Release

  Remember where you have come from, what you can do.

  Both she and her sisters, even Parador, had been created together. And, it had come out of something with good intentions, Jovil’s thoughts. Which meant, like she and her other sisters, Parador must contain goodness inside her too. She had to!

  “Are you ready Tiegal Eureka?” Atla bellowed at her, as he clicked his fingers four times in front of her, as though trying to mark the shape of a diamond in the air.

  “Oh yes, ready and armed!” she replied through clenched teeth. The rules of the match had still not been fully explained to her, but the bag containing her allocated paint brushes and paints dug into her knee from where it hung from the saddle. She moved her leg sideways to gaze across the rest of the contents inside. It was only when she felt the shape of the bottle resting at the edge of the bag against her thigh that she let out a huge exhalation of pent-up breath. She could do this.

  35. Paint

  Tiegal counted over a hundred easels, all lined up around the arena. The thick, white-rolled papers that hung over them gleaned in the stifling midday sun. Namnum did not seem stressed as they approached the easel allocated for them, but Tiegal could smell dehydration on the animals all around her already. Each of them reeked of distress. Rinzal had been right about the water. There were water hoses positioned at regular spots between the easels but none of them had been turned on yet and the animals had already been left for too long without being hosed down.

  Her Derado burned against her skin and not just from the heat of the air around them, but as a direct reaction to how she felt. She was bubbling with rage. Just the thought of the elephants being exploited made her want to jump off Namnum, run to the gates, throw them open and shout at them all to escape. But she knew better. It was exactly what Atla had intended. It was exactly what her friends had predicted.

  A female competitor, to her left, reached into her saddle bag and withdrew a large paintbrush, which she then dipped into a jar of black paint attached to the side of her saddle. Tiegal watched her carefully. The female removed the brush from the jar and then hovered it in the space below her nose, as though to check the paint had adequately covered the hairs on the end of the paintbrush.

  “Unbelievable!” Tiegal hissed.

  Now she had a better view of the design of the paintbrush, a rage of anger coursed through her. The paintbrush had a dividing bar placed across the bottom of the handle. Tiegal’s stomach heaved as she realized what this was for, to place on the end of the elephant’s trunk, to stop it from sliding up the snout.

  “Namnum! I can’t put that on you. It will hurt you. I know how sensitive your trunk is,” she hissed.

  Her elephant flapped her ears backwards. The left one smacked Tiegal right across the face, Namnum’s way of urging her to get on with it.

  “Okay then, here goes nothing,” she sighed. “Let’s see what you can paint with your trunk shall we? Such a natural thing for you to do of course. I mean, how could we have missed this evolutionary design for your vital and most sensitive body part!”

  Namnum wafted her trunk behind her so that the snout swung in front of her face.

  “Okay, okay, I get the message Namnum.”

  The saddle was weighed down by a dozen different jars of paint that were attached to it by a thick rope strap and arranged in a neat row at the side of her right leg. It reminded Tiegal of the bullet strap Johannes had worn around his waist before a hunting trip with Frederick, one of the few times they had argued, when she had called him an animal killer and he had pointed at the empty table before slamming the door in her face.

  Brushing this painful thought away, she reached into her saddle bag, found a paintbrush, and then dipped it into a jar filled with green paint. Reluctantly, she then attached the bar at the end of the brush handle and fixed it across the width of the tip of Namnum’s trunk.

  Whispering a tearful apology, she leaned back into the saddle to see what would happen next.

  Namnum didn’t hesitate. Her magnificent elephant pressed the brush across the white art paper, starting from the top right, and then let it flow in a swirl downwards. She repeated this action eight times, alternating her starting point and angles, and then twirled her trunk backwards again, before stopping just in front of Tiegal’s face.

  Through her tears, Tiegal managed to detach the brush from Namnum’s snout and replace it with a blue-dipped brush.

  Before she could stop her, Namnum flicked her trunk over again and proceeded to add more colour to the painting with this second brush. This time she started on the bottom left side of the paper. Without moving the brush off the page she painted waves across the paper to the other side.

  Tiegal grinned as her Derado began to release her pink mist in response to what the painting was already starting to reveal.

  “His tree. The river!” she breathed. It was impossible to contain her excitement. She didn’t even notice the crowd that had gathered around her as she reached into the bag again to replace the brush and colour for the third time. Without needing to think, she dipped this brush in orange.

  As the clear shape of a rising sun appeared on the paper, the crowd around her muttered noises of approval. Tiegal glanced around her to see if any of her trusted allies were nearby, but it was Atla’s face that caught her attention as the crowd parted to make way for him.

  “Quite a talent your elephant has there I see. Would she like a break? Some water perhaps? It is rather hot here today.”

  Tiegal frowned. Namnum did need hosing down. All the elephants did, but there was something about the smile on Atla’s face that confused her. It seemed he was trying to play with her again and she wasn’t sure what his strategy could possibly be. Rinzal had said he would not sacrifice the welfare of the elephants in front of a crowd. Animal neglect went against everything Tandroans were taught to believe. And yet, her instincts told her he was offering her something he did not intend to deliver.

  Still, she answered him.

  “Water is exactly what Namnum needs.”

  Without waiting for further instruction, she swung her right leg over to the other side of the saddle and made to jump down. In her haste she misjudged her foot placement, narrowly missing the stirrup, and fell down onto the sandy floor in an awkward heap. The crowd burst into laughter. Ignoring them, she pushed past two tall males who were standing in front of Namnum’s painting and strode over to the tap by the wall to turn on the hose pipe. Not a drip of water appeared.

  “There is no water! Nothing is coming out!” she shouted, but Atla had already retreated back into the crowd. She could see the back of his shoulders shaking with laughter as he walked away from her.

  “So, this is the master plan! Wind me up but turn off the water,” she growled under her breath.

  “Do you always need water?”

  The sound of Jovil’s quiet voice behind her made her jump.

  “Nice of you to finally speak to me great lagoon master! And what do you mean by that question anyway?” she snapped back at him.

  The last thing she needed was someone creeping up on her, asking her cryptic questions.

  “I think you know what I mean.” Jovil didn’t look at her as he spoke. In fact, he didn’t even appear to be moving his mouth.

  Tiegal could hardly breathe. Too much was happening all at once. Her Derado was burning hot now and the pink energy mist was getting thicker.

  “Tiegal! You need to act quickly. You’re already releasing too much colour. They will only let you build up so long before they take it away from you. And you still haven’t answered my question. Do you always need water?” he insisted.

  Instinctively, she put her hand up to cover her Derado, desperate to keep her colour release contained. Indramia had insisted that for their plan to work the timing and the conditions of her full release had to be just right.

  “No! I don’t think I need to be in water, just near it. I was in my house the last time I transported, when I gave birth,
but I was near a river,” she whispered. The crowd were still watching her, waiting for her to return to Namnum, so that the painting could be completed.

  Jovil nodded his head slowly.

  “That’s what I suspected. So, now you need to carry out your plan - and quickly,” he urged.

  “But they’ve turned the water off! I’m nowhere near water now. And I’m already raging inside. The elephants need water. I can’t believe the crowd is not reacting to this. We don’t allow this treatment of animals. It’s like the old era all over again!”

  Her body was shaking as she tried turning the tap on again.

  “Listen! Really listen. It is only Namnum who can’t access water. The other elephants in the arena are being hosed as we speak. Look!”

  Tiegal frowned, stepping up to the next level of the spectator seats behind her to get a better view of the area. Sure enough, Jovil was right. The other competitors had moved their easels away from their elephants, free from the bustling crowds, and were hosing down their elephants from pipes on the walls. A loud growl of frustration roared from within her. A thick burst of colour vapour released from her pink diamond and she stamped her right foot three times.

  “But, how come the crowd around Namnum are okay with this? Surely someone should be helping me to get water to her. Not laughing at me!” she complained.

  “Look again! Who is near them?” Jovil cocked his head towards the right side of the crowd gathered around Namnum.

  She gasped when she saw who he was referring to.

  “Parador! Of course! Wow, she really does hate me!”

  “Don’t be so quick to assume things Tiegal. Who do you think convinced Atla he could pull off such a stunt? To risk enraging you like this when you are wearing your Derado? To press your buttons by isolating you and your elephant and depriving her of water? And who else could then work with a crowd to ensure they played the parts she needed them to? What kind of power would that entail?” he asked.

  “Mind power!” She clapped her forehead with the back of her hand. “Of course! So, are you saying Parador is on my side?”

  Jovil’s long dark hair swayed around his shoulders as he turned to face her.

  “I don’t know if I would use the words on your side. But, put it this way, if Parador’s ultimate desire is power, helping the more powerful sister to escape would make a lot of sense,” he reasoned, stroking the bristly hair on his chin. “Can you listen to my deeper thoughts, just for a few seconds, like you did before?” he asked.

  She nodded. Now was not the time to hold on to stubborn resolutions. Taking a deep breath, she focused her gaze on Jovil’s eyes, letting her mind channel deeper into his.

  Okay, before you returned the last time, Parador and I had a rather interesting confrontation. I suspected she had been manifesting more powers in the lagoon, whilst your other sisters were away, and so I tricked her into revealing her vision of your next return. Let’s just say, I resorted to methods I would not normally use!

  Of course, Parador was furious and I feared she would do something stupid, or even dangerous, in revenge. But, fortunately, we have made a truce. She doesn’t want Atla to know about her powers, just as I don’t want him to know about the lagoon and how the four of you are connected.

  So she is here, today, on my terms. I’m not a hundred percent sure what she plans to do but I know what she wants. She wants you out of the way. Away from Tandro and away from Atla. Trust me on this. I have made sure that she will help you get back to your family. We will ALL make sure you get there.

  He paused and bowed his head. Just as she thought he had finished his transmission he returned his focus to her.

  And, I want you to know this Tiegal…I will always think of you. You have transformed everything. Do you understand just how much?

  Tiegal had to hold her hands under her armpits to stop herself from throwing her arms around him to show him her gratitude. There was something so sad about the burden she could see he wore across his face; a beautiful face, almost too perfect – even on Tandro.

  “Yes, yes, I do,” she nodded, blinking back tears. “Thank you Jovil! For everything. For the powers that made me like this. Without them I never would have found Johannes and could never have made Cezanne. Whatever you thought about all those nights you sat by the lagoon whilst my sisters and I were forming, it ended up creating a remarkable connection between two worlds. Please, do not feel any guilt about the part you played in that,” she assured him, touching his arm gently.

  An unmistakable cry of pain sounded out from the arena. It startled them both into a momentary freeze.

  “It’s your elephant! You need to go to her! Now!” Jovil urged.

  Tiegal nodded and then ran towards Namnum, pushing aside anyone who stood in her way. Heart hammering in her chest, she reached her elephant and buried her face into the folds of her grey, rubbery skin. The smell that filled her nostrils made her retch.

  She could smell blood. Elephant blood. Namnum’s blood!

  Without stopping to think, she grabbed hold of Parador’s clenched hand and prised her fingers loose. A bloody nail wobbled back and forth in Parador’s sweaty palm.

  “You stabbed Namnum’s ear!” Tiegal hollered.

  Parador stared back at her, not a trace of an apology registering on her impossibly perfect face.

  “The painting is not finished yet. I was helping it along, that’s all! And you!” Parador answered.

  Tiegal turned her back on her, desperately trying to clear her mind.

  She must be trying to rile me. To build me up! But you need to calm down!

  She warned herself, aware she was at risk of releasing too much energy if she lost any more control over her emotions.

  Namnum made another noise, a softer call this time.

  “I’m sorry, so sorry she hurt you. I think she’s trying to anger me on purpose. To build me up for a big release,” Tiegal whispered to her, looking deep into her eyes.

  Give me a pink brush! Namnum seemed to say.

  Reaching into the saddle bag, Tiegal grabbed another paint brush, along with the glass bottle spray Ochrani had hidden in there earlier. They couldn’t afford to waste any more time putting their plan into action.

  Ignoring Parador, she dipped a brush into the pot filled with pink paint and fixed it to Namnum’s trunk. Her elephant took a step towards the easel and with one circular brush stroke added a pink object to the painting.

  “A ball! The elephant painted a ball!” A female kimberling cried out from the crowd.

  But Tiegal shook her head, still staring at the painting.

  “No, she painted a bubble. My bubble!” she breathed.

  After that, it all happened so fast, like a crucial scene in her life that Tiegal was helpless to direct. Each character appeared at her side in turn. Each, ready to play their part to ensure all the conditions were in place, some planned, some unexpected.

  First, Rinzal and Zeno ran up to her and pulled her Derado from her neck. Together they plunged the neckpiece into a bucket of water and then quickly reattached it to her again.

  Then, Ochrani and Indramia arrived. As soon as they saw Parador standing next to Namnum, blood still dripping from her hands, they both stepped back in horror. Tiegal had less than a minute to reassure them that she was not an enemy, at least only half of one, and that Namnum would be okay.

  Then, Atla.

  Tiegal could barely breathe as she watched the next part unfold before her. Atla clicking his fingers, then grabbing one of his Team members and pushing him to the floor for no apparent reason. His face an ugly distortion of contorted features. His words a flurry of protests.

  “Who brought this water over here? Who defied my orders? Why is Tiegal Eureka being given extra help?”

  With each outrage Atla’s face reddened. No one made a move. No one attempted to appease him. It appeared they had reached a stalemate.

  But there was one key player who had yet to finish her part in the scene. Fo
r just as Atla launched himself at Tiegal, his hands grasping around her Derado, Parador pulled on his arm and yanked him back. This was the moment she had not predicted. It was also the moment when Tiegal realized all was not lost.

  Parador, the maverick and unpredictable sister, was taking control. Tiegal watched in awe as this sister of hers fixed Atla with a blinding glare. How her spectacular eye-light dispersed its golden feathery glow around Atla’s face and had him entranced within seconds.

  “Do it now Tiegal!” Parador ordered, her voice a low rumble. “Do whatever you need to do in order to leave Tandro. And this time…make sure it’s for good.”

  With this instruction, Parador took hold of Atla’s arm and led him away. The rest of the crowd and the members of Atla’s Team followed, equally transfixed by the power of Parador’s unusual light.

  “Thank you, sister,” Tiegal whispered.

  It was time. The conditions were back in place. The bottle containing her daughter’s scent was still in her hand. The cooled-down Derado was around her neck and she was finally ready to return home.

  “Release Cezanne’s scent now, Tiegal! You’re ready. Just close your eyes, breathe in her smell, and think of where you want to go and who you want to see,” Indramia urged her.

  Tiegal could barely see the lid of the bottle, her tears were blinding her, but eventually she managed to twist it off in one harsh pull. Closing her eyes, she let her mind drift hearing Indramia’s sweet, melodic voice around her, urging her to find her way to 1869. To return to Hopetown, to the draw of a new diamond find, and to a man and a little girl who were waiting for her by a river.

  It was strong at first, the senses she reached for. The smell of her baby, cocoa, basil, lime and pomelo. Then the heat increasing around her, followed by the exquisite release of desire from within her, and the sound of Indramia’s words repeating the date, 1869 over and over again.

  Then there was nothing, no smell, sound or burning heat, just white space, a sensation of floating. A feeling of peace and a sense of knowing that patience was all she needed now, for soon the fog would clear and she would see them again. Finally, she would return, back to where she belonged.