Bailey stood up and wiped the sweat forming on his forehead. He was helping clear the debris from Reinan as the Zeinonians began the small steps to a new life without fear of the Pod.
The meetings between Kabel, Zebulon and Festilion had initially started cautiously and then developed more positively. It became acutely apparent that it was not only the Zeinonians who were sick of war but also that the Pod had reached their outer limits of patience with the death and destruction. They were driven by fear. Fear of the Changelings, fear of what the Zeinonians had done to their breeding grounds. After many sessions of talks it was finally agreed that the old breeding grounds which hosted one of the main villages, would not be rebuilt but remain Pod land, along with whole swaths of mountainous land which sat above the Pods main settlements. Heathlon, had relinquished her title to Festilion, content to enjoy the remainder of her days away from the pressure of office: the duplicated roles only served to present confusion. The line of authority was now via Zebulon, for the Changelings and Festilion, for the Pod, simplifying matters greatly. They now could live in peace and in return, Festilion had asked only one further request.
Bailey knew of the request and he waited patiently, searching the airstrip where one of the transporters would return Tyson from his recent trip to see the wider planet. Festilion wanted to speak to Tyson, once again, a request that Bailey knew his friend would have no problem accepting when he arrived back. The two had previously met on a number of occasions and each time Tyson’s knowledge of the magics grew. Bailey knew he was hungry for more information on the magics, however, it also unsettled his friend and they hadn’t caught up after the last discussion between Tyson and the High Priestess and he would not settle until he saw his friend back, safe and sound.
‘What are you stopping for Englishman, hard work too much for you?’ said Sean Lambert, heaving a ripped and useless settee onto an increasingly high pile of rubbish that would be burned later in the day.
‘I am not soft like you northern guys,’ Bailey retorted to the Scot, with no malice in his voice. He bent down and picked up a couple of broken shutters and then stopped. Tate and Belina were walking up the street, hand in hand. Tate was directing the clean-up and the men and women around him were happily following his demands, respect for what he had done for them over the last few years still present, even with the growing recognition that it was now a Blackstone who reigned as Lord Chancellor, echoing the mastery of the olden days.
Bailey had accepted the position that Tate and Belina were inexplicably drawn to each other but that didn’t help dull his memories and how he felt. Some of the other girls within the human civilians had made moves to attract him but he wasn’t interested. The old saying, “once bitten twice shy” was a true one for him. He shook his head and muttered, ‘My, my Bailey, you have gone soft in your head.’
‘What’s that?’ Sean was at his shoulder. The soldier followed his friend’s gaze and placed a hand on Bailey’s shoulder. ‘That was a hard thing to take, laddy, and I know you are hurting now but someone else will come into your life, when the time is right.’
‘Maybe, maybe,’ said Bailey, as Belina caught his looks and smiled at him. Tate saw the exchange and didn’t seem in any way perturbed; he knew the bond they had was now unbreakable.
There was suddenly a roar as a transporter came into land. Bailey threw the broken shutters onto the pile of rubbish and ran to the temporary landing strip near the ships. Kabel and Zebulon came out first, closely followed by a thoughtful looking Tyson and Amelia who had hooked her arm through his. Bailey pushed past the guards waiting to escort Kabel and made his way to his friend.
‘How did it go?’ Bailey asked the pair.
‘We were shown around the whole planet, it is vast,’ said Amelia, glancing at the pensive looking Tyson.
‘Give me a few minutes with Bailey would you please, Amelia,’ said Tyson. Amelia supressed her surprise and gave him a quick peck on the cheek and went to look round the clearing up of the city.
‘What’s up, mate?’ asked Bailey as Tyson walked away from the hustle and bustle. No answer was forthcoming so Bailey traipsed after him, until they were on the edge of the Falls. Tyson sat down on the grass picking at the flowers in the meadow. Bailey joined him.
‘It is beautiful?’ said Tyson, knowledgeably. ‘You really have no idea how much effort has gone into making this place?’ His hand swept across the Falls and then Reinan. Bailey shook his head. ‘Centuries…’ He drifted off, unfinished, concern littered across his face.
‘So?’ Bailey said, not following.
‘The so is, Bailey, that the magics unpicked this idyllic life, led to thousands dying and took a race of people a fraction from annihilation. All due to the magics!’ said Tyson, more vehemently than he wanted to. Bailey was taken back but began to understand his friend’s concern. He reverted to his favoured protection and remained quiet, waiting for the full story. He didn’t need to wait long.
‘Before I left, Festilion told me the stories that led them to fear the Changelings,’ said Tyson, stopping to make sure his friend was listening. He was. ‘The likes of Zebulon were the success stories but for every Zebulon who wanted to become a skin changer there were many where it did not work well.’ He stopped again seeing Bailey’s confusion, ‘That’s the translation for Malefics, the name the Pod gave to the Changelings.’
‘Got it,’ said Bailey, knowing this was leading up to Tyson’s underlying worry.
‘Remember also, Zebulon was somewhat forced to convert by the actions of his younger brother and then his parents in the interests of saving the family unit; great motivator to make it work.’ Bailey was in listening mode, soaking up all this new knowledge. ‘She told me the horrible deaths some of the Pod or Changelings went through, people she knew from a child. The magics twisted them and hollowed them out, until they were just shells of their former selves.’
‘You’re worried that may happen to you, aren’t you?’
Tyson’s face seemed to age and Bailey held himself back from comforting his friend, the usual man to man reservation, which was a very natural occurrence between men. If Tyson minded his friend’s aloofness he didn’t show it, they had known each other since young boys and been through adventures not many friends would ever experience. Now he just wanted a friend to listen.
‘It is hard to describe, I feel this incredible anger inside me that, when I release it, I feel powerful and nothing can stand in my way. When it recedes I just feel empty and if it was not for Amelia I would struggle to hold it together,’ said Tyson.
‘What did this High Priestess say, and Zebulon for that matter?’
Tyson shrugged. ‘They said they had never seen such a powerful distortion of the magics and thought my control was astounding.’ He tailed off.
‘I feel there is a “but” in there, mate,’ said Bailey, reading his friend’s expression well…he should do after so many years.
‘The High Priestess said that irrespective of the control I would lose myself to the magics. There was a sense she picked up of my human genes fighting against the magics and by doing so increasing the power.’ Bailey was engrossed and was hungry for more news.
‘What does that all mean, surely the magics are not all bad, they helped us end the fight before?’ he reasoned. Tyson leaned down and picked a white flower.
‘Do you know that this is the hanish flower which makes their strong beer? They take these flowers, crush them, add water and place it through a zinithium powered press and then let it stand for over twelve months, before distilling – the flower then disintegrates. That’s why it is so strong,’ Tyson explained to his now increasingly confused friend. He gave a lopsided smile. ‘What I am trying to say, my friend, is that this flower is no longer a flower and changes completely over time, so much that it does not exist in its previous form.’ Bailey began to comprehend what Tyson was trying to get across.
‘So you are worried that sometime in the future, you would cease to be and become someone who looks like you, talks like you but is not you?’ said Bailey and Tyson nodded sadly. ‘What you going to do then?’
‘Zebulon will look after me and he has promised that he will remove the magics before the point of no return.’
‘He can do that? How can you or he assess what the point of no return is?’
‘I don’t know, I just have to trust him.’
Bailey was still bewildered, something he was becoming used to in this topsy-turvy world he was within. ‘How can Kabel and the other Zeinonians deal with the magics? Won’t they also have a tipping point?’
Tyson smiled wearily. ‘It’s different for them, their ancestors were exposed so often to the raw power of the planet that when the Changelings imparted their so called gift they were able to place an element of control on the spread of the magics…unless…’
‘…unless you are Zylar craving it all?’ Bailey finished.
‘Yep,’ said Tyson watching a galloping mantelope across the meadow.
Bailey stood up and offering his hand to his friend said, ‘Enough lazing around for you, time to get stuck in with the others.’
Tyson smiled and accepted the proffered hand and then using Bailey’s counterweight sprang up from the blue grass. His then free hand clasped Bailey’s other forearm causing Bailey to look quizzically at his friend.
Tyson smiled warmly. ‘Bailey, please don’t change,’ he said, slightly choking on the words as he conveyed the years of friendship in a simple grasp and a few words.
Bailey grinned. ‘Never, one freak around here is enough for anybody!’
They both laughed and went to re-join the clean-up work, when there was an almighty shout. Both whirled around to see the fleeting figure of Eva speeding towards them carrying what looked like a beef sandwich. Tyson reached out and caught the teenager by her arm.
‘Let go of me,’ Eva shouted, wriggling this way and that way.
‘What have you been up to, Eva?’ Since Tyson had seen her on that first day, he went out of his way to talk to her. The girl was trouble, with a capital T, but when he started talking to this wonderful Fathom princess who fought like a whirlwind, he was drawn to her, like a brother. A panting Hechkle joined them, slightly red-faced and pursued by an equally bemused Bronstorm.
‘Thanks, Tyson, she pinched my lunch,’ he said with a pained face.
‘You are too fat for this,’ said Eva, brandishing the large sandwich, much to Bailey’s and Bronstorm’s amusement.
‘Now, Eva, that is not a nice thing to say, is it?’ said Tyson, holding back the smile that wanted to break out on his face. Eva’s face was sullen, half hidden by a mass of ringlets and scrunched up red hair.
‘Hechkle needs his food; otherwise he will not have the energy to chase you, will he?’ he admonished. Eva grinned wickedly and the look she gave Tyson, took his breath away - it was Evelyn, bottled up in this tightly coiled spring of a girl. His face gave the game away and Hechkle’s face softened. He knew.
‘Please give Hechkle his sandwich back and I will make sure someone makes a similar sandwich for you?’ said Tyson.
Eva bristled at the request. ‘What’s the fun in that?’ she snapped.
‘Eva…’ warned Tyson.
‘Who wants his stupid sandwich anyway,’ said the petulant teenager and thrust the sandwich at Hechkle, who took it, made to backhand her across the cheek and when she flinched, leaned back and laughed, earning another glare.
Bronstorm stepped forward and made an extravagant bow. ‘Come on, Princess Eva, may I escort you to the Royal Sandwich Maker?’
Eva giggled, all of a sudden her rebellious streak disappearing, she had a soft spot for the quicksilver Fathom soldier and curtsying back with a now radiant smile on her face, ‘Well thank you, kind gentleman, at last someone treats me how I should be treated,’ she said loftily. Hechkle scowled, which caused everyone to laugh. Bronstorm offered his arm which the young girl took and they strolled away as if nothing mattered, followed by a grumbling Hechkle.
‘They would do anything for that girl, wouldn’t they?’ said Bailey.
‘Yes, as I would do.’ said Tyson, his laughter dying away as old memories came back.
Bailey placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. ‘Come on, why don’t we grab one of those lovely sandwiches?’ Tyson smiled his agreement and they set off after the disappearing tree of a man called Hechkle.
Amelia’s attention was taken by Tyson and Bailey holding their deep conversation wondering what they were talking about.
‘Anything the matter?’ said Gemma, who was enjoying the company of the older Jaida, who had shown a mischievous side to her personality as she provided joking assessments of all key members of the Aeria Cavern. Gemma was intrigued to hear about her on and off relationship with Tate and surmised that Jaida knew exactly how to get her man.
‘No, not really, they just wanted to talk,’ said Amelia, knowing full well something wasn’t right with Tyson…but there again that was not anything new.
‘Really glad you two have got together,’ said Gemma, hiding her small resentment that Tyson had not even attempted to flirt with her since their kiss on the ship… now was not the time to be petty.
‘Thanks,’ replied Amelia, not picking up the slight undertone in Gemma’s voice.
Her friend studied her. Amelia was a classic beauty, an understated model, a girl who when she walked down the street all male eyes, of whatever age, would follow. I suppose in Greek times, the phrase, “Her beauty launched a thousand ships,” would apply, Gemma supressed the irritation she was feeling, linking her friend to the mythological Greek figure Helen of Troy.
Over the years in school, Gemma always played second fiddle to Amelia for boys’ attention. On Valentine’s day, all the way back to when they were ten years old, Amelia would have five or six cards or chocolates left on her desk, Gemma nothing. Before the Proms, in secondary school, the boys would be nearly fighting over whom was taking her; no one asked Gemma. To protect herself from the upset of losing the attention of boys she liked to the unwitting Amelia and always pushed to the side lines, she had altered her dress sense, had tattoos, piercings, and dyed her hair.
I am the alter ego of Amelia, Gemma said to herself, half-smiling, half grimacing, and now Amelia had Tyson, hook, line and sinker, the one boy who had chased Gemma all these years and she had ignored his easy to see attempts to woo her. I suppose I always thought I could have him anytime, thought Gemma, as Amelia turned to Jaida to ask questions about Reinan.
Gemma knew that even with this resentment swirling round her head, she loved Amelia; you could not but love Amelia. Gemma fought against her jealousy and when looking across at Tyson, who wore a cheerful smile as he stood up and clasped the arm of her brother, she quelled her feelings for him. She was very fond off Kabel and he treated her right, time to move on girl, reaffirming her earlier conviction. With that definitive thought she broke into her own smile and joined the conversation of the two other girls, who were discussing how the city village had fallen those many years ago.
‘So do you have any memories of what happened here?’ asked Amelia, taking in her surroundings, noticing the debris slowly being removed, revealing some of the previous hidden grandeur of the city.
Jaida pulled an orange from her pocket. She had taken an instant liking to this unusual fruit which had been frozen during the journey and now introduced to the Zeinonians. She peeled the orange and rather than remove any segments, simply bit into the whole orange causing juice to run down her chin which she absently wiped away.
‘I was only a child, so my memory of events is a little murky,’ said Jaida, after swallowing her first bite of the juicy fruit. ‘I was in the Blackstone Royal Palace asleep when I was woken by my father.’ Jaida’s voice trailed off just as Gemma joined the conversation. Still today, the emotion of that day when her father was severely wounded, a wound that he never really recovered from, was never far from the surface.
‘Go on,’ coaxed Amelia, recognising the raw emotion on the tall woman’s face.
‘You see it wasn’t a major surprise and I guess others have told you their stories?’ They all agreed it was a common topic amongst the Expeditionary Force. ‘Well, as you know we had been under attack for a number of days and had retreated within the city, evacuating the outer reaches,’ said Jaida, pausing as she took another bite of the orange. The others waited patiently as she chewed and then swallowed the sweet fruit.
‘The Elders had already started evacuating and had used the transportation portal to send waves of inhabitants to the Aeria Cavern for safety.’ Jaida appeared to drift off, letting the memory wash over her and then as if realising that she had an audience, resumed, ‘The sheer numbers teleported through the portal drained the meagre amounts of zinithium and when the Pod surprised the city’s defences, we were overrun. The Pod burst into our home cutting us off from our own escape tunnel and we fled, like everybody else, to the Royal Council where my father opened up the main emergency passage way leading directly to the Aeria Cavern. It was madness so many people to evacuate, scared, crying, locked in the last safe haven. Anybody outside lost to the slaughter. My father led the last stand in the Royal Council with the remaining Blackstone troops and threw back the Pod time after time.’ Gemma found she was holding her breath, captivated by this beautiful young Zeinonian’s story.
‘Just Blackstone Troops?’ asked Gemma. In answer, Jaida’s pretty face twisted with hate.
‘Some of the other clans yes but no Malacca soldiers – the cowards ran away to safety.’ Jaida spat out. Gemma began to understand why there was so much friction between the two principal clans.
Jaida continued her story. ‘We thought the last of the rear guard would escape, and then the Pod burst through the floor, tunnelling into the library. My father scooped me up and managed to make it into the passage away and I still remember the screams of the troops left behind as the Pod tore them apart.’ There were tears glistening around her eyes as the memories proved too much.
Gemma placed an arm round Jaida’s shoulders to comfort her.
‘What’s the matter?’ It was Kabel, who had stood his guard down to obtain a little more freedom of movement. Not that it worked, his guard moved just another few paces away…no one was coming near their Lord Chancellor.
‘Nothing,’ said Gemma. Jaida wiped away the tears and angry at letting the humans see her upset, brushed aside Gemma’s arm and stormed off.
‘If that is nothing, hate to see what “something” is,’ said an amused Kabel. Gemma proceeded to tell him the story and Kabel was unsurprised.
‘There has always been resentment between our two clans. Tate explained that on that night it was the main Malacca regiment holding the line away from the city and they were surprised, surrounded and majority were killed. He was lucky to escape, thanks to his quick thinking father,’ Kabel explained. ‘It is time our two clans moved closer and maybe just maybe we can prevent these mistakes occurring again.’
He was interrupted by a US Marine, ‘Lord Chancellor, you and Tyson are requested to attend an urgent meeting in the Elanda,’ said the soldier, catching his breath. Whatever it was something major was happening, thought Kabel. He turned away from Gemma and headed off to the Elanda as the soldier headed off to search for Tyson. Gemma watched him go, before deciding to go and look for Jaida to see if she could do anything for her.
As Kabel strolled up the ramp leading up into the belly of the Elanda, relatively relaxed and if the cares of the world had been removed, he didn’t know that events would move fast, events that would be hard to predict and lead the companions into danger that surpassed any they had previously encountered.