Tyson’s eyes flickered open and straight away he was staring into a pair of eyes set in a familiar face. A gentle hand was pushing a flannel across his face. He opened his eyes fully.
‘Hi Tyson, son, you are on the Elanda,’ said Leila and Tyson couldn’t hold back his delight at seeing his mother. His body may hurt and his insides felt all churned up but to see his mother safe and well was worth it. He reached up and they hugged.
‘Where is Amelia?’ he asked. He saw the answer in her face and feared the worse.
‘When you,’ Leila searched for the right words, ‘exploded she took a bad knock. She is still alive,’ she hastily added as the alarm spread across her son’s face. ‘She is in a medically induced coma to see if she will recover with rest.’
Tyson grimaced. It was entirely his fault, if only he could master the magics.
He remembered something else, ‘Bailey?’ Leila shook her head and then seeing the crestfallen look on his face realised that she had given the wrong message to her son.
‘He is in intensive care; he lost an awful amount of blood.’ Tyson still looked worried and she reassured him he would be fine with rest.
‘What happened?’ Tyson remembered feeling the magics build up inside him and remembered the anger bursting forward. Then all other memories of the battle were gone.
Leila took him through the events, how Zebulon had acted when he saw the magics consuming him and had used his ability to remove the magics to stabilise Tyson. She told him that a man called Hechkle had died saving them. Tyson closed his eyes in grief and then asked after Bronstorm knowing the man would also be distraught. Leila confirmed he had struggled to come to terms with it but the others had rallied around him.
Tyson thought back to Hechkle, remembering the big man fondly and Leila let him absorb the news, knowing other questions would be coming…and there it was. She saw Tyson’s eyes widen as he realised what she had said initially about the magics.
‘So I have no magics now?’ said a relieved Tyson.
‘Not quite,’ said another voice in the room. Tyson looked across the room and saw the cat curled up on a chair. The cat jumped off the seat and metamorphosed into Zebulon.
Leila stepped away and Zebulon walked to the side of the bed.
‘I have removed the magics as best I could but I have never seen or felt anything like it, the power was incredible,’ said Zebulon, shaking his head in wonderment. ‘You should have no abilities left but I cannot be certain.
‘How did you do that?’ asked Tyson, searching for the magics within him and finding nothing. He felt just stone cold relief.
‘I can absorb magics and it does not harm me but flows out of my body into the surrounding environment,’ said Zebulon, still shaking his head. ‘But I have never seen so much power in one individual. It was wrapped around your body like a coiled spring.’
Tyson tried to get up but he was too weak and after protesting slumped back into bed. His thoughts drifted to Amelia and Bailey, guilt assaulting him. Leila moved back to the side of his bed as Zebulon left, knowing she needed to be there. She would stay with him for a little longer before checking on the women and children rescued. They were now placed in a number of rooms on the tenth floor of the ship, with good food, bedding and medical treatment. Leila had popped in earlier and it was good to see them laugh and experience freedom. They had grown close to her. They also knew that for now her attention must be on Tyson.
Kabel remained on Skegus with General Corder to meet with King Yi and agree new trade agreements with Zein and Earth. It was agreed that the Expeditionary Force would help with the retaking of Oneerio post the completion of any repairs. Once Tate heard the negotiations were complete and Kabel had returned from Skegus, he went to find him. Tate found him on one of the observation decks of the Elanda gazing morosely out of the window at the rapid rebuilding of Reinan.
‘Zylar has Gemma then?’ said Tate, just as Belina joined them from one of her many hours seeing to the injured. She ignored Tate, walking right up to the pensive looking Kabel and placing her arm around her brother, who in turn appreciated the comfort.
‘Yes, but we have managed to find out where he has gone,’ said Kabel. They had tracked the coordinates to a landing pad outside Quentine that had held the destroyers provided by the Xonians. They had rapidly left the Capulus Novus System and Kabel was informed that an analysis of their trajectory and direction of travel gave a good indication of where they were heading.
‘He has gone back to your Earth?’ guessed Tate. He had heard many stories about this land and he was intrigued by a planet that could have over six billion people living upon it.
‘Yes, he has my Gemma and he has to die and I will do it. Not Tyson, not you but I will see the life ebb out of his eyes for what he has done.’ said Kabel, his anger flashing in his eyes. Both Tate and Belina did not doubt him. The Lord Chancellor cast a formidable figure as he gazed out of the window, his back ramrod straight and at that point Belina struggled to tell him apart from Tyson. They were truly brothers, driven by a destiny written for them with no clear ending. She could only do what a sister could do and stand silently with him as his thoughts drifted to another planet and an uncle whom he would hunt down to his very last breath.