Violet Sky

by W Bradley

CHAPTER 9

  Surviving through Madness

  Dia spent the next few days living in the hut. She quickly discovered it was a relatively easy place to survive in. The hut provided warmth and shelter from the weather, which had so far been mild and dry. There was a river running not too far from her temporary dwelling which supplied clean drinking water and for food she had learned that once a day, every day, a herd of strange animals would pass behind the hut. They looked something like the buffalo of Earth, but even the largest amongst them was less than half Dia’s height and their feet were not hoofed like most ungulates. Instead, where a hoof would have been, fur covered a soft fleshy mound. This allowed the herd to move surprisingly quietly.

  The main inconvenience of surviving here was the day length. A night lasted twice the time of a day. This played havoc with Dia’s sleeping patterns because of the many years she had spent acclimatising to the length of Earth days.

  Dia had hoped for somebody to pass by along the path in front of her newly claimed hut. Someone she could question about this place. But there had been no luck so far to that end so the next plan was to travel the path herself.

  She prepared for a long journey, tying chunks of meat to a rope she had made by weaving together some of the stronger grasses found near the river. She also tied two animal bladders full of water to loops in her skirt and gathered materials she could use to start a fire.

  Having triple-checked her preparations, Dia began to travel the dark path, taking a final look back at her temporary home before it vanished from view.

  The path took her through ravines decorated with patches of tiny white flowers growing on the grey rocks and over hilltops sprouting spiny-looking shrubs and trees. There were rivers snaking beside the path, often developing into small waterfalls which somehow gave off a powerful heat as the water was churned up in the plunge pools.

  Dia travelled for many hours before the terrain started to become rougher and rockier. She knew there was little daylight left, so started a fire off to one side of the path and cooked some meat, keeping the path just in view but blocking the light of the fire’s flames with a make-shift wall of foliage; she was less concerned about her safety from attack now, but it didn’t hurt to be a little cautious.

  She awoke in the darkness, put out the glowing embers of her fire and set off again her eyes adjusting quickly to the lack of light.

  Travelling swiftly for the rest of the night, Dia eventually came to something she had not expected. She had assumed the path would lead somewhere, it was almost definitely made by a sentient being due to its uniform width and the way it followed the line of least resistance through undergrowth and between rocky outcrops. She had not imagined that it ended, as it did, at the bank of an enormous river. Neither had she imagined there would be a small tug boat moored there.

  Considering the strange turn of events, Dia found herself climbing aboard the boat. The sun was just rising, casting deep red beams of light which reflected up the river and over the bow of the tug.

  A deep groan came from below the deck, startling Dia somewhat and a few moments later there was the sound of footsteps on wooden stairs coming closer. Dia called out what she hoped to be a friendly hello, but her hand strayed to her silver dagger.

  He was a gruff looking man who emerged, about the same height as Dia but much wider, wearing dirty clothes and an even dirtier beard. “Who might you be then? Wanderin’ onter me boat like yer owns it? Built this meself! It’s mine!” He cried out quite hysterically at Dia who tried to look as innocent as possible. “I swear,” She said, “I have no intention of taking your boat. I just followed the path here and-”

  “Yer followed the path did yer? How’d that go for yer? Soft int it?”

  “...Yes.” Replied Dia uncertainly.

  “Ah yes! Soft. Hope yer dint fall though. That’s how I got this.” As he said this he flashed his knee to Dia revealing a small “U” shaped scar. “Yep it hurt alright. Don’t need yer sympathy though. I’ll live I reckon. So what brings yer here?” Dia stood staring at his beaming face, momentarily unable to form words. The poor man had clearly lost his sense more than just a little. “I was looking for someone to help me understand where I am. I don’t suppose-”

  “Indeed I do! Indeed I do. On Clive’s boat aren’t yer! Here yer are. On me boat. Bobbin’ on River Geir which does flow from Mount Carnil. All good. All good.” Dia looked at him, hoping he would say something less specific. Instead he wheeled around and bellowed, “Onwards!” Then he rushed off into the depths of the vessel. Dia stared, bemused, after him and before she could find her voice, the small tug boat was speeding through the water to the opposite riverbank.

  Clive appeared again, this time holding something in his large, hairy hands. “I gots yer bird ‘ere.” He muttered, mainly to himself, then his hands opened revealing a black swallow. Dia looked at it briefly then into Clive’s face. “That isn’t my bird I’m afraid.” She said softly, but Clive shook his head. “I might be as mad as a parrot. Yes indeed. But this ‘ere black swalla be yours.” The swallow had been pecking at his hand, but at that moment it took off, soaring ahead of them to the opposite bank; the red morning light reflecting off its glossy, jet-black feathers. Dia found herself saddened to see the bird disappear into the trees.

  Clive had a smile plastered across his broad face when she looked back to him. “There ‘e goes! And ‘ere we are!” Dia had been watching treeline so intently she had not noticed their arrival at the far bank. “Why have you taken me across?” She asked, peering deeper into the forest which grew right up to the river’s edge. “To meet yer friend o’ course!” Clive replied loudly, “Built ‘im a cabin I did. Yes. It’s warm and got a bed. Yer’ll need another bed if yer gonna stay? Quite welcome! More the merrier! I’ll sort it out. Leave it to Clive.” And he sped away into the forest.

  Dia tracked the crazed man to a wooden cabin not far from the shore. She made her way towards it with no clue about whom or what Clive might have considered a friend of hers, but then, framed in the cabin’s open doorway, she saw him.

  “Daniel!” She cried out and before she knew what she was doing, she had pulled him into a powerful embrace. He was taller than her and wore all white which contrasted superbly against his dishevelled black hair.

  After several minutes, Daniel was the first to speak. “Where have you been?” He asked in a cracking voice, “Kae had me under-”

  “I know. He explained it to me. It seems his plan has worked.”

  “He’s killed Ssus? Impossible...”

  “He has some sort of control over the Spire. It seems he can use its effects at will, without the need to touch or even be close to it.”

  “How is that...? How did he destroy Ssus?”

  Dia explained everything to Daniel of her restoration under the violet sky, Lord Kae acting as Dosus Yin, the footage of Daniel in her palace, Kant’s destroyed hand, the Ghan in Avalon and the events surrounding the death of Ssus.

  “So... How did you escape Ssus’ lab? And how did you find me?” Daniel asked following a moment’s silence, but Dia was feeling uneasy. She had just begun to comprehend the sheer scale of the coincidence in which she found Daniel here; the chances were incredibly small that she would simply stumble across the very person she sought within a few days of learning her enemy used him as a puppet. All traces of joy ebbed away. It had to be a trap. The adrenaline levels rose inside her and she quickly shoved Daniel into the cabin.

  "Who is Clive?" She asked nervously.

  "...What's going on, Dia?"

  "Answer me. Who is Clive? The man with a beard who brought me across the river to you."

  “I don’t know of anyone else residing-” He glazed over momentarily, the magnitude of the situation suddenly realised, but before they could go into it further, the sound of a man whistling drifted in through an open window of the log cabin. They both jerked around and Dia drew her silver dagger but as she did the whistling stopped and Clive’s voice bellow
ed loudly at an unseen adversary, “Not you again! Get gone! They’re my prize now aren’t they? Yes, of course. Mine! I ain’t sharin’!” There was a loud thud which shook the cabin and Clive screamed horribly causing a terrible echo which reverberated through the forest outside. Then there was silence.

  Dia and Daniel remained motionless for several minutes before slowly emerging from the cabin. Clive’s adversary appeared to have left but the bearded form of the crazed mad man sat up against the outer wall, dead. His eyes remained open and staring, the fear of whatever had happened to him lingered within them. The two looked over Clive’s body meticulously, but neither fresh wound nor any kind of bruising was visible. Dia checked for any tracks but the area was saturated with such, probably due to Daniel having lived there for several days.

  “I’ve never seen him before.” Daniel said eventually. Dia had to commend how calm he sounded, given the situation. “You say he ferried you across the river?”

  “Yes. He seemed harmless enough... Just mad. What do we do now? We need to get off this planet before Kae springs his trap. Any ideas?” Daniel looked slightly unsure. “I overheard Kae speak with Dame Helis about a portal a little way to the south.” He said. Then, noting Dia’s questioning expression continued, “Yes I think he has her on his side too but I’ll explain my theories on that later.

  I tried to reach said portal but there was some sort of energy field surrounding the whole area. He may have intended for me to overhear anyway, that could very well be the trap. I know every time Helis passes through she arrives from the East not the South. I’m quite sure this planet is her making. Perhaps she has a Spire.”

  “So we head East?”

  “I think it’s our best choice.”

  So they moved East with haste, passing trees similar to Earth’s fir trees but much darker. These changed as they walked on, becoming paler and brighter until most were brilliant white. The smaller plants and shrubs changed too, adopting the same dazzling colour. This gave the place an unnatural feel; it was almost clinical.

  “Stop.” Whispered Daniel suddenly, holding up his hand. Dia obeyed and looked ahead to where he was now pointing. “It’s definitely Helis’.” She whispered back, taking in the view of a glossy white fortress ahead of them, “I’ve been in that palace before, I remember it now.”

  “Well protected? Does she have a Spire?”

  “Yes on both counts, but I do remember enough of its layout to give us some of an advantage. We may be able to get to the Spire if we move quickly.”

  “It’s worth a shot. Back entrance?”

  “There is one but I would have no idea how to get to her Spire room from there. I think we would have a better chance going straight at this one.” Something in Dia was stirring. Having Daniel once again at her side was fuelling her cravings for battle.

  They moved their way as close to the front of the place as possible. From their new position, Dia could make out one man standing guard in ceremonial uniform. It was handsome garb, but would not withstand a dagger blow by Dia’s reckoning. She felt the dagger’s balance in her hand. ‘Good for throwing.’ She thought, then turned to Daniel, “You ready?” But he was nodding before the first syllable.

  Dia was the first to move. She stepped into the clearing and threw the knife. It found the guard’s chest with the precision of uncountable years of practice. They both sprinted to his fallen body and Dia took back her dagger along with the guard’s bow and quiver of arrows. Daniel took his short sword and they hurried under an arch into a courtyard.

  The last time Dia was here she had been a suspect in a murder trial, before Helis had been under Ssus’ rule. She had been dragged through the hallways to a courtroom of sorts. Of course, she had been found guilty. Few were innocent in the courts of Helis.

  They took a right at the far side of the courtyard, then a left up a flight of stairs, Dia leading the way. Rounding another corner they sped into a large room with six soldiers, side by side, blocking a door in the far wall. Unlike the guard outside, these wore white chain mail armour along with greaves, boots and gauntlets. ‘They will be slow.’ Dia thought and she notched an arrow to her newly acquired bow. Even as she released it, Daniel was upon his first target, stabbing him in the throat while dodging his weak thrust. Dia’s arrow found the throat of another and her second glanced off a third’s shoulder. Her next shot found its mark but as Daniel wore down a more skilful swordsman, the two remaining approached too close for the bow. Dia drew both daggers and dodged the attack of one man. The other lunged but Dia easily parried the attack, span to the man’s side and stabbed one of the daggers into the top of his unprotected spine. As Daniel dispatched the man he had been fighting, she threw her other dagger, but the final soldier cut it from the air. As he did, there was a glimmering which Dia had not noticed before in the man’s sword; it shone more brightly than normal metal, twinkling beautifully in the light. It was the sword of Dia’s father. It was Silvaera.

  Dia’s stomach fell.

  This was the trap. Kae had predicted their escape plan. Why else would her father’s sword find its way back to her at this moment, so soon after losing it? The Lord would be upon them in moments. He had set up this spirit-crushing situation; a perfect example of his sadism.

  Half dazed, fear rising inside her, she struck the remaining soldier in the face with the hilt of her blade as Daniel pushed his sword into the man’s side. Dia took Silvaera from his dying hand. “Where did you get this?” She demanded. The man just smiled and blood spilled through his teeth. Then he fell forwards and was dead. Dia stared at him as if still awaiting an answer. Daniel touched her shoulder softly. “What happened?” He asked soothingly but Dia didn’t answer. His grip tightened. She angled her head towards him and said, “It’s my father’s sword. I lost it in ‘The Middle’ when-” But Daniel’s grip was getting tighter still, painfully so. Dia attempted to peel his fingers off, looking up at him as she did. His expression had glazed over, his eyes were staring and wild and his sword arm was shaking violently. She suddenly understood. Lord Kae controlled him again.

  Dia wrenched Daniel’s hand from her shoulder and turned, pointing her father’s sword at his chest. “You won’t fight your Daniel.” He said, but the sound was a horrible conglomeration of Kae’s and Daniel’s voices. “I will defend myself if I must.” She replied as confidently as she could. “Daniel, if you can hear me-”

  “Oh he can hear you, Dia. He can see you. He will watch you die.”

  “I gave you what you wanted!” She shouted, “Why kill me now?”

  “A poor question. If I let you live, you would attempt to kill me would you not? No need to answer.” With that, he came at her, Daniel’s sword hand still shaking. Every second step he made seemed difficult at first, as though one leg forced its way through treacle. By the time he had forced Dia to back up to the far wall, however, his movement seemed unimpeded and the shaking gave way to a steady hand. Dia raised her weapon. Daniel attacked. She parried and evaded his advances but it was difficult and took all her concentration to avoid his blade’s rapid movements. Both Daniel and Kae were notoriously good swordsmen and it showed in the range and speed of Kae’s attacks. Eventually, inevitably, she left a small opening which was instantly exploited. Her arm was sliced deeply but she continued her defence, knowing she could not win. Even if she could strike Daniel down mentally, she was physically unable; although he was not in a defensive stance, he had not yet left a single opening for her blade to find its aim.

  But a peculiar thing happened then. Daniel stumbled slightly. Then again. Then his sword arm began to shake more violently than it had done previously and his attacks stopped. There was a glimmer of Daniel behind his eyes and the shadow of a smile formed on his lips. The sword fell from his hand but as the metal clanged on the floor there was a sudden flash of anger on his features and he violently reached for Dia’s throat. But even as she backed away, Daniel had returned and regained enough control to force his arms to his sides and h
is legs to bend into a sitting position.

  He remained cross-legged, eyes closed and fists clenched for a time. Then he rose steadily, tore a strip from his bloody shirt and began to tie it around Dia’s wounded arm. She allowed him to tend her wound but with caution. “Are you... yourself?” She asked tentatively, though she felt she knew the answer. Daniel laughed his own laugh and looked into Dia’s bright blue eyes. “I am me.” He said, “But Kae could still resurface. I can only hold him off. Be wary. It will however be some time before he will have the strength to take me again.” He smiled then and they embraced for a long while. Regardless of the situation, Dia felt safe with Daniel close.

  “We should get to the Spire.” Dia proclaimed eventually, but Daniel beamed at her, the hint of a smirk appeared at the edge of his smile and he said, “I may be able to master the control over the Spire as Kae has. I’ve been contemplating the idea for some time now but thought it impossible. Kae proved me wrong and just now I caught a glimpse of his mind, the very glimpse I had hoped for. The Spire is within him; in and around his consciousness. He is both the master of it and slave to it.

  “It will be dangerous but we have to try and tame the Spire as he has if we are to have any hope of stopping him now. For I also caught sight of a terrible thing in the Lord’s mind. There is something he seeks. What the object is I do not know, only that it will act as a lens for his powers, focusing them to devastating effect. Kae wants that object more than anything. We cannot let him find it.”

  Dia was taking in the information as quickly as she was able. She knew she would follow him to hell and back and had done in the past, but this seemed different. The extraordinary power would help their cause, there was no doubt about that, but she had never sought after such. In truth, she did not want it. On the other hand, she could not fight Lord Kae and be victorious, powerless as she was to the feats of which he was capable.

  It was as simple as Daniel had said, they had to try.