Elements of Glory: The Princess of Nothing
Chapter Three: The Dark Day of the Orphanage

’All I dream of is freedom from this realm, and the other that has become my prison… that hell… Do I look for absolution for my sins? Perhaps… but more, I just want to go home, because this is not my home, not my Universe… I don’t belong here…’

-The Demoness, in a guarded discussion with the Hidden Master, in the months before she betrayed Ratikgurr, to follow the plans of the Hidden Master

John Raven was beside himself with worry. It had been two days since Samantha had suddenly vanished! They’d been in a lesson with Thulinon, and then, with a brilliant flash of light, Samantha and Wuzzul had disappeared. For a moment, John had wondered if it had been Wuzzul showing off some of his powers – they’d been talking about the potential of their Protectors at the time – but when Thulinon had looked worried, John had known instantly something was wrong.

Since then, Thulinon, Thaddeus, Eleanor, and many others – people John didn’t know, and some of the older orphans – had been having long meetings. John felt he should be admitted. If something had happened to Samantha he should know, and if they were going to do something to get her back, he should be helping!

As he usually did while the meetings were in, John paced back and forth in front of the tall, double, wooden, doors of Thaddeus’s study, the dark black wood, barely reflecting him in its mat surface. Whirligig paced behind John, hands clasped behind his furry black, long black tail dragging behind him, twitching agitatedly.

John couldn’t even hear the slightest hint of voices on the other side of the doors. Nevertheless, he waited and paced, hoping he could get some information out of someone coming or going.

It hadn’t worked yet, but he never gave up hope.

’Johnny,’ a voice called up the long hallway that led to Thaddeus’s office.

John turned and saw Billy hurrying toward him, trailed closely buy a pink and blue furred Dooy, with a large pink bow in the long, silky, white hair on top of her head. She, unlike Whirligig, was quite shapely, and had a pretty face. Billy’s Dooy was named Ellywoow, and, from what Whirligig had told John, she was the apple of many of the Dooy fellow’s eye.

‘Billy,’ John said, surprised by how tired and worn his voice sounded.

‘Mate,’ Billy said, slapping John on the shoulder, ‘you look like dung. When was the last time you slept?’

‘Samantha disappeared two days ago, so...’ John made to count off on his fingers, and then said, ‘so that’ll be two days.’

’It’s not healthy,’ Billy warned, in a big brother kind of way.

‘Yeah,’ John agreed, ‘neither is disappearing…’ he sighed. ’I would imagine at least.’

‘Ellywoow,’ Billy said, looking down. His Dooy reached into a pouch on her waist and pulled out a thick peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

‘Me made it for you,’ Ellywoow said, handing the sandwich to John, smiling.

John smiled back, took the sandwich, and said, ‘Thanks, Ellywoow.’

She suddenly looked very shy and hid behind Billy’s leg.

John took a bite out of the sandwich, and gobbled it down quickly, surprised at how hungry he was. Billy led John over to a gleaming, brown, wooden, bench beside the doors to Thaddeus’s study.

‘Sit down, Johnny,’ Billy said, sitting beside his friend, ‘take a load off. You’re going to wear yourself out.’

John looked seriously at Billy. ’Do you have any idea what’s going on?’

Billy shook his head. ’I’ve not been invited to any of the meetings either.’

John groaned, fully frustrated. ’I can’t keep going like this! Samantha’s my best friend. What am I supposed to do, just sit here on my thumbs?’ He leaned forward and buried his face in his hands. ’This is driving me crazy!’ he growled in frustration.

Billy was silent.

John hesitated a moment. Then he looked at his friend. ‘Any help here would be hot,’ he said.

Billy sighed. ‘Yeah,’ he agreed. ’I do have an idea, but I’m pretty sure no one would want us going through with it.’

‘What’s the idea?’ John demanded, eagerly.

‘The porthole,’ Billy said thoughtfully, a distant look in his eyes. ’Thaddeus said it was open… we can’t use our orbs to go through to Other-realm, because if we do we’ll show up there as babies, and who knows what’ll happen to us. But, if we go through the porthole, we should be fine… Then we can start searching for Samantha.’

‘Where would we start looking though?’ John asked. ‘It’s not like we’ll know our way around or anything!’

Billy smirked. ’You forget little buddy, we do know our way around, and our little friends can help us.’

John looked down at Whirligig, who had his long black tail grasped in his hands, and was staring up at him, smiling and nodding. Slowly, John turned to Billy, feeling a thrill of hope in his heart.

’You really think we can do this?’ John asked.

’We can do anything, if you’re willing to take the chance,’ Billy said, smirking.

John looked toward the sealed door of Thaddeus’s office. He wished he knew what they were planning, or if they were planning anything. He wished they’d have included him. But since they hadn’t, he knew he had to do something! He couldn’t just sit here, waiting for something to happen.

The worry was driving him crazy!

John turned back to Billy and nodded.

‘Let’s go,’ he said.

‘Right,’ Billy grinned, ‘let’s get you packed.’

*

Long, lean, and beautiful, dressed in a flowing black gown, a Demoness, with long black hair, and ruby red lips, appeared with a burst of flame in the deepest cellar of a mansion. As she appeared, she could feel life all around her, and could feel the power of the Elements of Glory.

It was electrical, like being caught in a wild storm.

It reminded her of rain. For a moment she closed her eyes and gasped, overtaken by it.

The power was so raw.

They weren’t all here, but there were indeed many of them.

And I have to kill them.

This would be her first task, and then she would have to replace the others… then she would have her freedom.

But first she had to replace Thaddeus… and all the others… they wouldn’t expect her.

They wouldn’t expect any of this.

The Demoness walked across the cellar, and started up a creaky set of wooden stairs. She clenched her fists tightly, and her eyes glowed red.

*

It only took John ten mytaks to throw together some clothes and supplies. Then, he, Billy, Whirligig, and Ellywoow were sneaking out the back of the orphanage. They bolted across the back lawn, into the tall grass on the edge of the grounds, and right into the forest! John’s heart was hammering relentlessly in his chest as they ran.

Part of him felt like he was doing something wrong, but another part felt like this was really the right thing to do.

Really the only thing to do, he assured himself.

John and his three companions ran on and on for some time before they stopped in a deep, green, gully, thick with pink and blue flowers, and emerald ferns. Out of breath, Billy flopped down on to the mossy ground and tried to steady his breathing. John, who wasn’t as bad off as his friend, turned to Whirligig and Ellywoow.

‘How much farther to the porthole?’ he asked.

‘Not far, not far,’ Whirligig assured, looking off into the forest.

John turned to Billy, who’d lain down on the ground and was holding his heaving chest.

He didn’t look very good. He looked pale and worn.

‘Are you all right?’ John asked, stepping toward Billy, and kneeling down beside him.

Billy shook his head. ‘No,’ he said, ’something is wrong!’

*

Thaddeus’s office was in shambles, he felt deep bleeding gashes across his body, and his head was throbbing with a sharp stabbing pain.

Still, he woke up.

He heard distant screams deep in the mansion, and the roars of the monster who’d attacked him, Eleanor, Thulinon, and the others. Shifting his body where he lay, Thaddeus looked across his office, toward the shattered doorway. Pieces of wood hung down from the top, like jagged teeth. Between Thaddeus and the doorway, lay the bloody bodies of Eleanor, Thulinon, and other Gemgic users – including some of the older orphans. They were, all of them, sprawled out on impossible angles, necks snapped, bearing open wounds.

All of them, dead.

Thaddeus felt hot tears flowing down his weathered face. ‘Oh, no,’ he whispered, ’not this, not this!’

The screaming deep in the mansion grew worse.

*

John did his best to support Billy as they made their way along a forest path, back toward the mansion. Billy was still breathing hard, and his he was sweating, and clutching his chest, like he was having a heart attack. Ellywoow looked beside herself with fear, and Whirligig was doing his best to calm her down. John wished he knew what was going on. It was bad enough Samantha was missing; now he was scared for Billy!

What’s happening to him?

‘Hang on, Billy!’ John said as the man cried out in pain and stumbled, almost falling to his knees. ‘Hang on!’ John reiterated, struggling to keep Billy upright. ‘We’ve just got a little ways more to go.’

’I can’t! I can’t stand it!’ Billy howled, clawing at his chest. John lost hold of him and the man dropped heavily to the path. Billy arched his back and screamed again! Then, with a brilliant flash of light, he vanished, and Ellywoow along with him!

John stood statue still, staring at the spot where his friend had just been.

‘Just like Samantha,’ John whispered to himself.

‘Ooo, what we gonna do, John?’ Whirligig asked, looking around, his big round eyes filled with fear.

‘We have to get back to the mansion!’ John said suddenly. ‘Thaddeus will know what to do!’ Then he was running, with Whirligig, fists clenched, jogging behind him. They ran along the winding path back to the mansion. The only thing John could think of was that he had to get back, he had to get to Thaddeus and the others.

Only they would know what to do.

As John and Whirligig rushed out onto the lawn behind the mansion, they stopped short, and stared in shock and horror. It was a sight that John had never thought he’d see in his entire life. But there was no denying it, right there, in front of his eyes. His heart ached and he wondered if anyone had made it out, and, even as he wondered, the flames that were consuming the mansion, only seemed to burn all the brighter.

There was a snapping branch behind John. He turned around quickly and stared, as a creature stepped out onto the path. The thing was hunched over, dressed in an old, worn, ratty-looking, dress. She was thin-limbed, with scraggly grey hair, and ugly, impish, wings out her back. In one hand she held a twisted wand, and her large, round, yellow eyes locked onto John and Whirligig.

’Who are you?’ John demanded, forcing himself to be brave.

‘I’m here to save your life,’ the creature croaked, and then waved her wand.

There was a flash of light!

Instantly, John, Whirligig, and the strange creature were gone.

The mansion continued to burn on as the sun climbed on toward midday.