'In order for you to fully tap into the power of Shael,' he had said, 'You need to be here.'
'But am I not here now? I feel like I'm here.'
'In part you are. But your physical body is still back in your world. In order for us to succeed, I need you here. Fully here.'
'But how is that even possible?'
He'd then tapped the marked area on the map. 'That's your way through. You see, this world is like a sieve; full of holes. Some of those holes - or tears would be more accurate - leave thin areas between the worlds. They're not easy to find, but if you know where to look, it is possible to use these tears to your advantage. At this location is a very rare tear where numerous locations can be reached. I need you to find this gateway and come through.'
'Is that it?'
'For now. That gateway is going to be key to our success. Find it and meet me on this side. I'll be waiting.'
'How will I know I have the right location?'
'If I'm correct, you should see me through the gateway. If I'm not there then wait until I arrive. Under no circumstances come through before I'm there.'
'Why not?' she said, picking up on his seriousness.
'Because, at least two of the worlds that gateway opens on, could kill you!'
He'd left her then, tossing her the vial as he walked away. 'Don't take too long,' he said, 'That's all you're going to have until you're through. I don't want you to be too distracted!'
After he'd disappeared from sight, she had run into the shack and taken her second hit. If anything, it was stronger than the first, her whole body felt numb as the chemical made its way through her. If he was right about it being anything you wanted it to be, then she was already greedy for the next dose. She laid back on the bed and the next few hours were lost in a haze.
When the effects had worn off, she crossed back. The house was empty, her father presumably at work and her mother, probably doing all she could to spend as little time under the same roof as Elida. She grabbed one of her father's hiking rucksacks from the garage and filled it with a clothes, a torch and as much food as she could fit in. She knew her mother kept money in the house (quite a dangerous pastime with a drug addict as a lodger) and took £300 from the large roll of £20 notes hidden at the back of the the drinks cabinet.
She felt no guilt at stealing the money and there were no pangs of regret as she slipped out the front door into the cool morning air. She caught a bus into Guildford, which, at that time of the morning, was rammed with commuters. The journey took over an hour and by the time she had alighted and found the train station, it was getting on for lunch time. She bought a burger and fries at a stand outside the station and chased it down with a can of coke.
She caught the 14:03 out of Guildford to Yeovil Junction. The journey took nearly two and a half hours, but thankfully she had a seat to herself and bought a packet of biscuits from the trolley vendor. Rather than go searching for the mansion right away, she caught a cab to a dingy Travelodge on the outskirts of town. She paid with cash, which got a strange look from the jobs-worth on reception and spent the rest of the night in her room accompanied by an extra large bag of cheese balls and two over-priced beers from the mini bar.
Her sleep was filled with vivid dreams where she was floating in a bottomless well of blue liquid. For some reason she wasn't fearful of drowning, but no matter how hard she swam, she could never reach the surface. She woke before 6am feeling none the better for the sleep she had had, showered and checked out. She ate a huge breakfast at a nearby Beefeater; swiping some extra fruit and croissants as she left and burying them in her bag. It was still early, so she decided to walk into town to check out the bus routes.
It was nearing 9am and the bus station was alive with activity. She found the timetable and saw the village she needed was on the Yeovil to Dorchester route. The buses ran every hour, so she bought a Latte and two bottles of water from a nearby Costa whilst she waited. As it passed rush hour, the bus station became less hectic. The hustling commuters replaced by a mixture of old age pensioners, single mothers and what she would describe as the unemployable; much like herself.
She caught the 9:45am bus to Dorchester and just after 11am got off at the sleepy and sunbathed village of Meadowbank. As villages go, it was a pretty good attempt: church; shop; green; everything that Elida despised. She thought of asking for directions to the mansion, but, unsure of what Kane had in store, decided to keep a low profile. Dressed almost entirely in black with a part shaven head and far too much eyeliner, she already stood out from the locals. To then start asking for directions would set more than a few tongues wagging.
She was faced with a 50/50 decision and luckily chose correct. Walking out of the village in a southerly direction, it wasn't long before she was at the end of Meadowbank Lane. Ten minutes later she was stood at the gates to the mansion. It had been just over twenty four hours since she'd left home and the familiar pangs were beginning to work their way through her body. She so desperately wanted to find the gateway and the succulent blue liquid waiting for her on the other side, but Kane had been very specific about keeping a low profile. If the gate were to ever fall into the wrong hands, their whole plan would be scuppered; along with any further supply of his intoxicating drug.
There was a wood on either side of the house and she spent the rest of the day laying low, but always keeping the mansion in her eye line. She ate the croissants and fruit and finished off the water, but for the majority of the time she just sat and waited. It started getting darker around 8pm so she shouldered her backpack and headed back to the house. There was a portion of wall that had given way, which meant she could sneak into the grounds without having to go through the main gates and risk exposure. There hadn't been a huge amount of activity from the cottages at the end of the lane, but she had heard the odd car pulling up.
She tried her best to keep to the tree line as she approached the house and it was only the last one hundred yards where she needed to be in the open. The loose gravel of the driveway was impossible to walk on quietly, so she skirted it as quickly as she could. From a distance, the front entrance looked locked tight, but as she got closer, she could see it had been wedged slightly ajar. Probably by some kids on a dare, although by the ominous look of the mansion they would have to have been some pretty brave kids.
She squeezed her way through, and was thankful there was still a little daylight outside as it was one creepy old house. It didn't feel like it was haunted, but she had no intention of spending the night. Kane had been very vague about the whereabouts of the village, but strangely precise about the gates location. She had no idea how he could know this, but she also had no idea about how he could have known about her suicide attempt.
She worked her way through the cellar and the second set of stairs; grateful for her father's high powered torch. She easily found the switch that opened the solid doors at the mouth of the tunnel and twenty minutes after entering the mansion, was stood in front of the gateway. Kane had explained how the gate was activated and hungrily she turned it on. She toggled through the different settings, changing the image on the screen each time. But as she flicked and each new picture appeared, her heart sank.
Kane wasn't there.
7
She toggled through the different scenes a second time, but her suspicions were confirmed. Each of the settings contained an entirely different landscape; all as empty as the next. For all his promises, Kane was nowhere to be seen.
'For fucks sake!' she said to the dingy room. In desperation she toggled the scenes again, but still nothing. He'd told her to sit tight until he arrived and under no circumstances go through. What he didn't say was how she was supposed to just sit and wait whilst her body became more and more desperate for a fix.
There was nothing in the room besides two large crates which she tried to sit on, but her body was so twitchy she couldn't keep still. Both her arms became incredibly itchy and she scratched at them furiously until they bled. Worst of all was the ta
ste of blood, caused by her absently biting her lip; not knowing how much damage she had done before it was too late.
Two hours passed and she literally couldn't take anymore. She toggled the switch a handful of times, but frustratingly each scene remained empty. Knowing it was a huge mistake, but also aware her mind wasn't really calling the shots anymore, she settled on the only scene that appeared to have human life; a peaceful woodland setting bordering a large concrete building. Before she could talk herself out of it, she picked up her bag and stepped through.
She knew she was in trouble the second she materialized the other side. What had appeared a tranquil woodland scene was far from it. Instead of the pure, untainted smell of pines, she was hit by a putrid rotting smell that made her retch with every breath. Undetectable from the other side of the gate was also a low, grass level mist that stung at her legs with each step. The more she moved, the more she disturbed the fog and pretty soon it wasn't just her legs being stung.
It was either the smell or the mist or a combination of both, but it was also becoming increasingly difficult to breath. She attempted to turn and head back to the gateway, but all she managed were two sideway staggers and then she uncontrollably vomited between her legs. This in turn kicked up a further plume of mist which began to sting her neck and face. She vomited again and sunk to her knees; her entire body now fully engulfed by the thickening cloud of fog. As consciousness began to slip away, there was no great enlightenment; she just hoped she didn't go face first into her puddle of puke. She felt herself going and then two strong hands were lifting and pulling her backwards. A random thought crossed her mind concerning peaches, and then only blackness.
It was dark when she came to and it seemed like every inch of her body either ached or stung. Her face felt the worst and she couldn't keep her eyes open for more than a few seconds without them watering. She tried to sit but a wave of nausea hit and all she could manage was to roll on her side and dry heave.
'Try some water,' said Kane, 'Just sips mind, or you're likely bring it all back up.' He handed her an oddly shaped watering can and she did as told.
She was laid out on a thin ground sheet covered by a blanket that felt like it was woven out of steel wool. There was a fair sized camp fire off to her left flanked by two domed tents that also seemed to be made of a thin metal material.
'Where are we?' she croaked and took another sip. She was starting to feel herself as the pain and nausea were subsiding; replaced by the more familiar itch.
'Where we are meant to be,' he said sharply.
'You weren't there!'
'I told you to wait. Another minute and you would have been dead. You're no good to me dead, Elida!'
'You said you'd be there and you weren't. What else was I supposed to do?'
Kane slapped the water bottle from her hands and grabbed her by the scruff of the neck. He pulled her in close, his blue eyes wide with fury. 'You can start by doing what you're told!' he spat, spittle flying into her face, 'There is far more at stake here than you can possibly imagine and I haven't got time to babysit some irresponsible girl.' This last part really stung and he knew it. He released his grip and she fell back on the bed, tears welling in her eyes. The look he gave her was full of contempt and then he turned away, slapping a vial of blue liquid in her chest as he did. 'Heres your fix,' he said, 'Do what you need to do, and then maybe I might get a bit more sense from you.'
He walked off to tend to the fire as Elida swallowed the contents. This time when the darkness came, it was wrapped in an exotic blue blanket and she welcomed it with an open heart.
It was still dark as she woke the second time. The fire had died to a soft glow, but as before, Kane was busy tending to it. Parts of her body still stung, but the effects were definitely lessening. She wrapped herself in a blanket and joined him by the fire. Wordlessly he handed her the water bottle and a plate of tender white meat which she polished off in three bites. She didn't know how long she'd been out, but by the way she finished off a second and third helping, she guessed it must have been a fair few hours.
'I am sorry for earlier,' she said, breaking the awkward silence, 'I should have waited.'
'You should, but I also should have been there. Some of the preparations took longer than expected. It was unfair to expect you to wait.'
'It won't happen again.'
'Unfortunately it will,' he said, 'And next time we may not be so lucky. If we are to bring back the king, then I need to trust you. Can I trust you, Elida?' He looked at her so intensely she had to look away.
'Of course you can,' she said, 'I just fucked up, that's all.'
'Maybe,' he said, 'Or maybe I should just cut my losses. After all, you can never really fully trust a junkie can you?'
'I'm not a junkie!' she shouted, hurt by the accusation.
'Oh really?' he said, 'What would you say you are then? What would you call someone willing to risk their life for a fix?'
She had no answer for that, so just sat by the dying fire looking at her hands. 'I just fucked up,' she eventually said, 'I won't again.'
'Good. Because the next part is going to be whole lot more hazardous than just stepping through a door.'
'What do we need to do?'
'For now, nothing,' he said and handed her another vial, 'Get some sleep. We have an early start.' With that, he unzipped the nearest tent and climbed in.
Elida sat for a while, basking in the heat of the fire and wondering, not for the first time, what the hell she had got herself involved in. When the sounds of snoring came from Kane's tent, she zipped herself in her own. There was a metal framed canvas bed made for her which she sank into; taking her delicious blue blanket with her.
8
Kane was up at the crack of dawn, building the fire and making them a hefty breakfast of strange coloured eggs and some equally strange looking bacon. It may have been nothing like she had ever seen before, but it tasted heavenly. For one thing, Elida thought, this place raised the bar on smells and tastes.
Despite their heated exchanges from the previous evening, it appeared as if she had at least chosen the correct door to come through. Kane explained the poisonous fog had been an extreme kind of defense mechanism, keeping people away from the huge concrete building that lay about a hundred yards from their camp. If she hadn't been so preoccupied with being poisoned, she would also have made out the high level chain link fence that surrounded the compound.
'What is this place?' she asked.
'It's a kind of research establishment. Or at least it was back in the days. They went to a lot of trouble to keep people out. I thought I'd deactivated most of the security protocols, obviously I missed one!'
'Nice. What kind of research?'
Kane shrugged. 'Anything from biochemistry to engineering. They were very advanced. Had to be I suppose. This is where things were created.'
'And we need to go in there? Are there anymore booby traps?'
'There may be some that I've missed. But I doubt it. I'll run another scan, but it should all be safe for when you return.'
'Return? I thought we were here?'
Kane smiled. 'This is where we complete our mission, but before we do, you have two very important errands to perform. Two vital steps to bring Lycheen back.'
'Such as?'
'Firstly, I need you to bring someone to me. Someone from over here. He's one of Lycheen’s creations, albeit a more primitive one.'
'Where am I supposed to find this primitive creation?' there was a slight mocking tone which instantly hit a nerve with Kane.
'Don't take this lightly, Elida,' he said, 'He may be primitive, but he was created to kill. To kill people very much like yourself.'
'Then why don't you get him?'
'Because getting to him will require travelling through the gate. Something you know I cannot do. The gate will get you close to his location, which unfortunately I cannot be exact on. Then I'm afraid you have a bit of a walk.'
'I can't
just get the same gate back?'
'No, that won't be possible.'
'Why not? Is this thing like you? Can it not go through the gates?'
'No, it can travel through the gates just fine, but where your paths intersect will be closer to a second gate which will take the two of you the best part of a day to get to.'
'And that's the quickest route?'
Kane nodded.
'OK, I get it. Catch up with this guy and come back through a different gate. Nothing too tricky there.'
'I'm afraid it's not going to be quite as easy as that. You are going to have to watch your back the entire time. These things. These...Mamluk's have been created to track and kill your kind.'
'What did you call it? A Mamluk'
'Yes. I suppose in your language it would be translated as a slave soldier. I think the name is originally Egyptian - a race that used to have very strong connections over here.'
'And they track people like me?'
'They do, although I'm confident we can disguise who you really are for a short time. Also, the return journey I have chosen has something equally dangerous in it that will act as a good distraction, but you must remain alert. NEVER let your guard down, keep one step ahead of it.'
'Why is this Mamluk so important? Why do we need it?'
'This Mamluk holds the key. Without it, we have no hope of bringing back the king. During the time of his first reign he used the power of this place to create an army. An army he used to rid the world of the faction working against him. Very few of these soldiers now exist. In fact this particular Mamluk is the first one I have detected for hundreds of years. That's why it's so vital we intercept him.'
'But why is it so important?'
'Because this Mamluk - like every Mamluk - contains the very soul of the king! Don't you see? The very building blocks of the king's DNA are inside them.' His eyes were wide with excitement.
'And you think we can get this soul out. Put him back together?'
'Exactly. This facility has all the equipment me need. Don't you see how close we are?'
Meadowbank: A dark fantasy thriller (The Shael Chronicles Book 2) Page 15
