by Dale Furse
‘Our connection remained strong but I was still young and he had already aligned with the oldest of Krolls like you have with Melt. I wasn’t privy to their meetings. Years later, a small child connected with me.’ His words caught in his throat and he paused for a moment. ‘He was struck down with the dreadful disease that affected all Wexkians. I endured his pain, the inevitability of his death.’
He shook his ancient head so violently, Nell thought his slender neck would break. Her eyes filled with water. She glanced at Sam who had forgotten about his breathing and listened wide-eyed.
‘The connection with the child and the Wexkian Leader remained,’ Pren persisted with a croaky voice. ‘Until the end.’ He paused, his eyes clouding.
A few seconds later, he brightened. ‘However, before then, before the disease, Wexkians and Krolls lived side by side. We carried their young and gave their Elders counsel when required. Centuries passed in that vein until the sickness fell on them.
‘I did not, and still do not, believe they had to pay with the disease for the atrocities they had committed centuries before but Wexkians considered the punishment just. The Elders proclaimed the planet of Wexkia and its people had to pay the penalty. My special friend—’ A loud scrape sounded behind Nell. Pren looked up, his eyes widened in surprise.
Nell spun on her backside. Two s had barged into the room past Melt. The younger, flat-nosed carrion held a blowpipe and the other jabbed a knife in the air.
Pren backed away until he found the wall of the cave.
Nell gasped. She and Sam jumped up at the same time and moved in between Pren and the s. Melt yelled in his mind, ‘Pren, leave.’ He flew to the wall behind Pren, pressed his head against it until a door rose into the rock above and he ushered Pren out, indicating with a whoosh of his head for Nell and Sam to follow them.
‘What do you want, you ugly thing?’ Nell shouted at the closest . ‘Don’t you know who I am? I can reduce you to a babbling baby.’
‘I don’t think you want to do that,’ the old snarled from her left.
‘Don’t bet on it. I’m sick of all of you.’
A snide grin grew over his face and he pulled his comrade in front of him. ‘Go ahead.’
‘Huh?’ the other exclaimed with terrified eyes.
‘Don’t worry, son, she would be too scared to hurt you. After all, the authorities would have no choice but to confine her to a correctional institution.’
‘Not if it’s self-defence,’ she said, unsure if that was the case on Gramlax. There were still too many afraid of her and lying in wait for her to do something they could use to have her put away. He pushed the younger forward and lurched towards her.
Sam rushed out the door, yelling, ‘Nell, move out!’
As she retreated backwards, she mind-moved the rock she had sat on into the s’ path. Tossing them a kiss, she turned to follow Sam. The with the knife was on her in a second. She wheeled around. Straddling the rock, he slashed her arm with his blade. Agony. Blood. He had hit a vein. She clutched the oozing wound. He clambered over the boulder. Nell backpedalled but the blood drained from her brain. Faint now, she pitched over the threshold. Her hip hit the ground hard a split second before her shoulder did the same. She cried out as new pain blended with the rest of her hurt.
Sam hurled a rock over her head. A dull clunk, then a thud.
She gagged at the assault on her foot. The weight of the ’s body crushed the small bones there. She wrenched her foot out from under him with a whimper.
Through the blur, many s hovered above. Inhaling deeply, she rolled over and stared down. More s. Unable to stop the wretched groan that seethed from her lips, she hauled herself up, settling all her weight on her good foot. The cut in her arm still oozed angrily.
Another thump beside her. Melt howled so loud that she was sure the mountain shook. Nell jerked her head around. Pren. From close and far, Krolls swarmed above the mountain. Dropping to her knees, she scrambled to him. A blowpipe dart was in his cheek. She pulled it out and pressed her hand over the wound. ‘Melt, get a doctor!’
‘Your physicians can’t help me, little one,’ he said, his voice weak. ‘We are too different.’
‘Nooo!’ she cried into his prickly chest. Pren had felt his dying Wexkian friend’s agony and Nell felt Pren’s. How she could have such a potent connection with him, she didn’t know or care. It felt right and that’s all that mattered. What she did understand was that Pren was important to her and all future Wexkians. He was their link to their past and knew the truth. Unfurling her wings, she rose above the ground.
A volcano welled inside her; her own pain anaesthetised. The sensation was frightening but she refused to control it. Her wings tingled and their colour deepened into an angry purple. She sensed more than saw massive storm clouds roll high over her head. As the older stared at Pren. A flash of lightning illuminated the area and thunder crashed so loudly, her ears rang.
The turned around and brayed. Nell about-faced ready for attack but the older intruder lifted the fallen and ascended to the waiting throng. Krolls came from all directions and closed. They looked as furious as she felt. Each pair of eyes held murder. As they advanced, the pack of s raised their blowpipes.
Nell yelled, ‘Melt, tell them to back away.’ She shouted to the wrathful Krolls, ‘They have blowpipes.’ They didn’t slow their approach. Nell kept shouting at Melt. ‘Stop them. The s will kill them.’
Twelve s spread out, formed a blockade and waited for the Krolls to fly within firing distance.
Melt hovered stiffly beside the wounded Pren, staring at the legion of Krolls with an expression that encouraged his brothers forward.
Nell swooped close to his ear and screeched, ‘Melt!’
Sam panted. ‘They won’t stop.’ With bulging eyes he looked repeatedly from Nell to the Krolls and then to the s.
Her hands tightened into fists and sobbing, she punched Melt’s neck and body, ‘Stop them – stop them.’
Melt focused on Nell for a second. Tears fell from his eyes. ‘Stop,’ he bellowed to the other Krolls.
The Krolls stopped as one. Nell darted towards the s. In mid-flight, she halted. Twelve s surrounded her.
‘You have caused the old Kroll’s death,’ a short snarled.
‘Yes. She did it. She killed him,’ the old from the platform yelled.
They all cheered. ‘She is truly cursed.
‘She must be stopped.’
‘She must be killed.’
They readied their poison darts.
‘I am Wexkian,’ Nell grated. Lightning racked across the heavens and thunder roared. The atmosphere strengthened her. She plastered her wings flat on her back, pressed her rigid arms to her sides and, like an out of control spinning top, revolved with ever-increasing speed on the spot. The wind vortex drew the s around her. She was a tornado and they, the debris. The power consumed her. Goggle-eyed Krolls backed off. The enemy’s screams surrounded her.
The twister—Nell—took off with such speed; she didn’t know how far she had gone. Stopping still, she spied an extinct volcano with a marvellously deep crater in the mountain below. Her prey fell out of her orbit. In slow motion, the s dropped down into the middle of the crater and crumpled atop each other, their wings torn and twisted. ‘You can stay there forever,’ she cried and raced back to Pren.
By the time she returned, innumerable Krolls hovered around the landing bay and as she approached, they separated to allow her to pass. The white Eldorap, Deesc, hunched over Pren. Kale had told her Eldoraps help beings die.
‘No,’ Nell screamed and tried to yank him away.
‘I’m not here to help him to the next plane,’ Deesc said without taking his eyes off Pren’s face.
Nell looked at Melt. He nodded. Maybe the Eldorap could save Pren. She turned to where she’d left Sam. He was gone.
Melt said, ‘I took him back to Lesel’s.’
‘Thanks,’ she mumbled, dropping beside the old Kroll.
He gazed up at her. ‘I ... can ... not tell ... you more,’ he laboured. ‘Return ... to Cor – rl.’
‘I promise I’ll go back to Corl,’ Nell said, adding silently, after you’re better. She stroked the side of his neck as hot tears fell on and between the tufts of hair that wilted as his strength receded.
Lowering his head, Deesc’s cheek touched Pren’s. ‘I cannot lose you, my friend.’
Nell shook the water out of her eyes as it registered that Deesc had called Pren ‘old friend’. She pleaded to Deesc. ‘Please help him.’
‘I’m trying to.’ He raised his eyes. They weren’t black holes, they were angry-brown. ‘Leave us.’
Nell glowered back. ‘No.’
Pulling his upper body erect and stiff, Deesc commanded, ‘Go.’
Nell gently placed Pren’s head on her lap. ‘No.’
Pren whispered something she didn’t understand.
Deesc wailed and disappeared.
Snapping her head back, Nell said, ‘Melt, what happened? What did Pren say?’
Fat globules of tears fell from Melt’s eyes. ‘I cannot tell you, child. His words were for Deesc.’
‘Nell,’ Pren panted softly. ‘Know this ... I ... love ... you.’
‘I love you too, Pren.’ She stroked the wrinkly skin above his eyes. ‘You will be all right.’ Without looking up, she demanded, ‘Won’t he, Melt?’
Dipping his forehead against Nell’s, Melt said with his mind, ‘I fear not.’
‘You’re scared for him, that’s all. I know he’ll be all right.’
Pren gasped something and again, Nell didn’t understand what he said. The ancient Kroll’s eyes closed, his chest rose and fell – then it stilled.
Nell grabbed his bony chest and shook him. ‘Breathe, you must breathe.’ Please, Pren. ‘Nooooo!’ she howled, and cried wretchedly for long minutes. She calmed down to a gentle sob wanting to pass out to null her heartache.
‘You have to leave,’ Melt said to Nell.
The connection she felt for the oldest Kroll was so strong she ached at the thought of leaving his side. ‘Why don’t you and I have the same connection?’ Nell hiccoughed.
‘Krolls succumbed to a disease similar to the Wexkians – a mutation of the same malady. It wasn’t fatal, but the descendants of the original Krolls’ strength was minimised. Our connections with other beings deteriorated. Once, it would have been a simple thing to heal one of our own but now we are weak.’
Gazing down, Nell sensed the old Kroll was still there with them. ‘Pren?’ she asked.
‘He is not gone yet but if we cannot strengthen our connections, we will lose him. Where are the s?’ His tone was menacing.
‘Don’t worry about them, I have them,’ Nell said. The last thing she wanted was to cause a war between the Krolls and the entire population but if that happened, she would side with the Krolls. ‘Please find a way to strengthen your connections with the other Krolls,’ she said.
Melt gazed up. ‘We must sing, my brothers and sisters. We must succeed.’
Thousands of Krolls hovered in the air now, humming and swaying as if they were in a trance. Some of their harmonies were so low, the vibrations quivered through the air and others, so high, Human ears would not hear them. Nell could distinguish each separate voice. The differing, though lyrical, notes held for a time then they breathed as one and sang again. Still more and more Krolls joined the choir. She wanted to ask what they were doing but Melt had already given his voice to the song.
Nell listened, still holding Pren’s head in her lap. The many tones shimmied through her. She closed her eyes and, swept away by the melody, she opened her mind to it. She had never had a tuneful singing voice; Sam was the one who sang. He had tried to teach Nell to harmonise but she never understood what he meant. Now she was Wexkian and her voice slipped between two moderately high notes and hung there as if it belonged. Her skull tingled at the depth of her bond with all the Krolls. Their tones merged with hers, or was it her voice with theirs? So consumed was she by the tone of her note and the way it married with the other voices, time seemed to stop.
A movement in her lap broke Nell’s trance. She stopped humming and looked down. Pren gazed up at her, his expression astonished and curious. ‘Pren,’ she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck.
The choir of Krolls became silent and stared at Nell and the conscious Pren for several seconds before talking excitedly to one another. Somehow, Nell had managed to connect with every one of them and she could hear their words as they spoke silently to one another. ‘He’s alive. Pren is alive.’ And, ‘The child saved Pren.’ Their murmuring began as excited whispers but soon escalated into shouts of wonder.
She helped Pren up and kept hold of him in case he lost his balance. Her foot complained a little. It was already healing. She glanced at her arm. The blood had dried and formed a crust over the knife wound. She felt detached. Her brain was dull.
Pren bowed low to his fellow Krolls before stooping even lower to Nell. ‘My thanks to my saviours,’ he said, turning back to the hovering Krolls. ‘Go now and send word to all Krolls throughout the universe that we have found our bridge.’
Still cheering and talking excitedly, the Krolls began to break away, except Melt who landed next to Pren. ‘He is still weak,’ he said, and ushered Pren inside and onto the bed of hay.
Nell, her whole body numb, followed them inside. She stood still while Pren awkwardly collapsed on the bed.
‘I will speak to you soon, child of Wexkia,’ Pren whispered, closing his eyes.
A wave of nausea shook Nell out of her trance. Her surroundings began to take on a familiar negative-photograph effect. She fainted.
***
Something prodded Nell’s cheek. The dark in her head began to clear. It was Melt nudging her with his muzzle, but his voice was distant. ‘I will take you back to Lesel’s,’ he said. ‘You are too weak to fly.’
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
NELL HAD REGAINED SOME STRENGTH ON THE WAY back to Lesel’s house. There were more lights on in the mountain houses than usual. They glinted in the darkness as far as she could see. s hovered all around, talking together in twos and threes; some flew from group to group, while still many more stood on the landing areas outside their houses.
As Melt passed close by a small group, they backed away more than necessary to allow him to pass. Their faces turned toward Kroll and passenger in accusation. Nell wanted to ask what their problem was, but Melt lowered his head, stretched his neck and sped past them so fast, she didn’t have a chance.
Lesel sat with Sam on the bench, as Melt descended, and hovered just above the landing bay both jumped to their feet.
‘Bout time,’ Sam clipped as if he was annoyed at Nell, but the tension around his eyes and mouth faded. ‘Bloody hell, what did you lot do up there?’
‘What do you mean?’ Nell asked.
Lesel’s expression wavered between relief and anger. Uh oh. By the look in her eyes, anger was winning. ‘What do you think you were doing?’ Lesel didn’t shout but there was controlled ire in her voice. ‘Krolls and s have lived side by side for thousands of years. We have co-existed on this planet without a problem and you come here and ...’
She broke off. Whether she was out of breath or couldn’t find the right words for what Nell had done, Nell didn’t know. Either way, it meant she had used up her welcome there. She wrapped her arms around Melt’s slender neck. ‘Maybe you should take me back with you.’
The tufts of hair on his chin brushed over her arm. ‘No, Nell. Your family loves you as I do, they were—’
‘You’re hurt,’ Lesel said, resting her eyes on Nell’s arm.
Nell glanced down. She had forgotten about the knife wound. The bleeding had stopped, but the gash was still open and so deep that bloody, white bone peeked through. The first time she had escaped the s over the Corl forest and fell through the trees, her scratches and bruises had healed too soon for any Human, or Phib but now
her arm and foot had injuries that were more serious. They would need time.
‘It’ll heal,’ Nell jerked her head up, trying to be flippant but she knew she had failed when she grimaced at the movement.
‘Nell, she is scared for you. Go to her.’
When she made no attempt to hop off the Kroll, Sam must have thought she couldn’t. He started to help her down. ‘Don’t.’ Nell pushed his hands away.
‘I’m trying to help you,’ he said, still trying to grab her. He stopped all of a sudden.
Nell didn’t see Tanat land behind her, but recognised his musk-lolly aroma. Before she could turn around, muscular arms enfolded her and lifted her off the Kroll. She saw no point in resisting him. In all truth, she couldn’t. Her wounds might heal but exhaustion threatened to overcome her. Sam trotted ahead and opened Nell’s bedroom door.
As Tanat placed her on the bed, Sam said, ‘Well? What happened? The whole of Gramlax could hear the ruckus.’
Nell ignored him. She knew he’d be mad at her disregard for him, but hoped he’d understand.
Sam shot her a frown and sat cross-legged on a rug on the polished stone floor.
She gave him a small smile of apology, and asked Tanat, ‘Why does Lesel hate me?’
‘She doesn’t hate you, Nell,’ Tanat said. ‘She could never hate you. She was scared for you, that’s all.’ He sighed and sat on the end of the bed.
He looked weary and his shoulders slumped a little. ‘So much has happened this night. It isn’t only that you were at the centre of it all, it is the fact Krolls can converse with us. The inhabitants of the known worlds who have had dealings with Krolls understood they were intelligent creatures, but sentient? The three foremost members of the Gramlax Council weren’t surprised however. They have informed the rest of the council members that the Krolls want the s responsible for the attack on the oldest of Krolls handed over to them.’
‘So they should,’ Nell said. ‘They tried to kill him.’ She lifted her arm to show Tanat the gash. ‘And me.’
