The Magic Sequence

by Dawn Chapman

  “Jarvin, take the ebolos back to the field. Make sure it has water and food and the others are kind to it. They always seem friendly at first, but then can get nasty.”

  Jarvin nodded and wandered off with the ebolos trotting beside him.

  Dellis and Taegen helped me hobble inside the barn. My ankle, though it had felt better pain-wise, had stiffened up on the ride out here.

  Dellis motioned for me to sit, and I obeyed. He was gentle as he moved my foot to rest on his knee, untied the shoe and started to unwind the bandage. Taegen watched in silence. I wasn’t sure what his intentions were, but he almost felt like a protective father to me.

  Dellis placed both hands on my blackened foot, cradling it like a new-born baby. I was slightly embarrassed. I hadn’t showered in a couple of days, and the sweating bandages keeping my ankle braced hadn’t done me any favours in the smell department.

  Dellis let out a chuckle.

  “Hey,” I said. “No mind reading allowed!”

  But my ankle started to feel better. The black seeped away, and the splotch at the side of my view pulsed less.

  I looked up at Taegen. “Are you okay?”

  “Something strange,” he said. “I…” His voice trailed off. That was when screams erupted outside. Not just screams but harsh bellows and the thunder of a stampede.

  Dellis was up quick. I never even thought of the pain in my ankle as I stood up, too. I grabbed my shoe and slipped it on, trying not to trip over the laces as I ran to see what was going on through a window.

  Dellis stopped at the window. His eyes went wide as he motioned to me. “Get back from the windows. Now.”

  “What is it?” I asked, fear gripping me. Whatever it was, was huge. The ground rumbled with their charging about.

  “Tromoal.”

  I couldn’t see anything, but I heard the cries. The ground shook and the glass inside the barn rattled. Then I saw what was outside. The creature they called a Tromoal was the size of the room we were in — and a dragon, a flipping real-life dragon! With humongous wings, and slashing pointed tail. It wasn’t cute, it wasn’t anything like I’d imagined. Its green and yellow scales glinted in the sunlight. Its teeth dripped with blood and gore. There was only one thing on its mind. Killing.

  No, no. This can’t be true. This is a game. They’re creatures to fight, to train yourself against. They shouldn’t be in civilized places to hunt and kill! But they were doing just that, killing anything they could grab. Slicing and dicing and murdering the creatures outside.

  With every screech of an ebolos or bellow of a horse, Dellis flinched. “They’re destroying everything I have.” He pushed himself up, looking like he was going to head outside, but the door opened and Jarvin rushed in, panting and sweating. Blood dripped from the side of his face.

  I ran to him and tried to see what was wrong, but he panted out, “It’s not mine... God... Dahlia, they’re devouring everything in sight.”

  When Dellis made to move again, Taegen grabbed hold of him. “There’s nothing you can do out there. The herds are gone. Don’t waste your life alongside theirs.”

  Dellis deflated before me. “What if we’d still been outside? Would we all have died?” He slumped to the floor, and I watched as, eyes dimmed, he slapped the side of his face making it pink up straight away. Tears brimmed. “I’ve lost everything. What can I do? My babies. Oh, God. My babies.”

  Taegen knelt beside him, and we followed his example. “I’m sorry, Dellis. There’s nothing we can do. Nothing.”

  I watched as Taegen patted his back, trying his best to keep him calm. Taegen glanced to me. “Keep low to the ground. With any luck, they won’t destroy the building. They’re after the livestock.”

  “Why aren’t they eating Hanson’s supplies at the edge of the plains?” Jarvin said. “Why have they come here to the estate?”

  “He’s been refusing to send game there,” Dellis mumbled. “He’s making us work harder, longer. There were rumours he’d been running low on cattle, on all stock. I never thought it was true. We’d seen herds of cattle going out to the fields earlier in the week. The men never returned with them. We thought it was fine, that everything was fine.”

  His rambling didn’t make much sense to me.

  Jarvin seemed to understand and looked at me. “Hanson’s Estate supplies the Tromoal at breeding season every year. If they’re here now, scrounging for food, something’s wrong. Really wrong.”

  I tried to not worry, but the three of us stayed on the barn floor till there were no more screams, no more ground-shaking rumbles, and it was going dark once more. This was no game. This was the most terrifying place I’d ever been. Dragons ruled the lands, and the local farmers had to supply them with food. No way. I didn’t want to stay here. This was awful.

  “I need to get to the estate,” I said eventually, breaking the silence between us all.

  Jarvin looked at me like I was the craziest person alive. But there was no way I couldn’t go forward now, knowing what was out there. I needed my sisters to be safe. I wasn’t safe here, either. I had to go.

  That’s when I decided I was leaving. I pushed myself up, stretched out and headed for the door. Jarvin and Taegen were up and standing beside me.

  “You’re not going out there alone.”

  I was glad of their company, but as the door creaked open, we all got a shock. Around the farmlands the ground was covered in the bloody guts and gore of the creatures that only hours before had been happily grazing. There wasn’t any sign of life at all.

  We made our way up the pathway and towards the estate, then there came the people, out from their hiding spots. The odd one or two were laden with bags, carrying small children who were crying and wailing. Some children wandered about, calling for mum, or dad… with no answer.

  Taegen stopped to talk to a couple of them and then looked gravely at me. “I don’t think there’s going to be anything to help you at the estate, Dahlia. I’m sorry.”

  “I’ve got to try!” I said and pushed onwards. They weren’t stopping me. I had to find a computer system or some technological way to get a message through. I ran full-pelt past the people leaving the estate. But the doors were locked and the place shut up tight. “Can we get in?” I called back to Taegen and Jarvin, but when they approached, Taegen wasn’t sure.

  “If they locked it down because of the attack, I’m not sure.”

  I looked behind him at the sheer devastation. “I can’t do this.” I started to shake, and although I wasn’t crying, I felt every damned emotional uproar from deep within.

  Chapter 8

  Getting into the estate wasn’t hard after Taegen put his mind to it. I literally mean that. He stood, placed his hands on the doors, a soft feint glow spread out from him, and then the main doors just opened. The grand mansion of Hanson’s estate spread outwards and upwards. The gardens were immaculate. Low-cut grass, trimmed bushes and trees of all colours, shapes and sizes. It must have been lovely to live here… till today, of course. It was visually stunning.

  The walls were painted white to reflect the sun. There wasn’t a chip in sight. Two large main doors sat in the middle of the property. Ornate, and carved. But… there was a hint of technology. A light above the door screamed ‘electricity’, and then there was a blinking glass panel to the side. They almost looked too high-tech to be in this world. Was it fantasy, tech or some weird combination of both? I was interested to find out… and really wanted to get inside the main house now.

  A few staff were still coming out of shock, and one walked over to Taegen, his eyes wide, cheeks tear-stained. I felt so sorry for these people.

  “Why?” he asked Taegen. “What brought them here?”

  Taegen didn’t speculate, but someone else came running through the gates just then, screaming for all to hear.

  “Hanson’s been hiding it all along. There’s no food for the Tromoal! We’re doomed. Run, run while you can!”

  The truth was, I was breathin
g heavier. My heart pounded in my chest. I turned to Jarvin. “Will they come back?”

  He nodded. “They’re used to coming to his lands for food each season. So yeah, I would imagine they’re not far away at all. If there’s no food where they usually find it, they’ll come here first. We should leave, now.”

  “I still need to find a message station or lab. Something must be here to organise all this.”

  “If we can get inside, see Hanson, maybe...” Jarvin prodded Taegen.

  We walked farther onto the estate property, then up to the front doors. When prompted for entry or a password, Taegen didn’t know any, so he knocked. I let him and then I tried to see if I could get in any other way. If I had to, I’d probably break in. There would be a window or something we could smash if we had to, right?

  The more I thought about it, the easier that decision was for me. We’d broken into my mother’s lab, technically, we’d gone in and accessed equipment that had been her life for many years, and somehow, we’d broken it. I was sure it was all our fault. Oh God, we’d be in so much darned trouble when we got home.

  I swallowed and slinked off around the side of the massive large mansion walls. There, I saw a side door slightly ajar. I backed away and shouted to the others. “Come on, we can get in here.”

  Taegen wasn’t letting me go in first; he put out a hand to stop me. “Wait, what?”

  But then he drew one of his blades, and I stepped back, with Jarvin behind me. I felt trapped between them both, but I also felt much safer. I was sure Lila would have hated this, but me, I wasn’t as skilled as her in martial arts.

  Inside we met the odd person, workers who’d just been through the same amount of shock as we had, their estate under attack. A few were grabbing what they could and making a run for it. I couldn’t blame them.

  Once we were through the back doors and into the main building, it was more than obvious that something was wrong.

  Jarvin walked through the spacious kitchen. He looked side to side, very aware. I followed his gaze to some of the pans. He stopped and leaned over one. I looked to the one near me, and stuck my nose in. Then I retched, nearly vomiting at the stench. “Why is the food rotten?”

  At first glance, I had thought this place was abandoned when the Tromoal had attacked, but it looked like it had gone bad days ago.

  I approached another table and picked up a dish that had mould growing on it. Okay, a lot more than a few days. “This place hasn’t had anyone working in it for a week, maybe more.”

  Taegen looked over my shoulder. “I agree.”

  It was also so eerily quiet.

  “Have you any idea where there might be some tech?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “I don’t think there’ll be much danger in here, but be careful. We’ll split up and meet back here in thirty minutes?”

  I picked up a large knife, nodding. “Can do.”

  “Do you even know how to use a knife?” Jarvin joked, but I knew he was thinking of my safety.

  “If I stick it in you, will you shut up?”

  He moved away from me, and towards a double set of swinging doors.

  They opened into a large dining area with lots of other exits. That’s when I saw the grand staircase. Through the bottom doors, it looked beautiful, wooden stairs elegantly carved like the front doors and in fact all the doors inside the mansion. It stretched up and into the rooms above with such grace. I imagined a birthday party or other social event, coming down them in all my frills and finery. I shook my head, remembering the blood, the gore… then how much I needed to find my sisters.

  “I’m heading up. Looks like it could use two guys to explore down here.” And off I went, sure there would be nothing but bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs.

  Taegen and Jarvin moved away and I watched them split up as I took each step upwards.

  There was a lovely clean smell to the home. I thought about the family that lived here and smiled. It seemed such a great place. I looked at a landing spot with several side doors and one much bigger door at the end. Master bedroom or office? I also noted the stairs carried on upwards.

  I moved up to the next level, thinking it’d be much easier to work my way down. On reaching that landing, I knew this was the bedroom area. Small little signs were dotted here and there, directing people to the right area. It felt like a warm hotel. Maybe they had a lot of guests, and this was where they would all stay.

  Then I saw another door marked Private. Interesting.

  I proceeded towards that and found a set of silver metal doors. Was this a lift? This was a strange game, a game that for the most part seemed to have a fantasy setting, and yet here I was looking at real tech. There was a panel to the right. It looked just like it might fit in my mum’s laboratory back home. I touched it. Nothing happened. Then letters and numbers lit up. But then they flashed off again. Nothing. I’d need more than a password to get up there. DNA scan, hand print… eye match? I laughed at myself for guessing.

  Moving back, I started out my search for anything that would help me here. Peering into the rooms, I could tell it was a much-loved family place. These were amazing bedrooms, and girls’ bedrooms at that. There was no sign that anyone had rushed off, packed a bag or anything; the place was just empty.

  I worked my way through them. One of the rooms, I would have loved for myself. Beautiful décor, and as I stepped inside, I was reminded of everything I would have loved as a game player. This was a treasure trove of armour and other things. I was surprised that it was spread out over the room, like a tossed school uniform. Maybe the owner was more like me.

  I picked up a few things. The leather was rich. I looked down at my drab and now very dirty clothes and quickly decided that if no one was home, they wouldn’t mind me borrowing a few things here. I didn’t hang about. Dropping my knife on the bed, I slipped on the trousers, a shirt, and then I found a comb and fought to brush the knots in my hair. When that was finally done, I flipped my hair up into a knot, stashing the comb in a pocket, and grabbed a pair of boots. They were a much better fit than the shoes I’d been wearing. I sighed. I was stealing, but I also needed them. I grabbed a jacket off the side of a chair and moved to leave the area, back down the set of stairs, the knife gripped tightly in my hand.

  The lower level and its numbered rooms intrigued me, but not as much as the higher level. I’d have to mention that to Taegen.

  Checking everything room by room was slow, but I wanted to be sure there was nothing in here that would reach into the gaming world. Taegen said they could send messages to friends from their own internal system, but they needed their address or player number to do so. I had neither, so reaching my sisters would have to be done the old-fashioned way, via message boards. If there was a gaming forum, maybe for the alpha stages, then it could work. They’d all be thinking the same as me. We could get through with a message. At least I hoped they were all thinking like me. I was thirteen, but games had been a huge part of my life. Lila loved them for the sports side; she loved her martial arts stuff. Kick-ass she was, totally. If she’d been here, I would have been safe from anything and anyone.

  I stopped and looked out across the floor. There were a few other doorways, but none as grand as the ones at the very far end. I stood before a large wooden set of doors. They were ornately carved, like all the others. Maybe I should have come down here first. I pushed on the door, but it didn’t move. I tried pulling. Nope, nothing. Then I noted something else, a small square panel above the door, like a weird locking mechanism. I touched it, feeling the carvings inside, and pushed. There was a loud click and I tugged the door again. Nothing. I pushed instead, using all my strength, not that I had much. It moved slightly, and I shoved the door ajar.

  It was dark inside. There were no open curtains or windows, and it smelled like death. I squinted but thought I could make out the side of the room, so I headed over there, tripping on something sticking out. I fumbled and just about managed to right myself. I reached the wall
and found a large set of curtains. I quickly drew them back and turned to the room.

  Bile burned my throat. I leaned over and vomited.

  I couldn’t open my eyes. I couldn’t see that again.

  There were dead bodies. Not mutilated dead, or anything else dead. They looked… I dunno, peaceful. After all the gore I’d seen outside, I couldn’t cope with this. There were girls, young kids, sitting by their parents’ side. Well, I presumed they were their parents. And there was a man sat behind the desk.

  I struggled to suck in air and breathe, and I closed the curtains partly, so I wouldn’t have to see that clearly what was there. No wonder the room smelled funny. There was this weirdness to the whole situation, and I’d no idea what had happened.

  I forced my eyes open. “They’re not real,” I said. “They’re not real.” I made my way over to the desk to see if there was anything on it that would help me. I opened a few drawers, but there was nothing to help me message my sisters. I found a dent in the desk though, like a depression, close to where the man’s fingers were.

  Sweat dripped down my back. The jacket had been a nice idea, but it was hot in here. I pushed the man’s hands away; it actually looked like he had been typing something, the way they were splayed out.

  How had he died like this? It looked so quick. Not painful, or his face would have been distorted. His body seemed to be frozen in time — dead, of course, but frozen.

  When my fingers touched the area, a glow emanated from the desk, and sure enough, there were touch keys integrated into the desk. A screen lit up with a message.

  “The farm’s being poisoned. The cattle are dying. There’s nothing I can do to stop it. We’ll all be dead by spring, if not when the Tromoal arrive. There’s nothing left. I’ve tried. I’m sorry.”

  There were other messages and reports, too, about his family, about their joint decision to take their own lives, to end the suffering before anyone else could do it for them. He went on about the Tromoal and how they’d kill everything, or how they’d go back without leaving the usual amount of waste deposits, their waste. I laughed. Their poop was called Hismaw. And, it seemed, had magical properties. This made me laugh all the more. Magical poop! I’d no clue as to what the poop did, though.