Alfie Bloom and the Talisman Thief (22 page)

“
Ashford
,” spat the Queen, her eyes flickering to the butler. “You insult your entire race by consorting with this
human
thief. This unworthy—”

“ENOUGH!” said Emily, fire burning in her eyes as a shadow of the Queen's own temper appeared in her face. “I make
my own
choices.” The shadow passed and her voice softened as she stepped back. “Caspian will pronounce the punishment for what you have done here.”

Alfie jumped out of Caspian's path as he strode towards the Queen, her crow insult obviously still burning in his ears.

“As of today, the elven realm is in exile. There will be no trade with your race. All doorways, portals and paths between your realm and other lands will be sealed. For one hundred years.”

Colour rose in the Queen's pale cheeks but she seemed to know better than to argue with Caspian. She nodded stiffly.

“
Only chosen ambassadors will be able to visit your realm. Your army will be dispersed, and if there is even a thought of invading other lands…” He paused for dramatic effect. “The exile will be one thousand years.” He pointed at the portal. “Now go.”

The Queen turned, then paused in front of the shimmering portal.

“Why's she just standing there?” said Robin. “She got off lightly. I thought she'd be straight through.”

“I'll say she got off lightly!” said Granny. “I'll help her through that thing with the end of my boot!”

“She's scared,” said Alfie, surprised to find himself feeling sorry for her. “Her soldiers turned against her and her big plan failed. She probably doesn't know who to trust back home.”

The Queen turned to Emily, her face no longer confident and cruel as she said in a wavering voice, “Come with me?”

Emily took her hand. “For a short while,” she said gently. “I do have a job to get back to. That place would fall apart without me.” She winked at Caspian who raised a single eyebrow in response.

“
Don't go,” said Ashford suddenly dashing forwards. “Not yet.” He held something tightly clenched in one fist. “The reason I went back, after all that happened … well, it was to have something made. I thought I had gone undetected the first time. But when I went back to collect it, they followed me through.”

“I don't understand,” said Emily. “What was important enough for you to take that risk?”

“You,” said Ashford. He knelt on the cobbles before her. Emily's hands flew to her mouth.

“No way!” said Amy, clutching Alfie's arm, Madeleine grabbed the other and bit her knuckles nervously.

“What?” asked Alfie, looking to Robin who shook his head in equal confusion.

“Shhhh!” hushed Granny. Even Alfie's dad was frozen to the spot.

“Emily Fortune,” said Ashford, opening his hand to reveal a silvery elven ring glowing with white moonstones. “Will you marry me?”

Alfie didn't even hear her answer over Amy and Madeleine's shouts of delight, but he guessed Emily must have said yes as Ashford slipped the ring on to her finger and they kissed.

“Ugh, well there's no need for that,” said
Madeleine,
quickly looking away. Emily wiped a tear from her face as everyone rushed over to congratulate them. Even Caspian stiffly shook hands with them both.

Alfie's dad patted Ashford on the back. Alfie smiled at the two of them together and decided it might be just a bit too weird to let his dad know that Ashford was his great-great-grandson.

The Queen's lips were pressed together so hard they had turned white, but as Ashford and Emily looked to her she gave a nod so slight it was barely noticeable.

“Well, that's more approval than I ever expected from Mum,” grinned Emily. “Goodbye for now, Ashford.” She hugged him tightly. “I'll return as soon as things are settled back in the realm. And you…” she turned to Caspian, suddenly fierce again. “There will be no punishment for Ashford. Do you hear me? He was kidnapped, tortured and nearly killed. I think that's punishment enough, don't you?”

Caspian went even paler than his usual shade, something that Alfie wouldn't have thought possible. His jaw tightened as he said, “There is more to it than that. He broke our pact and led an army of elves to Alfie's door—”

“
And saved us from them!” said Alfie, stepping in front of Ashford. “The crown was destroyed. It can never be used again.” Amy, Madeleine and Robin rushed to flank him between the butler and the solicitor.

“You see?” said Emily. “Alfie has forgiven him, so there's no need to take this to Mr Muninn.”

“Yeah, he's not going anywhere with you,” said Amy, still completely un-awed by Caspian.

The solicitor looked to Alfie. “You are happy for me to leave him here with you, after all that he has done?”

Alfie tilted his head back to look up at Caspian, his jaw thrust out. “He's not going anywhere,” he said firmly.

“Then Ashford shall remain here on parole,” said Caspian crisply, as though it was his own idea. “His first duty will be to rebuild the tower and clear up the destruction he has wrought.”

“That's a bit unfair,” said Alfie. But Ashford was grinning.

“It will be done by morning,” he agreed.

Emily and Ashford shared one last lingering look and then Emily took the Queen's hand. “Come on then, Mum,” she said, leading her through the portal.

As
the ripples in the portal died down Caspian uncorked a bottle of highly scented oil, removed a calligraphy brush from his pocket and flexed his fingers.

“Now, to seal this portal properly.”

“Wait,” said Alfie quickly. “I nearly forgot, there's one left!”

“I'll get him,” said Ashford. The butler disappeared into the castle, returning swiftly with Loth the elf, still in his elven long-johns. Alfie, Amy and the twins grabbed his arms and legs. Together the five of them carried him to the portal and, after a few big swings to build up momentum, hurled him through.

Madeleine stuck her head through the portal. “And don't come back,” her muffled voice yelled after him.

“If that is all?” said Caspian. “I will need full concentration to seal this portal properly. Please refrain from disturbing me during the ritual.”

“Refrain from disturbing,” Granny muttered under her breath, as Caspian dipped his brush in the oil. He began to paint symbols that soaked straight into the dry bark leaving a faint glow in the dark. “I'll disturb him right in the—”

“Mary!” said Alfie's dad quickly. “Come on
everyone.
Grace and Herb must have finished making the tea by now.”

Out of the Wreckage

Alfie saw Aunt Grace crying into Uncle Herb's shoulder as he entered the kitchen. She quickly wiped her tears and hugged them all one by one.

“Come on. Eat, eat,” she said, finishing laying the kitchen table with the food she had brought. Alfie looked greedily at the feast of sweet and savoury scones, carrot cake, muffins, biscuits, chocolate sponge, sandwiches in home-made buns, and sausage rolls.

“She hasn't stopped baking since that mist blew up,” said Uncle Herb. “It's a good job this ended when it did, or there'd be a world flour shortage.”

“Hush,” said Aunt Grace, shoving an angel
cake
into his mouth so quickly he began to cough crumbs across the kitchen. “Now, Ashford, tell me all about this proposal!” Aunt Grace made each of them recount it in detail in case anyone missed anything out.

“Alfie, can we take a walk?” whispered his dad when Alfie had finally eaten his fill and Aunt Grace was listening to the fourth retelling of Ashford's proposal. Alfie suspected it was her way of avoiding talking about the unpleasantness of the last two days. He slipped out of the kitchen with his dad and headed outside.

Caspian had laid down his brush and was making a complicated series of hand gestures and chanting something under his breath. He paid them no attention as they crossed the courtyard to walk around the garden on the other side.

Alfie told his dad about everything that had happened as they walked.

“Oh, good job, Robin!” he said as Alfie told him about how they had used the iron-tipped arrows and iron bombs against the elves. Alfie carefully left out the scarier and stranger chunks of the story, such as being captured and held at arrow-point, disguising himself as an elf, and travelling back in time. Having his son held captive by elves behind
a
mist of forgetfulness was enough strangeness for his dad to deal with right now.

They sat down on a bench under the apple trees. “Alfie, I can't imagine what you all went through. I can only thank the stars that Ashford was here with you.” Alfie didn't think it wise to reveal that the Ashford they had been shut in with had turned out to be an evil sprite. “I've been thinking … I'd understand if you want to leave this place.”

“What do you mean, leave?” asked Alfie.

“After all this – do you even feel safe here now? If you want to leave, to live somewhere a little more … normal, then we can pack our bags and leave tomorrow.” He looked up as dawn began to breach the castle walls, spilling a golden ray of light into the courtyard. “Well, today.”

Alfie smiled. “Since when have we liked normal?” He hugged his dad. The elves had tried to take everything from him, but they had failed. Just as Murkle and Snitch had failed. His inheritance might draw trouble like a magnet, but with Amy, the twins, Ashford and Artan by his side, nothing was going to take it from him. “This is our home. It always will be.” His dad hugged him back until a melodic trilling made them look up into the trees. Something shiny was hopping from branch
to
branch. There was a sudden crack and a shower of small twigs and buds, and it toppled on to Alfie's lap.

“Leonardo's bird!” exclaimed Alfie's dad as the silver sparrow hopped to its feet, chirped, and shook out its feathers. “What is it doing out here?”

“The Queen did something to it,” said Alfie, surprised that the bird had escaped the vortex. It bounced from Alfie's knee and fluttered up to his dad's shoulder where it nuzzled his face, chirruping.

“It seems to have a spark of life in it now. I think it likes you.”

“Amazing,” whispered his dad as he stroked the bird's feathers gently with one finger. It threw back its head and began to whistle happily. “I think that's what we'll call it. Sparky.”

“It is done,” Caspian's voice cut crisply through the silence. Alfie and his dad hurried over to shake hands with the solicitor as he tucked the little jar and brush into his inner pocket. “The portal is secure. My sentinels will guard your walls, but you may sleep peacefully. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a temporary administrator to find in Ms Fortune's most inconvenient absence.”

He climbed into the coach and Johannes turned the horses, talking them into a gallop across the
drawbridge,
down the hillside and then up into the air.

“One day I need to ask him exactly how that works,” said Alfie's dad as the coach disappeared into the clouds.

“I don't think you'll get an answer.”

“Me neither.”

Ashford was waiting for them by the wreckage of the front door.

“They're all off to bed for a few hours' sleep,” he told them. “There are enough rooms made up for everyone. I'll secure the castle before retiring myself.”

“Just shut the drawbridge,” yawned Alfie's dad. “There's nothing we can do about this door right now.”

“You'd be surprised at what I can do when I put my mind to it,” said Ashford.

“I can believe that.”

“Dad, I'll go up in a few minutes,” said Alfie as his dad joined the others traipsing wearily up the stairs, Sparky still happily bobbing up and down on his shoulder. Alfie had seen something in Ashford's face that indicated he wanted to talk to him. “I'm just going to get some milk.”

“OK. But don't be long. See you this afternoon.”

Once
they were alone, Ashford waved his hand at the door and tower. “I thought you could help me with this little problem. And at the same time, we can take care of this change magic that's bothering you. That is, if you're
sure
you want to be rid of it?”

“One-hundred-per-cent positive!” said Alfie immediately. It wasn't just its unpredictability and the fact that it came from Murkle and Snitch that bothered him, it was the way it seemed it have a mind of its own, just like the ancient magic. After all the books and comics he had read, he had never imagined that possessing magic would be a bad thing. “How do we do this?”

“I could show you how to use it yourself,” said Ashford. “Teach you how to burn up the change magic with the creation magic Orin gave you and create something physical with it. I
could
do that, but your magic grows hungrier the more it is fed; I fear what it would do to your mind.”