‘Many people have a hard time understanding-’
‘Spare me the educational lecture,’ Kenneth interrupted. ‘Let’s talk about this meeting-’
‘I do apologise. I didn’t catch your name.’
‘It’s Ken,’ he said.
‘And what do you do, Ken?’ asked Francis.
‘I’m a Fire-Mage.’
Francis seemed momentarily star-struck. ‘Really? A Fire-Mage?’
‘Yes. Now, are you going to walk me to this meeting or what?’
Francis Cavendish placed his hat upon his head and gave a wink. ‘No need to walk, my friend. My gift can provide a shortcut.’
‘A shortcut?’ Kenneth repeated, unsure.
‘I’ll show you,’ said Francis with a wild twinkle in his eye. Kenneth was not sure whether he liked this man or not. He seemed far too happy for no reason in particular.
Francis closed his eyes, concentrating hard, drawing a circle in the air with his index finger. A beam of light followed his hand as he traced the circle in the air, several feet above the water. Once the two ends had joined, the circle filled with a bright white light, blinding Kenneth momentarily.
‘What … what is it?’ he asked, shielding his eyes.
‘A portal,’ said Francis. ‘It will take you to the meeting.’
‘A what?’ said Kenneth, absolutely flabbergasted. ‘How do I know it will take me there, and not somewhere dangerous?’
‘You can trust me, Ken!’ said Francis, patting him on the shoulder. ‘We’ll jump together. Ready?’
‘Jump?’ repeated Kenneth. ‘What if I fall in the water?’ As a Fire-Mage, he was not partial to being submerged in great depths.
‘Don’t worry,’ said Francis. ‘You’re safe in my hands.’
For some reason, Kenneth trusted him.
‘One,’ said Francis, bending his knees in preparation for the jump. ‘Two. Three!’
They jumped in unison. Mid-way, Kenneth felt an irresistible pull towards the portal, as if it was sucking him in. The sensation of entering the light was like being pulled through a tube at great speeds. A loud sucking noise filled his ears, and before he knew what was happening, Kenneth was lying flat on his stomach in the middle of the street. Coughing, he got to his feet and looked around, shocked to find that he was in a totally different part of the city. Standing beside him was Francis, who was brushing himself off.
‘That wasn’t so bad, was it?’ he asked with a smile.
‘I’ve never felt anything like it,’ said Kenneth. ‘Where are we?’
‘We’ll tell you the official location after you’ve spoken to our leader. She will ask you some questions to see if you are worthy of admittance to the meeting.’
‘What? Like a test?’
‘Oh no, nothing like a test.’ Francis waved his hand airily. ‘Don’t worry. If you tell the truth, you won’t have a problem.’
Feeling extremely anxious, Kenneth followed Francis a few meters down the street, until they reached an empty lot between two townhouses.
‘This is it,’ said Francis, pointing at the vacant land.
‘What? Here?’ asked Kenneth, rather sceptical.
Francis nodded. ‘Yes, sir.’
‘There’s nothing here,’ said Kenneth, worried that he was going to be ambushed at any moment. He realised that if he was attacked, the others wouldn’t have a clue where he went. To them, he’d vanished in a flash of white light.
‘Ah,’ Francis said mysteriously, holding up his index finger. ‘To the naked eye, there is nothing here.’
‘Let me guess,’ said Kenneth. ‘It’s invisible?’
‘Right you are!’ he replied. Kenneth thought that Francis was far too excitable. ‘Follow me. You’ll be able to see it once we enter the bubble.’
‘Bubble?’ repeated Kenneth.
‘Yes, the bubble that surrounds the property, which refracts light. Once you pass through it, you’ll be able to see everything inside. You haven’t realised, of course, that we are invisible at this very moment.’
‘We are?’ Kenneth looked down at his own feet, expecting to see nothing but the pavement below. He was wrong, however, and his dirty shoes were as plain as day. ‘How come I can see myself? And you?’
‘We are in the same bubble,’ said Francis. ‘Well, bubble isn’t exactly a correct description, but for those who may have … uh … difficulties comprehending the Power, it’s easiest to explain it that way.’
Kenneth ignored the insinuation. ‘So let’s go.’
‘Jolly good. Now, if you wouldn’t mind placing your hand on my shoulder, please.’
‘Why?’ asked Kenneth.
‘Well, to pass through the shield, of course. Being invisible isn’t nearly enough protection. What if a guard accidentally wanders into this apparently vacant lot? He’ll see everything once he passes through the bubble. So we have a shield surrounding the perimeter, and only those who have been granted access may pass through it. It also blocks out all sound contained within.’