by T. Z. Leigh
A guard entered the room and stood to attention at the door. “Yes, Ma’am?”
“Take him back to his cell. I have no need for him.”
The guard took hold of his arm, but he shook it off. “That’s okay, I’ll walk back myself. I’ll be glad to get away from this hag.”
Zachery walked into the cell in his own world, his tense body and set jaw enough to stop anyone from asking any questions. The cell door slammed shut, and he sat there, eyes trained on the floor, before suddenly looking up to direct his glare at Sven.
“Why didn’t you tell us there were other worlds?” he questioned, causing the others to look at him sceptically, then at Sven, waiting for an answer.
“What did Jenna tell you?” he replied.
“Don’t worry about what she told me. Concentrate on what you didn’t tell us.”
“There are four worlds in total. And I didn’t see a reason to inform you previously of this fact. It was unnecessary.”
“Unnecessary? After all the lies we’ve heard, hearing the truth from you was...unnecessary?”
“I didn’t want to place a bigger burden on you than what you already have to bear.”
“And you didn’t think it was an important fact? That if we have to use the four keys to keep the four gates to the four worlds closed, we wouldn’t need to know about it?”
“It wasn’t something you needed to know at this time.”
“Great, so what other information are you withholding? It seems that all everybody here wants to do is deceive us.”
“Great, Sven. Now we can’t even trust you?” April seethed.
“I’m sure he had a good reason to keep this from us,” Jamie said. “You know without a doubt that we can trust him.”
Sam was struggling to remain calm. “This isn’t just about trust. He should have told us, Jamie”.
“I have never wished to deceive you, and henceforth never will. This matter is extremely delicate and if I informed you all of every single detail, it would have been too much for you to deal with in one go.”
“Then inform us now about what’s really going on.”
Sven hesitated, yet with one glance at Zachery, he seemed to realise that he had no choice but to speak. “The other two worlds are called the Hegasphere and the Petosphere, which is where I come from. I serve the royal skrytians, though I am not one myself and…”
“She told me your race is enslaved by skryts, that you have to serve them without choice.”
“That is not true. For a petor, there is no higher honour than to serve the royal skrytians. I humbly accepted the role of Royal Guardian and have not regretted it. It was my choice; I could have refused if I wanted to.”
“So, she was lying about that part of it? If you’re not forced to do this against your will, why are there petors fighting for freedom?”
“In every race, there will be rebels who fight for anything they want, whether it’s good or bad, justified or not. This whole mess only started because of a skryt named Arokshas, a skepturian who lived just over two thousand skrytian years ago. He was powerful enough to imprison the royals of his time. He used the keys to keep the gates open, causing conflicts between worlds and unleashing beasts such as the zeragmas from the Hegasphere into the others. He ruled over the Skrytosphere for many years, even after a lone, anonymous skryt succeeded in stealing the keys from him. On the Summer solstice in the next Year of Xaybor, the same skryt used the keys to close the gates, once again restoring the balance between worlds.”
“What’s a skepturian?” Sam asked.
“The name for a type of skryt, which has in fact only existed once in the entire recorded history of their kind. One who possesses all four abilities.”
◆◆◆
A Solkateen guard stood in the darkness at his post. Looking toward the headquarters, his thoughts drifted to something he had been dreaming of for a while. According to the bosses, the current chief was getting old and sloppy, so needed to be gotten rid of and replaced. It was a fact only a few skryts knew about; only those who were being considered for the job, including him.
He imagined himself wearing the red jacket that only the chief wore and smiled as he looked at the surroundings. There was a sudden movement before he felt a hand on his back. His brain instantly went into overdrive, expanding enough he thought it would burst through his skull as memories overloaded his mind. He would have screamed for help, but his mouth was closed when the Illusion of Paralysis had started.
“Don’t worry,” the lady in the black robe behind him whispered. “We’re not going to kill you. We only need information.”
The Solkateen guard didn’t know what was happening, just that his mind had become a black fog with images emerging from it by the dozen. It felt like something was being extracted from him, a delicate operation that he couldn’t prevent. Another female voice pierced through the haze.
“That’s enough. We have all we need.”
The robed lady with her hand on his back leaned in next to his ear and spoke softly. “When you speak to your superiors, give them this message from us…Irisena will not win this war, of that we are certain. Their vain attempts of victory only cause further wasted blood and pointless tribulation. And this is unacceptable.”
The Solkateen guard gasped as his body jerked on release from the illusion before collapsing to the floor, unconscious. Just two memories would remain upon his awakening. The message to be passed on to the bosses, and the long blonde hair that hung over his shoulder while his attacker had relayed it.
“I don’t know if I can take being in here any longer,” April said as she pushed her food tray as far away from her nose as possible with her foot. “It’s either starve to death or eat slop fit for pigs.”
“Compared to the other prison it’s an improvement, trust me. There I was only given dry bread and water. At least this has some taste…even if it’s disgusting,” Jamie muttered.
Zachery suddenly felt more nauseous than usual. Even though they were currently sitting in a prison cell, the idea that Jamie had been in one on her own for over a week turned his stomach.
“I’ll take your word for it,” April replied, scrunching up her nose and turning to face the opposite direction of the tray.
Suddenly, the door opened and Jedsen took a few steps into the cell. He stopped, looking at each prisoner in turn.
“Are we all enjoying ourselves?”
“Get lost, you creep,” April said.
Jedsen smiled as he walked slowly towards April then crouched in front of her.
“You know...” he said light-heartedly before slapping her hard on the face. “...your grandmother and I were in the same situation many years ago. When I slapped her, it was enough to shut her up. Is it enough for you, or should I continue?”
Sam cursed at Jedsen, but the insults seemed to ricochet off him without even moving his smile. April scowled and spat in his face.
“Go to hell,” she snarled.
He smirked. “Actually, there’s a better way to solve this than with violence,” he said, putting his hand on her head.
There was a split-second scream before she fell to the floor. Shouts echoed off the walls.
“Quiet!” Jedsen roared and a silence followed.
He began to leave before Zachery stopped him, yelling, “Why are you with my mum anyway? Is she just another person to use until there’s no need for them anymore?”
“It’s really…none of your business, Zachery. But to ease your mind, no, I am not using her. If anything, she is in more of a position to use us as she is invaluable to our mission. Without her, many aspects of this operation would have been impossible. Who do you think, for example, disposed of the rest of your parents?”
It was as if time had stopped, thoughts paused, movements ceased.
“What?” Jamie managed to croak.
“Jenna used her abilities to give Ali a disease. She shot Steven before he could escape, making it look like a suicide, a
nd she informed us of the location where Zara was hiding. Although she herself did not pull the trigger, I believe is the phrase...”
“You’re lying, my mum couldn’t have done that.”
“She did. She did it to prove her allegiance. Don’t forget, her mind and memories can be read without difficulty. She could not lie about her actions even if she wanted to.”
“I swear to God, I’m going to kill you,” Sam said through gritted teeth. “All of you, for taking away nearly everything from me.”
“Is this about your girlfriend?” Jedsen asked, humoured. “Stop being overdramatic. I merely needed to ensure that she wouldn’t accompany you into the Skrytosphere. I did not kill her. But I might, if you’re not careful.”
He walked briskly out of the cell, slamming the door behind him. Zachery felt a rock of guilt bouncing around inside him, as if his mother’s deeds were in some way his own.
“I’m sorry, guys. I don’t know what to…”
“Don’t,” Sam interrupted him. “Don’t for one second try to apologise for what she’s done. She…killed them,” he said through harsh breaths, “and he…destroyed Eva. She was innocent. She had nothing to do with any of this.”
Zachery swallowed the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat. “Sam, there’s something about Eva that you should know.”
A small cart containing three motionless bodies was wheeled up to the main gate, pulled by a Mezat guard.
“Lysan, how have you been?” the guard who had been standing by the gate asked.
“I’m good. What about you, Alek?”
“All good. What have you got there?”
“Bjorl and I caught these lot attempting to gain entry. As you can see, they failed miserably.”
“Obviously,” Alek chuckled. “Where is Bjorl?”
“He’s scouting the area for any others.”
“Excellent. Go on in, cells five to seven are unoccupied.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you at the meeting later,” he said, then muttered the enchantments needed to open the gate under his breath.
The gate began to open with a screeching noise mildly painful to the ears until it was almost unbearable, before it stopped. Lysan pulled the cart in and up the spiral path with ease. He heard loud echoes as the gate banged shut and he winced. On reaching the upper level, he carried the prisoners one by one into cell five, laying them on the floor then chaining them to the wall. He locked the door and went to the guard’s room opposite to have a chat with his friend, Kira. After a few minutes, he made up an excuse to leave.
“Oh damn, I forgot to use the new enchantment. I’ll be back,” he said.
He rushed before anyone caught him returning to cell five. As soon as he was inside, he bolted the door and exhaled deeply. The three prisoners suddenly sat up and smiled at him.
“Excellent work, Waysha,” the Solkateen among them said. “Now comes the difficult part.”
Acknowledgements
First and foremost, I need to thank God, because without Him, nothing is possible.
I also need to let my family know how grateful I am. They have shown me so much love and support, and I couldn’t ever be without them. They light up my life, both in the good times and the bad, and they have had infinite patience for me while I’ve been absent in the Skrytosphere.
I couldn’t have been in the Skrytosphere for half the time that I was if my mum wasn’t who she is. Mum, your love and selflessness continue to amaze me.
This book series wouldn’t be what it is without the help and creative genius of my son, so to him, I owe it all.
I want to say a special thank you to my first official fan. Your pink and fluffy gift both shocked me and melted my heart. I love you so much!
This publication is owed to three sweethearts, who have not only given me their all, but did so with amazing cheer and humour that is not easily forgotten. I’ll forever be indebted to them for making my dream come true.
Chantal van der Hoeven. Your immaculate artwork brought elegance to the cover and interior that’s as beautiful as you are.
Hayley Anderton, the editor of the century, who ran through my manuscript with the finest comb known to man. Twice. You made me pull at my hair with frustration and laugh my head off while trying to bring out the best in me. What would I do without you, girl?
And last, but most definitely not least...the genius editorial design guru and self-publishing coach at JohnEdgar.Design, who seemed to know exactly what I wanted and effortlessly brought my book to life on paper and screen. You are without a doubt, sweeter than the sweetest, Moon Pie.
About The Author
T. Z. Leigh
T.Z. Leigh was born in London and grew up with her younger brother. She loved English Literature at school and all things pretty and pink. She left college at the age of seventeen to be a full-time mother. A handful of years ago, she was inspired to write a story worth telling...thus began her journey. Her loved ones remain her main focus in life, those in our Sewasphere and in the Skrytosphere.
For More Information About The Skrytosphere Find T.Z. Leigh On:
Facebook.com/T.Z.Leigh
Instagram @t.z.leigh
Email: [email protected]
P.S.
T.Z. Leigh wanted to let her readers know why she chose to include the flowers above each chapter.
A flower's symbolic meaning differs depending on era, culture, geographical location, and even colour. However, there are common meanings which coincide with the theme of this book.
Daffodils symbolise new beginnings.
Irises symbolise royalty, or wisdom.
