“You make the assumption that we should give chase.” Makthryg’s eyes gleamed.
“You have an alternative plan, my Lord?”
“Valkrog, you forget, we still hold the balance of power. We have their women and children. We will force the boy to come to us.”
“How will you do this, Great One? We have no method of communicating with them?”
Makthryg smiled. “I see in your keenness to pursue them and engage them in fight, that you may have lost some of your sensitivity. Have you not noticed that the Disturbance occurs only when there is great emotional turmoil present? I believe they sense trauma in our world and that is what draws them in.
“I repeat; we have something of great value to them. We have their women and children. Of more import is that we have the boy’s mother, if indeed she is still alive. We will give them their trauma.” Makthryg faced the small party of men.
“Hursk, split your team into two. You will lead one team which will accompany myself and Valkrog, the other will return to the township and collect the rest of our men. Have them prepare a stockade attached to the fortress, large enough to hold the bulk of the women and children. Valkrog and I will return with them shortly. Make sure the men in the township leave guards stationed at the building and place lookouts at the township perimeter in case the boy and his allies reappear, though I think this unlikely. The unconscious townsmen can remain locked in the building leaving a few men to guard them. Use a runner and send word that the gas has been neutralised and it is safe to move around without masks, but be wary for counter-attacks in case any townsmen were not caught by the gas. We have a small window of opportunity and I intend to take advantage of it, so make haste.”
“Yes, Sire.” The commander bowed and began assembling the men.
The creature eyed Makthryg and waited.
“Yes Valkrog,” Makthryg said, anticipating the bird-man’s question. “Your talents will most certainly be needed. The women and children will be made to feel terror. They will be our draw card.”
Like moths to a flame.
~ 25 ~
Fear
Nathan opened the shed door a crack and poked his head out.
“I’d be careful of letting anyone see you,” Paolo said.
“What?” Nathan pulled his head in. “What do you mean?”
“Oh!” Sarina said, “I think he means this,” and she shook her hair. White dust, from the board they had used as a makeshift canvas, billowed out and filled the small shed.
“Thanks for that,” Nathan said, coughing, “I see what you mean,” looking up at the rafter from where they had pulled the board. He slapped his own hair, liberating more white dust. “We should clean up before we get out of here.”
After they finished brushing themselves down, Sarina looked over at Nathan, a question forming on her lips.
“Yes?” Nathan said.
“Oh, was it that obvious?” Sarina frowned. “I think we have a bigger problem. Literally.” She looked over at Paolo. “You definitely can’t come home with me Paolo—” she stopped and sat down, glum-faced and looked at the floor. “What am I saying. I can’t go home either.”
“Why?” Paolo asked.
“I er … ‘rescued’ Sarina from a loony—er, mental asylum,” Nathan said, “and I don’t think she wants to go back there, and she can’t go home. At least not until we have sorted all this out. But I have an idea.”
Nathan took several minutes to explain his idea, which ended with all three of them nodding in agreement.
“Ready?”
Paolo and Sarina nodded again. “OK, let’s go. Remember to act … er … normal. And Paolo. Try to be inconspicuous.” Nathan wasn’t sure this was possible, but he was hopeful they could cover the short distance to his house without attracting too much attention.
Sarina pulled the shed door open a little and looked out. “Coast is clear,” she whispered.
“Why are you whispering?” Nathan whispered.
“Why are YOU whispering?” Sarina whispered back. They both laughed nervously. “Come on—let’s go!” She walked out the door followed by Nathan and their over-sized friend.
After what turned out to be an uneventful walk to Nathan’s house, they filed through the front door relieved to find a safe place to stop.
“You’re home late from school today, Nathan?” A voice drifted over from the couch.
Nathan looked down at his watch. “Blimey!” He looked over at Sarina and Paolo and whispered. “It’s way past school finishing time. Something weird has gone on with the amount of time that passed. Hmm. Actually that’s a point. Wasn’t it dark in the township when we got there?”
He called back to his mother. “Oh hi, Mum! Um, we had to stay back and work on a maths project that I was helping out with.”
“That’s nice dear.” The disembodied voice floated back. “You must have eaten at school then of course.”
“Ah yes,” Nathan continued, surprised by how easily the fibs were falling from his lips, “we had pizza the teachers ordered in.” As the words left his mouth, he realised he was starving, and at that moment, a pizza would have been quite handy. Judging by the look on Sarina’s face, she was feeling the same way too.
Paolo leaned over to Sarina. “What is a ‘pizza’?”
Sarina started to explain. “Oh never mind. I’ll explain later.”
Nathan called to the couch-voice. “Mum, I’ve got a couple of friends with me. Is it OK if they sleep over?” He held his breath and waited for the reply.
“That’s nice dear. You know where the bedding is.”
Nathan mouthed ‘I told you so’ at the other two and led them upstairs.
“Ok,” Nathan said, sitting on the edge of his bed, trying to assume the position a general would. “Let’s go over the plan again shall we?” He looked across at Paolo, who was wedged uncomfortably into a chair much too small for him, and at Sarina, sitting on the floor.
“I’ll start,” Sarina said. “Tonight we get some rest, and some FOOD,” she glared at Nathan for managing to deprive them of sustenance, “and tomorrow we go find your professor friend and see what he says about mounting a rescue. If he is what you say he is, then there is a chance he will believe our story, which no-one else possibly could”—she shook her head as if not quite believing it herself—“and help with a rescue plan. Somehow.” She looked at Nathan for confirmation.
Nathan nodded. “Yes, I’m certain he will.” Although thinking about it, he knew he still needed to come up with a pretty good hypothesis. “You forgot an important part though.” He looked at Paolo. “Paolo will come with me to school. If I don’t turn up in the morning, they will be suspicious, so I need to go. But I can have Paolo come to meet me and help me home after I tell them I’m feeling sick. I’ll think of some connection that he has with me. On the way back he’ll be good evidence for the Professor that I’m not just making it up. And Paolo?”
“Yes?”
“Remember you don’t look like a kid in our world. In fact, you look like one of the biggest adults I’ve ever seen.”
Sarina was confused. “What about me again?”
“You stay here and keep out of sight.” Nathan said. “With a bit of luck, I wasn’t recognised at the rescue,” he hesitated, “and we’ve hardly been seen to be the best of friends.” He looked at Sarina who stuck her tongue out at him. “So I don’t think anyone will be looking for you here, but I’m sure they will be looking everywhere else. Wait for us to come back and pick you up, hopefully with the Professor.”
Sarina nodded. “OK. Do I need to keep hidden?”
“No. Once my parents leave in the morning, you’ll be fine. Knowing them, they probably won’t even remember that I brought a girl and a giant home last night.” Nathan rolled his eyes, and thought for once how glad he was that his parents were so oblivious to his life. An unrelated thought sprang into his mind and he looked at Sarina with the beginnings of a frown.
“Sarina, d
id I hear Paolo say you’d fought Valkrog and won?”
Sarina blushed. “Sort of. It was in another dream. I’ll tell you about it later. It’s similar to what we just did—you know, using paint. I think I injured him.”
Paolo, who had been very quiet since they jumped through the portal, cleared his throat.
“Yes Paolo?” Nathan said.
“I follow you, like a dumb giant. I wait for you outside school, then arrive to help you home. We find a science Professor you met once in his garden and tell him about magic portals. He agrees to help us and we collect Sarina. We try to work out how to get me back and save everyone. In the meantime, the Elders are dead or dying and the women and children could be next. Is that the best you have?” He looked pained as he held Nathan’s gaze.
“It’s ALL I have, Paolo,” Nathan said, reminding himself this was no game.
Sarina stood up. “Paolo, I know it seems hopeless. But think about what we’ve accomplished, with Nathan’s super-smart brain and the magic energy the three of us have together.” She walked over to Paolo and threw her arms around his shoulders. “It will be OK, Paolo. The three of us together”—she pulled away and looked Paolo in the eyes—“the three of us together WILL save the women and children.”
Nathan wished he felt the same confidence. Though he liked the bit about the super-smart brain.
~~~
The women and children were pressed up against each other in the darkness and the young ones clutched their mother’s skirts in terror. The air was alive with a dangerous buzz. Someone cried out in fear; a young voice, she thought, as she floated over them, huddled together, helpless.
In the dim light, she saw that some of the women were chained to each other, their ankles bruised from the gruelling walk. A few of the younger women tended to them and pressed cool wet strips of clothing into their legs, and murmured words of comfort.
Sarina tried to reach them, to reassure them, but she could not land, nor speak, only float over their heads, frustrated at her inability to help.
A child looked up, peering into the dark. He saw Sarina and his eyes widened. He pulled at his mother’s clothes, pointing, mouthing something she could not hear. His mother pressed her finger to her lips and told the boy to be quiet as she followed his gaze up to the ceiling, but she showed no recognition. The boy continued staring at Sarina, and she realised with a shock who the boy reminded her of. Paolo. She looked more closely at the boy and his mother. The resemblance was undeniable. Paolo’s mother and brother.
The door to the dark enclosure was thrown open and several men appeared, silhouetted in the entrance. The children screamed as the men waded into the room and grabbed the women nearest to them and dragged them out screaming, their hands reaching back to the others in a useless plea for help.
Sarina, in tears, screamed out. “No! Please, Noooo!” but no one heard. Except the boy, who was looking up at her, crying.
The scene switched and she once again found herself pushed up into a crevice in the ceiling of the large hall. She saw Valkrog and Makthryg talking, way down below her at the table. The door to the hall burst open, spilling light across the floor and several women were thrown into the room, two of them falling to their knees, distressed and crying.
Makthryg moved to stand in front of them and waited for their sobbing to stop.
Sarina strained to hear his words.
“I hope you desire your children to live. To live in a rich land, powered with magic, the likes of which you have not seen before. When I finally harvest the”—he used a word she didn’t understand—“you will experience the true greatness of this valley.”
He said the word ‘greatness’ with special emphasis and Sarina realised Makthryg was close to achieving something important, something he would clearly relish.
“But for your children to live and enjoy this incredible new life,” he paused and surveyed the trembling women, “some of you must die. You will select the first five victims to be sacrificed. We will be back to collect them shortly.”
The women collapsed in hysterics as Makthryg stared at them. “Take them away to the stockade. Valkrog, you know what to do—” and he turned to the bird creature.
But Valkrog was not listening. He was looking up. Directly at Sarina.
She screamed.
~~~
Waking up in a strange room, it took Sarina a few moments to come to her senses and realise where she was. She sat up in her sleeping bag, which was soaked with sweat and looked around. “Nathan? Paolo?”
They had gone. Now what? Had she really gone completely bonkers? Maybe this was another dream and she was still at that horrible institution?
She pushed the sleeping bag away and a piece of paper fell away from her chest.
“Oh,” she said, recognising Nathan’s handwriting. “Of course. They must have gone to school. But why didn’t they wake me?” Puzzled, she read the note.
‘Hi Sarina, this feels weird, leaving you asleep in my room, so don’t go poking around when you wake up OK? You were so deeply asleep, I don’t think you would have come to, even if Paolo had sat on you. I think maybe it’s the after-effects of the stuff they gave you at Stratford. By the way, I had a chance to research that blue substance that Makthryg is after. I had a hunch what it might be, and if I’m right, it’s nasty. As in the type of nasty you get when you combine atomic bombs with magic. I was right about dark energy too, great-great-grandpa would be proud of us. Apparently it’s been unexpectedly increasing and I reckon that’s what has allowed us to make these dreamportals. But there’s still something puzzling me. Anyway, I’ll tell you more about it when we get back.’
In a different colour pen, added hastily as an afterthought, he had written, ‘We left some cereal for you on the kitchen table. Paolo said if you dream of the township can you let anyone still alive know that he is doing his best to bring help.’
Her dream came rushing back to her—the screams, Makthryg’s awful ultimatum. And the boy staring at her. Paolo’s brother and mother. She had to get help now! She couldn’t wait for Nathan and Paolo to return, she had to go and find them.
She scrambled up, smoothed down her wrinkled clothes and after splashing some water on her face and running downstairs, she grabbed the box of cereal and flew out the door. “Ughhh. No toothbrush!” she said as her tongue found her teeth, which felt distinctly furry, “Hygiene and heroism don’t mix!” She raced through the back streets, hoping she wouldn’t be stopped before she reached the school.
She had to get Nathan and Paolo, and find a way back to the valley to save those poor women and children. Her mind turned over and over as she ran.
How crazy was it that only a few days ago, she had been contentedly painting away in art classes, preparing to enter the National Young Artists Breakthrough Competition and now all this. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t hear the police sirens in the distance.
~ 26 ~
Counting
Nathan skidded to a halt at the school gate and turned to Paolo, who had stopped and picked up Nathan’s other skateboard, and was examining the wheels. Nathan was rather proud of the extra plywood he’d quickly bolted to the top and bottom of the deck of his third spare board. Otherwise Paolo would have put his foot clean through it.
“That was quite exhilarating,” Paolo said. “When did you say you invented these?”
“Um, I didn’t say I invented them, I said that—oh never mind. Now Paolo, please wait here outside and …” Nathan looked around for help, “Ah! See that clock on the tower over there?” He pointed to the school building.
“‘Clock’?” Paolo said, a puzzled look on his face. “What is ‘clock’?”
“‘A’ clock,” Nathan stopped. No time to explain clocks. How could he get Paolo to allow enough time for him to go in to school and report in sick and then leave? “Ok Paolo. Listen to me, I want you to count to—” Nathan looked up at the clock and quickly engaged in some mental arithmetic. “Co
unt down slowly from six hundred, then make your way up to that entrance,” he pointed over at the school doors, “and wait for me. Oh—and try to look like you are an older adult cousin coming to collect me.”
A movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention and he looked around to see a group of four boys arriving at the gate. Nathan groaned. The Sawyer gang, complete with their bully-boy leader, Davo. Any delays now could prove fatal. He needed these guys like a hole in the head—and then he realised they’d be wanting something from him that he didn’t have. Rats. This could turn out to be more tricky than it first appeared. But he’d better sidestep them quick-smart no matter what.
“Oi!” said Davo, as he walked up to Nathan, sneering, “Einstein!”
“Yes, David?” Nathan tried to sound bored.
“Where’s our boards then? You s’posed to have free more of ’em today.” He looked over at Paolo and narrowed his eyes.
“And ooos yer mate then?” Davo jabbed a finger aggressively into Paolo’s chest.
Paolo looked down at Davo’s finger slowly, then looked back at him with an innocent gaze. “Five hundred and ninety-two.” He paused for a few seconds. “Five hundred and ninety-one.”
“Why’s ’e counting?” asked Davo, suspicious.
“Which shall I answer first?” Nathan said, still doing his best to be nonchalant, “Who is he, or why is he counting?”
“Both!” Davo said, turning to demonstrate his brilliance to the rest of the gang, who were all nodding in encouragement.
“Yeah, bofe Davo, yer onto it!”
“How did I know you’d say that,” Nathan muttered. These guys were about as useful as an umbrella in the desert right now. Any delay might be costing lives, and these bozos had no clue.
“Whatchoo say?” Davo leered and stepped up to Nathan.
“I said, David,”—Nathan made a point of using Davo’s real name and lingering over it. It helped trivialise any threat he felt from the boy—“this is my cousin, Paolo,” he glanced up at Paolo, “who is from Latvia. You’ve probably already picked up his accent. He is the current Latvian wrestling champion and he told me that when he practises, he likes to count down from 600, and when he reaches 500, he picks the nearest person and throws them to the ground. It’s, um a, er type of traditional, ah ‘Latvian’ thing.
The Dreamer Chronicles Trilogy Boxed Set Vol I - III: A Sci-Fi Parallel Universe Adventure (The Dreamer Chronicles - Science Fiction For Kids And Adults) Page 17
