by T. C. Edge
My obsession has given life to that power, my strange connection with this clone feeding and fuelling my gifts. So consumed am I by it, that I’m able to re-enter the vision almost every time I try. And it doesn’t matter how much horror I have to see to get there, I will never stop until I do.
It comes again, the image forming: the Seeker, hooded and still; the town, run down and empty; the sky, clear of clouds, the first signs of starlight appearing in the heavens as the sun drops.
But it’s not the stars that I seek, it’s the moon. Keeping that thought in mind, and nothing else, I feel my eyes begin to sway upwards across the sky, and there, faint as the light fades, the glow of the moon appears before me.
I look close, and take note of its shape: half of it visible on the left, the right side still hidden in shadow.
There’s nothing else to see. There’s nothing else I need. And in that moment, the vision fades out once more.
Excitedly, I return to Drake, rushing down the passage towards the Master’s chamber. The guards let me pass as I go, and I knock hard on the chamber door before they can do anything to stop me.
It’s Markus who greets me. By the looks of things, I’ve interrupted a meeting, several other dignitaries inside with various maps and documents spread out over the central table. I scan the room as he asks: “Theo, what’s the matter?”
There, among the small gathering, I see Drake. His eyes widen at the sight of me, and he comes straight over.
“It’s OK, Markus, I can take this from here.”
Markus peers at the two of us and nods, as Drake comes through the door, shutting it lightly behind him.
As I prepare to speak, he leads me a little way down the passage away from the nearest guards. Then, with a harsh whisper, he says: “What did you see?”
“The moon,” I say hurriedly. “I saw the moon.”
“And it’s shape?”
I nod. “The left side was visible, the right was in shadow.”
“Split right down the middle?”
I nod again.
“OK, come with me.”
He leads me straight up the passage, through the main city chamber, and out of the high arches onto the plateau. Outside, the air is cool and the sky dark, a few puffy clouds still drifting overhead on the wind.
Immediately, he looks up, and from behind a slowly moving cloud, the bright light of the moon emerges, casting a cool glow down into the mountainside. I look at it, and see that it’s similar to what I saw in my vision, the only difference being the curve of light stretching further to the right, eating into the shadow on that half.
“What does it mean?” I ask.
“Six days ago,” says my grandfather, staring up, “the moon was full. Now, as you can see, it’s waning, entering the last quarter.”
“So…” I ask, a little confused.
“So, Theo, we have little time to lose. The moon you saw will appear in two nights time. That is when you will come face to face with this Seeker.”
“But…grandfather, I don’t know where?! How can I meet him if I don’t know where he is?”
He smiles and shakes his head.
“It doesn’t matter, my boy. What matters more is when. This meeting is set, and it will happen. Wherever you are in two nights time, that’s where the Seeker will be.”
I take a breath, and feel a sudden bolt strike through me. Not quite a bolt of fear, nor one of excitement. Somewhere in between perhaps, a mixture of the two.
Drake holds his eyes on me, watching me react to the realisation.
“So, I’m leaving?” I ask.
He nods. “Yes, you’re leaving. And we have no time to waste.”
Once more, he leads me on, this time returning back into the city and down the passage we came from. In through the door we go, the meeting still in progress. Mercifully, my father isn’t present, nor anyone else who might consider my interruption suspicious.
“Drake, anything I should know about?” asks Markus as my grandfather leads me in.
Drake shakes his head. “Not right now, Markus. I’ll be back with you in a moment.”
He continues across the war room, and towards another door, partially hidden in the rock. Inside are his own quarters, a comfortable bedroom and living space only for him. He moves towards a wardrobe, opens it up, and pulls out a bag from a drawer.
He comes back towards me, and hands me the bag.
“Tomorrow morning,” he whispers, “more recruits are being gathered to help down in the valleys. Our soldiers are being stretched thin, and we need all the help we can get. Use it as cover to get down there undetected. From there, you can get to the desert floor and cross towards Knight’s Wall. It’s important that no one knows you’re leaving the city. We don’t want any rumours going around.”
“But the people know my face now. How will I get down there without them seeing me?”
“Look in the bag,” he says.
I open up the little sack, and pull out a flimsy piece of plastic. Holding it up, it resembles a mask.
“This…is going to help me?” I ask, a little unconvinced.
Drake smiles. “It’s a morph mask, Theo. Tomorrow, before you join the recruits, put it on, and I can assure you than no one will recognise you.”
“I guess I’ll have to take your word for it,” I say, putting the mask back into the bag. As I do, I notice that there’s another one inside. “There are two…” I say.
I look up and he smiles. “You never know,” he says. “A second might come in handy.”
9
Volunteers
That night, I don’t concern myself with my visions. Instead, I sit in a state of nervous contemplation, thankful now that Ajax has decided to uproot himself and park over in Vesuvia’s room.
In the lonely silence, I prepare myself for the journey I’m about to embark on, packing a bag to take along for the ride. Inside, my trusty hunting knife awaits, now usurped by the extendable dagger given to me by Athena, but still holding a strong sentimental value for me.
Along with both weapons, my bear claw necklace nestles comfortably into a side pocket, another memento that has served to define me in recent months. From it came my name at the Watcher Wars – Bear’s Bane – a name that many in the city know me by now.
Most certainly, word of my recent adventures has spread around the place, my face and names – both real and warrior – being well known across the city and world beyond. No longer am I merely the son of legends: I am joining them on that top step, my deeds written alongside theirs in the annals of time.
Many months ago, I’d dreamt of such a thing taking place, of hearing my name spoken by strangers with such reverence and wonder. Now, it’s nothing but a side thought, a welcome bonus among the more serious issues the world is facing.
And, right now, my celebrity is perhaps more of a burden. Because, as Drake told me, getting out of the city unseen and unknown is a top priority.
I hardly sleep that night as I prepare to leave, for the first time heading off into uncharted territory alone. For anyone else, going head to head with this Seeker without aid would seem like almost certain suicide. After all, this boy may be the most powerful of all of us, lifted above even the likes of Athena and Link. And yet, despite the obvious deficit in our training and powers, I don’t feel as if this encounter will be my last.
Something inside tells me that I won’t be dying by this Seeker’s hand. That my journey isn’t set to end yet.
Drake must think the same. Were my life to be under threat, would he really send me out there with no support? Surely, right now, if we know the Seeker is going to be there on his own, it would be best to summon all of our Watchers and take him out? At least, that’s what others would say. I can hear my father, in particular, spouting those words right now in my head.
Clearly, however, Drake assumes that there’s something else at play here, something that I, we, need to see through. Those are my orders. And that is what I’ll do.<
br />
Dawn rises swiftly after only brief bouts of sleep. During such days of war, it’s common for many to rise at such unholy hours, sleep given short thrift when there’s so much to be done. Soon enough, a gathering of volunteers will be appearing at the entrance to the main chamber, set to head down into the valleys to help with the war effort. Their remit: to help with the management of the refugee and support camps, and to help comb the Deadlands for those still trying to flee the fighting across the regions.
At a time when all movements are being carefully monitored, they will act as the perfect cover for me to sneak my way out of the city and beyond. To break free of the shackles of Petram, and set my sights on my destiny beyond.
So, as dawn shuffles into early morning, I creep to the doorway and listen intently for movement. Already, the sound of voices and activity can be heard out on the landing and into the kitchen below, all of the adults in the house quick to get on with their days. In only a few minutes, they’ll all be out the door, heading off on their separate paths and leaving me alone to begin journeying on mine.
So, I wait, and listen, until the house goes quiet once again, before creeping out onto the landing and checking the coast is clear. Looking down the corridor, I see that all doors have been left open except one; only Ajax and Vesuvia remain asleep.
I move down the stairs and into the kitchen, before grabbing some bread and tinned beans to take with me on the journey. They join the rest of my meagre possessions in my bag, replacing a couple that are removed.
Firstly, for good luck, I pull out my necklace and hang it around my neck, tucking it under my shirt to best conceal it. Then, my fingers grip the soft, jelly-like morph mask given to me by Drake. I move over to the window and look out to see that the square beyond the house is already starting to grow with life. However, it’s the reflection in the glass that most interests me, my face staring back as I gently place the mask over my skin.
Before my eyes, I see my features change as the strange material grips at my flesh, morphing the shape of my nose and chin and cheeks, adding a little padding here or taking away some there. For a few moments, it undulates and ripples over my face before setting firm, leaving me with a completely different appearance. I look at myself for a few moments of quiet astonishment, gently touching at my new face, before letting my eyes drift through the windowpane once again and out into the square.
Within the command post, I see Leeta at work, others continuing to join as a new day begins. Secretly, and as quietly as I can, I open the door to the house and step out, keeping my head low so as not to draw attention from anyone. Mostly, it’s Leeta’s gaze I want to avoid.
Staying as inconspicuous as possible, I begin making my way towards the passage that leads to the main chamber. A few eyes wash over me as I go, but it’s nothing but my own paranoia that gives birth to any suggestion that they know I’m up to something. Each merely look at me, and then look away again, getting on with more pressing business.
By the time I’ve reached the main chamber, getting little attention from the guards, I’m feeling far more comfortable in my new skin. Around me, the waking world doesn’t give me the same looks as I’ve come to expect. No longer am I the budding celebrity and hero. Now, I’m just another kid from the regions or the Deadlands, come here to hide away from the war and escape the fighting.
I wander down the streets, just one of the people now, and see the gathering I’m here to join over by the large archways that lead out towards the plateau. There are a few already there, assembling around a couple of women with electronic tablets. I move over to join them, and see that the people are giving their names as part of a roll call.
One of the clerks looks up at me as I get closer.
“Good morning, young man. Are you here to join up?”
I nod. “Yes, ma’am, I want to help wherever I can.”
I feel a pinch of guilt at my phoney enthusiasm, knowing that they’ll assign me to a duty that I won’t be seeing through. It’s not something I like to do, letting people down. But I have to remind myself that my purpose goes far beyond this.
“OK, excellent. What’s your name?”
“Brandon Trimble, ma’am.”
She taps my name into the tablet, before peering back up at me.
“Do you parents know you’re here, Brandon?” she asks me.
I shake my head and continue to build the lie.
“They, um…they died. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I want to help.”
My words are enough to get a comforting hand on the arm and words of consolation from her. It sounds like she’s had to deliver the same to many people before.
The questioning doesn’t extend beyond that, though. All she says is: “Well, we’ll be delighted to have you with us, Brandon,” before telling me to wait here while others arrive, and that we’ll be moving down to the valleys in the next half hour or so.
First stage of my plan complete, I decide to wander down the streets of the central chamber for a little while, enjoying the sudden anonymity I’ve been granted. The place continues to come to life as the minutes pass, the burgeoning business of the city largely suspended in favour of the war effort. Now, many places of work have been given over for the cause, being used to house newcomers to the city and providing shelter to those who need it most.
Still, some places operate at they once did, the entire city not strangled by the conflict. Here, life will continue to go on as it can’t elsewhere, the mountain fortress safe from attack and the only place where some semblance of normality can continue.
I pass by a few stalls that still operate in the merchant sector, not moving too far from the archways for fear of being left behind. I browse through the place, wandering casually here and there, looking on as the group of volunteers continues to swell.
Soon enough, I’m about to make my way back, strolling up the streets towards them. And, as I do, I feel a heavy hand come down on my shoulder, twisting me around and into a quiet side alley.
In the shadows, I see the scarred face of Ajax staring at me, his dark brown eyes peering curiously at my face. It takes me a moment to remember that I’m wearing the morph mask, making his interruption all the more unusual.
“What the hell are you doing?” he growls at me.
I take a moment to wonder just how he knows it’s me. For a second, I play dumb, before coming to the conclusion he won’t be fooled.
“I know it’s you, Theo,” he says. “Where’d you get the mask?”
“How…” I ask.
His eyes glance down to my necklace.
“The bear claws,” he says. “And I know your clothes, and your walk, and your shape. Hell, Theo, you’re my best friend…of course I know it’s you.”
Jeez. I didn’t think I was so easy to spot.
“Now what’s going on? Tell me…”
“I’m just having a stroll,” I lie. “I’m sick of people knowing who I am all the time.”
He clearly doesn’t believe it for a second.
“And I guess you just found the mask lying around the house, right?”
He inspects me closely, like his father might, seemingly trying his hardest to read my new face. It’s my eyes, however, that he looks at most intently, those which haven’t been altered by the mask.
“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” he asks me. “I know you’ve been shady recently. You’ve got a plan going on. Tell me.”
I glance past the alley and down the street at the volunteers. By the looks of things, a final count is being done, suggesting they’re about to leave. Ajax’s gaze follows mine, before returning with a frown.
“You’re sneaking down to the valleys? Why?”
“I have to,” I say, before quickly trying to move past him without further explanation. His strong arms stop me, holding me back.
“That’s not good enough. Just tell me!” he whispers harshly.
I take a breath, and watch as the volunteers continue to get marked off.
I notice the eyes of the clerk who took my details searching the assembly, perhaps noticing my absence. In a moment they’ll consider me a lost cause and go without me. I try again to move past Ajax, but have no chance of doing so. And, something inside me doesn’t want to.
Then, I think of my bag, of the second mask inside. And of Drake’s words last night.
You never know, he’d told me. A second might come in handy.
Did he foresee this too…
With Ajax’s eyes glaring, and the crowd beyond beginning to leave, I have no choice but to give my friend what he wants.
“I’m going to meet the prime Seeker,” I say.
His eyes widen and bulge. “What! Are you mad!? How…”
“I have no time to explain right now,” I say. “I’ve got to go, AJ.”
For a third and final time, I try to move past him. And again, I know he won’t let me, even less so now.
“You’re not going alone,” he says.
Already, I feel my hand dipping into my bag as he talks, trying to lecture me on how foolish I’m being.
“You’ll be killed,” he announces. “You’ve been so secretive lately. Tell me what’s going on…”
“I will, AJ. But not now.”
My hand comes out of my bag, the second mask gripped between my fingers.
“Drake knew you’d come after me,” I say. “He knew you’d be coming too.”
I pass the mask to him, and he stares down at it.
“Put it on, AJ, because our train is leaving the station.”
And, with a final push, I brush past him and begin marching towards the crowd, hurrying to catch up. And when I reach the back, and turn my eyes around, I see Ajax’s towering frame rushing to follow.
Only now, he’s lost his scars.
And has a completely new face.
10
Searchers
“Ah, Brandon, there you are.”
Reaching the back of the pack, the eyes of the clerk find me.
