Chapter four – Family reunion
Robin immediately looked over his shoulder when he heard it. The sharp crackling noise coming from behind him made him jump so badly that he was now shaking from the shock. His pupils widened with fear as the perspiration dripped from his forehead. Surely they can't be breaking through the borders already! They can't be, the Gautje hadn't been completed yet and they can't have found out the secrets of how to break free. Unless… no… they didn't have a spy for them on the night the Order had used the Gateway to the Moon did they? There it was again, the crackling noise. Robin began to breathe heavily as he desperately rummaged through his mind for something to do to defend himself. Loud footsteps came closer and closer to the terrified boy, and he was now beginning to back up slowly in coward ness.
"Ah Kienoi!" came the reassuring sound of Epiybu's voice. "Whatever's the matter my dear boy? You look as if you've seen a servant of the Forces." Epiybu looked concerned as he emerged from the bushes, his metallic purple cloak ripped in several places and his face covered in soot and dirt, with a few minor scratches on his forehead and arms.
"Oh it's only you Sir." Robin breathed his mind at rest. "I thought you were one of the servants, I heard a sharp crackling noise and thought they were escaping from the borders and… are you alright Sir? You seem terribly compressed!"
"Ah, yes. Well you see Kienoi Robin, I had a little business to attend to and it went a bit, shall we say, faulty? That's what the crackling that you heard was. I was using greater magic to transport away though the other realms. Someday I will teach the Order this but it will take time as it is far too dangerous to go quickly. Anyway, how come I bumped into you at this time of night in a place like this?"
Kienoi Robin gulped in dread. "Erm… I was… I was just…"
"You were just trying to contact your parents again."
Kienoi dropped his head in shame and upset. His parents had perished in the flames of a fire caused by greater magic the year before. That was how he became the first member of the reformation of the Order when Epiybu had rescued him from the hands of a Knix, a powerful follower of the Forces. The Forces had sent the Knix to destroy him when they discovered he was to be the Speaker of the Order, part of the group that was destined to demolish the Forces.
"Robin," Epiybu said softly. "Robin, there's nothing to be ashamed of. I understand how you feel but it's too dangerous to try contacting them on your own at this stage in time. I promise you that when the Order is complete, you can all work together to contact them and then when you're more experienced you can do it on your own." Epiybu gently placed his wide, weather-worn hand on Kienoi's shoulder.
The young boy bravely held back the tears while he said in a croaky voice "I understand."
Lizzy smiled when she saw her grandmother waiting for her at the school gates when she exited the building. She very rarely got to see her dear grandmother as her mother was always arguing with her about anything and everything. Lizzy ran towards her grandmother with open arms ready to welcome the soft scent of lavender and the warmth of her thick velvet cloak.
"Lizzy my darling, it's been so long since I last saw you! I decided that I should make the effort and meet you at school to walk you home, and then hopefully I may be able to stay for tea if you're mother has calmed down about me!" Elsie called to her granddaughter as she hugged her tightly.
"Oh grandmother I've missed you so much! It was very nice of you to come and meet me, now I can enjoy my walk home."
They both laughed and chatted about what had been happening in their lives since they last saw each other, catching up like old friends. Lizzy did wonder whether she should tell her grandmother about the strange visitor, but decided against it when she remembered how panicky she gets about those sorts of things! Instead she just bit it back and carried on talking about how her parents were whilst they sauntered through the park leading to her home.
"Lizzy is there something you wish to tell me? You look as though you're trying to hide something!" Elsie asked softly, but Lizzy just shook her head and entered through the doors leading to the warmth of her house.
Once inside they both breathed in the fresh taste of creamed potatoes, a cheap but very tasty meal indeed. They walked through the hallway to the room where her mother was stood at a steaming pewter cooking pot hanging over a lukewarm fire, with one hand placed firmly on her hip and the other holding a wooden spoon. She wore a green blouse with a flaring brown skirt and a black halfway pinny, with her hair held up loosely by a plain ageing ribbon. She turned round and her eyes lit up with delight when she saw her beloved daughter stood in the doorway.
"My darling! You're home! Come in, warm yourself up by the fire and I'll make you a hot cup of orange and….. Oh …. Mum….. This is a nice surprise!" her voice went from a bubbly and delightful tone to a dull, almost silent sound.
"Ah well we can't stay enemies forever can we Maggie? After all, we are family!" Elsie moved forward towards her daughter and held her in a tight embrace. Maggie responded and slowly placed her arms around her estranged mother to welcome her back into her life once again. At that very moment a middle-aged man with jet black curls arrived through the doorway.
"Elsie! Long time since I last saw you and it's a pleasure to see you again." He said cheerfully before kissing her cheek politely.
"Oh hello Michael, I suppose I better apologise for my rude behaviour towards you before."
"Ah it doesn't matter, what happens in the past is left in the past as far as I'm concerned." He walked over to his wife to plant a kiss on her lips, and then asked "Do I smell creamed potatoes for dinner?"
Maggie raised her eyebrows and replied "Yes. The stove has broken again so I hard to it the hard way over the fire."
"Again?" Michael exclaimed. "But I only fixed it last week! Ah well, someday we'll afford a new one."
As the reunited family sat down to enjoy gossip and creamed potatoes, Lizzy's mind wandered back how Epiybu had known her name and told her she was some 'Walker' from an Order of some sort. She hadn't quite understood what he was he was trying to tell her, and to make matters worse she didn't dare tell her parents about him, especially in front of her grandmother who was sure to see this as another excuse to fall out with them. Lizzy quickly decided that she would tell them if anything else happened, that was her best bet. After all, nothing bad was going to happen…was it?