First published 2020 © Twinkl Ltd of Wards Exchange,

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Copyright © Twinkl Ltd. 2020

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and

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Twinkl Educational Publishing

 CONTENTS
Chapter 1 Grandma’s Attic 1

Chapter 2 The Seal of Felrin 15

Chapter 3 The Magical Teoquat Fruit 26

Chapter 4 A Kidnapping 43

Chapter 5 The Empty Well 62

Chapter 6 The Resistance  76

Chapter 7 An Unexpected Turn  92

Chapter 8 The King’s Ball  113

Chapter 9 A New Beginning  126

Chapter 10 The Short Crawl Home 138

 Chapter One
Grandma’s Attic

T he final, twisted road to Grandma Jenny’s house

was the most exciting and the most terrifying part
of the journey. The rough track snaked up the steep hillside
as trees loomed heavily, their leafy fingers scraping against
the windows of the car. Tyres crunched loose gravel and
brittle twigs while the engine groaned. Pressed into the
middle seat, Cole bounced up and down, squashed between
his big brother and little sister.

“It’s a bit like a journey to another world, isn’t it?” said Cole,
craning over his sister, Mara, to catch a glimpse of Grandma
Jenny’s house through the trees. “It’s like a window through
time...”

“I’m trying to sleep,” said Liam, as Dad swung the car

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 Cole’s Kingdom Grandma’s Attic

round a tight bend, causing the wheels to skid. Cole was about to respond with something that he knew
would get him into trouble when, out of the corner of his
Cole ignored his brother. “I mean, Grandma Jenny’s house eye, he spotted the house on the hill. “Look! There it is.”
must be a hundred years old at least. It’s so crumbly.”
“Hey! Get off,” said Liam, as Cole threw himself sideways to
“Nearly three hundred,” Mum corrected. peer out of the window. Through the trees, Cole could see the
dark stone and pointed gables of Grandma Jenny’s house.
“She doesn’t have a proper TV, either – just that boxy thing, She’d lived there ever since she was a little girl but soon, she
and her phone is stuck to the wall. I mean, it has buttons! would be leaving forever.
It’s like she lives in a museum.”
Grandma Jenny was nearly eighty. Her hands trembled
“Well, don’t tell Grandma that, for goodness’ sake,” said and her knees quaked. These days, when she made a cup of
Mum. “You’ll hurt her feelings.” tea, she only filled it halfway so as not to spill it and, when
she tackled the stairs, more often than not, the stairs won.
“They didn’t even have TVs three hundred years ago,” Mara That was why she was moving out of her narrow, wonky
scoffed without looking up from her book. “Even I know that, old house and coming to live with Cole and his family.
and I’m not even in high school yet.” Cole had only been three
years old when he had been adopted into the family but, for as After another bumpy minute, the car pulled to a stop
long as he could remember, Mara had always been too clever outside the imposing front door. There was no one there to
for her own good. Now that she was nine and he was eleven, welcome them; the house looked as though it were asleep,
she never missed a chance to make him look foolish. the curtains drawn against the sunlight. Until recently,
Grandma Jenny would greet the family from the front step
“Yeah, thanks, Mara,” said Cole. the moment they arrived. She would fling out her arms
so that her three grandchildren could run for a lavender-
“You’re welcome, Cole.” She smiled in the least friendly scented cuddle and a scratchy kiss.
way possible.
“I want you all on your best behaviour, all right?” said Mum

2 3
 Cole’s Kingdom Grandma’s Attic

as they climbed from the car. “Your grandma doesn’t need “That’s more like it!” Mara grabbed her bag and sprang up
you running or shouting or moaning. This is a sad day for the steps to the front door. Cole suspected that Mara would
her, packing up her belongings to leave the house that she’s spend all day reading rather than helping. For someone
lived in for so long. So be nice.” who loved books, she couldn’t stand it when Cole came up
with his own unique brand of story.
“But why have we got to help?” Liam complained as they
unloaded empty cardboard boxes from the boot. “I’ve got Inside the house, Grandma Jenny was sitting in her usual
to practise, you know.” Not content with having recently green armchair, a cold cup of tea on the table beside
won the county swimming championship, Liam had also her. She looked smaller and paler than the last time the
just earned his Grade 5 saxophone and was now learning to family had visited, almost swamped by the intricately
play the guitar. Mum had once asked Cole if he would like to patterned blanket drawn over her knees. It bore tiny
learn to play an instrument, but he knew that this particular images of outdoor scenes, all woven together like a
achievement, like many others, was already taken. collage. She wrapped herself in it even on the hottest of
summer days and, even though it looked old and weathered,
“Please don’t tell me that I have to listen to any more it was still soft to the touch. It was her armour. She dozed,
of your ‘music’,” Mara moaned. “There’s only so much so Cole woke her up by resting his warm hand on her
clanging and clattering and squealing I can take.” wrinkled one.

“You can work with me if you like,” Cole offered. “We’ll go to “Hiya, Grandma.”
the spare room – you remember, the one with the spider webs
big enough to catch whole birds? There’ll be goblins under “Cole? Is that you?” said Grandma Jenny, waking slowly
the bed and ghosts in the sheets –” and blinking to bring the world into focus. Her grey eyes
were still bright. “Give us a kiss and a cup of tea. I don’t
“No, thank you,” said Mara. “You’re always telling tales.” mind which comes first.” Cole stooped to plant a kiss on
Grandma’s cheek, and she grinned. “Kiss it is! Now, tell me
“How about we pack up the study?” said Mum. “We can everything that you’ve been up to since I last saw you.”
decide which books to keep.”

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 Cole’s Kingdom Grandma’s Attic

Once the rest of the family had greeted Grandma and “Oops. Sorry, Grandma,” said Cole, scrambling from his
begun to traipse through the house with empty bags, boxes perch on the arm of Grandma’s chair.
and suitcases to fill, Cole told Grandma Jenny about his
friend, Leo, and his birthday party at the trampoline “No need to apologise,” said Grandma as Cole hurried to
centre that had ended with a trip to A&E and Leo’s arm the kitchen and hastily poured five cups of tea and an
in plaster. He told her about his new English teacher orange squash for Mara.
who started every class by reciting a sonnet. He told
her about how their cat had got herself stuck in the Armed with refreshments, the family split up to pack
next-door neighbour’s tree and how he had climbed the different parts of the house. Mum and Mara took the study,
tree to fetch her down. Liam was sent to pack instruments in the music room and
Dad would start with the shed – the dirtiest job of all.
Grandma smiled and nodded and asked questions in all
the right places. She was the only person who never got “...and Cole.” Grandma turned to him, her eyes sparkling.
bored when Cole told his stories. He knew that he wasn’t “How do you fancy going into the attic? It’s full of all
accomplished like Liam or brainy like Mara, but he was manner of treasures, you know.”
what his headmistress would call ‘a chatterbox’.
“Is it?” Cole asked, breathless. “I’ve never been in the attic
“...and she was yowling the whole time I was carrying before. Are there spiders? I’ve read a book about spiders
her down. It was like this.” Cole yowled long and loud. and they’re really interesting creatures. Did you know that
“She scratched my shoulder a lot, but I didn’t mind. I just there’s a spider who lives in my wardrobe?” Cole cradled
wanted her to be safe.” his tea and rocked a little on the balls of his feet. “Are you
sure that’s where you want me to go? I won’t know what
“Cole,” said Mum, “we’re dying of thirst out here.” She to do with the treasures, Grandma. I’ll probably just break
brought in another armload of empty boxes from the car, them or throw out the wrong thing.”
her face beaded with sweat. “Stop talking Grandma’s ear
off. Could you get us something to drink, please?” “Don’t worry, my dear. You are the right person for the job.”

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 Cole’s Kingdom Grandma’s Attic

“What if there are ghosts or wolves or tiny trolls in the an out-of-tune guitar and singing along to his own
dust?” asked Cole. “I don’t mind ghosts, as long as they’re made-up song.
friendly, but I want to be prepared.”
“Now, I’m stuck in this dusty old house, pretty sure I just
Grandma chuckled. “You’ll be fine. If you find anything saw a mouse…”
valuable, I’ll know that it’s in safe hands.”
At the end of the second-floor landing was a narrow
Cole had never thought about his hands being safe. They staircase that led to the attic room. The stairs were
certainly weren’t that safe when he played rugby at school uncarpeted and the floral wallpaper was yellowed and
– at least, that’s what his teacher, Mr Evans, had said. falling away from the wall in strips. Cole clutched the keys
tightly as he climbed the creaking steps.
“Mind you don’t trip over the beams,” Grandma was saying.
Then, from under her blanket, she pulled a small, silver He had never been in Grandma Jenny’s attic. When they
keyring. “You’ll be needing these.” were younger, he, Mara and Liam had often begged to be
allowed up there to explore or play games, but Grandma
Cole gripped the keys tightly in one hand and tucked an had always said that it wasn’t 'tidy enough'. Now, she had
empty cardboard box under his other arm. As he climbed trusted Cole to finish tidying for her and he was going to do
the stairs towards the attic, the voices of his family drifted his absolute best – dust trolls or no dust trolls.
through the house. Mara was deep into a book and Mum
was telling her off. The door at the top of the stairs was smaller and narrower than
a normal door and the keyhole looked ancient. Cole stared at
“But how will I know if it’s worth keeping it if I don’t read the two keys in his hand and chose the oldest-looking one but,
it to check?” when he jammed it into the rusty keyhole, nothing happened.
Selecting the second of the two, he renewed his efforts. It took
Dad was clattering around in the kitchen, cursing, a little wiggling and jiggling to get the key to turn but, when
having apparently stubbed his toe on something in the Cole put his shoulder to the door, it swung open with a heavy
shed. Somewhere on the top floor, Liam was twanging clunk, shredding stubborn cobwebs as it went.

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 Cole’s Kingdom Grandma’s Attic

The attic was long and gloomy and filled with mixed-up opened a small chest and found row upon row of large,
shapes and threatening angles. Light seeped in from three dangling earrings arranged on a cushioned tray. He was
grimy skylights and the air swam with dust. Fresh rain tapped going to need a bigger box.
its fingertips on the roof and wind whipped through the trees
outside. Cole felt very far away from everyone, as if the world He brushed by an old rocking horse and set it swinging back
and everything in it were trapped within the attic itself. He and forth, its white mane swishing. “There, boy. Shh, now.”
stuffed Grandma Jenny’s keys into his pocket and fumbled He stroked the horse’s ears until it became still, as though it
around the doorway until he found an old-fashioned light were real. He knew that it was silly, but he felt like he was
switch on a chain. When he pulled, a smattering of ancient trespassing in a sleeping world. He was nervous in case he
bulbs in ornate light fittings blinked on. woke anything that shouldn’t be disturbed.

“Woah,” Cole breathed. As he picked his way around the attic, his eyes slid over
oil paintings, porcelain dolls, ornate vases, a rusty bicycle
He had expected mouldy boxes and bags full of old clothes and and a leather saddle. Stepping closer to inspect a carved,
toys, like his family’s attic at home, but, as he stepped closer, wooden mirror with a gilded handle, Cole almost tripped
he saw that Grandma’s could not have been more different. over something soft on the ground.

Cole was standing on the edge of what looked like a model He crouched to look. A tangle of faded fabric was sitting on
town made up of the strangest collection of objects he the dusty floorboards and, even among this strange array
had ever seen, piled up in towers and heaps with narrow of objects, it looked out of place. As Cole mused, a sparkle
avenues of floorboard between them. There were cupboards of light called out to him from the centre of the fabric nest.
and dressers made of dark wood with leaves and flowers He pulled at it cautiously, revealing what looked like a
carved into their grain. When Cole opened their drawers, piece of fine jewellery snuggled tightly inside.
he found them stuffed full: silver tankards and brass
candlesticks and ancient, hard-backed books with golden, The strange object was a metal disc a little bigger than
stamped titles. Cole opened a large chest filled with clothes Cole’s palm. It was made of gleaming gold, shaped into an
that looked like they came from Victorian times. Then, he intricate pattern and encrusted with dazzling jewels. When

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 Cole’s Kingdom

he stared into the precious stones, Cole could swear that

they twirled and danced inside themselves. There were four
in total, each a different colour: green, yellow, orange and
blue. Fascinated, Cole set about running his thumb over
each jewel to remove the fine layer of dust coating them.

The effect upon Cole’s senses when his skin touched the
blue stone was immediate, and it knocked him backwards
in surprise. He felt cold and tremendously hungry; his
shoulders gave a violent shiver and he whipped his hand
away. Breathing hard, he placed a finger over the green
stone, and was immediately warmed by an inexplicable
surge of hopefulness and a breeze which ruffled his hair.
The brooch-like ornament was both heavy and weightless
and he knew that, above all the other things he had
seen in the attic, this was the most precious of all
Grandma’s possessions.

“What is this?”

Lost in the wondrous artefact, Cole did not hear the sound
of scurrying claws on the floorboards until it was too late.
Before he knew what was happening, tiny teeth had sunk
into his finger and thieving furry fingers had grabbed the
brooch from his hands.

“Ouch! What – what?”

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Cole wasn’t quite sure what he was seeing. It had the

rounded, white ears and thin, pointed tail of a mouse, but
was tall enough that its feet made an audible patter on
the floorboards as it ran. The creature clung to the golden
brooch and tore a path through the collection of treasures
towards a dank space in the corner of the attic.

“Hey! Come back here.” Cole blinked hard – was it his eyes,
or had that mouse been wearing clothes?
Chapter Two
The Seal Of Felrin
Cole dashed after it. He skidded round a bend, leapt over

C
an expensive-looking statue of a sleeping lion and was just
in time to catch sight of the mouse, now standing tall and ole crouched next to the skirting board and peered
triumphant, next to a small hole in the skirting board. through the hole. A dry heat blew from the darkness,
making his eyes water. He had expected to see nothing but
It turned to Cole and squeaked, “On behalf of King Enk of wooden beams and crumbling plaster, or else get splashed
Alfar, ruler of the land of Deriuss, you have our thanks.” by the rain coming down hard from outside. However, as
his vision cleared, he spied a long tunnel ending in a pale,
Then, it blew a particularly high-pitched raspberry and white light and the mouse bounding into the distance. Was
scuttled off into the hole. there another room there?

Without stopping to wonder how, Cole plunged first a finger,

then a hand, then his whole body into the strange space that
seemed to grow around him. The tunnel was cramped and
smelled of damp earth, and Cole crawled like a caterpillar
until he felt sunlight hitting his face. Determined to escape the
narrow tunnel into whatever room lay behind the attic wall,

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 Cole’s Kingdom The Seal Of Felrin

he scrambled up the last few feet and pushed himself off the spun on the spot. “Hey!”
ground. Breathing heavily, he looked around him, and what he
saw made his jaw drop. The mouse, which was easily the size of a large cat, was shaking
the dust and dirt out of its tunic behind a nearby tree. At Cole’s
“Wh-what?” words, it jumped and bounded off through the trees, kicking up
miniature whirlwinds with each hop. Cole followed in its wake
He was standing in a brittle, blackened forest. The ground was but his trainers slipped on the dusty ground.
hard and cracked, and the trees were tall and bare. A scorching,
white sun blazed down over everything, baking rocks and “Wait!” he yelled desperately, sprinting uphill as fast as he
plants alike, and Cole could see no buildings or people at all. could. “Come back!”

Shock and panic flooded through him. Staring in every The mouse didn’t slow.
direction, he forced himself to blink but, after reopening his
eyes for the third time and seeing no change in the scenery, he “Please!” Cole was panting already. The slope was steep but
was forced to accept that he really was standing outdoors, in the mouse bounded tirelessly upwards, clutching the strange,
what seemed to be a very hot country – and Grandma Jenny’s golden disc with its tail.
house was nowhere to be seen.
Cole felt powerless. Liam would have caught up with the mouse
The heat burned Cole’s skin through his thin jumper and he in the blink of an eye and Mara would have outsmarted the
started to sweat. Breathing hard, he whirled round to peer back creature with a trap or a trick of her own. It was all that Cole
through the tunnel, but saw that the hole from which he had could do to keep running and pleading. “Please, I need you to
emerged was now nothing more than a shadowy gap between tell me what’s going on!”
the dry tree roots. Where was he? Where was Grandma Jenny’s
attic and, more importantly, how would he get back? The mouse glanced backwards. “Leave this place, elseworlder!
This seal doesn’t belong to you!”
Just as Cole began to feel a ball of fear welling up in his
throat, a sudden eruption of dust disturbed the still air. Cole “Seal?” Cole puffed, picturing an animal with long whiskers

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 The Seal Of Felrin

and a sopping wet nose.

“It belongs to the king.” The mouse wasn’t even out of

breath. “His palace lies ahead. Take this as my one and only
warning.”

The heat dragged him down but Cole wasn’t going to give
up that easily. His heart thumped and his breath came in
sharp gasps, but he pumped his arms and legs. Grandma
Jenny had trusted him to keep safe anything that he
thought was special, and her brooch was special, all right.

Up ahead, the trees thinned and the pair burst into a

clearing dazzled by sunlight. On one side, the hillside fell
away to reveal a vast valley with a sprawl of cottages
and huts nestled at the bottom. On Cole’s other side was a
great white wall and a pair of enormous, ornately carved
gates. The wall was twice as tall as Cole’s school building
and stretched around the face of the mountain so far that
Cole thought that it must house an entire town at least.
Above his head, beyond the wall, the towers of a palace
made of pale marble reached into the sky, jutting from
the mountain ridge like a snaggle-tooth. Pointy windows
dotted the walls and the glass roofs swirled with dancing
purple and green light. There were more turrets than Cole
could count.

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 Cole’s Kingdom The Seal Of Felrin

The sound of clanging bells cut through the air as the mouse The bells had stopped ringing, and the shadow of the
ran the final paces to the gate. It stopped in the shadow of approaching figure fell over Cole. Looking up, he had to
the towering structure and appeared to be waving its tiny stifle a gasp.
paws. On the walkway above, a shadowy figure gestured
back and then, with a slow groan, the gates were heaved An enormous white wolf was walking stiffly towards them
open, revealing a dazzling aura of vibrant green and blue. on its hind legs. It was dressed in a breastplate and a red
Light spilled out onto the dry ground and the mouse stood cape, which swished lazily around the creature’s furred
defiant in its glow. Then, a tall figure the size of a man feet. Its eyes were a burning orange, and a glint around its
appeared, silhouetted between the gates, and advanced mouth gave the merest suggestion of sharp fangs.
towards the mouse.
The wolf stopped directly in front of Cole and gazed down
Gaining on the thief, Cole crossed the clearing as fast as at him, amber eyes bulging. “Who is this?” she growled.
his legs could carry him. His forehead was soaked with
sweat and his muscles burned, but there was no way The mouse huffed. “Elseworlder.” With a nervous glance at
that he was going to let this mouse steal one of Grandma the newcomer, it scampered through the gates towards the
Jenny’s belongings without so much as an explanation. As palace, leaving them alone.
he closed in, the sound of the bells rang through his head
louder and louder. Cole held his breath as the wolf prowled around him in
a circle, looking him up and down. She had long, grey
He was inches from the mouse when it bent into a deep streaks in the fur on her nose and, when her eyes fell on
bow and shouted, “A special delivery for the king: the seal the object that the mouse had called ‘the seal of Felrin’, her
of Felrin!” gaze lingered and she smiled, revealing long, sharp teeth.

“Give me that!” Cole spluttered, snatching up the shining Cole clutched the circular ornament in both hands and it
object. Startled, the mouse gave a small squeak and turned slipped and slid in his fingers, damp with sweat. The wolf
to glare at him, but a sudden silence stopped them both in was so close to his face that he could smell the hot stench
their tracks. of meaty breath.

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 Cole’s Kingdom The Seal Of Felrin

“The king will be most pleased,” she said. Her tone was soft tapestry; marble pillars supported cool, shaded balconies
but Cole could still hear a dangerous rumble hidden under and clear, crystalline pools filled stone basins. Mist from
the words. “Follow me.” a nearby water feature speckled Cole’s skin and he sighed
as the thick layer of dust covering his body was swept
Suddenly, she was marching off towards the castle gates away by a gentle breeze. Above everything towered the
and, to Cole’s amazement, so was he. He didn’t remember monumental palace with its marble turrets and, looking
making the decision to follow his new and most unusual up, Cole saw soft, white clouds which seemed to vanish at
companion, but his feet seemed to have taken control of the boundary wall as though trapped in this little oasis. It
his actions. He pocketed the metal disc and exhaled slowly. was, in every way, the complete opposite of the oppressive,
stifling heat outside the palace walls.
“It’s OK,” he muttered to himself. “It’s all OK. It’s a talking
wolf. It’s intelligent and won’t eat you. It’s probably just “But…” he started, lost for words for the first time in his
giving you a tour of the palace. It’s fine.” life. “I – but – how?”

As they passed under the arch of the gate, the most incredible Cole barely had time to register the well-dressed human
phenomenon took place. The land through which he had inhabitants of the beautiful town before his host had led
sprinted minutes ago had been dry, cracked and dusty; him up the central path through the town and onto a series
there had been no signs of life and he had been sure that of polished steps in the direction of the palace itself. He did
there could be no water for miles. No sooner had he passed a double take as two bowing badgers in blue tunics heaved
under the great stone archway, however, than the ground the great doors open and, from there, it was a short walk
beneath his feet turned luscious and green, and cool shade down a gleaming hallway to a vast throne room.
fell over his face.
As he walked, Cole spotted overgrown animals of all types
“Oh, wow,” Cole whispered. – goats, rabbits and even a pigeon – bustling through the
palace with food, fabrics and firewood. A few stopped in
The city inside the white walls burst with colour, light and their tracks to look at Cole in interest; others averted their
sensations. Flowers of all kinds decorated the walls like a gaze. All of them were dressed in fine palace livery.

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 Cole’s Kingdom The Seal Of Felrin

“Where am I? What is this place?” Cole asked, staring at The wolf ignored his question. “You talk too much,
the pillars, intricate tiles and vaulted roof. The ceiling was elseworlder.”
decorated with swirling stars and planets that glittered
with gold leaf. Unable to bear the silence that followed his Elseworlder? Cole gulped and clamped his mouth shut. He
question, he added, “Th-this is a lovely palace. Definitely the waited, listening to the footsteps growing louder and bracing
nicest thing I’ve seen today.” himself for something to appear that was even stranger than
badgers in clothes. With a soft creak, the double doors opened.
The wolf said nothing but continued to walk purposefully
across the throne room. It was a large, open space with a The man who glided into view looked human. He had a
raised dais at one end and an attached courtyard barely pointed white beard and a red velvet waistcoat, and was
visible on the other side. An ornate, upholstered chair sat very tall. He held his hands out to Cole in welcome.
proudly in the centre of the stage.
“Introductions!” said the man with a kind smile. “I
“That’s not to say that you’re not lovely,” Cole rambled am King Enk. This is my kingdom and you," he added
on. “You are a lovely wolf, aren’t you?” Then, it occurred with a flash of his dark eyes, “you are the one we have
to him that the intelligent, sharp-toothed creature might been waiting for, Cole.”
not like being talked to like the miniature poodle that lived
down the end of his street, and he stopped talking.

Along the corridor from the throne room stood a pair of

heavy doors. Some kind of tree was intricately carved
upon them and they looked old but well polished. The wolf
approached and rapped three times on the wood. A thin
echo bounced down the hallway and, from beyond the
door, footfalls approached.

“What’s through there?” asked Cole.

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 The Magical Teoquat Fruit

he had not seen or heard anything that was powered by

electricity in any of the palace’s rooms or corridors. Ancient
books, ornaments and scrolls were piled on shelves and rich
paintings hung on the walls – this was a room of treasures.

“This place feels alive,” Cole breathed, leaning close to a

tapestry of a luscious forest edging a lake with water like
white crystal. “The pictures keep moving!” He could almost
Chapter Three feel the wind in the trees and the icy cold beneath the
The Magical Teoquat Fruit water’s surface.

“I wouldn’t get too close – you might get lost in there,” warned

T
the king as he settled himself into a chair and lit a pipe.
he king’s study was like nothing Cole had ever seen
before. The walls were of veined marble and the Cole glanced over. The man’s face shimmered with reflected
ceiling was painted gold. In a vast hearth, a fire danced in light from the fire, like the porcelain plates that Grandma
flames of purple, turquoise and orange; warm, insect-like Jenny kept on her dresser in the kitchen. His eyes were
specks of light fluttered overhead. acorn-shaped and shining like marbles. When he sat, Cole
could see his whole body, which was long and gangly
“Please, make yourself at home,” said the king as they with twisted joints, making him look like he was made of
stepped into the room. splintered wood.

Cole didn’t know what to look at first. If he had thought “What is all this stuff?” Cole asked, gazing around the
that Grandma Jenny’s house was old-fashioned, this place room. On a high shelf, a glass ball spun by itself. A strange,
was something else. The room was lit by flaming torches in white mask hummed faintly. A mobile of stars and symbols
wall brackets. Empty suits of armour stood sentry behind tinkled and chimed.
the doors and the startling quiet alerted Cole to the fact that

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 Cole’s Kingdom The Magical Teoquat Fruit

“I’m a collector of magical artefacts: jewellery, trinkets Just there.” The king pointed to a large plastic box with a
and machines of every kind,” the king explained. lid. Cole lifted the lid to see an old-fashioned record player.

“Like Grandma Jenny with her attic,” Cole mused. “My grandma has a record player like this.” Cole flicked
the switch on the side of the casing, but nothing happened.
The king smiled. “Some of my treasures are from lands
beyond the mountains and over the sea. Most are local to “Your grandmother must be a powerful magician,” said
our world, Deriuss.” the king, reclining on the settee with his hands resting
on his belly.
“Your world?” Cole had suspected, since arriving through
the mousehole, that he was no longer in his own world Cole placed the tiny needle onto the record as he’d seen
– talking animals and magic clouds were definitely not Grandma Jenny do, expecting drums to rattle or a crescendo
covered in his lessons on science or world geography – but to fill the room. To his disappointment, the record remained
it was nice to hear someone confirm it. still and silent. Realising the problem, Cole chuckled.

“The world of Deriuss, yes. Of course, I send explorers to all “Not really,” he said. “It’s just electricity.” He perched on
the elsewheres looking for wonders.” an empty settee opposite the king.

At the mention of explorers raiding worlds for treasures, “These treasures come from all regions,” King Enk told him.
Cole’s finger throbbed. He recalled the image of the “Felrin in the valley, Narwan beyond the hills or right here,
knee-high mouse, and flashed with annoyance at the little in the city of Alfar.”
terror thinking that it could just come into Grandma
Jenny’s house and steal whatever it wanted. Cole was about “Alfar,” Cole repeated, chewing over the word. “That’s the
to tell the king as much when he swiftly moved the city I saw inside the walls?”
conversation on.
King Enk nodded. “It surrounds the palace. It is the jewel
“Actually, I have a marvellous device from your own world. of my kingdom. The land of Deriuss stretches as far as the

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eye can see and beyond, and for as long as there has been Is it magic? Real magic, not just a trick?”
water in its rivers, clouds in its sky and mystery in its
heart, I have been its guardian.” The king chuckled. “For Derians, it is the spirit of the
world. It is the power that we use for food, light and
Cole thought of the mirage of green that he had seen when warmth, and I alone am its master. Would you like
he had walked through the gates of the city. There had been to see some more?”
streams of crystal-clear water, low-hanging trees blooming
with fruits and flowers that created a thick, heady perfume “Oh, yes, please!” said Cole, leaning forward eagerly. “I’ve
– but the vast, parched world beyond the walls could not always wanted to do magic. I know some card tricks but
have been more different. they’re not really magic, are they? I’ve always wished I
could do things like turning someone into a slug or making
“I didn’t see any rivers or clouds outside the city,” Cole it snow or whipping up a plate of pancakes out of thin air –”
mused, and then hastily added, “I like this place, though.
It’s incredible!” Cole stopped himself at the sight of the amused expression
on King Enk’s face. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “I’ve been told
A sad smile filled the king’s face. “You are not the first that I talk too much.”
to say so. As for the rest of the world, that is where you
can help us.” The king chuckled. “A feast would be just what we need,
don’t you think?” He closed his eyes and reposed in his
The king gave a swish of his hand and the fire in the hearth chair for a few seconds, Cole watching him intently. When
turned a beautiful shade of magenta. The flames licked he opened his eyes, Cole followed his gaze and jumped with
higher beside the pair, and Cole was wrapped in a surprise as silver, jewel-encrusted platters lay on the table
gentle warmth. The journey to the palace had left him in front of him, bursting with decadent delicacies.
grimy and dirty, yet now, he felt clean and his
clothes smelled of lavender, as if freshly washed. “Dig in,” said the king.

Cole’s heart started to beat quickly. “How did you do that? Cole tucked into the food with his fingers, not sparing a

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thought for plates or napkins or cutlery. There were savoury and he sank deeper into the cushions. He grew tired and
pastries shaped like birds and sweet pastries shaped like wondered fuzzily if it was against the law to nap on the
flowers. “This is delicious,” said Cole as crumbs rained king’s settee. “I only came to Deriuss because that mouse
from his mouth. There were sugar-sweet fruits scooped into stole my grandma’s brooch and I wanted to get it back.”
colourful balls. “So amazing,” sighed Cole as juice dribbled
down his chin. After that, there was ice cream and fairy As he said the words, he looked down at his right hand.
cakes and a bowl of rich, brown goo which turned out to be Inexplicably, he had pulled the shining, circular object out
the most incredible chocolate mousse Cole had ever tasted. of his pocket without realising and was stroking it gently
“This is my new favourite food,” he declared, running his with his thumb. The lights dancing above his head were
finger around the nearly empty bowl. reflected in the shimmering jewels and he again felt a
different sensation as he passed his fingers over each one.
The king took a lilac cupcake and ate it in one swallow. “So
now, you see some of the power that the land of Deriuss “The seal of Felrin,” said the king gently. “It never belonged
holds.” to your grandma, Cole. It is an ancient Derian artefact. It
controls the magic in our land and this one has been lost
Cole collapsed onto the sofa cushions, his stomach bulging. for many decades now. Your touch was the magical charge
Somehow, the empty platters had already disappeared needed to draw my agent to you, like a moth to a flame.”
from the table and the crumbs and chocolate stains had
vanished from Cole’s clothes. The king began to walk towards the door of the chamber
and, listening hard, Cole was vaguely aware that he was
The king had stood up. “You are a special boy, Cole. Very standing up and following him. “Where are we going?” he
special indeed.” He stroked his beard thoughtfully for a asked, taking control of his legs and running to keep up
moment before running a thin hand around the edge of the with the king’s stride.
record player that Cole had played with. “You know much
about these artefacts of mine and you show great spirit.” “You need to understand why the seal of Felrin is important
to the people of Deriuss,” said the old king, “and why it is
Cole felt his face flush pink. “I’m nothing special,” he said, essential that it remains in my palace.”

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They walked along the corridor and back out into the
vast throne room with its tall windows and polished dais.
Crossing it, they stepped out into an internal courtyard,
lined with white stone arches and filled – crammed – with
twisted, gnarled fruit trees. Vines crept along the thick
palace walls in every direction and their leaves swished
from left to right almost as if they were breathing. Sunlight
streamed into the small, paved square and landed on the
most spectacular centrepiece.

It was something like a fountain or water feature that might

have been found in the gardens of a stately home. Fashioned
from yet more gleaming marble, a large carved basin
decorated with gold supported a tower of smaller bowls.
Golden leaves, flowers and fruits of all kinds wound their
way around each element of the exquisite fountain, which
gleamed as though brand new. Around its base were a score
of circular, gold seals, each one glistening with its own jewels.
Among them, a singular empty indentation suggested that
one seal was missing.

“This, Cole,” said the king in a hushed voice, “is the source of
our magic. The well here in Alfar is truly the lifeblood of the
land of Deriuss. This magic is what makes the grass grow in
the spring and the rain fall in the autumn. Without it, we
could not live. Every citizen of Deriuss depends upon it.”

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Cole gazed at the magic well in frozen awe. From its depths, pear. A strong smell oozed from its skin, not unpleasant but
a substance like nothing Cole had ever seen pooled and pungent enough to make Cole’s eyes water. It seemed that
bubbled merrily. It was neither liquid nor gas and, as Cole this whole courtyard was buzzing with magical power.
watched, it shifted and changed colour. It sped through
blues, greens and purples so quickly that Cole felt a little “As you have seen,” the king continued, “there are many
dizzy and had to look away. When he did so, he saw that parts of Deriuss that are not yet touched by the magic of
the king was watching him with interest. the Alfarian well. These seals” – he gestured at the many
circular ornaments lining the edge of the well – “are the
“And the magic that you can do,” Cole asked, “with the key to expanding the reach of our magic and, now that
food and your fire –” you have returned the final seal to us, I can restore all
of Deriuss to the prosperous land that it once was. With
The king smiled. “Ah,” he said. “That is a power afforded its return, we are complete. You have done the people of
only to those who eat of the teoquat fruit.” Deriuss a great kindness, Cole.”

Cole’s bemusement must have shown on his face because Cole looked up, and saw that the king was holding out
the king chuckled softly. He nodded towards one of the his hand. He said no words, but Cole could hear the
trees to Cole’s left. “These are teoquat trees. They are grown silent command.
of magic and bear a fruit called the teoquat which, when
eaten, has the most wondrous effects.” A distant part of Cole was determined to tuck the seal back
into his pocket and take it straight back to Grandma Jenny.
Cole examined the closest teoquat tree. The boughs were On the other hand, the image of the barren wasteland
long and twisted; it looked as though the trees had run beyond the city walls had been haunting him since he
out of space to grow in the courtyard but had carried on had first set foot in the king’s palace. He had seen villages
regardless. Its knotted branches were so entangled with and towns in the valley – people were living in that heat.
those of the trees around it that it was hard to tell where Before he could make up his mind, however, his hand had
one finished and the next began. The fruit itself was bulbous taken control and he had dropped the seal into the king’s
and heavy-looking, somewhere between an orange and a outstretched palm.

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“Thank you,” said the king, smiling. “I’ve been looking for a new apprentice – someone just
like you,” said the king as the wolf stood between them
Cole nodded. “I knew that it was special.” holding the teoquat fruit on a small platter. “There is one
condition, however.”
King Enk turned the seal of Felrin around his fingers and
the jewels flashed. “I can offer you something as a reward,” “What condition?” said Cole, gazing at the fruit. “I don’t
he said, tucking the seal back inside his waistcoat and out mind hard work and I promise to always do my homework.
of sight. “I have seen something unique in you. I believe I’ll learn whatever spells you want.”
that you could be a great magician one day.”
“You’re a good boy, Cole,” said the king. With a delicate
“Really?” Warmth grew throughout Cole’s body and he hand, he took the strange fruit off the platter and held it
suddenly felt taller, stronger and brighter. It had nothing softly, as though it were made of crystal. “I have already
to do with the delicious food or the sunlight raining down explained that to use that particular kind of magic,
on the courtyard. The king thought that he was special! you must first eat the fruit of the teoquat tree. I have
Visions danced in his head of him flying through the air consumed the fruit’s magic for many years and I am now
casting spells while Liam and Mara looked on enviously. its master.”
“Could I really learn to do magic like you can?”
Cole stared at the fruit. It did not look like it would taste
“You could,” said the king, and he raised a hand high into unpleasant – why, then, was the king looking so serious all
the air and snapped his fingers. of a sudden?

Out of the shadows of one of the arches lining the courtyard “It will be quite an event, I assure you,” Enk continued,
stepped the tall, white wolf who had delivered Cole to “but you see, this is a magical fruit. It is tied to this world
the palace. With a small bow to King Enk, she plucked and its magic can therefore only ever be used in Deriuss.
a singular fruit free from the nearest branch with her The teoquat will reveal your true nature as well as your
razor-like claws. magical potential. Once you take this magic, you must
stay in Deriuss – forever.”

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Cole swallowed. “Forever? But that’s – I mean – decision. You must be true to your heart’s desire. In that
forever forever?” case, my captain, Serla, will organise a carriage for your
safe return to the portal.” The king snapped his fingers
The king merely smiled and walked calmly around his again and the white wolf, having disposed of the fruit,
courtyard before stopping to rest on a bench, where he sat reappeared at his side. “The carriage will take you there
patiently and watched a small bird hopping around on directly. Oh, and Cole,” he added as the wolf led Cole from
the ground. the courtyard, “if you change your mind, you are always
welcome.”
Cole thought hard. At home, he had never been good at
anything – not unless you counted talking the hind legs off *
a donkey, and most people thought that was a curse, not a
skill. He could stay here, in Deriuss, and learn magic from King Enk’s carriage was nearly as sumptuous as his study.
a king! It was more than most children could dream of. Seats of dark green velvet cushioned Cole on the bumpy ride
and thick curtains offered some protection from the stifling
He took a seat next to the king and brought his hands up evening air. The oppressive heat had hit him all over as
to his face to help him to think clearly. As he did so, the soon as he had left Alfar. Looking at the darkening, silent
scent of his newly and magically laundered clothing filled world around him, Cole couldn’t find much in common
his nose: lavender, the scent which reminded him most of with King Enk’s description of Deriuss.
his grandma. He thought of his mum and dad, of Liam and
Mara and of Grandma Jenny’s sparkling eyes. Could he He was eager to get home. What if his parents had been
really leave all that behind without even a goodbye, just to looking for him? Still, as they sped through the sparse
make magical desserts? forest, Cole couldn’t help but wonder: what would it be
like to learn real magic? To live in a palace? To be the most
Cole sighed. “I’m sorry, but I have to go home. My family brilliant magician of his age?
will miss me and I’ll miss them.”
Cole was lost in a daydream when the carriage pulled to
The king smiled again, nodding sagely. “I understand your an abrupt stop. He jumped out and landed on the cracked

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ground. The grey horses that were pulling the carriage

stamped and tossed their heads.

“Thank you for the ride. I very much enjoyed my trip into
your world,” he said to them, and waited for a reply. They
simply huffed, just as horses did in his own world.

The wolf in the driver’s seat flicked the reins. With a clatter
of wheels, the carriage whirled away into the forest.
Chapter four
A Kidnapping
Cole peered through the gloom for the tree with the gap

C
between its roots. He paced around the small clearing,
thinking of magic, of lavender and the comforts of home. ole was tossed up and down on the splintery wood
He rolled up his sleeves and was just wondering if the wolf and, with his hands and legs tied and a sack
had brought him to the right place when a voice burst out covering his head, it was all he could do not to slide about
of the thicket of trees. like spilled fruit. He was going to feel sore after this journey.

“Get him!” “We didn’t need to tie him up.”

“We did! What if he escaped?”

“Maybe if we’d just explained…”

“Explained?! Explained what?”

The kidnappers had not stopped bickering since they

had captured Cole in the forest. He knew that there were

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at least two of them, one with a much higher voice than Cole’s mind was racing. If he told them that he didn’t
the other. They were now speeding through the forest on have the seal, they might let him go. But what if they did
what felt like a rickety wagon. something nasty to him instead? He shuddered. It wasn’t
worth the risk.
The higher voice continued. “If someone came up to you
and said, ‘Excuse me, but I just need to kidnap you for a “Hey! Elseworlder!” called the sharp voice. “You in one
bit, do you mind?’, what would you say?” piece?”

“I wouldn’t say anything. I’d run,” replied the lower voice. Cole froze. He clamped his lips shut underneath the hessian
sack. He couldn’t let his big mouth get him into any more
“Exactly! And then we’d be no closer to the seal.” trouble.

Cole grunted as the wagon bounced over a jagged rock, “I’m talking to you.” They reached over and shook his arm.
throwing him up in the air. With his back sore and his Cole forced his body to fall floppy. “Out cold.”
head throbbing, Cole tried to make sense of what he was
hearing. They were after the seal of Felrin! But Cole had “Typical!” groaned the voice named Piog. “Now how will
entrusted it to the king so that it could be kept safe in he tell us what we need? We might have to dunk him in the
his marble palace on the mountaintop, where it belonged. fire pits until he wakes up.”
Should he tell his kidnappers?
They were going to torture him, whether he had the seal or
“Careful how you go, Piog. We need the elseworlder alive.” not. Cole had to escape, and quickly. He lay still for a moment,
waiting. As the pair began to bicker about which route to take
“You keep distracting me,” he complained. through the forest, Cole formulated a plan.

“I could take over if you like.” A dry breeze blew through the weave of the sack, so he
was quite certain that the wagon was uncovered. He could
“I’m fine, Meeka! Stop telling me what to do.” simply throw himself over the side, but the kidnappers

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would be on him in seconds. Slowly, he inched up against With his kidnappers distracted, it was easy to pick apart
the wall of the wagon and felt along the side until he the rope with the rusty nail. With a final sharp tug, Cole’s
found a jagged nail sticking out of the wall. Easing his wrists were free and he slid the sack off his head, but
hands closer, he began to scrape his bindings up and down the glare of the maple-coloured sunset forced him to
against the nail, loosening the rope. blink rapidly. Cole looked up just in time to see that
the forest had given way to a town of low, thatched
Cole was careful to time his scraping so that it was covered buildings with candles glowing in the windows.
by their conversation. After missing the turning for the The streets were almost deserted but for a few
shortcut and the argument that followed, the pair moved people wandering aimlessly.
onto the topic of food.
“Here we are,” Piog said, pulling up next to a decrepit,
“I’d love some fish stew for dinner,” Piog mused. timber-framed cottage.

“You’ll be lucky. It’ll be hot grains and a bite of black bread, In spite of his bound ankles, Cole grabbed the side of the
like always.” wagon and swung himself over. He landed with a thud
onto the cobbled street, but there wasn’t time to waste. He
“I bet Mum could make a great fish stew. With proper pulled himself upright and hopped away towards the line
vegetables – green ones, I mean...” of trees at the edge of the town.

“You don’t even know if you like fish.” “Hey!” one of the kidnappers called.

“...and potato salad with spring onions...” “Come back here,” said the other, thundering after him.

“How do you know what spring onions taste like?” “Get off me!” Cole protested as two pairs of arms grabbed
him. He kicked and elbowed and was almost free when
“...fresh peas with butter melting on top and a sprig of orange light spilled across the darkening street.
mint...”

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“What are you doing?!” yelled a silhouette from the “Here,” Piog said, untying the rope and holding out a
doorway of the small cottage. hand to Cole.

The girl named Meeka groaned. “Uh-oh.” “Mum, you’re not listening,” pleaded Meeka. “He’s got the
seal of Felrin! Redbush saw him with it in the city. We
“I didn’t raise my children to behave like hooligans!” yelled wanted to –”
the silhouette, who turned out to be a stout woman with a
rolling pin held menacingly in her hand. “Redbush?! I’ve told you about that troublesome creature.”
The woman then turned to Cole and gave him a long,
“But, Mum, it’s for a good cause...” protested Meeka. measured stare.

Cole looked up at the woman who was glowing in the He had to tell them.
light from the cottage windows. She was surprisingly
short and stocky with very short hair and olive skin. “I – I don’t have it,” he garbled. “I gave it to King Enk.” His
Her face was flushed and her grey eyes were scrunched stomach flipped. For the first time, he wondered whether
with determination. or not he had done the right thing.

“...it’s for the Resistance,” Meeka continued, her voice “You did what?” cried Meeka, in despair.
trailing off nervously.
“Enough!” shouted the woman. “Come inside. Meeka will
The woman in the doorway threw up her hands. “How unload the cart and brush down the pony, and Piog will
many times have I told you not to get yourselves involved cook us some dinner before we all starve to death.”
with that lot?”
“Fish stew?” said Piog hopefully.
Cole made an unsteady effort to rise to his feet but, with
his ankles tied, he couldn’t find his balance on the uneven “Grains and black bread, as usual. You know that, Piog.
ground and fell over. There hasn’t been anything else to eat since –”

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“Yeah,” said Piog, with a reproachful glance at Cole, “I “This is Felrin?” asked Cole quickly, recognising the name.
know.” He ducked to follow his mother gloomily through “Oh, I mean – I’m Cole,” he said, then cursed himself for
the low doorway into the cottage beyond and Cole, with a telling the truth. These people had just kidnapped him,
little jolt of unease at being invited into a strange house, after all. However, he had no way of knowing the way
did the same. back to the portal from here – wherever ‘here’ was – and
something about these new acquaintances fascinated Cole,
The inside of the cottage glowed with bright colours. so he abandoned any remaining urges to run away and
Patterned cloth hung from every wall in shades of took a few more steps into the middle of the room.
orange, yellow, pink and brown, giving Cole a surge
of warmth and comfort in his weary body. A corner of “Nice to meet you, Cole,” Yognar was saying. “That pair
the cottage was marked by an ancient loom, where a are my twins, Piog and Meeka, and they are going to be in
half-complete tapestry showing a blossoming tree sat a lot of trouble for what they did to you.”
silent. Shelves and niches were crammed with jostling
clay jugs and figures. Low beams crossed the room, hung “But, Mum...!” Piog moaned as Meeka reappeared from
with herbs and strange implements. At one end, sacks of brushing the pony.
grain were nestled beside a second loom which held a
half-finished rug. At the other end was a low bed covered “But nothing! You carry on with that dinner and I’ll not
in a thin, brightly-coloured blanket. There were no other hear another word about it.”
rooms, so Cole guessed that this was their kitchen, living
room and bedroom all in one. Though it was small, Yognar led Cole to the fire and sat him on a colourful rug
the orange fire roaring in the hearth made the place of orange and pink triangles. All around the small cottage
wonderfully cosy. were blankets, needlework pictures and detailed tapestries
showing images of great battles. In fact, they were identical
“I am Yognar, and you are most welcome in Felrin,” said to the style Cole had seen in King Enk’s palace. Each
the woman, bustling into the cottage and poking the fire. picture had the strange look of being three-dimensional,
“What shall we call you?” as though it would be easy to step through the fabric into
the world beyond.

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Yognar caught him looking. “I make them for the king and golden wood. She handed Cole a bowl filled with steaming
the people in the capital. My mother taught me how, as did grains and a chunk of bread. It might have been like lumpy
her mother before her.” porridge, or perhaps sticky rice, except that it tasted of very
little except for garlic, and the bread was solid and black.
“They’re wonderful,” Cole said truthfully.
Cole hadn’t realised how hungry he was. He had eaten plenty
“They’re the only reason we eat,” she replied, and Cole of magical cakes and treats at the king’s palace and ought to
knew that the conversation was over. be full to bursting – yet he felt empty and hollow inside. Now,
however, the more he ate, the more he felt like his old self. He
Piog knelt by the fire to pour grains and water into a great didn’t know why, but Cole liked this place, and he trusted
iron pot like a cauldron. He reached up to grab leaves and Yognar. She was brisk and cross but seemed to genuinely care.
garlic cloves from the beams and tossed them in. Soon, a The food was chewy and stale and as far away from the
rich, savoury smell filled the smoky air in the cottage. king’s sugary feast as possible, but at least it was real.

“There, now. We’ll soon get you fed and back to your own “There,” said Yognar. “What better way to make friends
world,” said Yognar. than over a meal?”

“You’ll really take me home?” asked Cole. Piog and Meeka joined Cole and Yognar beside the fire and
began to eat greedily, chatting between mouthfuls. Meeka
“You don’t belong here. What the twins were thinking, I looked at Cole with a furrowed brow. “You like it?”
don’t know...”
“Delicious,” Cole said. It was almost true, especially if he
“It was Meeka’s idea, Mum,” Piog protested, stirring the compared the mushy grains to the feeling of an empty stomach.
cauldron of beige slop with an enormous ladle.
Piog raised an eyebrow. “If you think this is delicious, food
“But you went along with it, Piog. You could have said no,” must be disgusting in your world.”
said Yognar reprovingly, now fetching bowls carved from

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“It’s all we’ve got,” said Yognar apologetically, putting

down her empty bowl with a sigh. “So, we make do.”

“But why should we, Mum?” said Meeka, in a voice

which suggested that she had asked this question many
times before.

“Because no one has enough to eat,” replied Yognar,

similarly dully.

“In Alfar, they have everything they could ever eat. Fish
stew and fresh peas and cakes and pastries.”

“We don’t know that, Meeka.”

“Actually,” Cole interrupted, “they do have cakes and

pastries. The most delicious, light, creamy cakes and
pastries in the world.”

“See!” Meeka cried. “I told you.”

Yognar looked lost for words, so Cole did what he did best
and filled the silence. “Yeah, the king magicked it all out
of thin air. He told me that, with the seal that I gave him,
he could return to you all the magic that you need.
So that’s good, isn’t it? You’ll have rain and things
will grow again.”

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There was a short pause, during which the twins exchanged turning of the seasons, the flowing of rivers, the growing of
thunderous glances and Yognar looked hard at Cole. “What crops – they’re all tied to the magic of the land. Once, long
do you mean, ‘out of thin air’?” ago, magic simply infused the soil, flowing freely wherever
it wanted to go. Wherever the magic went, the people of
Nonplussed, Cole replied, “I mean, one second there was Deriuss followed, living off the plants and animals that
an empty table and the next, it was full of plates of food. they found in each place and relying on the repeating
Why? Isn’t that normal here?” pattern of the seasons.”

Yognar was breathing heavily. “That’s not natural. What Cole thought of the seal and the four coloured jewels
exactly did Enk tell you the seal of Felrin was for?” around it. He remembered the feeling of springtime warmth
caused by the green jewel as well as the hunger and cold
Cole swallowed. “Uh, well, there was this magic fountain that came from the blue. He looked up at Yognar, his face
in his palace and all the seals were designed to fit into it a reflection of thought, and she continued as she poked
and he said that they helped the magic to flow into the the fire again.
land...” He trailed off at the sight of the looks on the three
faces around the fire. “In time, the population grew, and the people became tired
of moving from valley to peak to plain. So, they found a
“The king has always kept all the magic in Deriuss for way to collect pools of magic in each city and settlement –
himself,” sneered Piog. “He’s scared that if he let places a bit like building a dam to turn a river into a lake – and
like Felrin have their magic back, the people would rise up each magic pool is operated by an ancient seal.”
against him.”
Cole was confused. “You mean, there’s a magic pool
“Well, he’s right. We would,” said Meeka. here in Felrin?”

“But why?” asked Cole. She nodded sadly. “In a manner of speaking. Hundreds of
years ago, King Enk was crowned and became infatuated
Gathering the empty bowls, Yognar said, “In Deriuss, the with owning all the magic in the land. He started to

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collect the seals.” Piog piped up. “I felt rain, once,” he told his mother proudly.
“On a trip to the palace. A cloud burst right over my head!”
“Wait,” interrupted Cole. “You said hundreds of years ago. To his right, Meeka scowled enviously.
But I saw the king today – he’s not that old.”
Cole’s stomach had turned to lead. He thought guiltily of the
Piog gave a derisive snort of laughter. “He’s at least three magic that he had wasted on a load of cakes which hadn’t
hundred years old.” even filled him up, when here were Yognar, Piog, Meeka and
the rest of the Derians, scraping by with tasteless beans and
Cole stared at Piog. “What?!” gritty bread. He considered the little that he had seen of the
land outside the palace, remembering the dry, dusty ground,
Yognar sighed. “No one alive can remember it, but it is said the dirt washed onto his clothes and then the feeling of relief
that the king became power-hungry and began to collect when he had walked into King Enk’s palace. It seemed as
the seals from the well of every town in the land. He forced though all the joy, life and beauty in Deriuss was kept there.
his servants to build him a huge well in his palace and,
with every new seal that he added, the magic in Alfar “So, the seals don’t belong in Alfar?” he asked, tentatively.
grew stronger and all the magical wells around the land
began to dry up.” “No,” said Meeka, perhaps a little louder than she had
intended. “The seal of Felrin belongs here, in our magic well.”
“History says that the pools didn’t dry up all at once so, for
years, we still had the seasons and our ancestors could still “That’s the seal that I found in my grandma’s attic,” said Cole
grow a little for themselves. Now, though, the well is dry. weakly, as Yognar handed him a mug of hot water infused
We can’t grow anything for ourselves but we get rations” – with leaves. “How did it get there?”
she glanced at the grains in the corner of the room – “from
the capital. Poor Meeka and Piog have never known it any Meeka answered. “They say that, when the king started to
other way.” Yognar stood up wearily and began to make get greedy, some settlements hid their seals away so that
tea in a small clay teapot. he would never find them. Perhaps they were planning
to recover them once he was gone, but no one expected

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him to live such a long time – we’re not sure how he has been living off the fruit, I bet that all the natural energy
does it.” stored in that well has been keeping him alive.”

“Never mind that,” said Yognar, looking concerned. “I’m more There was a short silence. The impact of everything that had
worried about this ‘out of thin air’ magic. The seals can unlock been said seemed to hang in the air.
the magic of the land, but I’ve never heard of it allowing
someone to make things appear from nowhere. What did it “Someone’s got to tell the Resistance,” Piog stated finally.
look like, Cole?”
“I won’t hear another word,” Yognar announced. “Poor Cole
Cole described what had occurred in the king’s chambers must be worn out. Now, Cole, I’ll make up a bed for you in
and, as he cradled his warm mug and let his mind absorb all front of the fire. The privy is a little shed round the back. Piog
this new information, something that the king had told him and Meeka will take you back up to the forest at first light, so
slipped into his thoughts. that you can go home.”

“These are teoquat trees. They are grown of magic and bear Cole nodded and yawned. He had not told the twins or Yognar
a fruit called the teoquat which, when eaten, has the most that the king had offered him the chance to eat the teoquat
wondrous effects.” fruit. Why would a king so obsessed with power choose to
share it with a – what did they call it? – an ‘elseworlder’? He
When he relayed this to the small group, Meeka stood up at had called Cole ‘special’...
once. “That’s how he’s doing it! He’s found some tree that gives
him magical powers! We’ve got to get our hands on that fruit!” Cole dragged himself into the pile of rugs that Yognar had
heaped beside the hearth. He thought that his family would
Yognar pulled Meeka back down onto her seat. “No, we do know for sure that he was missing and must be looking for
not,” she said firmly. “From what Cole has described, these him, but he did feel exhausted and it must be late. As the
trees sound like a mutation of the magic that has been cooped family got comfortable in the bed by the wall, he closed his
up and condensed with no room to grow. It’s not natural and eyes, the image of King Enk, his lavish palace and the heady
those trees should be treated with great caution. If the king scent of the teoquat fruit dancing through his mind.

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fact, real. The bell was still ringing; it sounded like it was
coming from somewhere a few streets away.

“Kids, Enk’s envoys are on their way,” Yognar explained,

pulling on straw sandals. “We have to go to the town square
to hear the message. Here, Cole, put this on... and these...
and wrap this around you. They should keep you hidden.”

Chapter five “Hidden?” Cole asked, confused.

The Empty Well
“Absolutely, hidden,” she replied. “King Enk sent you back

C
to the portal. If he or any of his servants see that you’re
ole was awoken by a clanging bell. Surely, it wasn’t still here, he’ll want to know why.”
time for school yet. His sleep-filled mind was shaking
off images from the strangest dream: kings, magic, talking “Mum’s right,” yawned Piog. “Who in their right mind
wolves and kidnap. would choose this place over Alfar? It’s very suspicious.”

It took him a moment to remember where he was. The fire Wearing old boots that were too big, a straw hat and a
in the hearth had died down to embers but smoke lingered thick, orange rug that Yognar tied around his shoulders like
in the air. As Cole threw off the colourful rugs that were a cloak, Cole set out with her and the twins into the middle
piled on top of him, he was hit by the hot morning air. of the town. As they traipsed blearily down the shabby
street, the morning sun beat down on them, staining the
Cole’s Derian hosts grumbled as they wriggled out of their cobblestones orange-pink. It was strangely quiet – no wind
bed covers and pulled on their day clothes. “G’morning, blew and no birds sang, and Cole was starting to see what
Cole,” Yognar murmured. having no seasons must mean for the people of Felrin.
Members of the town were stumbling out of doorways and
“Uh, hi,” Cole replied, still not quite sure that this was, in shuffling what must have been a familiar route towards

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the central square, as a metal bell rang from the top of a like a dried-up fountain.
short tower.
“Is that...”
After his long rest, Cole was feeling extremely talkative.
“How big is Felrin? It looks bigger than the town I live in. “Yeah,” said Piog. “That’s our magic well.” There was a
Are there many other cities in Deriuss, besides here and good deal of sullen sarcasm in his voice. “The seal of Felrin
Alfar? I saw a talking mouse and a wolf yesterday – can is meant to fit into that empty circle, there.”
your pony talk, too? And is it always this hot?”
Cole peered closer. On the side of the well was a circle of
The twins took it in turns to grunt answers. Alfar was the smooth stone, as if a section had been cut out from the rock.
biggest city in Deriuss; yes, there were others, but to get
to them you had to cross the mountains, which was very “Can we go and look?” asked Cole, but by then, the jostling
difficult in these conditions; no, not all animals in Deriuss crowd was too big. The four of them were pushed and
could talk, but you could usually tell which ones could shoved towards one side of the square, overshadowed by a
because they wore clothes; the lack of seasons meant that, huge building.
yes, the weather was always the same.
Some of the building’s windows were boarded up and the
Cole gazed in awe at the higgledy-piggledy buildings flags that fluttered from the poles were drab and bleached
and paddocks, the donkeys and mules pulling wagons by the sun, but Cole could tell that it had once been very
and the shop fronts selling chipped crockery and faded impressive. The crowd faced the stone steps expectantly.
fabrics. Beaten pathways led through the town towards Although it was still early morning, Cole noticed that
a collection of taller buildings in the distance, where the many of the citizens of the town were fanning themselves
streets opened up into the square. Though the buildings with branches or folded pieces of parchment. Their faces
here were grander in stature, they were still rickety-looking were weathered, tanned and looked older than they
and a little lopsided, as if they hadn’t been properly looked should. One thing that stood out most of all was the
after in a long time. In the centre of the square was a large, absence of the animal folk from the palace – these people
stone basin with a plinth rising from the centre. It looked were all humans.

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Soon, the doors of the building swung open and out palace instead of restoring it to Felrin’s magic well. Cole
marched a group of official-looking people in palace livery. was beginning to sweat under his hot disguise.
Underneath, each was dressed in rich velvet in jewel-bright
colours, so it was obvious that they were from prosperous “That utter fool,” grumbled a nearby voice.
Alfar. They were flanked by armoured wolves, who snarled
at the crowd until the Derians fell quiet. Among them was “As you may or may not be aware, the seal of Felrin is the
the wolf named Serla, easily distinguishable by the grey final seal needed to complete our king’s noble work to unite
streaks across her nose and her red cape. the powers of this land in perfect harmony,” the willowy
woman continued over the murmuring from the crowd. “It
A tall woman with a hollow-sounding voice stepped is with great anticipation that we have awaited the return
forwards, unfurling a scroll. “Hear ye, hear ye. The of the seal of Felrin to its rightful place in the palace.”
king commands you to be silent, to hear the following
proclamation.” She paused and waited for silence. “The The same voice beside Cole cursed once more. “That seal’s
seal of Felrin has been returned to us by an elseworlder.” rightful place is here. Doesn’t Enk see that he’s destroying
his own kingdom?”
Hushed murmurs broke out in the crowd. Many eyes
darted in the direction of the stone basin in the centre of Cole looked round to see a figure dressed in a dark cloak.
the square, which sat dry, dusty and cracked. Cole stared at it, but its face was obscured by the darkness
under a heavy hood. Shorter than most of the crowd, the
There was another pause, during which the woman scanned figure was easy to miss, but Cole thought that there was
the crowd to gauge its reaction. Then, she said, “King Enk something secretive in the way that it held its cloak over
has decided that the final Derian seal shall remain in the its bowed head.
palace. Its magic, under the guidance of our wise king,
shall preserve the future of our land for all time.” “Psst, Redbush,” Meeka hissed in the direction of the
stranger. When it lifted its head slightly to shoot her a
Some seemed delighted that the seal had been found but sideways glance, Cole saw long, delicate whiskers and
most were furious that the king was keeping it in his dark red fur framing two large, black eyes. Still not used to

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seeing overgrown animals wearing clothes, Cole scanned

the crowd but all he saw were people like Yognar and the
twins. While the palace had been full of animals behaving
like humans, he had seen none outside of the city of Alfar
besides this squirrel. Cole wondered why it was lurking so
cautiously among the crowd.

“Is there going to be a meeting tonight?” Meeka was

whispering.

Redbush nodded. “Absolutely,” he said in an undertone.

Carefully, he leaned this way and that to avoid the gaze of
the large white wolf, who seemed to be scouring the square
with her amber eyes. “I’ve been putting feelers out for a
while. I’ve got people interested from Felrin, Putkip and
even Narwan. They’ll all be here tonight. This is too good
an opportunity to miss.”

“We’ll be there,” said Meeka, her expression burning

with defiance.

“Shhh!” said Piog, with a glance towards Yognar. Redbush

winked and backed into the crowd.

“Who was that?” asked Cole.

“Redbush,” Piog muttered. “He’s a fighter, like us.”

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On the steps, the wolves were stalking up and down, before and we don’t have it now.”
growling to bring the crowd to order. The lady continued.
“In his infinite majesty and wisdom, King Enk has decreed “But Mum, now he has them all! Plus, now we have a
that the citizens of Felrin will be permitted to celebrate chance of getting it back.”
in their own homes in honour of the seal’s return. There
will be a ball and a banquet for the citizens of Alfar, Yognar stopped dead. “Don’t you dare, my girl. I’m
and a small shipment of food shall be supplied for the warning you – no more foolish schemes. I don’t want the
Derians to celebrate. During the celebrations, King Enk Resistance bringing you home from the palace in pieces,
himself will bring together the seal of Felrin and its you hear me?”
fellows” – she paused for effect, her chest heaving with
self-importance – “and the prosperous future of Deriuss Meeka grumbled but said nothing more.
will be secured.”
“Now, it’s high time you two got Cole back to his portal,
A wave of uncertainty washed across the crowd. Cole and then you’ve got to make the latest delivery to the
picked up snippets of resigned agreement, barely contained palace. Got it?”
fury and question upon question from little ones. With the
crowd subdued, the envoy and the rest of the entourage *
swept into a waiting carriage. The wolves bounded
alongside as four gleaming horses trotted from the square Cole’s second wagon ride with Piog and Meeka was a lot
in the direction of the looming mountain city of Alfar. more comfortable than his first. Instead of being thrown
in the back with boxes filled with tapestries and
As the Derians tramped from the square, Meeka couldn’t patchwork for Alfar, he sat at the front between the twins
contain herself. “I hate him, I hate him! He’s just rubbing as they trotted through the streets of Felrin. The unsure
it in. That seal belongs to us.” roads were packed with dried earth, and brittle leaves
swirled underfoot. There were ramshackle houses leaning
Piog nodded and Yognar sighed. “It hardly changes things, shoulder to shoulder as if using their immediate neighbour
Meeka,” said Yognar wearily. “We didn’t have the seal for support. Cole thought how, if one were to give up and

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collapse, the whole town would fall like dominoes. Meeka squeaked, “What if it makes him live forever?!”

They followed the looping road out of town and up the steep “Shut up, Meeka,” said Piog, but he looked uncertain. “No
mountainside. The sun's umber rays streaked through the one can be immortal.”
tall, black trees; around them was plenty of space for fields
and farms, if only something would grow. An uncomfortable silence passed between the three of
them, where seconds felt like minutes and the journey
“Do you go to the palace every day? Is this your job?” Cole to the portal seemed unending. Finally, Cole spoke.
had a million questions for Piog and Meeka and this was “So, is that what you’ll be doing today? Delivering
his last chance to ask them. He was beginning to feel sorry tapestries and blankets?”
that he was leaving this extraordinary world so soon, but
his family would be missing him. He’d been gone a whole The twins gave each other sideways glances.
day, after all.
“Sure,” said Meeka. Then, she coughed. “Cole, you’ve been
“Our job is to take Mum’s knitting and weaving to the inside the palace, right? What’s it like? We Derians don’t
palace. Then, they give us the town’s rations. Everything get to go inside. They make us wait at the gate.”
would be so much easier if we had our own magic
back in the well.” Cole told them everything he could remember, though it
wasn’t much: the grand gates, his afternoon tea with the
“What do you think will happen when the king puts all the king and the teoquat fruit.
seals together?” asked Cole.
“...and there’s this big room in the middle with a ceiling
Piog and Meeka exchanged dark looks. “Dunno,” said like stars and doors all around it to different parts of the
Piog. “He’s been trying to get hold of them all for as long palace. It’s unbelievably big. You could fit your cottage in
as anyone can remember – it must be something really it a hundred times over.”
important if he’s been looking for hundreds of years.”
“That’ll be where the ball is held,” muttered Meeka to Piog.

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“This room is straight from the front gates, right, Cole?” too powerful.”

“Yeah,” said Cole, rubbing sweat from his face. “You just A memory stirred in the back of Cole’s mind. He remembered
go up the steps, along a short corridor and... wait. Why do how his feet had walked him through the gates of Alfar
you want to know? What are you planning?” and how his hands had acted of their own accord when
he had handed over the seal. Perhaps Meeka was right and
“Nothing,” said Piog, too quickly. Cole had never really had a choice in the matter.

“You are, you’re up to something. Is it to do with the He chewed his lip. He thought about everything that
Resistance? Yognar said it was dangerous –” had happened over the last day: about the city of Alfar,
which burst with colour and light, and about the other
“Look!” Meeka exploded like a pot boiling over. “We’re poor! Derians, who had nothing. He thought about how he
We’re hungry! Our lands are dying and it’s all because of had come into this world thinking that the seal was just
the King of Alfar. After all these years, the seal is back again. a trinket belonging to Grandma Jenny and about how
This is our chance to get back the magic that’s rightfully he, Cole, had unwittingly played a part in making the
ours; to return Felrin to the place we hear about in stories. Derians’ plight even worse.
We’re going to meet with the Resistance today whether
Mum likes it or not, and you can’t stop us, elseworlder.” “Turn around,” Cole said suddenly.

Cole sat for a moment, shaken by Meeka’s passion. “What?” said Piog, pulling the plodding pony to a halt.

“I won’t stop you,” he said. “It’s not fair, what the king is “Grandma Jenny sent me to the attic to clean up a mess,
doing. And I’m sorry about the seal. I should never have and that’s what I’m going to do.”
agreed to give it to him. I just had no idea what he was
really like – I wish I had known.”

“It wouldn’t have helped,” said Meeka miserably. “Enk is

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“It wouldn’t take much,” added Piog, his brow beaded

with sweat from the parched heat of the day. “If the pony
went lame, or Mum got too sick to work, or if the palace
stopped supplying food for our town, that would be it. One
thing goes wrong and we end up living out here, making do
with scraps.”

“That’s why we have to do this, Cole,” Meeka finished.

Chapter Six
The Resistance Cole swallowed and nodded. He was nearly as old as
Piog and Meeka but he had never needed to get a job

T
or had to worry that he and his family might lose their
he Derian Resistance met in a cellar in a particularly house or go hungry.
dilapidated part of Felrin. As they approached on
the wagon, Cole was shocked at the sight of a row of three Piog parked the wagon in a narrow alley and tied the pony
terraced houses whose roofs had caved in on themselves to a post so rotten that it looked like a good tug could snap
like piles of discarded junk. it. Meeka led the way through the makeshift shelters to
a building that looked like it had once been a large inn.
“This is terrible,” Cole murmured as he noticed a child Now, it was nothing more than two tumble-down walls,
crouched in the doorway of a building with all its windows a sign that said ‘The Emerald Oak’ and a lot of banked-
cracked, hanging loosely like fangs. “People shouldn’t have up boulders. Cole would have thought the place deserted
to live like this.” completely, were it not for the thin stream of smoke trailing
from the chimney.
“They have no other choice,” said Meeka. “We’re lucky
that weaving has been passed down in our family for “The Oak was looted years ago,” Meeka muttered, “so it
generations. Mum can create rugs even finer than those in makes the perfect hiding place. We’re going down there.”
Alfar and our wagon is still in good shape.” She pointed to the corner where the two remaining walls

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met. A thin, hessian sheet was strung out to create a sort telling – every pair of eyes was marked with crow’s feet and
of roof, and beneath it there was an old trapdoor, the every mouth turned downwards at the corners, symptoms
wood smoothed from the tramping of many feet over of living under the harsh rule of a power-mad tyrant. As
many decades. three armour-clad Derians, each with stringy, shoulder-
length hair, slunk along the shadowy wall, Cole heard the
Meeka and Piog pulled the rusted handle and a blast of words ‘curse that Enk’ and ‘ours by rights’ and ‘now or
light and noise bubbled up like the cooking pot in Yognar’s never’.
cottage. It even smelled like the stale stew.
Redbush the squirrel stood by the fire, poking the meagre
As Cole followed the twins down the rickety ladder, he flames with a metal stick. When he saw Piog, Meeka and
wondered if what he was doing was sensible. Mum and Cole heading over, he nodded a greeting. He didn’t seem
Dad wouldn’t think so, and Liam and Mara would be too surprised to see Cole there.
strong and smart to get into this kind of trouble, but Cole
was Cole, and he was learning that this was a very Cole- “Glad you made it,” Redbush continued, his nose twitching.
ish thing to do. The Derians needed help and Cole could His voice was low and gravelly, which Cole did not
help in a way that no other Derian could. The people of think was quite how he imagined the squirrels in the
this world might be forbidden from entering the palace, local park sounding.
but the king himself had invited Cole to return any time
he liked. “I thought you said that there were loads of people coming,”
Piog complained.
The basement of the Emerald Oak wasn’t exactly
comfortable, but it was a vast improvement on the derelict “Many have,” said Redbush sadly, the tip of his tail flicking
streets above. Warm lamps glowed around the walls and restlessly from side to side. He pointed out a few small
a smoky fire burned in a small grate. There were about groups of tired-looking Derians. “Those two are from
twenty Derians sitting on benches or leaning against the Narwan” – Cole saw a pair of ruddy-faced young women
uneven walls, talking earnestly. They wore faded cloth in with thin scarves over their noses and mouths – “and
muted colours, but their faces wore something even more these have come all the way from Blacksand.” He gestured

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towards three men who sat around a small table with

their heads together. “But they come here at great risk to
their safety. If they were stopped and questioned, or if the
mountain conditions became too treacherous…” Redbush
sighed and his whiskers twitched. “Others have chosen not
to take the risk. Can we blame them?” Then, he stepped
away from the fire and called the meeting to attention.

“Friends,” he began. The gathered Derians fell quiet and

turned to listen. “What you have been told is true. An
elseworlder has returned the seal of Felrin to our world.”

Cole shuffled uncomfortably. It was strange to hear himself

talked about like this. He didn’t know if anyone realised
who he was, besides Piog and Meeka.

“Many of you will know the stories, passed down through

generations, of King Enk’s lifelong ambition to collect every
single magical seal in Deriuss.” At this, many dark and
disgusted glances shot around the room, and one man from
Blacksand actually spat on the ground at the mention of
the king’s name.

Redbush continued. “I have spent many years finding out

all that I can about Enk and, for those who have not heard
the stories, this is all I know.

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“In the first years of the king’s reign, many settlements Cole’s face had grown incredibly hot. He had been impressed
caught wind of Enk’s intentions and elected to hide their by Redbush’s commanding presence and his ability to speak
seals away. Each town and village sent a messenger to an so well but now, he felt hollow. This time, he had been the
elsewhere world and the seals were hidden in places where foolish elseworlder unable to resist touching the seal – but
they were unlikely to be touched before the king’s reign how was he to know what would happen? He hadn’t even
ended. Knowing that Deriuss would have enough magic to known that Deriuss existed before yesterday. He shifted his
last until the end of his natural life, the Derians waited.” weight so that he was hidden behind the twins, as Redbush
continued into the attentive quiet.
The silence in the room was absolute. The Derians were
all watching Redbush with rapt attention, their wide eyes “King Enk now has every single Derian seal in his palace.
reflecting the flickering firelight twenty or more times over. This – will – not – do.” He drew out every syllable, each
Some nodded in recognition; others, like Piog and Meeka, one dripping with fervour. “Who can say what this
were visibly on the edges of their seats. could mean for Deriuss? Never before in history has earth
magic been compressed and contained in this way. It
“However,” he continued with a thinly-veiled note of scorn must be stopped.”
in his voice, “those in the elsewheres who came across
the seals were unable to keep their curiosity at bay. The “Hear, hear!” cried the assembled throng.
moment an elseworlder failed to resist the lure of a shiny
object and touched any seal, the king’s creatures were able “Which is why we must plan to enter the palace tomorrow
to find it. night, during the king’s celebratory ball. It will be dangerous
– very dangerous – and there are many risks.”
“The Derians of old had not counted upon this, and their
plan failed. Sometimes, decades would pass between “We’ll get torn to pieces by his wolves!” a small woman
the return of one seal and the next but, gradually, Enk’s called, looking fearful.
collection grew. The more seals he crams into that monstrous
contraption of his, the stronger the life force inside Alfar “How will we get past the gate?” asked a large man
becomes, and the longer he is able to rule us all.” in an apron.

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“Ah,” said Redbush calmly. “That is where we will need the have seen it. If I know anything about Enk, he likes to
help of Piog and Meeka’s new elseworlder friend.” show off his accomplishments. The seal will be on display,
you mark my words. Its addition to the well will be the
Cole’s heart seemed to freeze in his chest. Redbush knew main event and that is what we need to stop.”
who he was and why he was here.
At that, voices clamoured.
A great deal of murmuring broke out in the small basement
room, and Piog and Meeka moved aside to reveal him. He “But how will we get into the ballroom during a party?”
blanched under the stares of every pair of eyes. “Uh, hi,” he
said, his voice unnaturally high-pitched. “Won’t it be under heavy guard?”

Redbush spoke to him from the front of the room, fixing “How can we trust the elseworlder after what he’s done?”
him with a steely gaze. “I can only assume, since you
have chosen to stay in Felrin today, that you wish to be of Redbush held out his hands to calm the questions. “It won’t
assistance to us.” be easy, but that’s why we’re here. To formulate a plan.” Then,
he turned to the twins. “Piog, Meeka – do you trust this boy?”
Cole’s habit of talking when he was nervous was what
saved him. “Yes,” he garbled. “The king told me that I could The twins gaped at each other and then at Cole, before
come back whenever I wanted to learn magic and – and I nodding determinedly as one. “Cole’s our friend,” said
thought that might help.” The words had flown out of him Meeka. Cole felt a rush of gratitude toward them.
so quickly, he thought that it was a miracle that anyone
had understood them. “Very well,” said the squirrel. “Cole, you will be crucial to
our success. Piog, bring out more chairs – it’s going to be
Redbush looked appraisingly at Cole. “Indeed. I do believe a long night.”
that you could be useful, and I have a plan.” He addressed
the room at large. “During the ball, the king and all his *
court will be distracted. Drinking, gorging, dancing – I

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After much talk, Redbush had taken Cole’s arm in his Cole gaped at him.
paw and led him and the twins to a quiet spot, away
from the crowd. “A human,” he continued. “I was on the beach with my
brother when I stumbled into this world by accident, as
“If you are staying in our world for another night, I’ll walk so many have before me and since. My brother and I were
you and the twins back,” he said kindly. arguing. We were always arguing. We both wanted to play
with the same ball but we couldn’t bear to play together.
“You can sleep in the wagon!” Piog added. My brother threw the ball away and, when I chased after
it, I found myself on the mountains just outside of the
Darkness had fallen when Cole and Redbush tramped king’s domain – Alfar. When I reached the palace, it was
towards the cottage. The meeting had gone on long into the just like you described it, though there were fewer animal
night and, by the end, Cole’s head was reeling with thoughts servants in those days.
of secret entrances and covert signals, of disguises, traps
and ambush. He tried to focus on the part that he would “I met the king. He showed me his wonders, impressed me
play. Piog and Meeka lagged behind, arguing insistently with his magic and promised that I, too, could learn magic,
about who would be the one to actually swipe the seal. if only I were to eat the teoquat fruit.”
Neither seemed to recall that their part in the plan did not
involve either of them stealing anything. The squirrel paused. Cole waited without speaking; Redbush
seemed so lost in memories that he didn’t want to disturb.
Redbush had been silent since they left the meeting and The thick, sweet smell of the teoquat fruit seemed to fill
Cole had tried hard not to babble at him. He had spent the air around them, and all Cole could think of was how
hours detailing everything he could about the palace and lucky he had been to escape the king’s palace.
listening to the clamour of voices in the Resistance meeting,
and it had taught him a lesson in patience. “And then?” he prompted finally.

At last, Redbush spoke. “I’m an elseworlder like you,” he “I thought, that’ll show my brother. I’ll have magic and
said quietly, his head tucked down. he’ll have nothing. I didn’t think about what the cost

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would be. I didn’t even think about the king’s warning that however, it brings only dismay.”
I could never leave this land. I would have magic and, with
magic, I could do anything. So I ate the fruit.” “Why can’t you go home?” Cole mused aloud.

Redbush held out his furry paws and flicked his bushy tail. Redbush sighed. “In theory, there is no reason that we
“Then, I became... this.” elseworlders who have been changed could not return to
our world – but why would we, when our own families
“You mean all those mice and foxes and badgers up at the would not recognise us?” There was a silence, during
palace…” Cole said breathlessly, “They’re all...” which each became lost in his own thoughts. Then, the
squirrel continued. “Besides which, I was very young
“Every one of them,” said Redbush gravely. “All elseworlders when I entered this world. I have spent many years in this
like you and me, tricked by the king. Some have been land – am known by a new name, as so many of
brought along in the scuffle for a magical seal, just like Enk’s oldest servants are – and I doubt that I could
you. Others posed no threat to the kingdom and merely fell remember now where the portal to my world lay back
through portals by mistake.” then. Only the king’s scouts know the best places to find
portals to elsewhere worlds. I believe that you met one such
“And did the fruit give you magical powers?” creature on your arrival.”

Redbush gave a grim smile. “No, it did not.” Cole scowled. “Yeah, I did – a mouse,” he grumbled.
“Greedy, thieving –”
“Why not?”
“Don’t judge him too harshly,” said Redbush. “Enk holds
“Deriuss is crying out for its magic to be used, Cole. The a great deal of power over his subjects, and mice are very
teoquat fruit is saturated with the magic that the earth capable of squeezing into small places such as those where
cannot distribute: a product of trapped, mutated natural portals may be concealed.”
energy. For Derians like the king, eating the fruit brings
about an unnatural and unbridled power. To elseworlders, “But you got away from him,” said Cole. “You escaped

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to Felrin?” “We’ll get it back,” said Cole. “I promise.”

“Eventually, yes. Squirrels are tricky like that. If I had His voice was steady but inside, his stomach churned
become a sloth, I would still be up there serving drinks. and an unpleasant thought danced jeeringly in his head.
The teoquat fruit reveals the inner nature of a person and He knew by now that the king was a power-hungry,
makes it visible.” manipulative liar. He knew that the king kept the Derians
in poverty and hoarded magic for himself. Yet, still, a
“That explains the wolves,” mumbled Cole. “They seem little part of him had held onto the thought that he, Cole,
more than happy to do Enk’s bidding.” was special – that the king had, in fact, seen something
in him and had wanted Cole as his magical apprentice.
“True,” said the squirrel, “but they are also weak-willed Now that he knew it was just a trick, he knew something
creatures. Enk has a harder time controlling some creatures else too: he wasn’t special. He was just an ordinary boy.
but with others, he can use his magic to force them to do Did he have any chance at all of helping the Derians?
his bidding.”
He squashed the thought to the bottom of his brain. It was
Cole gasped. “I’ve felt it!” he said. “I felt my hands and my too late now. He had to try.
feet doing things I didn’t tell them to.”

Redbush nodded. “I believe that, until now, he has only

had the power to push us gently towards actions that we
had already considered in our minds – but I shudder to
think how powerful he could become when he places the
final seal in that well.”

There was a very long pause, during which all the awful
possibilities hung in the air between them.

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guards for just long enough that the Resistance could sneak
into the palace through various, carefully organised means
and gain access to the teoquat orchard. Piog and Meeka
would deliver crates of Resistance members disguised as
Yognar’s latest weaving produce and, with Cole keeping
the guards busy, the group would overpower those wolves
who remained. It was risky, but Cole had given a good
explanation of the layout of the ground floor of the palace.
Chapter Seven For his part, all he had to do was keep the king talking for
An Unexpected Turn a long time without being forced to eat the teoquat fruit.

C
Cole rubbed his palms together. They were damp from
ole stood outside the gates of Alfar, in the middle of the ever-present heat saturating the air. The gates seemed
the clearing. Bright light from the vaulted windows deserted, and he was just wondering if he should simply
of the palace cut through the night in shades of pink and push them open and go inside when two wolves shifted out
purple and green. He was quite alone, wearing the same thin of the shadows on the top of one of the nearby towers.
jumper and dirty trainers he had on when he first crawled
through the portal. This was part of the Derians’ plan: to Cole cleared his throat. It was very dry. “Uh… hello,” he
pretend that he had had a change of heart and decided called. “Can – can I come in, please?” It sounded very
to return to the palace for the promise of magic. There childish and he regretted it instantly.
could be no evidence that he had ever met a Derian
outside Alfar, let alone joined their plot to retrieve the seals To his surprise, however, one of the wolves vanished from
from the king. the top of the tower and, slowly, the great gates to the city
began to open. Surely, it couldn’t be that easy…
His part of the plan was simple enough to remember. The
Resistance had gone ahead and taken their positions all A fairly small wolf with brown-grey fur met Cole as he
around the palace. Cole was to distract the king and the stepped through the gateway. “State your business,” he

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said matter-of-factly. Some guests wore animal masks or feathered headpieces or

flowers that cascaded over their shoulders. It might have
“The – the king is expecting me… I hope.” been difficult, therefore, for Cole to tell who was a guest
and who was an elseworlder tricked to stay in servitude
The wolf didn’t even blink. He spun on the spot, dropped to by King Enk, had it not been for the fact that there were
all fours and led Cole towards the great marble steps. no animals dancing. They were all weaving between the
guests, serving drinks or else lining the walls of the throne
Cole couldn’t believe his luck and, as he stepped through room with platters of food. The string quartet was made
the lush palace gardens and began to hear faint music, up of two lizards, a rabbit and some kind of giant anteater.
he became light-headed with momentary relief. “Is there
a party going on? I didn’t realise. Will he be busy? It’s He dragged his thoughts from the mesmerising dance and
just that I was here a few days ago and the king said that tripped over his feet as they pushed through the crowd.
if I ever wanted to return and see the city… I mean, you He had come here for a reason. He had to keep his head
don’t visit another world, a world with magic, every day, straight, to carry out his part in the Derians’ plan and win
do you?” he rattled on as they ascended the stairs and their freedom from the king. If he could take the stage and
followed the hallway along to the great throne room. convince the king that he wanted to eat the teoquat fruit,
surely that would stall the celebrations for long enough to
Once inside the palace, Cole was overwhelmed by the noise get the Resistance inside and give them their chance to act
and colour of the ball. Dizzying music spiralled through – but it would be a race against time.
the air and the guests stomped and spun and pranced
together in twos and sixes and twenties as if part of some Something flashed, dazzlingly bright, at the far side of the
huge pattern that was too big for Cole to see. The air room. As the wolf led Cole closer, he began to make out
was thick with smells: sweet, sharp and spicy all at once. what it was. On the large, panelled dais was a pedestal
Cole wanted to see and taste everything and leap into the and on top of the pedestal was the seal of Felrin, polished
pattern of the dance but each time he tried to find the to a high shine so that the jewels sparkled. Cole’s heartbeat
essence of the music, it slipped away from him. quickened. The seal was not yet part of the well. Redbush
had been right – Enk was waiting for his chance to show

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off. Beside the pedestal, he could see the king sitting on his After allowing himself a moment’s shock, Cole rallied and
throne, watching the dancers with casual interest. said, “Oh – hello. I was just telling your – your colleague,
here, that I have an invitation from the king.”
As they moved towards the dais, Cole saw how tight and
fierce the security was. Standing sentry around the great Serla raised an eyebrow and, when she did not respond,
hall were no fewer than ten wolves wearing snarls on their Cole continued. “Well, he – he said that I could come back
faces, and no one danced too close to the dais. Not to worry, any time.”
thought Cole. Soon, I’ll be up there and all their eyes will
be on me, not the Resistance. He began to prepare his first The wolf’s face relaxed into a smile. “As it happens, His
words to King Enk in his head. Highness did mention that you might be dropping by.”

The wolf from the gate marched along the edge of the room “Oh,” Cole said. “Brilliant!”
and towards the side of the dais – but then, it turned a
sharp corner and Cole found himself being taken down a “Indeed,” replied Serla, and she beckoned him towards her.
gloomy-looking corridor. “The king requested,” she continued, “that should such an
event occur, I was to ask you to wait for him just in here.”
“Where are we going?” asked Cole, a little panicky. “I’m Smiling broader still, she placed a paw on Cole’s shoulder
sure the king wouldn’t mind if we just…” and spun him round to face a heavy door which led off the
corridor. The brown wolf opened it and bowed low, with a
The sight of what was waiting for him stopped him in barely concealed grin, as the pair stepped inside.
his tracks. Standing in the middle of the corridor with a
wide sneer on her face was Serla, the grey-streaked wolf Before Cole was a set of spiral, stone stairs. The chamber
captain in the red cloak. She looked completely unsurprised was as dark as the night outside, with only a few flickering
to see him. sconces to light the way down into the gloom. An eerie
cold swept up the staircase towards Cole and, as his eyes
“Good evening,” she said silkily. “To what do we owe this adjusted and the wolf’s grip tightened on his shoulder, he
pleasure?” saw that the walls lining the steps were hung with chains,

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manacles and gruesome-looking instruments made of Hot breath tickled his neck and pointed teeth snapped
rusted metal. by his face. Cole yelped and hurried down the last few
steps into the room below, clutching his ears to keep them
A bead of cold sweat skated down Cole’s back and he from being bitten off. As his foot reached the grimy floor
shivered. His shoulder was now being dug into so hard by of a dark dungeon chamber, Serla’s claws curled over his
Serla’s long claws that he looked down at it, half expecting shoulder and steered him across the room.
to see blood.
“Have a nice stay,” laughed the wolf, throwing him into a
“Did you really think,” came a whispered growl in his ear, dank cell and clanging the door shut.
“that an old rug and a stupid straw hat could hide you
from me? Or that I’d let you just wander back into the “Wait!” Cole grabbed the iron bars and shook them. “Come
king’s halls after spending two nights with that squirrel back! Let me explain!” But the howl of laughter was already
and his friends? Fool!” fading to nothing as his captors vanished upstairs. There
came a loud thunk from the slamming door, then silence.
Cole’s heart stopped. Shock reverberated through his head
like a crashing cymbal. The green torches illuminating the dungeon gave off
a poisoned light that seemed to drip off everything it
“Get in,” Serla snapped, giving Cole a shove. He tried to touched. It was a circular room lined with many small
dig his feet in and brace himself against the floor tiles, but cells with gated fronts. Cole shivered. The warmth from the
they were polished smooth. world above clearly couldn’t penetrate the thick walls, and
the air was polluted with the stench of damp stone and
“I can’t go in there!” Cole protested as he slid nearer to animal droppings. Cole squinted through the dark, looking
the dark staircase. “I haven’t done anything wrong.” With for any other prisoners behind the bars of the adjacent
a firm push from the wolf, he clattered down the winding and opposite cells.
steps with the wolf close behind him. “My family are
waiting for me. They’ll come after me. They won’t let you “Hello?”
get away with this.”

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He heard scuttling and wheezing and scratching, but “Cole,” said the king in a supercilious voice. “Cole, Cole,
whoever the other occupants were, they were keeping to Cole.” He clicked his tongue like a disappointed mother hen
the shadows. and Cole found himself reddening with irritation. “We got
on so well the last time you were here. What happened?”
Cole sank onto the driest patch of straw he could find and The king bent to sit down and Cole realised with a start
put his head in his hands to think about what Serla had that a red velvet chair had appeared under him, so that he
said. She knew. She had seen him in the town square – and sat peering at Cole like a visitor on a hospital ward.
that meant that King Enk would know, too, that Cole had
not gone home but instead had been talking to Redbush “I’ll tell you what happened,” said Cole, breathing fast. “I
and the Derians. There was no way that he would believe spoke to some of your people, Enk. I saw how they’re living
that Cole had come back to learn magic, now. and what you’ve taken away from them.”

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than the door King Enk chuckled. “But you have been listening to lies,
at the top of the stone steps creaked open again, and the dear boy. Surely you would not take the word of vagrants
sound of finely made shoes click-clacked down into the and criminals –”
dingy chamber.
“They’re good people!” Cole cried. “They’re kind and honest
King Enk was dressed in robes of royal blue which trailed and they’re suffering! You’re supposed to be their protector.”
behind him as he walked. His long, gangling frame was made
even taller by the presence of a solid-looking golden crown, The king’s smile vanished in one blink of his dark eyes.
which sat so comfortably above his white hair that it looked “My people do not know what is best for them,” he snarled.
as though it might have grown there. In his long, pale fingers “The magic in this land belongs to me. It is my job and my
was the seal of Felrin, its jewels dancing in the low light. right as king to decide how the power in this land should
be distributed.”
The king took a few careful steps across the dungeon floor
to look into Cole’s cell. Cole stood up automatically, but “You’re not a king!” laughed Cole, a little surprised by
then wished that he hadn’t. his own boldness. “You’re a bully! You’re afraid that

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your people will rise up against you so you keep them The king smiled into the silence and looked calmly into
powerless and penniless, and you hide in here behind your Cole’s eyes. Cole glared back.
big stone walls. If anyone is foolish enough to stumble
into your world, you trap them here because you’re so After a few moments, the stalemate ended and Enk got to
terrified of sharing your secrets. You’ve taken the magic his feet. He fingered the golden seal delicately and said,
of this world and twisted it into something unnatural “It matters not. By the time this ball is over, I will have
and ugly.” Cole could tell that he was rambling, but completed my collection. I will be the master of all the
he knew that he had to keep the king talking for as long power that this world has to offer and you,” he added,
as possible. smiling mildly down at Cole, “will stay here. You will eat
the teoquat whether you like it or not, and you will be
“You have no idea what it is to be a king,” Enk sneered. grateful for the life that I will give you inside my big stone
His dark eyes had become black in the greenish light and walls.”
he suddenly looked a lot less regal. “You are a boy – a
meddlesome, irritating boy who doesn’t know when to keep With that, the king swept up the polished steps and out of
his mouth shut.” He sighed and shook his head. “I showed sight and the door thudded heavily behind him. His chair
you my magic, I offered you the chance to be something had vanished.
great, to share all this power –”
Cole’s heart was pounding in his chest and his insides felt
“Power?! I’ve seen what ‘power’ you give to elseworlders. hollow from the rush of adrenaline and rage. He slid down
What did you hope I would turn into?” Cole felt bitter the wall of his cell and felt hot, angry tears spill down
resentment rising up in him at the memory of how Enk his face. Wiping them furiously on his sleeve, he thought
had made him think for a second that he was something bleakly of the members of the Derian Resistance – of Piog,
special. “You might be able to conjure food and chairs and Meeka and Redbush. Had they made it into the palace?
who knows what else out of thin air, but nothing about it Had he bought them any time at all with his ranting at
is real. In all my time in Deriuss, the most real, honest food the king? Enk would be returning to the ballroom at any
I’ve had was dirty, gritty and made with love.” moment and, if they were even there, the Resistance would
be standing by, risking everything, waiting for Cole to

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cause a distraction that would never come. He was furious

with himself for allowing himself to be tricked and now, he
was stuck down in the dungeon with no way to help them
or even to warn them.

“That was brave of you.”

Cole jumped. He blinked and rubbed his eyes again,

wondering if he was hearing things.

“What you said – it was very much needed.”

A voice was coming from one of the cells on the other side
of the dungeon, and Cole scurried to the bars which made
up the front of his cell. “Who’s there?” he called.

On the other side of the poorly lit room, something was

moving in one of the barred alcoves. Slowly, a creature
moved into the glow of the nearest lantern.

A long, smooth snout appeared first, followed by two

intelligent, tired-looking eyes and a mane of fine, tufted
hair. Cole watched as the figure of a large primate emerged
and a pair of hands with long, delicate fingers wrapped
themselves around the cold bars of the cell door.

Cole was reminded very much of being at the zoo. After a

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few seconds, he realised that he was staring with his mouth Jonas came to her rescue. “Molly was six years old when
hanging open slightly, and shut it quickly. Wondering she stumbled across the seal of Narwan.”
hastily what the best thing was to say to an oversized
monkey on your first meeting, he settled for, “Why are you “Six?!”
in here?”
The baboon nodded. Cole noticed that these animals
The baboon sighed. “For the same reason as you, elseworlder. seemed to have kept their human names, unlike Redbush.
I chose to defy Enk.” He had a solemn, slow voice and He imagined trying to resist the promise of limitless magic
gazed at Cole sadly. “My name is Jonas.” when he was only six years old and a new surge of anger
rose up in his throat. Molly had never stood a chance.
“Cole,” said Cole.
“Enk has been able to play mind tricks on the creatures in
Jonas nodded. “I saw you on your first visit to the palace. his service for many years,” Jonas explained. “Those of us
This” – he glanced at the cell to his left – “is Molly.” who have been here the longest have grown accustomed to
it but we are also able to resist him more as time goes on.
Momentarily confused, Cole turned to look at the next We are all in here because King Enk has no idea what to do
cell over and his mouth dropped open again, for a second with us while he is unable to control us completely.”
creature had appeared there.
Cole remembered what Redbush had said to him the
Cole recognised it instantly as a skunk. Eyes like two black previous night.
beads peered out of a small face and vivid white stripes ran
from the tip of its nose to its back, where they fanned out “I shudder to think how powerful he could become when
into a huge, bushy tail. he places the final seal in that well.”

“Hello, Molly,” Cole said kindly, for she looked quite “I doubt you’ll be in here for long,” he said gloomily.
frightened. Her paws were fiddling with her fur and she “Wait,” he added, for realisation had just dawned on him.
was unable to look Cole in the eye. “You said ‘all’. ‘We are all in here’, you said.”

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“Indeed,” replied Jonas. “After tonight, he’ll have even more,” said Cole. He had
to make them understand. “After tonight, you’ll have no
Cole stared around at the cells to his left and right and hope of resisting his magic and nothing will stop him from
took a step back in surprise. ruling over you forever!” When they did not respond, he
continued, beseeching them all in turn. “Don’t you want to
Creatures of all shapes and sizes had appeared at the bars be free? Don’t you see that it’s now or never?”
of their tiny cells, peering out at Cole as though he were
something wonderful. Cole saw a beaver, a kangaroo, a “But what about the wolves?” asked the boar.
lynx, a boar, a spaniel and a screech owl, each pair of eyes
flickering in the dim light. “He’ll use his magic against us,” worried the lynx.

“We have all been punished for disobeying Enk’s orders,” “Of course we want to be free,” Jonas said firmly.
Jonas explained.
Cole sighed. His breath misted in the air in front of him and
“Wow,” Cole breathed. “Well, this is fantastic!” he thrust his hands into his pockets to keep them warm.
“It’s OK to be frightened,” he said. “It’s normal. The king is
The animals lining the room looked at one another powerful and has many skills that we don’t have, but you
in bemusement. won’t be on your own. I came here today with people from
all over Deriuss, people who have come to fight. My friends
“It is!” said Cole. “You’re all outside of Enk’s control – you Piog, Meeka and Redbush are waiting for me, and if I don’t
can fight!” get out of this dungeon –”

Molly the skunk gave a fearful squeak and hid behind He stopped because the animals had suddenly started to
her tail; Jonas continued to gaze at Cole. “We have been shift around in their cells, casting excited glances at one
fighting all our lives,” he said. “Enk is surrounded by wolves another. “What?” he asked.
and he has too much magic.”
“Redbush is here?” asked the owl. “You mean, the squirrel?”

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Cole blinked. “Well, yeah,” he said, completely nonplussed. hampered by these iron bars.”

The murmuring broke out again and Jonas said, “Redbush Cole scowled at the door of his cell. Hands still stuffed
is well known among the palace animals. He is the only into his pockets, he took a few paces around, scanning the
elseworlder to have eaten the teoquat and escaped from dingy chamber for anything which might help them.
Alfar. The wolves search for him often but he has never
been found. It was he who inspired many of us to rebel in “I could try to kick the door down,” suggested the kangaroo.
the first place.”
“That would make too much noise,” said the lynx.
Nodding encouragingly, Cole clutched at this new
development as though it were a lifeline. “Well, he’s here “I could scratch at the bars,” offered the spaniel.
and he needs our help. Redbush has given you hope but he
is no more impressive than you are. All he has is bravery. “What if I run at the lock?” added the boar.
If you have the courage to stand up beside him and fight,
we can defeat Enk together.” “I could try to gnaw at the hinges,” said the beaver.

Silence followed. The animals looked as though they were “No, no,” said Jonas. “These bars cannot be broken with
chewing over Cole’s words carefully. strength. If they could, we would have broken out by now!”

“If Redbush has returned,” the kangaroo said at last, “and “There has to be a way,” Cole said, his head swimming with
he believes in this elseworlder, then we must help him to possibilities. “There just has to b-”
fight.” One by one, the occupants of a few nearby cells
nodded in agreement and the dark cellar suddenly seemed He stopped. In his frustration, his fists had thumped the
a little brighter. bottom of his jacket pockets and a soft clink had come from
them as his knuckles had struck cold metal. Carefully, he
“That is all very well,” said Jonas calmly, “but how are we pulled out a small object and held it up to the light.
going to help? In case you hadn’t noticed, we are a little

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Grandma Jenny’s attic keys glinted dully in Cole’s hand and

he turned them over. He fingered each one gently: the one
that had let him into the old, cracked door at the top of the
stairs, and the other key, which had seemed to have no use.

“You’ll be needing these.”

Surely not...
Chapter Eight
Cole hardly dared to hope, but it seemed foolish not to try. The King’s Ball
As he walked to the door of his cell and reached through the
bars around to the front, a giddy giggle rose up in the back

I
of his throat. It waited there until he had inserted the silver
key into the lock and turned it, and only when the door to n the great ballroom, the party was in full swing. Guests
Cole’s cell swung open with a creak did it burst from him, in masks and elaborate costumes mingled among the
turning into a hoot of disbelieving laughter. animals carrying trays and serving drinks; waves of aroma
from expensive perfumes and delicious canapés filled the
air. A lively song in a major key rose up from the string
quartet in the corner of the hall, just about audible over
the excited chatter of the attendees and the clinking of
glasses, and caused the whole crowd to sway and pulse as
one in time to the music.

Around the edges of the space, the slick forms of Serla and
her wolves waited patiently for any sign of trouble. Up on the
dais at the far end of the room sat King Enk, gazing serenely
down over his celebration with an expression of satisfied ease.

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The partygoers all blended into one colourful mass. Had their gaze pointedly. His nose twitched and he scratched
anyone cared to look more closely, however, they would his chin, deep in thought.
have noticed that, hidden here and there in the throng,
around a dozen men and women were standing alone, Without warning, King Enk was on his feet. He crossed the
stiller and more quietly than the rest. It would have been dais to stand beside the seal of Felrin, which glittered on
clear, too, that their clothes were slightly dirtier and more its pedestal.
poorly fitting than those of the people around them and
that, every now and then, they shot one another furtive “My friends,” he called, and the room fell silent almost at
glances across the hall, each one more stricken-looking once. Every head turned as though pulled by a string and
than the last. Watching more carefully still, one might the musicians halted their song abruptly. “Citizens of this
have noticed that a particularly poorly dressed dancer had most noble kingdom, it brings me great happiness to see
pointed, red ears poking out from under his headdress. you all here this evening.” He beamed down at them all.

The Resistance were here. Redbush the squirrel stood Redbush stood amid a large cluster of people in the centre
among the well-to-do residents of Alfar, his eyes upon of the ballroom. The men and women watching the squirrel
the king as the party moved around him. Every few for their instructions saw him duck his head low and begin
seconds, he glanced towards the nearest door or wolf, as to move. Blankly, their eyes followed him as he made his
though waiting for something or someone, but nothing way slowly through the crowd towards the front, stopping
occurred that seemed to satisfy him. After around fifteen every so often to scan the room.
minutes, he frowned and began to stare intently at
the marble floor. “This is a wondrous occasion,” Enk continued. “For many,
many years, we have awaited the return of the seal of
More seconds turned into minutes. Enk stirred in his chair Felrin.” The king stroked the seal on its pedestal with one
and the men and women secreted around the room fidgeted long finger. “With this final addition to our wonderful
uncomfortably as it occurred to each of them that what Alfarian well, we have secured the prosperity and stability
they were waiting for had not arrived. They all looked, of this great nation for centuries to come.”
panicked, at each other and then at Redbush, who avoided

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The crowd in the great hall clapped enthusiastically. Now plunged forwards into the crowd, scattering guests far
that they had all stopped dancing, however, it became and wide. Redbush leapt out of the way so quickly that
easier to see the one cloaked figure that was making its his roughly made headdress fell off and his huge, bushy
way gradually towards the dais. His eyes on the king, tail bounced out from under his cloak. The Alfarians made
Redbush weaved between gilded headdresses and ducked exclamations of surprise and indignation, and the wolves
under arms adorned with bangles and holding goblets. around the edges of the room sprang to attention. Each
one made a move towards Redbush but found their path
“It brings me great comfort,” said the king, “to know that blocked by a member of the Resistance. The dozen Derian
the magic of Deriuss is now safely stored in this palace, men and women jumped, incensed, at the wolves, blocking
away from hands who would put it to poor use.” the squirrel from view. Piog and Meeka were clinging on
with all their might to one wolf’s fur, and it swatted at
Redbush crept further forwards and came level with the them in irritation.
grey-streaked wolf, Serla, who stood straight-backed and
pale against the wall to one side. Her head turned in his It was pandemonium. Redbush bounced on all fours between
direction and he froze. scuffling wolves and Resistance members, toppling trays of
drinks and terrified, shrieking guests. Serla tore through
“Never in living memory have all of these seals been united the crowd, dividing it down the centre as her pack growled
in harmony,” Enk was saying. and barked at their assailants. Everywhere, cloaks ripped,
glass shattered and yet more wolf guards appeared from
Redbush and the white wolf stared at one another for a the teoquat orchard courtyard to enter the fray.
moment, and the wolf’s yellow eyes narrowed. Redbush
took one more tentative step towards the dais. Standing above all the brawling, King Enk watched with
an expression of abject fury. As Redbush bounded up onto
“Tonight, you and I are about to witness something truly the dais and reached out a paw in a desperate attempt to
remarkable.” take the seal of Felrin from its pedestal, the king clicked his
fingers with a sharp snap.
Everything happened in an instant. The enormous wolf

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Vines as thick as pythons burst through the wooden floor The king’s dark eyes flashed with panic and anger as he
and snaked themselves around Redbush’s chest and tail, looked around at his animal servants and the men and
binding him to the steps where he stood. The loud crashing women of the Resistance. “Let this serve as a lesson to
of broken floorboards caused the tussling men, women and anyone who fancies themselves as a hero.” He clicked his
creatures around the hall to fall still and turn towards fingers and pulled from thin air a magnificent silver sword
the cause of the noise. A single glass fell to the floor and encrusted with rubies and sapphires. “The might and magic
smashed, then there was silence. of Alfar is great, and you are no match for it.” As he spoke,
Enk raised the heavy sword above his head and the muffled
Inches from the glimmering pedestal, Redbush struggled screams of the Resistance members filled the hall.
furiously against the vines but they held him tight.
Breathing heavily, King Enk stepped forwards to address From his hiding place behind the dais, Cole watched wide-
the room at large again. “This illustrates my point eyed as the king’s sword reached its peak above his golden
perfectly,” he said, his voice rising with anger. “Deriuss crown and prepared to fall. Icy sweat ran down his neck
is about to enter a new era of power and plenty, and we and he felt as though his insides were trying to push
must safeguard our future against those who would seek themselves out through his mouth.
to destroy it.”
“I will have order and you are neither strong enough,”
Redbush twisted against his binds and attempted to shout Enk shouted over the noise, “nor quick-witted enough to
up at the king, but all that came out was a muffled yell stop me.”
as yet more vines forced themselves around his mouth.
Members of the Resistance who had darted forwards The Resistance were still struggling against their wolf
to assist him were caught by waiting wolves, and they captors and Redbush stood as stiff as a board, unable to
wriggled and shouted in earnest. move an inch. As though in slow motion, the king’s silver
sword swung through the air. Down it came in a whirl of
“Down with Enk!” silver, red and blue – and then it stopped abruptly.

“Resist!” Panting and pale-faced, Cole stood defiantly between

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Redbush and the king, his hands on the hilt of the king’s
sword and pushing upwards with all the strength he could
muster. The crowd gasped. A flash of light reflected in the
sword’s shining blade flitted across the king’s face, and he
no longer looked serene or kingly – he looked mad.

“You,” he hissed, his voice dripping with hatred.

“Me,” said Cole. His breathing was short and sharp, having
dashed across the dais in the nick of time, and his knees
felt as though they might give way at any moment, but he
stared up at Enk and forced himself to speak. “You won’t do
any more damage to this kingdom,” he said, “because your
people have had enough.”

The king laughed maniacally and leered down at Cole,

putting an immense weight behind the huge sword without
seeming to make any effort at all. “And what power,”
he asked sardonically, “do the people have to fight
against me?”

Cole heaved harder still and felt one of his knees collapse
underneath him. “None,” he croaked, pushing as much
air through his lungs as possible, “but you’re wrong. They
didn’t need super strength, extra-special intelligence or
magic to stop you. They just needed enough courage to do
the right thing.”

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At this, Cole’s strength failed him and he sank to the floor Through the parted crowd came the scurrying of many
under the weight of the magical weapon. The silver blade hooves and paws, accompanied by gasps from the watching
lurched wildly, and then King Enk regained control of it. Derians. Eight figures appeared from the now unguarded
A wide smile stretched across his pale face and he raised teoquat orchard; Cole watched as the king’s gaze rose to
the sword once more, swinging it without hesitation back the newcomers and his bearded jaw dropped.
down towards the dais, cleaving through the air above
Cole’s head. Trembling from head to foot, Cole closed his Standing in the centre of the magnificent hall was a group
eyes tight and held his breath – of creatures of all shapes and sizes, their tails, talons and
tusks quivering. Jonas the monkey stood tall at the front,
Nothing happened. a satisfied look settling on his tired features. In every pair
of paws were two or three golden, bejewelled seals. Hidden
After a second or two, Cole looked up with his eyes half- by the fighting in the great hall, the imprisoned animals
closed and saw that the king was standing completely still, had emptied the magic well of its seals and the king’s
staring blankly at his empty hands, where the magical unnatural spells were broken.
sword had been moments before. Blinking stupidly, Enk
clicked his fingers but, again, nothing happened. The whole room held its breath and looked from the animals
to the king, who stood frozen beside his throne. Suddenly
A movement behind Cole told him that Redbush was also looking sallow-faced, he made to lunge savagely at the
free. The vines and the sword had vanished. pedestal and the seal of Felrin, but found that Redbush the
squirrel was spinning it leisurely between his paws.
Cole allowed himself to breathe. Anticipation and anger
were forcing King Enk’s chest to heave up and down Enk stared, incandescent with rage, at Serla and her wolves.
and his eyes, as wide as dinner plates, searched Cole “Well?!” he screamed. “What are you waiting for? Get –”
wildly for some explanation. Cole merely smiled and
stood up as a new, pattering sound broke through the The command was left hanging in the perfumed air, as Enk
silence behind him. seemed to choke on something that the room could not see.

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Before their eyes, the king’s face was turning milky When no one objected, Redbush began to give instructions.
white and his skin was becoming tight over his features. Members of the Resistance tentatively collected the seals
Lines drew themselves across his face and his hair that had been pulled from the well. Serla the wolf stood
thinned until he was almost bald, and then he was aghast, staring at the space where her king had stood, and
shrinking, shaking and twisting as he became smaller her pack stood poised around the hall, waiting.
and more ancient. Every year of his impossibly long life
suddenly seemed visible and, within seconds, he had Cole watched as Redbush approached her. It struck Cole
shrivelled into a frail old man, no more than two how very brave the squirrel was to walk right up to the
feet tall, half-buried in his robes at the foot of his creature that had hunted him for so many years, and
throne and still shrinking. The king’s golden crown hit the he held his breath. Serla was clearly thinking the same
floor with a thunk. Finally, all that was left of King Enk, thing, as she growled and dropped her front end low to
ruler of the land of Deriuss and master of its magic, was a the ground, baring her gleaming teeth. Redbush came
small mound of ash. within inches of her fur and spoke in a calm undertone.
Although Cole could not hear his words, he saw the wolf
For a few moments, no one could think of anything to say slowly stand, round up her guards and skulk after Redbush
or do. Cole glanced around the ballroom, where wolves and through a side door.
Resistance members were still poised mid-fight.
The room gradually filled with noise and movement as the
Redbush moved beside him and turned to face the room. people of Alfar began to pick one another up from the floor.
When he spoke, his voice sounded clear and confident. “We Resistance members and the dungeon animals celebrated
do not want to fight,” he said, gazing around at the wolves with wine and food swiped from tables that had not been
and the residents of Alfar. “We wish only to return the upturned, while some servants bustled through and began
magic of Deriuss to its rightful place: the lands which belong to clean up, seemingly out of habit. Piog and Meeka came
to our people. With your help, we can turn Deriuss into a hurtling up onto the dais, beaming at Cole brightly, before
fair society where everyone can live and work alongside pouncing on him for a rib-crushing hug.
one another.”

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and arches glowed. The rest of the scene had changed

dramatically, however. The teoquat trees which had pulsed
with energy and life during Cole’s last visit had blackened
and wilted, their branches dry and cracking away from
the walls. Leaves and vines which had once been fresh and
green now lay crisp and brown on the ground. Where the
space had thrummed with life just days ago, the courtyard
was now as still and silent as the grave.
Chapter Nine
A New Beginning Redbush sighed as he looked around. “We have a lot of work
to do,” he said sagely. The squirrel walked slowly once

T
around the magical well, which no longer bubbled with
he following day, Cole was standing in the teoquat life-giving power. The basins were empty and, all around
orchard when Redbush joined him. the base of the strange fountain, large holes showed where
the various Derian seals had once sat.
“Good morning, Cole.”
The animals whom Cole had met in the dungeon had
“Hi,” Cole replied. performed their parts perfectly. Once the Resistance
members had been recognised and the ball had descended
“I trust that you slept well.” into chaos, the orchard guards had been drawn into
the ballroom. Immediately, the animals had wrenched
Cole nodded. “I’ve never slept in a palace before.” out as many seals as they could hold in their paws and,
within seconds, the garden of teoquat trees that had
It had been very late the previous night when Cole and the been feeding upon the concentrated magic had been
Derians had finally fallen into beds in the palace, and it was transformed. The fruits adorning the branches had now
now mid-morning. Sunlight was, once again, streaming in shrivelled to a fraction of their original size and had become
from above the small courtyard so that the white columns as hard as stones.

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“I thought that you might become human again,” Cole “And what about the elseworlders?” Cole wondered.
said, thinking aloud, “when the seals were removed.” He “They’re still animals. What will they do?”
watched Redbush inspecting the dry well, and wondered
how he was feeling now that he had won his freedom. Redbush gave a sad smile. “Some might stay,” he said.
“They know no other life, and they are welcome to remain
“Yes, I think that a lot of the animals had hoped that would in the palace if they wish, but others may choose to travel
be the case,” said Redbush finally. “Alas, not. We are not the kingdom. The most important thing is that they are
from this place. The earth magic that was contained in now free to make that choice.”
those fruits is what gives life to everything in Deriuss, and
it seems that it has made us a part of the natural world.” The pair stood in the crumbling orchard for a long time,
each lost in his own thoughts, until a noise behind Cole
“What will you do now?” asked Cole. made him turn around.

Redbush smiled. “Well, with Enk gone, the people of Deriuss Piog and Meeka were walking across the courtyard, their
are free to replace the seals in their local wells and begin pockets full to bursting with pastries and cakes and looking
to live off the land again. For my part, I intend to remain immensely pleased with themselves.
in Alfar.”
“You all right, Cole?” Piog said, handing him a cup of
“Here?” Cole asked. He was surprised; he much preferred something warm and sweet. “Here. It’s plum grog, and it
the quiet, humble town of Felrin to the lavish city of Alfar, is so, so good.”
and had expected Redbush to feel the same way.
“Better than hot grains, at any rate!” Meeka said thickly
“Absolutely. The people here will need to adapt to life through a mouthful of bread.
without a king and Alfar will be surviving on only a
fraction of the earth magic that it is used to. They will Cole took the cup with a nod, and stopped to breathe in its
need some guidance, I think.” fragrance before allowing just the softest sip to pass his lips.
It was good. It was better than good. It was friendship, and

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love, and the value of the earth. “Thanks, it’s delicious.” He The animal servants were so grateful to Cole and Redbush
hesitated, feeling a twinge of sadness, and then said, “I that they had bent over backwards to supply them with
suppose that I’d better try to get back home.” anything that they could ask for.

“Not just yet!” cried Meeka in a tone of astonishment. “Come on! Come on! Out of the way.”
“You’ll stay for the party, won’t you?”
Yognar had been so busy directing events all morning that
“Party?” asked Cole, bewildered. she hadn’t even noticed the groups of children who were
swiping treats off the tables laid out in the streets. Every
“‘Course! You can’t deny Mum the chance to feed you time she turned to top up the bread, fruit or cheese, there
properly!” Piog laughed. would be significantly less than a minute before. Her face
was turning a severe shade of beetroot and Cole thought
* that it was best to get out of her way before he ended up
wearing the pail of milk she carried.
The news that Enk’s rule was over had spread like wildfire
across the kingdom. Before long, everyone had heard the “Let’s get to the well, Mum,” said Meeka. “We don’t want
story of the king’s demise and celebrations seemed to be the to miss it!” Judging by the cream smeared across her face
order of the day – but not before the people of Deriuss had and the wedge of cheese poking out from her tunic, she
chosen their new leader. No one, including Cole, could think had been the worst offender. “Here,” she whispered to Cole,
of anyone better placed to lead the kingdom into its new age handing him a bread roll, which he pocketed.
than Redbush, and after much persuasion, he had agreed.
The squirrel had, however, insisted that representatives be As they walked through the streets of Felrin, which had
chosen from every town in Deriuss, so that each could have become significantly noisier and busier overnight, Cole
a vote on any important decisions that were made. spoke. “So, the seal’s back?”

Back in the town of Felrin, a feast was being prepared “Redbush is bringing it down from the palace,” said
using all the excess food that the palace could provide. Piog. “Some of the other elseworlders are delivering the

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rest back to the other towns and cities.” them, but then brought it down gently onto the wolf’s
shoulder. “This is Serla, and you all know who she was.”
They turned a corner into the town square, which was
as hot, dusty and dry as ever. It was filled with people, The murmurs became angry cries, but Redbush did not
just as it had been the last time Cole had seen it – but the falter. “She was an elseworlder like me, and I ask you to
atmosphere could not have been more different. The town forgive her.”
bell was clanging and people stood chatting animatedly,
gathered around with the stone well in their midst and an “Never!” someone hidden in the crowd shouted in an almost
air of excited expectation. News of Cole’s part in the king’s instant reply.
downfall had trickled through the town, and people stopped
to point at him or wave cheerfully as they went past. Redbush allowed the people to grumble and shout and
flatly refuse, until the din eventually died away to silence.
“Redbush is here!” a young girl squealed, and the crowd When he replied, he did so with a kindness that even Cole
was hushed at once. could see had been lacking during King Enk’s reign. “This
is a special place,” he said. “I was lost for many years, but
Sure enough, Redbush was approaching the stone well at thanks to all of you, I have found something to believe in
a leisurely pace, and in his paws was the seal of Felrin. He and something to be. If I can be chosen to lead, she must
was flanked by a group of five or six elseworlders from the be allowed to change. If we deny her this chance, we are
palace, and in their midst was someone whom Cole had no better than Enk.”
not expected to see on this day of celebration: the grey-
streaked white wolf, Serla. The crowd were stunned to silence by Redbush’s words.
Cole felt uneasy as he thought back to his own treatment
Redbush hopped up onto the well so that he could be seen by the wolf and the countless orders that Serla and her
by everyone. “We have returned from the palace,” he said, pack must have carried out in the service of Enk. Looking
his voice clear and loud. He took a long pause and scanned at the wolf now, however, he saw that there was a sadness
the faces in the expectant crowd. Murmurs broke out at the in her eyes and felt inclined to give her the chance to be
sight of the wolf and Redbush raised a paw as if to silence something better. While the people around him shifted and

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murmured uncomfortably, Cole stepped through the crowd The citizens of Felrin were beside themselves with delight.
and approached the wolf. He took Serla’s paw in his own Piog and Meeka ran up and down the square, holding out
hand, reached into his pocket and pulled out the bread roll their hands to catch raindrops, while Yognar gazed up at
given to him by Meeka. the sky with tears cascading down her cheeks. Friends and
family were embracing; children were splashing in the
“Here,” he said. Serla frowned and gripped the roll lightly, water that was tumbling out of the well and onto the floor.
then Cole twisted it until it tore in half. “What better way
to make friends than over a meal?” “Cole,” said Redbush turning to him, “thank you. You will
never know how much your bravery has helped the people
Redbush nodded appreciatively as the expressions in the of Deriuss.”
crowd softened slightly. “And now,” he said with an air
of grandeur, “without further ado…” He reached down “I didn’t do anything, really,” said Cole.
and slipped the seal of Felrin into the waiting well with a
satisfying clunk. Redbush smiled. “Do you really think so? The way I see
it, you survived an encounter with the king where others
The effect was immediate. The well’s foundations seemed had been trapped. You spent time listening to the people
to shudder like an engine starting up, and a faint gurgling of Deriuss; you joined the Resistance instead of returning
could be heard somewhere below them. Then, without home; you escaped from the king’s dungeon with eight
warning, a jet of perfectly clear water shot out of the prisoners; you saved my life and you brought balance to
top of the well and began to gush down the sides so that this land. I wonder if all of this would have happened if
Redbush was forced to jump out of its way. A few seconds somebody else had come through that portal.”
later, a ripple which seemed to start in the centre of the
well rumbled under their feet and continued outwards Cole didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t sure whether
through the square. As it disappeared beyond the houses it was due to the smiling faces all around them or the
and streets, the sky above their heads turned from stark kind words that Redbush had spoken, but he felt as
blue to a cool, milky grey and a light rain began to touch though a small fire had started somewhere inside him, its
upon the noses and foreheads of the townsfolk. flames feeble but sending warmth right through his body

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to his fingertips.

Silence fell between them for a moment. Finding his voice,

Cole said, “I’m sorry that you’ll never be able to go home.”

Redbush turned away from Cole and looked around at

the people celebrating with their families and friends,
before staring up towards the palace on the
mountainside. “I rather think,” he said contentedly,
“that I am already home.”

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Under the cover of all the merriment, Cole slipped away

from the party and down the street to Yognar’s cottage.
He stopped for a moment and watched as a vine adorned
with flowers sprouted from the ground and snaked its way
up the outside wall. Deriuss was truly the most wonderful
place that he had ever seen and it was once more becoming
the world that its people deserved. Here, he had found
friends and a purpose, so why did he feel so hollow? Piog
Chapter Ten and Meeka were kind and Yognar was attentive and caring.
The Short Crawl Home In Deriuss, he had everything he needed to be his true self.

“You’re welcome to stay here, you know.” The voice took

T
him by surprise for only a second, but the warm tone told
he celebrations and feasting went on long into him that it was Yognar. She, too, had left the party and
the evening but, once the novelty of seeing Piog stood leaning against the side of the cottage. “The people of
and Meeka stuffing an impressive number of grapes into Deriuss will be forever in your debt and, if you like, there
their mouths wore off, Cole didn’t quite feel like partying is a place for you with us.”
any more. The residents of Deriuss were delighting in
the earth magic that was flowing back into the world; Cole smiled at her, but shook his head. As much as he now
halfway through the afternoon, a thin, life-giving mist felt a part of this world, it would never be a replacement
had swirled and danced up into the sky and, with it, for life back home. He missed the sound of Mum’s voice, the
a vivid spectrum of light had coloured the horizon. As smell of Dad’s baking, listening to Mara’s facts and hearing
the magic had settled once more, the dusty fields had Liam’s music. Taking a closer look at the flowers growing
instantly sprouted tiny green shoots, and the trees had outside Yognar’s house, he breathed in a familiar scent:
begun to sway and whisper with new leaves. In the space lavender.
of a day, the memories of King Enk’s rule had been washed
away and a new dawn had begun. “I’m sorry, Yognar, but I have to go home. My grandma set

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me a job to do and I can’t let her down.” transformed. A thick, lush forest awaited them, and Cole
could almost feel it breathing.
Yognar simply smiled and said, “I’ll fetch the twins. They’ll
get you home.” He heaved himself out of the wagon. Although he was
certain that leaving Deriuss was the right decision, it
* didn’t make it any easier. He went to speak, but the twins
grabbed him and pulled him into a tight, group hug.
The wagon ride back to the portal was quiet. Piog and
Meeka had eaten almost their entire body weight in cheese “Thank you,” squeaked Piog.
and cake and their eyes kept dropping heavily. Cole wasn’t
quite sure what to say to them. “Yeah,” agreed Meeka, “and sorry about the whole
kidnapping thing.”
“Hey, I – uh...”
“Don’t worry about it,” smiled Cole. He turned away and
“We’ll miss you.” headed towards a familiar-looking tree, ready to begin the
short crawl back.
Cole couldn’t see which of the twins had said it, but they
both had their eyes on him. He nodded soundlessly, because There was a problem.
his mouth seemed to be refusing to form words.
In the place where the portal had once been were nothing
Piog, who was driving the wagon, pulled the pony to a but tangled tree roots and dirt. When he had first followed
stop. He looked at Cole and smiled but it seemed like a the mouse through, the hole had seemed impossibly small,
struggle. “We’re here.” but it had widened as he had crawled. Now, all that waited
for him was compacted earth.
Meeka tapped her fingers lightly on her knees and huffed.
Her breath danced, warm and white in the chilly night air, “I can’t find it!” Cole cried.
and she looked out into the treeline, which had now been

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The twins dropped to their knees and all three searched lost himself for a moment and felt full of anger towards
among the undergrowth, but there was nothing to be the creature who had stolen the seal of Felrin. Then, he
found – no dusty attic, no boxes of treasures, no lavender remembered how he had forgiven Serla, and how he had
perfume. Was this Deriuss’s way of trying to keep him? made new friends in the two people standing beside him.
As much trouble as coming to Deriuss had caused him, Cole
Suddenly, it hit Cole that the choice to leave Deriuss may could not ignore the fact that the lives of all the people of
never have been there at all. Would he be stuck here forever this world had been improved by him doing so. The seal
like Redbush? What would his family think when he never had been returned, magic flowed through the lands once
came down from the attic? It had already been several more, and there was a leader in the palace who would keep
days and nights and they would be out of their minds with the peace for years to come.
worry. It was all Cole could do not to cry.
“What shall we do with it?” Meeka was saying. She rolled
“Hello.” up her sleeves and cracked her knuckles menacingly.

A shrill voice spoke from behind the trio, trembling slightly “Leave it,” Cole told her, standing up and walking over to
with an emotion that Cole couldn’t quite place. He looked the creature. “What’s your name?”
up and saw that, standing on a tree stump to the right of
the wagon, clutching its tail, was King Enk’s personal thief: “Lightfoot,” said the mouse, with a rueful glance up at
the mouse. Cole.

“You!” Cole gasped. “Well, Lightfoot,” Cole said. He breathed heavily, took one
last look at the exposed roots of the tree and then made for
The little mouse bowed its head, but didn’t run. Even when the wagon. “Come with us. There’s food in town and I’m
Piog jumped up and ran over to the stump, it remained sure we can find a spot for you to sleep.”
still. “I’m sorry,” it said.
Lightfoot looked up at Cole but, rather than gratitude, his
“Sorry? You’re the whole reason I ended up here.” Cole face wore surprise. “You’re not going home?”

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“I can’t,” said Cole. “The portal is gone.” He swallowed hard his mind, he knew that it was unlikely that he would ever
against the lump that had formed in the back of his throat. be able to return to Grandma Jenny’s house once she had
moved away. So, he chose his words carefully.
Suddenly, Lightfoot’s face exploded with delight. “Not for
me, it isn’t!” Without hesitation, he sprang off the stump “Take care.”
and dived into the dark of the tree roots. Cole and the
twins heard excited chirps and, before they even had time As he crouched and pulled himself through the damp
to blink, the writhing tentacles of the tree had unfurled tunnel, the smells and sounds of Deriuss disappeared like
to reveal a shadowy space. Carried on a warm breeze, the raindrops on a river.
smell of flowers and chocolate biscuits reached Cole’s nose.
*
Lightfoot returned, standing up to his full height beside
Cole’s knee and beaming. Cole stood in Grandma Jenny’s attic with the rain lashing
down on the skylights. Dust swirled in the air and, from
“How did you do that?” Cole asked. downstairs, the warm smell of freshly baked biscuits called
to him. Images of another time, another place and another
“Mice have a way of getting into spots where others cannot.” life blurred through his mind, as though he were in the first
few moments of waking from a dream. He had lived every
“You’re not kidding,” Cole laughed. There was no stopping memory as if it were from the most exciting book, but that
him now. The portal home was open and every part of his was all they were now – just another one of Cole’s tall tales.
body was now telling him that this was the right thing to
do. “Well,” he said, looking at his three companions. “Bye, As he walked to the doorway leading to the landing, Cole
then.” wondered why, after three days, the attic had not been
cleared yet. If he had been lost for so long, why would his
“Come back soon,” smiled a waving Piog. family be making biscuits?

Cole hesitated, but chose not to correct him. In the back of “Hello?” he called, but was met by only silence.

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Cole took the rickety stairs down past the music room, where “I wanted this half,” Liam moaned. “It has more chocolate chips
an acoustic guitar lay flat on the carpet, and past the study, – but Mara said that her first one was smaller than mine.”
where no fewer than eight books lay open and scattered
across the floor. While his siblings resumed what Cole assumed had been a
long-running argument, Grandma Jenny reached onto the
There was no sign yet of his family. Perhaps, the moment plate. “Now, now, no one but Cole will have this. I think
someone had realised that he was missing, they had given up that he deserves it. Off you go and finish up.”
on tidying to try and find him. A hollowness smacked Cole in
the stomach as he realised fully how worried his family must One by one, Cole’s family scattered until it was only he
have been. Taking the final flight of stairs three at a time, and Grandma Jenny left.
Cole dashed into the living room, and was met by the sight
of Grandma Jenny in her chair, with Mum, Dad, Liam What was happening? Cole had been gone for ages but
and Mara gathered around her. everyone was still tidying up the house – in fact, it seemed
as though only a few minutes had passed since he had first
“Cole!” Mum said. stepped into Deriuss three days before – if he had done so
at all. He sat perfectly still and rubbed his chin in
“It’s OK, it’s OK. I’m back,” Cole announced, putting his confusion, with the feeling of being lost for words that had
arms around his mother. “I’m so sorry. You must have all become a lot more familiar recently.
been so worried!”
“Here you go, love,” Grandma Jenny said, handing over the
“We were actually just deciding who was going to eat your biscuit. Cole picked it up and savoured it slowly. The food on
biscuit,” said Mara. his adventures had been wonderful, but there was nothing
quite like Dad’s homemade chocolate chip biscuits.
Cole looked at her blankly. “I – what?”
When he looked up, he saw that Grandma Jenny was eyeing
“Dad made some. I don’t think it was going well in the shed…” him closely. She looked from Cole’s dirty trainers to his slightly
sun-browned nose and unwashed hair. Then, she smiled.

146 147
 Cole’s Kingdom

“Everything OK, love?” she asked. “Have you finished with

my keys?”

Through his biscuit crumbs, Cole opened his mouth to

tell Grandma all about Lightfoot, the seal and everything
that had happened in Deriuss, but stopped himself. He
knew that Grandma would have listened to it all, but this
felt like a story that was just for him. “Yes,” he said. “They
came in really handy, Grandma. Thanks.” He looked into her
grey eyes and tried to communicate what he was feeling as he
handed Grandma’s keys back to her.

They sat together, he on the arm of her chair and she wrapped
in her blanket, watching the rain tap against the windows.
The tangled branches of the oak tree in the garden swished
rhythmically from side to side. It had already been a very long
day for Cole, and he was just about to close his eyes when,
between the leaves of the tree, he saw a small creature leap
from one branch to another. It was a red squirrel.

Cole flinched and went to speak, but Grandma Jenny

interrupted him. “You look cold. Here.” She pulled the
blanket off her legs and wrapped it around his shoulders.
Instantly, he was warmed, but there was also something
suddenly recognisable about the design woven into the blanket.
As Cole gazed down at the fabric now draped over his arms, he
felt a familiar urge to step right into the scene depicted there.

148
 Cole’s Kingdom

“Grandma, where did you get this blanket?”

“A dear friend made it for me, my love, but that was long,
long ago.”

He looked at her then, and she smiled. As Cole opened his

mouth to ask the thousands of questions burning in his
mind, Grandma Jenny beat him to it.

“Did you find any treasures in the attic?”

Cole nodded. “I did find something very special – but I’m

afraid I lost it.”

“Put it back where it belonged, I hope.”

Flashes of his adventures appeared in Cole’s mind: his

friends, his battles and the forever-changed world that he
had left behind.

“Yeah,” he smiled. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I did.”

THE END

150
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 “"Introductions!"” the man said with a kind smile. "I am
King Enk. This is my kingdom and you," he added with
a flash of his dark eyes, "you are the one we have been
waiting for, Cole."”

For as long as Cole can remember, he

has always seemed very unimpressive
next to his brother and sister. However,
when a trip to his grandma’s ancient
house turns into the adventure of a
lifetime, he is given a choice which
makes him question everything that he
thought he wanted.

Hurled into a strange place where even

stranger creatures dwell and fierce
powers are at play, Cole must find out
where his own talents lie and put them
to good use before time runs out.

Follow Cole through the mousehole

into Deriuss: a land where all you need
is a little belief in yourself to unlock a
world of magic.

We provide educators around the world with entire schemes

of work, lesson planning and assessments, plus online
educational games, innovative augmented reality and lots,
visit twinkl.com lots more.