Ripped Apart: Quantum Twins – Adventures On Two Worlds

by Geoffrey Arnold

  ‘I’ve never seen a dragonfly that large,’ Tsetsana said as it settled down, its body extending the full length of Tullia’s hand. Every part was a deep, rich red except for its two pairs of wings with their centres looking as though they were made of green lace.

  ‘We call it “Whirlingwings”,’ Tullia said. Slowly she brought her hand nearer to her face. ‘Hullo, Dragonfly,’ she whispered. She was conscious of its legs, almost as thin as an individual strand of her hair, yet griping her finger with amazing force from what she assumed were tiny suction cups. Two pairs of multifaceted eyes stared at her for what seemed like an eternity. Once again she experienced a sensation as if each cell in her body was being delicately brushed with a feather. She felt her finger released, the wings blurred, her visitor hovered for a moment, then rose into the air and flew away.

  ‘Dragon-Fly,’ Tullia whispered to herself as she banished a momentary sense of sadness, turned and stepped onto the footprint and faced the sun with her arms at her side, palms facing forward. She lifted her head and closed her eyes. Settling into a slow and steady breathing rhythm she sank deep into her Kore, pulling the sun’s energy into her. When she felt filled, she called forth a memory of the last time she had sunbathed on Vertazia to charge her solar energy quotient.

  She sank back into that day on the banks of the river near her home. Qwelby and the other boys had gone off somewhere to play, leaving her alone with Tamina and Shimara, sharing a lovely girly time. But that was not right. Kaigii was not there. Then she remembered.

  Kaigii and Wrenden had persuaded quiet Pelnak to join one of their silly pranks. Swimming underwater they had leapt up shrieking like banshees and splashing water over the girls and their neatly folded clothes. She had been furious. ‘You’re supposed to set an example to Wrenden!’ she had shouted.

  That was no good. She wanted one of their companionable times together. The right energy for a connection. Memory returned of the scenes revealed by the Lantern. The images on that morning. The desire that both she and Kaigii had to explore their Aurigan heritage… as a way of understanding their future? A sudden wind sprang from the desert floor. Rushing through the rocks it sounded like the beating of mighty wings…

  CHAPTER 52

  RAINBOW

  VERTASIA

  Xaala jumped as a sting on her wrist accompanied the chirping of the Temporal Message Alerter embedded in her bracelet. She ran through the house on her bare feet and into the Receptor Room where her practised fingers rapidly accessed the controls. She removed the Messager from the Receptor and ran to her Teacher’s meditation room, knowing he would have translocated there.

  As she turned the corner of the corridor she saw that Door had complied with her thoughtsent request to open. Ceegren was already seated in the lotus position on his meditation stool, facing his crystal, Belayyel, which rested on the altar a couple of metres away.

  There were two cardinal rules when working with Time: Speed and Ultimate Respect. She had run as fast as the wind, now she landed on both knees at his side, bowed her head and lifted the Messager up to him with both hands. As Ceegren removed the Messager from her, Xaala lowered her hands and took a deep breath to still her racing pulse.

  ‘Look into my eyes,’ Ceegren commanded, breaking into her reverie.

  With the power that all Venerables possessed, looking into those two ovals of deep sea green was highly dangerous without permission. Xaala raised her head, wondering at an honour that was usually only bestowed as part of his deep teachings.

  She felt him slip through her mind and into her Kore.

  A flick of his fingers reinforced his thoughtsent command to take her place on a mat on the floor, facing Belayyel.

  The message had been one word: ‘Spelling.’ Xaala had immediately deciphered that. ‘Spelling’ meant ‘ABC’, and that meant Abomination Contact. The Quantum Twins, whose flight to Azura was causing so much consternation amongst the Kumelanii, were trying to reconnect. Ceegren had explained to her why that had to be prevented. Her heart beat fast. She was to participate in a meditation crucial to the whole of Vertazia.

  She was a little short of her seventeenth rebirthday. Admittedly the last four months of any phase is its most powerful and I am at the end of my fifth phase of creativity. But this is only my second Era. It’s not as though I am even a young adult in my third Era.

  ‘Precisely,’ Ceegren said. ‘The abominations are twiyeras. Your own second Era energies are necessary in order that the advanced level energies of myself, Dryddnaa and Gentian will be brought through to their fast vibratory level.’

  Gentian, another Venerable, Xaala thought. But Dryddnaa. She must be a very powerful Chief Readjuster for her to be involved instead of a third Venerable.

  ‘Now. Surrender,’ Ceegren ordered.

  With the rigorous training she had received from Teacher, Xaala easily emptied herself of all thoughts and emotions, settled into the lotus position and focussed on Belayyel. She knew she was to be a passive channel. At some time afterwards, Ceegren would require her to access her Memory and relate in detail everything she had seen and heard, together with the thoughts and emotional responses that she had not been aware of at the time.

  Energy built up and took control of her. Far away in the mist she perceived two columns of light a long way away from each other. As she flew towards them, the columns grew stronger, brighter, longer. The energy in her jetted out, turning into two roiling black clouds that blotted the columns from her vision.

  *

  Tullia shivered as a cold wind struck her. Opening her eyes she saw a dark cloud hurtling towards her. She was alone, standing on a narrow, bare mountain top. As the cloud reached her it changed into thin streamers which wrapped around her, painfully piercing her body where they gripped, and tried to drive her backwards. Backwards! Over the edge to my death far below on the desert floor.

  Bending her knees, she half crouched, flailing with her arms, tearing the strips away and flinging them over the side of the mountain. They squealed. Squealed?!

  Gyrating, she tackled more streamers as they tried to encircle her body, their tips constantly striking her bare flesh, pushing her backwards. Wings sprouted from her shoulders. They shielded her back, beating at the dark streamers, knocking them to the ground. As her hooves stamped on them they dissolved into dust with almost human sounding squeals.

  Wings? Hooves!

  As she kicked the last one away, the remaining cloud coalesced into a menacing, grotesque blob. As it flowed around her, it felt soft and squashy. For a moment it seemed comfortable, easing away the pain from the many cuts. As she started to relax, it pressed closer. Her mind cleared. It was trying to crush her to death. With an effort, she raised her arms. Arms? Legs! Her hooves thrust it away from her body.

  The Blob extended thick tendrils, trying to curl them around Tullia’s legs. Fast and furious her tail whipped left and right, again and again. As the pressure eased, she dropped onto all four legs, stamping on the wriggling tendrils and kicking them over the edge of the mountain top.

  A misshapen face appeared, one glaring yellow eye above thick, dark red lips pulled back in a snarl revealing pointed black teeth. Growing a long neck it lunged towards her. She tossed her head, slashing her horn through its neck. With a ghastly spurt of black blood that sizzled where drops struck her body, the head toppled over, its forked, slime-green tongue reaching for her.

  Tullia spun around and kicked out with her hind legs. She felt her hooves strike the gruesome head and watched from between her legs as with an ear splitting shriek it toppled backwards over the far side of the narrow mountain top.

  Her hooves slipped on the smooth rock and she crashed to the ground, looking with horror over the edge to the desert floor kilometres below. Something soft was spreading over her legs and up her back. There was no comfort this time, the feel was revolting, cloying. Her hind legs were trapped. She beat hard with her wings as she tried to turn and use her forelegs, her horn, anything. The c
uts on her legs and body were stinging as the slimy morass inserted thin tendrils into her bloodstream, slowly paralysing her.

  ‘KAIGII!’ she thoughtsent with the last of her remaining strength.

  Qwelby felt himself cooling. He lifted his head and carefully covering his mouth with his hand, took a few deep breaths. His head slowly cleared and the pain in his neck lessened. He brought his hands together by his shoulders and started to push himself up. Darkness descended all around as heavy weight landed on him. It felt like a trick Wrenden had played, dropping a duvet-cover full of water on him. Then, all he had done was to use his stronger power to negate his friend’s imaging of water contained in the duvet. This was different. This was not a simple trick. And the power behind it was strong.

  He was on Earth, in the third dimension, or really the fourth as he was amongst people who also had the power of consciousness. He would just use physical force. With effort, he forced himself up onto hands and knees. He could see light creeping in under the edge of whatever was weighing him down. He got a foot out and with a mighty effort of arms and legs rolled over, heaving the mass to one side. He wriggling out quickly and crouched into a defensive position. And saw the dark mass fade away. The only resistance had come from its size and weight. It had not been empowered with the slightest degree of sentience.

  As he stood upright, dark figures leapt at him. Red, orange and yellow they passed though his body. All the colours were dirty and smelling of evil. As the forms solidified he saw three, four legged beasts with wide open jaws full of long pointed teeth, saliva dripping from their mouths, now turning back to face him again. As the first leapt to attack he shifted consciousness, trying to thoughtblock its path. He saw his tail lash out and the beast explode in a flash of light. A second beast leapt for his throat. He seared it in mid-air with a burst of flames from his mouth. The claw on his hind leg shattered the back of the third.

  From above the trees a flock of beasts descended on wings like those of giant bats. They had animal bodies with heads and beaks like prehistoric pterodactyls and long front legs ending in wide spread talons.

  The dragon grew, rearing up above the trees, flamed the first beast, ducked and grabbed two more by their tails, hurling them into the night sky where they exploded in showers of incandescence. Flaming another, he lifted a hind leg thicker than any of the trees and crushed a beast that had landed behind him. He heard the boy shriek with pain as a beast landed on his forearm and stabbed him in the shoulder. He closed his massive jaws on it, ripping its head from its body. Another landed on his other arm but the next wave was upon him before he could rip that one away.

  A great gout of flame spewed from his jaws swamping his attackers and they exploded in balls of fire. But the flames died before all had been vanquished and he felt the claws of the one remaining beast dig into his thigh. He sank his jaws into the body of the beast on his arm, ripped it free and swung his massive head to one side and then back again, smashing the one in his mouth against the one on his thigh and saw them both explode. Roaring defiance into the night sky he echoed his Rider’s cries of pain.

  I’m not a dragon, I’m a DragonRider.

  The thought hung in the air.

  ‘I’m not a Dragon or a Dragon Rider,’ the boy said aloud, clutching his bleeding left shoulder. ‘I’m…’

  A creature like a lion with the head of a bull landed in front of him and reared up on its hind legs, as tall as the dragon. Confused with the different levels of consciousness, different dimensions interacting, he did not react fast enough and the lion’s claws raked down across his chest. The boy howled with pain. Too close to flame his attacker, the dragon leapt into the air. Briefly steadying himself on his tail he brought his hind legs up in front and bore down with all his weight, slashing down with the claws of both feet. The bull-lion screamed and exploded in a blaze of light that ripped open a tunnel though the forest.

  In the distance Qwelby saw a unicorn.

  She was beautiful in all her splendour. Her body was silver, her long and flowing mane gold, her silver tail was gold tipped. Slashing her head from side to side, her horn was vibrant with all the colours of the rainbow as she beat at her attackers. Qwelby felt his heart burst open.

  ‘TUUULLLIIIIAAAA,’ he roared, and lifted into flight.

  *

  As the darkness thinned, Xaala saw the columns of light spring up and join together, creating a rainbow of bright, pulsing colour. The two ends on the ground were vibrating, alternately becoming thinner and thicker, the colours seeming to run back and forth throughout the whole arch.

  She was propelled into the rainbow. Dizzy, she became aware the energies she was channelling were pouring out through her head and feet, a swirling mixture of dark greys and blacks, dirty reds, oranges and mustards. She felt nauseous as jolts of energy rebounded back into her body and seemed to be fighting within her very Self. She hung there, alone in Space and Time, wracked with ever increasing pain. Was she strong enough? Was it ever going to end?

  A cruel laugh filled Tullia’s ears as the numbing sensation spread along her spine, creeping towards her head. She heard the sound of strong wings beating. Whatever evil was attacking her, she was about to be carried away to its lair. Her last few moments alive. Oh Kaigii. I am sorry. I do love you.

  She forced herself to look up. She would look death in the face. High above, circling down towards her on enormous wings, half hidden by dark mist was… what? As it passed overhead she saw the long tail, the large rear legs, the smaller front ones. A dragon! But not just any dragon. It was a rich dark red, glowing with streaks of emerald green and sun-kissed yellow, bright violet sparkling from its wingtips, all tinged with turquoise. A magnificent golden crest atop its head.

  ‘QWELBEEEEEEEEE!’ she cried, as the dragon circled around again and flew straight at her. She dared not watch and keep her horn pointing up at him. She lowered her head and felt a great rush of air. She screamed with pain as the vile grotesque was wrenched from her body, every single one of her cuts on fire as its penetrating tendrils were torn away.

  Gasping for breath, she managed to turn her head sideways and watched as the dragon rose high in the air then dropped the struggling grotesque, dipped his wings and swung around, searing it and its wriggling tentacles with blazing fire. With an unearthly scream the monstrosity burst into flames and fell out of sight.

  The dragon rose high into the sky, flamed again and gave a mighty roar that shook the mountain. The monstrosity destroyed and his triumph displayed, Qwelby swooped down and landed in front of his twin. He enfolded the beautiful unicorn in his forelegs, and with a great down stroke of his wings he lifted her up and carried her back.

  Tullia dug deep into her inner reserves and found the strength to rise on all four legs. Hooves clattering on the rock, she actually pranced up to her twin. He deserved all the honour she could bestow. Careful of her sharp horn, she lowered her head to his side, arching her neck, nuzzling him, whistling a melody through her fluted horn.

  The dragon dropped onto all fours, exhausted. With a gentle whinny, Tullia turned around, sliding her neck under his wing, softly whistling to him to let her support him. As her forelegs stepped out of the depression of the God’s footprint, she slumped to the ground, her arms stretched out in front.

  Pushing with her hind legs she felt tremors run through her torso. Looking down she saw her ordinary body. But she was cut off at the waist. Beyond that there was nothing to see of anything. Looking across to her twin she saw his head and shoulders and one arm draped over her back. Nothing more.

  ‘Sizangi!’ she called. When Tsetsana did not reply Tullia remembered to switch to Meera. ‘Help me!’ she called again, looking at her friend who was sitting with her back to the rock, eyes and mouth wide open, one hand half raised.

  A NullPoint Bubble! Tullia realised.

  Again, Tullia pushed with her legs, pulling herself forward with her hands, ignoring both the pain and her twin. Completely out of the intense energy
field of the depression, she was her normal self. If normal includes dozens of burning cuts! She took hold of her twin by his shoulders and helped him move forward, watching the rest of his body and legs appear as if out of nowhere, blood trickling from many cuts. As he shuddered and shook himself like a dog coming out of the water, she noticed large, dark bruises curved around each of his shoulder blades.

  With a jolt, he fell on his back on the snow. As he rolled over and onto his hands and knees he saw Hannu and Anita a few paces away, running towards him. No! They were frozen like statues.

  A NullPoint Bubble!

  Tullia was lying a few paces away.

  Qwelby crawled to his twin and pulled her into a tight embrace, ignoring the stinging pain from all his cuts.

  On the mountain top, Tullia pulled her twin into a tight embrace, feeling warm blood trickling over her from his wounds and ignoring the sharp pain from her wounds as he put his arms around her and pulled her tightly to him.

  ‘KAIGII!!’ they exclaimed.

  ‘Trust you to get lost, Kaigii,’ Tullia said fondly, running her fingers through his thick, long hair.

  Qwelby just grinned and snuggled into her embrace. Being told off by his twin was a reassuring return to normality. She always wanted to look after him. Right now if felt good.

  As his pain eased, he looked up. Their eyes met, twirling, faster and faster. They had always looked after each other. She, a unicorn-riding Healer, he a dragon-riding Warrior protecting her from the attacking Solids. And before that in peaceful times when he had led a small team to create the HomeSphere, and she had led the equally small team that had persuaded all the Auriganii to live in and around it for their search for a new homeworld.

  Each saw the other’s eyes stop twirling and the purple orbs pulse with inner fire. Fine silver rims appeared around the orbs, then around the blue ovals. They remembered seeing each other’s eyes like that as they were given the honour of launching the HomeSphere on its journey. Then seeing depictions of those eyes on all the levels of the HomeSphere. Feelings emerged, unbelievable feelings.