Waiting For Sunrise - The Books Of Beginning AU

37. Pancakes For Dinner

At the sight of the old wizard, newly emerged from the darkness, Kate's bafflement was so strong that she could not stop herself from saying his name, asking what he was doing here. She realized as soon as she said the words that he wouldn't know her, that this was years before they met, but her surprise remained. Why was the future owner of the Cambridge Falls manor house locked up in a Dwarfish prison?

"Dr. Pym?" Michael questioned insistently. "He's Dr. Pym?"

"Hello," said the wizard, smiling at the children over the two flames flickering between them. "Who might you be?"

Kate took a deep breath and doused the fire atop her fingertips. The effort to maintain it was too much, it was making her head throb. She dropped her hand and slumped her shoulders. They needed to get out of here, to find and rescue Emma. Could Dr. Pym help with that? Nice as he had been in the future, that didn't make him trustworthy. 

"I'm Michael," the boy said to the wizard, eagerly. "I'm Kate and Emma's brother, the one you didn't get to-"

He paused, realizing his mistake. Dr. Pym noticed, tilting his head in confusion. "Do I already know you? I must apologize, my dear children, I usually remember meeting new people - I do love to make friends, you see - but I don't remember..."

"You don't know us yet," Kate said quickly. "But I've met you before, and so has my younger sister, Emma."

"I wasn't there," Michael supplied helpfully. "I was already stuck here in the past."

"I see," Dr. Pym said slowly. Then he shook his head. His crooked tie came loose of his tweed suit - the same one he had been wearing when Kate met him, back in their own time - as he did so. "Actually, I don't see. Please, come sit, and explain it all to me."

Kate and Michael did as he said, moving further into the surprisingly large but entirely bare cell and taking seats on the stone floor. The wizard took the flame from his hand and placed it on the ground, where it crackled merrily between them. 

"Now," he said, pulling out a pipe to fiddle with. "Start at the beginning."

"Wait," Kate protested. Thoughts of Emma, alone and afraid, flashed through her mind, and she decided there was simply no other option but to request the wizard's help with finding her. "We'll tell you everything, but first-"

"Introductions!" Dr. Pym cut her off. "Of course, of course. I'm Dr. Stanislaus Pym. You are?"

"Kate. Katherine. And my brother here is Michael," she said quickly, already fed up with the old man's meandering. Emma was in danger, and they didn't have a second to waste. Yet he was in absolutely no hurry as he puffed his pipe and smiled enigmatically.

"Katherine and Michael what?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "We were only given the letter P as our surname."

"P? The letter? How unusual." He said.

"I know, we didn't choose it. Look, we don't have time for this. You have to help us find our sister, Emma. She's the youngest, only twelve, and she's probably in terrible danger!"

Michael nodded in agreement. "She ran off to help Gabriel, even though he told her to leave him. She didn't listen, of course. She's always doing that kind of thing."

"Michael!" Kate snapped.

"Sorry, but it's true-"

"Your sister is in the maze, then?" Dr. Pym cut in. The peppermint smoke from his pipe had filled the cell by now, making everything hazy and aromatic. 

"Yes," Kate said. "We have to find her. We need to get out of here and then find the right spell or something that can lead us to her. Can you help?"

Dr. Pym sighed. "I want to, my dear. But there are limits to my capabilities, at the moment. The dungeon we are trapped in is made of Dwarfish iron, which serves to dampen the powers of magicians such as myself - and you two, as well. I cannot free myself from it, I'm afraid. But rest assured, with what power I do have, I can attempt to locate your sister. It will be easier the more I know about all of you, so please, tell me your story."