Free Jack Shian and the Mapa Mundi by Andrew Symon Page A

Atholmor didn’t like him taking control. He’s not convinced that his followers would take kindly to him coming here.”
    Aunt Katie looked blank. “We don’t follow Atholmor,” she said simply. “He convenes the Congress, that’s all.”
    “Whatever, Mum,” said Petros wearily. “He just wasn’t sure that coming here on his own was a good idea.”
    “The Congress represents all Shian in this part of the country,” said Uncle Doonya emphatically. “If Cosmo can help to decipher these papers then he must help. I’ll go and speak to Murkle.”
    Uncle Doonya returned fifteen minutes later with both Murkle and Daid. While Murkle looked stern, Daid was obviously anxious, and he wrung his hands together. As he entered, Uncle Doonya gave a “What could I do?” look to Aunt Katie. Taking his cue, Aunt Katie stood up and announced that she would prepare some refreshments for later.
    “Rana, Lizzie, you come and give me a hand. Boys, you come through as well. I’ve got some errands for you to run.”
    “What d’you mean?” asked Petros indignantly. “We want to stay and read the papers with the others.”
    “Whippersnappers,” muttered Murkle.
    Jack stood up briskly. “Come on, Petros; we’ll help the others out.”
    Petros looked blank for a moment. “Oh, all right. I mean, yes, of course.”
    “Come on,” said Jack as Petros emerged from the front room. “They just want us out of the way. But I’ve got an idea.”
    As they reached the top of the stairs, Jack turned left to go into the girls’ bedroom. Petros looked downstairs cautiously.
    “What’re you doing?” he demanded. “Rana’ll go spare if she finds you in there. You know what she’s like.”
    “Yes, I know,” said Jack simply. “She’s an eavesdropping telltale who wants to know everything that’s going on but can’t keep a secret.”
    “Fair enough,” muttered Petros as he followed Jack cautiously into his sisters’ room. “What’re you looking for?”
    “This,” said Jack proudly, as he held up the beetler bonnet given to Rana and Lizzie the previous autumn.
    “The beetler!” said Petros breathlessly. “Oh, wait a minute, I’m not putting that on again. I nearly got killed wearing that; it gives me the heebie-jeebies.”
    “Don’t worry, I’ll wear it,” said Jack patiently. “As soon as Cosmo and the others get here, they’ll start with the manuscripts, right? I’ll go into the front room and listen in.”
    “So what d’you want me to do?” said Petros.
    “Just keep the others out of the way. I don’t want people tramping in and out of the room; they might step on me. Just make sure they all stay in the kitchen, or out of the house altogether. OK?”
    “All right. I’ll say you’ve gone up to see Lee-Brog or someone. That way Mum won’t be looking for you.”

    The Cos-Howe “crew”, as Jack thought of them, arrived a couple of hours later. Uncle Doonya, Murkle and Daid were in the front room poring over the manuscripts, which they had spread over the floor. Civilities were exchanged and the business in hand explained. Having brought in the refreshments, Aunt Katie, Rana, Lizzie and Petros withdrew to the kitchen, and the work in the front room began in earnest.
    Jack crept down the stairs and noted that the kitchen door was shut. In his hand he clutched the silk cap made by Freya. It was so fine he could hardly feel the cloth at all. Inwardly, he marvelled at her tailoring skills. Oh well , he thought, here we go . Checking again that all the doors off the hallway were closed, he put the cap on his head. Immediately, Jack shrank to the size of a beetle.

10
The Beetler Cap
    Whoaah! Weird!
    Jack was well used to the growing and shrinking as he went in and out of the Shian gate to the human spaces, and to the “squeezing up” as they were made to shrink to fit into Murkle’s front room for lessons, but this was something else altogether. Jack had never felt so tiny, so vulnerable, in his life.
    He