“Yes, I was on Earth with Maggie and Vince and the children,” Caleeza confirmed. “I learned so much from them.”
Ilene felt a pang of homesickness at the mention of their names. Is my mother alright? Will I ever see her again? I wish I could let her know I am happy. It was true Ilene realized. She had adventure, new friends, and she felt useful. She had never been happier.
“I wish I could see how the children have grown.”
“You can; I brought pictures.” Then she remembered that the pictures were in the pack she had abandoned. While Ilene and Caleeza spoke of their friends in Alaska, Tassyn walked up to Edty now tending the fire.
“You did a good job, Edty, of taking care of Theon and taking charge of the camp while we were gone,” Tassyn said after looking over the place and talking to Theon. “I want you to know I’m proud of you.”
The praise was almost more than Edty could bare. His best friend Tassyn was back and Rojaire, Traevus, and Kiril were back, and Tassyn was proud of him. He never felt so important before.
The colonists kept the fire fed from Edty’s well stocked woodpile, ate till they were full and exchanged stories long into the period of darkness. Ilene and Caleeza tirelessly checked on their patients. Finally they were all together, some in better shape than others, but together. It was enough for now. As Rojaire, with Kaylya by his side, listened to stories and drank Caleeza’s healing teas, or so she claimed, he almost let himself relax for a bit. The hard work would start after they rested up.
When Kiril described how Thayla battled off a bear-beast, Caleeza described her own run-in with a bear-beast to a new captive audience. “Somehow I was transported to what I think was a different valley.” When she described her encounter with Chitter, Drak jumped up excitedly forgetting about his arm, winced in momentary pain, then pulled out the crystal floss map he carried.
“Did she look like this?” he asked unfolding the map and turning on his lamp for her to see. On the edge of the map he pointed to what could have been a drawn portrait of Chitter.
“That’s incredible,” Caleeza gasped. “It looks just like her.”
“Probably an ancestor of hers. The portrait was drawn by my great grandfather.” Everyone wanted to see it.
“You just verified my story.”
“You just verified that a representation of the intelligent life form my great grandfather encountered, but kept secret, still lives.”
“Chitter was alone,” Caleeza emphasized. “I didn’t see any others.”
“Explain again how you went to this other valley,” Wessid asked confused.
“I can’t explain it,” Caleeza lamented. “All I can say is I fell into it.”
“It sounds like some kind of portal,” Sulyan said speaking up. “Perhaps the bear-beast creates it; uses it to travel between the valleys.”
“So how did you return to this valley?” Wessid asked, trying another angle.
“Sarus brought me back.” Which opened a discussion on the fate of Sarus, leader of the lost expedition, and the Crystalline Landscape.
With Ollen and Theon comfortably resting in the shelter, an exhausted Ilene curled up in her bedroll by the entrance and fell into a deep sleep. Kiril covered her with his cloak, then sat by the fire. Most of the colonists were already sleeping. Across from him Tassyn, Rojaire, and Traevus talked on softly. They were the last ones up.
“Ollen believes there is another way out of the valley,” Tassyn said gazing into the fire. “The flood of water we crossed going through the jungle gym trees going north was down to just a trickle by the time we crossed on the way back. Something must have shifted from the quakes. Where we found Ollen, the stream disappeared into a cavern in the mountain. Ollen says if we followed where the water went we might find a way out the valley, possibly a route to the sea.”
By Seaa’s light the men continued to talk long into the period of darkness. Kiril opened his recovered journal and turned the pages to a blank sheet. “THE FIRST COLONISTS” he wrote across the top of the page. Then he began listing their names in pairs like in the stories of life on Earth. Kaylya and Rojaire, Caleeza and Ollen, Captain Setas and Theon, he chuckled at that. Wessid and Zaloka, Thayla and Traevus, Ilene and Kiril, his heart swelled at the thought. That left Edty, Tassyn, Drak, and Inventor Sulyan. They were sixteen total from three different worlds. A low number to build a sustainable colony, but Kiril had no doubt the colony would succeed, at least until they could find another way in and out. They would work hard together to make sure everyone was fed and sheltered. They would make things from the materials at hand and the valley, still mostly unexplored, would provide. They would live and multiply. They would make their own life decisions without interference from the High Council.
After carefully putting his journal away, Kiril continued to sit for a long time by the dying embers of the fire dreaming of the future.
CHAPTER 22
Earth
ANTHYA APPROACHES.
The message was not unexpected. The close friends and members of the Order of the Oracle were gathered to see Melinda off to a new life on a faraway world. “She’s almost here,” Rahlys announced. Anthya was coming to retrieve the rune-covered chest containing the Rod of Destruction and Melinda was going with her.
Melinda’s decision to go to Aaia had not been made lightly. On Anthya’s world she could be true to herself. She would not have to hide the truth about her past; in fact she would tell her story to the High Council. She would not have to explain years of absence now that she had regained speech; it would be impossible to do so without betraying Rahlys and the others. The secrecy of the Oracle of Light had to be protected. And the media attention she had received already put her at risk of being recognized. By going to Aaia she would literally disappear from the face of the Earth.
“Leaf, stay where I can see you,” Maggie called when Leaf ran momentarily out of sight around the corner of the cabin.
“I’m right here,” Leaf sang in response, his head popping back into view. The motherly stress of recent events had pushed Maggie over the edge in protectiveness. The twins she kept close by her side.
Then Councilor Anthya appeared suddenly shimmering in silver and gold in the bright autumn sunshine. “She’s here,” Leaf sang running up to join them.
“Greetings Sorceress Rahlys, guardian of the Oracle of Light, Warrior Maggie, Warrior Vince, Warrior Elaine, Warrior Jack, Warrior Melinda, Warrior Leaf, New Person Crystal, and New Person Rock. The High Council of the Crystal Table wishes to congratulate you on your success.
“Greetings Council Anthya; you are always welcome,” Rahlys answered for all of them. “What will the High Council do with the Rod of Destruction? Will we be safe?”
“It is our belief that Droclum has now been truly destroyed.”
“What can you tell us about my daughter Ilene?” Elaine asked.
“And my adopted daughter Kaylya?” Jack added.
“I cannot tell you how they fair for Ilene and Kaylya left with Rojaire for the Devastated Continent, now renamed Lynnara, against the High Council’s wishes along with others. We no longer have contact with them. And we can no longer reach Limitation Island. To find out why that is so would require the construction of a sea-faring vessel and a long hard sea journey to investigate,” Anthya explained.
Jack and Elaine knew that Ilene had arrived safely to the special valley and reunited with her father. While she wished her daughter home, it surprised Elaine to discover she found it somewhat comforting knowing Ilene was with Theon and she was happy. Jack and Elaine did not share with Councilor Anthya what they knew through the crystal hologram.
Anthya took possession of the rune-covered chest and the key, both carefully shielded. “It is time to say good-bye,” she said turning to Melinda.
Melinda gave Jack and Elaine a final hug, and then Rahlys. “Will you come and visit me, Rahlys? Quaylyn and I will be waiting for you.”
“I can make no promises. You take care.”
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“You too.”
Wiping a tear from her eye, Melinda hugged Vince and then held on to Maggie tightly for a while. Maggie had been thrilled to get Melinda back and was having a hard time letting her go again. Then it was on to the twins and Leaf. Saying goodbye to Leaf proved the hardest of all. They had been through so much together despite Leaf’s young life. She held him in her arms reluctant to let him go. Would she really never see him again?
“I don’t want you to go.”
“Leaf, I will never forget you. You will be in my heart, my thoughts, and my dreams forever.”
“On day when I’m a great warrior I will come and protect you,” Leaf vowed boldly while his little body shook with sobs, “and we will go to the Devastated Continent to see Ilene and Kaylya.”
“You are already a great warrior, Leaf. Even Councilor Anthya says so. But right now Crystal and Rock need you more than I do.”
“When I’m grown up, I will come, you will see.”
Melinda couldn’t argue with that. “I will miss you,” she said wiping the tears from his sweet little face.
“It is time,” Anthya said gently. Nodding in agreement, Melinda joined her.
Then before Melinda could even look around one last time at the world she was leaving, they vanished, gone to a distant world on the far side of the Milky Way Galaxy.
Interstellar Ruse Page 26
