Part 37 (1/2)

'Declan invited me in,' he said.

Declan nodded. 'People can't see the door because of an illusion; fairy glamour, it's called. But we can take it off if we choose to. If there's someone we want to let in.'

Tess felt hurt. 'Why didn't you take it off for me, then?' she asked.

To her disgust, Declan roared with laughter. 'I wanted to see if you could find your own way in,' he said. 'And besides, it was fun watching you wearing your brains out trying to understand what was going on.'

He laughed again and Tess decided to ignore him. She turned back to Kevin. 'Why didn't you come out, then?' she asked. 'Since you seem to be especially privileged around here.'

'Would you have, Tess?' said Kevin, looking towards the three children. 'Would you have left them here with him?'

Tess's heart seemed complete again. Whatever else might happen, she was rea.s.sured. This was the Kevin she knew and trusted.

If little Colm understood the conversation, he showed no interest in it. He tugged at Tess's hand and, when she didn't respond, he let go of it.

'Go home now!' he whined, and set off for the hole at the entrance to the hall.

He was small enough to crawl through easily. At least, in his own shape, he was. But as he dropped towards his hands and knees to go through, he turned into a pig. A large pig. Far too large to go through the hole.

Declan snickered, and despite herself Tess laughed as well.

'Why doesn't he try something smaller?' she said.

'Because it isn't him that's doing it,' said Kevin. 'It's Declan.'

Declan smiled and gave a mock bow. 'A simple enchantment,' he said.

'But how?' said Tess. 'I don't understand.' She turned to Declan. 'Who are you, anyway?'

'You know who I am,' said Declan. He nodded towards her cousins. 'I'm Maurice's brother; their uncle.'

'But you can't be. You're too young.'

Declan shook his head. 'I just look young,' he said. 'I'm what you could be, and your cousins. And what he could have been if he'd had the sense, poor soul.'

'Don't ”poor soul” me!' said Kevin. 'I don't need your pity!'

'Maybe not,' said Declan. 'But I bet you'd change places with me if you could. Don't you think so, Tess?'

Tess suspected he might be right, but in deference to Kevin's feelings she said nothing.

'I did what you all wish you could do,' Declan went on. 'I didn't give up the gift when I turned fifteen. I kept it.'

'But you can't!' said Tess. 'You have to ...'

Declan interrupted her. 'You have to blah blah blah,' he said. 'You have to nothing. We discovered something, your uncle and I.'

'Uncle Maurice?'

'Who else? Shall I show you, Tess? Shall I show you what Maurice and I discovered in these woods?'

Tess hesitated, remembering the weird things she had seen and the fear she had experienced. What was happening here still frightened her.

'I'm not going anywhere,' she said. 'Not until I understand what's going on here. Will someone please explain?'

As soon as Colm stopped trying to get out of the crawl-hole he was relieved of his pig shape. To keep him occupied, Brian Switched into C3PO, and in immediate response, Colm turned into R2D2. Tess was satisfied as another mystery was explained, but she couldn't help wis.h.i.+ng that she had thought of it herself, and tried it. The two metal men went to the far end of the hall, where Brian responded to his brother's bleeps and whirs in soft, patient tones.

Meanwhile, the others flopped around on the silken cus.h.i.+ons and listened as Declan told his story.

'Maurice was the first to discover that we could change ourselves into other things,' he began. 'You mean Uncle Maurice was a Switcher, too?' said Tess.

'Is that what you call us?' said Declan. 'Switchers?' Tess nodded, still trying to absorb the unlikely information.

'It isn't the word I would have used,' said Declan, 'but I suppose it doesn't matter. He was the first of us to discover it, and for a long time I was afraid, and wouldn't join him when he came out here to play with the Good People.'

'The Good People,' said Tess. 'You mentioned them before, Orla, didn't you?'

'Fairies,' said Orla. 'It's what people called them in the old days.'

'That's right,' said Declan. 'And back then there were still people who believed in their existence. In our existence, I should say. My mother was one of the last of them, I suppose. No one believes in us now.'

'Of course they don't,' said Tess. 'I mean, fairies! How could anyone believe in them?'

Declan plumped up a few more cus.h.i.+ons and stretched himself out comfortably, propping his chin on his elbow. 'I think,' he said, 'that we'll have to start at the beginning. In ancient times. Do you want to explain it, Orla?'

Orla nodded and took up the story. 'I'm sure that there's nothing you don't know already,' she said. 'But maybe you forgot. Everyone does.'

'I didn't,' said Kevin.

Tess kicked him playfully. 'Smarty-pants,' she said. 'You didn't even go to school!'

'That's why I remember it,' said Kevin. 'I read it because I wanted to and not because I had to.'

'All right, all right,' said Tess. 'Go on, Orla, will you?'

She did. 'Do you remember all that legendary stuff about the Fir Bolgs who were the first inhabitants of Ireland, and then the Tuatha de Danaan came along, Danu's people, from across the seas, from Tir na nog?'

'The Land of Eternal Youth,' said Tess.

'That's right. There are lots of stories about those people,' Orla went on. 'The books are full of them. They were a race of magicians and they could change their shape and work magic spells.'

'Oh, yes,' said Tess. 'Like the Children of Lir.'

'But do you remember what happened to them? To Danu's people?'

'I do,' said Kevin. 'There was a great battle when the Milesians came to Ireland. The Tuatha lost. They were allowed to stay in Ireland on one condition.'