Sorrow's Flight
Page 14
Clara smiled, and Sorrow saw her mother’s eyes begin to water.
“What about you, Mum? Any baby brother or sister on the horizon?”
She heard Ceda snort in the background and watched her mother grimace.
“No, I’m definitely taking precautions, as you should be, my girl, if what I hear from Etienne is true.”
Sorrow laughed.
“Etienne might be slightly exaggerating, Mum,” she shook her head, “don’t believe everything he tells you when he returns.”
“You might want to have another talk with him,” Ceda said chuckling, “I think you’ll find he is not coming back here.”
“Really? Oh, for Christ’s sake, the man is his own worst enemy – I’ll deal with him after I finish speaking to you, then I’m leaving to meet Judge.”
“Honey, did you receive the bag you asked for? Have you got everything you need?”
Sorrow nodded. She had asked Megan to pack a bag with some of her Earth clothes, weapons and additional things from home she missed; some favourite books, her MP3. Megan had thrown the bag through the Avalona portal. Inside she had also stashed a sweet card, full of love and kisses, a big box of Sorrow’s favourite chocolate, Turkish delight, and a new bottle of her signature scent, ‘Y’ by Yves St Laurent.
“Mum, you must have done some time-hopping for all this, thank you. Did you go to modern Egypt to get me the perfume?”
“Your Uncle Jamie ordered it for you online,” Megan smiled, “I just needed to time jump to pick it up from Sami at the Hilton, “he says to say hello.”
Sorrow shook her head. Her life at home now seemed a million light years away from where she stood and what she was planning. She missed it.
“Perfume aside,” Clara interrupted her reverie, “what exactly have you packed?”
“Weapons, suits, some food and water, first aid supplies. I can’t think I will need anything else at this stage. All I know is that it is a desert planet and the inbound portal isn’t guarded because no one ever goes there. The whole planet is devoted to armed force training and used as a base for their incursions into other worlds. The fact that Judgement stopped them invading Avalona again means he is still trusted and has some measure of authority – so I’m hopeful that when I land, he would have sorted out somewhere safe for me to stay while we consider how to blow their portals. I’m going to sign off now Mum, Clara. I miss you all, and I promise if I can contact you from Galapo I will, although I think it might be unlikely. Whatever you do, don’t go portal-hopping looking for me, I’ll come home when I can.”
“Just stay safe, my love,” Megan whispered, blowing a kiss.
Sorrow caught it mid-air and transferred it to her cheek.
“You too, Mum.”
Knocking on his door, she entered without waiting for an invitation and found him sitting on the bed, shirtless, sketching. She could see his muscled chest was clear of all miasma infection now, his skin unblemished due to the careful care Calarnise had given him.
“Etienne,” she frowned, stalking towards him, “why haven’t you jumped to Earth?”
Looking up, he raised one eyebrow laconically.
“And what is it to you where I go or what I do, mon lapin?”
“I’m not your rabbit,” she sighed, sitting down on the bed near him and looking at the sketch he was undertaking, a beautiful rendition of Calarnise. “Where do you intend to go?”
“Well, since you no longer want my company,” he said, still intent on his sketch, “I have decided to stay here a while. Gabriel flew me to her city, and I have to say, I very much like their way of living.”
“It is the same as any modern city on Earth,” Sorrow frowned, “and you would be safer on Earth.”
“Ah, but you forget,” he smiled and put down his pencil, “I have never lived in a modern city on Earth, Sorrow. I was taken from my time, 1800, Napoleonic Egypt to be precise, and transported first to Danny’s villa in Roman Egypt and later to Punt. I have never been in a modern city, in fact, the city on Heaven where you and I were incarcerated when we first landed was more modern than anything I have known. So, to be where there are fast little vehicles zipping around, electricity, running water, television, radio – it is truly all a wonder to me.”
Sorrow nodded.
“And you wouldn’t also be staying for a certain bird lady?” she smiled gently.
“I admit,” he sighed, “I do very much adore Calarnise, and Gabriel for that matter, but they don’t hold my heart, Sorrow.”
She leant her head down onto his shoulder and sighed.
“Perhaps neither of us will ever find anyone who can hold our hearts,” she whispered.
He put his hand up and stroked her hair.
“Was it very difficult?”
She knew what he meant without asking.
“I couldn’t do it. I,” she paused, “Khalili did it.”
“But he is gone?”
“Oui,” she replied in French, as he so often did, tears up-to-now held back, beginning to run.
“We never forget our first love,” he said gently, “but you will love again, Sorrow. You are young; you still have many years ahead of you to experience all life can offer. You will recognise your soul mate when the time is right.”
She sat up and dried her eyes on the back of her sleeve, nodding.
“Just let it not be with that Judge creature,” he shuddered, “please, try to be a little more discerning with your next lover.”
Sorrow sniffed and half-laughed.
“No more lovers,” she said, standing, “I’ve got worlds to save, and it seems I am not a good judge of character when it comes to the other sex.”
Etienne smiled up at her.
“You told me once you had many frogs to kiss before you found your prince, did you not?”
“Yes,” Sorrow laughed quietly.
“Perhaps this new planet will contain some frogs, one never knows.”
Sorrow smiled, a wide, genuine smile and turned for the door.
“Adieu.”
She turned her head and nodded. “Adieu, French man,” she said quietly, walking back out the door.
Collecting her pack of supplies and weapons from where she had left it outside his room, she strapped it on, holstered her laser guns, placed her helmet on her head and marched to the portals. A pod was hovering nearby with Lokan ready to blow the portal a moment or two after she entered it. She crossed her fingers that Judge was waiting for her on the other side, as promised, and nodded to the Winged officer on duty as she walked to the edge of the Galapo portal.
She knew there were others she should say goodbye to, Raphael, Calarnise, Gabriel, but she couldn’t take any more, she wanted to just leave and get this fight over and done with.
“Tell Lokan I’m ready,” she said to the officer, as she turned and jumped through the portal.
She landed on her knees, gasping, blinded by some kind of thick gas, her throat tightening immediately. Clasping her neck with both hands, she fought for breath as she heard rough voices and had her hands ripped from her throat and bound tightly behind her back.
“Can’t breathe,” she gasped, her face turning puce as she fell to her side in the powdery, red sand, “help.”
A mask was held over her face and she gasped greedily at the oxygen, drawing it down deep into her lungs and opening her eyes in relief and then panic when she saw the creature that stood before her. It was lizard-like, covered in spikes and green and gold scales. It’s tail, thick and muscular, swished in agitation behind its back as it stared with reptilian eyes into her face.
“What are you?” it growled, “why have you come here?”
“Judge,” she said, her words muffled by the mask, still pressed tightly over her nose and mouth, “I followed Judge through the portal.”
“Kill it,” another said, approaching and staring down at her as she continued to breathe heavily. The oxygen was clearing her thoughts and helping her focus, but her eyesigh
t was still obscured by the thick gas; which she now realised was exacerbated by a sand storm whipping all around them.
“No,” she said, her voice urgent, “I jumped through the portal after a man, a man dressed in a red suit.”
“No one has come through this portal in five years,” the lizard who held the mask to her face hissed.
“Five years?” Sorrow gasped.
OFFER TO READERS
If you enjoyed this book and have yet to read the full memories of all the Gods that Sorrow received in the regeneration tank then sign up to my newsletter: www.helenallan.com and receive a free copy of the companion novella to this series Gods of Time. If you have not yet read the prequel series, ‘Scarab’ the first is free when you sign up to my newsletter.
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Helen Allan
ETIENNE’S ENDEARMENTS
(don’t speak French? Here is a list of the terms Etienne uses)
Ma colombe – my dove
Mon chou – my sweet bun
Ma souris – my mouse
Mon poussin – my chicken
Ma belle – my beautiful one
Ma crevette – my shrimp
Ma mie – my heart
Ma beaute – my beauty
Ma bichette – my darling
Ma cherie – my sweetheart
Ma biquette – my goat
Ma caille – my quail
Ma gazelle – my gazelle
Ma poule – my hen
Ma puce – my flea
Ma sardine – my sardine
Mon sucre d’orge – my candy
Mon amour – my love
Mon ange – my angel
Mon tesor – my treasure
Mon Coeur – my heart
BEFORE SORROW, CAME MEGAN.
‘An eternity as an immortal in slavery was not what she had in mind.’
Desperate and alone, sixteen-year-old Megan uses a powerful and ancient talisman to escape modern-day life and make a new start in ancient Egypt. But powerful enemies lie in wait seeking her destruction and the magical scarab necklace she wields.
Will an alliance with another immortal, the handsome and secretive Franklin, help keep her from harm long enough to learn the secrets of the scarab? – Or will he cause her to lose everything – including her heart?
She thought he was going to kiss her and her breath caught in her throat, but his lips barely brushed hers as he smirked and whispered: “I will take you to my bed again, Little Slave, when you beg me.”
Now 18, Megan journeys on a dangerous and desperate search to discover who seeks her Scarab necklace before another in her close-knit circle is killed. And she will soon find that some she thought were friends are not, and some she thought were enemies may be the only hope she has.
Ancient Mystery – Timeless Love
Hitting the dirt with a thud, Megan drew her swords and raced across to her lover, reaching him just as the beasts did. She turned to fight with him, back to back, as the crowd roared for their blood.
Trapped, and having lost everyone she ever loved, Megan must find a way to journey back in time, and through space, to rescue the one she can’t live without. And this time, she will seek her revenge on those who have, for too long, used humans as playthings.
The final in the Scarab Trilogy will leave you breathless!
Table of Contents
Sorrow’s Flight
For Alastair
Books by Helen Allan
Locksley Hall
PREFACE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Offer to readers
Etienne’s Endearments
Before Sorrow, Came Megan.