by T. Z. Leigh
“You’re right. Make sure he comes alone.”
When Zachery entered their hut with Sven, they were all on edge. Sam was pacing back and forth. Jamie appeared to be daydreaming and bobbing her knee up and down rapidly, while April had been staring at the doorway, ready to pounce on Sven as soon as he walked in.
“What’s wrong?”
“I was looking into Jamie’s mind to see whether I could help her develop her power. I saw a memory of hers, which she said she can’t remember. All four of our parents were in a room together talking about Irisena. They knew, Sven.”
Sven gazed blankly as if she had spoken the impossible.
“I...can see why you all would be concerned. It is a mystery…I’m just trying to think of a logical explanation.”
“Could she have faked her death? To escape?” Jamie asked.
“I suppose...we can’t rule it out yet. I’m trying to remember what date April’s mother went missing.”
“June twenty-ninth, not long after my third birthday,” April replied before pressing her lips together.
“Zachery’s mother died in February. I guess that’s what could have spooked her into hiding.”
“She died when I was a baby!”
“Who told you that?” Sven questioned, looking at him in confusion.
Zachery tried to think. Who did tell him that? It felt like years since he found out that his real mother even existed, let alone hearing that she had died too when he was still young.
“Voklav did,” Jamie finally said.
Zachery had a bitter taste in his mouth. He had been told another lie, but he didn’t know why this one hurt more than the others combined.
“Can you please just tell me what exactly happened to her? I can’t take this anymore,” he said, sitting next to Jamie, interlocking his fingers with hers.
“I was vague about her death because I didn’t want to hurt you. I suppose I was trying to protect you.”
Zachery stared at him in silence, like a small child waiting for their punishment.
“Your mother had postnatal depression since your birth. It lasted for a long time and she found it very hard to cope. When you were two years old, I guess she couldn’t live with it anymore. She...committed suicide.”
Zachery clenched his jaw. How was he supposed to feel about that? Guilty? Sad? Regretful? Angry? Maybe all of those.
Is that why my dad never wanted to be around me? Did he hate me or blame me for her death? Zachery tried to swallow the lump in his throat. “How did she die?”
“She jumped into a river and drowned. Your father reported her missing after twenty-four hours, but they only found her three weeks later.”
“How do you know it was suicide, though?” Jamie asked. “It could have been an accident.”
“Because she left a note, which Zachery’s father hadn’t found until after she was discovered.”
“Do you know what it said?” Zachery queried, not sure if it would make him feel better or worse hearing it.
“I did read it. I can’t remember all of it, to be honest, but she said she’s sorry for letting you all down, and she knows you will be looked after by everyone. She loved you, Zachery, and hoped she would see you again.”
Zachery didn’t care who was watching. He buried his face in his hands and cried. Jamie hugged him tightly from his side. He felt someone sit next to him on his other side and put their arms around him too. April. He stopped crying but kept his hands in front of his face.
“It’s okay. I’m okay.”
Jamie moved her arms away but kept a hand on his back. April let go and walked to Sven, then whispered in his ear.
Zachery shot up. “Whatever you’re whispering, can you say it so everyone can hear? I’m sick of all the damn secrecy about my past!”
April looked at Sven, who nodded in agreement.
“I said her choice of words were coincidental. Letting you all down...looked after by everyone...she said she’ll see you again one day.”
Zachery’s mind raced. “Did she have a big family? That could be the reason why she said all or everyone.”
“No, she didn’t; that part always puzzled me,” Sven replied.
“I think first we need to find out how old Jamie is in that memory for us to know if it’s even real. And if it is, we’ll know more about what happened. Maybe we can piece this thing together,” Sam said.
April turned to Jamie. “I can look again to see if there’s anything that might give us a clue?”
Jamie seemed unsure, but she stared at Zachery and spoke with resolve.
“Let’s do it.”
April sat in front of Jamie, hoping to find some answers.
“Okay, I’ll tell you what I see, and you tell me if you remember when your parents got it. Then we’ll know roughly how old you were in the memory.”
“So, if Zachery’s mum supposedly died when I was three years old and we find out I’m older in the memory, then it means she didn’t actually die?” Jamie asked.
“Exactly,” April said, then stared at Jamie with unfocused eyes. “When you came out of your room, there was a tall vase next to a table with two drawers in it,” April told her.
“They had that since before I was born, and my mum always keeps flowers in the house.”
“Of course she does. Okay, there was a big wooden clock at the top of the stairs.”
“My grandmother’s.”
“Right. When you came downstairs, the kitchen was on your left. That’s where you hid. When you peeked out, your mom and dad were in the hallway. She was angry, but he told her to go to bed. He said he needed to speak in private with his friends. She ran upstairs and you heard the door slam. There was a big mirror in the hallway?”
“Not sure, anything else?”
“You walked to the sitting room, just standing by the door at first and listening. You heard phrases, but it’s not completely clear. ‘Every day, Irisena is becoming stronger and more ruthless...although, without the fourth key, their efforts will be useless. Protecting the children is the most important thing’...wait. You heard a woman crying. That’s what made you look inside. It’s Zachery’s mom...my mom had her arm around her and was whispering.”
April’s voice stayed neutral, but her eyes welled with tears. She wanted to reach out and touch her mother so badly, but little Jamie remained in the doorway, so all she could do was watch.
“April, focus,” Sam told her, “are there any other clues around?”
Seeing her mother made her forget the purpose of this memory hunt, but now she concentrated entirely on the vision.
“There were pictures on the wall opposite, mostly of Jamie.”
“Can you see how old I am in them?”
“You look young, maybe three or four...it’s hard to tell.”
“So was all of this a waste of time?” Jamie asked.
“Oh my gosh!”
“What?” they all asked in unison.
“Sam’s dad saw you. He winked and smiled at you...I didn’t see this part of it before. Zachery’s mom started crying louder. She was yelling and crying…she said...don’t tell me to calm down, Zara! I haven’t seen my baby boy in five years!”
Zachery drew in a sharp breath and Jamie gripped his hand.
“Sam’s dad asked Steven if he could use the bathroom, so I’m guessing that’s your dad’s name, Jamie? Sam’s dad came out into the hall, picked you up, and said...shouldn’t you be in bed, little lady? He walked up the stairs carrying you. You had your arms around his neck. You said...Uncle Ali, what’s wrong with Auntie Jenna? Why is she so upset? He put you into bed and told you she’d be fine and kissed your forehead. You said…goodnight Uncle Ali...and then...that’s it. That’s all.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jamie opened her eyes to see everyone giving her suspicious stares as if she had the answer to everything.
“I don’t understand. She hadn’t seen Zachery in five years? That means I would have been aro
und eight years old, so why can’t I remember? Are those even their names?” she directed at Sven.
He nodded, still in shock. No one spoke, gaping as if Jamie had known about it the whole time.
“What do you want me to say? I don’t remember!”
“We’re not saying you do,” Sven reassured her, “it’s just...still hard to believe that they knew...but we never knew.”
“You said you had skryts watching them. What kind of protection were you giving exactly?” Sam accused.
“I don’t have the answer to that. Maybe more skryts had joined Irisena than we realised at the time.”
It was the first time Jamie had witnessed the dangerous side of Sven. Staring into space like he wanted to damage someone, fists clenched tightly with a silent contained rage.
“Do you think that’s why the mums hid the fact they were alive? Maybe they knew they weren’t safe?”
“It’s a likely assumption, Sam,” Sven replied absently. “One thing that confuses me is...skryts were monitoring both Ali and Steven. After Zara went missing, they were watched even more closely. How would they have been able to meet without us knowing?”
Jamie wasn’t looking at anyone anymore, but rather gazing intently into space as if the answer could be found there.
“I’m sorry. This will be near to impossible, but you all must get your rest. Try your best to go to sleep. The Masters have a big day planned tomorrow; you will need your energy. And I...I need time to think. ”
Sven walked out in a daze and Sam could tell that even though Sven had told them to sleep, he wouldn’t be able to. He looked at April.
“When you first saw him, how did you know he was my dad?” he asked quietly.
“You look so much like him, just younger. Except he had longer facial hair and brown eyes...I see where you get your good looks from.”
He smiled, then pressed his lips firmly together to stop himself from showing emotion.
“You know, it was strange seeing him wink and smile at Jamie. When he did it, he made me feel like a little girl, but when you do it...it makes me feel...something else.”
He leaned in to kiss her, but she put her finger on his lips to stop him.
“When he carried Jamie up to bed, I could see how much love and care he was showing her. I wish I could’ve met him. He seems like a man I would be proud to call my father-in-law.”
Her last sentence made his insides twist as feelings of pain and joy ferociously battled each other for victory. Pain from the loss of a brilliant man he proudly called Dad, and joy from the beautiful girl who stood before him. She had not only just admitted that she would be happy to become his wife, but would have loved his father too. His eyes became shiny as he held both her hands, their fingers interlocking. He peered over her shoulder, their cheeks touching, his mouth next to her ear.
“You don’t know how much that means to me,” he whispered, bringing her closer to him.
She kissed his temple softly and he closed his eyes, savouring the moment.
“I suppose we should try to go to sleep,” he said, letting go of her hands.
“Yeah, we’ll try anyway.”
She started to turn away from him, but he took her hand. “Sleep here with me...please,” he said.
“Okay.”
They lay down on his bed with their arms around each other. His arm resting on her waist with his hand on her back. Her arm resting on his shoulder with her hand on the back of his head, playing with his hair. They stayed like that for a long while before finally drifting off to sleep.
Zachery was awake. He and Jamie had lay down on her bed nearly straight after Sven had left. She apologised to him five times in the space of twenty minutes, and each time he told her it wasn’t her fault that she couldn’t remember. But whose fault was it? Something must have happened which caused Jamie to forget.
The other three were now sleeping. He was accustomed to their breathing after sharing a room with them for almost a month. Usually, he was the last one to fall asleep.
My mum was alive all that time. She loved me, cried for me. What was so important that she had to leave me?
He would have to find out what it was.
◆◆◆
A blast of a horn ripped them from their sleep. Zachery and Jamie sat up like a couple of zombies after being injected with caffeine as April and Sam bumped heads and Sam fell off the bed.
“What the hell is it?” he yelled as he got up from the floor.
“Let’s go, softie!” Nehaya screamed. “You’ve got one minute to get yourself out here!”
“Why are you waking the rest of us up then?” Jamie shouted.
“Stand to attention, Jamie, it’s time to...”
“No, don’t say it, Mikael!”
“...kirosko!”
She held a pillow over her face and screamed with full force.
“Zachery, it’s time to put your skills into practice. Exit your hut as soon as possible,” Shalina called out.
Sam, Jamie and Zachery trudged out to meet their Masters. April lay back down with a huff.
“April, may I enter?” Hamal asked.
“Why?”
“I need to speak with you.”
“Fine!” she said, sitting up grumpily.
He came in and sat down on the bed opposite hers.
“I apologised to Paleo. I don’t think he completely understood what he was getting himself into...and to be honest, I didn’t expect you to perform the illusion on the first day. I guess I underestimated you. Fyzer was right; you have the capability to become an expert illusionist. Even more skilled than Teselda, maybe.”
“Did you know her?”
“Not personally, no. When I was young, my mother told me stories about her. She had fought with Teselda in a few battles before she lost a leg.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be sorry. If Teselda hadn’t been there, she would have died, so my family is indebted to her.”
April smiled, full of pride.
“My mother was part of an Ail Team. She had a Mezat in the Illusion of Desire...”
“Desire?”
“It forces the opponent to be distracted with whatever their heart most desires. The Mezat was kneeling on the floor and appeared to be scooping up I don’t know, money maybe, set up for a Shadateen to carry out the attack. The Mezat was taken out, but a boulder came flying out of nowhere. It hit my mother’s leg, making her fall. Her leg was stuck underneath and she couldn’t pull it out. She looked around to see if anyone was there to help, but everyone had scattered.”
“That’s awful…”
“A Dolat from the opposition snuck up behind her and laid a hand on her back, but he suddenly started screaming and rolling around on the floor. Teselda appeared with two skryts. A Mezat who lifted the boulder off her and a Dolat who tried to heal her leg, but couldn’t because her bone was too badly damaged. Even though she was in a lot of pain, they managed to carry her to safety. Still, she said there’s one thing she’ll never forget until she dies…Teselda’s face as she was being taken away. She was crying and looked broken-hearted, as if my mother was her best friend. When you were upset yesterday, I was in complete awe. It was like I saw Teselda in front of me, crying for a stranger as if they meant the world to her.” After a pause, “However, there is one thing you always need to remember. On a battlefield, sympathy and love can only be given to allies, not the enemy. There can be no hesitation, or skryts will pay with their lives, do you understand?”
“Yes, I do. I’m sorry I got so angry yesterday.”
“It’s okay. I completely understand why you did,” he said, standing. “Now, let’s go. The others will be waiting.”
April pushed through the last of the foliage at the bottom of the hill onto a great plain. Flat and dry land stretched as far as the eye could see, except three humongous rocks as big as houses placed at random. A large group of skryts stood in clusters, chatting casually and laughing. S
ven, Sam, Zachery and Jamie waited far away from the group, their faces tense as they spoke to each other.
“What’s up?” April asked them.
“We have to fight those skryts,” Sam told her, motioning to the battle-ready soldiers, “without any training beforehand.”
“You’re kidding.”
His serious face clearly indicated that he wasn’t.
“Students!” Nehaya yelled at the top of her voice. “Come forth!”
April and the other three stood in a line a few yards away from her.
“Today, you are going to learn about combat. I will explain the tactics we use...you will then witness a demonstration...and finally, you must put what you have learnt into practice by combining your strengths to engage four skryts, one from each race of my choosing. I won’t ask if there are any questions in case they’re pointless, and I decide to challenge you all myself.”
April watched Nehaya’s smirk and had the urge to do the Illusion of Fear on her, but she inwardly sighed and tried her best to listen.
“Attack Team!” Nehaya bellowed.
Two females and a male stepped forward to form a line opposite them, standing with their feet planted shoulder-width apart, backs straight as planks and hands clasped behind them. They weren’t smiling anymore.
“The Attack Teams are our offence. They consist of Mezats, Shadateens and Solkateens, all working together to cause as much damage as possible. Mezats with brute force; Shadateens with weapons in sneak attacks; and Solkateens using violent illusions to weaken the hearts and minds of the enemy, therefore weakening their offence.”
Nehaya paused for a moment and April’s contempt for her had somehow faded into curiosity about what she would say next.
“Ail Team!”
Three men stood to attention behind, but to the left of their comrades, still visible to the four students.
“The Ail Teams are tactical. They consist of Solkateens, Shadateens and Dolats, who cause delusion and mayhem...Solkateens with deflecting illusions to divert the enemy’s attention, and Shadateens and Dolats with bombs and weapons in sneak attacks, thus weakening the opposition’s defence.”
