The Valteran Ascension (A Paradox of Time Book 1)

by Mara Amberly

  “Find him,” another replied.

  Eric ducked back inside the room as a man walked down the corridor and left the house.

  Breathing somewhat less easily, Eric crept down to the end of the corridor and lingered on the threshold of a larger room, which turned out to be a combined kitchen and dining room.

  One man was seated at a table; another was standing, and Cora was sitting in a chair with her hands tied behind her back.

  She saw Eric before anyone else could and her eyes widened.

  “Hello there,” he said to the men in the room, who quickly turned his way.

  Eric activated the button on his wrist device and grabbed Cora, chair and all.

  “I’m afraid I need my friend back.”

  The lightning crackled around him as he said it, flaring over the fabric of his jacket as he helped her from the chair.

  The other men in the room backed off, watching in shock as though they’d never seen such a glorious feat of magic before. If they didn’t believe he was Merlin before, they likely did now.

  “Time to go,” he told her matter-of-factly, and shoved his way through reality, fracturing it behind him as he guided Cora out of there.

  He let her go as soon as he was through and turned to seal the rift with his TSAI. He had no idea whether the men would follow him or not, nor did he especially care. He wanted the rift closed.

  Cora tripped on the ground, and couldn’t catch herself as her hands were still bound. She fell on the grass with an ‘oof.’

  “Aww, I’m sorry,” Eric said, as he finished sealing the rift, and then rushed to help Cora.

  The darkened hillside was lit by his wrist device, which wasn’t overly helpful, but gave them some idea of their surroundings.

  Eric drew a knife from within his jacket and cut her free.

  Cora appeared confused; probably about the origins of the knife, when they’d more than likely searched him. She turned about with relief when the rope broke.

  “I’m grateful for the rescue, but where were you, Eric? They were threatening to kill me.”

  “They knocked me out. It took time to free myself and find you, and I wanted an idea of who we were dealing with. The important thing is I got there in the end, right?”

  Cora nodded. “They’re convinced you’re the legendary magician, Merlin. I get the impression there’s something you’re not telling me.”

  “I think that might’ve been you, actually.”

  “I don’t understand,” she confessed, as she began to calm down. “How could it be me?”

  “It’s future stuff you don’t know yet,” he replied. “If I’m right, but I have a strong suspicion I am. I think you lured me to Merlin’s Cave, and they saw me there, and somehow that knowledge was passed down through time.”

  “I don’t see how I could’ve,” she said, shaking her head in confusion.

  “That’s only because you haven’t done it yet,” Eric replied. “I’m sure it’ll make more sense at the time.”

  Eric took more interest in his surroundings. It was night time once again and they were on a grassy hillside, which fit the coordinates he’d set.

  “We lost our food and some of our possessions,” she sighed. “How far did we travel through time?”

  “About a day. We have about half an hour until the rift forms. We might be late for this one.”

  “At least we’re free now. If we could jump from there to here, why didn’t we just jump to the site of the last rift instead of doing all that walking and staying in a barn overnight?” she asked, her eyebrow arching subtly.

  “I thought of it,” Eric replied. “I’d already set my coordinates for there once and ended up in Shrewsbury instead. I wasn’t sure if it was due to future tampering, but this,” he tapped his wrist device, “has an in-built failsafe. It means a rift typically won’t open into a tree or a wall, so we can safely reach the other side.

  Sometimes it will lock out a location, but if there’s a close enough area that’s safe, it will jump to that point instead. I suspect the area might’ve been too damaged, and so my portal was redirected. I’d already opened two portals in Shrewsbury. I fixed them, but they’re weaker for a while after a rift is closed, until reality knits back together more firmly. It seemed safer to go on foot when we had the luxury of time.”

  “I had no idea,” Cora replied, as she analysed Eric’s explanation. “So is this a safe area to travel from now?”

  “Safe is a relative term,” he said. “Once we seal the rift from my ship, it should be a lot more stable than it would be in the future if we didn’t. Time travelling from here is a bit shaky you could say, but if my TSAI says it’s safe then it probably is. I just try to make doubly sure.”

  Cora looked nervous at the prospect but nodded.

  “I’m going to take a look around and make sure we don’t have company. Wait, we have to go to the rift’s location?” she asked.

  “Yes we do,” he said with a grin. “It’s that way,” he said, pointing between the trees ahead of them. “I think. Wait, yes. It is.”

  Chapter 8

  March 1846 – East of Salisbury, Wiltshire, England

  “So let me get this straight,” Eric said. “They wanted me to steal this sphere for them–”

  “That’s right,” Cora replied, as they trudged through the long grass.

  “And they were going to send me to find it, while they held you captive–”

  “That was the impression I was given,” she explained. “They didn’t say what they were going to do with me while it was happening, only what would happen if you didn’t comply.”

  “Do you know what the sphere was for? Anything could be a sphere. A jewel or a planet; only obviously that’s bigger–”

  “They said it was part of Merlin’s staff and you’d know all about it.”

  Eric shook his head – more of this Merlin business.

  “You stride from one potentially-mythological wizard’s cave and the next thing you know, you’re a wanted man. So where is it?” he asked. “The thing they wanted me to steal.”

  “One of the men said the town vault.” Cora shrugged. “I guess they would have preferred that you were caught than them.”

  Eric stifled a laugh. Sometimes if you didn’t laugh you’d cry or go insane. He wasn’t quite there yet but he was growing frustrated with this group’s shenanigans.

  “I wonder if there was a particular reason they wanted it, aside from the obvious. They might’ve taken it themselves by now, but there’s no harm in checking it out.”

  “Unless you’re caught, you mean?” Cora asked. “I’d be stuck in this time without you and never see my father again.”

  Eric smiled as he admired her and her forthrightness. Sometimes he needed that kind of reality check. “We’ll see,” he told her as he spotted dark clouds billowing in the distance.

  They ran to catch up, and the tear in space-time formed moments before they got there. Lightning crackled, and it looked threatening enough to drive anyone with good sense away, other than Eric and Cora.

  “Make sure there’s no one around,” Eric asked.

  He was worried the group members might’ve tracked him, as they had before, but there was also the matter of radiation. The less Cora was exposed to it, the better. He could’ve said the same thing for himself, but his tolerance was higher than hers. There was a glint of metal as his ship flashed by.

  Eric didn’t hesitate; he began sealing the rift. It was higher up than the last one, so he assumed there was no danger of creatures escaping unless they too had avian varieties. It took him a good five minutes, by which point only a hint of the glow remained. By then, Cora had searched the area and returned; she was now waiting beside him.

  “That’s it done now?” she asked, smiling.

  “Almost,” Eric said with relief. “That’s the last of the large rifts caused by my ship. There are still a few minor ones, but we can get to those later. I want to have a go at getting
my ship out and I think I’ll need your help.”

  “How can I help?” Cora asked. “That’s if I can but I’m willing to try.”

  “I’m not sure yet. It’s more than a one-person job,” he said. “It may even be more than a two-person job. I have to stop my people, Cora, and I can’t do that without my ship. It’s the only way to prevent the destruction of my world and quite potentially this one. If I don’t, billions of people could be torn apart by temporal energy or be frozen in time indefinitely.”

  “That’s frightening,” she replied. Cora struggled to envision those kinds of dangers and numbers of people affected.

  Eric nodded, “it is. Now you understand why I have to do this. Mine mightn’t have been the only ship to fracture time. Any ship travelling in time and within reach of the energy wave would’ve done. My planet will be the epicentre of the damage, far beyond any you’ve seen here. This isn’t something we can fix in a day if we can at all, but I have to try.”

  Cora studied Eric worriedly, and then took his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “We’ll work through this, one thing at a time until we get there.”

  “But what if we don’t succeed?” Eric asked her, knowing it was entirely possible.

  “Then we’ll have tried,” she said resolutely. “It’s the best we can do and it has to be enough. We can’t control everything in the universe, but we can do our best.”

  With a nod, Eric glanced around them, basking in the darkness. He felt like he could’ve stayed there forever.

  With the rift now closed, Eric checked it with the light, then terminated the beam.

  “We should put a bit of space between us and this place. Shall we find a spot to rest tonight? It looks like we’ve got the countryside to ourselves.”

  Cora liked the idea of rest but she didn’t fancy sleeping on the ground. “Just how far out of the town are we? Given a choice, I’d prefer a comfortable bed and a bath.”

  “About five miles,” he said, confirming their coordinates.

  She groaned. “You know what? I think I would like to sleep here tonight. I’m exhausted.”

  “We can find somewhere to stay tomorrow, and you can get a bath and go dress-shopping if you want,” he promised.

  Cora happily agreed as they strode away from the place where the rift had been.

  They walked on for around ten minutes before Eric found a comfortable spot to sit down and Cora near him.

  “So did you leave your father that letter?” he asked her.

  “I did,” Cora replied. “Somewhere that will take him some effort to find. I didn’t want to make it too easy in case I was unable to leave. It’s my hope he’ll understand because he’s curious about what you’re up to and because he wants me to be happy.”

  Eric laughed. “I bet he is. He seems like a good man.”

  “Oh he is, of course,” Cora replied. “He just doesn’t forget that I’m a woman, and there are times that I wish he would.

  Do you think it’s possible I could return before he finds the letter? You possess a means of time travel. I wouldn’t have come if I wasn’t prepared to face the consequences of my actions, but it certainly would be nice if I didn’t have to.”

  “It’s possible,” Eric told her, “but I can’t promise anything. I can try to get you back at the right time.”

  “Thank you,” she said, beaming with a sense of happiness greater than before.

  They sat comfortably as the cool breeze picked up. Eric hoped they wouldn’t be eaten alive by mosquitos, though the weather was probably too cold for them.

  “Were you serious about breaking into the town vault?” she asked curiously.

  “I have no idea,” Eric replied. Sometimes he raised ideas before deciding one way or the other. “I’m sure we could jump in and out of there, but it probably wouldn’t be a good idea. Maybe I’ll pay our kidnappers a visit later. I noticed they have a tendency to collect interesting objects,” Eric explained.

  “That reminds me,” he said, as he pulled an object reminiscent of a metallic capsule from his pocket. “This is mildly radioactive. I’m not sure if it’s safe for you to handle, so I’d look without touching it. There was another object too,” he said, retrieving one that was vaguely square-shaped and as he knew already, alien.

  “This is an Alloroan transceiver,” he said, speaking of the squarish one. “I guess they must’ve pulled it from the wreckage of a downed ship or traded for it. My ship doesn’t have one.”

  Eric handed her the transceiver, which she examined closely.

  “What does an All-o-roan transceiver do?” she asked, completely at a loss, though deeply interested.

  “An Alloroan is a big alien barbarian, for lack of a better description. They’re like a cross between an alligator and a human… on a bad day.”

  “Creatures like that actually exist?” Cora asked, her eyes widening.

  “Oh yes.”

  She couldn’t help but grin. It was like the mysteries of the universe were being unveiled before her eyes… or at least her imagination.

  “A transceiver – well, this one, is for sending and receiving communications between ships.”

  “Could it help you communicate with yours?” she asked.

  “Hmm well, yes, but there’s not any reason I would. It could help me communicate with other ships. That’s something I didn’t really think about, but many alien cultures are technologically-advanced at this stage. I’ve concentrated on getting back to my own ship. It’s well-hidden because it’s deep underwater.”

  Cora nodded, and then she stopped. “Then how do you intend to get into it?”

  “That’s the question,” he replied, pondering the possibilities.

  They slept with ease despite unknown dangers in the countryside; it was probably because exhaustion had won out over caution. Eric was woken by the morning sun, but Cora was already up. She’d heard a soft crunching noise nearby, which turned out to be a small grey pony. She watched it for a time as it grazed until Eric woke and they eventually prepared to leave.

  “So today is for you,” Eric told Cora, smiling. “If you’re going to travel through time, you might as well enjoy it from time to time. I’ve been thinking; I’m not going to go after the vault right now. I think it’s time to return to my ship. It doesn’t feel like long since I last checked on it, but it’s been hundreds of years, local time.”

  Cora beamed at him. She loved the idea of having the day to explore this new place and time, even though she had to be cautious about it, in case they encountered their kidnappers again or set a foot wrong. She was fascinated and excited by the prospect of seeing Eric’s timeship.

  There was still the question of how he’d get to it. They’d lost many of their possessions, other than the technological ones, when they escaped from their kidnappers, but Eric still had money in his pocket. Maybe he’d have a look in the local stores for something useful.

  They started back toward the town of Salisbury, cautious of any further difficulties but intent on having a good day. Eric kept his promise, and after some shopping, hot meals, baths and rest, they were both a lot more comfortable than they had been.

  As the sun finally set, they sat on the wall outside the guest house where they were staying.

  “I’d like to set out for the ship in the morning. There’s no point travelling by night when we could use some rest. I’m going to take us to a place away from the ship due to the damage it caused, but I repaired the rifts in the area some time ago. I could take us further ahead to get better supplies, but I only intend to do that if we have to,” he explained. “If I do, then it’ll be in the safest way possible.”

  Cora nodded, wondering what she didn’t know about the risks involved. Time travel was complex, but as soon as she felt she was beginning to understand how the rifts worked, she realised there was so much more she still had to learn.

  “How far will we need to walk to reach your ship?” Cora asked.

  “Not walk, sail,�
� Eric replied matter-of-factly.

  Cora was pleased. “You’re a man of many skills, Eric.”

  “Thank you. I like to think so,” he replied with a grin.

  “So where are we going?” she asked with interest.

  “Loch Ness. It’s in Scotland.”

  “Oh Scotland,” Cora exclaimed. “I’ve never been there before.”

  “You’ll love it. It’s a beautiful place.”

  “We should be careful,” she said. “I’ve heard bandits fled there to escape England’s authority. Rumour has it that one of my father’s patients eloped to Scotland to marry because her family disapproved of the union.”

  “We’re not getting married.”

  “I never said we were,” Cora replied, giving him a sideways glance.

  Chapter 9

  April 1846 – In a Rowboat, Loch Ness, Scotland

  The sky was steel grey and clouded, hinting at an approaching storm. The rain hadn’t yet reached them but the feeling was it wouldn’t take long.

  The small rowboat cut through the water at a placid pace. Eric was rowing, while Cora sat opposite him, enjoying the view of the surrounding land and the dark water. They’d only passed one other boat, and while they’d seen a number of people out, there were none in sight now. It was probably because the clouds had swiftly moved in.

  “Take these oars, will you?” Eric asked as he moved to switch positions with Cora.

  Her eyebrow rose slightly, but she didn’t complain. She moved carefully and tried to steady herself when the boat rocked.

  When Eric was seated again, he activated the display on his TSAI. A holographic image blossomed to life with a map of the loch. As Cora sat down opposite him, she saw the image in reverse.

  There was no reason they should stay where they were, so Cora began to row. She was a lot slower at it than Eric, but then she’d never rowed a boat before.

  “How far away are we from the ship?” Cora asked as she tried to make out the tiny details of the map.