Worlds of the Never: A book with Dragons, Faeries and Elves, mixed with Science Fiction and Time Travel, for Young Adults and Teens. (Tales of the Neverwar 2)

by CJ Rutherford

  Perri sighed heavily. “I hope they’re okay. I’ve sort of gotten used to having them around.”

  Katheryne and Derren shared a quick glance and a smile. By them, Perri meant Krista. Not that she didn’t like Toshi, of course, but then she wasn’t in love with him. Katheryne, and even Perri herself, were still coming to terms with this fact. They had been best friends for years and, in all that time, Katheryne never had a clue that Perri was inclined that way. In fact, over the years she’d know her, Katheryne had watched as Perri effortlessly flirted and liaised with heaps of guys. She liked guys, Katheryne was sure she still did, but she’d never been in love with any of them. It was clear to anyone who saw them together that she and Krista were head over heels.

  Krista was still damaged by the death of Dwenn, her first love, who she thought had died years before. Dwenn had returned, though, resurrected as a monster who tried to kill them all. Tenybris had corrupted her soul completely, but at the last moment of her life, as Krista plunged the knife through her brain, the soul was released to fade into the Never.

  Perri had felt Krista’s torment when they all returned to Belfast, so she used her growing empathic abilities to stem the flood of grief and, in doing so, created the bond that allowed them to grow so close. It was early days in their relationship, but Katheryne was certain they would make it. If only the coming war didn’t kill them all first.

  “I wouldn’t worry about my sister, Perri,” reassured Derren, “she can take care of herself. And besides, they’re on Dalryas. Katheryne and I have both been there and there is nothing of any value that might attract any sort of attack. And don’t forget the ‘emergency device’ Toshi and I made.”

  He was referring to the small machine they constructed when they’d realized Katheryne had the unique ability to open portals directly to other worlds, without using Sanctuary as the transit point. Obviously this option was closed to them now, so they needed an alternative method of travel. Katheryne could transport them wherever they needed to go but, unless she stayed, they were trapped there until she returned for them.

  The device acted as an anchor to a specific point in time/space, and any Liberi who knew the code programmed into it, and its location, could open up a portal to it. Each one was single use only as the circuitry Toshi had jury rigged from Earth tech burnt out each time it was activated. It had worked fine in the test runs so it would provide a safe return if they got into trouble.

  “And I’m sure Toshi will keep her from doing anything too reckless,”he said.

  Derren smiled, and so did Katheryne as they both heard Perri mutter, “He’d better.”

  Chapter Six

  Dalyras-that same time

  Perri would have been upset if she could see Krista at this moment. Her chest was lacerated and she bled from multiple cuts to her head. Toshi was nowhere to be seen as explosions went off all around her. The children screamed but she knew it was futile to attempt any effort to silence them. The oldest was maybe eight years old, the rest much younger.

  Damn, where was that slanty-eyed little mother fucker when she needed him? She instantly berated herself. He wasn’t really slanty-eyed, but he’d left her alone to mind these kids. She hated kids...they were so, young. And loud, she’d realized, after 30 seconds of becoming their impromptu guardian.

  They huddled together in a hole which had been a house only hours earlier. The shells had stopped falling a few minutes ago, but Krista still worried about Toshi. He’d run out into the storm after a boy who’d fled in panic when the bombs had landed all around them. She couldn’t call out. The perception she possessed alerted her to the others of her kind nearby. Others would kill her in a heartbeat if they found her, because in their eyes, she was the enemy.

  Maker!...Toshi, where are you?

  A shape jumped into the crater. Krista rounded on them, ready to strike, but a familiar voice came out of the darkness.

  “Miss me?”

  Krista snorted as Toshi released the boy into his older sister’s arms.

  “Next time, I won’t miss, and you WILL regret it.”

  Toshi chuckled. “At least this time you’d get a two for one deal.” He indicated the boy and his sister as they cried, embracing each other.

  Krista returned the grin. “Nice work. Did you see anyone else?”

  Toshi’s face grew grim. “Too many. There are so many children, Krista. The Leadership must have scoured the timelines to recruit them. We need to get this lot to safety. Whatever’s been done to the new Liberi, they have no conscience. They just want to kill. I could feel the rage in their souls.”

  Krista scowled, and vowed to make the Leadership back on Sanctuary pay for what they'd done. The entire government was now under the control of the Tenybrists, after several of their members had been turned. These members had, over the course of centuries, replaced the rightful members of the Leadership Congress with those loyal to their cause, to do anything and everything to disrupt peace and bring chaos to the universe. This was in turn supposed to assist the return of their god, Tenybris. It looked, so far at least, like it was working. There was still no sign of the return of Tenybris, but the Walkers and their Liberi warriors were doing an effective job of purging the galaxy of life. So far, Toshi and Krista knew of more than a dozen worlds which had been utterly destroyed.

  She looked at the children crying, clinging onto each other for whatever shred of comfort they could get. She may not like kids, but she wouldn't allow any harm to befall them. Not if she could help it. There were only so far the two of them could go, however.

  “Do you think we've got them all?” she asked Toshi.

  Toshi shrugged his shoulders. “I think we've got everyone we can.” He stopped and looked over his shoulder, sensing the attack before the move was complete. The small form flew at him like a human bullet, but Toshi plucked her from the air with little to no effort before incapacitating the child with a blow to the head.

  “All I can say is thank the Maker they aren't better trained,” he said, as he laid the small body of the girl on the ground. “I think we're done here, Krista.”

  Krista nodded, and after a second’s concentration, the air in front of her shimmered as she created a portal. She turned to the children. “Alright guys, we're going on a little trip. We need to take you someplace safe, ok?”

  The children didn't move. They were terrified and in shock. Who could blame them, but at this moment, she needed them to move. Krista caught the attention of the older girl whose brother still clung to her.

  “What's your name, honey? Mine's Krista.”

  The girl's eye showed a spark of life, but she remained silent.

  “Ok, then honey, I need to you to help your little brother, can you do that for me?”

  She stayed quiet, but she nodded.

  “Great. Now, I need you to take him and follow me, okay? We need to go through there,” she said, pointing to the circle of silver hanging in the air. “It'll take us away from here to somewhere safe…can you do that for me?”

  “I want my mommy.” These four words touched Krista's heart, and her ice cold exterior thawed. This group of kids was all Toshi and she had managed to find alive, after a school had been targeted by an enemy airstrike. The destruction of the surrounding town made the survival of any of their parents doubtful.

  “I know, honey. But you want your little brother to be safe, don't you? Here, come take my hand, we'll go through together, all three of us.”

  The girl paused for a second, before slowly reaching out and taking Krista's outstretched palm. Her brother followed along as they stepped closer to the portal. Krista was relieved to see the other kids had noticed and were moving as well. Toshi was gathering the stragglers and picked up two little ones in his arms. Tears dropped from his eyes. He'd had a younger sister, and he'd watched as she’d died in the Dragonfire, which had destroyed his world. He had died also, but that was how most Liberi were born, from a violent death.

  She took on
e last look, and squeezed the little girl's hand. She looked up and gave a sad smile before speaking. “My name's Mila, this is Christon.”

  “Hi Mila, and hello Christon. It's very nice to meet you,” said Krista. “Now, just through here and you'll all be safe.”

  An instant later, they were someplace familiar, to Krista at least. A shaft of sunlight shone through a broken stained glass window, and the pews stretched back into the shadows. The others appeared as they passed through the portal, and as soon as Toshi was clear, she closed it. As she looked at the ragged group, she wondered what in the world she was going to do with them.

  Chapter Seven

  The Planet Dranis IV

  Chran stood looking down on the plaza which held the main portal to Sanctuary. The machine maintaining the stability of the huge gateway was now inactive. Chran breathed a sigh of relief as he sensed the scrambler devices activate.

  “Will they protect us?” asked Koron, the Vice Chancellor of Dranis IV. Chran turned round and smiled at the man he had known for over a century.

  “The machines Toshi and Derren designed will prevent a portal forming anywhere within their range. I bought enough to cover the entire city, and as portals are drawn to where they originally form, it should be next to impossible for Sanctuary to mount any sort of direct assault. But I’ve explained this to you already, Koron, do you doubt my word?”

  Koron looked around. No one was watching them, so he put his hand on Chran’s elbow and led him to an alcove, which hid them from sight of the rest on the assembled dignitaries in the hall.

  “I know you’re telling me the truth, Chran. By the Maker, we’ve been through enough over the years to make my trust of you unshakeable.”

  “I sense a ‘but’ coming.”

  Koron’s color raised, and Chran heard the increased flow to his heart as anger bubbled to the surface.

  “There are several among my...peers who don’t agree with what we’ve done today, Chran. In fact, there are one or two who say your version of events conflicts with everything we’ve ever know about the Walkers.”

  Chran sighed. “I know how they feel, my friend. I’m still struggling myself.”

  Koron saw the conflict on Chran’s features. He had confided in him earlier, as he’d recalled the betrayal he felt over the action of the leadership. He’d thought they were allies in the war against Tenybris and the leftovers of his defeat. Instead, they’d revealed themselves to be the very thing the Liberi were fighting to wipe out. The Tenybrists had infiltrated the Leadership centuries ago, and had grown like a cancer, as they had spread their influence. The catalyst to their actions had been the discovery of the Foundation.

  “We searched for the Foundation for centuries, Koron. Throughout the Never, it...she, was our main goal. Find her and bring her to Sanctuary, so she’d fulfill the prophecy, and defeat Tenybris once and for all.”

  Chran’s shoulders slumped. He allowed his self-control to slip for just a second, showing his frustration.

  “Now, we have Katheryne, but no way to fulfill it. The prophecy is incomplete, and the forces of Tenybris, who we thought were scattered among the stars, are now preparing to invade the very universe we were charged with protecting.”

  “At least she is safe, my friend. You managed that much.”

  “Safe. That is such a deceptive word,” Chran said, “Dalryas should have been safe. I mean, what attracted them there? The planet was a world of farmers. They have...had, nothing of worth. The only reason I’ve ever heard of it is because Katheryne and Krista used it to...”

  Chran’s color went from the indigo, which Koron had come to associate with calm, to the bright red shade of anger in a split second.

  “I need to go. Now,” he said, as he stepped out of the alcove. Koron followed close on his heels, as he bypassed the crowd and left the hall.

  “What is it? What’s wrong, Chran?”

  For a second, Chran continued on as if he hadn’t heard the question, before turning to face his friend. “The Walkers invaded and destroyed Dalryas, didn’t they?”

  Koron returned Chran’s angered expression with one of confusion. “Yes, I saw the vids, we all did. In fact, the vids are one of the things which some others are calling into que...”

  He didn’t get to finish the sentence. “Why? Why did they do it, Koron? Think! I’ve already given you the answer.”

  Koron looked at Chran, as if he might be going mad, but then he remembered. Dalryas had nothing of worth, except, “It was one of the worlds Katheryne used to get to Sanctuary...Oh, by the Maker. They’re doing what we are here. They’re making it harder for her to get to Sanctuary. They think if they destroy the worlds she’s used to get there in the past, then she’ll not be able to create a portal there in the future.”

  “Then, they’re wrong,” said Chran, “though I don’t think they care if they are or not. Katheryne can...” Chran’s perception alerted him to the strike an instant before his head exploded.

  Koron’s face twisted in fury as he shouted at the ceiling, “You FUCKING idiots! I had him, he was about to tell me how that BITCH can transport. FUCK!”

  He spent at least five minutes kicking over everything he could reach, and breaking each and every window in the corridor, before he regained control. He looked directly at the master vid feed above the doorway.

  “Get this cleaned up, NOW! I have work to do,” he said, as he turned back towards the hall. Chran hadn’t suspected a thing, until right at the last moment. Now, Koron had to convince the Quorum of the danger. The Walkers could reach here and kill one of their enemies, with no more effort than a trivial bullet. What could they do to a traitorous government?

  Sanctuary needed this planet. After the debacle of Xibaba, this was the only world with a fleet large enough to suit their purposes. If portals continued to be denied to them by the traitorous Liberi, then they would require other methods of conquest.

  Chapter Eight

  The Prison

  Tenybris watched the form stumble as it arose from the ground. He had enjoyed the punishment. The Beast of course, had not, and was clearly still in great pain. And so it should be, the useless sack of dragon dung, he thought.

  The Beast had, however, proven the science of this blue planet was capable of granting him his freedom for the first time in thousands of years. As the beast had used the body it inhabited to create the wormhole, Tenybris had clearly perceived a ripple form in the centre of the hall. It disappeared before becoming fully formed, but he was confident it would have done so, if only the ineptitude of his creature hadn't allowed the stupid bitch to destroy everything.

  The Beast towered over him, but it whimpered as it came to lay down at his feet.

  "What do you wish of me, Master?" it croaked.

  Tenybris contemplated another round of torture, but no. The close brush with freedom had reignited his hunger, and his mouth watered at the imagined taste of fresh souls.

  “Return to the planet. Do not fail me again, dragon. What you have just experienced is nothing compared to the torment awaiting you if you do.”

  The Beast squirmed, and fawned at Tenybris’s feet. “No, my Master. I will not. I’m sorry...”

  The apology was cut off as Tenybris swung a vicious kick at its head. “Oh, shut up and go, monster. Leave me. The sight of you sickens me to my empty stomach. By now, I should have been feasting on innocence, but instead I remain here while you are free to roam the Never. Go. Now!”

  With this shouted order, the dragon swept out its wings and disappeared. Tenybris was alone again, but then, he was well used to it. The thousands of years had, however, taken their toll. His dark hair was unkempt, and he appeared waiflike in comparison to his previous image. The visage which had thrown the universe into chaos, as he’d ploughed a swath through thousands of solar systems, consuming and destroying everything in his path.

  A smile preceded a cruel cackle. Those days were fast approaching again. Only this time, he had a different targe
t. The Veiled Lands would be his, and when he had consumed every scrap of magic, he’d turn his head to Sanctuary.

  And then, once all reality bowed to his will, the Maker himself would feel his wrath.

  Chapter Nine

  The Glade

  Marissa paced the garden as she struggled to make the decision. She knew what she needed to do. Needing was easy. Wanting was the emotion she had trouble with. She had known her husband, Hallor, for almost two thousand years. For all this time, they’d been childless. But a little over 16 years ago their lives had been blessed when Gwenyth appeared in the arms of the woodsman, Calleyne.

  For over a decade, they experienced more happiness than in the thousands of years of their seclusion in the Veiled Lands. Marissa knew it was ten years because she remembered the day her husband returned from his misadventure in the forest, over a century ago. She’d sensed the shadow he brought back with him, but at the time, she thought their love might have been enough to banish it. But the love had turned to hatred, not for her, but for the daughter they had adopted.

  For the first six years of the child’s life he’d been a doting father; inseparable from his daughter. Until the day she’d first show the signs of the fledgling power within.

  From that day onward, he began to grow distant, jealous even, of the magical abilities this young girl mastered with unnatural ease. What started as a cooling of their relationship deepened into distrust. Many evenings ended with heated discussions as Marissa tried to understand his behavior.

  Hallor had been increasingly discrete, but she saw the signs, and began following her daughter when she was summoned to his quarters. She listened as he chastised her. No, that was wrong. He abused her, mentally and verbally. There was no other way to describe it. Yes, Gwenyth was high spirited, and yes, Amilee was perhaps a willing accomplice, but what she heard had alarmed her to the extent of forcing her to confide in her little brother.