‘Yeah, we can all see it.’ Marissa whispered as she hovered next to Katla.
‘You speak for yourself.’ Tahir grumbled as he started rocking backwards and forwards trying to maintain his position.
‘Surely you can see it?’ Marissa asked as she reached out to take the bubble of gas from Katla. As she looked at the gas patterns began to form in the shell.
‘How you doing that?’ Tahir asked as he reached forward, touching the bubble with his finger the shock spread across his face as it exploded softly.
‘Well I was just looking at the pattern of energy I could see in the shell till you disrupted it.’ Marissa scowled as she reached down for the next bubble about to breach the surface of the tar.
‘Here, let’s have a look.’ Tahir whispered as he pulled both hands back so as not to irk Marissa further.
‘All I can tell you is this isn’t natural gas like the rest of this pool’s throwing out, this gas isn’t even of this planet.’ Hebro said softly as she caught another bubble of gas just beneath the surface and pulled it into the open.
‘How can you tell?’ Tahir asked as he looked at Hebro his eyes bulging slightly at this latest revelation.
‘Everything in the universe operates within a specific range of frequencies, different planets have slightly different values, this gas is from outside the normal range of frequencies for Earth.’ Hebro replied softly as she let the bubble go and watched as it floated off.
‘Mother, do you know which planet this gas is from?’ Katla asked as she turned herself over, placed her hands behind her head, if she wasn’t hovering a few inches above the tar pits you’d think she was relaxing on a beach.
‘None in this part of the universe. If I had to guess I’d say Bortevius, on the far side of the universe.’ Hebro replied softly as she turned to look at Stefan who had developed a vacant look across his face. ‘Stefan can you see me?’ She asked seriously, her eyes flitting between the others rapidly.
‘I see everything.’ Stefan replied softly as he turned to face Hebro, his eyes ablaze with green flame and energy.
‘Stefan concentrate, focus on me here and now.’ Hebro said seriously as she reached over and wrapped her fingers around Stefan’s wrist.
As he turned to face her stream of energy raced between his eyes and surrounded his body, the skies above them began to darken and the air became heavier to breathe.
‘Stefan.’ Katla growled as her eyes joined Stefan’s turning to two green suns of energy and flame.
‘Daughter, you must hurry.’ Stefan barked loudly as the skies began to clear.
‘What’s happening?’ Tahir asked as he floated over to where Stefan hovered.
‘Bhaniwdral’s beginning to lose control, he must be nearly unspooled in Stefan’s mind.’ Hebro replied softly as she took hold of Katla’s hand and squeezed tightly.
‘How’s that possible, you said Stefan couldn’t handle that much knowledge and it would obliterate him.’ Marissa whispered softly as she wrapped her arm around Stefan.
‘By all rights he should be dead already.’ Katla replied softly as she looked at Stefan, a pitiful look etched across her face.
‘I thought you said Bhan was helping hold him together.’ Tahir choked as he held onto his friend tighter.
‘Bhan’s reached his limits, without the final piece you have less than twenty-four hours.’ Marineus whispered from nowhere.
‘How do we find the final piece then?’ Katla growled as she turned her head from side to side to see if she could identify where Marineus was.
‘Go back to the beginning, go to where it all started.’ Marineus whispered softly as two green suns flashed just above Stefan who smiled weakly.
‘What did she mean by that?’ Tahir asked as he waved his arm in the space where Marineus’s eyes had been.
‘We have to go to where the last piece was placed and removed from.’ Stefan croaked as he closed his eyes.
‘Do we even know where the shard was thrown after it was removed from Earth?’ Marissa asked as she looked across at a small boy who was stood looking at the pits with an ice cream melting in his hand. No adult registered the small group hovering above the pit but the boy obviously had because he was pulling on his mother’s sleeve.
‘When we attacked Bhan we scattered the pieces across the cosmos. One shard was left in orbit, it was meant to never touch the surface but we saw how that worked out. The largest shard was taken and thrown into the deepest gravity well we could find. Vilstang then created a galaxy around it to stop any of the others from reaching it. Unfortunately, one from the lower planes decided he wanted more, he spent over a million years breaking into the well. Regrettably he hadn’t mastered traversing a gravity well of that size, he spent the next sixty-four million years scaling to the bottom, recovering the shard and climbing back out. He then made it here in the hopes of using the shard to become the most powerful being in the universe.’ Hebro replied softly as she followed Marissa’s gaze to the small boy.
‘What stopped him then?’ Tahir asked as he looked at the small boy. ‘That’s me.’ He whispered softly as he looked at the ice cream. ‘I remember seeing something when I was here with my mum as a small boy.’
‘How’s that possible?’ Marissa asked as she looked between the boy and the full-grown man immediately to her side.
‘I don’t know.’ Hebro whispered as her eyes flashed and the scene changed back to the cabin in the woods.
‘Ok, will someone please tell me what the hell’s going on.’ Marissa growled causing sparks to fly between her eyes.
‘I brought us back here.’ Katla replied softly as she dropped to her haunches and looked across at the cabin, a small trail of smoke emanating from the stone chimney on the far wall.
‘What can he do?’ Tahir asked as he pointed to the small man who was sat on the front porch, a pipe sticking out of the side of his mouth and a large steaming mug by his side.
‘I needed to clear my head.’ Katla grumbled as she stood, turned and began to walk towards the house.
‘She hasn’t a clue, has she?’ Tahir asked as he watched her walk up to the old man who just stood there before removing the pipe and wrapping his arms around her.
‘No, despite all her power and knowledge she just wanted her dad.’ Hebro chuckled softly as she watched Katla drop to her knees and begin to cry.
‘How will this help us?’ Tahir asked as he dropped onto a stone beside the stream.
‘It won’t, Bhan can’t leave this place as he is, this is part of his prison, just like on Earth.’ Hebro replied softly as she looked at Marissa who had tears streaming down her cheeks.
‘Why can’t Bhan leave here?’ Tahir asked looking across at Stefan who was stood at the edge of the stream.
‘The piece of Bhan we’re seeking possesses the key to his escape.’ Hebro replied softly as she turned to where Stefan stood and began to walk slowly towards him.
‘So why don’t we get on with it?’ Marissa asked choking back tears.
‘I can’t go with you.’ Stefan whispered softly from the stream.
‘Why not cuz?’ Tahir asked moving to Stefan’s side and wrapping a comforting arm around his friend.
‘Here I am myself, free of all the voices in my head and not fighting to contain the power I can feel flowing through me.’ Stefan replied seriously as the water stopped flowing down the hill and began to rise up his legs.
‘I don’t want to lose you cuz.’ Tahir mumbled softly as he fought back a tear.
‘You’re not losing me, I know you’ll recover the spear and unite it with the rest of the pieces then see me home again.’ Stefan chuckled as the water now reached up to his waist.
‘How are you doing that?’ Marissa asked as she walked out into the stream and stood beside Tahir and Stefan.
‘I’m not doing anything.’ Stefan replied as the water now reached his chest.
‘No, I am.’ Bhan announced from behind them.
‘Stop it, p
lease.’ Marissa pleaded as she turned back to see the water cover Stefan’s head, as the water formed a perfect cover over him the water stopped moving and turned to glass.
‘It was his choice.’ Bhan replied softly as he looked at Marissa with kind eyes.
‘Why didn’t you stop him?’ Tahir asked tears streaming down his own cheeks.
‘In case you hadn’t noticed he’s the one with the knowledge and power, I’m but a shell of what I was.’ Bhan replied warmly as he walked to where Stefan stood, the glass surrounding him changing colour slightly to a light copper finish.
‘He’s going to live, isn’t he?’ Marissa asked as she turned to Katla who’d come up with Bhan.
‘I assure you he’s perfectly safe my dear.’ Bhan replied as he turned to Hebro who stood on the bank with her arms crossed. ‘Don’t look at me like that.’ He grumbled as he clocked Hebro’s stern visage.
‘Bhaniwdral Chrimocer, you and I both know in your current state you can’t guarantee anything.’ Hebro growled as energy flashed between her eyes.
‘No mother, but I can.’ Katla whispered as she walked up and placed her hand between Marissa’s shoulder blades. As she connected a stream of light yellow energy began to flow from Marissa’s eyes and mouth.
‘What are you doing?’ Tahir asked as he looked at Marissa with a concerned look on his face.
‘Setting her back to how she was.’ Katla replied softly as the light stopped and Marissa’s knees sagged slightly.
‘And you couldn’t have done that before now?’ Marissa asked as she regained her footing.
‘No, I needed my father’s guidance and power.’ Katla replied as she walked over to where Stefan stood encased his tomb. As she reached it she placed her hand over Stefan’s face. For a brief second Stefan glowed the same colour as the light from Marissa before returning to how he was.
‘So now what?’ Tahir asked as he turned to Bhan who looked up at the sky.
‘Now you have to learn the basics of gravity wells and how to survive them.’ Bhan replied softly as he looked at Hebro who smiled softly.
‘I might not be an astrophysicist but even I know you don’t survive a blackhole.’ Tahir replied with a shrug of his shoulders.
‘What do you know about blackholes then?’ Bhan asked as the sky and everything around them turned black.
‘I’m guessing not as much as you know.’ Tahir retorted as he looked across at Marissa and held his hand out.
‘Think of it like a bath full of water.’ Hebro chuckled as before them a large pool of water formed. ‘Think of the universe as a bath full to the brim. We and everything else sit on the very top looking up at the sky, we know there’s something underneath us but we don’t know what. I can tell you one day your species will figure out how to pierce the surface and travel in subspace, but for now think of the water. What happens when you pull the plug, the water, pulled by gravity runs down, eventually a funnel is created, in the funnel it’s the normal atmosphere or in this case the universe but you get the idea. This is a gravity well, everything is pulled in, nothing escapes from the relentless power of gravity. The closer you get to the edge of the funnel everything goes faster and faster, your friend Einstein called it relativity, and his theory has led your species for decades. Have you ever watched the water as it runs out, you’ll see patterns form on the bottom of the tub as the water drains away? Your scientists listen for evidence of the big bang and other cosmological events, the patterns you see on the side and bottom of the tub are those events, when you’ve advanced a little further, you’ll understand how to interpret them better than you do now but you’ll get there.’
‘Ok, I think I get that but how does this help us recover the shard?’ Tahir asked as he looked at the last of the water run down the plughole.
‘What did you notice about the funnel as the water ran down it?’ Bhan asked as he looked between Tahir and Marissa.
‘The air in the funnel wasn’t affected by the running of the water, it remained still.’ Marissa replied softly as the realisation hit her.
‘The piece is located at the bottom of a gravity well, to get it we’ve gotta jump not climb.’ Tahir mumbled a second later. ‘We can’t touch the sides of the well or we’ll be trapped forever.’
‘Correct.’ Hebro said as a smile cracked across her face.
‘You know where it is, don’t you?’ Marissa asked as she turned to face Hebro who shook her head.
‘I know where I left it, I just don’t know which of the countless wells it could be in.’ Hebro replied softly as she turned to face Katla who winked imperceptibly.
‘Father can you help us any further?’ Katla asked as she took a deep breath and held it.
‘I haven’t left this place since I was locked here.’ Bhan replied looking across at Hebro who shrugged her shoulders.
‘No, but we both know you exist outside of linear time. I’m guessing you already know the answer but won’t tell us for whatever reason.’ Katla growled softly as she looked again at Stefan who glowed for a second.
‘I’ve no recollection of that, it’s part of the knowledge locked away in your friend there.’ Bhan replied lifting a bony hand and pointing at Stefan.
‘Now you tell us.’ Tahir grumbled as he looked at Stefan and knocked against the glass case surrounding his friend.
‘Bortevius.’ Marissa screamed as she looked at Bhan.
‘What about it, it’s a small planet in an unremarkable galaxy on the far side of the Eagle Nebula.’ Bhan said almost mockingly.
‘Then why did we find a pocket of it under the tar pits in LA on Earth?’ Marissa asked as she fixed on Bhan with a withering stare.
‘Because there’s a connection between Bortevius and Earth, which means only a powerful ascended could’ve left it there.’ Katla replied looking across at Hebro who shook her head slightly.
‘I’ve no memory of it.’ Hebro said as she looked back at her daughter with pleading eyes.
‘Never said it was you mother, we know over the millions of years since father was imprisoned here on Earth others have visited, guided or just plain looted the planet. Amacleus tried to claim the power for himself, maybe he thought he didn’t need the spear to use the knowledge he took, I don’t know.’ Katla whispered softly as she turned to face Marissa who smiled as if she was realising something. ‘What?’ She asked.
‘You were on Earth for all that time, you must’ve been aware when Hebbie took the spear, you could be the powerful ascended who travelled from Earth to Bortevius without even realising what you were carrying, you’ve said before you’re still learning how to control your powers.’ Marissa replied after closing her eyes for a moment.
‘Even while learning I knew who’d ascended me, I’ve always felt when either of them were close by.’ Katla replied softly as she turned back to Hebro who had begun to smile yet again. ‘What is it mother?’
‘I remember a barren desolate place, not here but back on Earth, I remember the spear in my hand, it felt cold.’ Hebro replied softly as she tilted her head to the side.
‘A desert?’ Marissa asked as she thought for a second.
‘No, it wasn’t hot.’ Hebro replied softly. ‘It was arid though.’
‘Could be the Atacama in Chile.’ Tahir said shaking his head slightly.
‘What’s so special about it?’ Katla asked turning back to Tahir who looked calm.
‘Driest place on the planet, scientists reckon it could’ve been as dry as it is for nearly two hundred million years.’ Tahir replied after taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly.
‘That predates the time I was imprisoned.’ Bhan said as he worked out the times.
‘You’ve been here for sixty-five million, is it possible somehow the piece of you trapped on Earth could’ve helped her out?’ Marissa asked quietly turning to Bhan and smiling.
‘No, the piece of me trapped on Earth is held in the very centre of the planet.’ Bhan replied sniffing loudly.
‘So t
hat’s a no then?’ Tahir asked as he looked across at Hebro and tilted his head.
‘Afraid so.’ Bhan replied as he matched Tahir’s stare towards Hebro.
‘What?’ Hebro asked as she looked back at Bhan and Tahir.
‘You’re a powerful ascended being Hebro, is it possible even remotely before you surrendered here a piece of you detached and is able to operate independently?’ Tahir asked as he stretched out his hands.
‘Are you accusing me of being schizophrenic now?’ Hebro asked shaking her head in reply.
‘It’s just a thought.’ Tahir replied softly as he looked across at Katla who was looking at her mother more intently.
‘Mother, if you wanted you could separate a piece of yourself, that piece would then operate independently of your main persona. In theory it could’ve taken the spear without you realising and hidden it somewhere in the galaxy.’ Katla said seriously as a small beam of energy flashed between her eyes.
‘Ok, this is getting confusing now.’ Marissa said as she walked back to the bank and sat down.
‘One of the benefits of being energy is we can split ourselves into an infinite number of pieces, each with our full knowledge and power.’ Katla replied softly as an exact copy of her appeared next to her.
‘Those pieces can operate and the original wouldn’t know what the copy was doing, is that right?’ Marissa asked as she started to rub her shins slowly.
‘Yeah, if the piece of Hebbie split before she surrendered herself it could in theory have taken the spear and hidden it.’ Katla replied gently as the copy disappeared and Katla flashed briefly.
‘You’re making some very large assumptions here.’ Hebro whispered as a flash of energy surged between her eyes and another copy of Hebro appeared.
‘Is this supposed to prove to us it couldn’t have been you?’ Tahir asked as he studied the new Hebro intently.
‘No.’ Both Hebro’s replied at once.
‘Are you both comparable?’ Marissa asked as she walked over to what she believed was the original.
‘We can both manipulate the area around us, we can travel at the speed of thought anywhere on Earth but beyond that nothing.’ Hebro replied softly as she reached out a hand to Marissa and smiled.
Spear of Heaven: The Fallen Page 4
