The Fenimeldiyaan: Vacation - Chapter 9
Morgan was laying backwards on the sand, and Apollo glanced at his cousin. He shook his head in bemusement. “He’s fast asleep,” he said.
Gerald chuckled. “He definitely be a peculiar fellow. I might even be fond of him, if he hadn’t attacked me wife.”
“Gerald, for the hundredth time, she’s going to be alright!” Apollo said, sighing. “I know you’re worried about her, but honestly, Morgan didn’t intend to do it. Is forgiveness not anywhere in that thick skull of yours?”
Gerald scowled at Apollo and stood up, spraying sand everywhere. “I don’t need ye criticising me, mate. That’s all ye ever do. Maybe ye should take a look around and realise the world ain’t the perfectly pure place ye think it is!” Ignoring Apollo’s spluttered protests, Gerald stormed off, the sand twisting and turning at his feet.
Frustrated, Apollo turned away and looked up when Anwyn sat down near him. Morgan snorted in his sleep and sat up, rubbing his bleary eyes. “Where did Gerald go?” he asked sleepily.
“To check on Elsa,” Apollo said, deciding not to go into Gerald’s reasoning behind it. “How are you feeling?”
“Not so good,” Morgan admitted. “My stomach’s all in knots and I’m sweating and hungry but don’t want to eat and I’m exhausted.” All of this was spoken in one breath.
Apollo clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. A good night’s sleep should fix you up, and your magic will be back by morning,” he said.
“Sometimes I wish you could take it away permanently,” Morgan said, making a face. He turned to Anwyn. “I don’t want to take Erroll’s tent again. He needs it as much as I do. Is there somewhere I can sleep? I’ll be ready for more vacation fun tomorrow, I promise.”
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Gerald sat down next to Elsa, and she blearily opened her eyes, squinting up at him. “Hullo, love,” he said, flashing her a smile. “How’re ye feeling?”
“Uh, alright,” she said. “Just tired.” Sand clung to her cheek and her wavy braid. “What happened?”
“Morgan had a wee bit of a breakdown,” Gerald said. “And ye got in the way.”
Elsa blew a frustrated sigh that tugged at a stray curl of hair. “Is that why I can hardly move? Blast it, Gerald, I’m tired of being so susceptible to magic.”
Gerald reached down and took her hand. “I’ll always be there for ye, Elsa. Ye know that. Maybe ye can’t handle magic, but ye can surely handle me.”
Elsa blushed, which was very much unlike her. “Gerald … I’ve been meaning to tell you something. Now is as good a time as any. I guess you’ve been noticing I haven’t been eating much and I’ve been a bit … bad-tempered.”
“Aye?” Gerald frowned. He wasn’t sure if he were supposed to agree with that.
She laughed a little. “Gerald … I’m going to have a child.”
It took that a minute to sink in. “Wait … what?” He stared at her.
She smiled shyly, which really wasn’t like her. “I’m going to have a child.”
After a long moment, Gerald’s grizzled face split into a ginormous smile. He grabbed Elsa and slung her into his arms, laughing as he took her from the tent. She laughed too, uncontrollably as he spun her around in his arms triumphantly. Then he embraced her, and she laid his head on his shoulder. “I ain’t never going to let anything happen to ye, or to our child,” he promised her quietly. “I’ll die for ye.”
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Ursula shivered and drew her ragged cloak over her bony shoulders, pulling it tight to keep out the cold. She dragged her old rocking chair closer to the fire, but its warmth did nothing to dispel the creeping chill within her. Belatedly she realised that it had nothing to do with the ambient temperature. A sickening pain welled within her and the cramps came on, seizing her in their agonising grip. Her vision became blurred and her head lolled to one side. She thrashed around, tipping herself out of the rocking chair and onto the hard-packed sand and dirt floor.
She continued to writhe around in agony. Her Vyagite crystal bond was only a weak one, which meant that she did not often experience prophetic visions. She knew from experience that these rare glimpses of the future could be difficult to interpret and there was rarely any indication of when they might happen.
The red-haired woman giving birth was unfamiliar to her, but the unusual silver eyes marked her out as being special. The attendants were mere blurs, insubstantial forms which moved around like spectres. Ursula therefore deduced that they were unimportant. Only the woman and the child were of significance. The usual struggle ensued. The mother sweated and shuddered, the attendants murmured encouragement and slowly the baby emerged from its confinement. Someone handed the baby girl to her mother and there were congratulations all round.
Envy burned in Ursula. She was no longer a young woman and she had learned many years ago that she would never be able to bear children of her own. She had consulted healers all over Viria but none of them had been able to make her fertile. All her previous attempts to adopt had failed. “I have to have that child!” she growled, resolving to find out the identity of the mother and track her down.
Further images flashed through her mind, showing her two young girls, both with red hair and silver eyes. She realised that this was a flashback rather than another fragment of the future. She watched the twin sisters growing up in poverty, learning to steal and cheat in order to survive. One of them seemed to be stronger and more of a leader. She knew instinctively that this was the one from her prophetic vision. The fact that she was a twin would be of great help in identifying her. Surely there could not be many young women with red hair and silver eyes.
She groaned and hauled herself up from the floor. The sickness and cramps were fading, indicating that the prophetic vision was over. She staggered over to a rickety old cabinet, pulling out drawers and rummaging around until she found what she was looking for — the brand new computer tablet which Rita had stolen from a store in an upmarket shopping mall in Elviris in an attempt to appease her after failing to decrypt the codes on the one taken from Casa Nentofore.
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Rita huddled in her little room, watching a movie on the tiny screen of her cellphone. Due to the shield around the island, it was useless for making calls but at least she could access content from the phone’s memory to relieve the crushing boredom and loneliness.
She heard the familiar crackling sound, indicating that the sorcery seal on her door was being removed. Since her failure to break the codes on Alonzo’s tablet, Ursula had treated her with utter contempt and refused to teach her anything further. Even the procurement of a replacement tablet had done little to sweeten the cruel sorceress.
“Rita, me dear” Ursula crooned, a typical insincere smile on her face as she entered the room. “Sorry I were so harsh on ye. Twas wrong of me to take out me frustrations on ye. Ye be a good girl. Why don’t ye come and have some dinner with me? I’ve made yer favourite pizza”.
Ursula sat on the bed and enfolded Rita in a firm hug, sending out emanations of reassurance from her crystal bond. She stroked Rita’s hair and rocked her like a baby. “Forgive me, eh? Tis hard running this place all on me own”.
The affection seemed genuine, although Rita remained suspicious. “Alright, I forgive ye. I’ll try to be a better student in future”.
Grateful for a change of scenery, she allowed Ursula to lead her out of the student accommodation block and across to the villa. She had not been inside the sand-coloured villa yet but she was not surprised to find that it was poorly decorated and the few pieces of furniture were in a bad state.
The pizza turned out to be a soggy circle of pastry with a few overcooked vegetables and some very greasy cheese as topping. However, Rita was extremely hungry, so she gratefully accepted it, thinking of the poor people whom she had seen sleeping on the ground floor of Casa Nentofore. She was hardly any better off than them in her current situation, so she had to make the most of any food which came her way.
As soon as they had finished eating, Ursula held up the new tablet. “I be needing help with this. Will ye teach me how to do searches?”
The search request was an odd one — twin sisters with red hair and silver eyes — but Rita was happy to show her teacher how to use a search engine. As expected, the search did not generate much in the way of results. There were a few entries on the public sections of Virian and Varathusian law enforcement sites, stating that the sisters were petty thieves from outside the Fenian Galaxy and any sightings of them should be reported immediately.
“The Silvereye sisters, eh?” Ursula mused, taking out her spying crystal and activating it. “Lacks imagination, but at least I have what I need. Elsa Silvereye be the target and ye’ll help me capture her”.
“Ye want me to help capture a thief?” Rita could not help laughing. “Should be easy enough, long as she don’t have any powers of sorcery”.
“I’ll be doing the capturing” Ursula corrected. “She be in the Horeb desert region of Sartoria, in the territory of the Ohrivaal tribe. Tis impossible for someone to translocate in without permission from their Matriarch, but there be no bar on translocating out. Ye’ll provide a distraction, but I’ll have to put some blocks on yer mind first. If I send ye back to Andreas, he’ll undoubtedly scan ye, so precautions be in order”.
An opportunity to strike against Andreas was too good to pass up. Rita smiled. “What do I have to do?”
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Anwyn smiled at Morgan and patted him on the arm. “Erroll and Justeen be happy for ye to sleep in their tent. Don’t ye worry about them. They be fine with sleeping in the sacred grove”.
Erroll grinned and nodded in confirmation. “Aye, tis no trouble. Besides, that gives me an idea. Yer mind be troubled after yer loss of control, so meditation might help. Would ye be prepared to try a shared meditation with the tree?”
Anticipating that Morgan would have no idea what the burly shaman was talking about, Anwyn explained “He be speaking of the sacred Hasta tree. Each tribe has one. The tree carries all the memories and knowledge of the tribe and helps to nurture and protect us all. Sharing meditation with the tree be a beautiful spiritual experience”.
“Apollo might find it of interest as well” Erroll remarked. “Twill ease yer troubled mind and uplift yer soul”.
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Andreas felt a surge of joy when River answered. “Aye, tis me. Sorry it took me so long to find ye. I didn’t expect ye to be on Viria. If it hadn’t been for me Vordellan friend, Morgan, we’d still be searching on Malvania and Vara. Our first thought were that ye’d been taken by slavers”.
“It was Dorrie’s granddaughter” River projected. “She wants to keep me here on the island and train me herself”.
“I’ve got some of me people searching for Dorrie” Andreas informed her. “She be off-world, conducting her usual searches for apprentices, so we doubt that she had anything to do with yer abduction. We believe Ursula acted alone but Dorrie should be able to confirm that. Anyways, I’ll be sending someone over to get ye out. Look for a tiny spark of light. When ye see it, project an image of yer book, then yer rescuer will make himself known to ye”.
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Gerald rested Elsa down on the sand, supporting her with a gentle hand on the small of her back as they sat together. She leaned her head on Gerald’s shoulder, enjoying the solitude with just the two of them. “It seems peaceful, doesn’t it?” she said. “After everything we’ve been through.”
Gerald gave her a comforting squeeze. “Aye, love. Can’t beat it, can ye? I used to think Zor at night were peaceful, but here, in the desert …”
Elsa smiled at him. “I can see why you’ve been so anxious to visit Andreas. He’s been very kind to you.”
“But ye still ain’t fond of him, are ye?” Gerald guessed.
She raised her shoulders in a little shrug. “I don’t know what it is. I think it has something to do with the fact that I find him unimpressive. Maybe he’s just not living up to my expectations. But is it just me, or has he been a little … distracted?”
Gerald laughed. “He gets like that, love. And don’t ye worry, he be far more impressive than ye think. He may not look like much, but he be impressive and he’s pulled mine and Morgan’s fat out of the fire more times than I can say.”
She poked his side. “So have I.”
Gerald made a face. “I suppose ye got a point there. But it don’t take away from the fact that ye be wonderful —” He gave her a kiss —“and he has the patience of a saint to be adventuring with me and Morgan. If I were him, I would’ve given up after the misfired translocation to Thraesh.”
“But you did find Elaine there,” Elsa reminded him. “Which is all to the good.”
“Seems like there be a reason behind everything, ain’t there?” Gerald smiled a little, though Elsa detected a hard look in his eyes. “All the scars were worth it to protect yer sister.”
Elsa lowered her gaze, thinking about the scars all up and down Gerald’s back and arms. He’d possessed some before his trip to Thraesh, but not nearly as many as he now had from the Hindustani punishment. Andreas may have saved his life, but he hadn’t spared Gerald from the torture.
Gerald bumped shoulders with her. “Ye hungry?” he asked. “I can get ye something to eat, if ye want.”
Elsa managed a laugh. “It seems the world is out to make sure I don’t eat anything,” she said. “Yes, please. And hurry back. I don’t feel like waiting for you forever.”
Gerald stood up and grinned, showing off his missing tooth. “Aye, m’lady,” he said, sweeping a bow. Before she could throw something at him, he’d moved off and limped his way through the sand away from her.
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Morgan considered Erroll’s offer, glancing at his cousin curiously. Apollo smiled at Erroll. “Should prove to be an interesting experience,” he agreed. “What do you think, Morgan?”
Morgan jumped up, brushing sand off his clothes. “I’m willing to try anything to control the darkness inside,” he said. “And it does sound nice. If you’re willing, I’m willing.”
Apollo smiled. “Then let’s give it a try.” He turned to Erroll, his smile extending to him. “It would be an honour.”
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River hugged her arms to herself, trying to fight down her pure and boundless joy. Andreas hadn’t forgotten her. He was sending someone to rescue her! But she swiftly put aside her sheer happiness and focused. If Ursula were to find her … “Please, you must hurry,” River transmitted. “If Ursula finds out I’ve been transmitting to you … I don’t even want to consider what she’ll do to stop me!”
Suppressing a shudder, she squeezed her eyes shut, thinking about her book, placing its image in her mind. She had to be ready when the light came. If she missed her chance … she didn’t even want to think about that.
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“Ow!” Rita reeled from the stinging blows which Ursula delivered to her face and body. “Can’t ye just use sorcery to make me look like I’ve been knocked around?”
Ursula shook her head. “No. Soon as ye return to the Don, ye’ll be whisked off to the infirmary. Them healers would spot fake injuries straight away. Has to be the real deal, me dear”.
When she had finished battering the Carpathian girl, Ursula inspected her work, pulling her this way and that, until she was satisfied. “Now put yer clothes back on”.
Barely concealing her distaste, Rita picked up the bundle of soiled clothing from the dirt floor. Ursula had torn the collar and pulled a few buttons from the fine silk blouse, before trampling on it with her bare feet. She had given the undergarments and the skirt similar treatment.
Rita peered in the grimy mirror above the chipped wash-basin in Ursula’s bathroom, barely recognising herself. Her hair hung around her face and shoulders in matted tangles and there was a bruise on her right cheekbone. Her bottom lip was split and some dried blood clung to her chin. The overall effect made her look as though she had been living rough on the streets.
Ursula came up behind her and put an arm around her shoulders, sending out reassuring emanations. “Once ye’ve done yer job in distracting Andreas, I’ll fetch ye back here and ye can resume yer studies. Blood sorcery, mind-control, all the dark stuff that they shy away from at the Don”.
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When Rita materialised in the gardens at the Donovan Institute, she did not need to fake her weary stumbling steps. She ached all over from the beating which Ursula had given her, and there were cuts and blisters on her bare feet after she had been forced to walk around on gravel without shoes.
She leaned on a tree for support while mustering up the courage to stagger the short distance to the main entrance and make her dramatic return.
However, before she got there, a familiar figure in light grey robes approached her. “Rita, my dear! What happened? You had us all very worried. The Elders be searching all over for you”.
Rita sighed, wishing it had been anyone other than Caratacuus. “I be sorry. I went off in a temper and I got abducted by slavers. They tried to make me do horrible things, but I fought them off and escaped”.
He took her in his arms and helped her inside, while sending out emanations of pure love of the kind one might bestow upon a close relative. Given her dislike of the man, it felt odd and wrong. It was too much for her and she broke down in tears.
“Let’s get you to the infirmary” Caratacuus said in a soothing tone. “Remyn will heal you, then I’ll take you to my quarters so that you may bathe in privacy. After what you’ve been through, I doubt you’ll want to go to the communal baths”.
A strange impulse stirred within her, making her want to lash out at the man. His kindness and sympathy only made it worse. It took all her self-control to hold back the torrent of anger which she longed to unleash.
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After having endured a healing session with Remyn, Rita was thankful to sink into a luxurious bath in Caratacuus’s quarters. He had made her some calming herbal tea and insisted on running the bath for her. The bathing herbs which he had sprinkled in the hot water smelled wonderful and helped to soothe away the last remnants of the aches. She soaked for a long time, savouring the chance to be alone before people started asking awkward questions about her supposed ordeal.
There was a clean set of black robes and undergarments left out for her, which had been fetched from her quarters. She dressed in them and made her way to the parlour, where more tea and a light meal had been laid out on a tray. She could not help admiring the tasteful décor of the parlour and the beautiful watercolour paintings which hung on the walls.
“A hobby of mine” Caratacuus stated, having noticed her examining the paintings. “I also did some of the paintings at Banh’s restaurant. Please sit down and have something to eat”. He gestured to the tray of food.
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Andreas twisted a lock of hair through his fingers. “Tis odd for a slaver to inflict such injuries, especially to the face. Damaged goods won’t fetch a high price in the slave markets”.
“Aye, I had the same thought” Remyn agreed. “Also, Rita’s injuries were fresh, as if they had been inflicted within the last hour or so. And I detected something odd in her mind signature”.
“I’ll do a surface reading on her” Andreas suggested. “Let’s hope there ain’t any internal damage from the beating she took. I’ll give it another half hour, then I’ll go along and have a word with her”.
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Rita suppressed another surge of anger when Andreas entered Caratacuus’s parlour. She managed a weak smile for him. “I be sorry about the nasty messages I left on yer phone. I were angry cause ye’d turned yer phone off when I really needed to speak to ye. And I should never have gone off like that. I guess I learned a hard lesson and I promise to behave better in future”. It was a rehearsed apology and she knew that it sounded ridiculously lame.
“Don’t worry about that”. He returned the smile and enfolded her in a warm hug. “At least ye be back where ye belong. Tis all that matters. When ye’ve finished yer food, I suggest ye go to yer quarters and rest. We can talk about what happened when ye be ready”.
As with Caratacuus and Remyn, Andreas’s kindness only served to irritate her and remind her of her mission. She would have preferred him to be angry with her, for the smiles, reassurances and hugs were making her feel guilty.
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Erroll did a dance of joy, causing the sand to ripple around him. He gave Morgan and Apollo a beaming smile. “The tree be looking forward to meeting ye”.
“You speak as if it were a person” Apollo observed.
“Tree got personality same as we have” Erroll replied. “Most people don’t believe that plants have feelings or thoughts, but tis only cause they don’t take the time to form the connections. Plants communicate more slowly than people and use different methods, but if ye open yer heart and yer mind, ye can have a beautiful friendship with them. When I were a child, the tree and the sand were me only friends. If not for them, I’d have endured a lonely existence”.
Morgan and Apollo had no idea how to answer that, so they walked along in silence while the sand stirred in gentle waves around their feet.
They had only seen the sacred grove in passing while moving around the campsite and had not taken much notice of it. Trees and shrubs grew abundantly while strange silver-leaved vines writhed around like snakes.
Apollo felt an odd prickling on his head and noticed that one of the vines was in the process of weaving itself into his hair.
“Tis showing its love for ye” Erroll remarked. “Think loving thoughts back at it”.
Apollo felt slightly foolish but did as Erroll suggested. The vine writhed around for a few minutes before withdrawing and slithering off into the branches of a nearby tree.
“This be the sacred Hasta tree” Erroll stated, gesturing towards a tree which stood out from among all the others. The smooth, shiny trunk was green and the leaves had a reddish hue to them.
“Sit and lean yer back against the tree” Erroll instructed, easing his bulk down and crossing his legs. “Close yer eyes and let yer mind drift”.
Morgan watched while Apollo took up a similar position to the portly shaman. It was easy for his slender cousin, but it took Morgan longer to arrange his legs in the required manner, despite the fact that he was a lightweight in comparison with Erroll.
It was unlike any other mind-merge which the two cousins had experienced. They could sense ancient wisdom and knowledge flowing from the sacred tree, although it did not communicate anything specific. They felt comforted and protected, as though nothing would ever harm them again.
At some point, Morgan drifted off to sleep, dreaming about learning more new recipes and eating the results. It was one of the best dreams he had ever known.
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River was almost dozing off when the little spark appeared, jolting her back to full wakefulness. She remembered to project the image of her book, although she wondered how a spark that tiny could receive her projection, let alone rescue her.
It hovered in front of her at eye level, shimmering and growing larger until it resolved itself into the figure of what looked like a child at first glance. Once he fully materialised, River could see that he was a tiny elderly man, mostly skin and bone, with long white matted hair and beard, dressed in a tattered grey nightshirt and crumpled maroon robe. He sat cross-legged in the air in front of her.
“Greetings, Queen River Meer” he projected silently, holding out a bony hand to her. “Andreas sent me. I be Kvyrt Elygiak, one of the Elders, and I’ve come to take you home. Hold my hand and join with me”.
As soon as she gripped his hand, the grim little room vanished. All around her were glittering sparkly flashes which lasted only a few seconds. When the sparkles faded, she recognised the familiar surroundings of her quarters at the Donovan Institute.
“Thank you” she transmitted.
“A pleasure”. He smiled and bowed at her, hovering slightly above the floor. “You may rest now. I shall watch over you while you sleep. Andreas will come and see you later”.
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Elsa lay in the purple silk tent, listening to Gerald’s breathing beside her. He had already fallen asleep. After dinner, they had sat together on the sand, looking up at the dark purple sky and the multi-coloured twinkling stars. Anwyn, Andreas and the rest of the tribe had tactfully left them alone.
Although she was exhausted, Elsa found that she was unable to sleep. Something nagged at her. She longed to tell Elaine the good news about her pregnancy. She had been delighted and more than a little surprised at how well Gerald had taken it. Perhaps he would make a good father after all.
Her thoughts drifted to Elaine, wondering what her sister was doing. She had no idea as to what time of day it would be back in Vordelle, but she tried to imagine. She could almost see her sister going about her daily tasks and a pang of homesickness arose in her.
“Elsa! Help me!” It sounded like a cry for help coming from within her mind, similar to how Anwyn and Veveen had projected to her.
“Elaine? Is that you?” she whispered, hoping that she would not wake Gerald.
“Elsa! Please help me!” the voice called out again. “Find me! I’m lost!”
A strange feeling tugged at her and she reached out to it, hoping that she would not be too late to help her ailing sister.
A moment later, she discovered that she was no longer in the perfumed tent in the desert, but in a dark, grim place filled with old junk. There was no sign of Elaine or anyone else. She swore in frustration, realising that she had been tricked.
Gerald chuckled. “He definitely be a peculiar fellow. I might even be fond of him, if he hadn’t attacked me wife.”
“Gerald, for the hundredth time, she’s going to be alright!” Apollo said, sighing. “I know you’re worried about her, but honestly, Morgan didn’t intend to do it. Is forgiveness not anywhere in that thick skull of yours?”
Gerald scowled at Apollo and stood up, spraying sand everywhere. “I don’t need ye criticising me, mate. That’s all ye ever do. Maybe ye should take a look around and realise the world ain’t the perfectly pure place ye think it is!” Ignoring Apollo’s spluttered protests, Gerald stormed off, the sand twisting and turning at his feet.
Frustrated, Apollo turned away and looked up when Anwyn sat down near him. Morgan snorted in his sleep and sat up, rubbing his bleary eyes. “Where did Gerald go?” he asked sleepily.
“To check on Elsa,” Apollo said, deciding not to go into Gerald’s reasoning behind it. “How are you feeling?”
“Not so good,” Morgan admitted. “My stomach’s all in knots and I’m sweating and hungry but don’t want to eat and I’m exhausted.” All of this was spoken in one breath.
Apollo clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. A good night’s sleep should fix you up, and your magic will be back by morning,” he said.
“Sometimes I wish you could take it away permanently,” Morgan said, making a face. He turned to Anwyn. “I don’t want to take Erroll’s tent again. He needs it as much as I do. Is there somewhere I can sleep? I’ll be ready for more vacation fun tomorrow, I promise.”
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Gerald sat down next to Elsa, and she blearily opened her eyes, squinting up at him. “Hullo, love,” he said, flashing her a smile. “How’re ye feeling?”
“Uh, alright,” she said. “Just tired.” Sand clung to her cheek and her wavy braid. “What happened?”
“Morgan had a wee bit of a breakdown,” Gerald said. “And ye got in the way.”
Elsa blew a frustrated sigh that tugged at a stray curl of hair. “Is that why I can hardly move? Blast it, Gerald, I’m tired of being so susceptible to magic.”
Gerald reached down and took her hand. “I’ll always be there for ye, Elsa. Ye know that. Maybe ye can’t handle magic, but ye can surely handle me.”
Elsa blushed, which was very much unlike her. “Gerald … I’ve been meaning to tell you something. Now is as good a time as any. I guess you’ve been noticing I haven’t been eating much and I’ve been a bit … bad-tempered.”
“Aye?” Gerald frowned. He wasn’t sure if he were supposed to agree with that.
She laughed a little. “Gerald … I’m going to have a child.”
It took that a minute to sink in. “Wait … what?” He stared at her.
She smiled shyly, which really wasn’t like her. “I’m going to have a child.”
After a long moment, Gerald’s grizzled face split into a ginormous smile. He grabbed Elsa and slung her into his arms, laughing as he took her from the tent. She laughed too, uncontrollably as he spun her around in his arms triumphantly. Then he embraced her, and she laid his head on his shoulder. “I ain’t never going to let anything happen to ye, or to our child,” he promised her quietly. “I’ll die for ye.”
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Ursula shivered and drew her ragged cloak over her bony shoulders, pulling it tight to keep out the cold. She dragged her old rocking chair closer to the fire, but its warmth did nothing to dispel the creeping chill within her. Belatedly she realised that it had nothing to do with the ambient temperature. A sickening pain welled within her and the cramps came on, seizing her in their agonising grip. Her vision became blurred and her head lolled to one side. She thrashed around, tipping herself out of the rocking chair and onto the hard-packed sand and dirt floor.
She continued to writhe around in agony. Her Vyagite crystal bond was only a weak one, which meant that she did not often experience prophetic visions. She knew from experience that these rare glimpses of the future could be difficult to interpret and there was rarely any indication of when they might happen.
The red-haired woman giving birth was unfamiliar to her, but the unusual silver eyes marked her out as being special. The attendants were mere blurs, insubstantial forms which moved around like spectres. Ursula therefore deduced that they were unimportant. Only the woman and the child were of significance. The usual struggle ensued. The mother sweated and shuddered, the attendants murmured encouragement and slowly the baby emerged from its confinement. Someone handed the baby girl to her mother and there were congratulations all round.
Envy burned in Ursula. She was no longer a young woman and she had learned many years ago that she would never be able to bear children of her own. She had consulted healers all over Viria but none of them had been able to make her fertile. All her previous attempts to adopt had failed. “I have to have that child!” she growled, resolving to find out the identity of the mother and track her down.
Further images flashed through her mind, showing her two young girls, both with red hair and silver eyes. She realised that this was a flashback rather than another fragment of the future. She watched the twin sisters growing up in poverty, learning to steal and cheat in order to survive. One of them seemed to be stronger and more of a leader. She knew instinctively that this was the one from her prophetic vision. The fact that she was a twin would be of great help in identifying her. Surely there could not be many young women with red hair and silver eyes.
She groaned and hauled herself up from the floor. The sickness and cramps were fading, indicating that the prophetic vision was over. She staggered over to a rickety old cabinet, pulling out drawers and rummaging around until she found what she was looking for — the brand new computer tablet which Rita had stolen from a store in an upmarket shopping mall in Elviris in an attempt to appease her after failing to decrypt the codes on the one taken from Casa Nentofore.
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Rita huddled in her little room, watching a movie on the tiny screen of her cellphone. Due to the shield around the island, it was useless for making calls but at least she could access content from the phone’s memory to relieve the crushing boredom and loneliness.
She heard the familiar crackling sound, indicating that the sorcery seal on her door was being removed. Since her failure to break the codes on Alonzo’s tablet, Ursula had treated her with utter contempt and refused to teach her anything further. Even the procurement of a replacement tablet had done little to sweeten the cruel sorceress.
“Rita, me dear” Ursula crooned, a typical insincere smile on her face as she entered the room. “Sorry I were so harsh on ye. Twas wrong of me to take out me frustrations on ye. Ye be a good girl. Why don’t ye come and have some dinner with me? I’ve made yer favourite pizza”.
Ursula sat on the bed and enfolded Rita in a firm hug, sending out emanations of reassurance from her crystal bond. She stroked Rita’s hair and rocked her like a baby. “Forgive me, eh? Tis hard running this place all on me own”.
The affection seemed genuine, although Rita remained suspicious. “Alright, I forgive ye. I’ll try to be a better student in future”.
Grateful for a change of scenery, she allowed Ursula to lead her out of the student accommodation block and across to the villa. She had not been inside the sand-coloured villa yet but she was not surprised to find that it was poorly decorated and the few pieces of furniture were in a bad state.
The pizza turned out to be a soggy circle of pastry with a few overcooked vegetables and some very greasy cheese as topping. However, Rita was extremely hungry, so she gratefully accepted it, thinking of the poor people whom she had seen sleeping on the ground floor of Casa Nentofore. She was hardly any better off than them in her current situation, so she had to make the most of any food which came her way.
As soon as they had finished eating, Ursula held up the new tablet. “I be needing help with this. Will ye teach me how to do searches?”
The search request was an odd one — twin sisters with red hair and silver eyes — but Rita was happy to show her teacher how to use a search engine. As expected, the search did not generate much in the way of results. There were a few entries on the public sections of Virian and Varathusian law enforcement sites, stating that the sisters were petty thieves from outside the Fenian Galaxy and any sightings of them should be reported immediately.
“The Silvereye sisters, eh?” Ursula mused, taking out her spying crystal and activating it. “Lacks imagination, but at least I have what I need. Elsa Silvereye be the target and ye’ll help me capture her”.
“Ye want me to help capture a thief?” Rita could not help laughing. “Should be easy enough, long as she don’t have any powers of sorcery”.
“I’ll be doing the capturing” Ursula corrected. “She be in the Horeb desert region of Sartoria, in the territory of the Ohrivaal tribe. Tis impossible for someone to translocate in without permission from their Matriarch, but there be no bar on translocating out. Ye’ll provide a distraction, but I’ll have to put some blocks on yer mind first. If I send ye back to Andreas, he’ll undoubtedly scan ye, so precautions be in order”.
An opportunity to strike against Andreas was too good to pass up. Rita smiled. “What do I have to do?”
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Anwyn smiled at Morgan and patted him on the arm. “Erroll and Justeen be happy for ye to sleep in their tent. Don’t ye worry about them. They be fine with sleeping in the sacred grove”.
Erroll grinned and nodded in confirmation. “Aye, tis no trouble. Besides, that gives me an idea. Yer mind be troubled after yer loss of control, so meditation might help. Would ye be prepared to try a shared meditation with the tree?”
Anticipating that Morgan would have no idea what the burly shaman was talking about, Anwyn explained “He be speaking of the sacred Hasta tree. Each tribe has one. The tree carries all the memories and knowledge of the tribe and helps to nurture and protect us all. Sharing meditation with the tree be a beautiful spiritual experience”.
“Apollo might find it of interest as well” Erroll remarked. “Twill ease yer troubled mind and uplift yer soul”.
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Andreas felt a surge of joy when River answered. “Aye, tis me. Sorry it took me so long to find ye. I didn’t expect ye to be on Viria. If it hadn’t been for me Vordellan friend, Morgan, we’d still be searching on Malvania and Vara. Our first thought were that ye’d been taken by slavers”.
“It was Dorrie’s granddaughter” River projected. “She wants to keep me here on the island and train me herself”.
“I’ve got some of me people searching for Dorrie” Andreas informed her. “She be off-world, conducting her usual searches for apprentices, so we doubt that she had anything to do with yer abduction. We believe Ursula acted alone but Dorrie should be able to confirm that. Anyways, I’ll be sending someone over to get ye out. Look for a tiny spark of light. When ye see it, project an image of yer book, then yer rescuer will make himself known to ye”.
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Gerald rested Elsa down on the sand, supporting her with a gentle hand on the small of her back as they sat together. She leaned her head on Gerald’s shoulder, enjoying the solitude with just the two of them. “It seems peaceful, doesn’t it?” she said. “After everything we’ve been through.”
Gerald gave her a comforting squeeze. “Aye, love. Can’t beat it, can ye? I used to think Zor at night were peaceful, but here, in the desert …”
Elsa smiled at him. “I can see why you’ve been so anxious to visit Andreas. He’s been very kind to you.”
“But ye still ain’t fond of him, are ye?” Gerald guessed.
She raised her shoulders in a little shrug. “I don’t know what it is. I think it has something to do with the fact that I find him unimpressive. Maybe he’s just not living up to my expectations. But is it just me, or has he been a little … distracted?”
Gerald laughed. “He gets like that, love. And don’t ye worry, he be far more impressive than ye think. He may not look like much, but he be impressive and he’s pulled mine and Morgan’s fat out of the fire more times than I can say.”
She poked his side. “So have I.”
Gerald made a face. “I suppose ye got a point there. But it don’t take away from the fact that ye be wonderful —” He gave her a kiss —“and he has the patience of a saint to be adventuring with me and Morgan. If I were him, I would’ve given up after the misfired translocation to Thraesh.”
“But you did find Elaine there,” Elsa reminded him. “Which is all to the good.”
“Seems like there be a reason behind everything, ain’t there?” Gerald smiled a little, though Elsa detected a hard look in his eyes. “All the scars were worth it to protect yer sister.”
Elsa lowered her gaze, thinking about the scars all up and down Gerald’s back and arms. He’d possessed some before his trip to Thraesh, but not nearly as many as he now had from the Hindustani punishment. Andreas may have saved his life, but he hadn’t spared Gerald from the torture.
Gerald bumped shoulders with her. “Ye hungry?” he asked. “I can get ye something to eat, if ye want.”
Elsa managed a laugh. “It seems the world is out to make sure I don’t eat anything,” she said. “Yes, please. And hurry back. I don’t feel like waiting for you forever.”
Gerald stood up and grinned, showing off his missing tooth. “Aye, m’lady,” he said, sweeping a bow. Before she could throw something at him, he’d moved off and limped his way through the sand away from her.
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Morgan considered Erroll’s offer, glancing at his cousin curiously. Apollo smiled at Erroll. “Should prove to be an interesting experience,” he agreed. “What do you think, Morgan?”
Morgan jumped up, brushing sand off his clothes. “I’m willing to try anything to control the darkness inside,” he said. “And it does sound nice. If you’re willing, I’m willing.”
Apollo smiled. “Then let’s give it a try.” He turned to Erroll, his smile extending to him. “It would be an honour.”
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River hugged her arms to herself, trying to fight down her pure and boundless joy. Andreas hadn’t forgotten her. He was sending someone to rescue her! But she swiftly put aside her sheer happiness and focused. If Ursula were to find her … “Please, you must hurry,” River transmitted. “If Ursula finds out I’ve been transmitting to you … I don’t even want to consider what she’ll do to stop me!”
Suppressing a shudder, she squeezed her eyes shut, thinking about her book, placing its image in her mind. She had to be ready when the light came. If she missed her chance … she didn’t even want to think about that.
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“Ow!” Rita reeled from the stinging blows which Ursula delivered to her face and body. “Can’t ye just use sorcery to make me look like I’ve been knocked around?”
Ursula shook her head. “No. Soon as ye return to the Don, ye’ll be whisked off to the infirmary. Them healers would spot fake injuries straight away. Has to be the real deal, me dear”.
When she had finished battering the Carpathian girl, Ursula inspected her work, pulling her this way and that, until she was satisfied. “Now put yer clothes back on”.
Barely concealing her distaste, Rita picked up the bundle of soiled clothing from the dirt floor. Ursula had torn the collar and pulled a few buttons from the fine silk blouse, before trampling on it with her bare feet. She had given the undergarments and the skirt similar treatment.
Rita peered in the grimy mirror above the chipped wash-basin in Ursula’s bathroom, barely recognising herself. Her hair hung around her face and shoulders in matted tangles and there was a bruise on her right cheekbone. Her bottom lip was split and some dried blood clung to her chin. The overall effect made her look as though she had been living rough on the streets.
Ursula came up behind her and put an arm around her shoulders, sending out reassuring emanations. “Once ye’ve done yer job in distracting Andreas, I’ll fetch ye back here and ye can resume yer studies. Blood sorcery, mind-control, all the dark stuff that they shy away from at the Don”.
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When Rita materialised in the gardens at the Donovan Institute, she did not need to fake her weary stumbling steps. She ached all over from the beating which Ursula had given her, and there were cuts and blisters on her bare feet after she had been forced to walk around on gravel without shoes.
She leaned on a tree for support while mustering up the courage to stagger the short distance to the main entrance and make her dramatic return.
However, before she got there, a familiar figure in light grey robes approached her. “Rita, my dear! What happened? You had us all very worried. The Elders be searching all over for you”.
Rita sighed, wishing it had been anyone other than Caratacuus. “I be sorry. I went off in a temper and I got abducted by slavers. They tried to make me do horrible things, but I fought them off and escaped”.
He took her in his arms and helped her inside, while sending out emanations of pure love of the kind one might bestow upon a close relative. Given her dislike of the man, it felt odd and wrong. It was too much for her and she broke down in tears.
“Let’s get you to the infirmary” Caratacuus said in a soothing tone. “Remyn will heal you, then I’ll take you to my quarters so that you may bathe in privacy. After what you’ve been through, I doubt you’ll want to go to the communal baths”.
A strange impulse stirred within her, making her want to lash out at the man. His kindness and sympathy only made it worse. It took all her self-control to hold back the torrent of anger which she longed to unleash.
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After having endured a healing session with Remyn, Rita was thankful to sink into a luxurious bath in Caratacuus’s quarters. He had made her some calming herbal tea and insisted on running the bath for her. The bathing herbs which he had sprinkled in the hot water smelled wonderful and helped to soothe away the last remnants of the aches. She soaked for a long time, savouring the chance to be alone before people started asking awkward questions about her supposed ordeal.
There was a clean set of black robes and undergarments left out for her, which had been fetched from her quarters. She dressed in them and made her way to the parlour, where more tea and a light meal had been laid out on a tray. She could not help admiring the tasteful décor of the parlour and the beautiful watercolour paintings which hung on the walls.
“A hobby of mine” Caratacuus stated, having noticed her examining the paintings. “I also did some of the paintings at Banh’s restaurant. Please sit down and have something to eat”. He gestured to the tray of food.
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Andreas twisted a lock of hair through his fingers. “Tis odd for a slaver to inflict such injuries, especially to the face. Damaged goods won’t fetch a high price in the slave markets”.
“Aye, I had the same thought” Remyn agreed. “Also, Rita’s injuries were fresh, as if they had been inflicted within the last hour or so. And I detected something odd in her mind signature”.
“I’ll do a surface reading on her” Andreas suggested. “Let’s hope there ain’t any internal damage from the beating she took. I’ll give it another half hour, then I’ll go along and have a word with her”.
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Rita suppressed another surge of anger when Andreas entered Caratacuus’s parlour. She managed a weak smile for him. “I be sorry about the nasty messages I left on yer phone. I were angry cause ye’d turned yer phone off when I really needed to speak to ye. And I should never have gone off like that. I guess I learned a hard lesson and I promise to behave better in future”. It was a rehearsed apology and she knew that it sounded ridiculously lame.
“Don’t worry about that”. He returned the smile and enfolded her in a warm hug. “At least ye be back where ye belong. Tis all that matters. When ye’ve finished yer food, I suggest ye go to yer quarters and rest. We can talk about what happened when ye be ready”.
As with Caratacuus and Remyn, Andreas’s kindness only served to irritate her and remind her of her mission. She would have preferred him to be angry with her, for the smiles, reassurances and hugs were making her feel guilty.
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Erroll did a dance of joy, causing the sand to ripple around him. He gave Morgan and Apollo a beaming smile. “The tree be looking forward to meeting ye”.
“You speak as if it were a person” Apollo observed.
“Tree got personality same as we have” Erroll replied. “Most people don’t believe that plants have feelings or thoughts, but tis only cause they don’t take the time to form the connections. Plants communicate more slowly than people and use different methods, but if ye open yer heart and yer mind, ye can have a beautiful friendship with them. When I were a child, the tree and the sand were me only friends. If not for them, I’d have endured a lonely existence”.
Morgan and Apollo had no idea how to answer that, so they walked along in silence while the sand stirred in gentle waves around their feet.
They had only seen the sacred grove in passing while moving around the campsite and had not taken much notice of it. Trees and shrubs grew abundantly while strange silver-leaved vines writhed around like snakes.
Apollo felt an odd prickling on his head and noticed that one of the vines was in the process of weaving itself into his hair.
“Tis showing its love for ye” Erroll remarked. “Think loving thoughts back at it”.
Apollo felt slightly foolish but did as Erroll suggested. The vine writhed around for a few minutes before withdrawing and slithering off into the branches of a nearby tree.
“This be the sacred Hasta tree” Erroll stated, gesturing towards a tree which stood out from among all the others. The smooth, shiny trunk was green and the leaves had a reddish hue to them.
“Sit and lean yer back against the tree” Erroll instructed, easing his bulk down and crossing his legs. “Close yer eyes and let yer mind drift”.
Morgan watched while Apollo took up a similar position to the portly shaman. It was easy for his slender cousin, but it took Morgan longer to arrange his legs in the required manner, despite the fact that he was a lightweight in comparison with Erroll.
It was unlike any other mind-merge which the two cousins had experienced. They could sense ancient wisdom and knowledge flowing from the sacred tree, although it did not communicate anything specific. They felt comforted and protected, as though nothing would ever harm them again.
At some point, Morgan drifted off to sleep, dreaming about learning more new recipes and eating the results. It was one of the best dreams he had ever known.
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River was almost dozing off when the little spark appeared, jolting her back to full wakefulness. She remembered to project the image of her book, although she wondered how a spark that tiny could receive her projection, let alone rescue her.
It hovered in front of her at eye level, shimmering and growing larger until it resolved itself into the figure of what looked like a child at first glance. Once he fully materialised, River could see that he was a tiny elderly man, mostly skin and bone, with long white matted hair and beard, dressed in a tattered grey nightshirt and crumpled maroon robe. He sat cross-legged in the air in front of her.
“Greetings, Queen River Meer” he projected silently, holding out a bony hand to her. “Andreas sent me. I be Kvyrt Elygiak, one of the Elders, and I’ve come to take you home. Hold my hand and join with me”.
As soon as she gripped his hand, the grim little room vanished. All around her were glittering sparkly flashes which lasted only a few seconds. When the sparkles faded, she recognised the familiar surroundings of her quarters at the Donovan Institute.
“Thank you” she transmitted.
“A pleasure”. He smiled and bowed at her, hovering slightly above the floor. “You may rest now. I shall watch over you while you sleep. Andreas will come and see you later”.
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Elsa lay in the purple silk tent, listening to Gerald’s breathing beside her. He had already fallen asleep. After dinner, they had sat together on the sand, looking up at the dark purple sky and the multi-coloured twinkling stars. Anwyn, Andreas and the rest of the tribe had tactfully left them alone.
Although she was exhausted, Elsa found that she was unable to sleep. Something nagged at her. She longed to tell Elaine the good news about her pregnancy. She had been delighted and more than a little surprised at how well Gerald had taken it. Perhaps he would make a good father after all.
Her thoughts drifted to Elaine, wondering what her sister was doing. She had no idea as to what time of day it would be back in Vordelle, but she tried to imagine. She could almost see her sister going about her daily tasks and a pang of homesickness arose in her.
“Elsa! Help me!” It sounded like a cry for help coming from within her mind, similar to how Anwyn and Veveen had projected to her.
“Elaine? Is that you?” she whispered, hoping that she would not wake Gerald.
“Elsa! Please help me!” the voice called out again. “Find me! I’m lost!”
A strange feeling tugged at her and she reached out to it, hoping that she would not be too late to help her ailing sister.
A moment later, she discovered that she was no longer in the perfumed tent in the desert, but in a dark, grim place filled with old junk. There was no sign of Elaine or anyone else. She swore in frustration, realising that she had been tricked.
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