‘You don’t understand. Their parents, the last bracelet wearers had many years to get used to the bracelets, these children have barely had a few months and already they are being thrown in at the deep end.’
‘So! They seem to be doing fine. I’d say they are better than when I left them on the cliff top.’
‘They are the last! The Omega. They are Omega Children. After them there will be no more……no more……I thought I was, then I thought their parents were. But no, they are the last. There will be no more after them.’
‘Oh, for crying out loud, stop this! You’re doing my head in. You can’t hire me and then go soft. Go cry on your mamma’s shoulder. Sheesh.’
Uncle Bear-Nard looked up from the floor, his eyes pierced through with pain. Argus kicked the side of the bed.
‘I hate kids. But these kids ain’t kids. I don’t give praise, but those kids are hardier than some of the men I have worked alongside. You want my opinion. That Quixote does not need to let things go, he never picks them up. Melaleuca has some deep fire in her; dropped me to my knees. Ari? Fearsome and strong. All extremely resilient.’
A small bit of cheer entered Uncle Bear-Nard.
‘And Lexington?’
‘Hmmph. She’s the weak link. Every team has to have one. Not sure why, just always the way it goes. I can tell her mind chatters too much. Now get up and let’s go see them
***
The four cousins muddled around in the costume room discussing at length how they would tackle this new threat. Quixote charged around trying on different costumes. Lexington had all her notebooks out, regaling Melaleuca with how much they did not know, while Melaleuca listened, but also tried to get Quixote to sit still. Ari waited for some sort of order to descend.
‘Quixote. Come back here,’ Melaleuca said for the tenth time.
‘Hang on,’ he yelled, and then cried out, ‘LOOK!’
He marched out from between the rows, adorned in an old-fashioned, naval officer’s uniform. A smart blue tunic with gold edging hung over a waistcoat with large brass buttons. Tight white pantaloons stretched from his waist down to small black shoes. Finishing it off was a black captain’s hat, shaped in a half circle. His reflection in the mirror showed a large-chested man with a strong face and a huge chin.
‘Are there any more?’ Melaleuca asked.
‘Bite yea tongue, scurvy dog, no land lubbery jibberish here.’
‘Is that what you were looking for all this time?’
‘I’ll thank thee to address me as captain, you maggoty worm.’
Melaleuca motioned to Ari. He came up behind Quixote and grabbed his wrist, pulling his bracelet off.
‘Awww, unfair, I was just pretending. Give it back.’
He leapt at Ari and they started to tousle about on the floor.
Melaleuca stepped over the boys and walked into the costumes.
‘Lex, help me find all the sea faring costumes. We can use them to sail this ship.’
‘Yeeah. Won’t we then appear like Marauders?’
Melaleuca poked her head out of the costumes.
‘Yes I know.’ She quickly checked her feelings. ‘I am right. We will sort something out. Find as many sea costumes as possible and see what we have.’
***
Uncle Bear-Nard and Argus crept across the attic, pausing by the door to the costume room. Seeing people other than the cousins in there, Argus burst through the door, charging toward them, ready to attack.
‘Where are the kids?’
An 18th century naval captain stood, identifying herself as Melaleuca.
‘What?’
A burly dockyard worker, swabbed out in overalls said to him, ‘It’s us Argus. It’s me, Ari.’
Argus screwed his face up puzzled. Of course, he had never seen the cousins in the costumes up close.
‘Arrrggghhhh, ya dirty cur, filthy sputum from Davy Jones locker,’ Quixote said in warbling, throaty voice.
Dressed as a pirate, menacing eyes peered out from a face lost in a mass of tangled beard-hair. Heavy clothes lay tattered in layer after layer of jackets, waistcoats, shirts and undergarments. Wild hair strands poked out from underneath a pirate’s hat, and each strand fizzed and sparked at the end like a lit fuse.
‘But you all look so...’ Up close he could see how powerful the costumes were, and he knew they did not realise the full extent of the power they could command. Some of Uncle Bear-Nard’s words started to make sense.
‘Different?’ Lexington said.
‘...not at all like children.’
Quixote rattled his sabre at him.
‘Are you scared lily liver?’
‘Not scared for ourselves,’ Uncle Bear-Nard said, entering the room, ‘but concerned for your plight.’
Argus spun to face Uncle Bear-Nard.
‘Concerned? How can you say that? I mean look at them. They are....well...they are...’ His head spun as he started think what he could do with them.
‘Amazing?’ Lexington said.
‘...so real!’ Argus said. ‘They actually look like real adults, real sailors, and real sea men. This means half our problems are over. And what is this?’
He hunched over a diagram.
‘We are formulating a plan on how to win this bothersome competition,’ Melaleuca said.
Quixote rammed his sabre through the plan into the floor.
‘Plan be damned. We board ‘em. Thrash the living daylights out of ‘em.’
He pulled the sabre out, and swung it hard at his three cousins. They all ducked, though Ari sprung to his feet and tackled Quixote. Together they crashed into one of the rows of costumes knocking them over.
Fascinated, Argus knelt and touched Quixote’s burning hair. Uncle Bear-Nard hauled Argus to his feet and pushed him behind him.
‘Boys. Get up,’ Uncle Bear-Nard said.
A mite foolish, they clambered to their feet, and Uncle Bear-Nard directed himself at Melaleuca.
‘Are you thinking of entering the High Galelain?’
‘Yes we are.’
Melaleuca saw the doubt in Uncle Bear-Nard’s eyes.
‘We must do this Uncle. I have decided,’ Melaleuca said as the 18th century sea captain. The certainty of a commander sat about her. ‘But do not fear. We shall play and use the time to explore and discover.’
The cousins, in their costumes, nodded in unison, in support of Melaleuca’s decision.
Argus nodded at Uncle Bear-Nard, who could see Argus wanted to see the cousins or the costumes in action, so scowled at him, and then said to the cousins, ‘So be it. But no one is to die at your hand. You don’t have to win, just survive.’
Melaleuca nodded in agreement, her eyes telling another tale.
They will do what they will do. He could see she had other plans. He took some small comfort that none of the cousins had been raised as he or their parents had. Untarnished and strong of spirit, they just might pull it off.
‘Then be about it. Make it as playful and pretend as you can and the costumes will do the rest,’ Uncle Bear-Nard said. ‘Come Argus. Leave them to it.’
‘But ─ ’
‘Leave them. We have other things to attend to,’ said Uncle Bear-Nard half dragging him out the door.
Melaleuca paced back and forth, liking the feeling the captain’s uniform gave her.
‘Now, I will hear ideas.’
‘We need more facts,’ Lexington said.
‘She’s right,’ Ari said. ‘We can trust no one, not even our Gork informants. I want to reconnoitre the amphitheatre. See it up close. See what we will be fighting on.’
‘I’ll go with Ari,’ Lexington said. ‘Gather facts, record our findings.’
‘Very good. I’m going to contact Con and ask for this ship,’ Melaleuca said. ‘...And Quixote?’
With his hair still lit, he doffed his hand and bowed.
‘Whatever my captain commands. But wait.’
He dashed off, returning with his arms f
ull of costumes. ‘These will stop you being seen at night.’
He handed Melaleuca the ninja costume, and then handed Ari some soldier’s clothes, with bedraggled bits of fake bushes and plants dangling off it, and handed Lexington some dark clothes, with an eye mask and dark woollen hat and gloves.
‘The label said cat burglar. It’s fallen off now.’
Melaleuca inspected the new costumes.
‘Really must get Lex to write the list of what you have found. Now, what are you to wear?’
Quixote tapped his winged boots. ‘Speed boots....and…’
From behind his back he pulled a poncho out and held it up. It faded slowly from sight until Quixote could be seen through it. Before they spoke Quixote shook the poncho. Everything visible through the poncho shimmered and shook, like a disturbed surface of a still lake.
Lexington poked it.
‘Is that invisible?’
Quixote threw the poncho over his head while Ari stepped up to feel the material.
‘It feels like metal only liquid.’
They watched it shimmer, and then Quixote’s body disappeared, leaving the bottom part of his legs, and his head sticking out. Quixote shuffled around. The poncho shimmered and struggled to match his background. Only when he stopped did it match what he stood against making him appear invisible.
Lexington slapped two hands to her forehead.
‘Ohhh, it’s a chameleon poncho. It changes so that whoever looks at it sees what is behind.’
Melaleuca marvelled at it.
‘You do find the most interesting and useful ones.’
‘One more thing!’
BOOMMFF. In a flash he dashed into the rows and back, appearing with a massive leather belt, thick with three layers of leather-binding and a sturdy looking buckle. He threw it around his waist and belted in up at the back, the large wide portion of it, sitting in front of his belly.
‘It said weight lifter on it.’
Melaleuca asked, ‘Are you planning to lift ─ ’ though she suddenly disappeared from sight along with Quixote.
Seconds later Quixote and Melaleuca appeared again.
‘Cool. Eh? I just thought of it,’ he said. ‘I took Mel to the edge of the Vahn and back.’
Melaleuca’s eyes watered red from the speed, and her hair stuck out at all angles. She blinked many times to un-blur her sight.
‘Could have warned me.’
Quixote vaulted up and down with excitement.
‘Who wants a ride next?’
Melaleuca righted herself, holding her hands out to steady her wobbly legs.
‘Whoever is next, shut your eyes. Lex, grab your detective’s costume. Ari, grab your Indian’s costume. They may be useful as well. Quixote, take us to the edge of town, one by one.’
Lexington ran into the rows, grabbed the detective costume and without the others seeing, scooped up the archaeologist’s outfit as well. She came back to the others and within seconds disappeared from sight.
Melaleuca disappeared and then seconds later Ari disappeared.
***
All four of them squatted behind bushes on the edge of the town, impervious to the chilly night air. No sound could be heard; no night-bird song, no crick of insects, no wind, no background noise. The silence leached into them. It had a death, life-absent chill to it, similar to the plain they had woken up on. Lexington shook a little, having also felt it in the Cathedral-Mansion.
Ari’s ear pricked up.
‘Why’s it so quiet?’
Melaleuca stared out into the night seeing further than the others.
Lexington scoped around noting the costume made her sight light up dark areas.
Sensing something, Melaleuca said, ‘Put the Indian costume on Ari. Listen to the earth.’
Ari changed, and placed his hand on the earth, picking it up straight away.
‘Something’s up. Feels like...like...’
Melaleuca stiffened, some unknown sense-like alarm, stirred by the ninja costume, going off inside her.
‘Everyone get down. Quixote, get ready to take us out of here on my command.’
From between two houses Captain HeGood appeared on horseback with at least ten Inquisat troops in tow.
Quixote disappeared and reappeared.
‘It’s that Inquisat guy and the ones that attacked the students. Let me go get them.’
Melaleuca hooked his poncho between her finger and thumb.
‘Sit down. I want to observe them undisturbed.’
‘Well, I can’t see.’
Melaleuca turned, glaring at Quixote. Though dark, he got the message and went quiet.
The Inquisat troops dismounted, surrounded a house, and formed a tight cordon as two of them kicked the door in. Seconds passed before they burst out of the house, dragging a female and a male clad in nightgowns out. They pushed them to their knees.
Captain HeGood lifted their heads with his horse riding crop.
‘And their offspring.’
Chapter 32 - More Discoveries
The female started to speak, but one of the Inquisat slammed his hand over her mouth.
Three young children, all under ten were escorted out by one of the Inquisat troops, and pushed onto their parents. They clung to them, neither speaking nor uttering a sound.
The mother pursed her lips, staunching herself against her attackers.
‘Why?’
Captain HeGood raised his hand to strike her. ‘SSSSSSSSSSS.’
She lifted her head high, daring him.
‘Why have we been selected?’
With an air of reluctance Captain HeGood answered.
‘You were one of the last known consorts of the banished. The Marauders are back. We are leaving no stone unturned.’
‘But that was nearly thirty years ago...they have long since gone or are dead…..and we were disciplined for that three decades ago.’
Captain HeGood squatted, wrenching her toward him.
‘So you know what become of Karena and her traitorous band.’
Melaleuca wanted to move closer, but knew that if she did so Quixote would definitely follow and who knows what he would do. She pressed her lips close to his ear.
‘Go back to the attic. See if you can find another chameleon poncho.’
He disappeared leaving behind small air currents eddying around them.
‘You go left Ari. And I will go right. I want to get closer to this. Lexington stay put. If Quixote comes back, try and detain him.’
Captain HeGood yanked the mother’s head back by her hair, and with derision she cackled at him. He smashed his knuckles across her face.
‘You dare befoul the air with the stench of your lack of discipline and dissipation.’
‘Stop it,’ her husband said and then turned to Captain HeGood. ‘On what authority is this Inquisition unleashed against us.’
‘Really, were you the only one not at the meeting. The Overlords have decreed that I am to do anything in my power to root out these Marauders from amidst us again.’
The man spat on the ground.
‘This is outside your power.’
Captain HeGood’s arm shot out and he squeezed the man’s chin until it reddened.
‘Afraid of pain? The little ones seem braver than you.’
The mother laughed again. Captain HeGood punched her square in the face. Blood trickled out of her nose, though she bared her blood stained teeth at him and managed to carry on laughing.
‘Damn you HeGood…..Only a fool and his brain are parted. You were warned that they would return one day.’
A look of great delight fell over his face.
‘Take them all away.’
One by one they bound the family with rope and threw them on their horses. At a slow pace the Inquisat led them down an alley, leading out of town.
Out of sight, the horses picked up the pace. The mother shouted out, ‘This proves you have nothing if you have come after me. Nothing! Every one, wake
up, hear me, nothing! Save yourselves now, don’t believe the lies anymore.’
A dull thud sounded from the alleyway and then her voice went quiet.
Melaleuca raced back toward Lexington. Lexington sat there staggered by what had occurred.
‘Those kids will be like us. No parents.’
‘Perhaps. But these kids are nothing like us,’ Melaleuca replied.
Ari snuck into the alleyway. Seeing no horses he dashed to the end, and caught sight of them trotting off into the distant countryside. He tried to follow them, but could not keep up. He peered ahead, his eyes able to track them for quite a distance, watching as the captive kids and the adults jiggled along on the backs of the horses.
The youngest child fell from the horse, appearing to disappear before they hit the ground. A great cry went up, followed by a commotion with lots of confused yelling. Ari heard the words, ‘the kidnapper has struck again.’
Ari sprinted back to the others to report.
Quixote arrived in time to hear Ari relay the news.
‘Kidnapper?’ Quixote said, and then took off again, leaving steaks of dust behind.
‘He really is getting harder to control,’ Ari said.
‘Maybe,’ Melaleuca replied. ‘We just need to keep pointing him in the right direction.’
Lexington put her hand to her ear, straining to hear.
‘Listen….It’s still quiet! Nothing. Absolutely nothing. No one has come out to look. What’s wrong with these people?’
Quixote appeared out of thin air.
‘The kidnappers are gone and so are the kids as well.’
Ari squinted at him.
‘How? Surely with those boots you would have found them?’
‘I guess not,’ he laughed.
‘Guys, don’t worry about. Let’s get on,’ Melaleuca said. ‘Lexington, use your detective outfit to find Con’s house or his whereabouts.’
She put the detective costume on and started thinking how to get there. ‘Quixote take us to the back field of the Vahn, where the Inquisat attacked.’
One by one Quixote carried them there.
Lexington studied the ground around her, putting the cat burglar costume on as well, giving her the ability to see further in the dark.
Vahn and the Bold Extraction, The Page 13
