They traveled for about ten minutes on a closed platform that moved and remained raised about half a meter from the ground.
Billo seemed amused and barked a couple of times in the direction of his master.
At the bottom of the mountain, they entered a tunnel guarded by solaryan and arkassian soldiers. They did the same job, but tried to ignore each other. The area, like the rest of the planet, was neutral and only the wag warriors, Guardians of the Flower, could roam freely.
«Damn, this tunnel is identical to the one leading out of the Spindorf» Patrik said, looking around.
«Really?» Poligon Dhaal was amazed.
«Why? Have you ever seen it?» the boy asked.
«Patrik, as far as we know, you were the only one, after Armintala, to walk through that tunnel».
Finally they arrived inside.
The show that presented itself in front of Patrik's eyes was unbelievable.
The enormous circular structure, composed of twenty-one petals and a central stem, was totally luminous. It was not clear what the material was that had been used to make it, perhaps pure energy. It floated in the air in constant motion. Patrik felt a deep chill at the thought that the souls of an entire galaxy were passing through that miracle of light.
In the center, exactly above the stem, a sphere slowly rotated in all directions of space, as if it were it that decided to distribute the waves of flow that entered and exited the Flower through the petals. At the base of the stem, a water and a lava stream, which came out of the inner walls of the mountain, joined to be swallowed by a strange vortex of earth, as if the Flower was nourished by the elements of the planet itself.
A barrier of energy didn’t allow those who were outside, the solaryan and arkassian Guardians, to get too close.
«Here it is, boy. The Flower of Eta Carinae, the Code of the Milky Way that called you to his bedside» said Poligon Dhaal, illuminated by the intense light of that place.
Patrik couldn’t speak, the show was incredible.
All the wag present turned to look at him. The Arkassians above all whispered conspiratorially to each other, pointing to him. He was certainly expected, this he knew.
«What are those four huge structures?» he asked.
«Those are bridges of Mashalevy, a portiryan invention to amplify the paradox of light».
«What?!?»
Poligon Dhaal tried to explain himself better. «See Patrik, the Flower creates a hole in space-time on this planet. Normally a light from here you should see on Earth after thousands of years, considering the speed of light. Instead, the whole galaxy can see Eta Carinae with very little delay. To use a terrestrial term, almost live!»
«How is it possible?!».
«Nobody knows. Thanks to this, however, we can travel and communicate quickly using bridges to recode the signal».
Patrik gasped in disbelief, then thought about the complexity of the moon trip he had studied at school and smiled.
«Master, I can’t keep the siel steady» he said after a moment without taking his eyes off the Flower.
«It feels the call of the matrix, it’s normal. Try to stay focused and assist your weapon; it’s alive, don’t forget it. And be careful not to touch the barrier, it is alive and hurts too, I assure you. It’s impassable and allows you to get past only when the moons of Salman are aligned».
«And when it falls, what happens?»
«The Flower cannot defend itself any more and the Guardians have to do it. They approach and through the siel reach the stem, creating a connection with the Code».
«That's when you can force it, is not it?» asked Patrik, sensing the delicacy of the moment described by the master.
«Yes» he replied. «But we must be greater in number than those who don’t want to do it. This is why the number of Guardians of each faction is important. There was a truce to allow Kentaura to create new Guardians and they came out one on each side. And then you came and you still have not taken a side. Now one of us is dead, but they still don’t know».
Poligon Dhaal made no allusion to the fact that he, who had not taken sides, had put them in the minority, but Patrik felt for a moment the same guilt. However, it was Alicon who attacked him, he had only defended himself. Marco was right, he had to go over that and just think about his father.
His father…
«Master, I'm sorry. I'll be right back» he said without waiting for an answer and began to walk around the Flower to reach the other side, diametrically opposed.
«Where is he going?» Milostali asked as he approached Poligon Dhaal.
«I have no idea» he replied.
The four arkassian wag warriors didn’t believe their eyes as the terrestrial boy approached them.
Patrik recognized the same robe worn by General Greymar and, concentrating, lifted the siel and released it to them to greet them.
«Arkassian Guardians, I greet you. My name is Patrik Jones».
The eldest, Gavinar from Dikali, thought for a moment and then returned the greeting, followed immediately by the other three.
«We know who you are, Terrestrial. What do you want? Don’t your friends feed you?»
The Arkassians laughed out loud and he just lowered his eyes and nodded, with a smile.
«No, gentlemen, thank you. I don’t miss anything. I just wanted to remind your master, the gohtarma, that as promised I will soon come to ask him what he knows».
«Really?!» Gavinar answered sarcastically. «The problem is that the gohtarma has a lot to think about at the moment, and we too. If there is an opportunity we will tell him».
«No, gentlemen. You don’t understand» Patrik continued to speak, looking them in the eye. «I'm not asking you to tell him, I'd like to do it tonight from inside your fortress. Obviously, if you'll be so kind as to let me in».
«I don’t understand why you can’t call him from the solaryan fortress. Are your friends so afraid of us that they prevent you from doing it?»
«No. They don’t even know why I'm here talking to you» and that said, he looked at them for a moment. «I just want your lord to take me very seriously and I think my request, made in a room full of arkassian Guardians ready to kill me, has a completely different flavor. Precisely for this reason I will present myself».
Gavinar took two steps toward him and stretched the siel up to place it to his neck.
«I don’t like Terrestrials. I would love to cut your throat for your insolence, but this place is sacred. The only thing I can tell you is that you can introduce yourself at the entrance and, if you really are alone, maybe we'll let you in».
Patrik took two steps back, and nodding slightly, he turned and began to walk back to Poligon Dhaal.
He was happy.
Now he had their attention.
About halfway he saw Billo catch up with him.
«What's up Big Dog? Were you worried about me?» he asked, stroking the mutt.
Then suddenly a flash of light appeared beside him and a red-robed warrior materialized in front of him.
Billo began to growl.
Under the tunic, Patrik recognized a being of the planet Acqua who looked at him with hatred. The dog hurled itself at him, but with a dry movement of the siel he threw him wounded against the wall.
Before he could realize it, the being was behind him and with a sharp blow to the back of his head had knocked him out, making him almost faint. Then he took Patrik's forearm and approached him with Armintala's siel at the Flower's barrier. The weapon began to turn crazy and a gap opened, hurling both inside. All the Guardians remained speechless.
Someone had entered before the alignment. It had never happened before.
Patrik stood on the ground almost fainting as he watched the red Guardian head toward the stem.
«Patrik stop him, for heaven's sake!» Poligon Dhaal screamed from behind, who, together with the others, reached the point where the gate had been created, which had closed once again. «He wants to force it !»
«Who are you?» Patrik asked aloud, but the response he received was a determined attack.
The two exchanged a series of shots. The Falaian was very strong and fast, and Patrik merely tried to contain him. With a flash of light he managed to tear off a piece of his tunic, but the other wounded his leg, smearing it in blood. Then he turned the siel into a net and Patrik found himself on the ground again. This time the wound that the Acquarian inflicted on his left arm was deep and his scream of pain pierced the air. He felt his time had come, at this point it was inevitable. Only the coup de grace divided him from death.
Then something happened.
Patrik was no longer materially in the room. He found himself looking at his mother in tears sitting on the floor in a room with only two chairs and a table. Her face was consumed with pain and she was smoking a cigarette.
«Mom» he began to call, but she didn’t hear him.
He was not there.
«Mom» once again, but nothing. «Mooom!» he called with all his strength.
He opened his eyes and angrily pierced the red Guardian's leg. Shrieking like mad, he attacked again and again, until the last shot split his opponent from side to side.
Before the body could fall to the ground, he took him by the collar.
«Where's my mother?» he asked the gasping being in front of him.
«We're coming back» he said, laughing, before exhaling his last breath.
Dead.
Patrik dropped him to the ground as the blood continued to dirty his leg and arm. Trying to catch his breath he looked at the Flower. He knew it was it who had showed him his mother in those conditions.
Without thinking for a moment, he took the siel and joined the stem to try to see her again. The Guardians from outside shrieked, but he didn’t hear. He closed his eyes and began to listen, and began to understand.
29
Patrik was traveling to the solaryan fortress on the moving platform from which he came. He had the dog in his arms, wounded in the leg, looking at him with those big eyes.
«The next time you decide to be a hero, at least win» he said, laughing smothering the dog with kisses. The dog liked it.
He had come out of the barrier, drawing his siel close, and carried the body of the acquarian Guardian out.
This fact that Armintala's siel could open the barrier was something that had upset the entire host of the wag, solaryan and arkassian warriors. Nevertheless, the presence of an extinct Guardian of Falaia, who had not only materialized from nowhere, but was even aware of things they didn’t know, was astonishing.
At this point he had officially become the most wanted person in the galaxy, and he realized that the spiral of blood that had surrounded him for a while would not stop yet.
But now it was different.
Patrik was aware that his mother's vision was sent to him by the Flower, and he had the strong impulse to connect to her, and he did. He wanted to see her again and know if she was fine. But what the Code told him was the suffering of billions of people, a multitude of mothers in tears, not just his own, children without parents, slave traders, and all that war entailed.
From the moment when Falaia decided to force the Code, nothing had followed the natural order of things anymore.
He didn’t know why he had been chosen and if he even was really the missing link to restore balance, but he would do everything to free his father and recover his mother, hoping to reach all those who, on one side or the other in the galaxy, were waiting for help.
The doors of the solaryan fortress opened and his friends were all there waiting for him.
Alannah was the first to approach.
«Patrik, how are you? We heard about the ambush and we were worried about you».
«Princess Alannah. Thanks for your interest, but we're all fine» he answered in the coldest voice in the world. «The situation is getting dangerous, so I suggest you go back to Solyar to be the princess as soon as possible. I am convinced that important matters of the palace await you, and you must think about your future».
«Patrik, what are you talking about...?» she answered, as if the boy in front of her was no longer someone she knew.
She had deserved that answer.
Patrik had not forgotten that she made stupid chat with that idiot Noliah, humiliating him. It was not nice for him to watch the bandelai, but he could touch it. That was fine, for heaven's sake! They belonged to the same race. But flirting with one of those who had wanted to kill him the night before, it wasn’t good.
The game was over.
The girl could go back to her house.
«Marco, please, take Billo and bring it to the infirmary along with CK31. Make it get it back on its feet, it saved my life today» he told his friend, going to him.
«All right, but you’re bleeding. You should come too» answered Marco.
«I have to talk to the Guardians. Something happened today».
«Do I have to worry?»
«No. They will not do anything to me. The situation after the last events has become quite complicated and I am no longer the enemy. I will come later to get myself checked out, I promise».
With that he smiled and handed the animal to his friend.
He walked with Poligon Dhaal and Kalberham to the palace, and from the corner of his eye he looked at Alannah again for a moment, who was left behind with her eyes downcast, humiliated. Even if his heart had shrunk for a moment, pride had definitely taken a breath of fresh air.
The Guardians were all seated, apart from Milostali. The three of them also settled for the start of the meeting. Milostali began to speak.
«Good. Now that Patrik Jones is here, we can start. What happened today inside the Flower sheds new light in the vision of things. Apparently Armintala's siel opens the barrier and this, of course, places its owner in a key position in the ongoing conflict. We need more than ever to know when the Terrestrial will definitively join us».
Kalberham started to get up, but Patrik stopped him. This thing he had to solve, alone.
«A few hours ago I connected to the Flower for the first time» he answered, turning to everyone, «and I assure you that I am not the problem here. What you need to know today is that I will do whatever it takes to end this conflict. First thing is I'm going to talk to the Arkassians tonight».
A questioning voice began to grow in the room.
«What do you mean by going to talk?» asked Milostali.
«I will go into their fortress and from there we will call the gohtarma»
«Ugly idiot. Do you want to put us all in danger?» Noliah shouted, pointing at Patrik with his index finger.
«We cannot afford it. The Arkassians could try to take your siel, the consequences would be disastrous» added Milostali looking at Kalberham for approval.
The Solaryan stood up. As much as he hated doing it, now he had to agree with the Council.
«Patrik, this time I have to tell you that your choice is not the best one. I know that freeing your father is something that you really care about, but you have to think about everyone's fate now. He is also where he is because he put the greater good first. You must understand that the Arkassians could. . .».
«The Arkassians?!» interrupted Patrik incredulously. «Are we still worried about the Arkassians?! But I say, do you realize what happened today? The Arkassians will not do anything to me because they, like you, have no idea who attacked me in there. Is it not true?»
Milostali frowned. «Earth boy, what has been understood from today's attack is that...».
«What is understood from today's attack is that only I can control my siel» Patrik still roared.
He had no intention of being contradicted by anyone.
&nb
sp; «The Acqua Falaian had to bring my hand close to open the barrier. He wanted to force the Code in a way that our current adversaries also ignore. We are under attack. The sooner we all understand it, the sooner we can defend ourselves».
An unusual silence fell for a moment in the room.
Going to something so obvious was useless and everyone inside knew it. Although many of them had not even been born at the time, they had learned as children, told by the elders of their respective planets, the terror of the Great War of Falaia. And now, in the unlikely coincidence of learning this from a Terrestrial boy, they realized that the ruins of the fortress of the red Guardians on the other side of the valley were not the only thing that had survived their lineage.
«I'm going to talk to the Arkassians because it's the right thing to do, unless, gentlemen, any of you don’t know who the corpse is in a red robe lying in the other room».
«It was called Berdinash» replied Poligon Dhaal, displacing everyone. «I'm sure it's him, we were friends once. He was in Spindorf with me the day I became a Guardian».
«Poligon, this is not possible. The man in there is much younger than you» Kalberham said.
«This is another thing we'll have to understand» he replied. «Patrik is right, the Arkassians must be informed. They will listen to you very carefully, believe me».
«What makes you think so?» Milostali asked him.
Poligon Dhaal looked at them all very intensely.
The nightmare was not over.
The exiles of Falaia, sent to drift towards certain death, were back, strong and capable of things that were part of a dark plan. The echo of millions of dead men buzzed at him deafeningly, indissoluble as the faces of those he had lost along the way.
The Code always knows where to go.
This unique belief that he still had allowed him to stand up.
He tried to catch his breath.
«Because the black Guardian you know today as the gohtarma, was in Spindorf with us on that day».
*
Patrik arrived in front of the arkassian gate in the late afternoon.
Patrik Jones and the Code of the Universe Page 25
