by A. J. Dobbs
The darkness enveloped us like a comfort blanket when we arrived and the Badaran were camping on high ground due to the danger of the floods. There were twenty tents set up in a circle in the centre of which were camels, their chosen mode of transport. Several fires burned providing a soft glow of light, silhouetting the Badaran against the night sky. Simean James, their founder and leader was the first to break rank and greet us; his tall, imposing, featureless figure emerged from one of the groups.
‘We’ve been expecting you, Smee. It’s good to see you again. This Stone’s son?’
‘Yes, meet our bargaining chip for the Seventh Seal.’
‘How on Thera did you manage to steal him from under the Keepers’ noses?’ He laughed.
‘I recovered Buckley’s spindrift when Arahas was flattened; the rest was easy. How many men do you have?’
‘Around a hundred and eighty, enough to take on the Keepers.’ We both laughed.
I had known Simean from my first time in Arahas and our bond was one of mutual benefit rather than friendship. Simean was originally from Earth, a hardened criminal who had been sentenced to life in Arahas. He was smart, not as I am, but smart enough for me to recognise his worth. He found out about Buckley and Big Jack’s little scam, but his motives were different to mine back then; all he wanted was out. He wanted freedom from the structure and laws of Earth, so he did a deal with Buckley: he would keep quiet and out of his way if he let him escape. The circle of deceit was complete; neither party had any advantage in breaking it and so the nomadic Badaran were born in the Eastern Desert.
Simean referred to the Badaran as his desert Hells Angels; I didn’t understand this at the time, but he said to me, ‘If you ever go to Earth you will.’ He recruited with care from the town of Arahas and they raided and plundered, hunted and moved on, taking only what they needed; they kept themselves to themselves. But then I came along…
I recognised straightaway that they were a readymade army for me. I suspected that, as they were all cutthroats, the offer of ultimate power and control would whet their appetites and it did. I offered shared power, which I had no intention of giving, of course, but this bought me my army and I was glad to be back with them now. I was a little concerned that we didn’t have a full two hundred men; in a fight with the Keepers, twenty men would make a big difference, but it was what it was.
‘So what is your plan, Smee?’
‘Now that we have the boy, they will come for us. I have offered them a straightforward swap: the boy for the Seventh Seal. As much as I’d like that to come to pass, Albertus will not go through with such an exchange, not even for the life of the boy, but he will be desperately torn by my little puzzle.
‘He will come for a fight, Simean, and he will have to bring the seal with him so our prize will be here with us; our future will be in our hands. If we fail, we can look to no one but ourselves for blame. If we succeed you will be able to return to Earth and have all the riches you desire. We will control the fate of Earth and Arthe.’
‘How long before he comes?’ said Simean, now impatient with anticipation.
‘Knowing Albertus and having suffered humiliation at losing to me twice, he will take stock and plan. I think two to three days, but we must be ready in two. Do you have weapons? The drows in the hands of a Keeper can take on ten men or more; don’t underestimate them, Simean.’
‘Don’t worry, Smee, we have weapons and we know this terrain like the backs of our hands. We also have explosives; one of my men is a bomb expert, and he will set charges in key positions. They are in my playground now, Smee and I decide how we play.’
‘Good, good, take the boy and tie him up, but make sure he is watched. We need to discuss our battle plans and brief the men; but first I must get to Arahas, there is someone I need to speak to.’
‘What now? It’s the middle of the night.’
‘Yes, now…’
The boy was still a jumbled mess at this stage and although he had stopped crying, his mind could not understand the reality change. The ‘jump’ from Earth to Thera was bewildering and I had no time or inclination to explain anything and that’s what he needed: a sympathetic ear. Well I never got it when I lost my mother, so he wasn’t going to get it from me; my destiny was on a different course.
*
The journey to Arahas by camel took just under two hours and was uneventful. It was a pleasant night and my companion and I did not speak; I had no interest in him, or him in me. I told him to wait for me just outside the town and I made my way in on my own. It was late into the night and so the last of the drunks had gone home or collapsed until morning so it was quiet. I had never seen Arahas at this time of the day and its normal bawdy nature was now gone, replaced by a temporary peace; like a sleeping lion, it was strangely pleasant. I found the place I was looking for, knocked on the door and was met by shadow behind an old oil lamp.
‘I’ve been expecting you… get in here before someone sees you.’
‘Where is it?’ I commanded.
‘Before that, I want twice what Buckley was offering as well as passage back to Earth.’
‘Very well… just take me to it.’
I turned on the regulus viewer; I was a little later than the normal weekly time that Buckley had arranged but was hoping the balance would be with me… it was.
‘Who are you?’ said the voice on the other end. ‘Where is Frank?’
‘I’m afraid that Frank Buckley is no longer with us; my name is Odling and I can offer you the same deal as he did.’
The voice was now nervous. ‘I don’t know about that… I need to think…’
‘What is there to think about? You can trust me; I only want what Buckley wanted and I have money.’
‘What about my other request?’
‘Oh, yes, yes, of course, that’s easy to fix… well?’ I was trying hard to hide my impatience.
‘Let me think… call me in a week.’
The voice cut off and the regulus viewer went blank. I was angry but had to remain calm. I had more pressing issues such as getting the Seventh Seal; the Arcanum, for now, could wait…
9th September 2012, Tolemak
The mood in Albertus’ chambers was dark. Sarah sat in silent contemplation, comforted only by one of the ancient chairs, while Thomas and Lucius debated with Albertus around the Great Book their next course of action. Sarah returned from her introspection, frustrated by their secrecy.
‘Will you three stop whispering and tell me what you plan to do to get my son back?’
Albertus walked over and sat by her.
‘Sarah, we are concerned only with the safety of you and Daniel, but we must also consider the wider safety of everyone on Earth, Arthe and Thera. We have not faced such an attack on everything that underpins all of our lives ever. I can’t even consult the Great Book for answers because there are none. We must plan our next moves carefully. Smee has always been one step ahead, often with the balance favouring his goals, which is worrying to me. I firmly believe that Daniel will be safe until we confront Smee in the Eastern Desert and we have the advantage that Smee still thinks we have the Seventh Seal.’
Sarah blurted out, ‘How is that an advantage?’
‘Of that I’m not entirely sure as yet, but it is a key piece of the puzzle we must construct.’
‘Oh, Jesus, you people are priceless; you’re the ones who need to get a reality grip and get my son back.’ Sarah was pulling no punches, as they say on Earth and Arthe.
Albertus placed his hand on her arm and gave her a soft, concerned smile to let her know we understood what needed to be done. Sarah hardened her resolve.
‘Please… Albertus,’ she implored.
She looked up at the three of them. ‘All of you; just get him back.’
Albertus stood up. ‘Gentlemen, we need to convene a full meeting of the Council; get all the Keepers back from duty. We need to move quickly; and where is Elias?’
4 – A Meeting of the Counci
l
9th September 2012, Arahas
With Thomas and Lucius gone, I returned to the town of Arahas and headed towards the Dragon’s Breath Inn. The town was a busy cacophony of noise, people all discussing the events at the prison, and no one noticed my presence until I entered the inn. I opened the door and all heads turned to me as the noisy atmosphere ceased. I made my way to the bar.
‘Could I speak to the innkeeper please?’ The man behind the bar was old and hard of hearing; years of noise in the bar had taken its toll.
‘We have no rooms.’
‘No, I don’t want a room,’ I shouted, realising instantly that I was the only voice in the bar.
‘That’s right, sir, we have no rooms.’
This was clearly going to be tough and as I started to write down what I wanted to say there was a voice from behind.
‘He’s messing with you, he can hear you alright, and who might you be?’
‘My name is Elias Watson, sir, and I would be grateful if you could advise me of the current whereabouts of the innkeeper of this establishment.’
‘Well you’ve found him, what can I do for you?’
‘Do you have somewhere we can talk privately?’
‘Do you have any gold?’
‘Pardon.’
‘Gold, Elias, yellow metal, makes lovely rings and makes me smile. Time is money in Arahas and you’re taking up mine.’ With that the whole inn laughed.
‘I can get you some, but I don’t have any with me,’ I said, somewhat dumbfounded.
‘Well I’ll tell you what I’ll do for you, Elias; you look like a gentleman and there aren’t too many of them around here.’ More laughs. ‘So I’ll take that lovely cloak of yours as collateral, a little insurance policy you might say.’
Reluctantly I handed over my cloak, having first transferred my seal to my trouser pocket.
‘You drive a hard bargain, innkeeper.’
‘Well I’ve run this place for thirty years and I don’t think I’ve given away anything free in all of that time… except the time, of course, my wife left me and I bought this lot drinks.’ More laughs.
He walked in front of me and gestured for me to follow him through to the back of the bar area into a dark cool room, the cellar. I heard the rattle of a handle and within a few moments the room was lit with the soft glow of an oil lamp.
‘How are you, Elias? It’s been a long time.’
‘Too long, you old fool. How are you, Sam?’
‘Oh, fair to downright awful; there’s not much pleasure running this old place anymore. Damn shame the flood didn’t take me and it away with the rest of the scum.’
‘Oh, come now, things can’t be that bad.’
‘Anyway, what does a Keeper want with me? You didn’t come here to catch up on old times; what do you really want, Elias?’
‘Do you still have the regulus viewer?’
‘Of course, over there, behind the pale ale.’
I took his oil lamp and shone it across the far side of the cellar and hanging just above the wooden barrels was what looked like a rectangular mirror. I was amazed it was still there after all these years and that it had not ended up over the head of one of the patrons of the establishment; I was also surprised to see it in such a clean condition, as if it was being used, but that was lost on me at the time.
‘Sam?’
‘Yes, I know, I’m going—’
‘Oh, Sam… my cloak…’
‘Arrrghh, bloody Keepers,’ he grumbled as he threw my cloak back and left me alone in the cellar. I turned on the regulus viewer and waited.
9th / 10th September 2012, Tolemak
Following the instruction from Albertus, Thomas and Lucius headed down the staircase in silence to the Professor’s lab. A quick knock on the door and the friendly face of the Professor greeted them.
‘Come in, come in; tell me the latest news.’
Thomas explained the situation and watched as the Professor’s initial smile turned to grave concern.
‘Well let’s get on and contact all of the Keepers immediately and get them back.’
Whilst the Professor had access to a regulus viewer, he didn’t know the exact whereabouts of all the remaining Keepers so he needed a more universal plan.
‘Thomas, give me your seal please.’
Thomas passed him the seal and he made his way over to the wall where there hung a large gold tripod. He quickly pulled it down and set it upright, placing the seal on top of it; like a precious stone in a ring. The tripod legs slotted into three receiver holes forming an equilateral triangle in the floor and from one apex a grooved channel in the floor ran to the central chimney and up its side to the dark matter door. The three legs of the triangle were also connected with a similar channel.
The Professor opened the door and the energy flowed like liquid, sparkling and dancing down the channel, millions of tiny stars, with a life and destiny of their own. Soon all the floor channels were filled and the energy started to climb the tripod legs, until it reached the seal. The seal was engulfed and now looked like the most amazing diamond, hundreds, perhaps thousands of carats in size. Within a few moments three energy bolts, one from each of the domes on the seal, shot out, exiting the Professor’s laboratory by one of the windows, the beams now on an epic journey to connect to the seals wherever they were in the universe. Thomas’ and Lucius’ seals were glowing and vibrating almost immediately and on Earth and Arthe, three Keepers would soon receive a similar recall home.
In the darkened cellar of the Dragon’s Breath Inn a new soft light added to the oil lamp as my own seal delivered its chilling message to return to Thera…
10th September 2012, Earth
It was early morning and Paris Blondfeld and Jade McQuiston were walking through lush green parkland somewhere outside London, making their way to the headquarters of the Earth Protectors. They had been sent directly to see the head of the organisation, Peter Lord.
Paris, the Keeper of the Third Seal, was around 5ft 5in tall with blonde, shoulder-length hair; she had soft, warm features that drew you in instantly, she was sharp witted, intelligent and a trifle impetuous, but you just knew you would like her. She was also fast with a drows and one of the best I’d ever played against in the Keeper’s Challenge. Her companion Jade McQuiston, Keeper of the Fourth Seal, was slightly taller with straight brown, shoulder-length hair. Jade had a sparkle in her eye and an intelligent confidence but with a more serious demeanour than Paris. Jade was, however, of equal ability in almost every regard and a more measured thinker; they balanced together perfectly. Today, however, they were both confused by their task.
‘Have you been wondering what all this is about, Jade? Why has Albertus sent us to babysit a letter back to Thera?’
‘Of course, but I’m putting my trust in my gut feelings and the knowledge that in all my one hundred and twenty years I’ve never known Albertus tell us to do anything that didn’t need to be done. Whatever is in this message must be a matter of life and death; why use Keepers otherwise? We should be prepared for anything; we don’t know what we could be facing in there.’
‘Sorry I asked,’ said Paris.
The walk through the park was pleasant enough and there were plenty of people just enjoying the calm of nature, even at this early hour. The two Keepers looked a little odd in their matching min-ed clothing, but if you ever visit London you will soon find out, it is full of strange people in strange clothing so neither woman got any attention.
Their destination, a small cottage, was on the outskirts of the park, once the home of the park keeper; its location was not stumbled upon and it was nestled within a small wooded area. As their vista changed from open park to woodland, the sound of gently flowing water filled their ears. To the left of the path they were walking along was a crystal clear stream emerging from an underground well, meandering in tight arcs around the woodland as if searching for a way out of the forest. Kingfishers patrolled the banks as the water tumbled s
oftly over the stony riverbed, rippling the surface water and giving it its distinctive voice. The light breeze jostled the newly turning leaves, blowing some early victims to the floor, creating the wonderful rustle of an autumn woodland floor. Both women calmed in this environment, suddenly feeling safer surrounded by the trees and nature’s creatures.
The path soon opened to reveal a small clearing within which was nestled the stone cottage they were looking for. The cottage was ordinary enough, stone built with small windows and a thatched roof with a single door protected by a simple porch, but it was not, however, the door that they used to enter. Both women walked around to the back of the house and Paris scanned a solid section of wall for the dished-out feature she was looking for; the seal lock. She placed her seal within the lock and the wall section opened up, revealing a staircase that took them underneath the cottage. There was a bright light coming from the bottom and as soon as they had passed through the wall it closed behind them. This light was sufficient to light up the stairwell and provide them safe passage to the bottom.
Peter Lord was waiting.
‘Good afternoon, ladies, I trust you had a pleasant trip?’
‘We did, thank you, Peter. How are you? It’s been a long time,’ said Jade.
‘It has indeed; let me give you what you’ve come for and you can be on your way.’
Paris turned to Jade as Peter led the way, marching them hurriedly through the large open data centre that was filled with screens and computer machines manned by around a dozen people. She whispered, ‘Does he seem a little odd to you?’
‘Everything about this trip is odd, but I agree he is not his usual self. Let’s get what we came for and see what Albertus has to say.’
Their journey through the data centre went largely unnoticed apart from operator seven, Elizabeth Shurman. She turned secretively, aware that her every move was constantly under observation from the security cameras, and tried to just look naturally inquisitive. She returned to her screen, making a mental note of who had just entered.
