Touching Elijah on the arm, I said all low-like, “Spill now. You do not want to go to that building, not for all the seeds in what is left of this land.” Elijah blinked slowly and wiped his face with both hands. Orva folded her arms and gave him a dark look that made me shiver.
“Lilith had a device. I caught her talking to someone on it. She hit me hard. When I woke, Agros, or Carnies, or whoever they are, were there laying explosives. She was eating cake and choc, taunting me with the delicacies. She told them to leave me, then left. Everything went boom. I ran after them dodging bangs and bits of rubble. When we got to the outside, I caught up with her. She didn’t say anything. We fled here. She kept mumbling things about the mayor and how when we were safe she would do such dreadful things to me if I blabbed, that I swore I would not tell of her part in planning the Praisebee diversion with the mayor. That is it, that is all.”
“That is enough,” Orva said. “You will be treated well. Better than the other prisoners. You will come with me.”
“What? No, Orva, you cannot take him to the Decontamination place, you cannot. He gave me the disc, he has been of help.” I stood in front of the trembling Praisebee.
“Do not concern yourself with these matters. He will be treated well enough. He is not a threat, but he knows Lilith and he knows more than he remembers.”
Elijah looked to me, but I could do nowt except shrug. He did the finger to head and shoulder thingy again.
Orva called to Dreng. “Take him with the others. He has been helpful and will be again. Not so much a prisoner as an informer. Accommodate him accordingly.”
“Dreng, wait a sec,” I said and indicated that he follow me to a distance away from the others. When far enough away so as not to be heard, I said, “He is not a threat, he is good. Treat him well, you can see that he has suffered.”
“Aye, that is clear. Ye need not concern yerself for his well-being lassie.”
“But still. He is an innocent.”
Dreng twisted his mouth and rubbed his chin. “Perhaps. I will see to it myself that he comes to nay harm. All I can do. Try to focus on yer mission, not the fate of one who is caught up in something wrong.”
“You are right. You are Woodsfolk are you not?”
“Aye, that I am.”
“What must I fear from them?”
His eyes opened wide. “Nowt. We are peaceful and friendly. Oh wait, except, stay clear of the Nearly camp. It is deep into the woods, ye should have nay cause to wander that far in.”
“Right. Elijah said some stuff about them that I didn’t quite glean.”
“Ye will if ye meet them.”
“I shall endeavour not to do so then.”
Orva came over to us and made a head tilt in the direction of Elijah. Dreng nodded, walked over to him and put his hand on his back.
Elijah looked at me with fear.
I gave him what I hoped was an encouraging smile, before Dreng guided him to the Foodpreproom where the other fake Agros remained.
“Are you ready to leave Adara?”
I let out a deeply sigh. “As good as I ‘spose, Orva.”
“You have supplies and the like?”
“Yep. All in my Synthbag.”
“Here,” she said and took some oval brown things from her trouser leg pouch. “Vombombs. Throw one of these on a bod and they’ll chuck up their guts till nowt is left but air.”
I took the grenades from her and put them in my Synthbag. “Should we wait until nightfall?”
“Do you wish to?”
“Nah, best get going before I get a bout of wobbleg and change my mind.”
“Your Santy would not send you unless you were able.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Looking around the room, I saw Grangran still chitchatting with the oldie male. I waved to her, she waved back. Orva shook her head and pushed me towards my grangran. “Give her a proper byebye Adara.”
I went to her and she took my hands in her wrinkly ones. She smiled as though I were about to go to the park for a game of footsieball rather than a deadly mission. But I was glad for that, for my insides whirled around like the falling seedpods from a sycamore tree.
She brushed hair away from my face and patted my cheek. “Not so good at the leavetaking stuff. I’ll go with you to the border and create a distraction whilst you slip over the fence. Give me something to do eh?”
“Ta Grangran.”
The oldie male she had been talking to, which I recognised as being one of the ‘dults that used their stick as barriers, handed his cane to her. “Here Amranwen, in case things get nasty.” She took it from him and together we walked to the exit.
Meilyr followed. He touched my arm. “I heard you are to leave. Be careful,” he said and slipped a bar of Sterichoc into my hand.
I came over all girlygig for a sec and embraced him most fondly. He blushed then returned to the communal room.
“He’s a goodun’. Make someone a goodly hubby,” Grangran said and winked.
Thankfully Orva arrived and any more talk of Meilyr or hints of joining with said male vanished. “Ready?”
“Ready”
We squared our shoulders and left the safety of Goldenagehomes to make our way to the South perimeter fence.
Linking my Grangran, I said, “Did you find out who opened the gate?”
“There is a suspect.”
“Who?”
“Deogol.”
“Wa? No.”
Grangran sighed. “He was seen. We don’t know what he was up to on the comps, but whatever it was, it made him turn against his own. I am not sure if he is right of mind Adara, I truly don’t.” She looked at me all serious-like and said, “Folk are devious. Trust no one.”
I could not believe my bro would do such a thing unless greatly coerced. So much had occurred of late. No wonder he became confused and afraid. Perhaps he was told of safety. Perhaps lured out by promises of keeping us all unharmed. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.
My noggin swirled. I shook my head to dispel the nasty thoughts that began to take shape against my bro. No, he was the victim. He was took against his will. I knew that. I knew that he must be found and brought back. With a wipe of my nose, I gulped and squeezed Grangran’s hand.
We walked slowly so as not to tire her, although she trod quite nimbly for one of her advancing years. I looked towards Centralplaza and saw S.A.N.T.S. and Minion trucks swarm towards it, and hoped that soon all would be restored.
The ground became less even the further away from the hub of things we went. Orva took Greatrangran’s arm and helped her manage the rough trail we walked along. I felt rocks and small stones under my feet. They made far more contact with my flesh than I would have liked, and I began to wish that I had been able to change my footwear from fashionable to practical.
The perimeter fence came into view. It was higher than I remembered and spiky at the top. Although I could easily climb the wire-stringed structure, I was concerned that it may be switched on to full capacity. “Orva, is the fence alive?”
“Don’t know for sure. Wouldn’t think so, what with the power going off. Don’t fret Adara. I have a negatekey and will use that to nullify the barrier, just in case.”
Orva leant close to Greatgrangran and whispered something into her ear. Grangran giggled, put the walking stick in front of her, and leant hard upon it. She feigned feebleness so well that I almost went to her aid. She staggered up to the guard hut and all but fell into the arms of the ‘dults on duty.
Orva pushed me out of eye view and said all low, “When you see me enter then leave the guard hut, climb over the fence. Run faster than you have before. Then go into the shrubbery. Wait a few secs, and continue.”
“What then?”
“All will be revealed as you journey. Apparently, things are in play.”
“They are?”
“Yep. Ready?”
“Nope. Yep. Yeah, ready.”
With a grin, Orva gave me a hearty slap
on the arm, then marched over to where Greatgrangran was wheezing and moaning. Orva slow-blinked and my Grangran grabbed onto one of the guards so hard that she almost dragged him to the ground.
She feigned more coughs and shortness of breath. He leant close and tapped her back, totally engrossed in her condition. Orva took the other guard by the arm and went into the hut. A few secs later they came out.
My cue to climb the fence.
Picking up a stone, I threw it onto the structure. It did not trigger the alarm, so I guessed it had no power. I took one lastly look back, then placed my hands and feet upon the bendy wire strands. Taking in a deeply breath, I climbed up and over the fence.
Once on the other side, I rushed into some dense shrubbery and knelt down. I parted some large-leafed green thing and saw Greatgrangran tugging on the coat lapels of the guard. She pulled and pummelled him out of sight. I wished I could have told her how brave she was.
I was about to leave when Orva and the other guard came up to the fence, just where I was hiding. She turned her back on me and leant all casual-like against the barrier, whilst the guard threw something over it. It landed behind me. I picked up a knotted piece of cloth.
Opening it, I saw a hastily drawn map showing squiggles that looked like a path through the trees before me. Then I heard the guard say in a quiet voice, “You who have taken flight to who knows where or why, might consider making your way towards the end of the forest before you. Easy to do if you keep the sun on your right shoulder and look to the map from time to time. More will be revealed when you do.”
He swivelled round and both he and Orva strode away.
I waited for them to join Greatgrangran, and whilst all three were busy attempting to restrain her, I crawled slowly away. Then stopped ‘bruptly.
There was a sound in my noggin, like a voice whispering to me. Or was it just the wind rustling the blades of grass.
I lifted my head and breathed in the mulchy scent of the wild outdoors.
The Wilderness called to me.
I answered with a shrill warble that burned my throat.
Then I hunkered low and crawled away from Cityplace to find my bro.
The End
Continue the gripping story with
Echoes from the Lost Ones
Book 2 in The Song of Forgetfulness series.
The struggle to survive just got harder.
After Agros abduct her brother, Adara leaves Cityplace and embarks on a perilous quest to find Deogol through the ravaged, dangerous terrain of NotSoGreatBritAlbion.
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Nicola McDonagh was born in Liverpool, the youngest of six children. She grew up amidst books, music and lots of animals. She originally trained as a photojournalist, but her love of the theatre and story telling, saw her gaining an Honours Degree in Drama and English Literature and a Diploma in Creative Writing from the UEA. She spent many years as an actor, scriptwriter and workshop leader, but gave it up to concentrate on her writing. She is a creative writing/photography tutor, and editor.
Nicola won the Suffolk Book League’s Short Story Competition, and was shortlisted for The Escalator Genre Fiction Competition. Her debut novel, Echoes from the Lost Ones, book 2 in the series, The Song of Forgetfulness, was published by Fable Press. The series has been re-vamped and Nicola self-published them in 2015.
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Website:www.thesongofforgetfulness.com/
What people are saying about
Whisper Gatherers, Echoes from the Lost Ones and A Silence Heard
Whisper Gatherers:
“If you like action, and science fiction then you’ll appreciate one of the first books EVER that gives you high powered adrenalin with chilling revelations of utter suspense ! This book is amazing to read and you will not want to put it down!”
“The author does a great job of drawing you in with her futuristic descriptions, at times it felt like I was watching a movie, that’s how enthralled I was with the book.”
“The central character has a convincing mixture of wilfulness and self-deprecation, and the imagined world is sufficiently complex to provoke thought and wonder. Nice to know that there are further episodes to pursue. A good read.”
“There's danger, humour, pathos, and lots of fast-paced action that makes this book a very exciting read.”
Echoes from the Lost Ones:
There is a lot going on in this book set in a dark dystopian future, but the characters are brilliant, real, and quirky, and keep everything moving along nicely. I loved the unique language, and both the style and the voice of the book reminded me of Patrick Ness' Walking Chaos Trilogy. I would definitely recommend it to people who enjoy his books! A brilliant and unique read for adults and young adults alike. Very impressed and will be reading the next instalment.”
“Addictive and engrossing-. It creates its own unique world where there's danger, and fear, and regret, but where there is a barrel load of humour, too…”
“A great story full of fun wordplay, great imagery, and an underlying commentary about the frailties of mankind.”
“A story of trust and faith "Echoes from the Lost Ones" is an adventure that takes you to a time and place like no other.”
“Post apocalyptic world where people worry about when they're next going to be able to go to the loo! Genius, why did no one write this before.”
A Silence Heard:
“A Silence Heard was action oriented and perilous! I was definitely on the edge of my seat as I read, waiting to find out what happened next!’
‘A world in which morals do not exist and yet somehow this little band manage to maintain a sense of compassion and humanity. It is a fight for survival against a cruel and destructive enemy who tries to obliterate any good left on the earth. Tremendous read for young adults who I'm sure will identify with the futuristic genre of the book.”
“I admire that the author had the courage to set the personal stakes for Adara very high in this volume. War is a messy business, and it comes at a horrific cost. That's a tough lesson and one that many authors gloss over for fear of alienating readers. Heroes have to win some and lose some, or the story becomes implausible and lacks tension. That's certainly not the case in A Silence Heard. I look forward to the next volume.”
Whisper Gatherers Page 19
