‘Gee, thanks, Boss. Does this mean more pay and rations?’
‘Well… err… that’s something we’ll have to talk about, later. You get some rest and tell the Canteen I’ve given you extra rations, to help you recover from the mission.’
‘Okay. See you later, Boss.’
‘Sure thing, Naz. Oh, and Naz, you done a great job over there. Don’t blame yourself. Jojo knew what he was doing. It’s what makes a good leader, being able to make difficult decisions.’
‘I’ll remember that, Boss.’
Naz left the room, feeling like a heavy load had been lifted from his shoulder.
Now for the hard part. Writing that report, he thought.
*
In the afternoon, Vin led them through the town, once again proudly pointing out the architecture and the statues to their heroes, spread throughout the streets. They turned a corner and stood before an imposing building which ran the full length of the central square. On stone balconies that supported tall shuttered windows, Guards in uniform relaxed in quiet conversation in the afternoon sun, giving the building a friendly lived-in facade, but still projected the power and strength of a building designed for a purpose.
‘This,’ said Vin, with a sweeping hand, ‘is the Central Hall. Here’s where all our business is carried out, and where all the decisions about the town and our people are made. Come on, I’ll show you around.’
A broad stone stairway led them to an archway where the three visitors could easily walk through together. The thick wooden doors stood open, inviting them to a cool hallway with highly polished doors and an even brighter polished floor. Vin turned to the first door they came to, which stood open.
‘Hello, Boss,’ Vin called out. ‘I’ve brought our visitors.’
‘Hello, Vin, glad to see you back safe.’
‘Thanks, Boss, this is Holly and Carter.’
The Boss came forward to welcome them. Like Vin, his blond hair was cut short, and he wore a full beard. His muscular shoulders and arms showed he’d spent many years with the Guards. Though he carried the title of The Boss of all Bosses, he wore clothes similar to everyone else in the town. His trousers were of a soft brown wool, but looked thick and warm. He wore a brightly coloured shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He looked prepared to work.
‘I’ve heard a lot about you both. Naz was in here earlier telling me about your mission. You are quite a hero, Carter.’
‘No, I don’t think so, sir.’
‘Naz told me you saved him and Vin from an ambush, twice, and took on one of the apes when he was under attack.’
‘It was nothing Vin and Naz wouldn’t do for me, sir.’
The Boss looked at him and smiled. ‘Are you recovered from your ordeal, Miss Holly?’
‘I am, thank you, sir. Thanks to Carter. He is a hero, really. I knew if I called him, he’d come and rescue me.’
Carter coughed, feeling embarrassed at the attention and wanting to change the discussion.
‘I have a letter of introduction for you, sir,’ Carter said, passing across the sealed parchment. ‘Our future king, Samuel Southernland, sends his warm greetings to you and your people and heartfelt thanks to your Guards for the help they offered in securing our border from invasion. He asked me to tell you that he sincerely hopes that your land and ours will form close bonds of friendship in the future.’
‘Well, I’ve never had such a letter of introduction before. I’ll write a letter of reply and hope that you’ll take it to him on your return.’
‘It will be a pleasure, sir,’ said Carter.
‘Fine. Now that the introductions are done, let’s sit down and relax.’ He smiled as he indicated the chairs arranged in front of a wooden table where he’d previously been working on some papers.
When they were all seated, The Boss said, ‘Can I get you anything to eat or drink, Miss Holly?’
‘If we’re going to relax, then please call me Holly, Holly Boatman. I’m the daughter of Mr and Mrs Harri Boatman. And thank you, sir, but I don’t want anything. Mrs Vin has been taking good care of us.’
‘Okay, Holly. You can call me Ross, but everyone else calls me Boss.’
She grinned.
‘What about you, Carter, Vin? Would you like anything?’
They both declined.
‘I’m looking forward to us sitting down, and you telling me about your land and customs. Would you like to join me for lunch tomorrow, unless your Mom has something special planned, Vin?’
‘Not that I know of, Boss.’
‘Then you’re invited, and Naz too.’
‘Thanks, Boss. I’ll let him know,’ said Vin.
‘Is there anything you need while you’re here?’
‘No, sir, I think we have everything we need for the moment,’ said Carter.
‘Okay, well if there is anything…’
‘Actually, I was wondering,’ interrupted Holly, ‘about the magic Crystal that I’ve heard so much about.
‘Yes?’ said The Boss.
‘Well, it must be an amazing Crystal if it protects everyone from getting old in your land, and opening Gateways whenever you want?’
‘Yes?’ said The Boss, who made a questioning glance at Vin.
‘Well, I was wondering, it sounds so… magical, would you tell me about it?’
‘Certainly, Holly. It doesn’t stop everyone here getting old, but it does protect travellers like yourselves from the worst of the ageing that happens when you crossed our border, which means you don’t have to stay as your other self. You can change back to being a person while you’re under the Crystal’s influence.’
‘It sounds amazing,’ said Holly. ‘But how does it work?’ Her excitement was bubbling over.
‘We don’t really know, Holly. We see some of the effects and the powers of it, but don’t really understand how it works.’
‘Oh, it sounds so exciting!’ Holly sounded like an enthralled little girl. Vin and The Boss smiled at her, happy to see her enthusiasm.
‘May I see it?’
A sudden silence filled the air, where a mouse’s steps would have echoed around the room. The Boss looked at Vin, who looked suddenly wary. He cleared his throat.
‘Why would you like to see it, Holly?’ he asked.
‘Well, it must be so pretty, and I’ve never seen a magic Crystal before.’ The lie fell from her lips before she realised what she’d said.
The Boss sat silent for a moment, watching Holly closely.
‘The Crystal is our most important possession, Holly. It’s what keeps us safe and stops the apes from invading our land, so you must understand, we keep a very close guard on it. It’s protected in a special box in a special room that’s guarded all the time. We don’t want anyone to see it, because it has a very bad effect on people. Anyone that does look at it seems to fall under its power, under its spell, if you like. So we keep it out of sight in a gold box.’
‘Oh, it sounds so wonderful,’ Holly gushed. ‘Magic spells, golden boxes, I’ve never heard anything so exciting before. May I see it?’ she asked again.
‘Well…,’ The Boss said hesitantly. ‘I’m sure it’ll be alright for Vin and Naz to show you the room where it’s guarded one day.’
‘Oh, thank you so much,’ she said.
The Boss nodded to Vin.
‘We’ll be going then, Boss. See you tomorrow for lunch, right?’
‘Right,’ said The Boss, absently.
They made their way to the door, with The Boss watching Holly’s back.
‘Tomorrow, then.’ The Boss watched them leave.
*
‘You guys really are special guests. I’ve never known The Boss to buy anyone lunch before. I’m shocked,’ said Vin, shaking his head in surprise.
‘It sounds a lovely invitation,’ said Holly. ‘He’s such a nice man, and letting me call him Ross, and inviting all us friends together for dinner and showing me the Crystal and…’
‘I don’t think he said
you can see it, Holly. That would be far too dangerous for you. He only said you could see the room where we guard it.’
‘Oh, that’s nice of him too. But why can’t I look at it, Vin?’ Holly asked, her eyes already wide with anticipation.
‘Like The Boss said, anyone who looks at it falls under its spell. They get this overpowering need to hold it in their hands, to own it, to possess it, to keep it just for themselves and not let anyone else come near it. That’s what happened to the thieving Duma. Once he saw it, he couldn’t keep his fingers off it.
‘There was only ever one person who was strong enough to resist its power, and that was Ran, our greatest hero. He’s the one that took it from the apes, to stop them from invading across our border. They’d come here and destroy everything just for the sake of causing trouble.
‘Life was really difficult before Ran brought it to us, along with the book. Now our lives are peaceful and we can build things to last, knowing that no ape will come and burn it down again.’
‘What book did Ran bring you, Vin?
‘Ah… that’s the Book of Histories. It’s a sacred book. It tells of all our lives’ Histories. Where we came from, what life was like, who was in charge, what their cities used to be like. All that stuff. It says that our ancestors came from across the ocean, that they came to this land by boat and after they landed, they went their separate ways. A lot of people think that we are all related to the ancient ones, you, me, the cats… the apes!’
‘But where did Ran find such a precious book?’
‘He went on a mission, to save our land and our people. He went alone without telling anyone where he was going. He followed the apes across the border and found a city. It must have once been the home of the ape people, before they lost the will or the power to change back to men. He found the Crystal and The Book of Histories in a kind of falling-down Temple in their crumbling city. He wanted the Crystal to stop the apes crossing our border and running amok over here. They were always killing and burning. But he also saw that the book was precious. He knew it was going to be destroyed if he left it there; the apes couldn’t read, they could hardly speak more than a grunt. So, he put the Crystal and the book in his bag and hightailed it back here. The apes were livid, but there was nothing they could do, they had no way to cross the border anymore.
‘But Ran was so strong that he gave up the Crystal. He gave it to the Guards to take care of, because he knew it would corrupt him. The story is, for the rest of his life, every day, Ran fought a battle with himself to go and take the Crystal and to run off with it. But every day he won his personal battle and left it there. After all, who’d want to end up like one of those apes?’
‘Not me!’ said Carter.
‘So how about we go for a swim now?’ said Vin.
‘Now you’re talking! I was born to swim,’ said Carter.
‘I think I’d like to spend time with your Mom, Vin. She’s promised to show me how to make pie.’
‘Okay, Holly. Carter and I will take you home first. This way.’
*
They’d bathed and exercised and now lay floating on their backs, watching the ceiling murals slowly drift by as they floated from one end of the pool to the other.
‘So you think we’re all from the same Clan?’ asked Carter.
‘Well, the Book of Histories says that people came here from across the wide ocean. People painted pictures of the things Ran told them he’d seen across the border in the land of the apes, in their Temple. People thought it was so important, we’d better try to remember it, before it’s lost forever. After all, no one is ever going to go into ape country again.’
‘What else does it say, Vin?’
‘Oh, it tells loads of stuff, the names of the first leaders, the land where they all came from, why they left…’
‘Why did they leave?’
‘Well, it seems there was a drought, all the crops failed and people were starving, so they had to search for a new land where they could survive.’
‘Does it tell you about this Crystal everyone’s fighting over?’
‘No, but it does say that there were three books, and in these three books was all the knowledge men would ever need! The Book of Histories is the one Ran rescued. There was a Book of Wisdom, but no one knows where that is, and one other book. And, when the three books are brought together, then the full power of men will be shown.’
‘What does that mean, Vin, the full power of men?’
‘We can only guess, because no one’s ever seen the other two books. But what we think is, when you know our history, and where we all came from, and you have the knowledge of the ancient ones, then you can use the full power of what we are capable of. We think it’s the third book which tells about the Crystal. You must have all three come together to understand it and how to use it.’
‘All this is making my head spin. I think I’ll stick to swimming and fishing. Life’s so much simpler.’
‘And I’ll stick to Pie Making,’ said Vin.
‘Come on, I’ll race you to the other end,’ said Vin, kicking off from the side to give himself a head start.
Carter was already waiting for him when he reached the end, panting.
5
Chapter Five
Pies and Ninjas
THE FOLLOWING DAY, Vin sat alone at the table in the kitchen. Carter politely knocked at the door.
‘You don’t have to knock,’ called Vin.
Carter walked in, smiling a good morning. ‘Mind if I join you?’
‘I’ve been hoping you would,’ Vin said.
Carter helped himself to bread and cheese from the table, spreading the butter thickly over the crusty bread. ‘Your Mom makes great bread,’ he said.
They sat in comfortable silence for a while, enjoying their breakfast.
‘Did you hear Holly calling, shouting in her sleep last night?’ Vin asked.
‘No, Vin, I didn’t. I must have slept through it. You know, I can’t remember sleeping so deep as I’ve done here.’
‘It’s worrying. The poor girl sounds like she’s having awful nightmares. Shouting out and crying. It’s heartbreaking to listen to.’
‘Do you think she’ll get over it, Vin?’
‘With time, I’m sure she will. She’s young, and she is strong. Some of our Guards that were in battle with those apes have nightmares for years after. It was a terrible ordeal she went through. And now finding out our Guards she fought against were really trying to save her.’
‘I can try giving her some moss in her drink tonight. It makes you sleep really quickly and deeply. Maybe it’ll stop the nightmares. It’s good for most everything.’
‘I know that! I’ve given some to our Doc; he’s amazed at what it can do. He’s trying to grow some from the seed Doc Mossman gave us to bring back.’
‘I hope he succeeds. I don’t know how we’d live without that moss.’
Carter watched Vin eat, he looked like a man with something on his mind.
Eventually Vin said,’ I’ve been meaning to ask you, Carter. When Holly was kidnapped by that scheming, horrible Duma, did he show her the Crystal?’
‘I don’t think so, Vin. I thought she said yesterday that she’d never seen one.’
‘Yes, that’s right. I forgot.’
‘Why do you ask?’ said Carter.
‘Dunno. Just something I thought may be worrying her, in her sleep. It can do strange things to you, that Crystal.’
‘What kind of strange things?’ Carter put down his bread, suddenly aware the conversation was getting serious.
‘Dunno, kinda “obsessive,” and greedy, and it makes your mind think weird things.’
Carter took a bite of the bread and cheese he’d prepared. ‘Well, you do know she was kidnapped by mistake don’t you?’
‘No, I didn’t! Tell me about it.’ Vin took a long swallow of his water.
‘Well, the morning before Holly was taken, Kerri was at Holly’s house, giving h
er mother one of her old dresses, a lovely red and white pinafore she used to wear regularly. It was the last dress Kerri’s mother made for her before her Mum and Dad disappeared in the forest.
‘Then, in the afternoon, Holly came running to Kerri’s house, to say thank you for the dress. Did you know Kerri was always the best runner? Better than all the boys. I mean, she can fly! But anyway, she told Holly to run all the way home. And that’s the last anyone saw of her. The Clan think because Holly was running and wearing Kerri’s red and white dress, the kidnappers mistook her for Kerri. Holly was only a little girl, after all. I know she looks really grown up now, but I think crossing the border did that to her. I think she’s only twelve really. I know she looks about eighteen, but she’s not.’
‘I didn’t know that,’ said Vin. ‘Did she spend much time alone with that lying Duma?’
‘I don’t know, she was there before I was kidnapped and taken to Duma’s town, and we were separated for some of the time.’
‘It was a terrible thing that scoundrel, Duma, did to you all. He deserves anything he gets,’ said Vin.
Carter picked up his bread again, trying to remember back to the time he was taken by the cat people.
‘I have terrible trouble remembering what happened exactly after I was taken. It’s like all these different parts that happened to someone else.’
‘Maybe it’s better that way?’ said Vin.
‘Yes, at least I sleep at night. But then, I wasn’t in a coma under the snow for all that time.’
‘Come on, eat up. You remember your promise to show me how to fight with sticks.’
‘They’re called staffs, Vin. Sticks are what dogs chase.
‘Right, staffs.’
*
They stood in the well-tended garden facing each other. From the corner of his eye, Carter could see Holly and Vin’s Mom surreptitiously watching them from the window of the kitchen where Holly had recently finished eating.
There was great excitement among the neighbours who’d seen Vin and Carter talking in the garden with sticks in their hands. After all, the difference in size between Carter and Vin was enormous. How could Carter possible better one of their Guards? Especially a Guard who’d fought with apes and returned to tell wild stories about the conflict. The neighbours watched expectantly, though they tried to pretend they were going about their daily business.
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