I slipped the carving under my wolf coat and snuck over towards the door. Items of the two clans had been stacked in a bundle near a fireplace, I quickly snatched a thick coat for my friend and two fine swords from a mantelpiece. I was outside in no time and made my way back to the barn.
Sedgwick was sat on the bale of hay and focused on his strange device; he said he was playing a puzzle game...
The Northman was still out cold and was hidden beneath the straw. We didn't want him to freeze to death, whilst I borrowed his attire for obvious reasons.
I handed Sedgwick the coat and one of the swords, but he declined the blade. I strapped them both onto my back and felt ready to tackle anything that came our way. I also showed him my discovery and theory on the picture of the spring.
“I agree, Lucius; a spiritual place like this is a complete giveaway. People such as Vikings have a strong natural connection to the earth's energy. They are close with their old gods and are at one with the world, but there is a problem...”
“What?” I asked.
“Where is it?”
“Oh... damn!”
My great plan had hit a snag, but Sedgwick pointed towards the unconscious Nord. “He'll know,” said the Gnome.
The Viking didn't wake until three hours passed and we were ready with our interrogation. We had to forget about time anomalies, after all, we’d probably changed the man’s future anyway.
We bound his hands and legs prior, and waited for his first reaction, which was not good. He shouted for help and wiggled around like a worm. I had to hold him down and gag him, something we should’ve done in the first place. The wind howled outside, so we were clear to continue.
Sedgwick brought out his technical gadget and strangely asked it a question. “Do you know where we can find this place? And answer quickly! For I am a powerful sorcerer and my young friend eats the living for a hobby,” threatened the ley-line Rider.
A strange American voice repeated his words, but in the Nordic tongue. I was amazed at such technology and wondered if I'd see its creation in my lifetime.
The Northman's eyes were wide, and I could sense the fear in him. He nodded and I removed the cloth from his mouth. He answered straight away, and the device interpreted into English, and it gave us a clear direction to venture. We said our thanks and I, unfortunately, had to gag him again; he wasn't best pleased.
We felt we had overstayed our welcome and prepped ourselves for the arctic winds. Sedgwick, Iobar, and I headed off into the clear night and travelled further north towards a forest.
Before long, we arrived at the woodland entrance and the dark gave us the illusion of seeing faces within the bark of the trees. A mist coated the floor and flowed between the pines.
“Shall we?” gestured Sedgwick.
Against my better judgement, we proceeded to find the spring. The Nord had given us specific instructions to find a stream, a few miles beyond the entrance and to keep to the path the forest had provided.
Iobar had used this chance to stretch his wings and happily flew above us, whilst he dodged the unpredictable branches. In fact, he was the only sound among the eerie Icelandic woods. I felt like we had travelled back to Eve, in the forest near Hethenheim; the comparisons were uncanny, even the trees were the same type and I half expected Bjorn to pop out to say hello.
We found the stream and followed it uphill until there was a faint noise of fast flowing water. We came out of a clearing and there it was, the Viking’s spring. The waterfall wasn't huge, but it was the biggest, I'd ever seen. Iobar seemed happy to play in the spring and splashed the water under his wings; I think it was his first water experience, as daft as may sound, I didn't see any sign of rivers or lakes in his stoned realm.
We got to work, and I searched the east bank, while Sedgwick searched the west. We looked observantly at any peculiar sign of a ley-line. The Gnome had instructed us to look out for anything that resembled a door or an object with strong energy.
I think we spent at least a good two-hour search, but there was nothing. We got desperate and my small friend decided to try and fix his key.
The morning had risen quickly, and the light flooded into the small valley in the hill. Once the sun hit the waterfall, the rock behind sparkled and glowed a bright orange. Our little timekeeper stopped in mid-air and gazed at the phenomenon.
“Sedgwick!” I called. “Iobar has something! I think he can feel the earth's energy behind the waterfall!”
We returned to the centre of the small spring. A medium-sized rock glowed and revealed an artistically inscribed pentagram. Sedgwick tapped the symbol with his key and five huge stones rose from out of the spring. The waterfall opened in two, to reveal an emerald door. It opened to a dark hole in the rock. A silhouette of a shady ship was confined and floated in the tight space; it had the features of a Nordic boat and was beautifully handcrafted.
Iobar returned to Sedge's inside pocket and we jumped from one stone to the other. We faced the door: “I hope we don't go even further north... we'd end up in Antarctica,” said the Gnome.
We stepped through the emerald doorway and climbed on board, the ship swayed from our weight and we settled. The boat magically set off by itself and we left the century of Vikings behind, with the hope of getting back on track.
Chapter Eight - An Ageless Shadow
Darkness surrounded us and the drops of water cascaded down the walls. There was a light at the end of the tunnel, and we drifted into the clear night into our new century, but something was amiss. I looked overboard to find us floating through thick clouds. The land was tiny from up high and the sky was a vast pool of twinkling balls of gas. The planets of the solar system shone the brightest and the moon smiled down upon me and my friends.
At that rate, nothing surprised us, and the unusual location seemed familiar to Sedgwick, who sat back and watched the passing stars. Iobar fluttered from out of the Gnome's pocket and perched himself on the bow.
We were at least a few hundred thousand meters’ up in the sky and it was the highest, I've ever been. I couldn't help but cling onto the mast and shake. It gave me the reoccurring memories of visiting Snowdon in Wales; my grandfather and I had joined an expedition team and ventured high up into the mountain. Heights is the one reason why I didn't apply for the Air-force, I liked being on the ground, where everything made a bit more sense.
The Gnome noticed my uneasiness and retrieved a coin from his pocket. He tossed it overboard and I watched the coin land on something invisible, a barrier that gave us the illusion of looking through a huge window. It caused my grip to loosen from the mast and I was at ease. Sedge gave me some explanations. We were riding a ley-line back into Europe.
“You should relax Lucius and enjoy the view. Luckily, we’re on one of the main ley-lines that should stop somewhere in Europe... hopefully not too far away from Alaise and the key.”
“Knowing our luck, we'll end up in the Jurassic era...” I nervously joked.
The boat gradually came to another clouded tunnel that had a swirl of green energy at its core. Sedgwick moved to the front and stood on top of the Viking serpent figurehead. The boat came to a halt and the Gnome guardian tapped his snapped key on the gateway.
“I hope this works... My key should have enough energy...” and the ley-line opened. “Come, Lucius, we must jump. Iobar, back into my pocket,” commanded Sedge, and the little bird flew into his jacket.
We jumped through the portal and arrived into a dark confined space. It was stuffy and smelt like an old library. I leant back on what I presumed was a wall and it opened into a luxurious room. We landed on an old rug and I closed the door behind.
Once closed, I realised that we’d opened a secret door behind a very historic painting, which represented the elements of the earth.
“We're in the Gonin room... Turin station. This room appears older. Look at the antiquities and the paintings... they’ve worn and faded drastically.”
The Gonin room was a former f
irst-class gallery where members of the Royal Savoy family waited for their trains. It was hard to deduce the era we were in; only the condition of the paintings gave us an inkling.
There were unusual sounds outside, I'd never heard before; it was like a large wasp buzzing over the building. I felt the vibrations of the busy train station and heard an enhanced voice of an Italian woman, who announced the arrival and departure times.
We left the Gonin room. We went up a set of stairs and came to a deserted platform. Rubbish was scattered across the derelict station. There was a huge hole in the roof, unveiling a dark reddish sky.
“It's quiet,” I observed.
“Too quiet,” agreed Sedgwick.
As we looked to the sky, the insect sound flew over; I couldn't tell what it was, except for it being some sort of flying machine. The Gnome had called it a billboard for advertisements. The picture displayed, some sort of soft drink and the young lady drinking it came out of the screen; it was incredibly lifelike.
There were more odd trinkets around the station, and they struggled to work. A box was close by and I thought the person inside was trapped. I tried to free them by cracking the glass.
“My God! I'll help you!”
“No Lucius!” warned Sedge. “It’s just a screen monitor!”
I didn't understand the concept of the technology that surrounded us, even the trains were incredibly different; they were white as snow, smooth and quick. One had passed through at high speeds without a soul on-board...
There was obviously something worryingly wrong with the time period and I felt the touch of darkness had played its part in the future; we had arrived in the year 2198: Italy; Turin.
We stood outside the station soaking in the destruction of the futuristic world. It was hard to adjust to an era that had advanced beyond anything I could have imagined. We were like ants stuck in a maze, trapped in the shadows below hundreds of humongous buildings, which stretched up into the earth’s atmosphere. The clouds blocked out the sun, but the rays were intense and had coloured the sky in red swirls.
There wasn’t much light filtering between the buildings and most of the streetlamps were lit. Although it was mesmerising to see, there was also an ugliness; whatever had happened caused Turin to decay. The roads were cracked, the shop windows smashed, elegantly designed automobiles had been abandoned with haste, and there was still no sign of life.
“I've seen the future and it wasn't like this...” said Sedgwick.
“What happened here?”
A familiar voice called out from behind us, and it gave me the chills. “Dante?” I said.
We turned to be confronted by the vampire of Maylok, who’d pursued us in 1914. He hadn't aged, but would a shadow decay with time? The Maylok servant's bat features were just as frightening, as our previous meeting.
He repeated: “You have been gone for so long that the balance is now beyond repair. All worlds are connected and now in shadow because Eve's key remains untouched.”
Sedgwick tugged on my trousers and whispered, “This is another timeline of many scenarios; one where we have failed.”
“Is this permanent?” I nervously asked.
“No - and yes. This is the current future because we haven't retrieved the key, yet. This proves, Ullpli's efforts in Eve are not enough and he needs our help, indefinitely.”
Our enemy edged closer with an evil grin: “The last light of Eve is now lost within his prison. The guardian Ullpli has failed in fighting back the encroaching darkness of Maylok. I won't let you retrieve the key and if I kill you now, then this dimension will continue to exist, and my Master will have finally won.”
We still had the Viking blades strapped to my back, but whether they could cut the minion... that was the question, which rolled around in my mind.
I handed my spare blade to Sedge who gripped his sword tightly and I knew he shared the same thought and an interesting conclusion. “These weapons are silver!” observed Sedge.
“Doesn't the myth of silver only apply to werewolves?”
There was only one way to find out and the vampire swiftly attacked with his fangs and long fingernails. The bat creature screeched with a swing of his claws and I blocked his vicious attack; bits of silver shattered across the floor and I stood with just a hilt. The Evil smiled and cackled at my predicament. Sedgwick came forth and swung his Nordic blade against the creature's legs, but the damage was limited, and the weapon ricocheted off the vampire.
“Run!!!” yelled the Gnome and we retreated through the rubble of Turin, with the Maylok servant in pursuit.
To lose the creature was a hard task, one that kept proving to be impossible. The vampire had the shadows to manoeuvre in quick fashion, especially amongst the fallen rubble and cracked concrete.
There was no sign of life, who could’ve come to our aid; although it would’ve been risky for anyone. I thought about the light’s sword and wished for it to be back in my grasp, but I feared its true purpose had been succeeded and it was the last time I’d ever hold the weapon of Light.
The obstacles that obstructed our path proved our fitness levels were truly had peaked and we’d glided through the rubble, which reminded me of my training in the army. There was glass everywhere and it crunched under my shoes with each step I’d take. We came across a huge gaping hole within one of the largest buildings and the crevice opened the earth. Our pursuer came close and within an inch of catching Sedgwick, who trailed.
Not far off, I'd noticed the contents of a retail shop had fallen through the building window and had stacked upon an open car door. We slid under and I kicked the door closed and caused an avalanche of home products. I hoped, it would’ve prolonged the minion’s advancements, but he passed through the solid merchandise like a ghost.
“There's no way of escaping this!” yelled Sedgwick.
We were suddenly struck by a beam of artificial light, directed at our enemy. We stopped dead in our tracks and turned to watch the Maylok servant retreat with severe burns. There was a call behind a pile of scrap metal, which was constructed across the street; the voice was in Italian. Sedgwick understood and put up his hands and gestured for me to do the same.
“We're lost tourists!” answered the Gnome.
“Ar... Englishmen I presume? Yes?” questioned the voice.
“Yeah,” I replied.
From the rubble, an exotic young girl dressed in tatty and ragged clothing came forth. A group of people tentatively followed from out of every direction and gathered around us. The leader, the young woman gestured for us to come forward. “We haven't seen new people in a long time,” she said.
“Where is everyone?” I asked.
She replied with a whisper, “Either dead or lost.” And she looked to her group, who were just as tense. “Come... quietly follow us and keep close. That thing doesn't like our LED lights, but it will be back with reinforcements.”
We followed the group of survivors into a building of white brick. It reminded me of Iobar's home-world. A beige carpet surrounded the entire complex and the broken letters above the welcome desk had previously said, 'Juventus Hotel.'
We were led into a lift and a pleasant voice of a lady surprised me. She sounded cracked like a static radio and helped us to the roof. Iobar let out a small chirp and the people who’d joined us in the lift stared with wonder. They had not seen a bird in over thirty years since the last had died out from the spreading darkness; it was a miracle that those people had survived for so long and even managed to reproduce the next generation, who hid inside one of the gliding billboards.
A crane came down from the advertisement structure of soft drinks. We were lifted between the pictured screens, which were gigantic and static; my hair frizzled from the electric current.
We stepped inside to be greeted by a wondrous sight of hope for the future. Even though the future we were in was not cemented in time, the human race had still managed to adapt. There were aisles of small plotted lands, filled with f
resh veg and fruit; kept warm by the thousands of LED lights that sparkled around us. A contraption of some sort collected the ongoing rain from above and the water looked to be filtered within a bowled machine. It efficiently sprayed the rainwater over the crops. The people were highly efficient, and it made me proud to be a human being. Even amongst such chaos, our breed had clung on with the desire to exist, utilising our stubbornness for survival.
“Impressive,” praised Sedgwick.
“Thank you,” replied the girl and she gestured for us to follow into a closed-off room. Once inside she introduced herself as 'Prya.' She originally came from Egypt but had lived in Italy since she was two, so all traces of her Egyptian heritage had gone, except for her smooth brown skin, black hair, and sharp green eyes.
She had plenty of questions and Sedge thought there was no harm in telling her about our time travelling ways, it seemed we were already in a paradox. Apparently, we're in the era of exploration and scientific discoveries, so Prya didn't seem too shocked at meeting two-time travellers. She was more interested in Iobar, our little timekeeper, who’d kept himself busy within the confines of the Gnomes inside pocket. He fluttered out into the open and happily sat on Sedgwick's finger.
“He's beautiful, where did you find him?” she asked.
“In an era of war. We found Iobar, struggling to fly and nursed him back to health,” lied the Gnome; I guessed there was still somethings we had to keep secret. Timekeepers weren't a known subject amongst the mortals, I was a one-off, an honoured exception for speculative reasons.
We had questions of our own and I wanted to know of how the earth fell under such times. History had certainly changed and the year when everything began to fall apart, was the same year when I disappeared; 1914. It was slow, before the cracks in the earth's energy opened for the creatures of the dark to enter my world. Evil was favoured over good and hope dwindled after the German’s won a second world war; a man named Hitler reined over Europe, built his empire with such terror and released a technology that was beyond our years. The Earth was destroyed, the chemicals gradually killed off all wildlife and the Minions of Maylok reined over humankind, picking off the remaining life of humanity. The importance of retrieving the key, dawned heavily on my mind and I finally understood the realisation of my mission; Ullpli, the Green Man needed help within his shadowed prison, the last light of Eve, otherwise the apocalyptic world would be indefinite.
Lucius's World Page 6