Chapter 7

The Shattered City

SNOW’S MIND HAD more or less recovered from the effects of her collision with the invisible barrier. But now she had a different reason to feel dizzy. She was dangling precariously fifty metres above the rocky landscape below her, clutched in the massive claws of the flying alien creature.

When the beast had first snatched her up, as she tried desperately to crawl away, she had been surprised that it had grasped her so carefully. From its appearance and the ferocity of its attack on the White Knights, she had fully expected it to slice her into ribbons there and then. Instead, as it loomed over her, it had taken hold of her almost gently. Then, with a series of powerful wing-beats, it had launched itself into the air, carrying her high into the sky.

By now, they had flown quite some distance from the research compound. Once Snow had got over her initial brain-numbing panic, she had tried to take in some of the awesome view. The terrain that stretched out below her was rocky, lifeless and hostile. The further the creature flew, the more mountainous the landscape became.

What is this place? thought Snow. And how in the world did I get here?

Since coming round from being unconscious, she hadn’t had time to try and figure out what had happened to her. The last familiar thing she remembered was the Academy garage. Everything since – the chase, the invisible wall, this bizarre creature – made no sense to her.

The giant beast suddenly banked steeply to the right. They swooped low over the crest of a ridge that joined the summits of a range of tall, steep-sided peaks. What lay beyond the ridge took Snow’s breath away.

A vast city covered the opposite face of the mountain. But it was a city unlike any on Earth. Instead of buildings of concrete, glass and metal, it was constructed from stone, the natural material of the mountainside. The rocky terrain had been carved and shaped into hundreds of giant spheres. There was a circular opening in the upper face of each. Snow could see as they flew over them that the spheres were hollow inside. They reminded her of the galls created by insects from the bark of trees. But here, the galls were of rock and truly massive.

The creature began a spiralling descent. As it flew lower, Snow noticed that much of the strange city was in a state of dereliction. Many of the hollow rock spheres were badly fractured, or partly collapsed. Whole clusters had been reduced to crumbling ruins by some destructive force. Only the very central area, comprising half a dozen of the biggest spheres, appeared undamaged.

Snow’s heart missed a beat as the creature suddenly plummeted towards the roof-opening of the largest of this cluster. Moments later, she found herself circling its interior – a cavernous rock-walled chamber.

The winged alien flew towards a narrow ledge that jutted out from the cavern’s concave wall. It deposited Snow carefully on this ledge, then swooped away, to alight on a high stone pillar that rose from the cavern’s floor.

Snow got to her feet, still giddy from her stomach-churning flight. Her mind turned instantly to escape. But it was clear why the creature had dropped her where it had. There was no way off the ledge. It was a long drop to the floor below and there was a wall of solid rock behind her.

The creature was watching her from its rock perch – one of several columns grouped in a horseshoe shape around the cavern. Snow was alarmed to see several more creatures, much the same as the first in appearance, settled on the other columns.

The stone columns and parts of the cavern walls, Snow noticed, were heavily engraved with elaborate carvings – strange geometric patterns, whorls and motifs.

A low, booming voice suddenly echoed inside Snow’s head.

Why have you brought one of the Wingless to our council hall, Ko’Drall? They are our enemies, as you well know!

Snow shook her head to clear it. She was sick of hearing voices. Somehow, though, she could sense that this one belonged to one of the bizarre alien gathering before her.

Not all the Wingless have been our foes, my brother.

This second voice was calmer, less hostile.

This creature is an enemy of the Void Ones, it continued. I witnessed several of the metal monsters chasing her. An enemy of theirs may perhaps be a friend of ours. And look at the fashion of her head covering. It reminds me strongly of the device worn by the last Wingless One who was welcome among us.

Snow was finding it utterly bizarre listening to a conversation in her head, while the creatures sat silently in front of her. It was pretty clear that the voice defending her belonged to the creature who had carried her here. She wondered which one of the others was the owner of the more suspicious voice.

As her eyes moved from one giant beast to the next, her heart suddenly jumped. Among the stone carvings on one of the columns, she noticed a familiar pattern. There it was again, on the wall! In fact, as her eyes eagerly scanned the cavern, she could make out the recognizable peak-shaped motif engraved in any number of places.

The Armouron insignia! cried her bewildered mind. Why is the order’s symbol carved on their walls?!

As one, the creatures turned their yellow eyes on Snow. Despite the inhuman nature of their faces, their searching stares were clearly ones of intrigued astonishment. Snow sensed instinctively that they had overheard her last thoughts.

The creature she believed to be Ko’Drall suddenly leaped from its plinth and swooped towards her, alighting on the brink of her ledge. Snow took an involuntary step backwards and bumped into the rock wall immediately behind her.

As the creature’s eyes met hers, a voice filled her head. It was far stronger and louder than before. Snow had no doubt that, for the first time, Ko’Drall was ‘speaking’ directly to her.

Can you hear us, stranger?

Snow pressed herself against the rock, uncertain how to react. Were they angry that she had been eavesdropping? The creature leaned closer, so that its peculiar mouthless face was only a metre from hers.

If you can hear my thoughts, Wingless One, then answer them!

Pulse pounding, Snow looked into the creature’s deep, searching gaze. She nodded her head.

Then, sensing that this was not the method of response the creature desired, she closed her eyes and tried to calm her shallow breathing. With a sensation she had never felt before and drawing on an instinct she didn’t understand, she let her answer form in her mind, then released it, like a bird.

Yes, her mind-message announced. Yes. I can hear you.