by Phoebe Brown
He was right. These people didn’t just appear from the skies. They had to come from somewhere, had to have gotten supplies somewhere, and had to have had some interaction with the towns in Kent.
“While I think this plan as a whole lot of room for failure, I’m willing to go.”
Khar and Helen let out defeated sighs and she smiled.
“Think of this as the first of many adventures.” Kirk teased, “who knows, maybe we’ll get to see Gaia in action again.”
She cringed and prayed she wouldn’t have to repeat what she had done the last time around.
“While you guys think of that.” she said ignoring their snickers, “Here are a few pointers about doing things at night. You all need to be dressed in full black. Nothing elaborate, black trousers and shirts. Cover your hair as well. If we go in, we go in with as little of ourselves as possible.”
“If anything happens.” Kirk said breaking in, “You all have to meet us wherever we land. You all have powers; you must use them to ensure you overcome any danger you face.”
They all nodded, and Gaia felt a bit more confident.
“Kirk will do most of the talking.” She said, “You all sound as if you’re foreign.”
They shrugged and nodded.
“I’ll lend you guys some of my control stones.” Khar said, “They prevent others from using their powers to coerce you into being truthful to them against your will.”
Kirk nodded and Looked at Helen.
“I’ll keep aware of the surroundings.” She said, “If there’s any mass movement of any kind I can trap them before they get to us.”
Kirk nodded yet again, and it seemed he was satisfied.
“I don’t know what is more thrilling, escaping the palace or the danger of losing everything in one fail move.”
“You need some help.” Khar teased, “Let me fix your brain.”
He playfully held up his hands in surrender.
“To pull this off I will have two of my most trusted guards with us.” He said after a moment, “They’re loyal only to me.”
It all seemed surreal that they were now planning to escape the palace when the day before had been spent trying to get back here. They hadn’t passed many people on the road towards the sea bridge and many who had seen them hadn’t recognized who they were. She had no idea what the towns were like and even less what the Hedonites looked like. They seemed very fierce and intimidating but then again, all her knowledge was gained by observing Kirk and his father. Surely the people would be different.
“Gaia,” Khar said coming to sit next to her.
“Hey,” she replied not understanding why the girl was by her side.
“You need to stop overthinking,” she said, “your pupils have disappeared.”
Gaia shook her head. She remembered the book Khar had given her. It had explained what the Dorylus went through when they were transitioning. She would often space out and her eyes would go black. This was usually followed by a rush of emotional control over others who were close by.
“How do I stop it?” she asked.
That was something the book hadn’t taught her.
“You have to say the words to temper your power,” Khar whispered.
All around her, the others had gone silent. It was as if a chilling wind had passed over them and quieted the whole group. Closing her eyes, she blocked them out and forced the words to slip silently from her lips.
“Gamor Ad Lingual Di.” She said as softly as she could.
She felt a sudden sense of relief as the power began to drain from her and she no longer felt connected to the people around her. She hadn’t noticed the way her powers had been seeping out, but she could tell the others found it strange. When she opened her eyes, they were looking at her with concern which turned to relief when they realised, she was fine.
“We have to do something about that,” Kirk said.
“It’s fine.” Gaia chimed in, “it was my fault for not realising what was happening.”
He didn’t look convinced, but he also didn’t seem eager enough to disagree with her.
“So, I want you all to meet back here at nine.” Kirk said, “We can go into the town and get back before sunrise.”
They all nodded in agreement before dispersing.
Gaia didn’t hang around to hear what Kirk had to say to her. Instead, she went to her room where she found Lolita organizing her dresses in the closet.
“I need you to do something for me.” She said when she entered. She closed the door silently behind her.
“What’s that ma’am?” Lolita asked.
“I need you to get me a black shirt and britches.” She said wondering what else she would need for the journey, “Also a black cloak. Anything will do, even if it belongs to one of the servants. I will pay them for it, but I need it before sundown.”
Lolita gave her a strange look, but she ignored it and went to get the book she had hidden by the window. She had been studying the Dorylus and their powers, but she needed something specific today.
Skipping through the pages, she came to the section she sought. It explained the symptoms of power use: light-headedness, a feeling of being outside one’s body, and a connection to the persons on who you were acting. It also gave instructions on how the Dorylus could combat being overwhelmed by these symptoms. As she read, she slowly realised that although she was able to control emotions, she had never felt these tell-tale symptoms. She hadn’t felt anything.
Chapter 17
Gaia watched as the last rays of sunlight faded into the distance. She had been pacing the room for almost an hour now and she began to wonder if Lolita would ever come. She let out another exasperated sigh and tried not to think about what she had learnt today. She was a Dorylus, but not truly. Kirk was going to break out of the palace to go into the town to find information on the secret society, the Abyssinians.
Now as she stood in the room, she realised that her nerves were out of control. She was about to take a deep breath and fall into her meditation pose when she heard the door open and a guilty-looking Lolita stepped in.
“Thank the gods I got here in one piece.” She said flashing Gaia a smile, “It took a lot of searching to get these.”
In her hands, she held a bundle of black garments that seemed too fancy for the mission at hand.
“Did you get these from the servants?” she asked.
“No, no!” Lolita answered, “I had someone run into the town to get these. They’re brand new.”
Gaia felt nervous that other people were now involved, but she had no reason to doubt Lolita’s ability.
“They look far too fancy.” She said walking over to the bed as Lolita began to lay the clothes out.
“They’re fine.” She said cheerily, “They’re perfect for you.”
Gaia realised that although everything looked brand new, they were muted enough for her to blend in. She also noticed that the cloak she had been given had a hood and she smiled at Lolita.
“Whatever this is for,” Lolita said giving her a disapproving look, “just be sure not to get into any trouble.”
Gaia smiled and nodded.
“I’ll dress myself.” She said.
She waited until Lolita left before she hurriedly pulled on the trousers. They fit her snuggly as if they had been tailored for her. The shirt was plain with long sleeves and no embellishments. Over them, she put on the cloak which hung to the floor and brushed against her feet as she strode from one side of the room to the other. She looked in the mirror Lolita had brought into the room and a sudden feeling of urgency filled her. She looked much more formidable dressed like this than she had in her customary training costume.
“Time to go.” She whispered to her reflection before cracking the door open.
It was nearly sundown and she didn’t want to be late to meet the others. As she made it through the hallways, she had a sneaking suspicion that she was being watched. Maybe it was the adrenaline coursing th
rough her that made her suspect, but she stalled for a moment in the shadows listening to the palace. Some part of her connected to the palace and all of a sudden, she could feel the movement of everyone here. Still, no matter how hard she searched, there was no-one following her. Breaking herself from the strange spell, she started off to the training yards where she expected to see the others.
In the darkness of the night, she didn’t immediately see them but as her eyes adjusted, she saw them hidden in a little alcove. She approached the group without announcing herself.
“I’m here,” she said in a low voice.
For a moment they all seemed startled to see her and she wondered if they had truly been too focused to hear her.
“You move like a ghost.” Khar said, “We’re about to leave.”
“How do we get to the surface?” She asked.
“I have a carriage waiting,” Kirk answered.
Gaia nodded.
“We should go.” he continued, “The guards are making their rounds in the palace and we need to be gone before they get here.”
Gaia couldn’t help being nervous. She had spent her entire fifteen years thus far in a temple. Aside from their challenge which had taken them from the palace, she had never truly been left to fend for herself.
“The plan of action once the ship lands is to disperse amongst the people and see if you can find anyone who knows anything.” Kirk said as they walked over to the ship which was now hovering just above the ground in the yard, “I will be meeting with an old friend of mine. At midnight, you all need to be back at the point of entry.”
The others nodded but the looks on their faces told her that they were just as nervous as she was.
“We can do this,” Kirk said trying his best to reassure them.
They climbed into the awaiting carriage quickly pulling each other in. Before long, the ship was off and charging through the clouds towards the mainland. Someone shifted behind her and she turned to see two men sitting just behind her. She hadn’t noticed them but by their silence, she knew they were Cenobytes and that they had come specifically to guard the prince.
The journey was made in silence and she used the time to think of how she was going to approach her first excursion. The Hedonites were used to travellers moving through their towns but she knew that they wouldn’t be amused to see so many all at once. She thought of the lessons she had learnt on extracting information and realised she couldn’t use any of those tactics for tonight’s mission. She would also have to use other techniques.
There was no money to bribe anyone and she had little in the way of information to trade. As they drew nearer, the plan seemed to fall apart. She looked over at Kirk who was staring through the window with his face resolute. He was confident at that moment and she couldn’t understand why.
The ship began to slow down, and she looked out of her window to see the town getting closer and closer. They hadn’t come this way before and so she hadn’t realised just how massive the town was. It was almost ten times the size of their little temple village. There were lights everywhere creating a candlelight effect. She held her breath as anxiety began to build in her stomach. So many things could go wrong.
“Ready?” Kirk asked turning to them.
She swallowed and nodded not wanting to reveal that she wasn’t feeling up to it.
The ship began to lower just on the outskirts of the town which she figured made sense. If anyone saw one of the king’s carriages in town they would be blown before they started. Kirk took a moment to explain the town to them and she soon realised that there were gathering areas all around the perimeter of the town. Unlike in Tyre where the temple was at the centre of the housing, this town was surrounded by meeting places that bordered their homes.
“Time to go,” Kirk shouted.
They were on the ground in a remote area and she marked it in her mind so she would be able to find it when the time came to return to the palace. She saw Kirk jump from the ship first followed by his guards who had moved from behind her without a sound.
Tafari followed and she smiled when she noticed that he was wearing a shirt that had no sleeves. At his waist, she could see a large sheath where she assumed he kept his knife. Across his chest was a leather strap that held his bow and a quiver of arrows to his back.
Khar jumped out next and to Gaia’s surprised she shrieked with glee as she fell from the ship. Helen was the least excited of them all and Gaia figured she was even less enthusiastic about the mission. Gaia jumped from the ship last and landed on cold wet ground without making a sound. She looked up and saw that the others were deliberating on which direction they would go. She had no plans to argue, she could go wherever without much issue.
“Gaia?” It was Tafari who was calling her name.
She looked up to see the look of concern on his face and she wondered if her eyes had turned again.
“Is everything alright?” he asked.
She nodded but didn’t say anything. She didn’t know what to say exactly.
“You’re heading to the very last of the gathering compounds,” Tafari said, “you’re the fastest and can get there and back in time to leave.”
She nodded and approached the group as they waited for her response.
“You’re not warriors.” She said looking at each of them. “You need to stay in the open and leave if anything becomes suspicious. You have good instincts, use them. Ladies, if anything goes wrong, find a group of women and see if they can help, never go anywhere alone.”
They nodded and she felt a bit better but there was still danger lurking ahead of them.
“Let’s go,” Kirk said when everyone acknowledged her instructions.
She didn’t wait to see where they were going; she could find them at any time without much effort. Starting off in the direction of the last compound, she took in the surrounding forests and trees. Everything here was much different. Instead of short trees filled with tiny leaves, here the trees were tall and gangly with wide mushroom-like tops. She had never seen trees like this so close to the sea and they stretched on for miles as if someone had planted them here in a pattern she couldn’t discern.
As she went, she made a mental note that she would be circling the large town to get to the other end. It was inland and closer to the hills. Instead of going around, she had decided to go through the nearby forest and a few of the villages to get there.
As she moved through the trees and low grass, she made a mental note that the forest was heavily used. She could see footpaths and signs that the forest grew alongside human contact. She wondered for a moment what it was like to grow up in a place like this free from many of the restrictions of Templars. As soon as the thought entered her mind, she banished it and kept moving.
She was almost through the forest when she realised something had changed. The ground was no longer empty, and she found herself standing in knee-high grass. A sudden memory flashed through her mind and she realised she had been there before. Her vision shifted and she saw the burned earth and the wide hole in the ground. She stopped moving almost instantly and checked the ground before her. She was almost midway through the high grass but the moment the memory came to her, she could no longer move.
She had a sudden urge to go back but then she would have less time. She felt for her horologe and saw that they would only have five hours to do what they had come to do.
“Go on!” she urged herself.
She knew that this was a warning. Still, she had made it this far without injury, it was unlikely that anything would happen. Taking another step, she relaxed when she realised that there was nothing there. She took a few more steps without injury and the fear began to fade. She decided that whatever had caused the dream had nothing to do with this. She made it to the edge of the first home where the village started and felt a flush of relief.
She stepped out of the overgrowth and unto the path before her. It led into the village which she assumed would be near the meet
ing compound. It was then, as she moved past an old wooden house with straw roofing that she noticed something following her. It felt strange because before then, she hadn’t noticed it until it was close enough for her to hear its breath.
Gaia turned slowly and found herself staring into the pale blue eyes of a beast not more than a meter away from her. She slowed her pace and looked at the creature as it stalked her. A rush of energy flowed through her and the hairs on her skin began to stand on end. She parted her feet and grounded herself as it turned to face her with its blue eyes flashing. It approached her and under the moonlight, she realised that it was a massive bearlike creature on all fours. It was silver with black splotches all over.
For a moment as she stood there she thought it was smiling at her. It twitched once and Gaia thought the animal was preparing to attack. Although she had never fought an animal this large, she knew what it would take to kill one. As she waited; the beast became engulfed in a mist that seemed to emanate from within. The mist slowly thickened until she could no longer see the beast. After a few moments, she watched as the mist disappeared and she was left staring at an old woman.
She was tall, just like Gaia and she had long silver hair and blue eyes that glowed under the dimly lit sky. She took a step closer, but Gaia moved backward. Terror filled her as she tried to make sense of what she just saw. The woman didn’t appear malicious but her eyes pierced Gaia like a sword.
“No use trying to escape.” The woman said stalking towards her with the ease of a hunter who knew their prey was already at their mercy.
“What are you?” Gaia asked stuttering.
After everything she had learnt so far, she was fairly confident she knew all the powers that existed. This was not one of them, this was something else. This was terrifying.
“I’m Ellion,” the woman said, “I’m nothing really.”
She was close enough now to reach out and touch Gaia
“What do you want?” Gaia asked.
As she came closer Gaia saw the lines in her face and on her skin. There was something familiar about her. Gaia thought of the Oracle. He had been familiar in the same way. It was as if she knew them both but she knew that she didn’t; she had never seen either before in her life.