“Hey! Now you all need to calm down!” screamed Anderika, when their excited movements made the basked begin to sway dangerously. “We’re not going to crash now that we’re so close to our goal!”
“Oh, so exciting!” said Zania. “I wonder where we’re going to be?”
“Who knows. Anything is better than the bacterial sea,” muttered Gorond. When the black sea of bacteria had been replaced by a blue ocean beneath them, Anderika begun preparations for the landing. She opened a valve that allowed them to sink steadily to a height of five hundred metres. When they saw forest-covered hills in the distance, they slowly let the large balloon glide down in a perfect, smooth line of descent until they finally touched down, with a rough bounce, on a grass-covered slope. Then Anderika opened the deflation vent, which allowed the air to rush out rapidly, and twenty-five metres further on they finally came to a full stop, with the balloon’s envelope, lines and ropes lying all around in a delightful mess. As soon as they had assessed that no one had been injured, they hid the balloon and the basket in a hollow, covering it with a camouflage of branches and grass. When they were done, they went off along a path that wound down in a narrow ravine, eventually arriving at grass-covered plateau where a tall black structure rose up in the distance. Since they were hungry and tired, they decided to put aside their caution in the hope that they would be dealing with people of a friendly disposition. They couldn’t be savages, they reasoned, since they had erected such a substantial and magnificent building.
Once they’d arrived at its door, they knocked hard and long, and when no one opened they gathered their courage and tried the door, which turned out to be unlocked. No matter how much they shouted and helloed, nobody was about, so that when curiosity finally got the better of them and forced them to move further in, they arrived in a huge room that glowed fabulously, apparently emanating from a myriad of glimmering stones in the wall. They stood entranced for several minutes, until Kark finally broke the silence by saying that they should hurry up and search the rest of the house before it became entirely dark. After proceeding up a broad staircase, they arrived at the highest point in the tower, where they discovered a breath-taking view, and a sunset that created an almost unreal orange sheen on all the surfaces.
“Should we spend the night here?” wondered Allur.
“Yes, why not, I have a hard time imagining anywhere else that might be better,” replied Anderika. They bedded down, and soon, overcome by fatigue after the events of the day, they had collapsed into a deep sleep.
CHAPTER 16
When they awoke, it was completely dark, and to their horror they discovered that they were wearing some kind of helmet and could neither speak nor move. A moment later, though, a light came on, and they could see a bleach-skinned man and woman standing and observing them with a constant, calm and expressionless gaze. It wasn’t the same room they’d fallen asleep in, but instead had six sides, white walls and blue stars on the ceiling. Without moving his lips, the man asked if they could understand what he was saying; when they answered, surprised, he said that he was sorry for the treatment they’d received but that it had been necessary.
Caver thought, with some malice, that he didn’t have any desire to forgive them, whereupon the man raised his eyebrows.
“Take it easy. We can’t communicate with more than one at a time and definitely not when it involves such aggressive thoughts as you are expressing. We’ll try to answer all your questions, if you just ask them one at a time.”
“How can you understand what we’re thinking?” asked Allur.
“Through telepathy that is based on thoughts from brainwaves, which are autonomous from the language one speaks,” the man answered.
“Who are you?” Anderika asked.
“My name is Oblej and my colleague here is Irridi.”
“Where are we and why do we have these helmets on?” asked Zania.
“You are on Tranzia, the largest of the three Blue Islands, and the helmets are so that we can communicate with you, as well as to find out who you are and why you’ve come here. Our hope is that . . .”
“But why did you drug us?” Kark interrupted him. “Is that a humane way to deal with visitors?”
“I haven’t finished,” answered the man, coolly. “Don’t forget that you are uninvited guests, who sometimes come with malicious intentions. But to demonstrate our goodwill, we thought we’d invite you for lunch, after which we hope we can continue our conversation in a somewhat more pleasant atmosphere.”
As soon as they had collected their things, they left the room and proceeded along a lit passageway that seemed to be bored directly through the foundation of the island and came to a large chamber, where Irridi invited them to be seated at a long table set for lunch. When they had finished their meal, which consisted of some sort of mushroom omelette and a vegetable stew, Oblej asked if they were satisfied and felt in a better mood.
“Oh, sure,” answered Anderika, “but we’d feel even better if we could take off these silly helmets.”
“Are they really so terrible to wear?” asked Irridi.
“Yes, have you heard of obsessive thoughts?”
“Of course, but you don’t have to worry, since we can neither register nor understand such fantasies.”
“You can’t?” exclaimed Anderika, surprised.
“No, since such thoughts are always followed by a mental state that the helmets are designed to filter out.”
“That’s surely good, but if one imagines things that are honest, but that one still does want others to know about?”
“You mean about sex, for example?”
“Yes.”
“In that case, they are completely natural thoughts that only demonstrate appreciation and that, according to our culture, are nothing to be ashamed of.”
“I see.”
“Good, then. Would you mind telling us who you are and what has brought you to honour us by your visit?”
Well aware of Oblej and Irridi’s ability to read their thoughts, Anderika gave a brief account, but without disclosing any essential information, whether about their backgrounds or what they had experienced since leaving Loria.
“That was a fantastic story, the likes of which I daresay I’ve never heard before,” blurted Irridi when she had finished. “You’ll still also find the fate of our people to be at least as remarkable. Our ancestors lived on the mainland, where they were part of the Raddakik duchy, in happiness and peace, a long time ago. The land on the plains was fertile and yielded bountiful harvests, and game was plentiful in the vast forests there. But nothing lasts forever and eventually the troll decided to go out into battle. Since they had the help of evil spirits in the Fairy Council, they were too powerful for us they eventually took over. After having fought such terrible battles, there were only a hundred or so survivors, who managed to escape to the Blue Islands. But, they had the extinguished King’s Stone with them, and now, many hundreds of years later, we have succeeded in restoring its magical powers, so that if we could only take it back to Kaminor’s altar on the island of Surukand, we would be able to banish the troll forever. Unfortunately, the fairy clan’s omniscient eye, which can distinguish our movements as easily as an owl can see in the dark, hinders us from travelling to the mainland undetected. For you however it wouldn’t be any problem, since your aura is completely unknown in our world.”
“Oh, is that so, and yet I thought we were your prisoners?” said Allur.
“No, we have concluded that you are telling the truth and are no longer a threat, which is why you are all free to move now. But since it’s so early, I suggest we go and take a nap so that we can show you around the island later this evening.”
“You’re not saying that you sleep during the daytime?”
“Yes, that’s what I’m saying. How else do you think we’d be able to be up at night, which is the only time in the day when there’s no risk of being attacked by the flying dragons that the fairies send out to
try to destroy us.”
After their long rest, sleep was not among their first priorities, but still they thought it best, considering the circumstances, to adapt to the prevailing situation, so they eventually allowed themselves to fall into a fitful slumber. When they were awakened that evening and were following Oblej to the dining room, they observed that the island’s inhabitants lived in caves connected by tunnels that led into large vegetable gardens in the middle of the settlement.
“How do you manage to growth things underground and in the absence of sunlight?” asked Anderika, fascinated.
“It’s possible because of the fluorescent powder we collect from the volcanic craters out here on the islands,” explained Oblej, “and their luminescent qualities have also allowed us to be able to be outside during the darkest time of the day.”
Fascinated, they asked more questions about this subterranean lifestyle as they ate, after which they went out to have a look at their surroundings. Above ground, they saw adults and children everywhere, working side-by-side under the glow of fiery volcano torches in the large gardens that stretched as far as the slopes of the surrounding slopes.
“Who could have imagined this?” asked Kark. “When we arrived on the island, we didn’t see a single soul.”
“That’s right; you arrived before dusk, before we’d managed to get up,” said Oblej, “but because of our sensitive warning system, we of course knew of your existence the moment you set foot on the island.”
“You seem to be in control of just about everything,” said Zania, “everything from thoughts to aviation activities.”
“Yes, we’ve been forced to become this way in order to survive in a hostile world.”
“We’ve also developed a certain familiarity with that lately,” said Allur, with a laugh.
“I must say that I think it’s incredible that you could find your way here, across the entire bacteria sea, in such a simple construction,” said Irridi. They had just arrived on a hilltop and were gazing out over the island as it lay there before them, thousands of points of light sparkling up at them.
“Simple is often best,” replied Anderika.
“That may be, but you can hardly travel back in it. What would you say about trying to help us reunite the King’s Stone with the fortress Kaminor?”
“But how would that go? We’re on an island surrounded by the sea and which you say is monitored by the fairies, which is why we won’t be able to escape being discovered, whether by boat or balloon!”
“Using our collective black arts, in addition to casting a protective spell over the islands, we’ve also succeeding in creating an air tunnel, which is why there won’t be any problem.”
“An air tunnel,” said Anderika, awed. “What’s that?”
“It would take too long to explain, but, briefly, it’s a timeline that runs through the air. The time line allows us to travel up to 10 kilometres, which is about how far it is to the mainland, without being detected, instantly.”
“Do we have any choice?” asked Kark.
“Always. So, take as long as you need to answer. Important decisions require thoughtfulness, and we promise we’ll respect whatever you decide.”
When they had returned, they sat down leeward of the house to discuss the new situation, with the stars shining in the crystal-clear night sky and a fresh breeze blowing through the treetops.
“What do you think we should do?” asked Anderika.
“We should help them, of course,” answered Kark. “We can’t return, anyway, and living here in eternal darkness would drive me crazy.”
“I agree,” said Caver.
“This is the kind of adventure I’ve always dreamed of, so for me the choice is easy,” said Zania.
“But the dangers we might encounter?”
“I’m ready to face them.”
“I also agree,” said Gorond. “Life is one big game of risk, from beginning to end, and constant danger is something I got used to during our struggle with the monsters. And anyway, nothing can be worse than the sea of bacteria.”
“Well, we can’t be sure about that,” said Allur, “but since we’ve come this far, we might as well go all the way.”
“And Neiger, what do you think?” asked Anderika.
“My desires are those of Zania and where she wants to go, I go, too,” he replied.
“That’s just what I thought you’d say,” laughed Anderika. “Listening to and serving is obviously something deep in your nature.”
After discussing the question further, which only confirmed their agreement, they finally went off to find Irridi.
“That makes me deeply happy,” she replied, when hearing their decision. “May I ask, then, which one of you is going to lead the expedition?”
“Yes, I guess it’s going to be me,” replied Anderika, hesitatingly.
“Unclear leadership in a crisis situation that requires fast decisions may lead to your downfall, so, since you don’t seem entirely sure of yourself, it’s best that we settle the issue in a democratic fashion.”
So, they set about doing so: they each wrote their choice on a piece of paper. When the votes had been counted, Kark, to her surprise, had won.
“Good, now we have that settled,” said Irridi, “and we can proceed with the planning.”
“Is it possible to have a look at the King’s Stone?” asked Kark.
“Of course,” answered Oblej.
A moment later, she returned with a beautifully decorated gold box. When she lifted the lid, they saw a huge crystal, shimmering with a turquoise glow.
“What’s happening?” asked Allur, rubbing his eyes. As they had been admiring the stone, they experienced a dizziness that made them catch their breath.
“It’s just so you can feel a little of Kaminor’s power,” answered Irridi, smiling.
“Where does it come from?” asked Zania.
“If the air tunnel was tricky to describe, then this is even harder. Let’s just consider that this is an ancient power that has always existed and is as old as the world.”
To Anderika’s question about how they would be able to take the stone with them without being seen by anybody, she replied that they had decided that they could attach it to a coil, and hidden inside a specially-fabricated walking stick, which Kark would be responsible for.
“That feels like a heavy responsibility,” said Kark.
“Of course, but somebody has to be ready to take responsibility for it, and your friends have chosen you to be their leader, haven’t they?”
“Alright, then, I’ll just have to do my best!”
“Nobody can do more than that and, to tell you the truth, that’s good enough for us.”
During the next two days, they devoted all their time to going over their route and what they might expect to run into. This was nothing more than approximations and speculation, though, since had been so long since Irridi’s and Oblej’s ancestors had left the mainland.
“Your first disguise, when you arrive on the mainland,” explained Oblej, “will be as farmers on your way to the town of Gildar, to buy tools and household goods. Once you’re there, you’ll contact Edar, the son of a woman with mutant genes who we succeeded in teleporting there 30 years ago. He’ll help you with the horses and wagons and whatever you’ll need for continuing onwards, now in the guise of Sylvanians on a business trip.”
“Sylvanians, who are they?” asked Gorond.
“They have a very old and special culture. They are a dispersed people, known for travelling around in their red wagons, which have come to be one of their identifying features, and trading, which is why you probably won’t attract any attention from the settled inhabitants. The training you’re getting from us should be enough so that you can travel disguised as them, but if you should meet any of the actual Sylvanians, you’ll be undeniably revealed and that you won’t know what they’ll do. So, avoid them as much as you can and choose long detours if they appear nearby. When you’v
e reached Lotre, a mountain town, a relative of ours, Steinar Menoti the owner of a watchmaker`s shop, will take over as your guide for the remaining section before the Blue Mountains. He and his family and relatives have managed to avoid being pursued by the Fairy Council, so they have been a sleeper cell in anticipation of our return.”
“Why haven’t you tried to have Edar or Menoti, who are already on the mainland, make an attempt to re-establish the King’s Stone?” asked Allur.
“Because they have a well-known karma, so that in any close encounter with the Fairy Council’s associates, they would be immediately identified and arrested. Your unfamiliar karma, which also includes Gondar, is the answer to our prayers, and the miracle we have been waiting for, for so many years.”
On the day of departure, they awoke at dawn and, once they’d eaten a solid breakfast, assembled at the entrance to the air tunnel. All were clothed in simple rough trousers and pullover shirts, as well as full-length hooded capes, good to have if one wanted to avoid attracting unnecessary attention.
“No unnecessary luxury here,” said Zania, with a laugh, and tried to be cute.
“No,” said Oblej. “Throughout history, the farmers here have almost always had to content themselves with the little they had, which wasn’t always necessarily the worst, either. Now, do you remember what you’re going to do when you arrive?”
“Yeah, it would be strange if we didn’t, after all the rehearsing we’ve done,” said Kark. Just to be on the safe side, they went over their route one last time, and then said their goodbyes and entered the tunnel. When the door had hissed close behind them, they were engulfed in a ringing sound, followed by a shimmering glow, which a few minutes later ended in a sharp bang.
CHAPTER 17
They stood there, out in the open, in a little meadow surrounded by high, thorny bushes, bright morning sunshine against a blue sky.
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