“I slipped a tracking device into Eddie’s pocket just now.”
“Or you could be leading me into a trap?” shot back Peter. The anger he had been repressing was rising.
“I promise, Peter. You have my word!”
“You broke an oath though, damnit!”
“I know,” he pleaded. “I want to make amends.”
“I’m not sure how much I can dig you out this time,” Peter stressed angrily.
“I just want my son back,” pleaded Wheeler. “I’ll do anything.”
“Can you create a doorway then?” Peter asked.
“Yes, I think so,” Wheeler fished in his pocket and retrieved a bookmark. He held it in his hand and closed his eyes. A doorway started to form.
“By the way, how did you know it was Eddie?” he asked Peter.
“I recognised him leaving Penn’s offices. The magic was slipping. I couldn’t believe it at first. Then he disappeared through a doorway. I figured he might be joining the others here.”
There was a ‘whoomph’ in front of them as the doorway appeared.
“I won’t forget it, Peter. Thank you for helping me.”
“Don’t thank me yet, Wheeler,” Peter shot back.
Wheeler nodded, then Peter urged, “Come on. Let’s go.”
Chapter 10
The Chase
Yas, Sam and Eddie continued to run awkwardly through the forest. The shadows continued to fool them, and the uneven ground threatened to throw them off their feet at any moment.
“Always a drama with you isn’t it,” said a voice sarcastically to their right and behind them. Sam was startled and looked around, not paying attention to his footing. He tripped on a tree root and stumbled. Yas nearly tumbled over him and looked around.
“Red?” she asked, spotting a small grey shape bounding along the ground in and out of the moonlight.
“Now you remember!” exclaimed Red sarcastically. “Now that you need our help. Marvellous that is!” He ran after them. “Keep running,” he urged. “There are others here.”
“Where are they?” asked Yas, puffing as she ran, trying not to look over her shoulder.
“Moving more slowly, but they are here,” replied Red. “They’re trouble all right! What did you do?”
“I don’t know,” Yas shouted. “We need to get away from them!”
“Yes,” agreed Sam hoarsely, glancing across at Red. The three of them kept moving but had slowed, to try to avoid being tripped up or wrong footed. It was a challenge to keep up a good pace while also keeping an ear and eye out for anyone pursuing them. The dancing moonlight played tricks with the light. It took a lot of concentration to stay on their feet.
“I’ll show you the way to the Great Oak,” said Red as he bounded along. “He’ll sort you out! Again!”
“Thanks,” puffed Yas. Red sped up and bounded along in front of them. He kept at a pace that enabled them to see where he was going, while also giving them enough time to keep their footing.
They ran around the edge of what seemed to be a huge dip in the ground, a bowl, and then turned to their right. The forest looked unfamiliar to Yas from her first adventure here. She was glad of Red leading the way.
“Hello Yas,” came a telepathic booming but gentle voice in Yas’s head. It startled her, but then she relaxed as soon as she realised it was the Great Oak.
“Hello,” she thought back. “We’re being chased. Can you help us hide?”
“Yes, there are people here, but I can help you get away.”
“This way,” urged Red, slowing, and motioning them on ahead of him.
“I will ready a doorway,” the tree continued. “Think of a place you have been.”
“A place I’ve been,” Yas said aloud, to help her visualise.
“What?” called Sam, from behind her.
“Never mind!” she called irritably over her shoulder.
The ground became flatter, and the trees a little more spaced apart. It allowed more light in and made it easier to navigate. Yas had some space in her head to think of a place. Several images went through her mind. They needed to move fast, she figured.
Red slowed down, and they entered a small glade that at last was familiar. Even with the subdued light, she was sure that she recognised the Great Oak ahead of her. They all slowed and stopped. As they did, three figures stepped out of the shadows on their left. Her hopes faded.
“Hello again young lady,” said Orfeo. “I didn’t reckon on telepathy, but Ms. McVale here overheard. Bravo!” He clapped his hands.
Yas wished it was lighter so that McVale could see the evil eye that she made at her.
“Where were we?” said Orfeo, theatrically. Then after a pause, “Oh yes. And Wesley...”
Eddie grimaced in pain behind Yas and Sam and they both looked behind them with concern. Eddie’s features seemed to be contorting into Wesley again and the hold Orfeo had on him seemed to be coming back into play.
“Not this time,” said a voice from their right. Another doorway had opened and through it came Wheeler and Peter. Wheeler put up a word net shield between Eddie and Orfeo.
“What are you doing here?” said Orfeo, irritated.
“What I should have done the first time I met you,” answered Wheeler. “I want my son back!” He moved around behind Yas and Sam keeping the word shield in front of them. “Eddie,” he implored, touching his son on the arm.
“He’s under my influence now,” said Orfeo. “Wesley, come to my side. Now!”
A battle played out on the face of Eddie as his features twisted and changed from Eddie to Wesley and back again. He looked at his father and then at Orfeo. Finally, he nodded at Orfeo and stepped away from his father. He walked around in front of Yas and Sam. He turned, to look at his master, then turned back and looked at Wheeler.
“I have absolute command over his mind, you see,” crowed Orfeo triumphantly.
Wheeler sagged. “Eddie!” he pleaded. The word net fizzled out, echoing Wheeler’s hopes.
“When the time is right, come around to my door Yas,” came the tree’s voice in her head. She looked at McVale to see if she had overheard. “She cannot overhear me,” assured the tree. “This is your domain.”
“Now then,” continued Orfeo, moving forwards so that Wesley was just ahead and to the side of him. “You were about to open a portal for us young lady, to take us to the peacekeepers.” He nodded towards Wesley. “And if you choose not to help, your friend will be sacrificed.”
Wesley eyes locked onto Yas’s. There was menace for a moment, but then he relaxed. It wasn’t the features of Eddie, but the face was much softer than before. He winked, which Yas saw and she wondered what it meant. She hoped it was friendly. Wheeler noticed too.
“Soon,” soothed the tree.
Wesley reached his arm up towards Sam. The ends of his fingers elongated and turned black, forming stringy tentacles. They hovered in front of him, menacingly. Without thinking and despite her reservations about him right now, Yas grabbed Sam’s hand and pulled him backwards out of harm’s way. She felt the ground moving underneath them. She knew it was the tree’s roots. Sam glanced at Yas quickly. She smiled, reassuringly.
Wesley looked down, followed by Orfeo. Then, caught off balance, Wesley swiped his outstretched hand sideways, hitting Orfeo in the face and knocking him clean off his feet. The roots moved out of the ground, grabbing Orfeo’s arms and restraining him. Wesley’s face contorted and changed back into Eddie, and with the undulating ground below he lost his footing and crumpled onto the ground.
“Now Yas,” urged the tree. “Create the place in your mind.”
Yas pulled Sam’s hand. Fortunately, he followed. Together they ran towards Peter and to the side of the tree.
McVale and Vickers saw what was going on and ran to intercept them. Their progress was hampered by the roots that rippled through the earth. It left little sure-footed ground and slowed them considerably.
Wheeler moved forwards
and helped his son to his feet. Then he looked at Orfeo and seized an opportunity to vent his pent-up frustration.
“Let’s see how you like it!” he said, raising his hands and forming word balls. He threw them downwards at Orfeo, where they rippled across his body like electricity. Orfeo called out in pain, as his body writhed and twitched with the flow of energy.
Yas and Sam ran around to the back of the tree. Peter guarded their approach and provided covering fire to also help slow McVale and Vickers.
“Where are we going?” asked Sam quickly.
“Another doorway,” said Yas, as she reached the familiar silver door. The door was partially open, so she went inside, Sam joining her. Yas stopped inside the tree, feeling puzzled. She had expected to find a stairway inside, as she had when she had first visited. Instead, with the two of them inside, it felt quite cramped.
“Where’s the doorway?” Sam asked, voicing the concern that was rising in Yas’s mind.
“What next?” she said out loud to the tree. She was also confused.
“I don’t know,” replied Sam, urgently. “I thought you did.”
“Sshh,” she shushed Sam. He still irritated her, yet she knew having him with her was better than being alone. “The tree,” she tried to explain.
Sam raised his eyes to the heavens in reply.
“Remember the place Yas,” came the tree’s voice. It seemed to Yas that Sam had also heard it, as he was looking around for the source.
“What place?” he asked.
“Not now,” said Yas, trying to pick one of the places that she had thought about while they were running. The images from Y’in at Alexandria played back through her mind.
“We need something fast,” urged Sam.
“I know!” she shot back. Without realising, Sam’s words influenced her and an image solidified. The floor below them started to crack and split, revealing a bright light. They each looked down and then glanced at each other with concern.
“Oh crap...” started Sam, moving his feet to the outer edges of the floor in the hope that it provided some safety. “What is it?” Yas did likewise, but it wasn’t enough. They both fell into the light. “What the...”
Down they went into bright sunshine, where not only was the sky the brightest blue and hurting their eyes after having been used to darkness, but also the ground was desert, bright yellow and orange.
“...h-e-l-l-l-l” Sam continued yelling, as they both fell.
Outside the tree trunk, Peter continued to fight off Vickers and McVale who were moving towards him. He could see that Yas and Sam had disappeared downwards and caught glimpses of movement below. He continued his efforts to defend the doorway. He couldn’t think of a way to close it but could at least delay their pursuers.
“Wheeler,” he shouted across. He wanted to try to shake him out of his pent-up anger on Orfeo, where he was still firing word balls at the vampire trapped on the ground. Inexplicably to Wheeler, Orfeo was laughing the more he pummelled him with energy. He seemed to be enjoying it, in a twisted way.
“Stop!” shouted Peter. He could see what Wheeler couldn’t. The man was growing stronger under the onslaught. Orfeo managed to split the tree roots that were holding his wrists and yanked them free. Then, as he did on the galleon, he rose to standing while pushing both his hands forwards. He conjured word balls and sent them flying towards Wheeler and Eddie, slamming into them. Wheeler flew backwards and upwards, hitting a tree trunk and then slumping to the ground. Eddie rolled backwards on the ground until he came to a stop. Neither were critically injured, but it was enough to knock them unconscious and leave them stationary on the floor.
Orfeo moved his hand out sideways, towards Peter. Peter ducked instinctively, expecting something to fly out of the man’s hands, but nothing did. Instead, unseen, a doorway formed behind Peter and immediately Sleight stepped through, followed by Raelinn. Sleight grabbed Peter on his shoulder and threw him to the ground ten feet away. Then Sleight looked across at Orfeo.
“Go!” commanded Orfeo. Sleight ran to the tree, Vickers just getting there ahead of him, followed by McVale.
While Orfeo was distracted, Peter rolled himself through the doorway that Sleight and Raelinn had appeared through. Orfeo surveyed the remaining scene. Looking at Raelinn, he said, “You’re late! Grab those two!” he gestured towards Wheeler and Eddie. “I’ll deal with them later!”
He walked towards the doorway in the tree, then paused.
“Trees,” he said disparagingly. “Too much wood.” Then he stepped through.
Yas and Sam dropped into something moving fast. They landed in the leading chariot, racing around a large oval stadium. They collided with the chest of the driver, who tumbled backwards. He managed to grab the back of the chariot and ended up snaking along on the sand behind. The forward momentum of the chariot caused them to bounce off the inside of the front plate, and then roll backwards. Sam managed to get a grip onto the reigns of the horses to stop himself. He jerked on the reigns and the horses turned and looked at him angrily. Yas wasn’t so lucky. She rolled backwards scrabbling for a hand or foot hold, her foot finally thudding into the shoulder of the driver trying to clamber his way back on. It stopped her roll and dislodged his handhold, causing him to roll off in the dirt to the side and out of the way. Having lost her footing, Yas’s leg slipped down onto the sand. In half splits, with one leg bouncing and skidding in the dust, she flailed trying to grab something to steady herself.
“Yas!” shouted Sam. He reached and grabbed her arm, pulling hard on the reigns to counterbalance. The horses slowed up in response, the change in momentum enabling Yas to reach forward. With his help, she moved to the front of the chariot.
They looked behind them. No Controllers yet, but the driver had got himself back up and was furious. He sprinted towards them, his face thundering. He was shouting at them in some other language, raising his fists.
“Go, go,” urged Sam to the horses. He did what he had seen on television and flicked the reigns. It resulted in a sudden jerk forwards, which sent them backwards again, slipping on the floor. As they recovered and moved back to the front wall of the chariot, Sam motioned for Yas to stand in front of him.
“You drive,” he said to her. “I’ll keep us steady,” and with both hands he gripped the curved top of the chariot, to give them more of a chance to withstand the bumps and changes in direction.
Yas was concerned that she knew nothing about driving horses. However, she soon found out that she had little to worry about. The two horses in front of them had raced here before and knew what to do.
“We’re in a race!” yelled Yas, as she looked around to take in their surroundings. Dust was being thrown up all around them. There was also the noise of the horses galloping, the rumbling of the chariot on the ground and the jeering of the crowd in the background. The onlookers had reacted to the driver falling off and were now gesticulating, in uproar. Most of the jeering was coming from the huge stand that they were approaching, which wrapped around the end of the oval track.
“How do I steer?” she shouted over her shoulder to Sam.
“What?” he shouted back.
“Steer?” she yelled again as the end of the track loomed closer.
He looked ahead and realised what she meant.
“Lean and pull,” he shouted. He helped her. “Like a sleigh.”
“Sure,” thought Yas, if only she knew what that was like.
One of the horses slowed enough to corner while enabling the chariot to part turn, part slide. They started to turn the corner, bouncing in the ruts in the dirt and changed direction. The crowd in the stands stood, continuing to shout and point.
About halfway around the corner, they were afforded a view along the length of the stadium. It was much longer than Yas had expected, having stands for the crowds at either of the curved ends, and then halfway along each of the sides. In between were entrances and exits. In the stand in the centre of the track on their left, there wa
s a dignitary box. As they finished the turn, Yas noticed there was some heated conversation happening there, with a lot of pointing in their direction. Sam had noticed too. Guards were moving to the bottom of the stand.
“Uh oh,” said Sam, watching the guards take up position and draw arrows, tracking their position. “That doesn’t look good!”
“Look,” said Yas, taking one hand off the reigns and pointing ahead of them on the opposite side of the track. There, appearing in the sky about ten feet above the chariots were the other Controllers. She watched as Vickers landed in a chariot behind its driver. She was better prepared than Yas and Sam had been and used the forward momentum to pull the driver past and behind her so she could take control. Sleight landed awkwardly on the backplate of the third-place chariot. His landing bounced the front of the chariot upwards, knocking the driver almost over the head of the larger man. Sleight pulled the driver past him and scrambled forwards to grab the reigns. McVale landed the other side of Vickers chariot, on the ground, and was able to grab the reigns of one of the horses of the chariot behind, swinging herself up and into the saddle. It surprised Yas that the older woman had as much strength as she did.
Yas and Sam were now racing towards the Controllers, with rocks and debris being the only separation. In theory the chariots should race to the corner and then turn and follow them, but both Yas and Sam seriously doubted that the Controllers would do that.
“We’ve got to get out of here, fast,” shouted Sam from behind Yas.
“Yes,” agreed Yas, watching the guards in the dignitary box carefully. Ahead of them, behind where the other Controllers had landed, the original driver of their chariot was also making his way across the track onto their side. Staying on the track seemed to offer few options for a successful escape.
“Hold on!” shouted Sam. Ahead of them on the left, they were approaching the end of the stand and an opening. Yas realised what he was thinking and braced herself, while Sam reached forward with his left hand and took a tighter hold on the reign.
The Word Guardians: and the Battle for the Peacekeepers Page 22
