The Fenimeldiyaan: Displaced Time - Chapter 9

Daren sprinted through the warehouse, a guard right on his heels. Ewan had been the first to be drugged, and as far as he knew, he was now in the hands of the Doctor’s guards. The King had a hand on his sword, but that gas would be faster than his sword. He had to take the man by surprise.

The stairs were just ahead. Immediately before mounting them, Daren swung around and dove at the man’s legs, dragging him down to the ground. He snatched the gas cylinder from the man and sprayed it in his face, holding his breath. Then he dropped it and ran up the stairs.

He found Andreas right where they’d left him. “A-Andreas!” he gasped out. “The others … they’re … they got taken! Andreas?”

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Gerald nearly died of relief when he heard Anwyn’s voice. He sat up and ran a hand through his hair. “Aye, I be in the past,” he confirmed. “The Cyad Confederacy took me prisoner. A man named Selonicus rescued me, and they brought me here. The Patriarch’s daughter be a woman named Gharia.”

He wanted to stand and pace, but common sense told him that would be physically impossible in the tent. “Anwyn, is Elsa alright?”

“Aye, she be fine. Anything else ye can tell me?” Anwyn projected back.

Gerald bit his lip as he thought. “There be another off-worlder here with me. Woman named Veerna Vold. She be back on Mondias. That be all I know. When will ye be coming for me? The past ain’t exactly a safe place.”

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Elsa was in an agony of suspense, waiting for Anwyn to stop communicating with Gerald. Elaine patted her arm, trying to calm her, but she couldn’t be calmed. She had heard Gerald; he was alive and well. Now she just wanted to find him, but the one man who could bring him home was off chasing Apollo and River. It was immensely frustrating.

Elaine squeezed her arm. “It’ll be alright, Elsa,” she whispered.

Elsa stared down at her lap, realizing she had been near-tears. “I hope you’re right,” she whispered, and leaned her head against her twin’s shoulder.

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Before Vedat reached the front door of his residence, Haluq ran up to him.  “Sorry, me Lord.  Apollo’s been taken.  Someone managed to get in past all our security and dosed the whole place with Lethe-mist.  I woke up afore the others, but none of them remember seeing anyone.  I take full responsibility.  I should’ve been more vigilant”.

Vedat gave a weary smile and patted Haluq on the arm.  “No, I should’ve been more careful.  No blame falls upon ye.  I believe I know who be responsible anyways.  Let’s go inside, eh?”

Haluq let out a sigh of relief.  Although Vedat had always treated the entire household kindly, he had feared the worst, due to the inexcusable lapse in security.  He bowed and stroked his master’s arm in a gesture of gratitude.

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Yozev snapped the anti-sorcery collar around Apollo’s neck and gave a small smile of satisfaction.  He checked that the collar was functioning at full capacity before administering a potion to counter the effects of the Lethe-mist.

“Uh … where am I?  What happened?” mumbled Apollo, still laying on the back seat of the truck.

“You’re safe, Apollo Lightbringer”.  Yozev gave one of his sickly smiles.  “And no longer a slave, you’ll be glad to know.  You were meant for greater things than serving a Varagan.  My name is Doctor Yozev Kandlin and I’m a practitioner of the healing arts, much like yourself.  In fact, I have an offer to make.  An offer of partnership in my healing practice, working with my patients and helping in my important research”.

Apollo pulled himself up into a sitting position and studied the man who leaned in the open door of the truck.  “Thank you … err … Doctor.  But I really didn’t need rescuing.  Lord Vedat treated me well, not at all like a slave”.  He paused, trying to think of a way to refuse without offending his rescuer.  “Your offer sounds generous but I have to find my missing friends before I can even think about working as a healer again”.

Yozev smiled again. “I presume you refer to River Meer and Lady Rachel Andric?”

Apollo nodded.  “You know them?”

“Let’s say I’m in the process of getting to know them” Yozev answered.  “I have also rescued them.  At the moment they’re in much need of rest after their ordeals, so I suggest we leave them to their slumbers for the time being.  With that matter taken care of, you can concentrate on your career as a healer again.  Do you feel up to a tour of the facility?”

There was something off-putting about the Doctor apart from his grotesque appearance.  Instinct warned Apollo not to trust the man.  However, he decided to play along and wait for an opportunity to get away.  Without the use of his powers, he would be severely hampered in any escape attempt, but he still had to try.  He nodded and allowed the Doctor to help him out of the truck.

The “facility” turned out to be a disused warehouse converted into a sort of infirmary.  In the wards, rows of narrow beds contained weak pale unconscious figures hooked up to bizarre equipment which Apollo had never seen before.  His eyes filled with tears and his heart ached.  He wished he could do something for these poor wretched souls.  However, he blinked away the tears and made a pretence of listening attentively to the Doctor’s speeches about progressive treatments for previously incurable diseases.

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Andreas held Daren by the shoulders, sending out calming emanations.  “Tell me what happened”.

Still out of breath from running, Daren launched into an explanation.  It had all happened so fast that he struggled to remember with any degree of accuracy.  “I don’t understand why Morgan lashed out like that.  He lost control of his powers.  It was like … like he was possessed for a while”.

“Now ain’t the time to worry about explanations” Andreas asserted.  “I’ve seen the location in yer mind.  Tis best if I translocate us there.  We’ll have to go invisible again”.

Without waiting for Daren’s reply, Andreas grabbed him by the arm, invoking an invisibility spell before translocating them to where Ewan had fallen.  Trails in the dust showed that he had been dragged away, no doubt by the Doctor’s guards. 

Muttering to himself in Carpathian, Andreas inspected the lock on the door.  “No sorcery wards … too confident … our advantage”.  In a matter of seconds, he had picked the lock and eased open the door, peering into the gloomy chamber beyond.

Daren followed Andreas inside, seeing the unconscious figures of Morgan, River and Rachel laying on the cold stone floor.  “Can you wake them up?

Andreas cancelled the invisibility spell and knelt beside River, using his enhanced senses to examine her.  “Aye, a banishing spell will take care of the Lethe-mist.  They won’t remember much but we can deal with that back at the Don later”.

Daren felt helpless watching Andreas work.  He understood so little about the enigmatic Spy Master and the Fenian Galaxy and he longed to be back on familiar territory.  He would rather face any number of foes in Vordelle than be stuck in this dangerous and confusing situation.

Morgan was the first to wake.  His eyes blazed red and a fireball formed in his hand.  Andreas snuffed it out before Morgan could launch it.  “Easy there, me friend.  Ye won’t be needing that.  Ye be safe now.  Let’s get outa here, eh?”

“Andreas” Morgan rasped.  “Did you find Apollo?”

Andreas shook his head.  “Not yet.  But we need to get Ewan back first.  He be nearby, drugged like the rest of ye”.

By that time, the two girls had woken up.  Daren went over to them and told them what little he knew, glad to be able to do something useful at last.

Andreas supported Morgan while Daren helped the girls along.  Invisible again, the four of them made their way slowly along the dark corridor.

Andreas stopped outside another door.  “Ewan be in there.  Tis likely he won’t be best pleased to see me, so I’ll take Rachel in with me as a sweetener”.

Again, Andreas had the lock picked in short order.  Rachel went first, going over to her brother, stroking his brow and whispering to him.

Once she had seen that he was unharmed, Andreas invoked another banishing spell to remove the Lethe-mist from his system.  “Tis a strange quirk of his powers that he were more deeply affected by it than the rest of ye.  Ye’d expect a man who can send people to sleep with a mere thought would be able to put up more resistance.  However, twould seem that the opposite be true”.

It took several minutes before Ewan regained consciousness.  He stared up into the face of his sister.  “Am I dreaming?”

Rachel could not help laughing.  “No, Ewan, not anymore.  These people rescued me.  They seem to know me but I’ve never seen them before.  I’m grateful all the same.  It’s so good to see you again, brother.  I’ve missed you”.

“Sorry to cut the happy reunion short” Andreas interjected, “but we need to get going.  The longer we hang around, the greater chance of being discovered”.

“Andreas!” Ewan growled, getting to his feet.  “I had hoped I’d never see you again.  And as for getting out of here, I’m all for that.  Preferably somewhere far away from you!”

“Don’t be so hard on him!” Rachel admonished.  “He’s on our side”.

Brother and sister held hands and followed Andreas out into the corridor.

“Hurry!” Morgan urged.  “I can sense someone coming.  Two people, I think”.

Before Andreas had a chance to turn them invisible again, the emaciated figure of Doctor Kandlin approached, talking animatedly to Apollo.

Morgan yelled at Apollo to get out of the way.  Apollo broke away from the Doctor at the same time as Morgan accessed his powers.  His eyes blazed red and a powerful energy blast knocked the Doctor off his feet.

Apollo leaned over the fallen Doctor.  “His heart has stopped.  You killed him, Morgan”.

Morgan shook his head.  “No … I didn’t!  At least that’s not what I meant.  It was supposed to be an immobilising spell.  I never intended to kill him!”

“Yet he be dead all the same” a disembodied voice spoke.

They all turned around.  A shadowy figure materialised nearby.  It was hard to look at the newcomer, for their form shifted constantly.  The figure wore what looked like a cloak made from sparkling mist.  Glowing symbols and equations appeared and vanished within the mist.

“A Chronomage Elder” Andreas explained for the benefit of the others.

“Aye indeed, Lord Cesario.  I be a representative of the High Council of the Sacred Circle of Chronomages”.

The Chronomage waved a hand and everything stopped, frozen in time.  “Morgan Shadowbinder, you have violated our Sacred Law and corrupted the true passage of time.  This man, Yozev Kurak, or Doctor Kandlin, as you knew him, was not destined to perish by your hand.  Indeed, he should have lived for another sixteen years, albeit most of those spent in a State Prison, due to his many horrific offences”.

“It was an accident” Morgan insisted.  “I only wanted to immobilise him”.

“So you said” the Chronomage intoned.  “Your intent changes nothing.  A man dying before his due time causes all manner of corruptions and anomalies in the flow of time.  A great deal of mess for us to clear up.  A young woman named Darien Batalan was supposed to be the one to expose his atrocities and bring him to justice.  If she does not, she will never meet her prospective husband, Levene Shanahan, and a whole new line of the Shanahan family will never come into existence.  Kurak will remain free to pursue his research and the vile sorceress, Dorota Cadogan, will abduct many young women and turn them towards her evil ends.  The entire Fenian Galaxy will fall under the control of the Cyad Confederacy and there will be no more freedom for any of us.  A momentary lapse in concentration has severe repercussions, Morgan Shadowbinder, and for that you will answer”.

“What will happen to me?” Morgan asked.

Andreas laid a hand on his shoulder.  “They’ll suspend ye in a temporal prison while they argue among themselves for a few days.  Then they’ll send out a team of Chronomages to restore the time-line”.

“Mostly accurate” the Chronomage acknowledged.  “No doubt gleaned from your granddaughter, the Lady Mazia Karina Alana Modjian-Cesario.  Do you agree to act as Morgan Shadowbinder’s representative?”

“Aye, indeed I do”.  Andreas bowed low before the Chronomage.

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“We’ll be there as soon as we can” Anwyn promised.  “The information ye’ve given me be most helpful”.

She ended the transmission and broke from her trance, blinking away tears.  “Selonicus … Gharia” she whispered.

“What happened?” Elsa demanded.  “Did you reach him?”

Anwyn gave a slow nod and took a moment to calm herself before attempting an explanation.  “Ye were right, Elsa.  Gerald be in the past.  He met Selonicus and Gharia”.

Elsa tapped her foot, unable to contain her impatience.  “So he met two people.  What difference does that make?  Are they keeping him prisoner?”

“No … nothing like that”.  Anwyn’s voice had a melancholy tinge to it.  “They be … I mean … they were … good people.  The very best.  Selonicus were me first husband, afore I knew Andreas.  But the version of him who Gerald met were in the past, afore our time together.  As for Gharia, I never met her.  She were me Sartorian grandmother.  She passed into the Beyond long afore I were born”.

“Your ex-husband and your grandmother” Elaine mused.  “Surely they’d want to help you?”

“Tisn’t that simple” Anwyn explained.  “Messing with people’s time-lines be fraught with danger.  I be no Chronomage.  When we go to the desert to bring Gerald back, I’ll have to lie to me own grandmother.  Pretend to be someone else.  She can’t know.  She must never find out who I be”.

“Fine with me” Elsa stated.  “I don’t mind lying to a woman I’ve never met and will probably never meet again.  Can we go now?”

Anwyn stood up and began removing her clothing.  “Aye, by all means.  Ye both coming?”

“I’ll stay here” Elaine said.  “If anything happens and you can’t get back, I’ll find someone here who can deliver a message to Andreas”.

Anwyn patted her on the arm.  “Good enough.  The fewer people who go, the less chance we have of corrupting the time-lines”.

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Morgan lay on his back, staring up at the white ceiling of his temporal prison. The Chronomage had translocated him away, and he guessed that Andreas had gone to convince them to release him. Judging from the reaction of the Chronomage who had imprisoned him, he doubted that would be an easy task.

The fact remained that Morgan knew he was guilty. It wasn’t an easy thing to admit, but he’d made the mistake with his powers. He’d lost control, and in the end, that had killed Yozev. What if the Chronomages refused to see that it had been an accident? What if they couldn’t fix it?

The mage hauled himself up and started pacing, running his hands through his hair. “Idiot,” he muttered to himself. But there had been no rational thought to what he’d done to Yozev. Just seeing the man standing beside Apollo had sent terror coursing through Morgan. To lose Apollo would make him do terrible, terrible things. Unable to stand for much longer, he collapsed into a sitting position and covered his face. His fear of losing his cousin had already made him do something terrible. Would Andreas forgive him? To lose his friend’s faith would be more painful than anything.

Morgan wiped away tears he hadn’t even realised he’d shed. It wouldn’t have been so bad if he hadn’t been alone, with one thought eating away at him.

What would his punishment be if he were found guilty?

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River sat slightly apart from the others. The entire area around them was frozen in time, aside from the travellers, and the small group — consisting of the Andric siblings, Daren, River, and Apollo — had found themselves unable to leave the warehouse.

Trapped inside, they’d had no choice but to find one of the warmer rooms and take cover there. Rachel leaned against her brother’s shoulder, while Daren and Apollo conversed about Morgan’s fate in quiet, grim tones. River hugged her knees to her chest, resting her chin on her kneecaps.

Andreas had gone. He hadn’t even said anything to the rest of them. Once the Chronomage had taken Morgan away, he’d gone too. Disappointment and — worse — suspicion flooded through River. Although Yozev was dead, his seeds of doubt remained in her mind. Overworked, still dazed from both the Lethe-mist that had been sprayed near her and Rachel and the sedative Yozev had given her, she couldn’t think of any of the good things Andreas had done for her.

Fear of being abandoned ate away at her. She sniffed, trying to hide her tears. What if even her friends back in Corttann couldn’t be trusted? She had very few people she’d thought she could believe in, and now she didn’t even know if she could trust them. Even Andreas …

The tears did pour down her cheeks then, and she buried her face in her hands and cried. She didn’t know what to do anymore.

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Translocating always confused Elsa. It took her several seconds to regain her bearings, particularly with the sand churning beneath her feet unpredictably.

Wait … the sand. They were in the desert!

Desperately, Elsa cast about, seeing a tent nearby. Moving with a surprisingly tentative walk, she approached it, stopping dead in her tracks when the flap opened and a man crawled out. Even with unfamiliar clothes on, she would have recognised that scruffy face anywhere. “Gerald!” she yelled, throwing caution to the wind and sprinting through the sand towards him.

Gerald turned to face her, his face splitting into a grin when she ran into him, hugging him as hard as she could. He grabbed her under her arms and lifted her up, spinning her around while laughing, before finally embracing her. She put her head on his shoulder, sobbing into it for a few seconds. Then she raised her face to him and kissed him.

They stayed that way for a minute, until Gerald finally released her and lowered her back down to the sand. “Els,” he said, unable to stop smiling.

Elsa reached up and brushed a tear from his cheek, while he did the same to her. “Gerald,” she whispered, her lips trembling in a smile. “Don’t ever do that to me again.”

“Never,” Gerald agreed, and he bent down to kiss her again.

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Maas finished his mug of spiced tea and put it down on the packing crate which served as a makeshift table.  “No word from Citizen Hunt yet.  I’ll have to return to my post at 452 tomorrow morning.  If I delay any longer, the Governor will report me for dereliction of duty and there will be an investigation”.

Selonicus sighed.  “We can’t have you being exposed yet.  Twould ruin the next stage of our plans.  You’ll have to go back to the delights of Varicharenzo and keep up your role as dedicated servant of the illustrious Cyad.  But before you do, merge with me and give me the precise location where you took Gerald. I’ll try to contact him and make sure he hasn’t gotten into trouble in the desert.  He claimed to know Sartorian customs but I have my doubts”.

“None of us truly know Sartorian customs” Maas commented.  “Not even the likes of you and I who have studied their culture in great detail.  Tis difficult and confusing keeping track of which tribes be allies and which tribes be at war”.

The two men went into a shared trance.  Strange memories tugged at Selonicus — memories which were not his own.  Or were they from another lifetime?  He banished the thought and concentrated on the desert itself.  Being that the landscape varied so little throughout the entire Horeb region, finding a specific spot for translocation was far more difficult than elsewhere.

Celeste hovered in the doorway, knowing not to interrupt the trance.  While he waited, he fidgeted with a length of fuse wire, twisting it into patterns.

Several minutes later, the men broke from their merge.  Selonicus turned and faced Celeste.  “Something on your mind, Les?”

A frown creased Celeste’s forehead and his usual cheery smile was absent.  “Aye, I be concerned about the new recruit, Veerna Vold.  Every time we go on a mission, she asks me for a gun.  And she keeps flirting with me.  I ought to feel flattered, I know, but I get the impression she be deceiving me, getting close for the wrong reasons”.  He paused and looked down at his feet.  “I’ve got me suspicions that she might be a Cyad spy, deliberately planted on us.  I’ve tried reading her during some of our … erm … more intimate moments, but ye know me powers ain’t strong enough to pick up more than the odd surface thought here and there”.

“I read her when she was in the holding cell at 452” Maas related.  “Admittedly I wasn’t trying to discern her private thoughts.  It was more of an attempt to understand her language.  The over-riding emotion I felt from her was anger.  Pure rage, unfocused and unrelenting, coupled with a strong desire to return to her native Voldinia.  I didn’t have sufficient time to work more closely with her, unfortunately”.

Celeste grimaced.  “She might’ve agreed to spy for the Cyad in return for passage home”.

“Let’s not make assumptions” Selonicus cautioned.  “Les, watch her closely but stay friendly with her.  If you were to give her the cold shoulder, she would be suspicious.  Enjoy the flirting.  Encourage it”.  He patted the young saboteur on the shoulder.  “But no guns.  Be firm on that matter”.

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Andreas stifled a yawn.  The Chronomage Elders had been debating the incident at the warehouse for over five hours, going round in circular arguments but deciding nothing.  “They elevate procrastination to an art form” was how Mazia had described them.  Very accurate indeed.  He could not resist a quiet laugh at the thought of his granddaughter having to endure such lengthy and tedious meetings.   Although she did not hold a position on the High Council, all Chronomages were required to report to the Elders on completion of their missions.

One of the figures in misty robes looked directly at Andreas and a spark of recognition ignited between the two men.  “Jude” Andreas projected the telepathic equivalent of the most hushed whisper, taking care to shield his thoughts from the other Chronomages around the conference table.

“Andreas” the other man acknowledged.  “But for the purposes of this exercise, we have never met.  You have no idea of my identity and I only know of you by reputation.  Understood?”

Andreas projected a faint nod while pretending to be checking messages on his tablet.

Judaas Fendor stood, indicating his wish to address the High Council.  The Chronomage who had been speaking relinquished the misty crystal and passed it along to Judaas, indicating that he had finished.

Holding the speaker’s crystal in his open palm, Judaas spoke.  “I believe we have discussed the event itself more than adequately.  We should now turn our attention to the perpetrator.  To that end, I invite Lord Andreas Cesario of the Inner Circle of the Carpathian Way to speak for Morgan Shadowbinder.  You may address the Council, Lord Cesario”.  He used telekinesis to move the speaker’s crystal through the air.  It came to rest in front of Andreas.

Andreas put his tablet away and picked up the crystal, holding it as Judaas had.  “I thank the Council of Elders for allowing me to speak on behalf of Morgan Shadowbinder.  I met him several years ago on a mission which took me outside the Fenian Galaxy.  If ye wish, I can provide the mission report.  Me first impression of Morgan were of a troubled young man learning to control his powers and trying to use them for the benefit of others.  Tis true to say he has darkness within him but who among us does not?”

He paused for effect and glanced around the table.  Although he could not see the faces of the Elders through their misty veils, he used his enhanced senses to scan for surface thoughts, making it obvious that he was doing so.  A few of the elders gave solemn nods but most remained passive.

“As for the corruption to the time-line, we all know tis easily remedied”.  He gave a sly grin and transferred the crystal from one hand to the other.  “Me granddaughter does that sort of work all the time.  Besides, I have a vested interest in seeing the time-line restored.  Me family be connected to the Shanahans via marriage.  If time don’t play out as it should, twould cause all manner of paradoxes for the Shanahan, Menehari and Cesario families.  Rayleen Shanahan would never have existed, so she couldn’t have married me father in law, Lord Lyandro Menehari.  She wouldn’t have her duel with Dorota Cadogan and thus never become merged with the Goddess of Fire, Ledni.  If that don’t happen, me beloved wife would never have been born and the prophecy of the Unborn Child would remain unfulfilled.  I might never have discovered me links to the mortal bloodline of Martius the Warrior God.  Another prophecy left unfulfilled.  Also, there be Kurak’s victims to consider.  Many of those people in his warehouse facility will die if he ain’t exposed and brought to justice.  So there be many reasons why ye should go ahead and send a team to restore the time-line”.

“Thank you, Lord Cesario”.  One of the Elders stood and reached for the speaker’s crystal.  Andreas sent it over to her.  “Don’t presume to pretend to be our ally in this.  Tis well known that Carpathians always have their own agenda.  The time-line will of course be restored but not for your benefit.  For the greater good, as always.  Any advantage which you and your kind derive from it be coincidental and unavoidable.  However, we remain unconvinced about Morgan Shadowbinder.  The majority of us believe that he should be sent to a suitable institution for reconditioning”.

Judaas stood and the crystal was transferred back to him.  “Then I propose the Donovan Institute for that purpose.  I teach there and I will be in a good position to monitor his progress and report to you at regular intervals”.

The woman who had previously spoken held her hand out for the crystal.  “We shall retire and each of us will meditate alone upon the matter.  We shall reconvene tomorrow.  This meeting be over”.

Andreas gave a sigh of relief.  While he was forbidden from communicating with Morgan, there was nothing stopping him from getting a message over to Anwyn and another to River at the warehouse.