by H. M. Clarke
‘We would have been incredibly lucky to have found it in our very first search. I was not expecting to find it straight away.’
“I know, but that still doesn’t really stop you from being disappointed.”
Adhamh gave her a small smile and touched his cheek to her head in one of his brief displays of public emotion. He then bent his head back to the map.
“Adhamh, remember you promised that we could break for lunch,” Holm reminded the Hatar, the rumbling of his belly helped to back up his hunger.
Kalena burst out laughing. And then her stomach rudely interrupted her with its own grumble which made everyone laugh.
‘Okay Kalena, fold the map and keep it in your pocket. Then you and the others go to lunch. We Hatar will meet up with you again on the parade ground once you have finished eating.’
“Sure thing Adhamh,” Kalena replied as she scooped up the map and quickly folded it. She turned to look at her two friends. “Adhamh says that now is a good time to break for lunch and that the Hatar will meet us after where they did this morning.”
“Excellent. Let’s get going,” Holm said immediately turning and walking quickly back towards Darkon.
“Holm. At least wait for the rest of us,” Kral called after him.
“My stomach waits for no man or beast,” Holm threw back.
Kalena hurriedly tucked Adhamh’s map deep into her jacket pocket and raced after Holm and Kral. The Hatar had decided they would take a sand bath while they waited for their riders to eat.
After stopping to wash the dust of their mornings activities from their hands and faces, they entered the Dining Hall for lunch.
“Awww, all the best food has gone!” Holm moaned to his friends as he caught sight of the serving table.
“That’s what happens when you come in late for lunch,” Kral laughed.
“I’m going to grab extra to make up for it then,” Holm said as he started heaping large helpings of food onto his plate.
“Come on Holm, it’s not like you’re starving,” Kalena said as she slipped in between Kral and Holm and started filling up her own plate.
“You never know what or where the future could bring you Kalena. It’s always best to be prepared.”
Kral laughed. “He’s got you there Kal. That’s what the Hatar always say.”
Kalena sniffed as she moved her lunch plate to one hand and then collected a mug from the end of the counter. She then went to sit at their customary table without looking back at them.
It was not long before her two friends joined her. Kral carrying a plate of food in one hand and his mug in the other. Holm on the other side was carrying a full plate in each hand with his mug tucked up under his chin. From experience Kalena new that none of that food would be wasted.
“How long do you think Adhamh would give us to eat?” Kral asked as he poured himself some water from the jug on the table.
“I don’t think we’ll have too much longer before he starts calling for us. He may look calm and passive, but he can be an inpatient sot when he’s got a mite under his feathers about something.”
Holm nodded agreement, but did not stop his eating to actually say anything.
“Do you think Adhamh is chasing his tail here?” Kral asked.
Kalena nodded. “Do you know of any legend or children’s tale ever being proved to have happened?”
Kral shook his head. “None. Not one.”
“I’m just doing this because it is important to Adhamh. And he won’t be satisfied until we have searched every measure of dirt surrounding Darkon.”
“I take it that means our future Freedays are going to be taken up with crawling up and down valley after valley?”
Kalena tried not to laugh. “I don’t know about your future plans, but I know mine will be exploring with Adhamh until he is satisfied that this cavern is not here or doesn’t exist.”
“Poor thing,” Holm mumbled through a mouthful of food across the table.
Kalena raised her spoon to help emphasize her reply when she felt the whisper of a presence slip past her mind. It left a tickling sensation that sent a shiver down her spine. It was the same presence that she had felt this morning, only now it was stronger, insisting. And it was female.
Kalena looked slowly back over her shoulder, trying not to make herself noticed as she studied those gathered in the hall. That mind thread was directed at someone in this hall. And it was not a krytal assisted mind thread either. This one felt ‘different’, stronger, like the mind talk between the Hatar’le’margarten.
“What’s the matter Kalena?” Kral asked frowning curiously at her before turning in his chair to see what had caught her attention.
The question caught Holm’s interest enough to draw him out from his grazing and look at his two friends across the table.
Kalena looked at Kral.
“You know that presence that I felt this morning? Well, I just felt it again.”
“Kal-“
“It is stronger than before,” Kalena rushed to cut him off. “And it is different from the connections that I usually hear buzzing around. This is firm, direct. Like the way Hatar talk to themselves.”
Kalena shook her head. “I can still feel it slipping around me. And I don’t like it. Whoever it is does not feel like a nice person.”
“Kal, just ignore it,” Holm said. “Whatever, whoever it is is none of your concern.”
“It will just lead you to trouble,” Kral finished.
Kalena tried not to let the frustration she felt at their replies show on her face. The presence in the mind thread was growing stronger.
“But what if whoever this is, is up to no good? I should tell Gwidion.”
At this Kral grabbed Kalena by her shoulders and turned her to look at him.
“Kal. If you tell Gwidion, how are you going to tell him about this? Remember, the adults don’t know you can still hear them. That’s a secret kept between we three at this table and the Hater.”
Kalena glared at Kral before letting her shoulder slump in defeat. She nodded. “You’re right. I can’t tell Gwidion or anyone else.” Kalena flicked a glance across the table to Holm who had now forgotten all about his food and stared pointedly at Kalena. Holm may act it, but he was no fool.
Kalena turned her attention back to Kral. “Which means that we’ll have to look into this ourselves. And if this person is actually up to no good, then we can gather evidence that we can show to Gwidion, Harada and the Provost Marshall.”
“Kal...the last time we went off on our own, you nearly got killed.”
“But I wasn’t and we rescued that Pydarki from the Justicars. And got rid of Captain Jeraint.”
“Yes but-“
“Yes but nothing! We cannot sit and do nothing if something bad is going on. Especially if it’s got something to do with us Kalar. Remember? What affects one, affects us all.”
“She’s got a point Kral,” Holm said quietly across the table. “If there is someone up to no good around here, I would like to know about it.”
Kalena mentally whispered a ‘Thank you Holm’ before turning to glare at Kral.
Kral stared over her shoulder, eyes set, deep in thought. And after an uncomfortably silent period, Kalena thought he was going to say nothing. But then he abruptly turned and looked at them both. He had come to a decision.
“Okay. I agree with you. But we need to do this carefully. Are you sure about that mind thread? Do you think it is up to no good?”
Kalena nodded, not wanting to say anything in case it stopped Kral from wanting to help.
“Then at the moment, you are our only way of finding this person. You are the only person who can hear them and tell us what they are up too Kalena.”
“Well, no that’s not quite true.” Kalena frowned as she found herself listening to the mind thread. She could still hear the originator of the thread, the alien unknown, but now there was a second thread being entwined with it. The second thread was rough an
d inexperienced and to Kalena felt exactly like the thread of a Krytal enhanced human.
“There is someone else here who can hear the unknown mind thread. They are talking with the Stranger right now.”
Chapter Six
The Boy
“DO YOU KNOW WHO?”
Kalena ignored Kral’s question as she concentrated on the mind thread. She let her own consciousness seep out and carefully make its way to the combined thread that she sensed. Kalena then paused to see if the two presences showed any indication that they had noticed her.
But the thread stayed entwined and Kalena could see the silver light pulses of back and forth communication speeding along it’s length. Keeping her distance, Kalena slowly back tracked the thread of what she thought was the Krytal enhanced voice.
Kalena passed through hundreds of other conversations that were happening around her. Most of these were the normal chit chat of the human Kalar with their Hatar partners. And they were all marked with what Kalena thought of as the ‘Krytal Tag.’ Mind threads that used a matched pair of Krytal crystals carried a bluish tint to them. Unlike the mind thread conversations between the Hatar themselves which seemed to have no color at all.
The original thread held no color which was why Kalena thought it was a Hatar. This new thread was tinted blue, pointing to this being a Kalar. As she followed it back, the color grew stronger and the thread began to thicken. She was close to the source. She stopped and ‘sensed’ forward.
Just ahead was the consciousness that belonged to the blue tinted thread. It was very open and very untrained. There were no mental barriers, no anything, Kalena could even sense the entity in the Krytal pulsing nearby. Most Hatar Kalar instinctively put up a weak mental barrier as it is one of the first things their Hatar partners teach them. After all, their Hatar do not want to hear everything that goes through their human partner’s mind. Because this barrier was missing, Kalena realized that this must be a new Hatar Kalar. Most probably one of the boys that came through a few days ago.
Kalena held her thread still a few more moments, just to make sure she could recognize the thought patterns, before pulling it back in to herself.
Kalena opened her eyes and rapidly blinked, trying to bring them back into focus. She found Kral and Holm both staring at her.
“Any luck?”
Kalena gave Kral a nod.
“I followed the mind thread back. It looks like it’s coming from one of the new Hatar Kalar.”
“Can you recognize who it is?”
Kalena nodded again. “I will be able to recognize their thought patterns.”
“Are we going to look for them?” Holm asked.
Kral looked again to Kalena.
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Yes.”
He turned to Holm.
“Yes Holm, we are going to look for them.”
Holm’s face suddenly broke into a grin. “Excellent! An adventure I’m actually awake for.”
Kalena felt a stab of guilt jab deep into the pit of her stomach. She knew that Holm did not mean it to hurt her, but she was going to live with the guilt of her recklessness for the rest of her life. But dwelling on it now will not help them. She quickly shook it off.
“We’d better get going.” Kral said giving Kalena a quick tap to the shoulder. “The new recruits are sitting just over there at that table, and they are getting up to leave.”
Kalena’s gaze swung around to the area of the Dining Hall that Kral indicated and watched as a group of boys rose from the table and carried their dirty dishes over to the wash barrels to drop in the soapy water.
“Do you know which one we’re after?” Holm whispered as he moved around the table to sit on the other side of Kalena.
Kalena frowned as she concentrated on the four boys as they stood in line waiting to get rid of their dirty dishes. She carefully studied the mental maps of each of the four, but none of them matched the owner of the blue mind thread.
“Wait, there’s a straggler,” Kalena heard Kral say quietly. Her eyes moved back towards their table and found a short tassel headed boy hurrying to join the others in line. As soon as Kalena opened her mind to look, she recognized him. This was the mind she saw speaking with the stranger.
“That’s him,” Kalena said rapidly blinking her eyes but not looking away. “That’s who the Stranger was talking to.”
“What should we do? Follow him?” Holm asked.
“It’s the only thing we can do,” Kral replied. “He’ll either lead us to this Stranger or Kalena will see when he is talking with the Stranger and can follow their thread back to wherever they are hiding out.”
“What about Adhamh and his search?”
Kral looked back at Holm and grinned.
“Adhamh will have to wait. This is more important.”
“I’ll let you tell him that when he starts harassing me trying to find out where we are,” Kalena said as she slipped out from the bench and collected her plate from the table.
“Come on, we had better drop our own dishes in the wash tubs. We’ll wait in line behind them.”
The three lined up behind the group and Kalena noticed that the four new recruits barely acknowledged the presence of the fifth boy.
The boy, though several years older than her, was only slightly taller and was a little on the skinny side. His hair looked like it had been cut up by a drunk shearer, and he looked pale as if he had never seen sun in a year. He stood hunched and quiet behind the other boys. As Kalena watched him, she saw his eyes glaze in and out as he waited. This happened when she sensed the Stranger touch his mind to ‘talk’.
The group of four did not wait for this boy to drop his dishes in the soaking barrel. They had disappeared before the boy had time to finish his chore and turn.
Kalena looked back at Holm and Kral to see if they had noticed. Both nodded that they had. They boy was a bit of a loner it seemed.
He moved off to the exit and Kalena and her friends rushed to drop their own dishes in the barrel and follow him.
As she followed, Kalena began to think as something struck her as strange. If this boy is talking to a stranger, why is his Hatar partner not butting in like every other Hatar’le’margarten does?”
‘Adhamh, we are going to be late meeting you. Can you do a favor for me?’
‘Late? What favor?’
‘There is a new Flyer here am I am curious as to who his Hatar partner is. Do you know who the five new Hatar are?’
‘Five? We have had only four join us. Though we have been told by one of the four that there is a fifth but he has been too ill to join us.’
‘Ill?’
‘I asked Fanta what was happening. She said that Elka had a bad reaction to the Krytal crystal.’
From Adhamh’s tone Kalena gathered that he did not quite agree with this scenario.
‘And?’
‘And what?’
‘And, you sound like you think they’re plucking their feathers.’
‘A Hater’le’margarten has never had a bad reaction to the Krytal. Humans yes, but never Hatar. There has to be another cause for what is ailing Elka. The physicians will find out what. Eventually.’
‘His rider doesn’t seem phased by it. He seems to be under no ill effects at all.’
The runt must be Elka’s partner. That can be the only reason why the Hatar would let this intrusion happen. Especially with a newly formed Krytal bond.
‘Why are you so interested Kalena?’ Adhamh asked suspiciously
Kalena had to think fast on her feet.
‘I think Elka’s partner is having some issues with the other riders who came through with him. I think he might be being picked on.’
‘If that is the case, you should report it to Gwidion.’
‘I don’t want to until I am sure that is what is going on. I don’t want to tar them with an accusation that is unwarranted.’
‘Very admirable Kalena. It is very nice to see
you thinking forward for a change,’ Adhamh replied with a little pride. His tone made Kalena feel guilty at her small deception.
‘Got to go. I’ll call you when we’re ready to meet you okay?’
‘Yes Kalena.’
Kalena disconnected her conversation and quickly told the others what she had just heard from Adhamh. The three had followed the boy out from the Dining Hall and were slowly making their way unobtrusively in the direction of the Parade Ground.
The boy did not look back at all, and Kalena thought that he must be too intent on his conversation to have noticed them. Or maybe the rest of the people moving back and forth around the Dining and Living Quarters obscured their trailing of him.
“What if Adhamh and the others are there at the Parade Ground? They’ll see us,” Holm asked as they all stopped by the edge of a building before going out onto the Parade Ground. They boy had stopped as well, as if trying to work out which direction to go next.
“They are all still having their sand baths. They won’t see us,” Kalena replied.
“Lucky for us,” Kral mumbled. “What is the kid doing?”
Kalena studied the boy.
“He’s following that mind thread. I think it’s leading him somewhere that’s hard to get to.”
“The only place around here that we can’t get to is the Freeman's Quarter. And the Justicar outpost.”
Kalena gave Holm a nod. “That’s right, but remember that this kid has only just been allowed to roam alone around Darkon. He doesn’t know it as well as we do. If he is trying to follow that thread, then it is leading him south.”
“The Hatar Quarters?” Kral asked.
“Probably...Maybe.”
“You think he is talking to a Hatar?” Kral asked.
“I don’t know. What I do know is that whoever he is talking to is not his Hatar Partner.”
“There he goes,” Holm cut in, pointing his finger between their faces. “And he is going South.”
They waited until the kid was a suitable distance ahead before moving out to follow him. They moved into the maze of streets and buildings that rose to the south of the Parade Grounds and slowly followed the boy through the streets, past the Hatar Quarters, past the small outer buildings and headed on into the low foothills.