by Ben Yallop
Outside the room, Weewalk moved away from the door. What kind of a ruler was he listening at keyholes? He sighed as he walked off. A heavy weight settled into his stomach and seemed to drag all his insides down towards it. What if Tarak was right about needing to reunite the scattered remnants of the good peoples of Mu? What if bringing them together only encouraged the Riven King to drive his fist in harder? Or more accurately? He walked out into the grounds of old house where they were staying and put his head back and took a deep breath, looking into the sky. He had to admit that he had been thinking about this for some time. The unavoidable fact was that the Riven King was not going to stop simply because the size of the resistance had dwindled almost to nothing. He was still hunting down and killing those with presence.
As Weewalk he had been able to be frustrating to the Riven, but no more than frustrating. Could he do better as Owd Hob? Owd Hob had prided himself on being decisive and clear-minded but he had lost some of that as Weewalk, living the itinerant lifestyle which allowed him to undermine the Riven's plans. Now was a time for decisiveness.
He walked across the damp grass to where Hödekin sat under an enormous Scots pine tree whittling a stick. The house-kobold looked up from under his red cap as Weewalk approached but he didn't speak. Weewalk stopped and held out a hand to him, pulling him to his feet.
'Hödekin, old friend, it's time to go home.'
A broad grin split the face under the red cap.
'Hob, do you mean? Are you?'
'Yes,' Weewalk nodded. 'Let's round everyone up. We need to make a stand before we're too weak to even kneel.'
Hödekin jumped into the air and cheered, his cap slipping over his eyes. Owd Hob smiled too and stood straight for the first time in many years.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Near Salisbury, England
Present day
Sam appeared on a dark and deserted country road. He wasn't sure when it was precisely, but he certainly knew where he was. It was a place that would be forever etched into his memory. He could still hear the screams echoing in his imagination.
It had been good to see Jéran again, and the giant inn-keeper of the Mermaid Tavern had not hesitated in allowing him access to the cellar where this line had begun. They had even had a brief conversation which was remarkable to Sam as he was used to Jéran remaining completely silent. Jéran had even allowed him to pick some flowers from his well-tended garden, already showing no signs that it had been invaded by a horde of beasts, released from the pits of Mu. The flowers Sam had chosen were like none he had seen before and Jéran had explained that they had come from cuttings given to him by an earlier visitor from a distant land.
Sam laid the bunch of flowers at the foot of a tree, the spot where his parents had been killed by Ferus. That tragedy had happened many years ago, if one were living years in order as a normal person would. But having witnessed it all too recently Sam felt the wound was fresh. He could still picture the skidding car, hear the noise of smashing metal and exploding glass, feel the heat of the flames, see his infant-self cradled in Weewalk’s arms. In coming here again he had allowed himself a brief hope that today he would appear at the same time and would be able to do something about it. But Weewalk had assured him that that ship had sailed. The world seemed to have decided that that was one event which was fixed in human history, unchangeable, permanent. Weewalk had said that many tragedies could not be undone no matter how hard one looked for the right line and Sam had felt that the kobold was speaking from bitter experience.
Sam stood on the road for a while, lost in memories. Too late he realised that a car was approaching and that he would be seen. Worse, he suddenly saw it was a police car, just as had appeared on the night of the accident. He did not want to answer any awkward questions right now. The car was almost upon him and he didn’t have enough time to hide anywhere. Using presence Sam pushed against the ground and leapt high into the air, above the car where he was sure he couldn't be seen by the driver. It passed right underneath him and landing softly Sam dashed quickly away sideways, presence flashing blue on his fingertips as he tore open the line and dashed though, back to the cellar of the Mermaid.
*
Back on the dark country road that Sam had just left Police Constable Reg Green got out of his car and looked all around for the person he thought he had seen. He scratched his head in puzzlement. But the road was deserted. He looked everywhere, even peering over the low stone wall and behind the nearby trees but there was no-one there. Reg could not help but think of the stories that said that this hill was haunted. A shiver ran up his spine and he felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck as if static electricity crackled in the air. He was sure that he had seen someone momentarily but there was no-one here. It could not have been a ghost. The spirits of the dead did not leave flowers and he stood and stared at the fresh bouquet of unfamiliar blooms that lay at the foot of a tree. Eventually, unsettled, he got back in his car and continued on out to Stonehenge to answer the call which had brought him out on this strange night as yet unaware that this night would become stranger still.
*
As he came back up the cellar stairs to the main floor of the Tavern Sam saw Jéran standing at the top, leaning against a door frame, wiping a glass. He filled the doorway. Backlit as Jéran was Sam could not see his expression but he suddenly felt tense. As he neared him Jéran spoke in that deep rumble of his.
'Sorry, Sam. Not my idea.'
As Sam reached the top stair the giant moved aside and Sam tensed, ready for what was coming. He prepared his presence but before he could react he found himself enveloped in an embrace which threatened to squeeze all the air from his body. Sam knew just who it was. The hug felt right. It fitted perfectly against him and he relaxed into it. He knew from the smell of her hair that it was Kya before she even stepped back to regard him with a scowl.
‘You look terrible,’ she said.
Sam just grinned. He had never seen anyone look as good as Kya did right now.
*
They sat in the large room with the giant fireplace where Sam had first entered the Tavern with Weewalk and Hadan and had later fought a host of nightmare creatures which had seemed to want to smash their way in. Hearty food and cold drinks now covered the table-top. Kya did most of the talking and Sam was happy to let her speak. She had her legs crossed under the table and her top foot bobbed up and down gently as she spoke. Sam surreptitiously tried to move his leg close enough that her foot would brush his leg as she bounced it. He had been feeling much better since he had returned from Mu. But now, with Kya here, he felt better again, and he could feel her presence like the warmth of a nearby radiator. It almost felt as though it reached out and mixed with his own. Sam was so intent on her presence and her foot under the table and the position of his leg that he missed the question the first time she asked it.
'So, where have you been? And how long have you been gone by your reckoning?' she said.
'It's only been a couple of months at most,' Sam said.
'Yeah, that seems about right for me too. It's funny with using lines and travelling through time isn't it? You could have been away for years and I could have seen you yesterday. Anyway, where have you been?'
'Well, I went to Mu for a while. Kya, I'm sorry. I didn't really realise what it was like before. I found my way into a few towns and villages. I wasn't really prepared for how poor everyone would be. And when I used presence, they were so scared. They thought I was one of the Riven come to cause damage or to … kill.'
'Yes, only the Riven use presence openly.'
'It was horrible having people feeling scared of me. I didn't stay in Mu very long. It's hard to explain but it just didn't feel like I should be there. Like I didn't fit. I’ve been feeling pretty awful. Sort of foggy. So, I came back and have been moving around a bit, mostly in London.'
'I’ve heard other people talk about feeling a similar way. I heard someone once say that even with the lines and time trav
el we still have a sort of destiny, a time and place where we are supposed to be, the ‘right path’ I suppose you could call it. If we deviate too far from it then life can get kind of blurry.’
She gave him a look which Sam couldn’t read, smiling up at him from under where her long dark hair had fallen partly across her freckled face. She briefly chewed her lip. It made his chest flutter.
‘I guess that if you’re feeling better perhaps you’re back near the people you should be near,’ she said.
Sam felt himself blush. Had she felt the same mingling of their presences? Kya pushed her hair back.
‘We've mostly been resting up. My father went through quite a lot before we rescued him from Ferus. But he's been making plans about what we might do next.’
Sam cut her off less gently than he had wanted to. 'I told you before. I don't want any part of Tarak's plans. He lured me into a fight with Ferus which got my parents killed.'
Kya looked into the giant fireplace, unsure what to say next. Sam filled the awkward silence.
'Look. I think I've found information which he ought to know about. Will you pass it on for me? I’ve met a couple of important people who have information which might help us.'
'Why don't you come and see him yourself. Weewalk is with him but is about to leave. He'd love to see you before he goes. He's lonely. He’s got Hödekin but I think he misses you and Hadan.'
Sam sighed. 'I don't know, Kya. I don’t want to spend time around Tarak. I’m sorry. But you do need to know what I’ve found out. I met someone from the British Government, from my time. who knows what is going on. She told me to look a few things up on the internet. I think I’ve found the basis for the Riven King’s power. I think he might be a product of an experiment here by men in this world in the past. I haven’t thought through all the aspects of it yet but Tarak should probably hear about it. He seems to know more than any of us about this whole mess. I also met a man in Mu, a rogue, who had been inside the Rivenrok Complex and had even been able to spy on the King. Putting what they knew together has been pretty amazing. I have loads of information.’
‘I’m amazed you found a rogue. I always thought they might be a myth.’
‘When I heard one was near I went out to find him in the fields. I don’t know what possessed me to go, but I’m glad I did. Sometimes, I feel like life is that scary rollercoaster which you weren’t sure you wanted to go on. You sat down before you really thought about it too carefully and now you’re locked in until the ride stops. You’d really like to just stop and get off but all you can do is endure it until it finishes or at least changes into something more enjoyable. I want to walk away, say I don’t want to do this anymore, but the bar is down and I’m locked in. I’m just going to have to endure it. I just wish I knew how long the ride would take. All I really want to do is leave the craziness of the theme park and go home and be normal and not have to think about anything. I was hoping to pass on what I knew so someone else could take charge but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.’
‘I don’t know what a rollercoaster is, but I understand. I know you didn’t ask for any of this. None of us did. But we have a power, a gift, which most people don’t and those people need our help.’
‘Yeah, I get that,’ said Sam. ‘And I want to help, of course I do. I’m just not sure that Tarak is helping in the right way. But, maybe you’re right. Maybe I do need to speak to him.’
Kya put her hand on top of his and he felt that tingle which seemed to happen whenever anyone with presence touched him. But this time it was a bit more than that. He felt the last of his resistance ebb away. He had been pretty lonely and his inability to think clearly had made him feel vulnerable. It would be great to see Weewalk again.
‘Sam, I’m sure he’s trying to do what’s best. I know his methods don’t always seem to be clear but he’s seen a lot and I think he knows what to do. Remember he put himself in a lot of danger to help trap Ferus.’
Sam was silent for a moment, enjoying the touch of Kya’s hand atop his own. He couldn’t trust her father, even if she was prepared to, but he had to do something with what he had found out.
'Okay,' he said. 'Okay. I’ll come.'
*
After saying their thanks and goodbyes to Jéran, Kya led Sam towards one of the numerous lines which led out of the Mermaid but Sam stopped her before she took it.
'Wait, before we go. I want to check something,' he said. He turned and led her up the creaky stairs and into one of the bedrooms. Realising that he had just brought her into an empty bedroom, he blushed, but he didn’t think she would have seen. He hurried past the bed and over to the large wardrobe. He pulled open the doors to reveal some thick winter coats hanging in the massive space.
'Jéran put this wardrobe and the coats here to make this line more mysterious,' he said with a laugh, pushing aside the clothes. Sam drew open the line inside the wardrobe and together they stepped through.
The place in which they arrived was exactly the same as when Sam had first visited it. A grey mist swirled around them. A world of nothingness, like standing on a sheet of glass inside a cloud.
'Looks like the decision hasn't been made yet,' he said.
'What?' asked Kya.
'When Vallalar brought me here, the night I saw my parents die in the accident, he said that he thought that this was a future as yet unformed. I was in pieces that night. I was so angry to find that I could travel through time, yet still I hadn’t been able to do anything to save them. I felt powerless against fate. Everything I did seemed pre-destined. So Vallalar brought me here, to this place. He didn’t know exactly what this place is but he had an idea. He thinks this nothingness is what exists before the future forms. It’s like this place is still waiting for someone to make a decision which would bring this world into existence, or something. He believed that this line showed that not everything was decided. That free will still existed. That we're free to choose. It made a lot of sense and helped me feel better, like there was still something I could do. And Vallalar told me of a prophecy too.'
Sam had found the passage during his research in the library and had memorised it.
‘The prophesy was made by a woman called Ursula Sontheil, known as Mother Shipton, who lived in the time of King Henry VIII. She made many predictions which seem to have come true both about inventions which would appear like cars, email, submarines and airplanes but also about events. She predicted the defeat of the Spanish Armada, her own death and even the Great Fire of London. How could she have known about that, Kya? She must have had presence. She must have travelled. But one big prophecy doesn’t seem to have come true yet. It says,
’A fiery dragon will cross the sky,
Six times before the earth shall die,
Mankind will tremble and frightened be,
For the six heralds in this prophecy,
And when the dragon’s tail is gone,
Man forgets and smiles and carries on,
To apply himself – too late, too late,
For mankind has earned deserved fate.
His masked smile, his false grandeur,
Will serve the gods their anger stir,
And they will send the dragon back
To light the sky – his tail will crack,
Upon the earth and rend the earth,
And man shall flee, king, lord and serf.’
Sam looked at Kya. 'if what I learnt in Mu is right then the end of the world isn't what we thought it would be.'
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Well, Weewalk,’ said Tarak. ‘Are you ready to go?’
‘Yes,’ said the kobold, putting an arm around Hödekin’s shoulders. ‘We’re ready. And it’s Owd Hob again now. If I’m going to Kalapa then I have to do this properly.’
Tarak nodded approvingly noting that the kobold no longer wore the child’s yellow dress but was now clad in proper travelling clothes. He didn’t look regal, not yet, but he looked an entirely different kobold
. Owd Hob, King of the Boggarts, was back. Tarak patted him on the shoulder.
‘Make good speed. I am worried that the tide is turning quicker than any of us could have guessed. I am getting more and more concerned that the Riven King is going to find the Blood Line. If he does we’re doomed.’
‘What is the Blood Line?’ asked Hödekin ‘And what’s the danger?’
‘Ah, the Blood Line is one of a kind. The Riven King has been searching for it for many, many years and only one group of people know where it is. Ironically, as that group gets smaller, the danger of it being revealed to the Riven King increases.’
‘But what is it? Stop talking in riddles,’ said Hödekin gruffly.
Tarak laughed. ‘Okay, okay. I will tell you. But this is secret stuff. Very few know what power the line holds, not even many of the Riven who search for it. A man called Alfred Boxall, whom we know as Box, discovered the line many years ago. It is, so far as we know, the only line of its kind anywhere to have ever existed. We are equally sure that Box is the only one who knows where it is and it has allowed him to undermine the Riven for many years.’
’But where does the line lead?’ shouted Hödekin, hopping from foot to foot.
‘Ah,’ said Tarak ‘That is the thing. The Blood Line does not lead anywhere. It leads back to the exact same time and place.’
Hödekin stopped hopping about and ended up standing on one foot, a confused expression on his face. Owd Hob stood patiently, a small smile crumpling his beard, waiting for Tarak to complete the story.
‘You see, when Box found and stepped through that line it delivered him to the exact point from which he had left. But, friend Hödekin, Box was already there. Whereas most lines take the user to another place and often another time the Blood Line takes those who use it to exactly the same time and place from which they left. But that person is already there, so now you have two people. You see, the Blood Line, in leading back to the same place, creates clones.’
