by Thomas Fay
TWENTY THREE
The twin suns disappeared below the horizon leaving a pale light to linger in the darkening sky. The little girl stepped off the rocks and onto the red sand. Her movements were slow and deliberate. It was almost as if she were in pain. Her bare feet sank into the soft sand as she turned to look at Izikiel. Her eyes opened wider as she stared intently at him.
‘I think she wants us to follow her,’ Izikiel said.
‘Where?’ Te’Anne asked. ‘There’s nothing around here but sand and rocks and we’re over twenty kilometres from the star port.’
‘I’m not sure, but...’ Izikiel’s voice trailed off as he continued to look directly at the little girl. A strange sense of familiarity swept over him. Another dormant memory was stirring. As he struggled to bring it to the surface, Izikiel felt with a growing certainty that he knew the little girl. But he was unable to remember who she was or even how he knew her. Reaching a decision, he said, ‘We should go with her. I don’t know why but I trust her. No harm will come to us.’
Xavier looked like he was about to say something when Te’Anne put her hand on his arm and said, ‘We will follow you, disciple.’
It was the first time that either of them had used that term to describe him. It stirred a series of conflicting emotions within him as thoughts of the Eternal Flame, of the Great City and of Da’Amo resurfaced. Darker images of the Void Lord citadel and of the void spawn clouded his mind. Shaking his head, he looked up. The little girl was still waiting. Motioning to the others, he called out to her.
‘All right, we’ll come with you.’
As the three of them followed the little girl, Izikiel absently noted that the other children had disappeared. The surrounding rock formations where barren, except for the strange purple plants which had folded up for the night. Izikiel dismissed it as yet another oddity unique to the planet Vesta. He had certainly experienced some interesting things since waking up in the desert.
Yet somehow it all made sense on some level. As did the revelation that he was a disciple of the Eternal Flame. Resisting the temptation to reach out to the interstellar deity, Izikiel took in his surroundings. Night had descended over the desert. But something wasn’t quite right. Blinking, Izikiel realised that he could make out rock formations and other features of the landscape despite the darkness. He asked Te’Anne about it.
‘To be honest, I hadn’t realised. But you’re right. I can see shapes and outlines very clearly even though it’s dark,’ she replied. Turning from side to side she looked at her surroundings.
‘Strange,’ Te’Anne said as she turned to her brother and asked, ‘Xavier?’
The large figure of Xavier lifted his arms, palms upwards in an unmistakable gesture.
‘I don’t know but I can see outlines as well.’
‘The twin suns have set. It’s dark. I know it is. You know it is. Every part of me is telling me it’s dark. Yet how is it possible that we can see?’ Izikiel asked.
‘I’m sure she knows but I guess that won’t help us much.’
As Te’Anne said it, they all looked at the little girl who had stopped moving. She stood waiting for them on the edge of a twin rock formation, her face expressionless as before. Raising her left arm, she slowly motioned them forward.
‘I don’t like this,’ Xavier said, reaching for the weapon strapped to his side.
‘Me neither,’ Te’Anne agreed. Turning towards Izikiel, she asked, ‘You’re still sure that she can be trusted?’
Looking intently at the little girl’s vapid blue eyes, Izikiel felt that overwhelming sense of familiarity welling up within him. He felt comfortable and safe. A feeling he had not experienced since waking up on this strange world.
‘Yes’
Izikiel walked up to the little girl, watching for some sign of recognition in her eyes. He saw none. She turned around and disappeared into the shadows between the twin rock formation. Hesitating for a moment, Izikiel reached a decision. Moving forward, he stepped between the large overhanging rocks.
‘Izikiel, wait -’
The moment he passed between the rocks everything changed. One minute, he was walking across the desert at night. The next, his feet sank into lush green grass as humid air pressed down on him. Sounds of running water registered on his ears. He was standing in the midst of a dense jungle with a gigantic waterfall in front of him. Tilting his head upwards, he saw the sun shining in the sky. There was only one.
TWENTY FOUR
The sounds of the jungle washed over Izikiel. Dozens of bird calls resounded throughout the dense canopy of the jungle forest. They were overshadowed by the dull roar of the waterfall in the distance. Strange looking plants of all shapes and sizes intertwined to form a seemingly impenetrable thicket. The light from the single sun shone down with soothing warmth, a far cry from the unbearable heat of the twin suns. Izikiel could only stand and stare at the incredible landscape before him as his mind struggled to comprehend what he was experiencing.
‘Beloved Serafine!’ Te’Anne exclaimed as she appeared behind him. Her mouth was open wide as she took in her surroundings.
Moments later, Xavier materialised next to her. Taking one look around, he drew both his energy weapons and dropped into a crouching stance. His arms rotated from side to side as he scanned the jungle for any signs of danger.
‘Wait!’ Izikiel called out.
Xavier hesitated but he did not lower his weapons.
‘Te’Anne, tell him please. There is no danger here.’
As his sister placed her hand on his arm, Xavier visibly relaxed. Lowering his weapons, he looked around the jungle. Drawing in a deep breath, he looked at Izikiel with a questioning expression.
‘I have no idea what happened. But I suspect that we are no longer on the planet Vesta.’
Izikiel pointed up as he said it. As their gaze travelled upwards, Te’Anne gasped.
‘How is this possible?’ she asked.
‘I don’t know. We must have stepped through some sort of field between those two rock formations.’
‘But where are we?’
Izikiel considered the question for a moment. Looking around, he could come up with only two possible explanations.
‘We’re either on a completely different planet,’ he said. ‘Or we have travelled a considerable distance into the past.’
‘But where is the desert?’ Te’Anne asked. ‘And more importantly, where is the second sun?’
Izikiel had forgotten about the second sun. Looking up again, he watched the blazing yellow sun as it shone high in the sky. Thoughts of the Eternal Flame filled his mind as he considered an almost improbable scenario.
‘What if the second sun was not a natural phenomenon?’ he asked.
Te’Anne’s brow furrowed as Xavier turned to him with a surprised look on his face.
‘What do you mean?’ Xavier asked.
Izikiel did not answer immediately. A vision was forming in his mind. It showed him an incredible cosmic event, spectacular and terrifying at the same time. Izikiel could only stare dumbfounded as he witnessed the birth of a sun. Dark red in colour, it hung parallel to the first. Just as quickly the vision faded away.
‘What if the second sun was created by the Eternal Flame in order to safeguard the planet Vesta from the darkness of the Void?’ Izikiel asked.
TWENTY FIVE
Izikiel realised that what he had just said sounded completely implausible. Yet the vision had been so clear, so real that he knew it could only have come from the Eternal Flame. He could tell that Te’Anne and Xavier were struggling to believe what he had told them. Te’Anne was the first to voice her doubts.
‘That’s impossible.’
Izikiel smiled.
‘So are elevators which can travel through the core of planets and people who can use words to change the world around them.’
‘Good point,’ Te’Anne conceded. ‘So that means…?’
‘That we have travelled back hundreds, if n
ot thousands, of years into the past. This is the planet Vesta as it once was; a lush, green planet with an abundance of water and life. Before it was sacrificed to create a stronghold for the true believers,’ Izikiel explained, now certain of his deductions.
‘How do we get back to our own time?’ Xavier asked.
It was only then that realisation of their situation fully dawned on Izikiel. They had travelled back in time unwittingly, without any means of returning. No, not without any means. There was one, he realised.
‘We must find the little girl. She is the key to this place.’
Te’Anne drew one of her side arms and nodded to Izikiel.
‘Lead the way then.’
As they moved off into the jungle, Izikiel could feel the perspiration forming on his face, arms and back. The polyformic clothing he wore had clearly not been designed to cope with tropical conditions. Beads of sweat were running down his body as he tried to adjust to the overwhelming humidity.
Their progress was slow as they had to push their way through thick tangles of vines and gigantic leaves with intricate perforations. Strange looking insects buzzed past them as other unseen creatures slithered around their ankles. Izikiel tried not to think about what could be lurking within the dense undergrowth.
The sound of the waterfall grew louder as it slowly materialised out of the jungle foliage. Stepping through a particularly dense patch of leaves and creepers, they found themselves standing on the edge of a sizeable pool of water. The sound of the waterfall was deafening as it crashed down from a sheer cliff face directly in front of them. Small birds hovered over the water catching insects which swarmed over the surface of the pool. Izikiel marvelled at the abundance of life. It was such a contrast to the harsh desert he had woken up in. A part of him felt a great sadness as he comprehended the catastrophic impact of the creation of the second sun on the planet’s ecosystem.
‘Now what?’ Te’Anne asked.
Scanning the rock wall from left to right, Izikiel could see no way forward. The edges of the cliff seemed to continue on both sides, disappearing into the thick jungle.
‘I think we’re inside a closed canyon. It appears those rock formations we saw in the desert are very old,’ Izikiel said.
‘Do we turn back?’
‘No, I think we should -’
Izikiel stopped in mid-sentence as he saw Xavier drop down onto one knee and bring both weapons up. He could see the energy building within the black cylinders as the scavenger prepared to fire at something. Tracking his gaze, Izikiel saw several of the silent children standing on rock shelves next to the waterfall. As he watched, more and more children appeared. Within moments the sides of the waterfall were lined with dozens of boys and girls staring down at them.
‘Xavier, wait,’ Izikiel said in a calm, even tone.
He could see Xavier’s weapons had fully charged but he did not fire. Turning his attention back to the waterfall, he saw the little girl appear at the top. Even at such a distance, Izikiel felt a strange connection to her.
The little girl raised her arms. The waterfall stopped. Silence descended around the canyon.
‘I don’t like this,’ Te’Anne said, bringing her weapon up to a firing position.
‘Just wait, we don’t know what they want with us,’ Izikiel said.
The little girl brought her arms down in a forceful motion. A deep rumbling reverberated throughout the canyon as the ground shook beneath their feet. Izikiel watched in horror as a wall of water bore down on them from the top of the cliff face.
TWENTY SIX
Da’Amo would have been proud of him then. Without thinking, Izikiel reached out to the Eternal Flame. One minute he was standing next to the pool of water surrounded by the dense jungle. The next, his ethereal form was looking down on the rock walls from high up in the sky. He could see that it was indeed a narrow canyon, walled in by sheer cliffs on either side. A substantial amount of the cliffs would erode over time but it was not difficult to visualise them as the twin rock formations of the future. Beyond the canyon was a lush green planet with dense vegetation and vast oceans of sparkling blue water.
Izikiel’s gaze turned upwards. The single sun appeared to be just within reach as a golden tendril extended towards him. Izikiel stretched out his arm in a welcoming gesture. The blazing tendril of light touched him. Pain exploded in his mind as the heat of the Eternal Flame permeated his body. Then it cooled. He opened his eyes. The wall of water was about to engulf them. Lifting up both his arms, Izikiel spoke a single word.
‘Aqua’
The effect was instantaneous. The water stopped as if it had hit solid rock, hanging suspended above them and the pool of water. Izikiel channelled the power of the Eternal Flame through him as he manipulated the individual water molecules. Reshaping them into two parts, he willed the water to flow slowly down into the pool at his feet. The heat within his body returned and he felt as if his skin were on fire.
Just as he felt that he would be incinerated completely, the last of the water trickled into the now overflowing pool. Izikiel released his hold on the Eternal Flame. Staggering forward, he dropped to his knees in the soft, wet grass. He was vaguely aware of steam rising from the ground where his body touched the water. A faint hissing sound registered in his mind. After a moment, he felt a familiar hand on his shoulder.
‘Are you alright?’ Te’Anne asked, her green eyes reflecting the blue of the water.
‘Yes...give me...a moment. Always...drains me.’
Standing up with Te’Anne’s help, Izikiel saw Xavier looking at him with what surely bordered on reverence.
‘Are you both alright?’ Izikiel asked.
‘Yes,’ Xavier replied. ‘Thanks to you, disciple.’
The note of respect was unmistakable in Xavier’s voice as he tried not to look directly at him. Izikiel smiled as he straightened up. He was surprised to find that all of the silent children were kneeling. Even the little girl at the top was showing her respect. Then he heard it. It started as a soft whisper but grew in intensity. Soon, it was reverberating off the very rocks of the canyon. A single word, spoken in unison by the silent children.
‘Disciple’
TWENTY SEVEN
The little girl approached them, her blonde hair sparkling in the full sunlight. The effect was magnified by the light reflecting from the water’s edge. Izikiel momentarily wondered how she had managed to climb down from the cliff top. Then he remembered the phenomenal wall of water that she had unleashed on them and stopped wondering. Looking closely at her, he was surprised to find that her eyes had lost some of their vapidness.
‘Who are you?’ he asked.
The little girl stopped in front of him. The beginnings of a smile formed on her face as she answered, ‘Silent ones.’
‘But you can talk?’
‘Limited,’ she replied. ‘Time past only.’
Izikiel considered what she had said. It made sense. If they were really true believers trapped in some form of temporal flux, moving through time could allow them to free themselves to some extent. That was assuming that they were true believers and not some other life form unique to the planet Vesta. They certainly seemed human enough.
‘Why did you bring us here?’ he asked.
‘Not trust. Destroy.’
Izikiel was taken aback by the single mindedness of her response. His feelings of familiarity and comfort evaporated. Despite the heat and humidity of the jungle, he felt a cold chill rise up within him as he asked, ‘And now?’
The little girl’s smile grew more pronounced as she replied, ‘Respect. Disciple.’
‘Ask her how we get back to our own time,’ Te’Anne said.
‘Yes, can you help us return to our own time?’ Izikiel asked the silent one.
Without answering, she walked past him, her feet sinking almost to her knees in the soft grass. Pausing on the edge of the jungle thicket, she turned back towards them.
‘Follow’
; Izikiel motioned to Te’Anne and Xavier. As they made their way towards the thicket, the other children knelt at his passing. Izikiel felt strange. He had never asked to be shown such respect or devotion. Something told him that he had never experienced anything like this before.
They caught up to the little girl a few moments later. As she turned away to lead them, Izikiel saw her smiling at him. A strange emotion emerged within him. It was almost as if the little girl was revelling in the adoration he was receiving. As if she was proud of him.
TWENTY EIGHT
They emerged into darkness. The twin rock formations, ancient remains of the lush jungle canyon, stood exactly as they had for millennia. The transition through time had been seamless. One minute, Izikiel had been sweating profusely in the dense jungle thicket of the ancient planet Vesta. The next, he felt the cool night breeze on his face. Looking around, he realised that he was still able to make out the landscape despite the darkness. Te’Anne stood next to him. She was trembling slightly as her polyformic clothing rippled across her shapely figure. Beside her, Xavier stood quietly scanning the horizon. His arms rested on the weapons at his sides.
‘Thank you for bringing us back,’ Izikiel said.
The little girl looked up at him. Her eyes were clouded over again and Izikiel knew with certainty that she would be unable to speak.
‘We’ve lost a lot of time. It will be daylight in a few hours,’ Te’Anne said.
‘Alright, let’s get going,’ Izikiel said. Turning to the little girl, he said, ‘Goodbye.’
He walked towards Te’Anne, his thoughts filled with the time travel that they had recently experienced. Da’Amo had told him that the true believers could manipulate the very fabric of time. He had accepted it when he had heard it but experiencing it for real was a different matter. His mind still struggled to comprehend how it was possible.
‘Izikiel,’ Te’Anne said. ‘Look behind you.’
Turning around, he was surprised to find that the little girl was following them. He stopped.
