevent such catastrophes, and maintain the natural balance if they can.’

  ‘Cooool,’ said Charlie. He so loved being a Flitterwig. It just got better and better every day.

  ‘They didn’t always feel sorry for themselves, however,’ said Don Posiblemente, addressing himself patiently to Charlie. He picked up his own milkshake and enjoyed a big slurp. ‘In ages past,’ he continued, ‘the Giants worked with the Magicals to help maintain the balance of the Earth we live on. They worked together to protect its treasures. It was a laborious process, but the Giants and the Magicals worked hand in hand to assist Nature, as it were. The Giants would even pop up to Earth from time to time for a bit of a gallivant and a frolic. But usually only in very remote and large spaces, for they didn’t want to scare anyone and they certainly didn’t want to do any damage. And in any case, yes, they get a bit woozy if they are in the fresh air for too long. Not that anyone who was purely human ever saw them, of course. Only those of us of Magical heritage can see them.’

  Charlie and Ella looked at one another, the vision of frolicking giants flickering before both their eyes. And then, not knowing what to make of the story Don Posiblemente had just told them, they burst out laughing.

  Don Posiblemente smiled indulgently. ‘My story sounds implausible, I know,’ he said once the children had settled down. ‘But if I am right, you have quite a challenge ahead of you.’

  Ella looked at Don Posiblemente apologetically. Charlie sat back and tried to pull himself together. He liked the idea of big dudes a lot.

  ‘But as I said,’ Don Posiblemente continued, ‘there was a falling out between the Magicals and the Giants. The Earth kept spinning, but the natural balance was lost. Many would say this was the moment when humans began to hold the balance of power. And since then, they have been destroying the Earth in their selfishness.’

  ‘But what has this got to do with Dixon?’ Ella asked, leaning forward and staring at Don Posiblemente intently.

  ‘Well. I am not sure if it does have anything to do with Dixon, my dear,’ said Don Posiblemente. ‘But I suspect it has something to do with you.’

  Ella shifted uncomfortably. She had been hoping he wouldn’t say that.

  ‘I have to tell you I am really not that great at basic magic,’ said Ella. ‘I’m pretty much bottom of the class, along with Charlie. Although my tears still seem to have a mind of their own.’

  ‘As do your heartfelt thoughts and wishes,’ said Don Posiblemente. ‘It is your Clearhearted concern for your friend that makes what I am about to say relevant to you. You have been at Flitterwig school for barely a term. Don’t worry about the basics. The deeper powers you need to harness will surface when you require them.’

  Charlie and Ella took a mutual deep breath and looked at Don Posiblemente expectantly.

  ‘The Giants of Gommoronahl survive on sap from the Spirit Trees,’ said Don Posiblemente. ‘This is what provides them with nourishment.’ Don Posiblemente stroked the bottom of his beard, searching for the simplest way to explain his story. ‘Spirit Trees are invisible and ethereal to all but Dryad Flitterwigs and
pure Magicals, and are thus safe from being cut down by humans. If anyone ever came across one, not only would they not see it, they would be able to walk right through it as if it weren’t even there. Spirit Trees hold the souls of every tree that has ever been felled before its time.’

  Ella felt a shiver go down her spine. She remembered Gloria telling her to stay away from her tree. Could the oak she liked to sit beneath when life got a bit hectic be a Spirit Tree? The one whose breezes she liked to practise her skateboarding in. The one that seemed to whisper to her. But how come Ella could see it?

  ‘I think I can see the Spirit Trees,’ Ella interjected.

  ‘That would not surprise me at all,’ said Don Posiblemente. ‘You are, after all, the Clearheart, and therefore don’t quite fit any bill.’ He smiled at Ella kindly and continued.

  ‘One day, a long time ago, the sap from the Spirit Trees began to dry up,’ said Don Posiblemente. ‘The Giants, weak and desperate without enough food, became increasingly sleepy (not that they weren’t a rather sleepy lot in the first place). Unable to find the source of the drought, they called upon the Elf Queen and Elf Duke of Magus to help them.’ Don Posiblemente sighed. ‘This was before the Duke betrayed his own wife, the Queen, of course. They, however, could not find the source of the problem either. Nor could any of their Royal Court. Their brightest Magical physicians, the sprites, their wisest scholars, the gnomes, their most instinctive Protectors, the goblins—all were at a loss. Although, without meaning to show off, I think I actually have found the remedy. Been working on it for years. A bit of a hobby of mine.’ Don Posiblemente looked a tad embarrassed.

  He returned to his story. ‘So, many generations ago, the Queen and her Protector brought to Earth a diamond ring soaked in the magical essence of the Sacred Dewdrops, an embodiment of the most powerful Magic of all. As you know, Ella, to bring the Dewdrops themselves would have posed too great a risk to the natural balance of Magus. Her Royal Highness made contact with the Clearheart of Old, Sarafina, an ancestor of yours. For even the essence of the Sacred Dewdrops must be accompanied on Earth by a Clearheart, their Earthly guide and protector, at all times. As you well know.’ Don Posiblemente leaned forward and picked up his milkshake again. He slurped at it deeply and sat back.

  ‘With the extra potency afforded her when wearing the ring, the Queen set about recalibrating the Spirit Trees,’ Don Posiblemente continued, ‘drawing sources of sap from them once more. The results were not as successful as they would have been if the Dewdrops themselves had been present, but the Giants’ situation was somewhat improved. Not that the Giants appreciated this. They were very angry with the Queen for not bringing the Dewdrops themselves to Earth and fixing the problem entirely.

  ‘One evening as the Queen worked, as best she could without the Dewdrops themselves, there was an act of Grand Treason of the Highest Order.’ Don Posiblemente looked at the children gravely. ‘The Queen was working on the Great Gum of Gommoronahl, the very tree that fed the Lord of Gommoronahl, Thomas Brackenrack the Giant, and his younger brother Bolgus. Bolgus himself was keeping watch over the Queen as she worked. On this particular evening, however, Bolgus, lured by the smell of sap drifting mysteriously across the plains, had wandered off to investigate. As night fell Bolgus had not returned. Then the Queen heard Bolgus calling for help. Rather than abandoning her task, the Queen sent Wrinkles and Sarafina’s Protector to help him. While they were gone, a great wind came from the west, heading straight for the Great Gum itself. Now this was no ordinary wind. It was a whipwailing wind. A wind that gathers such force that it takes the form of a ghostly beast. A wind that no righteous Magical would ever conjure, for it is a wind that whips things away. It is a thieving wind.

  ‘It is impossible to know how this wind could have targeted the Great Gum so precisely, in the middle of the Nullarbor Plain in Australia, where there are no trees. However, the wind aimed itself at the Queen and almost succeeded in whipping her up and carrying her away. Had it not been for Sarafina, who bravely put herself in the way of the wind until the Protectors returned, who knows what might have happened. As it was, Wrinkles was able to get the Queen out of danger, returning her to Magus through a dewdrop on the Great Gum. But the Queen was very nearly whipped away by the wind, stolen, taken, gone.’

  Ella and Charlie listened with bated breath. Charlie’s mouth hung open over the straw of his milkshake, and the only sound that could be heard in the room was that of a solitary Literditty, realising it could be a long night, turning the page of her book.

  ‘Bolgus Brackenrack, who was supposed to be keeping watch over proceedings, was still trapped—by a root caught around his leg. The Protectors had not been able to free him. Which is a terrible tragedy, for the Clearheart, your ancestor, and her Protector, were killed in their battle against the wind,’ said Don Posiblemente, his eyes dipping sadly. ‘If Bolgus had been able to get to them, perhaps he could have saved her.’ Don Posiblemente sighed. ‘Anyway, somehow Bolgus freed himself only minutes after the whole tragedy had occurred and arrived too late to help. Until you were born, no other Clearheart has walked the Earth.’

  Ella’s hand was shaking when she pulled out her inhaler and took a big suck. There had been another like her! The thought was reassuring and strange at the same time. Charlie’s straw dropped out of his milkshake and onto the floor.

  ‘The Grand Duke and the Elf Queen held the Giants responsible for the wind’s attack and the tragic death that came with it, of course’ said Don Posiblemente. ‘For no-one else but the Spirit Tree and the Brackenracks knew of the Queen’s presence on Earth. They believed that the wind had been sent by the Giants to kidnap the Queen so they could hold her to ransom until the Dewdrops themselves were delivered to Earth to fully restore their sap. The Magicals did not believe for a moment that Bolgus, being a giant of such enormous strength, could have had his leg trapped by a root on a plain where the only tree was an ailing Spirit Tree. They were sure the whole pretence had been a trap.

  ‘The Magicals forswore all contact with the Giants from that day forth. And Lord Thomas of Gommoronahl forswore all contact with Magicals in return, horrified that the Giants could be so maligned, for he declared their innocence in no uncertain terms. In his opinion they had been entirely wrongly accused. It was a coincidence, he claimed. Nature is not controlled by any creature in totality, it was simply a wild wind. And Bolgus’s leg being trapped at precisely the time of the tragedy was a terrible and uncontrollable coincidence.’ Don Posiblemente paused and took another slurp of his milkshake. ‘Although I sometimes wonder whether Thomas believes this himself, for I understand that the brothers fell out over this whole terrible affair and never spoke to one another again. After all, it does sound rather suspicious.’ Don Posiblemente shook his head. ‘The Giants were left with their sap still not fully recovered,’ he continued. ‘Which is why they sleep almost always these days. Pretty much constantly, in fact. To preserve their energy.’

  Don Posiblemente took his leave for a moment. Charlie and Ella stared at one another in disbelief. When he returned, he continued his story.

  ‘As you know, our Flitterwig ancestors recorded all they could remember of Magical History in the Flitterwig Files, including the Prophecies of the Clearheart. Of a Flitterwig child with a clear heart of pure intention who would first bridge the divide between the Magical and the Flitterwig worlds (as you have already done, Ella), and then bridge that between the Magicals and the Giants, the tiny and the enormous, if you will. The Tomes told of the fact that trust would be broken between the Magicals and the Giants and that the divide between big and small, light and heavy, must be bridged with human blood. To find a mean. The middle way. Moderation in all things. A guide on Earth to keep Magicals on course.

  ‘And now, perhaps that time has come. For what is recorded and remembered in the Flitterwig Files says that only the Clearheart can summon the Giants to undo the damage done, and there has been no Clearheart on Earth since your ancestor was whipped
away in the wind. I thought the reason for such a summoning would be a little more exciting than the disappearance of a pixie. But I must trust my instincts and believe the time is now. So I will reveal to you the secret incantation to raise Thomas Brackenrack, Lord of Gommoronahl. And you must listen closely.’

  chapter 12

  losses & lunatics

  It had become increasingly clear to the good Ms Wheelbarrow that Ella and Charlie were missing. Neither of them had been at yoga that morning when the bluebells rang. Nor were they present at breakfast. By lunchtime the headmistress was certain, having searched in the Waters and sent teachers across the grounds of Hedgeberry to look for the two children, that they were nowhere on the premises. She even consulted the Spirit Tree, as it was bound to tell her the truth, but the oak knew nothing. And the white elves, but they were making little to no sense at all!

  Ms Wheelbarrow had little option but to wait. If the children did not appear by teatime, she would have to call their parents (or grandparents, in Ella’s case) to see if they had appeared at home.

  At two o’clock in the afternoon, Ms Wheelbarrow was visited by Gloria Ulnus.

  ‘I’ve been watching Ella Montgomery, Ms Wheelbarrow,’ the child told her.

  Ms Wheelbarrow was not particularly fond of Gloria Ulnus. Gloria’s parents were too involved in D.O.R.C. for Wheelbarrow’s liking, even though she was a fellow Dryad Flitterwig. Plus, the girl was far too sure of herself for her own good. But there were students lost, and all information was good information at this point.

  ‘Yes, Gloria,’ said Ms Wheelbarrow, ‘and this is relevant how?’

  ‘Well, I saw her and Charlie Snoppit leave their dormitories last night,’ said Gloria. ‘And I saw them out by the mulberry bush with Humphrey Scrumphries and that Marshlin Flitterwig boy who’s top in Mr Frollick’s class. But then Samantha Wallow bumped into me and knocked me over and I never saw where they went.’