Free Glasruhen Gate by Catherine Cooper

Camelin’s muffled command.
    ‘Fire one!’
    Nora gasped as a great flame shot from the end of Camelin’s wand.
    ‘Make it smaller!’ she shouted.
    ‘Why? I thought you wanted the fire lit?’
    ‘We do, but not like that! I think I’m going to take charge of your wand while we’re gone, it’ll be safer.’
    Camelin was about to start sulking again but then he caught sight of the tray of sausages in Elan’s hand.
    ‘Sausages, my favourite!’
    ‘What happens at the Midsummer Festival in Annwn?’ asked Jack.
    ‘It’s like any other fair,’ replied Elan. ‘There’ll be a big market with lots of stalls and fun things to do. All the best storytellers gather there and try to out-do each other. I remember last time there were jugglers, stilt walkers, all kinds of things.’
    ‘See, I told you,’ said Camelin as he landed on Jack’s shoulder. ‘Tell us about the food.’
    Nora laughed.
    ‘Is that all you ever think about? Well your supper’s ready when you are. You certainly got the charcoal good and hot. This lot’s cooked in no time.’

    Just before the sun began to sink, Nora made one final check to make sure they’d got everything they needed.
    ‘It’s time,’ she announced. ‘We need to go.’
    They set off for Glasruhen Forest. Jack and Elan carried the cauldron between them. His wand and Camelin’s were inside it next to the rhubarb stalks. As they passed the hedge Nora picked up a large bundle of branches.
    ‘Oak, beech, willow, birch and pine, for the ritual,’ she explained.
    ‘Where exactly is Glasruhen Gate?’ asked Jack.
    ‘That I don’t know,’ replied Nora.
    ‘But how will we find it?’
    ‘My Book of Shadows will guide us to the right place. It’ll be somewhere in Glasruhen Forest. It didn’t always move about, but when the troubles came the Blessed Council decided, for the safety of Annwn, that the gateways mustn’t remain fixed. Only the Sentinel Oaks know the position of the portals.’
    ‘Sentinel Oaks?’ asked Jack.
    ‘They guard the four gateways into Annwn, one on either side. It’s their branches which form the archway we’ll need to pass through.’
    Jack didn’t really understand what Nora was talking about. When they had left the yew tunnel behind and were approaching the edge of the forest, Nora stopped.
    ‘Here we are, time to swap over. You take my Book of Shadows and I’ll carry the cauldron with Elan.’
    Jack took Nora’s book and she passed him his wand. The two trees on the cover shimmered. They looked alive, more alive than some of the trees in Newton Gill Forest.
    ‘Use it like a compass,’ Nora told him. ‘Follow the pull, it’ll feel like a magnet.’
    The book felt as if it had a life of its own and Jack let it lead the way. They went deeper and deeper into the forest. He could feel a hundred eyes watching. Occasionally he caught a glimpse of a Dryad but no one blocked his way or spoke to him.
    The book stopped pulling and Jack looked up. He was in front of two ancient oaks. Their branches touched each other, making a natural archway.
    ‘I think we must be here,’ he said.
    ‘Well done Jack! I knew you could do it. Now, let’s get started, the light is fading fast.’
    ‘But the book said there’d be a tall gleaming gateway. There’s nothing like that here.’
    ‘These are the Sentinel Oaks,’ said Elan as she laid her hand on the nearest tree trunk. Once upon a time they would have greeted us, but they’ve been asleep for so long now it would take an age to wake them.’
    ‘Does that mean we can’t do the ritual?’
    ‘It’s not a problem, don’t worry Jack,’ Nora assured him. ‘With your magic we can open the gateway. Once we’ve performed the ritual all will be revealed.’
    It was alright Nora saying don’t worry , she’d performed lots of rituals. This was Jack’s first and he didn’t want anything to go wrong, especially since so much depended on him getting it right.
    Elan put her hand on his shoulder.
    ‘If