by Dale Furse
Aliens kidnapped her aunt, Dar-Seldra, and Nell had to go with her cousin, Cay-Meka, to the planet, Corl, to find Nell’s father. Her Human friend, Sam, had insisted he go too.
In the eyes of the Three World Council (a United Nations of sorts for the inhabitants of the planets Corl, Gramlax and Linque) Nell posed a threat to their existence. Her emerging dual abilities and her extraordinary knowledge about a book from the planet, Wexkia, made her dangerous. Nadar, a Corl council member, demanded her confinement for the rest of her days.
Terrified, Nell ran with Cay-Meka and Sam right into a trap set by Nadar. Although they escaped, Nadar attempted to ensnare Nell time after time until—finally—he succeeded.
Alone and defeated in Nadar’s fortress, Nell gave in to the agonising transition to the Wintar species.
Fearing for her life, Nell summoned all her Wexkian ancestors’ strengths. She overpowered Nadar and wrestled the book out of his grasp. However, unable to control her developing mind powers, her victory was at a price. She had torn into Nadar’s mind with hers and his mind collapsed.
Although The Book of Wexkia vindicated Nell’s actions, many of the Phib and Wintar races refused to accept the book’s revelation that they were once one race – Wexkian.
A year later, Nell embroiled her friend, Sam, into another battle. She wanted to find a book with the last pages still intact. She also wanted to save who she believed, was the only other living Wexkian.
She soon learned there was no second book. Saddened by that discovery, she was also enraged over another. Shahs, the other Wexkian, was in danger. The medical staff was abusing Shahs with excess medication.
She finally met the one who had been spying on her all her life. Deesc, the Eldorap. Every species in the known universe believed Eldoraps to be gods who assisted the dead to their next plane of existence. Deesc was powerful, but he preferred to let Nell fight her own battles.
With the help of her friends, Nell planned Shahs’ escape. However, there was a traitor in their midst. Varlor, a Corl Elder, had set the trap. He and his brothers overcame and contained Nell.
Varlor’s drugs paralysed her body, but with her friends battling their way out of their own trap, Nell summoned more Wexkian power. She sent her mind into battle. Although Deesc had refused to aid one species over another, Nell needed him. With his help, she and her friends were victorious.
Nell returned to her body. Wexkian energy flowed through her like never before. She overpowered Varlor and, after bringing him to his knees, forced him to bow down to her.
She was ecstatic over her power, but one thought continued to nag her. Deesc had said more than once, there was another Wexkian. Shahs, it turned out, was not that person. Nell wanted to find out who that other Wexkian was.
CHAPTER ONE
NELL SAT ON THE VERANDA WAITING FOR HER hair to dry. Her dress was already dry. She still marvelled at the cloths’ memory chips. At least, that’s how she saw her Phib aunty’s explanation for the material. She screwed up her nose. The top joined the skirt in a thin strip from the back of the collar down her spine. The backless outfit exposed more skin than she would have liked but her wings needed room to lift freely.
She had hoped she would lose herself in another story about King Arthur, but after reading the same sentence a hundred times, she gave up and put the book on the table. If only her father would contact her then she could stop worrying about him.
The scent of apple wafted in the air around her. A shadow moved in the corner of her vision. She stilled, holding her breath, and looked up.
‘Oh, it’s you,’ she said, sighing. How could she not have heard Sam climb the stairs? ‘I wish you’d cough or something instead of sneaking up on me.’
‘With these boots?’ He walked to the chair on the other side of the table. With each step, his boots squeaked.
Her lips wobbled into smile. Of course, she didn’t hear him. She probably wouldn’t have heard a bomb drop. The only thing she could think about was her father’s absence and her cousin hadn’t communicated with her as often as usual.
Sam chewed a bite of apple and watched Nell for a few seconds. He tilted his head and squinted ‘What’s up?’
She sighed. ‘Oh, I don’t know. You know how it is.’
He laughed as he sat down. ‘I should by now. Can you believe it’s been over two years since you found out you were an alien with magical powers?’
‘I’m not a magician. You know that.’
‘Maybe, but you’re bloody close.’
She let out a giggle. Sam had a knack of lightening her mood. She had to admit she liked her talents and couldn’t imagine life without them now. Sometimes she wished those talents extended to genuine ESP. She’d been worried sick about the Grarls for two months and she’d only spoken to her father briefly in that time. Mekie, Nell’s Phib cousin, hadn’t visited either. Oh, she called Nell often, but Nell always had a feeling that she wasn’t telling her everything that was happening.
She pushed the thought away. Mekie had changed so much since Nell first met her. She was whiney Cay-Meka then. Now she was Nell’s best friend after Sam.
‘So what’s got you down this time, then?’ Sam said.
‘Mekie told me The United Council of Planets vetoed Grarlon’s request to join.’
‘So?’
‘So,’ Nell sang. ‘The Grarls are a lot less happy about the vote than the UC think. I’m worried about Dad and Kandar being on Grarlon when the vote is made known.’
‘They’ll be all right. Kandar will look out for your father.’
‘Kandar is also the leader of the United Council. It’s him the Grarls are going to be upset with.’
‘The bloke Kandar put in charge is a good guy. What’s his name?’
‘Worow.’
‘Yeah, Worow. He’ll watch out for Dar-tern and Kandar. Orenda’s there too, you know. She’s a Grarl and she won’t let anything happen to them. How about contacting her?’
‘She said she’d come here in a few days.’
‘Good,’ Sam said. ‘We’ll wait for her then.’
‘A lot can happen in a few days, Sam. I don’t want to wait. Dad’s never been away this long. Oh, it was fine by me when I thought he was safe and I was busy looking for the other Book of Wexkia or coming to Shah’s rescue, but now I am worried about his and Kandar’s safety. Even with Kandar being a Corl, we don’t know how the Grarls will treat them after they know about the vote.’
She waved a hand over the length of beach. ‘I’m stuck here with no way of going to Corl or seeing Mekie or Dar-Seldra or anyone else to find out what’s happening and no one will tell me anything.’
‘Your Phib relatives wouldn’t keep things from you, especially Mekie.’
‘Maybe, but I know Dad’s keeping something from me and I want to know what it is.’ Nell frowned. She was nearly eighteen earth years, an adult by Australian standards. That was well and truly old enough not to be treated like a baby.
Irritation flitted over Sam’s face. ‘Why can’t you ever just wait and do as you’re told?’
Nell’s mouth opened to argue, but Sam was too quick. ‘No, Nell. I don’t want to wait another year to see everyone again. You nearly got us killed last time you decided you knew better than anyone else did. You might be able to do lots of stuff we mere Humans can’t, but you’re still mortal. That means you can be hurt or killed if you keep jumping in before you think.’
‘Excuse me!’ Nell said. ‘If it wasn’t for me, Shahs would still be locked up in the restoration drugged out of her mind. I’ve never asked you to go along with me. You could have gone home any time you wanted and I’m not asking you to go anywhere this time. You can stay here forever for all I care. Actually, you seem to prefer spending your time with your Uni friends anyway.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘Don’t try to deny it. I saw you getting cosy with what’s-her-name the other day.’
Sam threw the rest of the apple over the railing an
d sat back with a crooked grin. ‘Janelle?’
Nell tightened her lips but said nothing.
‘Your bloody horse had just thrown her. Not that I have to explain myself to you, but I was trying to calm her down.’
Nell snorted. ‘Shrewdy doesn’t like her.’
‘That horse doesn’t like anybody since you started talking to her. She won’t let anyone else ride her.’
‘She lets Tony.’
‘Ah, yes, Tony. Dad told me he came up the weekend I went to football training camp. He was supposed to go too, but no, he takes you on a picnic instead.’
‘He’s your friend.’
‘Hmm, and I know him all too well.’ Sam scratched his chin thoughtfully. He laughed. ‘You witch; you managed to change the subject, didn’t you?’
‘I don’t know what you mean,’ Nell said, thankful Sam thought she had. The last thing she wanted him to think was that she was jealous of any other girl he might like. She realised ages ago where Sam really stood in her affections. He was like her brother, that was all; but that didn’t stop her from wanting him to spend all his free time with her. She had no one else to confide in and if he decided to up and marry some Earth girl, she’d lose him. Ugh. She had to stop that from happening.
‘Oh, yes you do,’ Sam said and stood up. ‘Just because you’re more powerful now, doesn’t mean you can decide things for yourself.’
It took Nell a few seconds to remember what she had said. ‘And just because you are older than me, doesn’t mean you know better than I do.’
Sam held his hands up in defeat. ‘Okay, let’s agree to disagree for now. Just promise me you’ll wait to hear what Orenda has to say before doing anything.’
Nell made a cute little girl face. ‘I’ll try.’
Sam groaned. ‘I only came to tell you, Dad and I are going to Cairns and we don’t know when we’ll be back. Might be today, might be tomorrow, so I’ll see you then.’ He jumped down the stairs two at a time. Was his back broader?
Nell gazed after him. Had he been working out? She shook her head and focused on the ocean. Cape Hollow always relaxed and centred her. She often wondered whether Kandar realised how the Cape affected her psyche. He was the one who chose where she would grow up.
She thought about the Corls. It was stupid to be in mourning for something they didn’t personally do, and for a whole year. They looked scary at the first glance, with their different colours and those weird mosaic lines all over their skin, the last indication that Corls once had scales. But Nell knew better. She sighed. If they had to mourn the long-gone people of Wexkia, surely one or two months would have been more than enough time.
She stood up, stretched her back and made her way to the kitchen. She found her grandmother with her head in the oven. ‘What are you doing?’
Lesel withdrew her head. ‘Cleaning,’ she said in a matter of fact tone. She had cut her black curls short, but she wiped her forehead as if they were still there.
Nell shook her head. ‘But we haven’t used the oven since we installed the simulator.’
‘I know. I just like cleaning.’ Lesel’s fair-skinned face had turned red from the effort of scrubbing a clean oven. She stood up and smiled. ‘You should try it sometime. It’s very therapeutic.’
Nell ignored her jibe. ‘Can we go to Corl?’
‘You know that isn’t possible. Corl is still in mourning, and I’m looking forward to your Earth holiday.’
‘Yeah,’ Nell said. ‘I’ve seen the boxes you and Annet keep coming home with.’
‘That girl always finds bargains.’
Nell had to smile at that. Carl and Sam said that Annet was a shopaholic and should be stopped. She tried again. ‘We could have Christmas on Corl again.’
‘It’s not the same,’ Lesel said. ‘The mourning period doesn’t finish until the seventh day of your January. We’ll go then.’
Although Nell was disappointed, she had to admit Lesel was right. It would be nice to return and see the Corls in their colourful capes instead of black ones. At least then, the trading corridors would open again. She would just have to be patient. Christmas was only a few days away and it would be fun to teach Mekie and Lesel Earth’s customs for a change.
‘Okay,’ Nell said. ‘I'd better finish my wrapping before Sam comes back and wants to go swimming.’
A knock sounded at the back door. Nell rushed to answer it.
Sam's Mum stood on the doorstep, dishevelled and her eyes wide with fear. Her bottle-blonde hair looked as if it hadn't even been brushed that morning and there was a rip in the sleeve of her shirt. She panted as if she had run all the way from her place.
‘What's wrong?’ Nell asked, bringing Annet Frederick into the house.
“Are you hurt?’ Lesel said, gently pushing her into a chair.
‘What—’ Lesel cut Nell off with a look.
Annet caught her breath. ‘There’s something at home.’
‘Sam?’ Nell asked.
‘No, no. Sam went to Cairns with his father. There's no one home but me. No, there's something scuffling around under the house and I don't think it's Human.’
‘Not Human?’ Lesel said. ‘Why do you say that?’
‘The noise it makes sounds like a low growl, but not an ordinary dog’s growl.’
‘It might be a lion,’ Lesel offered. ‘Or a wolf.’
‘Yes,’ Annet said, eyes wide. ‘Like a werewolf.’
‘We don't have wolves or lions in Australia.’ Nell frowned. ‘And, Annet, you know there's no such thing as werewolves.’ She giggled. ‘Anyway, we’d have weredingos.’ Glad it wasn’t something more horrible than a stray animal, she sat down. ‘I think you've been reading too many of Carl's stories.’
Annet looked indignant and opened her mouth to speak, but Nell was too quick. ‘It might be a normal dingo, although they don’t usually come this far down the mountain.’ Nell smiled as Annet's expression change to relief. ‘Do you want some tea?’ she asked.
Annet nodded. She pushed her hair back, her face crumpling. ‘Dingos do attack Humans sometimes.’
‘Only when Humans hassle them. You’ve been camping with Carl heaps of times. You must have heard some worse noises then.’
‘Yes, but I don’t like them. Carl always checks out anything I’m worried about.’
‘You have tea with Lesel and I'll check it out this time,’ Nell said.
‘You be careful, young lady,’ Lesel said.
‘Nothing on Earth can hurt me and Orenda's enchantment is still protecting Cape Hollow from anything unearthly.’ Nell hurried out through the screen door before either woman could say anything.
As soon as her toes touched the sandy dirt, they transformed into talons and great lilac and lavender wings erupted from Nell's torso. She lifted, darting low over the line of coconut trees before landing beside the Frederick’s green house.
Something scratched against the low steel stumps that held the house above the beach. Her feet returned to normal and her wings retracted as she bent and peered under the house. She couldn’t see anything at first, and then something moved close to her right. She gasped and jumped back away from the house. Silly thing. Nothing can hurt me. She stepped forward and bent down again
‘All right, who's there?’ Poking her head under the beam and into the gloom, she glimpsed a shadow between her and the bright sunlight on the other side. She crouched on her haunches and moved into the dim light. ‘Show yourself.’
A scuffling sound came towards her and a tooth filled mouth opened in front of her face. She squealed and fell back onto the sand. The crocodile lowered its snout but didn’t advance.
‘Oh, it’s you,’ she squeaked. The reptile looked much bigger and darker out of the water. ‘You startled me.’ Getting back up onto her haunches, she said, ‘Are you hurt?’ She stretched out her hand and touched his gnarly snout. ‘You want to speak to me?’
She smiled, and said, 'You nearly scared Annet's wits out of her. What's the matter
and why are you under here?’
She saw a picture of Cape Hollow in her mind. It looked wrong through the crocodile’s eyes.
The crocodile spun around nearly knocking her over with his gigantic tail and began walking to the beach side of the house.
‘Wait,’ Nell called, but he didn’t stop. Darn. She duck-waddled after him. By the time she reached the middle of the house, she groaned. Why hadn’t she gone around the house? On the way out her head met a beam. She let out a cry and rubbed the sore spot. Facing the grey-black reptile, she stood up.
She rubbed her head again for effect. ‘Thanks. I know you’re Deesc, so why don’t you show yourself?’
The crocodile rested against her leg and another image of Cape Hollow filled her mind. ‘I see more with these eyes. Look.’
Huh? The cape didn’t just look wrong through the crocodile’s eyes, it was wrong. She moved further onto the beach so she could see more of the cape. She listened. Nothing. No birds, no scuttling about through the rainforest by small animals or insects, nothing. Everything was either gone or hiding. But why? She scanned the side of the Frederick’s property.
‘The horses.’ Nell said as she ran around the back of the house. They were huddled under a tree.
Shrewdy was the first horse to sense her. She moved imploring eyes toward the fence. The other horses did the same. Some were so terrified, they shook noticeably and they all looked to Nell to help them. She pushed the wide gate open just enough for her to fit through and hurried to her mare.
‘Keep them here, Shrewd,’ she said. ‘I'll find out what's going on. And don't worry, okay? I'm sure its nothing.’
The crocodile eyed her as she walked back to the gate. He spoke with a deep, warm voice in her mind. Beware overconfidence.
While she tried to unravel the crocodile’s warning, he scuttled under the house.
Hurrying back to the beach, she was just in time to see the crocodile exit and run with surprising speed across the sand and into the ocean. He vanished under the gentle waves.
She meandered back home, diverting from the path every now and then to seek out some sign of life, but she found nothing…heard nothing. Even the breeze didn’t blow its constant breath against her skin. The quiet stillness had the back of her neck tingling.
