A New Man-tle

Klarik, you may continue,” Featherstone said.

I looked up and this time I saw a fairy with a miniature typewriter eagerly nod and start plucking away at the keys. The mayor rang a different bell. “Inform the council we will be transferring the mantle,” she said.

Five fairies swooped down from the chandelier and shot toward a tiny revolving door, next to a pair of oak doors.

Featherstone turned to me. “No need to mention to the council how . . . new you are to our world or that you are an Underlander.”

“Is an Underlander someone without magic or just anyone who lives below?” I asked.

“I’ve heard it used both ways, but it usually means anyone who lives below.”

The large doors swung open, and an old, dark-skinned, man with a cane walked in accompanied by a light-skinned woman with lime green hair and pierced ears. Both wore sage-colored coats with silver lining that stretched down to their knees, similar in style to Bess’s purple coat. I assumed they were council members. The mayor put on a similar green coat with gold lining.

Flamingo Springs City Council

“Are we ready, Matilda?” Featherstone asked the woman.

The green-haired woman looked up from her notebook. “Almost. The Magical Artifacts office reported an unusually high estimate of unregistered magical objects.”

The mayor frowned, glancing at Bess’s cane.

Another man glided into the room, beaming as though he were about to meet his newborn baby.

“Greetings!” he said. “And who would have thought today would be so momentous. Bessy, you have been a cherished seer in this community for generations. I am truly sorry that we will not benefit from your wisdom after today.”

“Don’t go pretending you ever paid attention to what I said, Nathaniel” Bess said dryly.

Nathaniel laughed merrily. “Your quick wit will be sorely missed, Bessy.” And then he was behind me, his hand resting on my shoulder. I flinched, tugging my singlet down. “By the first stone . . . don’t tell me this strapping young man is your replacement. What is your name?”

“I’m Santiago,” I said, tensing. His hand was resting on the same shoulder that the seagull–

“Nathaniel Valentine at your service. And it is truly a pleasure.” Nathaniel spun me around and looked me straight in the eyes, his voice reverent. “You’d never guess that these eyes possessed such a rare and treasured gift.”

“Um, I guess you never know.” I bit my lip.

“And I can already tell you will number among the greats,” Nathaniel said.

His voice sounded extremely sincere, but I still suspected he was just frosting my cookies. “Uh, thanks, Mr. Valentine.”

“So polite,” Valentine said. “But the formality is entirely unnecessary. Please, call me Nathaniel. I don’t recognize you—are you from Flamingo Springs?”

Crap! This guy wasn’t wasting any time. My shoulders tightened even more.

“I was actually born on a beach in Oregon in the um, Underland,” I said.

“You were born in the Underland?” Valentine asked. “When did you move to–”

“Claudia is here now, Nathaniel, let’s get on with this,” the mayor interrupted, gesturing toward a woman who had just walked in.

Phew! I let out my breath.

“Oh of course,” Valentine said. “We can talk another time, Santiago. I really do want to get to know you better, but the inquisitor could be here any minute.”

Just knowing I was in for a follow-up interrogation was enough to make me tense again.

“Bess Belfry is at the end of her term as Seer for Flamingo Springs,” the mayor began. “Although we may not have seen eye-to-eye on everything, Bess, I am grateful for your counsel throughout the years. We’ll miss you.”

Bess smiled. “It’s been a pleasure working with most of you as well,” she said. Her eyes glanced again at Valentine, who laughed jovially once more as though he thought Bess was making a very clever joke. “As per tradition, my seership guided me to my successor. Santiago Benjamin Huamán Perez. He is young, but I sense he is honest of heart and it is apparent he has been touched by fate.”

I felt my face flush.

“All who will ratify Santiago as Seer for Flamingo Springs, say aye,” Mayor Featherstone said.

All their eyes were fixed on me. My shoulders tightened and I scratched the back of my head, doing my best to look humble.

“AYE!” responded several, but not all of them, I noticed. Did I do something wrong?

“Nathaniel, are you objecting?” Mayor Featherstone asked Valentine, folding her arms and frowning.

“We hardly know anything about him,” Valentine said, his tone friendly as ever. “I’m sure he’s a fine, upstanding young man, but wouldn’t it be prudent to consider our options?”

That seemed like a fair point.

“Valentine, you idiot,” Bess said, her hand tightening around her cane until her knuckles were white. “The mantle will not choose again. Here are your options: you ratify him as Seer or you get no Seer. Is that clear enough for you or do you need me to dumb it down more?”

“As always, you speak wisdom, Seer,” Valentine said with a slight bow.

The oldest of the council, a tall man with a very long face and tired-looking eyes, turned to Valentine. His deep voice settled into a slow drone. “Seers have been part of the flyland government since the founding of the colony centuries ago. When Orrock the Originator first drafted the Articles of Solemnity establishing these hallowed–”

“We appreciate the history lesson, Jedediah,” the mayor interrupted. “However, we simply don’t have time for further delay.” She turned to Valentine. “Nathaniel, Seers provide crucial insights. If you’re going to deny us and our constituents his services, I will need to hear some solid reasoning. Bear in mind that we have minutes until the Inquisitor arrives.”

“Forgive me, Mayor, but I must question this appointment—especially if the rumors about him are true.”

Mayor Featherstone looked like she was about to blow a fuse. “What rumors could there possibly be about him?”

“That he is an Underlander, Mayor,” Valentine said delicately. I heard a gasp from the fairies and several of them chittered quietly above us as Valentine continued. “That he knows nothing of us and that he arrived on the flyland only minutes ago.”

“Noted,” Featherstone said. “But we don’t choose the Seer, Nathaniel. Fate has chosen. We either ratify him as Seer or Flamingo Springs goes without a Seer.”

At that point, the door opened, and a girl entered. She was about my age, thin, with stringy black hair, and exceptionally pale skin.

Without waiting for any introduction, she put her hands on her hips and said, “I am your new Seer.” She stared straight ahead, her eyes cool and calculating.

I felt a smile pulling at the edges of my mouth. This was perfect. She could become Seer and I could just learn all the magic stuff.

I glanced around the room. The mayor appeared exasperated while several council members wore expressions of shock.

I tried to catch Bess’s eye to let her know this was perfectly fine with me, but she was staring down the girl with cold eyes. “That is not your privilege,” she said.

“Wait a moment,” the councilwoman named Claudia said. “Fate has brought Misty here. We should consider her.”

“I second the motion,” Valentine said raising a finger.

“This is ridiculous,” Bess said. “A successor has been chosen. Santiago is obviously touched by fate.”

“Misty may be touched by fate as well,” Claudia argued. “She is here, isn’t she?”

“Could be a coincidence, couldn’t it?” Matilda said, twirling a strand of green hair around her finger.

Misty spoke up again, her voice sounding bored. “When I was two, I fell off the roof of our mansion. A pickup truck carrying mattresses mistakenly landed on the lawn next to the house seconds before. I fell on the stack of mattresses and didn’t get a scratch. The man flying the truck was there by accident, having copied down the address incorrectly.”

There was a murmur of approval from the group. Apparently, that was a good one.

“When I was six, we were at a banquet where two fire wolves escaped. They came straight after me. I was cornered in the great ballroom while they closed in. The first one was stopped when a chandelier fell onto it. Then the second was knocked out when another chandelier fell on it. None of them had ever fallen from the ceiling before and none of them have fallen since.”

As she spoke, my mind raced, coming up with reasons why it was a much better idea for her to be Seer instead of me. Misty grew up here; she understood this whole world better than I did. Her coincidences sounded a lot more convincing than mine. Mine was probably just rotten luck. I felt myself growing increasingly relieved.

Bess, however, seemed to be having the exact opposite reaction.

“It doesn’t matter if she’s had a million coincidences,” Bess snapped. “That isn’t how this works.”

“But the mantle has never led a Seer to choose an Underlander,” Valentine said, his voice silky smooth as ever. “Bess, despite our differences, even you must see why members of the council are . . . understandably concerned.”

“You’re welcome to your concerns, Nathaniel,” the mayor interjected. “But we won’t deprive a whole city of its Seer because of your prejudice.”

“Protecting this city isn’t prejudice, it’s common sense,” Valentine said, and for the first time, there was an edge to his voice. “And I’m not convinced that we would be depriving Flamingo Springs of its seer. This girl’s very arrival is evidence that fate has touched her. Isn’t it reasonable that this honor be bestowed on one of our own before involving outsiders? I’m sure the Grand First Colonist wouldn’t allow it.”

“The choice of new Seers has nothing to do with the Grand First Colonist,” the mayor said. “It’s always been left to fate.”

“Who is the Grand First Colonist?” I asked Bess, trying to keep my voice low.

Unfortunately, the conversation lulled just then, and everyone heard what I said. I realized immediately that this was the wrong thing to ask aloud. Misty smirked. Valentine beamed condescendingly at me.

“This is ludicrous,” Claudia said.

“The boy knows nothing of our ways,” Jedediah said, looking scandalized.

“I’m a quick learner,” I tried.

Valentine raised his hands and the group quieted. “I have an idea that might help us settle this. Perhaps we can give them a project—a competition if you will. To win, one would have to be in touch with fate.”

“What are you thinking, Natey?” Matilda asked.

Although Valentine smiled more broadly, I had the impression he hated the nickname.

“The Pearls of Prescott—we recently received a lead on their location. Whoever finds it first will be our next Seer.”

“C’mon. Those were destroyed,” Matilda said.

“The Pearls are worth finding if they are still out there,” Valentine said. “They are rumored to bring peace and prosperity and may even end the curse on Flamingo Springs.”

I opened my mouth to ask about the curse, then changed my mind, figuring it would be better to hold questions until later.

“And if there’s nothing to find,” Valentine continued. “I’m sure fate will lead our two young candidates to that conclusion.”

“And we’d go without a Seer for that long?” the mayor asked.

“Of course not,” Valentine said. “We temporarily transfer the mantle to Santiago right now. That will give him an edge over Misty, of course, but since he’s an Underlander, I think it will even out. If Misty finds the Pearls first, we give the mantle to her. Simple as that.”

I had the impression that it would be anything but simple. Then again, wouldn’t it be better to let Misty win and become Seer if she wanted it this badly?

“All in favor?” Claudia asked. She, Jedediah, and, of course, Valentine raised their hands. Matilda didn’t raise her hand, neither did Mayor Featherstone.

“Very well,” Featherstone said. “But if they haven’t found the pearls by Founder’s Day next Thursday, we’ll meet and decide at that point.”

“One other thing,” Valentine interjected, raising a hand. “If it so happens that fate should lead Misty to the pearls before Santiago, I suggest we wipe his memories of the flyland.”

Wait what? Noooo!

“Is that necessary?” I asked. But Jedediah and Claudia were nodding.

“I’m sure Colonial Central would agree that it is,” Valentine said.

“Which is why it’s a stupid idea,” Bess muttered. “I strongly object to this heresy.”

“We know, Bessy,” Matilda said.

“I know you know. But I wanted to make sure Klarik got that in writing.”

I looked up and saw the fairy with the typewriter give her a thumbs up.

“Very well,” the mayor said. “Any other concerns, Nathaniel?”

Valentine smiled broadly. “None at this time, Mayor.”

“Then all who will ratify Santiago as Seer of Flamingo Springs for now, say aye,” Mayor Featherstone said.

This time the vote was unanimous.

“Santiago,” the mayor said. “We will now invite you to take the Seer’s oath. In this oath, you will agree to work for the best interests of the citizens of Flamingo Springs.”

Still reeling from the idea that my memory of all this might be taken away, I nodded. “That sounds fair,” I said.

“The oath is in runasimi.”

“The magical language,” Bess muttered to me before I could ask.

“Repeat after me. Kay qollanan qelqamanta. . . .” the mayor started.

Maroon light started swirling around Bess’s torso as I began repeating the words of the oath. I stared at it then stumbled back when the maroon light started spinning around my wrists, circling up my arms and then around my chest. I started to feel tingly all over as the light sped up.

“. . . .ancha sumaq yachachiykunan kay aqllaska t’aqakunapi kan. . . .”

The words felt awkward tumbling out of my mouth. I continued repeating them as best as I could. The mayor listened very carefully, occasionally correcting me when I mispronounced something.

The light swirling around me got faster and faster until most of my torso and arms were a maroon blur. My whole chest seemed to expand as though the magic were entering me and pumping through my veins. My entire body felt invigorated, and I almost wished I could go back and have another go at that race. Right now, I bet I could beat Hyde.

“. . . . yachachiyninkuna yachay munaqkunapaq ima,” she finished. Once I repeated it, the light faded away and I found myself wearing a dark purple overcoat just like Bess’s. It was warm and comfortable.

It stretched down just lower than my short shorts, probably making me look like I didn’t have anything on, you know. Down there.

I glanced over at Bess and saw that she now wore only a pair of pants, a plain brown shirt, and, of course, the white top hat. She looked somewhat lighter than I’d seen her before. Her face wore a relieved smile.

“I will send the lead to you later tonight,” Valentine said.

“Then let us adjourn. The inquisitor–”

A blond fairy streaked into the room and stopped in front of her.

“Mayor,” he said. “The inquisitorial team is arriving.”

Mayor Featherstone muttered something and the window behind her desk popped open once more. Then she turned back to Bess and said, “Out.”

Bess was already holding her walking stick up, which I grabbed.

Valentine cleared his throat again. “It’s been a pleasure. Once again, may I express my most profound–”

But we never received Valentine’s most profound anything as the two of us suddenly found ourselves outside, standing on top of the shopping center across the square from the city hall.

“That couldn’t have gone worse,” Bess said. “Nathaniel’s tantrum was predictable.”

I gazed down below me. Three black limos swooped down out of the sky. A pair of small purple flags fluttered from the front of each one and a gold crest was painted on the front doors.

“Ludicrous. Idiotic. Ridiculous,” Bess was huffing as she watched them. I wasn’t sure whether she was talking about meeting or the coated women and men now piling out of the limos. Or both. “Come, let’s get you processed at the Constabulary so that the Grand Colonist’s bean counters won’t throw a hissy fit.”