‘Defend a whole city? I could barely defend the net in gym class.’
‘Right now you can’t, of course. But you’ll spend years training; it’ll be so much fun for you. And trust me, once you’ve trained your abilities you’ll be more than capable enough to protect the Imperium, and not only that, you’ll feel capable.’
‘Hmm…’
‘And there’re benefits, too,’ he says, fully turning to me. ‘You’ll be gifted many things. Money will never be a problem for you again. You can eat all you want! And during the years, you’ll get to visit all of Duwyn. Imagine the things you’ll see! The Sun Rocks and their famous Towers. The Dator Isles that are supposedly haunted by the dead. The deserts and the beaches and the forests… you’ll get to see so much!’
‘You’ve sure changed your tune,’ I comment.
He sits back. ‘Well, I don’t want to scare you. I’m your dad, so of course your position worries me, but you shouldn’t pay attention. I’m just an old worrier.’
I laugh and lean into him, my shoulder touching his. ‘I’m glad, though. I’m glad we can be like this now.’
He doesn’t quite know what to do with his arm. Being intimate isn’t something either of us is used to. We sit like this for a few minutes, watching the fire burn, listening to the conversation across from us.
‘And… and I really don’t have to do anything as a Pulsar?’ I ask. ‘Right now, I mean.’
‘Just be yourself,’ says Dad. ‘Yourself is all you ever have to be.’
‘I’ve found you all at last!’ booms a voice I recognise. We turn and see Harriad walking towards us. For an instant I swear his hand had been glowing like a torch. ‘I was looking near to where the cove is and found the soldiers’ encampment instead.’ He looks at me and bows his head. ‘I’m glad to see you made it safely, my Lady. I had no doubt O’Sah would get you here in one piece, though.’
O’Sah puts his silver disk in his robe, sitting next to me. He has a slight smile on his face, his chin stuck out. I’m guessing he’s proud of the compliment.
‘Where were you, Harriad?’ asks one of the Thrones. ‘We were surprised you didn’t escort our Lady to the island as planned.’
‘I visited my old town,’ replies Harriad. ‘I had some business to attend to. Ah, before I risk a beating, I better introduce my associate, Commander Sersu, who will be assisting in escorting you to the portal tomorrow, my Lady.’
‘Didn’t know one girl needed all this escorting,’ I mumble.
‘She was kind enough to show me where you all were,’ continues Harriad. ‘I’m useless with directions.’
Sersu steps out from behind him. She’s larger and bulkier than most women I’ve seen, with short blonde hair and a pointed nose. She isn’t wearing a crimson cloak—so I guess she’s not a Throne—but a sleek blue outfit with silver gauntlets, boots and kneepads. In the centre of her chest is a symbol that I recognise as the same one on the Council members’ pins, and I guess it must be the Imperium’s insignia.
‘My Lady,’ says Sersu, bowing her head, and now that I’ve discovered I’m the last Pulsar, I have the definite feeling that I’m going to have to get used to the bowing of heads.
‘Um, hi,’ I say.
Thunder roars in the distance, but it hasn’t begun to rain over us yet.
‘Better set up the tents,’ says Dad, standing up.
‘I’ll help,’ says Harriad, and O’Sah follows him. ‘Congratulations on your absolution, by the way, Orin. Sebastian was very lenient, but I’m glad for you. It must have been quite a relief…’ His voice fades the further they walk away from us.
Sersu kneels in front of the logs, and jumps when Pegasus comes at her and licks her cheek. Her hands blaze with white light, and Pegasus takes a few steps back.
‘Wow,’ I whisper.
‘Oh, you surprised me,’ she says, and laughs. ‘Come here, I won’t hurt you.’
Pegasus doesn’t hesitate and leaps at her, licking her face.
‘Stop it, Peg!’ I say.
‘It’s quite all right, my Lady,’ Sersu says, pushing Pegasus back and patting his head. ‘I’m quite fond of animals.’
‘…That thing you just did, with your hand, was that your power?’ I ask.
‘What, this?’ Her hands light up in white flames.
‘That is so cool,’ I say, staring at it.
‘This isn’t my power,’ she says. ‘It’s Light Magic.’
‘Light magic?’
‘The essence of magic.’
‘Oh.’ Because I totally understand what she means…
She sits closer to me. ‘Do you mind?’
‘Um, no.’
‘I have to say, I’m very honoured to meet you. I have the privilege of knowing about your existence despite not being on the Council. Not even my soldiers who’ve come here with me know who you are, just that you’re someone important.’
‘“Honour”… “Privilege”… “Important”…’
‘I’m sensing that you don’t like the compliments.’
‘Is your power to read minds?’
She laughs. ‘No, it’s obvious. I bet you’re the type that wears her heart on her sleeve, aren’t you?’
‘Not so much as my heart than my mouth.’
She laughs. ‘If I may ask, why does it bother you so much? Most young girls dream of status and such.’
‘Yeah, I was never really a wanna-be-princess type.’
‘Then who are you?’
I glance at her, and then back to the fire. Although I don’t know Sersu, there’s something about her that makes me feel comfortable. ‘Don’t get me wrong, I like the thought of having magic and stuff. Oh, though I guess I didn’t at first, and to be honest I don’t understand it all yet. I like the idea of being treated special, but when it actually comes to getting treated like that, especially by people I don’t even know, it’s kind of, well, embarrassing.’
‘Embarrassing?’
‘That surprises you?’
‘I’ve only just met you, but you don’t seem shy.’
‘I have my moments.’
She leans forward. ‘I can’t imagine how overwhelming it all is.’
‘Right?’ I say. ‘I feel like I’m in a dream. At any moment now I’ll wake up, boot my dog off the bed, and live my normal, boring life.’
‘Do you want that life back?’ she asks. ‘The “boring” life, as you put it.’
‘No,’ I say. ‘But I also wish people didn’t think I was so… amazing. I’m not anything special.’
‘Maybe you don’t think so,’ she says, ‘and maybe right now you’re not. But you will be.’
‘Are you speaking to me, the Pulsar, right now or equal to equal?’
She meets my gaze. ‘As equals. When I was a child, I grew up in the inner circle of the Imperium. My father is a Record Keeper, a scribe, and my mother was a famous soldier, so our family are well known. My brothers all became soldiers and I obviously enlisted too. Training was not my strong suit, though. See, my brothers before me upheld my mother’s strong reputation, and I… I was sort of a let-down. I failed at almost every physical test I was put through. My mind was strong, stronger than most, but I was a weak twig who couldn’t do anything. Despite that, I got compliments left and right from my commanders and fellow initiates, and,’ she smiles, ‘if you’ll excuse my language, it really pissed me off.’
I laugh.
‘I knew they wouldn’t stop with the compliments,’ she continues, ‘so I just held my head high and trained day and night until those compliments were actually deserved. I didn’t have to feel annoyed with myself anymore. Now look at me: I’m a commander for my league.
‘I suppose what I’m trying to say is that if you train hard, you’ll feel more worthy of the attention you’re getting.’
‘Why is everyone so crazy about the Pulsar thing anyway?’ I ask. ‘Is it really such a big thing to them?’
‘Two hundred years ago it might not have been. Over
the years since they’ve been gone, the Pulsars’ stories have been told many times over. They became legends, heroes. Those days were long gone, those times of power and glory and hope. But when people look at you, even when I do, we see it in you.’
‘See what?’ I ask.
‘A new age.’
We stare at one another as tongues of flame crackle and spit. Whoa. Pretty heavy bombshell. She does realise I’m already intimidated by all this Pulsar stuff, right? I guess in her world kids aren’t kids and don’t get shielded by pretty words that make us feel better and secure and comforted. Reality is reality, and you either accept it or you don’t.
‘I hope I didn’t speak too out of place, my Lady,’ she adds.
‘You don’t have to call me that, y’know,’ I say. ‘“My Lady” is way too yuck for my liking. You can call me Leonie.’
‘Oh, but it’s not really proper to call a Pulsar by their name.’
‘Then it’ll be our secret.’ I smile.
She smiles back. ‘All right, Leonie,’ she adds in a whisper.
Dad joins us by the campfire, followed by O’Sah and Harriad. Sersu leaves eventually, returning to her own camp. When it starts to rain we retreat to our separate tents. As I lay in my sleeping bag, I find it hard to contain the excitement buzzing through me: this is my last night in the world I grew up in. This is my last night in the world Abi was in, and tomorrow, everything will change.
LEONIE
LADY OF LEGENDS
The Thrones lead us to a beach, Pegasus kicking up the sand with his paws. It’s chilly, but at least the skies are bright this morning. The tide has pulled out, and ahead I see a cove, empty of water. I smile. Duwyn. I’m almost there!
‘Ah, before I forget,’ says Harriad, and takes a dark-green cape out of his bag, handing it to me. ‘There will be soldiers escorting us to the Temples of Elswyr, my Lady,’ he says, ‘but they don’t know who you are.’
‘Only Council members know about you,’ the elderly Throne says, ‘and a few at the temples. You can take it off when we arrive.’
Harriad nods. ‘If you pull up the hood and keep your head down, they won’t notice the colour of your eyes.’
‘I actually have something—’ But Dad’s quiet voice is dominated by Harriad’s jubilant one.
‘Green looks rather good on you, my Lady!’ he says as I put the cloak on. He grins, and I can’t help but grin back. ‘Don’t forget the hood now. Perfect.’
We continue to walk on the beach. I see a group of people, probably around six, standing in front of a cave. They wear a similar outfit to Sersu’s.
Sersu approaches us. ‘These are my legionnaires,’ she tells us, though says it more to me. ‘They will be following us to the Temples.’
I wave at them, but they remain firm and still like statues. Everyone else ignores them, so I guess I should do the same.
‘Mind your step, my Lady,’ O’Sah says as we enter the cave. It’s wet and smells like fish, and I keep tripping and slipping over rocks. We journey further in until the sunlight can’t reach us anymore and it’s dark and cold.
‘Um, do we have a torch or something?’ I say, my voice echoing.
‘Don’t worry,’ says Sersu, though she doesn’t give me a reason not to.
I feel Dad slip, and I grab his arm.
‘Careful,’ I say.
I quicken my pace so that I’m walking beside Sersu. ‘Where is this stupid portal?’
‘We’ll reach it soon,’ she says.
I groan.
She laughs, and says, ‘You’re not a patient girl, are you?’
‘You know me so well already.’
‘Heart on your sleeve, remember?’
‘Maybe I should be stiff like O’Sah. Bet he can lie through his teeth. Hey, what’s he like for real?’
‘For real?’
‘Yeah, like, is he always so… bleh?’
‘I’m not sure what bleh means, but he’s more or less like he is now. The way he is gained him a spot on the Council, and for someone as young as him, well, that’s unusual.’
‘I’d love to see him get his knickers in a twist.’
Sersu has to bite her lip to contain a laugh. ‘What an odd thing to say.’
‘I didn’t mean it literally! God, no. It’s like an old phrase for getting frustrated.’
‘Oh.’
‘You Imperium lot are going to have to get a translator for me.’
‘I think so, too.’ She pauses for a moment. ‘I actually heard a rumour about O’Sah when I was enlisting for service.’
‘What was it?’
‘I shouldn’t say. I don’t want you to lose respect for him.’
‘Yeah, ’cause my respect for him is so extraordinary.’
She stifles a laugh. ‘Well, apparently,’ she says in a whisper, ‘when he was still training in the army, he thought his commander was in love with him. His friends tricked him into believing she sent him a love letter, and he went to meet her in camp and, well, this is all rumour, of course, but apparently he kissed her. A commander of all people. Of course, she never felt that way about him, and he ended up black and blue and spent a week in confinement for harassment.’
I laugh, though try to keep it quiet.
‘Oh, shh, he’s looking,’ she says, and we straighten ourselves up and walk onwards.
When she’s ahead of me, Dad walks by my side. ‘You and that woman seem to be getting along,’ he says.
‘Ow!’
‘What?’
‘Pegasus almost knocked me over. Down, boy! Calm down. And yeah, she’s pretty cool. She’s not like O’Sah and everyone else—’
A gush of wind slaps my face, snow blustering against me, and light that wasn’t there a moment ago is enveloping me. I stop, confused.
‘Keep walking, my Lady,’ says Harriad.
So I do.
And out into another world.
‘Wha…?’ is all I manage to say.
Around us stand beautiful, oddly-shaped trees with snow-dusted tops. The sky is blue and full of snow-filled clouds, rays of sun blazing. I blink, my head snapping in every direction.
‘When did we…?’ I try to say. ‘We already went through the portal?’
‘We did, my Lady,’ says O’Sah.
It’s like when I went to Russia with Dad, and though my surroundings weren’t all too alien, there was the odd thing that was unlike my own country. That’s what it feels like now. Despite the sky, the sun, the clouds and the snow looking the same, they’re different, as if their very essence is made up of something completely new. The sky seems purer, bigger, fuller. The sun, despite the cold weather, is brighter and feels warm on my skin. The clouds look more ethereal, calmer, taking on different shapes and patterns. I hold out my hand and catch a few falling snowflakes, looking at them with awe. They may be just snowflakes, but they’re snowflakes from another world.
I look at Dad. ‘We’re in Duwyn?’
He tries to smile, but I can tell it’s forced; the sadness in his eyes is too noticeable.
The wind plays with my hair like it did only a few minutes ago, but this is another wind altogether. This is new air that I’m breathing in, wind and air full of magic and wonder and fairy tales.
Despite Dad’s expression, I smile. ‘We’re in Duwyn!’
I walk ahead of everyone, glancing around me as snow crunches under my shoes. I wonder what the creatures look like here, and how many I’ll get to see.
I stop. Ahead of me stand several Thrones, their crimson cloaks blustering in the wind. They come forward, though not too close, maybe so as not to startle me. Harriad introduces them to me, saying too many weird names for me to remember. They then praise me for traits I don’t think I even have. Amiable presence? Hah! Lady of legends? OK, that sounds pretty cool. But righteous? Honourable? Composed? Did they just grab a dictionary and choose a bunch of positive words? And calling me polite, the girl who talks with her mouth full, the girl who speaks her mind at the
worst moments, the girl who has no intention of hiding when she’s bored, annoyed or offended in order to respect the other person? Well, they’ll soon realise that polite was far from the truth. I’m not exactly impolite towards them, but I hate phoneys, and I hate being phoney, too. Somehow, though, my upfront comments only spawn more of these exaggerated compliments: ‘What a sincere girl!’ and ‘We need a Pulsar of such boldness.’
Urgh.
‘Your privacy is very important to us,’ one Throne says, ‘and, of course, your protection. I’m sure O’Sah explained why we’re concealing your existence from the people of Duwyn for now.’
‘Um, no,’ I say, though Sersu had said only the Council knew about me.
The Throne gives O’Sah a dark look, and O’Sah’s cheeks redden. He’s an uppity kind of guy, but I wish I’d lied and said he had told me. I may not be his greatest fan but I don’t want to get him into trouble or anything.
‘We understand that being a Pulsar must be shocking news to you,’ says another Throne, ‘and we want to take that into consideration. Being a Pulsar means acting as, well, we’ll say a role model to the citizens of Duwyn, particularly those of the Imperium. You’d be expected to meet and greet, parade around, and since you were brought up in the human realm it would all be rather overwhelming for you, I imagine. That’s why, for now, we’re going to take it step by step, and as far as Duwyn knows, there is no Pulsar.’
‘Once your powers manifest and you’re trained,’ says Harriad, ‘the whole world will know your name.’
‘OK.’ Probably the worst response I could’ve come up with, but what else am I supposed to say?
The group of Thrones take me through the cluster of trees, and a bird swoops past me in a blur of red and gold and orange. More follow, so fast I can’t see them in detail. I look at Dad with a wide smile.
As we walk, the sounds of the forest coming more alive, I feel the Thrones’ eyes on me. At first I think it’s because they’re watching out for me, being protective, but when I look at them, I see wonder in their eyes, wonder because I am a Pulsar, the Pulsar, an age that ended two hundred years ago. They’ve never known a time with a Pulsar, but they’ve heard stories about their heroics, of their chivalry, of their power, of their legend, and I am the story come to life, like I have stepped out of a fairy tale and into reality. The thought of their expectations, of their perception of me, causes heat to rise on my cheeks, and I can’t look any of them in the eye again. I think I’m starting to understand what a Pulsar means to people.
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