From The Dark

by Tobey Alexander

It occurred to Logan that the peculiar masks worn by the Veks no longer looked as fearsome as they had. The sleek ivory-coloured masks, each decorated with the spider-web of cracks from one of the eyes, looked softer now.

  Logan knew Vincenzo was right. If he had had any intention of leaving, he would have done it when Vincenzo descended into the cave. There was nothing to keep him here yet all his time in the library, all his conversations with Vincenzo, they had shown him that not everything was as it seemed.

  ‘You make it sound so simple.’ Logan answered. ‘All this time I’ve believed the world was safer without the Magdon.’

  ‘And you aren’t wrong,’ Vincenzo interrupted, catching him off-guard. ‘But what I am seeking is not to release but to evolve, to educate her. The world would be at risk from her might and ferocity, but I don’t want that.’

  ‘I want to believe you.’

  ‘You believe me, or you wouldn’t be stood there.’

  Logan could hear his heart beating in his chest, brain awash with a million train lines and thoughts.

  ‘What if I say I believe you? If I agree to help you cage and contain it?’

  ‘Her!’ Vincenzo corrected.

  ‘Contain her. What then?’

  ‘The future is uncertain and unset but with you by my side Logan, we have a chance to bring the Magdon into the fold and help her realise we can live together. Without you there would be little hope, by the time we found someone with the skills you possess she would be fully grown.’

  Vincenzo did not push, he offered just enough guidance for Logan to make his choice. Even across the sea of robed Veks, he could see the conflict on Logan’s face. To press now would send Logan running, it was best to wait.

  The vast room was silent, the only sound being that of flowing water far below in the depths of the hole beneath the cage.

  Logan’s voice shattered the silence.

  ‘I’ll help you!’ Logan declared. ‘I will help you find her and bring her here.’

  ‘You will protect her?’

  ‘I...’

  ‘You must protect her, to agree to anything less would be a pointless endeavour. If you agree to journey with us, you must protect her from all who threaten her.’

  ‘You mean my family?’

  ‘If it must be so, then yes.’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘You do!’

  ‘I can’t...’

  ‘You can.’

  ‘I won’t hurt my family,’ Logan continued before Vincenzo could interrupt. ‘But I will also see no harm come to her. I will help you find her and protect her.’

  Beneath the mask, Vincenzo smiled. He was glad Logan could not see the smile, it was far from the look Logan would have wanted to have seen. Vincenzo’s smirk cemented the fact he had lured and caught the young boy, and now the real journey had just begun.

  ‘I understand.’ Vincenzo answered as the crowd of Veks erupted into thunderous applause towards Logan.

  Stood on the ledge Logan swelled with pride.

  31

  Mount Nyiragongo

  There was much to be said about the view of Mount Nyiragongo as Gabe, Claudia, Nahem and Archy disembarked the Congo Airlines aircraft. As they moved out into the open air, the humidity was almost unbearable.

  ‘I don’t think it was the best idea researching everything on the plane like that,’ Gabe said to Claudia as they descended the metal staircase towards the runway.

  ‘What else was I supposed to do for such a long trip, and besides it says to know about where we are going.’

  Watching out of the window of the aircraft Gabe had noticed the enormous runway numbers painted on the tarmac. Circling around to avoid the drifting clouds from the crater of the volcano he had caught a glimpse of the mountain.

  It had been an impressive sight. The emblazoned white 36 stretching across the dark runway while in the distance the smouldering volcano slumbered. Transitioning into a landing position Gabe had lost view of the volcano at the same time Claudia had begun her onslaught of information about their destination.

  It had always been her way. Whenever something stressed or worried Claudia, she had a habit of distracting herself. Most of the time, she would pour herself into books, but today it was in the plethora of information available on the internet.

  ‘In 2002 the volcano erupted, and the lava poured all the way to the end of the runway.’ She had declared as they dropped onto the runway.

  Gabe had heard the concerned mutters from the other passengers seated near them forcing him to silence his daughter.

  Now they were free of the aircraft Gabe looked around for the exit from the terminal building.

  ‘Come on, we only have the one bag to get.’

  They had hurriedly packed what they could in their carry-on luggage, but their weapons had been booked into the hold. At Heathrow for the first flight, there had been a little confusion at the check-in however the cover story of a medieval re-enactment event had settled the airline’s minds.

  The connecting flight had been uneventful in comparison. Nothing had delayed them as they had been huddled into a cramped terminal to await the connecting flight to Goma International Airport.

  Goma, being so close to the border with Rwanda, was a hive of military activity. Soldiers littered the foyer, all armed and all surly and unfriendly in their appearance. Gabe did his best not to make eye contact as they moved towards the lumbering conveyor belt to await their bag.

  ‘What are we going to do about transport?’ Nahem asked as the conveyor grumbled on its tracks.

  ‘Perhaps you can source something with Archy while we get the bag?’

  Not offering any complaint Nahem helped Archy out towards the main doors while Gabe and Claudia waited for their luggage.

  ‘Tourists?’ A young voice interrupted as they stepped up to the conveyor.

  ‘No, thank you.’ Gabe dismissed the young boy and stared at the flickering screen above the conveyor.

  ‘You need a guide? English? German?’

  Claudia turned to look at the boy and felt her stomach knot.

  The boy was no older than ten, but his figure was gaunt and malnourished. Dark skin seemed even darker around his sunken eyes but what caught Claudia’s sympathy was the jagged and rough flesh down the boy’s neck. Scarred from fire or similar the boy's neck and chest looked like molten wax.

  ‘Oh, what happened to you?’

  The boy looked at Claudia with curiosity as he tried to understand her question.

  ‘Your body, what happened?’ Claudia pointed to the boy's chest.

  ‘Fire, the soldiers burned my village.’ The boy replied matter-of-fact. ‘You need a guide, yes?’

  ‘Claudia!’ Gabe scorned but cut short as their luggage appeared through the hatch.

  With her father distracted Claudia dipped into her bag and pulled out a handful of dollar notes she had secured. Grabbing the young boy’s hand, she thrust the bills into his open palm and wrapped his spindly fingers around them.

  ‘It’s not much, but it should help a little.’

  The boy’s eye lit up, and he thanked Claudia as he turned to run off through the terminal.

  Gabe had seen what his daughter had done. It was in her nature to be kind, it always had been. Seeing her give so freely to the boy filled him with pride. Being sure not to have her catch him watching Gabe busied himself retrieving the battered suitcase and dragging it off the rubber slats of the conveyor belt.

  Dragging the suitcase across the smooth floor, the two of them reached the row of desks and handed over their passports. A surly black woman in her late fifties grumbled as she snatched the passports and slammed a rubber stamp down on the middle pages. Thrusting the passports, the woman dismissed them.

  ‘That was easy.’ Claudia remarked as they walked towards the main doors.

  ‘Gabe!’ Archy bellowed from across the road, waving his arm.

  Waving back Gabe and Claudia moved to cross the road as a pair of scrawn
y soldiers stepped into their path, blocking the way.

  ‘American?’ The taller of the two soldiers mumbled.

  ‘English,’ Gabe replied and moved to walk past the soldiers.

  The shorter soldier placed himself in Gabe’s path and pushed him back.

  ‘Customs checks?’ They asked in pidgin English.

  ‘They have stamped our passports.’ Gabe stood tall and locked gaze with the taller of the two.

  It was clear what was happening, and Gabe had decided he was having none of it. The change in his demeanour caught the soldiers off-guard as he waited for them to speak again.

  ‘You pay.’

  ‘For what?’ Gabe snapped back.

  ‘Dad,’ Claudia whispered, but Gabe ignored her. ‘Just pay them.’

  ‘You pay to visit.’

  ‘Guys,’ Gabe began, closing the gap between him and the taller soldier. ‘I’ve travelled halfway across the world to get here, find my son and fight things you could only imagine in your nightmares. Two little soldiers hustling tourists for money is low on my list of worries.’

  ‘But...’

  ‘But nothing,’ Gabe barked and pushed past the soldiers. ‘Move!’

  With much reluctance the two men parted allowing Gabe and Claudia to pass.

  ‘Keep walking.’ Gabe hushed as they walked across the road leaving the two dumbstruck men stood by the roadside.

  ‘What was that about?’ Nahem asked as they joined them beside an idling taxi

  ‘Hustlers, nothing to worry about.’

  Nahem smiled as Gabe looked around and felt the bag in his hand being pulled.

  ‘This is Stephen,’ Nahem introduced as the driver of the taxi tried to wrestle the luggage from Gabe. ‘He will find us somewhere to stay and has contacts who can take us to the mountains tomorrow.’

  Cramped into the battered taxi, Stephen drove like a madman through the streets. Nahem seated next to him the excitable man chatted away to her as they drove. Sat in the back Gabe looked out of the window and looked across at Archy who fidgeted with a battered satchel he had brought with him.

  ‘Where did you get that thing?’ Gabe asked as he looked at the bag. ‘Looks older than you!’

  ‘It is,’ Archy replied. ‘In fact, it was given to me by an old friend.’

  It was not lost on Gabe that the old man’s voice trailed off.

  ‘A friend from the past he is not so, to the evil Veks his friend did go.’ Yebot sang as he tossed the flap of the satchel over his head and clambered out from inside the bag.

  ‘What are you doing?’ Gabe hissed as the small Nivag dropped onto Claudia’s lap.

  ‘Oh come on dad, he’s been cooped up in there since we left England.’

  ‘For good reason.’

  Gabe looked at the taxi driver, but he was paying them no attention. His broad smile and fast voice was clearly focussed on Nahem sat next to him in the car's front.

  ‘Just don’t get seen!’ Gabe scoffed as he returned his attention out of the window.

  As they moved through the streets of Goma City, it was clear why this was no tourist town. It was every part what Gabe had expected with a mishmash of buildings littering either side of the road. Every type of structure from multiple storey half-finished apartment blocks to small shop-front buildings there was everything imaginable out of the window.

  ‘Mount Nyiragongo, you see her there?’ Stephen pointed out of the windscreen. ‘She is very much alive this year, you see the smoke, look, see.’

  Far in the distance, they could all see the familiar dome of the smouldering volcano. A plume of dense white smoke floated from the unseen crater as the wind dragged it across the sky away from the city.

  ‘Many times we have suffered when the lava comes but not for a time now.’ Stephen blurted, his words only just recognisable with his heavy accent. ‘I remember when the lava came to the airport, great damage, and many homes destroyed.’

  ‘Have you been up?’ Claudia asked.

  Looking at her in the rear-view mirror Claudia noted a look of concern on the local man’s face. His eyes were wide as he looked at her reflection and shook his head from side-to-side.

  ‘We do not climb the mountain, sometimes people come to explore her, but we stay away.’ There was genuine fear in the man’s voice. ‘It is never wise to anger a sleeping mountain. Foreigners may come and go, but we have to live with the destruction when it angers.’

  With that, the taxi driver fell silent, and they made the rest of the journey without another word.

  After a handful of uncomfortable moments, the taxi pulled to the side of the road and Stephen kicked open the driver’s door. The building they had stopped outside of was a depressing structure, all exposed foundations and concrete the building looked half complete.

  ‘What is this place?’ Gabe asked as Stephen handed him his luggage.

  ‘Breakfast and bed.’

  ‘And in the morning, to get to the mountain?’ Nahem asked as she removed her own bag from the trunk.

  ‘There.’

  As Stephen slammed the boot of the battered taxi shut he pointed towards a battered bench and a rusted sign that had once been a bus stop.

  ‘A bus stop?’ Gabe asked.

  ‘The bus comes two times in the day, once in the morning and once at night. It will take you through Rukoko and Kibati where you can stop and walk the rest.’

  The friendly chatter had evaporated curtailed by Claudia’s line of questioning and she felt her father’s gaze as he paid for the taxi. Stephen wasted no time in returning to his cab and pulling away from the curb leaving the four of them alone on the pavement.

  ‘Nice work.’ Gabe chuckled as Claudia looked at her father.

  ‘I didn’t know,’ she answered, but Gabe ruffled her hair and smiled.

  ‘What does it matter, the bus will be cheaper, anyway.’

  As they walked towards what they assumed was the entrance to the bed-and-breakfast the sound of an aircraft flying overhead filled the air. Looking up Gabe was surprised to see an enormous Hercules C130 begin its descent towards Goma Airport.

  ‘Military?’ Archy asked as they watched the plane disappear behind the buildings.

  ‘Assume so.’ Gabe replied and pulled open the door to their hotel. ‘Here’s hoping they aren’t here for us.’

  32

  Flight To The Congo

  Logan had boarded the rumbling Hercules aircraft after a short drive from Aggstein Castle. He had made the journey in thoughtful silence, and mostly, Vincenzo had left him alone for the whole trip.

  When they had arrived at an obscure airfield, it surprised Logan to see the large Hercules aircraft idling on the runway.

  ‘How can you afford this?’ Logan asked as he clambered from the back of the van.

  ‘You underestimate the reach of our organisation Logan.’

  Vincenzo was almost beaming with pride as he had allowed that comment to sink in.

  Joining the handful of Veks, now dressed in black combats still sporting their featureless masks, Logan boarded the aircraft and was ushered to a seat near the cockpit. Having felt his stomach lurch as the aircraft lifted from the runway, they had left Logan alone to think.

  What felt like hours passed before Logan had fallen into a dreamless sleep. Head resting against the padded metal of the aircraft’s fuselage he had felt the vibrations through the steel as he had drifted. When he was awoken by Vincenzo’s gentle shake, Logan did not realise how long he had been sleeping.

  Disorientated, Logan wiped the sleep from his eyes and allowed himself to take in his surroundings.

  ‘Want to see something spectacular?’ Vincenzo offered as Logan’s senses returned to him.

  ‘Sure.’

  Unclipping himself from the seat, Logan stretched himself off and shook off the fog of his uneasy sleep. Moving past the seated Veks Logan noticed a bank of stowed weapons latched to the fuselage of the plane.

  ‘What are they for?’ Logan asked as he
looked at the rows of assault rifles, pistols and ammunition. ‘I thought we would save her, nothing else.’

  ‘There is always a risk of coming across people who fight against us Logan, I’m sure you understand that by now.’

  ‘You mean my family?’ Logan stopped in his tracks and waited for Vincenzo to turn to face him.

  Vincenzo weighed his answer. He knew he had kindled a trust in Logan and, right then, there was a delicate balance between what the young man wanted to hear and what he needed to hear.

  ‘Your family do pose a danger to all of us on our present journey I won’t lie.’ Logan’s brow furrowed as Vincenzo spoke. ‘I will allow no harm to come to them unless my hand is forced or else you direct it to be.’

  ‘They won’t understand if they see me with you.’

  ‘It isn’t for you to explain your choices to anyone but yourself.’

  ‘It still feels I’m doing something wrong.’

  ‘Logan my friend, you must move beyond that feeling.’ Vincenzo softened a little and once again soothed Logan’s concern by placing his hand upon his shoulder. ‘You have made your decision based on knowledge and understanding. Had your father and sister been able to listen to both sides as opposed to the biased opinions of your ancestor then I am certain all three of you would be stood here now.’

  ‘Somehow I doubt that,’ Logan sighed. ‘My father wouldn’t avenge my mother’s death, he would never have got as far as this. Instead, instead, he sits and ignores everything.’

  Vincenzo felt Logan’s shoulder tense with frustration. Vincenzo allowed Logan to mull over whatever memories he was replaying in his mind.

  ‘What worries you about them finding you with me Logan?’ Vincenzo asked.

  ‘They will think I have betrayed them, turned my back on them.’ Tears welled in his eyes as he answered. ‘They’ll be ashamed of me.’

  Logan’s shoulders slumped, and suddenly all he could feel was the pressure of the aircraft and hear the deafening thrum of the engines outside.

  ‘They may well be but what does it matter? Those without understanding can always frown upon another’s decisions based on their own biased standpoint.’