by Rexx Deane
Sebastian boiled over. ‘Don’t be so ignorant! I haven’t agreed to anything yet!’ He certainly didn’t need a fight with him now.
Duggan rubbed the back of his neck. ‘The Folians might know of ways to get around that. It never occurred to me that I might get possessed, and I’d always thought it was religious dogma so I never even contemplated it. Now that I know better, I think it would be a good idea to ask for their help. If the entities truly are some kind of extra-spatial or energy being, the Folians may know how to prevent their influence.’
‘Well, I don’t like it,’ Aryx said, face reddening. ‘It’s one thing to get involved with terrorists – I can handle that – but when you start messing around with things you can’t see or touch, that’s another matter altogether.’
Sebastian flung his arm in the air. ‘I don’t have much choice, do I? Neither of us is ever going to get a decent night’s rest unless we either sleep in the ship or shut the signal off, and if we do that we might be signing our own death-warrants, along with Gladrin’s family’s.’
Aryx huffed and his reddening face puckered sourly.
‘Oh, stop it! You both have a point.’ Janyce walked around the couches carrying a tray of drinks, followed by Erik, and set them on the table in the middle. ‘Until you two find out what’s going on, we’re going to have to hide out in this low-tech “Chopwood” town Sebastian’s been on about. I don’t particularly want to be stuck there forever, wondering when you’re going to come and get us, but I also don’t think it’s wise to act without more information.’
‘I suppose you’re right,’ Aryx grumbled. ‘I still don’t like the idea of messing about with magic. It’s an unknown quantity.’
‘We’ll just have to have faith,’ Sebastian said.
Aryx’s frown gave way to surprise. ‘You’ve changed your attitude.’
‘I’ve seen a lot of things lately that have forced me to change my mind.’ It was true; several of the things he’d been taught growing up had finally turned out to be real, or at least rooted in reality and he had two choices: bury his head in the sand and ignore it all, or accept it and move on. He’d chosen to accept it and, to his surprise, found it liberating.
Janyce reached out to stir the pot of tea and the cups began to rattle. ‘What was that?’
‘We are on the move,’ Duggan said. ‘We’ve probably passed the first acceleration node. We should be at Achene in a couple of hours.’
She handed out the drinks and looked at Sebastian. ‘I’d have thought you’d have been interested in finding out how this place works.’
He waved his hand dismissively. ‘I’ve got too much going on in my head. I’m sure it’ll still be around for a while yet.’
She shook her head. ‘So Duggan, why do you live in this place and not with the rest of civilisation? Seb said you were a bit of a hermit, even when you lived in Chopwood.’
‘Aside from being invisible? Living away from others has many benefits, but mostly I wanted to be away from social pressure. My studies require concentration and focus. Unfortunately, having others constantly vying for your attention is somewhat distracting.’
‘So you left.’
Duggan’s features tautened. ‘Yes. I still worked with the other colonists. No room for dead weight. But personally, I needed to forge a stronger link with my subconscious, and you can’t always do that around others.’
‘I don’t understand how that works.’
‘It’s difficult to explain. Many don’t understand.’
‘Try me.’ Janyce’s tone was defiant.
Sebastian closed the journal; this was going to be interesting.
Duggan stared at the ceiling. ‘Hmm, let me think of a good analogy … If you try to learn a new skill, for example, you might be very good at it the first few times you try. You might become aware of others watching you and then begin to fail. You just lose the knack. That’s down to social pressure.’
Janyce leaned back.
‘The reason being, the subconscious wants you to fit in with society. It wants you to be safe and protected within the hierarchy. If you’re seen as being good at something, you might become responsible, move to the top, out of your safe zone, and right into the firing line if something goes wrong.’
Janyce shook her head. ‘I don’t see how that helps you study.’
Sebastian rolled his eyes. ‘You’ll move up the hierarchy and lose your social safety net,’ Sebastian said. ‘If you’ve got peer pressure, you’re more likely to screw up.’
Duggan nodded. ‘You suddenly become a target, so the subconscious makes you fail. That way, it keeps you in that safe region where nobody has any expectations of you.’
‘That’s probably why Seb was worried about getting the job in SpecOps,’ Aryx mumbled.
Sebastian shot him a scathing look.
Janyce slowly shook her head and folded her arms.
Duggan folded his arms in response. ‘I can see you’re not going to understand it,’ he said calmly, ‘and I had no expectation that you would. If it helps, simply accept that I found being near large concentrations of people unhelpful when it came to my studies.’
‘By studies, you mean your research into thaumaturgy,’ Sebastian said.
‘Yes. The Folians introduced me to carbyne and the true art, but before I met them my ability to perform thaumaturgy without it was almost non-existent. As a hobby, I spent my time researching the principles of magic from history books and trying to glean what truth I could from writings and so-called New Age literature.’
Janyce nodded rapidly. ‘So, what can we expect on Achene and Tradescantia when we get there?’
‘Oh yes, of course …’ Duggan began describing the ecology of the two planets, which seemed to distract her from the previous conversation enough to soothe her irritation. Erik, apparently bored, went to Aryx and they entertained themselves with the cube’s games of logic.
Sebastian turned his attention back to the diary and leafed through the pages until one passage in particular caught his attention:
Beyond nine folds, geometries’ curve
between the realms of fire and ice
seven telamon seal the Tower
sentinels amidst the giants of old
but silent in this age of light
dark things stir behind the curtain.
‘What’s that, old boy?’
He’d read it out loud? ‘Oh, a poem or something from my grandfather’s journal.’
‘What does it mean?’
Sebastian scratched his head. ‘I don’t know.’
‘Can’t you ask him?’
‘No, he died years ago. It probably doesn’t mean anything. He used to be an explorer, but he got a little … strange towards the end. We think he had dementia.’ He swallowed.
‘You were close to him. Was he ill for long before he died?’
‘Illness didn’t kill him. He disappeared in a ship one day. He was rambling on about having to find something and he escaped the care home. They found the wreckage a couple of weeks later, several hundred AU from Sirius, but no trace of his body. EarthSec said it was a fire that had broken out.’ He let out a shuddering breath.
Janyce squeezed his forearm and gave a sympathetic smile.
‘My father investigated briefly and found the pressure suits had gone, but he died before finishing the investigation, and the department closed the file shortly after, saying my grandfather had died in an EVA accident—’ The words caught in his throat again.
‘I’m sorry, old boy. I’m sure if his writings mean something, it’ll come to you eventually.’
‘I’m not so sure. Look at this, for example …’ He leafed through the book until he came across a page with a sketch of a large, faceted object, standing next to a man. The thing looked vaguely humanoid: several large chunks of angular stone or crystal floated in formation, representing legs, arms and torso. If the man in the picture was average height, the structure must have measured twelve to
fifteen feet tall. At the bottom of the page, a caption read Frost Giant.
‘I remember him saying something about stonework when I was young … So, is this a sculpture he made, or was planning, based on Norse legends? And then there’s this—’ He flicked several pages forwards, to a family tree. At the bottom were Frímann (his grandfather), Thor (his father), Mikkael (his brother), and himself. Near the top of the page were the names Odin, Freyr, Thor and several others. He tapped them. ‘Those are the Æsir, the Norse Gods. If my grandfather thought we were related to them, he’d definitely lost the plot.’
Duggan nodded slowly. ‘It is interesting, I’ll give you that. Even if they are the ramblings of a broken mind, there could still be elements of truth in there – I’d be interested to find out what the Tower mentioned in the poem is, and these other realms. Something to do with this frost giant artwork?’
Sebastian continued reading in silence and allowed Duggan to drift off into contemplation.
The cups and saucers on the table rattled.
He looked up from the diary. ‘What’s happening?’
‘We’re slowing down. I think we’ve arrived.’ Duggan produced a remote control from his robes and pressed a button. The wall of monitors flicked into life and the roiling orange surface of Achene swirled across the displays.
Janyce leaped up, fists clenched. ‘We are not going down there!’
Sebastian laughed. ‘We have to meet the Folians – it’s not what it looks like, really! You’ll like it.’
‘You better be right. That place looks as inviting as an acid bath.’
Duggan rose. ‘Naturally, we can’t take the comet down to the surface, so we’ll go in the ships. Sebastian, if you take the others in your ship, I’ll follow in the runner.’ The china on the table ceased its rattling and Duggan made his way to the door. ‘We’re in orbit now. Time to go.’
An unwelcome sense of urgency took Sebastian as the group followed and piled into their respective ships. He was keen to be on the planet as soon as possible, but couldn’t quite work out why.
***
Heading towards the planet, the ships left the white glare of the comet behind. At least Sebastian knew what to expect this time, and he adjusted speed appropriately and entered the coordinates for the grassland region in which the ship had previously crashed. Hopefully, the Folians would be aware of their approach and send someone to meet them in that familiar place.
The orange vapours parted as the ship descended, revealing the idyllic, lush forests and rolling plains. Erik and Janyce stood behind the pilots, gazing at the landscape below.
‘It looks like Earth,’ Erik said. ‘The trees …’
Sebastian smiled, remembering how he’d felt when he first set eyes on the place – right before the panic had set in. ‘Fasten your seatbelts. We’re coming in to land.’
His family made their way to the seats at the back and Aryx clamped his chair down next to the pilot’s seat. ‘Land nicely this time, please.’
The ship swept over the forest, approaching the edge of the woodland near the Hesperidium, and Sebastian activated the landing sequence. The ship vibrated as the thrusters engaged. Trees crept into view on the starboard side as they descended, and with a gentle bump the ship came to rest.
Aryx patted the console. ‘Good girl.’
A moment later, the whine of another set of engines came through the hull and a small, black dart-shaped craft landed nearby.
‘Everyone out,’ Sebastian said.
Janyce took Erik to the lift. ‘I suppose we have to ask these Folians if it’s okay to stay in Chopwood?’
Sebastian nodded. ‘That’s the plan. It’s not safe enough for you to live here, but Chopwood has houses, and I’m sure you can always go to Duggan’s comet, if needs be.’
‘I hope you don’t mind pick-your-own vegetarian cuisine,’ Aryx said.
Erik’s nose wrinkled. ‘Why?’
‘There’s no meat, but lots of fruit and veg.’
He made a face and Janyce rubbed his shoulder. ‘It’ll be fine.’
After a final check, Aryx put on the mobipack and led the group out of the ship.
Modelled on old twenty-first century stealth craft, Duggan’s runner was finished in matt-black with thick, triangular wings and seemed large enough to carry a maximum of two passengers one behind the other, with no space for cargo. Sebastian ran his hand over one of the rough wing sections; kinetic ablative plating. The blacked-out cockpit flipped up and he staggered back.
Duggan clambered out over the wing. ‘Are you ready?’
Sebastian gestured to the group. ‘Everyone’s here.’
Duggan looked around. ‘There are no animals here to greet us, which is a good sign. I expect the Folians have anticipated our arrival.’ He made his way towards the trees. Sebastian followed.
‘Do you want us to come?’ Aryx asked. Janyce wrung her hands while Erik kicked a clump of stubble.
‘Of course,’ Sebastian said, ‘they know us. Come on!’
The group headed to the trees and stopped several metres from the undergrowth when Tolinar appeared from behind a large trunk. Erik gawped, wide-eyed, and pointed. ‘Look!’
Janyce discretely lowered the boy’s outstretched arm and pulled him close. ‘Shh.’
‘Greetings, Tolinar,’ Duggan said, holding out a hand. ‘Long time no see, old boy!’
Tolinar didn’t reciprocate, but bowed. ‘It is good to see you, also, Duggan Simmons, however unexpected your visit may be. What can we help you with?’
With total disregard for the alien’s personal space, Duggan put his arm around Tolinar’s shoulders and steered him back towards the trees. ‘We have a favour to ask.’
Sebastian tried to keep within earshot of the conversation as they entered the forest.
Duggan explained the situation to Tolinar while they walked. ‘… so you see, we think the entities, appearing as demons, might also have been responsible for the Folians being turfed out on Earth centuries ago – pardon the pun.’
‘The same beings are responsible for the station-dwellers’ nightmares?’ Tolinar asked.
‘Indeed. So, in addition to asking for permission to stay in Chopwood, we’d like to know if there is a way of preventing ourselves from being possessed.’
‘The best protection is simply not to use the weave, is it not?’
Duggan sighed. ‘Not an option, my friend. Sebastian needs to find out why the entities are sending these dreams and how. Otherwise, he’ll be left in an unpleasant predicament – that is, if he and Aryx don’t go mad beforehand. I’ve suggested he use magic to attempt lucid dreaming, but as you know it’s a bit risky.’
‘We must learn more about the nature of these entities. It would be best for the Folians to examine your mind, to see whether the entities have left traces of their contact.’
‘Tolinar, I see you’re wearing the calyx,’ Sebastian said; the fruit on it had been gradually growing during the conversation. ‘Are we going to meet Shiliri?’
‘Yes. She is here.’
They approached a large tree with smooth, pewter bark and a trunk that bulged and split in places giving a clear impression of a female torso.
Tolinar walked up to the bole of the tree and, while the others waited, he took off the leafy wreath and held it up. Shiliri’s face appeared in the bark and, as she spoke the familiar humming chant, the calyx fruit shrivelled and withered away. She addressed the group.
‘We accept your request to stay on Tradescantia in the town of Chopwood. Two of our number will transfer to its forests and keep the wildlife under control. As to the issue of the demon-entities, we must determine their nature. Duggan, please step forth.’
The old man hesitated.
‘Do not be afraid, dear Duggan. I will place my consciousness alongside yours and examine your mind.’
‘She’s done it to me,’ Sebastian said. ‘It’s odd, but it doesn’t hurt.’
Her face vanished, and a glowing
blue sphere of light drifted out of the tree, coming to rest around Duggan’s head. He closed his eyes, and a few moments later the sphere moved back into the tree.
He staggered. ‘I’m fine, a little woozy, but fine.’
The others breathed out their collective relief.
‘This is disturbing,’ Shiliri said. ‘It would seem the entities use your connection to the weave whilst you are casting magic. We have never sensed anything like this. Sebastian, would you ask your device to perform the purging spell by way of an experiment?’
‘Are you sure? I don’t want to do anything that will hurt you.’
‘These beings cause harm and need to be stopped. It would be a worthy sacrifice. Now, please, perform the purge.’
He pulled a vial of carbyne from his belt and handed it to Aryx, who reached around and held the vial near his pack.
‘You heard the lady.’
‘Wait,’ Janyce said. ‘If the cube can create this effect, can’t you copy whatever energy it gives off?’
‘I hadn’t thought of that,’ Aryx said. ‘Seb, record it, will you?’
Shaking his head, he took the rugged infoslate from his rucksack and tapped in several commands. ‘I don’t think it’ll work, but I’ll try. Wolfram, trigger the thaumatic.’
‘One moment.’ The familiar chanting and intonation began, echoed through the pack’s speakers.
Sebastian gritted his teeth while he watched the infoslate. If anything bad happened to Shiliri, he’d never forgive himself.
The tone reached a crescendo and the rippling pressure wave tore through the forest.
Chapter 39
Shiliri’s glow flickered as the distortion field passed through the tree. Janyce let out a gasp and ran to put her hands on the bark.
‘Oh, Gods! Are you—’
‘I am uninjured. However, I felt a profound sense of loneliness. The spell appears to disrupt the entities’ connection with the weave – I believe they must be able to hold open the connection and whilst doing so have influence – once disconnected, they lose their anchor to this realm—’