We Perform the Miracles - Chapter Five
Posting Chapter Five now, since I'm not sure what access I'll have tomorrow. In which little Noel visits the most amazing club(?) ever, sees an oddly familiar minstrel, is presented at court - no, not that one - and meets.. well, you'll just have to read on and see, won't you?
CHAPTER FIVE
Little Noel was quite sure they hadn't moved, hadn't taken but a single step forward from the heath. Yet while they stood still, worlds had reeled past them, over under sideways and down. And now they were in a room unlike any he had seen or even imagined (and for our hero, that is saying something indeed!)
Room was hardly the right word. Cavern? Disco? He didn't know. It stretched away on every side with no walls in sight. There were columns all round, however, supporting something that might have been a ceiling; if only it wasn't too far above him to make out clearly.
What he could see were those columns, heavily gilded at the base, carved to resemble vines, flowers, leaves - hey, was that a face? Not there, but just below. Oh, now its on the other side. The longer he watched any one spot, the more he was sure it was just a very well-carved bit of work - but all the *other* bits out of the corner of his eye seemed quite definitely alive.
As if the living golden leaves with their hidden creatures weren't enough, the vines bore crystal blooms; each of which twinkled and shone with hundreds of little rainbows. There were other beings in and around the spaces between the columns. Some looked fairly a lot like people, but some most certainly did not. There were talking fish who swam in the air, animated biscuits, people with animal heads or legs or just in amazing colourful outfits.
As he looked around, he noticed a small fellow curled up on what was surely an oversized mushroom, wearing an iridescent blazer and a large tophat over his thick curly hair. He was idly strumming an instrument that *might* have been a guitar, if guitars were made from butterfly wings and licorice bootlaces.
"Ooh, look! Isn't that Ma-" he began to ask.
"The minstrel is one of ours, that's all you need to know. I believe he did spend some time on the other side of the veil, however," the Lady replied. Little Noel could have happily watched and listened to this display for hours, but the Lady had other ideas.
"Hsst - his lordship is coming. Stand up, smooth your hair, tuck in your - well." She realized he was more nearly in a dress, the t-shirt ending at his pale knees, the Afghani coat wrapped around him like a robe. "Don't speak until spoken to and then only answer whatever question you've been asked."
"Here he is - do as I do and hold your tongue!" With that, the lady took hold of the hems of her dress, crossing one foot behind her and dropping into a deep curtsey. Little Noel's t-shirt wouldn't flare so well, but he lifted the edges of the coat and did his best to curtsey beside her. When he thought it safe to look up, he was so astonished he dropped the coat hem and merely stood there, staring with huge round eyes.
For there in front of him was the most glamourous rockstar he had ever seen in his few short years. Tall, taller than his Lady in red, nearly as slender but with squared shoulders and a slight yet very definite musculature. This could be seen under the close-fit purple velvet drainpipes and nearly transparent shimmering tunic he wore. Over this was a long coat in bright jewel tones that just brushed the tops of his pure silver boots.
Looking up, little Noel found himself staring into an almost familiar face. The man (was it a man? was it a woman?) had high cheekbones, hair the colour of dark flames held back by a simple burnished band, a generous mouth and eyes of such a blue you knew how ice could burn. Those eyes were dusted with a platinum shimmer and thickly ringed in kohl, peering out from behind a fringe that fell in such a way as to frame them on each side.
"Cadrhionna." The magic man addressed the red lady, though his eyes never left little Noel. "What have you brought before me?" Stealing a glance aside, Noel saw the lady's head still bowed lightly forward. She licked her lips and hesitated a moment before answering.
"A child, milord," she began. "Auld Crabhatch found him wandering in the woods - in our woods - and was having a bit of fun, no doubt planning to whisk him into the boggan's oven for dinner." Noel whimpered a tad at that - surely the tiny stick man couldn't've been planning to *eat* him?!
"Only. As I'm sure you are aware, Crabhatch wasn't nearly invisible to this one. Nor was I, when he tumbled off the end of the trod and landed at my feet. And clearly," she stole a glance at little Noel's wide eyes, "clearly neither are YOU. Milord."
The rockstar man quirked the side of his perfect mouth up at that and looked down at little Noel. "No.." he mused. "That is rather obvious."
"Come on then," said Lord Kierathan, for indeed it was he. "Let's have a look." He stepped forward then knelt down, taking little Noel's chin in his hand. "You see us then, do you boy? What do I look like to you?"
"Please sir - " Noel knew Cadrhionna, the lady, had told him not to ask questions, but he just HAD to know. "Are you in a band?"
CHAPTER FIVE
Little Noel was quite sure they hadn't moved, hadn't taken but a single step forward from the heath. Yet while they stood still, worlds had reeled past them, over under sideways and down. And now they were in a room unlike any he had seen or even imagined (and for our hero, that is saying something indeed!)
Room was hardly the right word. Cavern? Disco? He didn't know. It stretched away on every side with no walls in sight. There were columns all round, however, supporting something that might have been a ceiling; if only it wasn't too far above him to make out clearly.
What he could see were those columns, heavily gilded at the base, carved to resemble vines, flowers, leaves - hey, was that a face? Not there, but just below. Oh, now its on the other side. The longer he watched any one spot, the more he was sure it was just a very well-carved bit of work - but all the *other* bits out of the corner of his eye seemed quite definitely alive.
As if the living golden leaves with their hidden creatures weren't enough, the vines bore crystal blooms; each of which twinkled and shone with hundreds of little rainbows. There were other beings in and around the spaces between the columns. Some looked fairly a lot like people, but some most certainly did not. There were talking fish who swam in the air, animated biscuits, people with animal heads or legs or just in amazing colourful outfits.
As he looked around, he noticed a small fellow curled up on what was surely an oversized mushroom, wearing an iridescent blazer and a large tophat over his thick curly hair. He was idly strumming an instrument that *might* have been a guitar, if guitars were made from butterfly wings and licorice bootlaces.
"Ooh, look! Isn't that Ma-" he began to ask.
"The minstrel is one of ours, that's all you need to know. I believe he did spend some time on the other side of the veil, however," the Lady replied. Little Noel could have happily watched and listened to this display for hours, but the Lady had other ideas.
"Hsst - his lordship is coming. Stand up, smooth your hair, tuck in your - well." She realized he was more nearly in a dress, the t-shirt ending at his pale knees, the Afghani coat wrapped around him like a robe. "Don't speak until spoken to and then only answer whatever question you've been asked."
"Here he is - do as I do and hold your tongue!" With that, the lady took hold of the hems of her dress, crossing one foot behind her and dropping into a deep curtsey. Little Noel's t-shirt wouldn't flare so well, but he lifted the edges of the coat and did his best to curtsey beside her. When he thought it safe to look up, he was so astonished he dropped the coat hem and merely stood there, staring with huge round eyes.
For there in front of him was the most glamourous rockstar he had ever seen in his few short years. Tall, taller than his Lady in red, nearly as slender but with squared shoulders and a slight yet very definite musculature. This could be seen under the close-fit purple velvet drainpipes and nearly transparent shimmering tunic he wore. Over this was a long coat in bright jewel tones that just brushed the tops of his pure silver boots.
Looking up, little Noel found himself staring into an almost familiar face. The man (was it a man? was it a woman?) had high cheekbones, hair the colour of dark flames held back by a simple burnished band, a generous mouth and eyes of such a blue you knew how ice could burn. Those eyes were dusted with a platinum shimmer and thickly ringed in kohl, peering out from behind a fringe that fell in such a way as to frame them on each side.
"Cadrhionna." The magic man addressed the red lady, though his eyes never left little Noel. "What have you brought before me?" Stealing a glance aside, Noel saw the lady's head still bowed lightly forward. She licked her lips and hesitated a moment before answering.
"A child, milord," she began. "Auld Crabhatch found him wandering in the woods - in our woods - and was having a bit of fun, no doubt planning to whisk him into the boggan's oven for dinner." Noel whimpered a tad at that - surely the tiny stick man couldn't've been planning to *eat* him?!
"Only. As I'm sure you are aware, Crabhatch wasn't nearly invisible to this one. Nor was I, when he tumbled off the end of the trod and landed at my feet. And clearly," she stole a glance at little Noel's wide eyes, "clearly neither are YOU. Milord."
The rockstar man quirked the side of his perfect mouth up at that and looked down at little Noel. "No.." he mused. "That is rather obvious."
"Come on then," said Lord Kierathan, for indeed it was he. "Let's have a look." He stepped forward then knelt down, taking little Noel's chin in his hand. "You see us then, do you boy? What do I look like to you?"
"Please sir - " Noel knew Cadrhionna, the lady, had told him not to ask questions, but he just HAD to know. "Are you in a band?"