Beyond the Rainbow
Chapter 7

As they emerged on the other side of the Gateway it, again, became a solid wall. Ronnie barely noticed. She was delighted to replace herself covered in droplets of colour. To Ronnie and Wollomombi’s amusement Tilly shook off the moisture creating rainbow puddles on the ground around him.

In front of the Gateway was a vast grassland. The tall pink grasses swayed in a gentle breeze. A small river ran by just a few meters away from where they were standing and continued its journey toward the multihued forest in the distance. To Ronnie’s right, she could see where a portion of the river veered off from the rest to cascade down the mountainside, forming Wollomombi Falls. On her left, another branch of the river ran parallel to the Gateway.

“I have never seen a river behave in this way,” Ronnie remarked, “and as for the pink grass, don’t even get me started. This is all so wonderful.”

“There are more delightful things to see here than you can spend a lifetime exploring, Ronnie Biv. You are welcome wander throughout the land as you see fit, just as soon as we ascertain the problem here and you take care of it.”

“So, there are at some perks to being the Keeper of the Key. I’m glad to hear it is not all work, work, work.” Ronnie laughed and Wollomombi, in his fashion, joined her. An angry voice startled them from their mirth.

“Hail, Key Keeper! What has kept you? Why have you taken so long to answer my calls and who is that with you? Have you brought a human here to Iridal?” They were approached by a woman and a teenage boy, the latter was full of not only questions, but also indignation. “Well, Wollomombi, what have you to say for yourself? What possible reason can you have for this behaviour?” With his last question, he pointed at Ronnie and Tilly.

“Good day to you; always a pleasure, indeed, to see you both.” Wollomombi bowed his head in greeting. “The answers to your queries will be revealed in good time. This is Ronnie Biv, who is indeed a human and her companion is Tilly. Ronnie Biv, may I present Iris, Goddess of Rainbows, and Morpheus, God of Dreams.”

Ronnie was awestruck in the presence of the actual Rainbow Goddess. She managed to mutter a greeting as she bowed reverently.

Iris responded graciously. “I am delighted to meet you Ronnie Biv and you too, Tilly. Never before has a human visited Iridal. Wollomombi must consider you a great friend to have brought you here.” Her voice was like a quiet melody and when they shook hands, Ronnie thought her skin the softest she’d ever felt.

Morpheus was less accommodating and barely took the time to look at Ronnie as he gruffly said, “Yes, yes, hello to you and welcome.” He then turned his attention back to Wollomombi. “Sorry to press the issue, but we really need your help, Wollomombi. The land is in grave danger. Again, what has kept you away for so long?”

“I fear,” answered the dragon, “that I can be of little assistance. I no longer am in possession of the Key.”

Ronnie had thought that Morpheus could not have looked angrier than when she first saw him, but she was wrong. “What do you mean ‘no longer in possession’?” He was now shouting. “How did you get here, if not with the key?”

Wollomombi, true to his nature, answered calmly. “Ronnie Biv is now the Key Keeper. It came to her this very day and its magic brought her to us. She heard your call as she slept but did not understand it. She was then spirited to the foot of my waterfall when she awoke and found her way into my cave. She was, by the way, seeking a way to replace the source of your calls, for although she knew nothing of the Key or Iridal, she hoped to help in some way. She used the Key to open the gateway which I had been unable to pass through until her arrival. I do believe that the magic is indeed strong within her; however, she is yet to learn its ways. I have not ascertained the way in which Tilly may assist, but since he is here, his presence must be of significant importance.”

Ronnie didn’t want to tell anyone that Tilly was there only because she had grabbed his tail as she fell into the picture. She didn’t yet understand how right Wollomombi was about him.

Wollomombi related the story of how the Key had gone from him, spent idle time in the hands of humans, and finally had found its way to Ronnie. After many questions and answers had passed amongst them, the Immortals turned to the Key Keeper who stood meekly by.

“I was, perhaps, a bit short with you.” Morpheus, who was unused to apologizing, took on a formal tone. “Forgive me Key Keeper. I had no idea who you were and I was in such a state, having wondered for so long whether the Keeper would ever answer my calls. Please forgive my earlier tone.”

“Oh, no that’s okay.” Ronnie was flabbergasted that an Immortal was apologizing to her. She silently agreed, though that his tone had been somewhat offensive. “I understand. Sometimes, when I’m worried, I’m pretty rude too. Oh dear, no! I didn’t mean to call you a rude person. I mean a rude Immortal, I mean…” She was saved from further embarrassment by approaching shouts.

“Hail Wollomombi! The Key Keeper is here at last! We are saved!” A crowd of creatures drew closer.

“Ah, the Iridalites have come to greet us. They live in a small valley at the other end of the Gateway. They would have sensed the Gateway change as we passed through it.”, Wollomombi explained.

The Iridalites were not unlike creatures that Ronnie’s imagination might have conjured. There were few who were taller than she and each shone with its own tint of colour. Their large round eyes matched the colour of the long silky fur covering their bodies. Only their faces were free of fur and these were freckled with multi-coloured dots. They needed no clothing or footwear. Their long, thick fur protected them from the elements while solid pads protected the soles of their feet.

As the Iridalites neared the small group, some slowed their pace. Others stopped altogether. Only a few brave souls continued toward Ronnie and the four-legged creature beside her. You might not be surprised to see a girl and a dog but the Iridalites had never seen anything like Tilly before.

“It’s all right. You need not fear. These are Earth Mortals.” Iris put her hand on Ronnie’s shoulder as she announced “This girl, Ronnie Biv, is now the Key Keeper. Come forth and meet her and her companion, Tilly.” The Iridalites crowed around, all wanting to touch Ronnie and Tilly - who were becoming a bit frazzled by the experience.

“Iridalites, cease this activity,” Wollomombi’s voice, when used to its fullest advantage, had an air of authority that none dared disobey. “If you will form a line, directly in front of Ronnie Biv and Tilly, I am sure they will be pleased, indeed to shake hands with each Iridalite in turn. When all have had an opportunity to greet the Key Keeper and her companion, you may seat yourselves around me and I will, indeed, explain.

Ronnie was glad to see the end of the line as it drew near. The thought that she might never shake another hand again was a pleasant one. The Iridalites then gathered around Wollomombi who explained, again, how Ronnie had become the Key Keeper. “Now,” he added, “someone must tell us why the Key Keeper was summoned. I see no danger, nor does anyone appear to be harmed. What then, is the problem?”

The answer came from the sky as Storm and Swift Flyer shrieked across the top of the wall bringing to the land a heavy Black Cloud that blocked the sun completely.

“Oh no it’s happening again! Help us Key Keeper! This time we may fade completely!” The Iridalites were panicked and rightfully so. The colour was being drained from each and every one of them as the sky darkened.

The Gateway itself lost its brilliance and seemed to lose strength. The Iridalites depend upon their colours for strength and collapsed to the ground. “Stop them Key Keeper! Only you can save us Key Keeper!”

“Wollomombi, what can I do? Tell me what to do!” Ronnie was beside herself. She scurried amongst the Iridalites alarmed by their stark paleness and their weakened states. “Won’t this storm just end soon? Does this always happen when it storms?”

It was Iris who answered her. “Ronnie Biv, this is no ordinary storm. When a small cloud appears and showers the land with life-giving water, we are all grateful and the Iridalites suffer no ill effects as their sun is never completely blocked. This storm is the work of the Harpies, who have chosen the creatures of Iridal as their latest victims. Do not look for a reason. My sisters need no reason for the havoc they wreak. I have always strived to be there in their wake, providing solace for those who have weathered their storms. Here, in Iridal, they go too far. Their spies are everywhere. One particularly nasty creature has taken up residence somewhere in Iridal. I have not yet found Echidna but we are always on the lookout for her. It was she who told my sisters of my attachment to this land and they have since tormented the inhabitants to hurt me. From the day I spoke, on their behalf, they have thought me to be weak and interfering and have hated me for it. This,” She swept her arm around, “is how they choose to vent that hatred.

“The Iridalites cannot survive without the sunlight any more than a rainbow can. They are a part of rainbow magic and, as such, their fate has become entwined with rainbows. If the Iridalites fade from existence, so will the magic contained in all rainbows, both here and in your land. With no rainbow magic, how can there be hope? How will the Earth mortals know that I am on my way to them? Since Wollomombi first arched his body between the Dreamtime World and the Earth and since I first descended from Olympus, rainbows have been a sign of prosperity and joy to Iridalites and Earth Mortals alike. Earth Mortals are strong and they adapt well to new circumstances; perhaps they will replace a way to carry on if the magics cease to be. The Iridalites, however will have no such chance. They will be blinked from existence. Since they coexist here with the creatures from the Dreamtime World, those creatures would also suffer from the loss. With each storm wrought by the Harpies, the strength of the Iridalites wanes and each recovery is less potent than the one before it.

“I have no magic strong enough to banish the Harpies. As you have seen, the Gateway does not stop them; they merely blow over it, pushing its magic aside. Only a Key Keeper can do what must be done. That is why Morpheus has been calling so desperately all this time. You and Tilly must stop the Harpies before it is too late.”

“But how do we do that?” Ronnie was desperate for an answer to the dilemma. She was expected by all to save the day but had no idea what to do. “Like I said before, to Wollomombi, I’m just a little girl and Tilly… Where’s Tilly? Did anyone see where he went? Tilly! Tilly! Oh no, he must have run off when the storm came howling. He’s always been afraid of storms. I have to go and replace him.” Ronnie started to run off across the plains calling to Tilly as she went.

“No, Key Keeper!” Wollomombi moved to stop Ronnie’s hasty departure. “Your place is here where you can learn the ways of magic and expel the Harpies from the land. I will seek Tilly. I am able to cover ground much more quickly than you and possess a better vantage point for such a task. Trust me, Ronnie Biv. I will, indeed, bring him back to you unscathed.”

“Oh, thank you, Wollomombi. I do trust you. You bring Tilly back and I will try to learn. I just wish I knew how to start trying.”

Wollomombi took to the air and Ronnie hastened back toward Morpheus and Iris, avoiding the puddle Tilly had left on the ground earlier. Black Cloud was reflected in the puddle and Ronnie had once heard that it was bad luck to step into a puddle reflecting a cloud. She thought, rightly so, that she and the Iridalites had all the bad luck they could stand for now.

“Okay, I’m all yours,” she shouted over the storm as she approached the group. She set aside her concern for Tilly in the knowledge that the dragon was on the job. “So show me how this magic stuff works.”