by Drew Wagar
Meru had tried, but he couldn’t see the error in his maths. Either the object was much closer and they should be able to hear it, or it was far away … and stupendously huge and fast. Neither made any sense. How could a flying machine be the size of a city and travel at such a speed?
Ren was still waiting for an answer.
Meru sighed. ‘I have no idea,’ he said. ‘Another mystery for us to solve.’
‘Magic!’ Ren said.
Meru nodded and laughed. ‘Maybe it is, it doesn’t make much sense!’
Meru knew where to find the answers though. Back in Scallia, in a cavern hidden away not far from the deserted city of Dynesia, they had found a machine.
Caesar. Even now, I’m not quite sure what it is … not a person, but a … thing!
An intelligence of some kind; a machine, a mechanism. It called itself ‘Caesar’, and by its own definition that was shorthand for Computational Atmospheric and Environmental Service facility. Much of what it spoke about was confusing and peculiar, but Meru had recognised enough to understand that it was a device that their ancestors had used, perhaps even made, long ago to help them.
The crew of the Mobilis had discovered it. It was Caesar that had warned them about the flares and given Meru access to the flying machine. Later he’d discovered the abandoned radio telescope facility somewhere across Scallia, in which he’d found more machines, broken down, but leaving tantalising hints as to what their ancestors had been capable of.
And this light in the sky, it’s a vessel in orbit, somehow going around and around this world of ours, this planet … Esurio. Caesar would know … if only I could ask him … it … him!
He stared back out to sea. For now, Scallia was behind and Amar ahead. Amar was home, but he had no great desire to return there. Meru shivered.
What are they all going to say when they find out the truth?
There wasn’t anything he could do about it now. It was just the way things had happened. None of this had been expected. To start with it had been an adventure, a way to escape the problems at home and then a quest across strange lands. He’d not meant to deceive anyone, not really. He was caught in it now.
And then there was her.
Blue eyes, dark black hair.
Every time he slept, even if he closed his eyes for a brief moment, there she was. The witch-girl, the young priestess of Drayden. He’d watched as she’d led the attack on Viresia, intimidated by her prowess as a warrior. She could wield her metal staff with a devastating ferocity. He’d watched her great reptilian beast kill the King and saw how she and her fellow priestesses had attacked and subdued Viresia killing many within, Zoella’s loyal carn amongst them. Later she’d caught him with the intention of forcing the location of Amar from his mind. She’d forced her way inside his thoughts.
But something happened …
Then the flares struck, forcing them to flee. She’d been injured, he had a chance to kill her, but they’d cooperated in order to survive. Some sort of understanding had grown between them despite her vowed intent to murder everyone who shared his ancestry.
And then …
She’d caught him once again, fleeing amidst the ruin of the attack on Nireus. She could have killed him. Instead …
The same feelings washed over him again. He couldn’t stop them. Burning desire, her scent in his nostrils, her mouth pressed hard against his, her fingers clawing into his back. The last words she had spoken, still echoing in his mind.
You are mine now, Meru of Amar, mine …
He shivered again, his body responding despite his wishes. She’d done something to him and he knew there was no way it could be undone, because he wanted it more than anything else he’d ever known.
Her name was on his lips, her face in his thoughts. Her body, somehow always bereft of her clothes, the subject of lurid dreams that taunted and tempted him every sleeping.
‘Kiri.’
Another secret I’m keeping …
The Mobilis pounded on through the waves. Amar was getting ever closer.
Coran watched them for a moment. The pair were laughing and joking together. From the story that had been told Coran understood Ren to have been a native of Drem, orphaned by the flares and found along the way by Meru and Zoella as they had ventured into the Shadeward.
Another passenger … another complication. At least he doesn’t have magic powers!
The joking seemed to stop. Meru was looking out to sea, pensive all of a sudden.
‘Hey,’ he called, raising his voice so they could see him.
Both turned around to look. Ren was on his feet and bowing his head.
‘He’s only the captain,’ Meru said, giving him a jab. ‘Not the king …’
Coran smiled. ‘Yeah, belay all that stuff. You guys all right out here?’
‘Ship running well,’ Ren said. ‘So fast!’
His young eyes were bright with enthusiasm. He seemed to have adapted well to the ship, despite never having been aboard one before.
Kids take it all in their stride though … always have done.
‘Good. Need you to run along inside Ren. I need to have a chat with Meru.’
Ren nodded and scampered off towards the mid-section.
Coran sat himself down on one of the raised deck hatches, bracing himself against the motion of the Mobilis. He fixed Meru with a look.
‘So,’ he said.
Meru didn’t answer, but looked away out to sea.
‘You need to level with us,’ Coran said. ‘What really happened back there?’
‘Did Zoella send you?’ Meru replied.
‘Zoella?’ Coran frowned. ‘No. It’s Mel who’s worried about you. Truth is, we’re all worried. This girl, Zoella, has the same power as these witches. We need to know what happened and what we’re up against. You sure that this girl we’ve got on board is safe?’
Meru turned, an alarmed look on his face. ‘Zoella isn’t a priestess,’ he said. ‘She’s from Scallia, not from Drayden. Her people were attacked and killed!’
‘Yet she has the same power,’ Coran said. ‘How do we know she’s telling the truth? How do you know she hasn’t twisted your mind and she’s a spy? Fitch wants her overboard right this spell and I can see …’
‘Fitch knows nothing,’ Meru said. ‘Zoella is no spy. Her people were attacked just like ours were. These priestesses steal power from other women … Zoella just happens to have it. She’s innocent … she … it’s not her who …’
Meru stopped.
‘This Kiri girl?’ Coran prompted.
Meru looked away.
‘Come on boy, tell me. What’s with her?’
Coran saw Meru look out to sea again before turning around. Coran saw him swallow.
‘I rescued Zoella and her queen, Liana, when they were attacked by the priestesses,’ Meru said. ‘I didn’t know what to do, but Zoella had been kind to me. She would have been killed if I hadn’t, I couldn’t just leave her. The three of us escaped in the flying machine …’
‘All very noble,’ Coran said. ‘I’d have probably done the same.’
‘There was this one priestess. Young, powerful. She tried to stop us. She chased us. They had those flying reptiles. Dachs they’re called. She came after us, chased us into the mountains. The flying machine was damaged, we crashed. Zoella got out with Liana. I didn’t. The priestesses caught me.’
Meru stopped.
‘It’s all right,’ Coran said. ‘Keep going.’
‘She … she …’ Meru’s lips were tight, Coran saw him shudder.
‘This Kiri girl. What did she do to you?’ Coran whispered.
Meru looked down. ‘She got … into my mind. She could read my thoughts. She made me think of Zoella so she could find her. She found out about the Mobilis¸ about Amar …’ Meru’s voice cracked. ‘I tried, but I couldn’t stop her, she hurt me, she …’
Coran placed his hand on Meru’s shoulder. He could feel the young man shuddering.
‘Hey. It’s all right. No one could have done any better. Doesn’t seem like it’s possible to defend yourself from this mind reading stuff. You did the best you could …’
Meru’s shudders slowed. ‘Zoella wants to help,’ he said. ‘I know she does. I just don’t want anyone inside my head again … not like that …’
Coran considered it all for a moment. ‘Do you know why she let you go?’ he asked.
He felt Meru tense. Meru shook his head. ‘She chased us all that way. She came alone. She wants Zoella’s power for herself. The other priestesses were there. Maybe thought she had another plan and it didn’t work out …’
Not convinced, Meru …
‘Then we’re doing the best thing,’ Coran said, keeping his voice even. ‘Staying as far away from her as we can. Every spell we head sunright we’re putting more distance between us and her.’
Meru nodded. ‘The priestesses don’t know how to cross the sea. They don’t have anything like the Mobilis …’
‘That’s just as well,’ Coran said, thinking it through. ‘How would I know his girl, what does she look like?’
Meru sighed. ‘You can tell her apart easily enough; she wears a black glove on her left hand.’
‘A black glove?’
Meru nodded, but said no more.
‘Come on. You’ve had a tough time. But ignoring folks isn’t the answer. You’d better square off with your friend too. She’s as miserable as you are.’
Meru nodded.
‘We’re heading to Amar,’ Coran continued. ‘Like you say, the priestesses can’t reach us there, least not for passes or rounds. Plenty of time to figure out what to do.’
Coran pulled Meru to his feet.
‘But if you get any suspicion that you’re being contacted or …’
Meru shook his head. ‘I don’t think they can do things like that at distance. They have to be close by, their powers aren’t that strong.’
‘Nevertheless,’ Coran said. ‘You get a suspicion of anything like that, you tell us. Yes?’
‘Aye, captain,’ Meru said.
‘Good lad.’
A burning landscape, swept with golden sands under a crisp azure sky. Lacaille was centred straight above, as if looking down upon the ground. All about was a wall of impenetrable stormy clouds, swirling around and around, dozens of marks high. Yet here in the centre, all was calm.
The eye! The Obelisk!
Her gaze drifted away from the clouds and the light of Lacaille, now focussing on something else. She could see a vast construction, towering up from the landscape below, reaching far into the heavens, as high as the clouds themselves, perhaps even above them. It took the form of a vast tower, wide at the base and then tapering as it rose. Sunlight flashed from its sides.
Metal!
She had seen it before, in dreams and imaginings and in symbols. An isosceles triangle, but huge, towering into the heavens. Wasn’t it the mark of the priestesses? She had been given a pendant with this symbol. What did it mean?
Waves of power were pulsing from it. She could feel it pounding outwards, washing over her, invigorating her. She felt the gift rise in her with each pulse, strengthening and building, growing to crescendo …
The source! The Source of Lacaille!
But the pulses faltered. Her own power failed and lapsed. She saw strange green glows flicker in the heavens, before they too evaporated into nothingness.
Then came the heat, a gasping shortness of breath. She could see animals howling in fear and pain as something struck them down, something invisible. She felt her own skin crackle and burn, something snatching the breath from her lungs. Pain and darkness …
Zoella jolted awake, almost banging her head on the bulkhead above her. Her breath coming in gasps and wheezes, her heart pounding in her chest. She felt a hand grasp hers.
‘Hey, you all right?’
She blinked. Meru’s face swam into focus. His hand felt hot in hers.
‘I … yes,’ she managed. ‘A dream.’
Meru handed her a cup of water and she took a sip.
‘Your dreams normally mean something,’ Meru began.
Zoella looked at him, but didn’t respond.
‘Look,’ he said. ‘I didn’t mean to abandon you … I’m sorry. This must be really horrible for you after everything that’s happened.’
Zoella pursed her lips. He seemed contrite.
‘I only offered to help,’ she said.
‘I know,’ Meru said. ‘I just … she invaded my mind …’
‘Kiri,’ Zoella said, her voice cold.
Meru nodded.
‘She got inside my mind, saw things, got into my thoughts. I couldn’t stop her …’
Zoella swung her feet down from the bunk. ‘The gift is not supposed to be used like that. I truthfully don’t know what it is supposed to be for, but I’m sure of that at least. It’s meant to be used for the benefit of all, not twisted into a weapon as the priestesses do.’
Meru nodded. ‘I just don’t want to feel anything like that again, it … it was horrible.’
Zoella nodded. ‘I understand, I didn’t mean to make it worse.’
She held out her hand. Meru smiled at her and took her hand in his. She held it tight and didn’t let go, turning to face him and looking him in the eye.
‘So why did she let us go?’ Zoella demanded.
She felt his hand twitch in her grasp. He shook his head and pulled his hand away.
‘Maybe she had a plan to capture us herself,’ Meru said. ‘But it didn’t work out. I don’t know. What do you think?’
Zoella kept her gaze on him, pursing her lips.
‘I have no idea,’ she said, her tone hard. ‘I can’t think of a single reason why she would let us go after chasing us all that way. It doesn’t make any sense to me at all.’
Meru looked away. ‘No, it doesn’t. But she did. She must have had her reasons.’
Zoella nodded, but didn’t say anything further. Meru wouldn’t make eye contact.
‘We’re going to have a bit of a council of war,’ he said, after a pause. ‘A plan of action. The rest of the crew would like you to be there.’
‘I will be. Give me a spell.’
Meru nodded and left. Zoella took a deep breath.
You are still lying to me Meru. You might have convinced the others, but you’re lying! I can feel it. You and … ugh! Kiri! Something has happened and I will find out what it is.
She gathered her thoughts for a moment before climbing down from the bunk. She walked towards the door …
Pain flashed at her temple, a headache that pulsed across her forehead. She yelped and staggered, grasping at the door handle to steady herself. The pain grew worse, like a drill burrowing into her skull. She cried out and sank to the floor, pushing her palms at her head, trying to ease the pain.
Then the agony came. She screamed.
Meru had just reached the deck when he realised something wasn’t right. Coran, Fitch and Mel were all on the deck behind him, looking over the stern of the ship. Meru could see the engine covers on the rear deck were open. Daf and Creg were standing nearby, hands on hips.
And the single remaining engine wasn’t turning.
Oh no, don’t say we’ve broken down out here. We’re hundreds of marks out to sea!
‘What’s happened?’ he called. ‘Engine broke?’
They looked around at his voice. Mel shook her head. ‘The engine’s fine … well, it’s not broken at any rate, it’s …’
‘The ’tricity,’ Coran said. ‘It’s gone.’
‘Gone?’ Meru echoed.
Coran pointed up.
The Mobilis’ curious sails were fully deployed as they had been for the last stretch. Where they would normally be crackling with the discharge of the ’tricity, with faint sparks of blue flashing about them, now they were still and silent. The ship was rolling in the waves, adrift. None of its lights were operating.
‘Breakers? Co
ils?’ Meru asked.
‘All checked, there’s nothing wrong,’ Mel replied.
Coran straightened.
‘That also means the bilge pumps aren’t running,’ he said. ‘Daf, Creg, you’d better get below and start cranking.’
The two big men nodded and jumped down into the interior of the Mobilis.
‘But …’ Meru looked around the ship. The wake of the Mobilis was fading into the swell of the sea. The ship was dead in the water.
‘… how can the ’tricity be gone?’
It was then they heard the scream from below decks. Meru ducked back down, scrambling through the hatch into the crew compartment. He found Zoella curled up on the floor in her berth, screaming and pummelling her forehead with her hands.
‘Zoella!’
He tried to pull her hands away, but her strength was beyond him. She flailed, pushing him back against the door, all the time screaming in agony. Coran and Mel appeared at the hatch.
‘What’s happening?’ Coran demanded.
‘I don’t know, she’s just …’
Zoella gave another ear-splitting scream, her fingers tearing at the skin on her scalp and drawing blood.
‘Help me!’ Meru said, grabbing one of her arms and yanking her up. Coran grabbed the other and between them they tried to wrestle her under control. Her strength was wild and fierce.
‘Mel, help us, can’t hold her!’
The lights in the berth flickered and came back on. At that same moment Zoella went limp in Coran and Meru’s arms, her body slack. The ship vibrated. The engine had come back to life.
Mel pulled up Zoella’s chin and looked at her.
‘She’s in a dead faint. Out cold.’
‘Help me get her back into a bunk,’ Coran instructed.
Together they wrestled Zoella’s unconscious body into the lower of the two bunks in the berth. She looked pale, her breathing ragged, her face marked with the scratches she had inflicted upon herself.
‘Check the ship,’ Coran said to Mel. ‘Meru you stay with her.’
Mel ducked outside, but wasn’t gone long. They heard the engine slow and come to a halt. Meru had just managed to clean the blood from Zoella’s face when Mel came back.
