The Fenimeldiyaan: Rogue Time - Chapter 6

Andreas sighed and gave Elspeth a knowing look. “Tis true to say that me granddaughter has taken lives. But ye know what? Each life she takes costs her more than ye can imagine. The weight of guilt on her little shoulders be immense, like she be carrying all the guilt of the multiverse. She punishes herself by watching scenes of death and destruction, over and over again, just to remind her of what she be and of how the multiverse works. She be a tormented soul, trying to keep things together. Like all of us who were born into the Carpathian Way”.

“What’s the Carpathian Way?” Elaine asked.

Elspeth made a grumbling noise deep in her throat and her eyes blazed red. “Bunch of criminals who like to think that they rule the Fenian Galaxy. Liars, cheats, murderers, the lot of ‘em!”

Andreas gave a rueful grin. “As always, our reputation precedes us. While ye be right in certain aspects, Elspeth, there be far more to us than the murders and business take-overs that ye hear about. When the hostile Cyad Confederacy were plotting to take over the Fenian Galaxy and expand elsewhere, twas the combined forces of the Vyrdigaan Order, the Carpathian Movement and various others, known as the Symanic Alliance, who fought to overcome them. And not just once. Three times the Cyad tried and each time, the Alliance saw them off. Aye, tis true to say, not without great cost in terms of lives, but we survived and we managed to preserve six planets and the vast majority of their inhabitants. Not bad for a bunch of liars, cheats and murderers, eh?”

Elspeth muttered something under her breath and looked away, unable to meet the little Spy Master’s penetrating gaze.

An awkward silence fell. Elaine watched the Spy Master and felt him radiating pain in a way which she had never experienced before. It was almost as if she were feeling a sample of what he felt. She shivered and turned her attention to the old woman, who was staring up at the sky, no doubt hoping that her husband would return soon.

“Dorota Cadogan!” Andreas exclaimed, his voice sounding aggressive and his top lip curling up in disdain.

Elaine realised that he had gone off into one of his strange trances again. “Who’s Dorota Cadogan?”

Andreas looked through her as though she were invisible. “Dorota … she were supposed to have died at the hands of Ledni, the Goddess of Fire. How can she still be alive? I can’t believe that the Gods would have elevated her to the level of an Ascended Master”. He shook his head vigorously. “No, not ascended. But alive. Still alive after all the trouble she caused. And she be trying to get inside me head. Something to do with River Meer …” His voice trailed off.

Elaine grabbed hold of the little man’s shoulders, shaking him back to reality. “You were off in a trance again. You mentioned two names — Dorota Cadogan and River Meer. Who are they?”

“Sorry about that” he said, twisting his long tail of hair through his fingers. “Tis that rogue Chronomage at work again. I wonder why she brought Dorota Cadogan back. That woman caused nothing but trouble for some people I care about. And now it seems she’s got her sights set on me. She’ll show up sooner or later and I’ll have to deal with her. But I won’t let it stop us from finding Gerald and Morgan. That be far more important than a resurrected sorceress with a grudge against me”.

“I bet there be a whole load of people with grudges against ye, Carpathian miscreant!” Elspeth growled. “Anyways, where has that useless husband of mine gotten to?” She looked up at the sky, but there was no sign of the dragon-form of Ramsey.

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Jaek grabbed Morgan’s arm, translocating him away into a white void. “You used your dark powers then, didn’t you, Morgie?” she teased. “No point in denying it. I could feel it. But you maintained control. You didn’t let the darkness rule you. See, you’re learning to control it better”.

“It was still too much of a risk” Morgan told her. “I only did it to save a life. Even now, I can feel it calling to me”.

“Dark and sweet, like the caress of a lover” Jaek murmured, stroking the side of his face again, the coldness of her touch making him shiver uncomfortably. “And talking of lovers, your so-called friend Fitzy stole one from you, didn’t he?”

Morgan tried to swallow but his throat felt dry and constricted.

Jaek continued. “But what you may not know is that he took a life in the process. Your precious Elsa would never have given stupid, lame Fitzy a second glance if Cliff were still alive”. She paused to project an image of a young man with curly blond hair and grey eyes. “Aye, Elsa was in love with him. True to say, he would have betrayed her eventually. Tis the nature of thieves. But Fitzy got there first. Overcome with jealousy for the love that Elsa had for young Cliffie, he did what he does best. I don’t think I need to elaborate, do I?”

Morgan stared at her, feeling as though his eyes would pop out of his head. A dark rage welled within him, but he fought hard to keep it from overtaking him.

“Oh, Morgie, don’t be like that” Jaek mocked. “So you lost one love. But there will be others. And you like them with silver eyes, don’t you?” She smiled at him and her pale grey eyes glowed silver momentarily.

“I’m done with love” Morgan asserted, having regained control. “It hurt so much the first time and I never want to feel that way again”.

“Such a waste” Jaek murmured. “However, we can’t spend all eternity talking about your failed love-life. Much as that intrigues me, we have other things to do”.

“Such as?” Morgan enquired.

“If you want to save your so-called friends, you have to kill the Hindustani Rajah. His High Guards caught them trying to break into the palace, no doubt to steal some of the priceless treasures from the vaults. The Rajah believes that they are spies and he has ordered their execution. It will take place tomorrow morning. The only way to prevent it is to kill the Rajah”.

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“Fitzgerald Hunt, wake up!” 

Gerald stirred beneath the layer of leaves. His head hurt and the sharp voice seemed to slice into his mind like a vicious blade, shredding his already confused thoughts. “Who be there?” he murmured, opening his eyes.

“Fitzy! At last! I’ve been waiting so long to meet you”. The voice sounded softer this time, with a slight seductive purr to it.

Gerald looked up to see a beautiful white-haired woman standing over him. She smiled and licked her lips. 

“Who be ye?” he asked, struggling to sit up.

“Your saviour” she answered, taking his arm and helping him. “Jaekatha Love-in-Idleness-Curiosity. You may call me Jaek if you prefer. Most people struggle with Losinthan names”.

“Lost in ten?” Gerald murmured. “Sounds like one of Andreas’s riddles”.

“Oh, we can lose ourselves in each other later, Fitzy my love” she purred, leaning down and stroking the side of his face.

“I don’t want to get lost!” Gerald protested. “And will ye stop calling me Fitzy?”

“Oh, don’t be mean!” she said in a hurt tone, pulling her arm away. “And to think I came through all of time and space, the long way round, just to find you and rescue you. You might show a little more gratitude!”

Gerald stood up, feeling dizzy and light-headed but making a supreme effort not to show any weakness in front of the undeniably lovely young woman who stood before him. “Alright, thanks for rescuing me. Where be we anyways?”

“In a forest in Albion” she replied. “But your friends are a long way away, over in Hindustan. In fact, they’ve been arrested by the Rajah’s High Guards for treason and they’re due to be executed”.

Gerald’s jaw dropped. “How do I know ye be telling the truth?”

She grabbed his arm and projected an image into his mind. He saw Andreas and Morgan, each of them in a separate alcove, bound by a complex web of sorcery wards. They were stripped naked and covered in wounds, evidence of the legendary torture methods used by the Rajah’s High Inquisitors.

Gerald felt anger rising in him. “I’ve gotta go and break them out!”

“You’ll need my help, dearest Fitzy” Jaek stated. “The prison itself has three hundred layers of complex fluid-time sorcery wards around it, as well as being patrolled by thousands of High Guards. In addition, each of those alcoves has another sixty layers of wards. But that will be no problem for a sorceress of my vast powers. I’ll help you get them out”.

“Sounds too good to be true” Gerald grumbled. “Why would ye want to help me anyways?”

“Oh, Fitzy, isn’t it obvious?” she asked, putting her arm around his shoulders and planting a cold kiss on his stubbled cheek. “I’ve fallen for you, despite my better judgment. Now, shall we go?”

Before he could reply, she effected the translocation, taking them away from the forest and into … wherever

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Ramsey descended upon the forest below, his eyes darting back and forth as he tried to seek the form of the snake-man once again.

There!

The elderly dragon slowed his wing-beats, wincing as their leathery skin whistled in the wind. If only he were ten years younger... But in a matter of seconds, Ramsey caught a glimpse of the snake-man once again, and the beast didn't seem at all aware that he was being followed.

Ramsey lowered himself to the ground, folding his wings behind him. He Shifted to human form, pulling on the clothing that he'd draped across one of his back spikes for the journey. A sudden sound made the ex-spy's nerves tingle. It sounded like the cry of a woman.

Ramsey stalked through the forest as quietly as he could, crouching behind a nearby bush as he watched the silver snake approach a rather large hole in the ground. The snake slithered up to the mouth of the hole, flicking its tongue.

The woman began to call out, and Ramsey closed his eyes, willing his human ear to take on the dragon-like hearing properties he had come to know and love. The snake-man was now Shifting to his human form, and Ramsey narrowed his eyes as he listened to the man's words.

He was offering help. The snake-man was not intent on eating the woman, as Ramsey had guessed, but he was actually there to aid her. Despite the snake-man's chilling appearance, maybe he wasn't such a bad egg after all.

"Let me help ye with that, friend," Ramsey bellowed from his hiding spot.

The snake-man jumped, nearly tripping over his own feet. His eyes widened as he took in the appearance of the much-older dragon-man before him.

"Who are you?" The snake-man hissed, making the hairs on Ramsey's neck stand on end. The dragon rolled back his shoulders and allowed a telltale reptilian aura to slip into his own speech. He would not let this man intimidate him; he was a dragon for crying out loud.

"Ramsey Andarsen," he said proudly. "And ye'd best not be laying a finger...er, fang...upon this poor woman."

"What's going on up there?" The woman called up, fear in her voice. Ramsey took a step closer to the pit, glancing down at a beautiful blonde with a deep frown upon her face. The faint smell of flowers filled his nostrils and he suddenly felt quite homesick.

"Ask him!" The snake-man retorted. "I was just trying to rescue you, but +he+ had to show up and ruin it!"

"Hey," Ramsey glanced back at the other reptile. "I'm here same as you, unless ye're really here to eat her!"

"Can you two stop arguing and help me already?" The woman cried, exasperated.

Ramsey swallowed his doubts and kneeled beside the pit, wincing as his bones cracked with the effort. "Get up so I can reach ye!"

"I can't," the woman said flatly, glancing down at her limbs. They appeared to be coated in some kind of sticky substance. "It's a net of some sort," the woman continued, reading Ramsey's mind.

"Can't ye break it?"

"Of course she can't," the snake-man said, boredom creeping into his voice. "One of us should go down." The man eyed Ramsey, sizing him up.

Ramsey sighed. "Perhaps I can melt the net."

"Melt the...?" The woman muttered, then raised her voice: "What? No-"

But before she had realized what was happening, Ramsey had jumped down into the pit with the woman, fire growing inside him. "Turn away. This could hurt."

The dragon breathed upon the net that held the woman in place, and after what was probably a minute but felt like an hour, the sticky web-like substance had faltered and the woman was able to pull free. She stared at the dragon with incredulity.

"Um, thanks. Who are you?"

"Ramsey Andarsen," he said proudly. "And you?"

"Rachel Andric."

The snake-man suddenly hissed, causing Ramsey and the woman to glance up at him. "They're coming!" Was all he said before he darted behind a nearby bush.

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Rachel's eyes widened at the snake-man's pronouncement. Her breath caught in her throat. No, no. She couldn't get caught--not again. Panic closed around her throat, threatening to overcome her. She grabbed Ramsey's arm. "We've got to get out of here! Please! I can't--they can't--" She prayed he understood their need to get out before the Hindustanis got to them. 

Rachel wouldn't be their prisoner again. She couldn't let that happen.

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Will blinked at the barrage of questions. Before he could even attempt to speak, bile rose in his throat, and he turned over on his side and vomited. Once he had finished, he felt a little better--at least, well enough to answer the other boy's question. "I--my name's Will. Will Scarlet," he said, pausing briefly to lick his dry lips. "I'm ... well, I'm a thief. I can steal just about everything. And ..." What did he want? At the moment, his empty stomach was rumbling. For some reason, his rib no longer felt broken. "Well, I want food, and I want to find my friend." So I can smack him over the head for his ruined spell, he added silently. "And for a chap who just had his rib broken, I'm not doing too badly. By the way ... who are you?"

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Elaine sat apart from Elspeth and Andreas, twisting her red hair into a complicated braid. They were arguing about something again, but she paid them no heed. Her mind was far away--back at her home, in Vordelle. Had it really been a year since she'd found herself in Albion? Had it been a year since she had touched her son's face, kissed his forehead, and felt her husband's hand in hers?

She didn't even realize she was crying until Andreas's hand fell on her shoulder comfortingly. Looking up at him, she brushed the tears from her cheeks. "I--I'm sorry," she apologized. "I was just thinking, is all." Seeing the mildly curious look on his face, she elaborated. "It's been a year since I've seen anyone. Elsa, Daren, my son, even Gerald and Morgan. I thought when I found them, I could finally get back home. They wouldn't leave me here. Now someone's manipulating them, doing who-knows-what to them, and I can't do anything. It's just like before. I'm nothing but a burden, and I can't help." Covering her eyes, she let the tears fall.

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Dorrie and Iereth were sleeping. Dorrie snored, River noticed with a tiny spark of amusement. She sat on her bed, flipping through her book by the light of a small candle. Iereth must have been exhausted--he'd fallen asleep right after he'd finished eating, in spite of his concern for his friends.

The Carpathian ... It all went back to him. River wanted to find him, but if she waited, Iereth would have to delay finding his friends. Stroking the pages of the book, she considered what to do. The obvious thing would be to wait for Dorrie and Iereth as they had told her to do, and find the Carpathian with them. 

But she couldn't let Iereth wait to find his friends because of her. Coming to a decision, River slipped out of bed and across the floor, her bare feet making only the softest of padding sounds against the floor. She had the candle in her hand. The draft from under the door made her shiver in her inadequate, ratty brown dress, and she slipped Iereth's cloak off one of the chairs and tossed it over her shoulders. With one final glance at the other two, she went out the door.

Outside, she grimaced at the cold ground touching her bare feet. Ah well. She would bear the pain to find the Carpathian. With another look behind her, River hurried away from Iereth's house and into the forest.

She could feel the Carpathian's mind, not too far away from her. If she could just reach him, he would help her. He would restore her memories to her, and she would--

"Hey! You. Girl."

River turned slowly when she was hailed, seeing a group of soldiers from the castle. She hugged her borrowed book to her chest. The man approached her. "What are you doing out here by yourself?" he asked. "Are you alright?"

She nodded, but when the man got within arm's length, she started backing away. Suspicion darkened his kind gaze. "Don't leave. Tell me, what's your name?"

That was the final straw. River turned and ran, but she didn't get far. The man grabbed her arm, pulling her back. She slapped at him, and her magic activated, sending the man flying. Pausing for only a moment at the horror of what she'd done, River started running again. "Witch!" one of the man yelled.

River was crying. Why had she done that? Why couldn't she control it? Help me! she sobbed. A name came to her mind. Help me, Andreas. HELP!

She was tackled from behind and brought down. The man lifted her off the ground around her waist, and she flailed her feet, trying to free herself. Something was clamped down around her arm, and try as she might, her magic wouldn't work. A sorcery ward, she realized. 

"Let's take her to the king," one of the men suggested. "He'll know what to do with her."

A sweet-smelling cloth was put over River's nose, and she breathed it in, letting blessed unconsciousness take away her guilt and fear.

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Gerald grunted as he was dumped on the floor. Gasping to get his breath back, he muttered, "Why can't translocation ever be a gentle thing?" With a final wheeze, Gerald hauled himself to his feet and looked around. He'd been dropped into some bedroom--not the alcoves he'd seen Morgan and Andreas being tortured in. There was no sign of Jaek.

"Fitzy," he said in bemusement. The name was demeaning, and annoying. Brushing himself off--he was still covered in chicken blood--Gerald touched his broadsword for comfort. All he had to do was find Andreas and Morgan through guards, sorcery wards, and who-knew-what-else, and break them out, preferably without dying. 

Going to the door, he started picking the lock. Once he was finished with that, the real fun could begin.

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Morgan flipped through the pages of his spellbook, searching for a suitable spell. He didn't particularly care what the Hindustanis would be doing to Gerald, but Andreas didn't deserve to share that fate with him.

Jaek was gone. Not that it mattered to Morgan--he could do what had to be done without her. He would kill the Rajah tonight. 

Finding the invisibility spell, he hesitated for a moment. Andreas had warned him he'd have to tap into his darkness to cast it. Then he scowled. He was doing it to save Andreas's life. Surely the man wouldn't mind.

After he cast the spell, Morgan entered the halls of the castle, patting his rapier on his hip. The Rajah was as good as dead.

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Andreas took Elaine in his arms, letting her lean her head on his shoulder. Her tears soaked the fabric of his suit jacket. “Don’t ever let anyone tell ye that ye be useless or a burden” he said, his tone both assertive and comforting. He also sent out calming emanations and stroked her hair, thinking of the many times he had soothed his wife, children and grandchildren in a similar manner. “Although I don’t know ye well, I can tell enough to know that ye be a resourceful and determined person. We all have our low moments, where we feel that nothing will ever go right again, but ye gotta have faith in yerself. Ye be a wife and mother, Elaine, and ye owe it to yer loved ones to get back to them. When I were in prison, twas the only thing that kept me going — the thought of seeing me family and friends again. I made it through and so will ye”.

Elaine lifted her head and looked into his dark, unfathomable eyes. She sniffed and wiped away her tears. “Sounds like you’ve got enough faith and courage for all of us. I may not know anything about Carpathians, but if you’re an example of one, then Elspeth’s wrong about you”.

He shrugged. “She may have reason to mistrust us. Not all Carpathian families be honourable. For example, the Auguiste, Ingrao, Castiglioni and Sevarini families be untrustworthy backstabbers. Anyways, tis coming on to dusk, so I’ll be able to fly soon. We got two choices — either we stay and wait for Ramsey to return, or we go and do our own search. I can carry ye. The drain on me power won’t affect me ability to fly, for it ain’t dependent on sorcery, only on faith”.

Elaine’s face screwed up in confusion. “You need faith to fly?”

Andreas was about to answer her, but he was interrupted by an intense telepathic projection, the psychic equivalent of a distress call. “Help me, Andreas, help!” 

He reached out with his enhanced senses, tracing the source of the projection. “River Meer!” he exclaimed. “She be in danger!”

“Andreas, come back to me!” Elaine urged, shaking him yet again. “You mentioned that name, River Meer, before. Who is she? You never did say”.

He snapped out of his trance. “At the moment, she be a frightened teenage girl with great powers but no-one to teach her how to use them properly. This may sound confusing, but I’ve met her afore. A future version of her. She be very important, for one day she’ll become Queen of a distant planet called Corttann. I’ve no idea why she be here. Tis likely more mischief caused by the rogue Chronomage, but she be in danger. The King’s guards be taking her to the castle, and ye can bet that they mean her harm. Although I know the pattern for the castle, I can’t risk translocating with all the equations messed up. I’ve no intention of giving up on Gerald and Morgan, but this girl needs our help too”.

“But we can’t be in two places at the same time!” Elaine protested.

Andreas gave a sly grin. “Who says we can’t? I think I can manage one split. One of me will stay with ye, whatever ye decide to do, and the other one will fly over to the castle and help River Meer”.

Elaine looked on in astonishment while the little Spy Master went into another trance. His outline shimmered and wavered, then there were two of him standing in front of her. One wore the familiar checked suit and sandals, while the other one wore a black jumpsuit.

The Andreas in the jumpsuit gave a mischievous wink before crossing his arms over his shoulders and bowing his head slightly. A black cloak appeared to grow from his shoulders, flapping as if it were eager to take off. “I’ll see ye later” he said, leaping into the air and flying away.

The Andreas in the suit asked “So what d’ye want to do? Wait here for Ramsey or go searching?” 

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Iereth felt a hand shaking him roughly. “Wake up!” Dorrie’s rasping voice urged. “River’s gone. We gotta go and find her. That forest be dangerous enough for the likes of us, let alone a young, inexperienced girl like her”.

Iereth rubbed his eyes. “Uh … what? Gone where?”

“Hold on and I’ll find out” Dorrie said, using her crystal senses to scan for the girl’s mind signature. “Tis bad. She’s been captured by the King’s guards and taken to the castle. We gotta get her out!”

“Why would she go off alone?” Iereth asked, sitting up in bed.

“Who knows what goes through a young girl’s mind?” Dorrie mused. “Could be that pesky Chronomage interfering again. Anyways, we gotta go and rescue her”.

“It’s quite a way to the castle” Iereth mentioned. “By the time we get there, it could be too late”.

“We’ll translocate over” Dorrie informed him, wrapping her ragged cloak around her shoulders. “Take me hand”.

“What about the Chronomage?” Iereth enquired. “If she’s taken River to the castle, won’t she try to stop us from rescuing her?”

“We won’t find out til we try” Dorrie asserted, grabbing hold of the healer’s arm and effecting the translocation.

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Darshan Yadav looked away from the mesmerising sight of three semi-naked dancing girls to see one of his advisors approaching. He waved his hand dismissively and the girls hurried from the throne room, their thin veils trailing out as they went. 

The form of the adviser shimmered and resolved itself into Jaek. “Your Eminence, I bring you more information on Albionite troop movements”.

Darshan sighed. “What are they doing now? Haven’t they done enough damage to my people already? Three thousand dead on the plains of Savaranth, as well as the eight hundred who were slaughtered in Alavanth. When will it end?”

Jaek sidled up to him and touched his arm lightly. “When you show your strength, Eminence. Take the battle to Albion. I will transport your forces there with my powers of sorcery. You will be magnificent and everyone will remember you for centuries to come as the one who put down the Albionite rebellion. Songs will be sung in your honour and the people will have a festival to celebrate your great victory”.

“I’ll start assembling my legions right away” he told her. “I won’t have any more of my people dying at the hands of Albionite savages!”