‘Okay,’ said Kenneth slowly. He was feeling rather foolish. Their level of security was far stronger than H.E.L.E.N.A’s.
‘So, as I already have access to pass through the shield, you must stay in contact with me so you can pass through, too.’
‘Let’s just do it, shall we?’
Placing his hand on Francis’ shoulder, they walked forward. ‘Now, be careful, Ken. There is a step just here that you can’t see. And … lift your foot … now.’
Kenneth did as he was told, putting his foot onto the undetectable step. As soon as he did, he felt himself pass through the “bubble”, and a house materialised in front of him.
‘That was really strange,’ he said, in awe.
Now that they had passed through the bubble and shield, Kenneth could hear a lot of chatter coming from inside the house. It sounded as though there were many people here.
‘Welcome to H.W.L,’ said Francis. ‘Cecilia is waiting for you in the library.’
‘Lead the way,’ said Kenneth.
Kenneth was taken into the residency and through a long, wide hall with many portraits hanging on the walls. He could hear a lot of talking coming from the sitting room, but he was led away from it. Francis pushed open two large, French doors at the end of the hall, revealing a cosy, personal library inside. A middle-aged woman with shoulder length hair sat behind the desk, which was situated in the middle of the room. She was looking over a roster, which contained over one hundred names, ages, and addresses. This woman did not look old, by any means, but stress seemed to have aged her prematurely.
‘Cecilia,’ said Francis, walking Kenneth inside the room and shutting the doors behind them. ‘This is Ken. He was at the meeting point tonight.’
‘Was he alone?’ asked Cecilia.
‘Yes,’ said Francis.
Cecilia looked up and smiled. ‘Hello, Ken. Please, won’t you sit down.’
Kenneth did as she asked and took a seat in front of her desk.
‘It’s a nice house you’ve got here,’ said Kenneth, looking around at the hundreds, if not thousands, of books.
‘Well, thank you. It was my husband’s.’
Kenneth noted that Cecilia used past tense when referring to her husband.
Cecilia stacked the parchment that littered the surface and placed it inside a drawer, before resting her elbows on the desk and interlocking her fingers. She looked at Ken with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
‘My name is Cecilia Pinschmidt, the founder and leader of H.W.L, also known as Howl. I am very pleased to meet you, Ken.’
‘Thanks,’ he muttered.
‘Now, Ken. There are a few questions I need to ask you. Of course, I expect you to have many questions for me, too, but we’ll get to those soon enough.’
‘Quite a lot of security you’ve got here,’ said Ken. ‘Has anyone ever infiltrated your meetings?’
‘I said we will answer your questions once I am sure that you are trustworthy. Do you understand?’ Cecilia asked, the same forced smile on her face.
‘Erm, right. Yes.’
‘Excellent, thank you for your cooperation Ken. Now, first of all, I’d like to know your full name, please.’
Kenneth fidgeted. He didn’t wish to disclose his full name to a complete stranger in case it was a trap.
‘Uh … Kenneth McDonald,’ he invented.
‘Ken, I understand that you may be nervous, and even untrusting, but I can assure you that your true name will not leave this room if you ask it of me. All of our members retain the right to remain anonymous. I, however, need to know your true identity. Now, please, what is your full name?’
‘I told you,’ he said defensively. ‘Kenneth McDoogle.’
‘Very well, though you did just say McDonald not thirty seconds ago.’
‘Redding,’ he said with a sigh. ‘Kenneth Redding.’
Cecilia pursed her lips as she jotted the name down. ‘Excellent, thank you Mr. Redding. Can you please tell me your age?’
‘Forty-five,’ he said, thinking it was best not to lie.
‘Where is your hometown?’
‘Mortlock.’
Cecilia’s quill paused above the parchment as she stared at his details. Kenneth knew at once that she recognised the name ‘Redding’. Everyone knew the infamous Avalon Redding was from Mortlock. He considered readying himself for a quick getaway, but something kept him there. Trust. He wasn’t sure why, but he knew he was in the home of other human empathisers.
‘And … and your Power?’ asked Cecilia, staring at him as though trying to detect any lies he might spill.
Kenneth sighed and closed his eyes. ‘Fire-Mage,’ he admitted.
Cecilia jumped up from her seat, knocking her chair onto it’s back. ‘It’s true,’ she said, excitement in her eyes. ‘You are related to her.’
‘To Avalon?’ Kenneth guessed. ‘Yes.’
Utter relief washed over Cecilia’s face. She looked as though she might burst into tears, or dance. Hurrying around the desk, Cecilia grabbed Kenneth’s hand and wrung it tightly.
‘I am so pleased to meet you, Mr. Redding. What relation are you to Avalon? Uncle? Cousin?’