by Gwynn White
“Have you seen a group of young travellers around these parts?” Melachor demanded.
A Chirvel scurried about near one of the openings in the ceiling directly above. It screeched, and the noise made Nedwell jump, causing him to spill some of the hot stew onto Melachor.
“The young travellers,” Melachor demanded, wiping his cloak. “Have you seen them?”
“We get lots of travellers through here,” the apologetic host said, taking a step back and putting the cauldron onto a table. “They don’t call Temerelle the crossroads of the North for nothing,” he added with a sympathetic smile, joining Melachor in wiping his cloak.
“Two boys and a girl!” Melachor blurted, pushing Nedwell’s hands away. “They were travelling with an Imp.”
“Oh,” Nedwell thought for a moment, “you mean that little fella from the Southern Tip? You’ve missed them. They left earlier this morning.”
“Do you know where they were heading?” Melachor pleaded with wide eyes.
“Oh, well, let me think,” Nedwell said tapping his pencil to his chin a couple of times. “Jemarrah, I think she said. Going back to her home village, they were. If you turn left out the door…”
Before Nedwell had finished the sentence, Melachor ran out of the inn, leaving the door swinging open behind him.
The Chirvel on the roof scurried down to the eave of the roof. It stood up on its hind legs and watched as Melachor disappeared down the path to the left. It ran back up to the top of the roof and stood on its hind legs. Two wings formed, and the creature grew in size as it morphed into a Raetheon. The huge bird flexed its white wings, lifted itself into the sky and flew off in the direction Melachor was running.
21
Melachor closes in
Melachor had made swift progress through the forest following the trail of the other four but he stopped by a thicket of Bramock bushes.
Hurriedly, he removed several of the inner stems and began fashioning them into arrows for his bow. Taking a piece of flint from inside his cloak, he struck with a rock a few times until several razor-sharp shards lay on the ground in front of him.
He carefully secured the sharpest of shards to the ends of each arrow. The shards were so sharp and his haste so great, he cut his fingers several times during the process.
He was breathing heavily, possessed by desperation. This would be the only way of saving his family’s very lives, and his own as well. Everything hinged on his ability to stop Joshua from finding the third orb.
Finally satisfied his weapons were ready, he loaded an arrow into his bow. He looked around for a target and noticed a juvenile Raetheon resting on a branch high up in the canopy.
He took aim at the white bird and launched the arrow. It struck the poor beast directly in the heart with such force that the arrow sliced its way clean through and out the other side. The innocent bird never had a chance to make so much as a shriek.
The force of the arrow sent the Raetheon hurtling backwards, and it spiralled towards the ground with its wings flapping until it hit forest floor. It bounced on the leaf-litter and lay there motionless.
Melachor put his bow over his shoulder and loaded the remaining arrows into his quiver. He set off running at high speed, following the others.
Melachor was running like his life depended on it. He jumped over fallen logs and scratched his face on vines as he ran through thick vegetation. His haste was so great he barely had time to raise his hands to protect himself. Sweat was pouring down his face and his heart pounded.
He approached the edge of a clearing and thought he heard some noise ahead. Peering frantically through the remaining vegetation, he slowed down to a brisk walk, spotting Joshua and his other three companions out in the open.
Melachor stopped and ducked behind a thicket of Bramock bushes.
With a deep breath to steady himself, he took one of the flint-laden arrows and readied his bow, taking aim at Joshua. He carefully straightened up to get a clearer shot and pulled as hard as he could on the bowstring to the point it was cutting into his fingertips.
Just as he was about to release the arrow, there was an almighty roar, and a Wood-boar launched itself at him from just off to his left. The impact sent him flying to the ground.
The Wood-boar mauled at his face and its claws tore into his arms. Melachor rolled over on the ground and grappled with the ferocious animal. The wild beast bit at Melachor’s throat and blood poured from multiple gaping wounds.
Melachor curled up into a ball, then lashed out at the forest creature. He eventually dislodged it by kicking at it with both feet. That sent the salivating beast rolling over several times.
It scrambled to its feet and stood there, growling back at him. Melachor managed to grab his bow. As he fumbled to load an arrow, the Wood-boar started to contort and change shape. In just a few seconds, it had morphed into a Raetheon. The Raetheon flexed its wings and took to the air towards Joshua and the others, who were running away in the opposite direction.
Melachor stood up, loaded the arrow and took aim. Blood was oozing from his neck and face, and he could barely see the fleeing Joshua past the Raetheon that was flying left and right through his line of sight.
Joshua looked over his shoulder and Melachor caught sight of his eyes. He pulled the bow back and released the arrow. It hurtled directly towards Joshua. The Raetheon swerved, and the arrow struck it with such force it tumbled forwards and fell to the ground.
The Raetheon let out a shriek of pain that echoed loudly in the clearing. It twisted and contorted as it changed shape several times. Joshua watched the Raetheon change to a Wood-boar then to a Woodsman and back to a shrieking Raetheon. The horrific wailing of unbearable pain continued to fill the air, as various body parts formed and reformed over and over. Shrieks and roars rang out throughout the clearing.
Eventually, the poor Metamorph collapsed into a heap on the ground. The various disjoined pieces of body parts slowly turned to dust, which floated into the air and were carried away by the wind. Melachor looked on in furious disappointment. With blood oozing onto his shirt he clutched at his neck to try to stem the bleeding. He turned, running off into the forest and out of sight.
Joshua and the others ran as fast as they could out of the clearing and continued at great speed for several more minutes before stopping to catch their breaths.
“W-what was that thing?” Andrew gasped, trying to catch his breath.
“I think…I think it was a Metamorph,” Joshua said panting. “It could have been Protello. I don’t know.”
“Whoever or whatever it was,” Galleon said taking several deep breaths and leaning forward with his hands on his knees, “I think it just saved your life, Joshua. That arrow was heading straight for you.”
Joshua nodded. He was still panting and holding his hips.
“But who would want to kill you?” Sarah asked.
“Protello said another had been sent to stop me. That could have been who it was.”
“Did you get a look at him?” Galleon asked.
Joshua shook his head.
“He was too far away. All I could see was the Raetheon being struck by something.”
22
Orb of Time-2
The encounter with the mystery adversary had shaken Joshua. It was bad enough someone had made an attempt on his life but he also worried he was putting his friends at great risk by his very presence. He felt an overwhelming need to do something. He wanted to know who was behind the attack, but it could have been anyone or indeed anything. He considered using the Orb of Vision, but judging by what happened when Galleon did so, that might lead the Goat directly to him, and he felt this to be too risky.
Joshua reached into his keeper bag and pulled out the Orb of Time.
“Just what do you think you’re going to do with that?”
“I have to do something, Galleon. If the Goat has sent someone after me, I have to find out who it is. If I could just find out who was trying to attack
me, it might help us.”
“No!” Sarah gasped, holding her hands to her mouth. “It’s too dangerous. And besides, you can’t keep putting yourself through that kind of stress, Joshua.”
Joshua looked Sarah in the eye. He knew she was right but he also knew he couldn’t just wait for the attacker to strike again. The next time, he might not be so lucky. Worse still, he knew he could never live with himself if something happened to her or one of the others. Joshua hoped the Orb of Time might at least provide him with some clues to help him. He turned to Andrew.
“Don’t do it,” Andrew said, slowly shaking his head.
Joshua turned to his Imp friend. Galleon said nothing but shook his head and pursed his lips.
Joshua took a deep breath and looked down at the roll of cloth. He unwrapped the orb and peered into it.
There was a blinding flash and Joshua was floating and disconnected from his body once again. His heart pounded. It was the only sound he heard and it echoed through his mind.
There was a woman Joshua recognised as his mother sitting in a rocking chair. An infant child on her lap looked up at its mother and reached for her face. She looked down at the boy and kissed his tiny fingers.
A man entered the room and walked over to where she sat cradling the baby.
“Look,” he said to Joshua’s mother, holding up what looked like a mirror and showing it to her. “This is the Mirror of Prophecy. It will tell us what the future holds for our son.”
Joshua’s mother held his father’s hand and smiled as he knelt beside her and gazed into her eyes. Joshua’s father took the mirror and peered into it.
Joshua couldn’t make out what it was his father saw in the mirror, but the Warrior’s reaction was intense. His mouth opened and he wept as he continued to stare at the image.
At first, Joshua couldn’t tell if those were tears of joy or sadness, but the Warrior started weeping even more. Joshua’s father lowered the mirror and bent his head forward. He leaned towards his wife and she clasped her hands around the back of his neck with a worried look on her face.
“What is it?” she asked. “What did you see?”
With tears rolling down his face, he looked up and gazed into her eyes.
“Great pain and suffering,” he said with a tremor in his voice.
Both of them looked down at the baby Joshua, still cradled in his mother’s arms. The man’s lip quivered as he stroked the infant’s head.
Joshua looked on at the scene before him with a sense of helplessness difficult to endure. He wanted to reach out and comfort them both but there was another flash and the scene changed. It swirled into a vortex of clouds before fading altogether.
There was another blinding flash, and Joshua found himself looking at a young man. He was standing in a forest clearing, staring at the ground with his arms down by his sides.
The swirling image came into focus. Joshua’s heartbeats pounded, and he could hear their rhythmic beating echo in his mind. He squinted and leaned forward. Could it be the mystery attacker he was trying to identify? He looked closer and leaned in still further until he realised he was looking at himself.
Joshua didn’t recognise the event so he knew it had to be in the future, but he appeared to be the same age and was wearing the same clothing.
The future Joshua had a pale, blank expression. Tears were rolling down his cheeks and his puffy eyes were glazed over. Joshua squinted some more to try to make out the rest of the scene. As far as he could tell, there was nobody else present. He tried to see what it was the future Joshua was staring down at.
As the image continued to come into focus, Joshua was horrified to see it was a grave. The future Joshua was standing over somebody’s grave, but he couldn’t see whose it was. There was no tombstone; just a long mound of freshly dug earth. Whoever it was had just been buried.
Thoughts of dread raced through Joshua’s mind, but then the future Joshua appeared to speak very softly.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured with a tremor. The sound of his own grief-stricken voice frightened him.
“I tried my best, but it was not good enough.”
“Joshua! JOSHUA!” Sarah was screaming at him and shaking his shoulders.
“Joshua, please!”
Joshua blinked several times and slowly came around.
“What? Who? Where am I?”
Slowly becoming aware of his surroundings, Joshua found Sarah standing right in front of him. Was it her? Had that been Sarah’s grave he was standing over? The toll this was taking on Joshua’s emotions was enormous, and he broke into floods of tears. He threw his arms around her and she held him tightly.
“No,” he cried as he clung to her, “please no, don’t let it be true!”
Sarah caressed him and patted him on his back.
“Shhhh,” she whispered into his ear, swaying with him gently side to side, “I’m here. Everything will be all right now, shhhh.”
She too began weeping as they continued their embrace. His experience with the Orb of Time had again reduced him to a complete emotional wreck, and all Sarah could do was to hold on to him.
Andrew and Galleon looked at each other but neither of them knew what they could do to help ease the pain.
23
Orb of Vision-2
Joshua was still shaking from his experience with the Orb of Time for some time afterwards, and felt too tired to travel very far. The others found a secluded spot in the forest and set up camp for the night.
The mood around the campfire was sombre. Joshua said nothing and just sat there thinking about what he should do next. Sarah sat beside him clutching his hand to her chest. He felt comforted by the warmth of her touch but found himself unable to shake the thought that it might have been her grave in the vision. Clinging to her hand now made him feel she was safe even if that wasn’t actually the case.
More than ever, Joshua wanted to find out who made the attempt on his life and why. Protello had told him the Goat had sent someone to stop him. Maybe if he could talk to the Goat, he might learn the truth.
Perhaps an encounter with the Orb of Vision would bring him the answers he needed, he thought to himself. Galleon had two encounters with the Goat and he seemed no worse for it. What harm could it do?
Joshua looked around the campfire at the others. He felt a great sense of responsibility for them and decided it was time to act.
“I’m going to talk to the Goat,” he announced.
Sarah sat up straight and shook her head. “No, Joshua, you can’t!”
“Are you mad?” Andrew yelled.
“It’s too dangerous!” Galleon added. “What do you hope to achieve by doing that, anyway? You know the Goat is on the lookout for you and the last thing you want is to reveal your whereabouts to Him.”
Joshua stood up and paced around the fire. The others watched him as he moved around staring at the floor.
“Look, it’s bad enough the Goat has sent someone to kill me, but it’s putting all of you in danger too. How could I live with myself if something happened to any of you?”
Andrew stood up and looked Joshua in the eye, and said, “We’re in this together. And besides, what makes you think the Goat’s going to tell you anything anyway?”
Joshua felt he didn’t have the mental energy to argue the point with them all. He decided he needed to clear his mind and started walking off into the forest.
“Joshua, where are you going?” Sarah asked.
He turned and looked at her. He paused before turning to the fire and said in a calm voice, “We need more Flame-bark. I’ll go and find some. The walk will help me clear my mind.”
“I’ll go with you,” Andrew said, walking towards him.
“No, it’s OK,” Joshua said, holding up his hand and facing it to Andrew. “I just…I just need to be alone for a while. I’ll be fine, really.”
He turned and headed into the forest to find more Flame-bark. Sarah started after him but Andrew caught her eye and s
hook his head.
“Just give him a bit of space,” he said to her softly. “He’ll be fine.”
Sarah watched Joshua disappear and then, after a moment’s pause, sat down by the fire again. She picked up his weapon belt and clutched it to her chest. She looked at Andrew and Galleon with puffy eyes and shook her head.
“I don’t know how much more of this he can take.”
Galleon moved over to sit beside her. He put his arm gently around her shoulder.
“Don’t worry. Joshua is stronger than you know. I think he’s handling it all really very well.”
He looked at Andrew and nodded with widened eyes. Picking up on Galleon’s cue, he smiled and nodded back towards Sarah.
“He’s strong,” Andrew said. “I’ve seen this in him before. He just needs to clear his head. Don’t worry. He’ll be back before you know it.”
Galleon comforted Sarah with his arm around her shoulder and they sat there gazing into the fire.
Joshua wandered around in the forest aimlessly for a few minutes. He didn’t stray so far that he couldn’t see the flickering light from the fire, but he wasn’t having much luck locating any Flame-bark.
It was getting dark and the thick, humid air was coming alive with the sound of Dengles. Joshua loved the humming sound they made. It was reassuring in a way that it always reminded him of home and filled him with happy thoughts.
As he strode around, trying to avoid the prickly vines and low-hanging branches, he watched the ground, trying not to lose his step but also trying to look for Flame-bark.
Then he stopped and looked up. From the corner of his eye he glimpsed a pair of eyes staring at him. Joshua froze mid-stride. He slowly turned his head in that direction. Just off to his left, sitting on a low-hanging branch was a Wood-boar. It was a good-sized beast, at least as big as Joshua. Sharp claws gripped the branch it was perched on, and its fangs dripped with saliva. The hairy beast was looking directly at him.
