The Amulets (An 'Amulets of Andarrin' tale) (8 page)

Jack couldn’t help but laugh “Pixies and fairies! Can this weekend get any stranger” he said walking on, sharing the laughter with the rest of the group.

A few yards on, Delaius stopped and smiled, voices could be heard in the distance and they could all see the trees ending in front of them.

“Ah we’re here.” Delaius said as they came out of the trees. “Turns out I’m not a crazy old fool after all” he smiled.

“Well you were right about the first thing…” Jack said jokingly.

“Come on” Delaius laughed.

They exited the woods towards the sound of joyous shouts and laughter and, looking out on the fields before them, they saw over two hundred acres littered with tents, stages, bonfires, bright lights and hundreds of people scattered about enjoying the entertainment.

The smell of burning wood from the bonfires filled the air and Jack grimaced every now and then as the overpowering smell of horse drifted through the air.

The carnival site was filled with people from throughout Nanantharim. They walked through small wooden gates, between two large tents with peddlers selling bracelets and charms in one and hot bagels and different varieties of bread in another. The four of them were amazed to see that most of the throng were wearing unfamiliar light clothing; the men wore tunics, boots and shirts, all tied with laces, not a button or zip in sight. The women could be seen in thin dresses, which hung down to their knees or ankles, above sandals or bare feet. Children ran around the array of tents chasing one another. It was a strange variety of people and the dress reminded them of the middle ages. A large number of people wore light hooded robes of many different colours; green, dark blue, brown, black, scarlet, violet, though most had their hoods down to reveal their long or short, dirtied, rough or beautiful hair.

The group noticed that there were a large number of soldiers walking around clad in armour. A long sword hung down at the side of each soldier and Jack couldn’t help but notice a lion rampant emblazoned on the top left of each of their breastplates.

“What are those lion symbols on their armour” he asked Delaius.

“They show their allegiance. The lion is the sign of the Fenverau, and as the Fenverau host this festival each year they run security for the Gargants who have no desire to take part in it.”

“The Gargants?”

“Yes, the one’s whose land this is. They have allowed this part of their land to be used for the festival for the best part of two decades now, at a cost of course.”

“Why don’t these Fenverau people just host it in their homeland?”

“
Fenver is far off at the edge of the western lands bordering the Harengow Sea, whereas the Gargants’ land is in the center of Nanantharim, the only major continent on the world to which it gives its name, people from every part of Nanantharim come each year for the entertainment and, to make it easier for everyone, it was decided that the festival would be best placed here as this is the nexus to most of the on and off world gateways. So they came to an agreement with the Gargants to rent out this land. It is a festival that unites the people of Nanantharim and keeps alliances strong.”

They were stunned into silence as they slowly edged through the swarms of people. No-one paid them a second glance because there were so many oddly dressed people from different parts of this strange new world that they could have been from a far off country.

“Come on.” Delaius said after they had stopped for a few seconds to watch a man juggle with three flaming sticks whilst his companion, slipped a flaming sword down his throat. They watched as the jongleurs displayed their skills to an appreciatively applauding audience.

They walked on through the sideshows and stalls for a good ten minutes before they arrived at two red tents with the roofs rising to a point in the center. Delaius lifted the hanging that covered the entrance to one and shepherded Aaron, Jack and William in. Helena took Frankie and Lily into the tent next to it.

Jack walked in to the smell of vanilla, and noticed an incense stick burning in its holder on the top of a table, a small glass lamp that had flames burning inside it sat next to it and lit up the tent. It wasn’t the only lamp in there though; there were at least half a dozen dotted around.

A red and black fur rug covered most of the floor and, but for four folded up blankets that sat at the edge of the rug, the rest of the tent was empty.

“This is where we sleep tonight” Delaius said as the breeze sent the side of the tent billowing.

“You can leave your back pack here whilst you explore the festival, it will be safe.” He told Aaron who obliged and, taking it off, placed it under the table. “The girls are next door, now I need to go and see…” Delaius started.

“Delaius old friend…” a man said as he entered the tent.

“Ah, Hobbins, yes.
Welcome my friend” Delaius said facing the man and shaking his hand.

Hobbins was a small, stout man with a mild demeanour, he burst with energy and life and Jack guessed he must have been in his fifties. He was wearing a long thin blue robe and beamed with excitement.

“Delaius, so good to see you old chap. Have you seen, those bloody barbarians are back again this year, with their fur coats and those matching bloody boots? It’s the middle of summer for heaven’s sake. Ah well what are you going to do.”

“Yes well, each
to their own. Now” he said turning to Jack and Aaron and introducing them.

Hobbins shook their hands joyfully.

“And you know William.” Delaius said.

“Aye, you old dog” he said winking at him as Delaius continued.

“Now I need to leave you for a few hours, but you’ll be in good hands with Hobbins. Don’t fret, you can do whatever you please, go and have fun, he’s just here to make sure you don’t get lost or…well…you’re in an unfamiliar place, you might run into unnecessary trouble, so Hobbins will keep you out of it.”

“Well Williams here.” Jack said.

“Yes but William is busy tonight.”

“Sorry lads, but I promised Helena I’d take her to one of the shows here. Date night” He said apologetically.

“Fair enough”

“Don’t worry boys.” Hobbins interjected. “I’ll keep my distance. Like a ninja. That’s right isn’t it; you have ninjas in your world?”

Jack and Aaron looked happily at Hobbins who was so full of energy he couldn’t keep still.

“Well at least I think that’s what they’re called. Keep to the shadows and are unseen until the last second. Yes that’s me.”

“Right, well…” Delaius began. “Time is short; we’re well into the night already. So I best be off and I’ll see you lot later.”

Jack and Aaron didn’t want to be left with this talkative stranger but Delaius left them no option when he and William walked out of the tent. They followed him and met with the girls outside and, with Hobbins’ stories running as a background commentary, William and Helena said they were going to watch a show and walked off arm in arm. Jack and his friends quickly decided to head out and see what the festival was all about. They had hoped Hobbins would have quietened down at that point but instead he went on and on about things none of them had any idea about.

“We fought in the rebellions we did, ooh tough days those were….” And “Lived there all my life….mind you gets a bit cramped with all the kids in the house…”

He stopped talking as two guards in their thick armour with their lion symbols walked up the trail and passed them, gazing at them momentarily as they passed before ignoring them again and strolling on.

“They say there’s a Noru-Varem in these areas” Hobbins started again “that’s why there’s an increase of guards this year. Nasty creatures they are, thankfully they’re quite rare. Never come across one myself but I heard that Delaius had an encounter with one once, though he’s never spoken of it so I couldn’t confirm it myself.”

“What’s a Noru-Varem?” Lily asked which everyone else grimaced at because now he had even more reason to babble.

“Ah yes, forgive me. It is the name given to rogue werewolves. Since werewolves that are turned are instantly imprinted with loyalty to the clan of the one who turned them, wolves only ever turn a being, rather than kill, in order to increase the number of their pack, of course it’s illegal but that doesn’t mean it’s not done. Well, if one is left for dead but survives, rare as it is, then they are alone. The newly turned, in a clan or not, have to fight their own anger which builds like a wildfire inside them. Those within clans find peace of mind around their new families but those who had been left to die alone are driven to the one who turned them. It is a natural mechanism, they are filled with rage and without a clan for help and guidance they are slowly consumed by the rage inside them, it is much like an infection. After a short time they lose sight of who they were and become wilder than the wolves you know in your world. They become mindless beasts and they are unable to take their previous form again and instead spend their lives as a werewolf, but aggressive beasts, unable to stop themselves from attacking anything in their path”

“So do they still seek the ones that turned them after they turn to Noru-Varem?” Jack asked curiously.

“After seven days they become Noru-Varem, they lose the imprint and the memory of their former selves, they have no desire to hunt their maker down and instead they simply wander. But although they are werewolves they are distorted versions of wolves, stretched and mutated, it’s not pretty that’s for sure”

“That sounds terrible.” Lily said troubled by what Hobbins had told them as they left the area of the field allocated to sleeping tents.

“Yes, yes it’s quite sad really but never mind that now, they are sad stories and the last thing you want is to have your night ruined by talk of such things….”

And just as they all thought he was going to finally be quiet he began babbling again. Though now they’d had enough and tried to ignore him by increasing their speed in hope that he’d give up talking to them if he saw their attention was elsewhere and they headed through the throng until they reached a large open space where
dozens of people were gathered.

It was a clear night and the stars lit up the sky in their millions and a soft breeze swept through the festival but by no means was it cold. Jack had noticed that with all the fires and people around that it seemed warm everywhere they went.

They were on their way to the large tent which they could see far off down the field when they heard loud shouts coming from an open area behind half a dozen tents in which had gathered dozens of people.

“…..and the fiery beast swept up from out of his cave in the mountain and saw his brother raining down fire on the villagers and so the red dragon flew down to intercept and fought him off and saved the villagers, but they said that one day at a Fenvairie Festival the fire dragon would return to kill the descendants of his enemies…I come from a place beyond the mountains and I have seen the black dragon…”

Hobbins, along with Jack, Lily, Aaron and Frankie stepped into the opening and looked at the speaker standing on a small wooden box wearing a long violet robe. He was gesturing with his hands as he captivated the audience with his words.

“Ah! Andrei, you’ll love this.” He told them. “Comes here every year, Andrei, a good man.”

“Alright, shut up will you, we’re trying to listen.” Aaron said unable to contain himself.

“Ah yes sorry” he smiled and gazed at the man in the violet robes on stage, his tall thin figure and captivating words enthralling his audience.

“You say the fire
dragon’s gone, I say, with thunder and fire, heart and gold, hear my words my thundering soul, the fire dragon returns through burning cloud…”

Suddenly everyone looked up and they all screamed and cried as high up in the sky, clouds formed and began blazing with fire as the sky rumbled to life above them, suddenly the fire clouds burst open and a gigantic black dragon the size of a football field flew towards them.

Its scaly body was strong and tough, it’s monstrous jaw dropped and its mouth gaped open, fire spewing from between its slavering teeth.

It thundered towards the crowd roaring as it came and everyone in the open area before Andrei gasped and screamed with fear.

Andrei wasn’t looking at the dragon high up in the sky nor did he seem afraid, instead he gazed unblinkingly at his panic stricken audience.

“But wait! The red dragon returns to save us…” Andrei cried from his podium.

And as the fire dragon hurtled down towards them with fire burning in its mouth a red dragon of equal size and strength appeared and, with a roar that echoed through the sky, it flew into the side of the oncoming dragon and tore into its neck with its huge mouth and they both went crashing down over the fields and out of sight. The audience ran around the tents towards where the two giant creatures had disappeared.

Jack and Aaron were about to make a run for it as well but Hobbins stopped them.

“No point in following them.”

“But the dragons...”

“There ain’t no dragons this side of Erialor…it’s a trick of the mind”

“He’s right” Andrei called as he jumped down from his stand and walked over to them.

“Andrei Evansten’s the name, getting rid of pests me game” he said referring to the crowd of people he’d just sent off chasing an illusion. “Hobbins!” he smiled.

“Andrei, so good to see you, here again and up to the same old tricks?”

“Never gets old. There’s a new one born every minute.”

“That was amazing honestly, so they weren’t really there, how
did you do it?” asked Lily.

“I mastered the art in school.”

“A tough subject to learn and there aren’t many that can” chuckled Hobbins. “Andrei has a rare gift”

“Now, now, I’m not that great” Andrei said modestly “now if I could master the art of trans-differentiation, that would be something.”

“What’s that?” Lily asked.

I know this Jack thought before starting without realising it “It’s when an organism transforms the state of cells and makes new ones…isn’t it” he added seeing the stunned looks on his friends’ faces.

“More or less” Andrei smiled.

“What?
Discovery channel.” Jack explained seeing they were still looking at him as if he shouldn’t have known it.

“It’s impossible” Hobbins said.

“Nonsense! How can it be impossible? We use magic to do the same process, if we could only understand it…” he said thoughtfully.

“Anyway I’m babbling, and who might these be, ah yes Jack, I presume. And Lily” he said pointing to Frankie who quickly corrected him, “ah apologies, and you must be Aaron?” he said.

“Yes, how did you know?”

“I am good friends with Delaius, he has told me much about you and your adventures and I presume that’s why you’re here is it not?”

“Andrei here is on the council due to his mastery of the art of illusion.” Hobbins said changing the subject.

“So what’s this council for?” Frankie asked.
“Performers?”

“Performers!”
Andrei exclaimed as if wounded by the comment. “Nonsense girl. We safeguard and uphold the law. I’m part of the council for your world. We make sure you’re not bothered by anything you class as unnatural.”

“So it’s a council comprised of wizards?”

“Well yes, but we each specialise in something. Each wizard and witch studies many disciplines of magic but during their higher education they choose a specialty, much like your people do during their studies.” He paused before continuing.

“Everyone on the council is capable of performing a lot of the same magic but each of us has an aptitude for certain skills, even if we have the same training. I specialised in illusion. I can make people see what I want them to see, with the right application of course, but I mastered it and I am able to do it on a much grander scale than most, much like you’ve just seen.” He smiled impressed with himself.

“He wasn’t always on the council though, go on, tell them.” Hobbins said like an excited child. It was if he was doing his best to impress the group, especially Jack whose side he never seemed to leave.

“Well I don’t know if you’ve heard about the Redmond rebellions?” Andrei started.

“Well after the part I played in the rebellion the council offered me a place. They were short of numbers after that war and they had taken a shine to my abilities. Well of course if you get approached by the council you don’t turn them down. So I joined and have been a member ever since, two decades now I believe” he said and Hobbins nodded to confirm it.

“Well, what did you do?” Jack pressed.

“Well, in short, I gave a squadron of enemy forces something to look at whilst a number of allies snuck into the castle of Lygard. That was the day Redmond fell. It wasn’t easy either.” He said as his eyes seemed to be watching a scene from the past, and not with any pleasure.

“But…that’s enough about me, you don’t want to sit here all night talking about war stories, go on and enjoy the festival” he said.

Jack would have happily stood there a while longer hearing Andrei’s tales but he knew that they wouldn’t get another chance to see what a Nanantharim festival had to offer again and so he and the group said their goodbyes and carried on their way, weaving in and out of tents, stopping every now and then to look at the small stalls when something unusual caught someone’s eye, occasionally picking items up for a closer look.

“What do you think” Frankie asked Aaron as she tried on a silver bracelet which had a serpent engraved around its circumference.

“I think it looks ridiculous.”

“Well I best get it then.”

Aaron lifted his eyebrows and strolled on between the stalls.

“You’re like an old married couple you two.” Jack laughed, following him.

As they edged past yet more stalls they could see people making their way into a large tent further down the field from which the sound of applause could be heard.

“Let’s go and check that out.” Jack said intrigued.

They had been around the stalls for longer than they both would have liked and both were becoming fed up of the stalls and being hassled at every turn.

“Oi you two” Aaron said shouting to the girls, who were enjoying the banter with the stall holders, as they checked out the exotic wares on display. “We’re just going to check out what’s going on in that big tent over there.” He told them before the girls waved back in acknowledgement.

“How’s about a pretty necklace” the stall keeper was saying, waving a thin chain at them that look as if it was rusting “for pretty girl I sell cheap, only four
crubles, or you pay in fenver, I sell for seven frehs. Ah come on maybe boyfriend buy for you” he said referring to Frankie who was shocked.

“Boyfriend?
I’m a girl” she said shocked whilst Lily burst into laughter, but the stall holder looked just as shocked.

“You not boy, then why you dress with these boy pants, come, all the more reason to buy, pretty necklace make you look less like boy and more like woman, hmm” the man was saying to Frankie in his foreign accent.

“Boy! And boy pants?” she retorted angrily and open mouthed at his rudeness whilst looking from her pants and back at the man, Lily thought she was going to attack him. “She’s wearing pants” Frankie argued referring to Lily.

“
hey don’t bring me into this” Lily laughed.

“Yes but she has
teets, see” he said gesturing suggestively towards Lily’s breasts.

Frankie’s noticed her hoody concealed the outline of her own breasts “that’s because I’m wearing a hoody, you pig. And you can stick that rusty old piece of rubbish up…”

“I think what the young lady here is trying to say” Hobbins rushed in, ushering the girls away “is that she’s not interested, thank you.”

“…and my breasts are just fine I’ll have you know…” she shouted as Hobbins marched them off to catch up with Jack and Aaron. They caught up with them just as they were about to enter the large tent. Lily immediately began to tell them about what had just happened, complete with mock accent and elaborate hand gestures. A few minutes and a lot of laughs later from an amused Aaron and Jack, they headed into the large tent that Jack was keen to investigate.

When they moved inside there were benches either side of the aisle by which they had entered. They were arranged around a large wooden circular stage occupying the center of the
room. All the seats were full and so the five of them stood in the passageway to observe the stage.

In the centre of the stage sat a small wooden cage in which half a dozen birds flapped around trying to escape. A trapeze hung from two ropes above the center of the circle and, on either side of the stage, a set of steps led up to a platform to which was fastened a trapeze; on each platform was a monkey.

One was a Japanese macaque with thick grey fur and a bright red face. It stood unmoving and it seemed to have an almost human gaze. The one on the opposite platform was a howler monkey, with black fur all over its body gazing serenely at the audience through big brown eyes. The monkeys were glancing at the cage of birds and each other as the air of expectancy in the tent became unbearable.

A drum roll sounded and the howler monkey stood up opposite the grey macaque. Simultaneously, the two monkeys grabbed their trapezes and leapt off their platforms. After a couple of swings to syncronise their timing, the howler monkey
somersaulted through the central trapeze wires and over the macaque whilst the grey macaque swung from its own trapeze skimming the central trapeze bar. With immaculate timing, the monkeys caught the opposite trapezes and swung back up to the platforms to boisterous applause from the audience.

Moments later both monkeys swung out on their trapezes, clutching them with their prehensile feet and swinging their trapeze in increasing arcs. Suddenly a light shone on the cage below and the top shot off, the birds flew out and up towards the roof.

The monkeys grabbed a bird in each hand as they flew by and, as they reached the top of their next arc, they performed a graceful backflip, falling unnaturally slowly to land side by side on the stage. As they landed the lights went out for a moment and when they came on, the two monkeys now appeared to be a man and a woman holding the birds. They bowed to the audience and, as they did so, they were enshrouded by a cloud of smoke which cleared to reveal an empty stage but for the birds perched on the empty box.

Jack, Lily, Aaron and Frankie were all in awe, they couldn’t believe their eyes. The crowd burst into applause, making the tent walls billow with their roars of appreciation. Everyone was on their feet and the group couldn’t help but join in, it was truly amazing.

As they were walking off they turned to Hobbins, eager now to have him talk and explain what they had witnessed.

“They’re Fenverau … some Fenverau can change can’t they, when they reach adolescence, usually about the age of twenty I think, though sometimes it happens sooner, and in some cases later, I knew a guy…” he began but seeing their expressions he decided to get back on track “yes well, when they reach adolescence some of them find that they are able to change form. It is only ever into one form but they can develop the ease of change by spending time with that species, or so I believe, but I’m no expert, some say it’s just magic. Another surprising thing is that they age very slowly, living up to twice the age of a normal man or wizard. It’s rather annoying really. I know one guy who’s a hundred and fourteen and he doesn’t look a day over fifty…but anyway, there is a lot to see and not much time, we had best be moving on.”