by John Kerry
“I’ll be quick then,” Baxter replied.
The grand master gave no indication of whether communication would be forthcoming or not, as they passed between the clean white columns lining the corridor in silence.
“Has there been any news from Aratta?” Baxter prompted.
“There has.” Aegis volunteered nothing more. He wasn’t going to make this easy.
Baxter lowered his voice. “Excellent. What do we know?”
“I told the Prime Minister I’d give him a full update as soon as he can take time out of his busy schedule to see me. However, there is still much for the brotherhood to contemplate. Following me around won’t get you answers any quicker.”
“I understand, Grand Master, but crabman numbers are accelerating, Perseopia is changing. The minister is worried about developments in the old capital. He’s worried about the black column.”
“The black column? How interesting.” Aegis smiled a moment before becoming serious. “I’ve travelled from the magi garrison to New Ecbatana to be here in person, Mr Baxter. The Prime Minister will know everything I know when he dignifies me with a meeting.”
“Is there nothing I can take back to him in the meantime?”
The Grand Master paused. “He shows an interest in the black column. That’s … a start. Tell him the Order are continuing to increase its height and we strongly believe they’re recreating their own version of the Naziarabad Monument at Ameretat. A column that will eventually extend up past the smog and that, I imagine, they hope to turn into a gateway to the Mother World.”
“Why wouldn’t they use the already existing monument?”
“The white column is occupied, not to mention heavily guarded. They could rush it, fight their way inside and hope to make it to the summit, but they don’t have a key. Or rather an object that will allow them to leave Perseopia. Better to build their own column closer to home while the search for the right object continues. Portals have been opened before with varying levels of success. We all know what happened last time an Order member opened a portal.”
“The Lurker at the Gate. Lord VorMask.”
“Lord VorMask, indeed.” The Grand Master paused. “I’ll fill you in on the rest of the details when we meet later.”
“I have a few more questions,” Baxter said. He unravelled the parchment in his hands.
Aegis held up his hand. “Your minister doesn’t have time for me so he’ll have to be patient until he does.”
“Where’s Hami?”
“Why is that important?”
“He’s seen this black column. He survived the journey into Aratta and returned with information.”
“He’s in the process of making a delivery to Honton Keep.”
“What about the column, though? Is there no one we can send back to find out more?” Baxter checked his notes. “Couldn’t … Victa Wild make the delivery to Honton Keep while Hami returns to Aratta?”
“Excuse me?”
“I spoke to Master Gobi earlier today, apparently Victa is in the Fungi Forest. Not far from Honton Keep or the location Hami last communicated from.”
The Grand Master remained impassive. “I assign tasks to the magi, Baxter. Neither you nor the minister do. Victa has been given his duties. Hami has been given his.”
“I’m sorry, Grand Master. It’s only a question that the minister will ask.”
“I’ve given Victa instructions to get out of the Fungi Forest as soon as he’s able. The boy can handle himself, to a degree, but he’s still young and inexperienced and I don’t want to pressure him with duties over his capabilities.”
“Isn’t Hami around the same age?”
“Hami has extraordinary power and can handle virtually anything we throw at him.”
“He’s also reckless. If he hadn’t redeemed himself recently, I’d question you using him for much more than delivery duties.”
The Grand Master didn’t reply.
“But results are results and he got them when no one else did.” Baxter paused. He wasn’t getting anywhere. “What was this lower order magus, Victa, doing in the Fungi Forest anyway?” he asked.
Aegis frowned.
“Just so I can tell the minister.”
“He was originally heading to Honton Keep to become the Regent’s point of communication for the magi, but the forest is teeming with crabmen. Far more than it had been previously. It became too dangerous for him to carry on further. But then something came up. Someone in the forest joining the magi network close to where Victa was passing. We’re sending him to pick them up.”
“Couldn’t Hami have picked up the recruit? Surely a new magus recruit is more important than a delivery?”
“A potential magus recruit is more important than your average delivery. But not this one. Besides, Hami is almost at the Keep. I’ll get him to relay information in Victa’s absence. Victa, on the other hand, is on a greenbuck gazelle and is best positioned to safely escort the recruit out of the forest and to the magi garrison.”
Baxter shrugged. “I thought you’d have more for me than that.”
“There is a great deal more. You can’t comprehend the significance of the delivery Hami is making. And what is at stake if he’s not successful.” The Grand Master stopped. He acted as if he’d said too much and pinched his lips. Yet he was far too intelligent to have made such a mistake. This undoubtedly was Aegis’s ploy, teasing at information to fast-track an appointment with the minister. Baxter was close to learning something major and the fact that the Grand Master had let so much slip already meant there was a lot more to uncover.
“What is Hami delivering?” Baxter had no expectation of being answered, but he had to ask.
“‘Who is Hami delivering?’ is the question you should be asking. But I’m afraid that the minister will have to wait for me to tell him in person. I’ve already said too much.” And with that, Aegis turned and walked away.
–NINE–
AN UNLIKELY REUNION
Sammy stumbled on through the Fungi Forest. Her stomach, although full, was cramping, and her dehydration headache had returned even bigger and over-the-top as the big budget sequel.
It was unlikely that she’d meet anyone out here in the middle of nowhere. And her chances of running into Mehrak again were especially slim. That was if he’d survived the earthquakes at the Temple of Paths.
She was being overly negative. He would’ve survived. Hami would’ve rescued him. But the fire temple had been two years ago, they could be anywhere by now. Mehrak was probably thousands of miles away, back on the trail of that book he’d been looking for. He might’ve even found his wife! She snorted a joyless laugh. Imagine if she’d braved the Fungi Forest, fought pig-dogs, become a bunny murderer, eaten slimy mushrooms and travelled thousands of miles across Perseopia, to find Mehrak settled back at home with his wife. She tried to purge that depressing thought from her head. She’d deal with that scenario if it materialised. Dwelling on it wouldn’t help her get out of her current predicament.
On the bright side, she could always join the magi. Get trained up. Have battles, save people. Hijinks like that. That would be a pretty awesome life. But not if it meant living it alone. What she wanted more than anything was to be back in Golden Egg Cottage, travelling across Perseopia with Mehrak. She’d dreamed of little else since she’d left and sometimes wondered if it was Mehrak that had drawn her back or the life she could be living in the caravan on Louis’s back.
She sighed. Her brain was a mess. She still hadn’t found water. She’d been back, what? A day? Day and a half? Two? She hadn’t seen anyone, and the scenery hadn’t changed. With no compass and no stars to guide her, she could be walking in circles. All because she’d argued with her mother. And now it was getting warmer. She sat down and held her head in her hands.
It was getting hotter still and her eyelids were sticking to her eyeballs. She rubbed at them, massaging her tear ducts for the
remotest chance they’d excrete a little more liquid. She’d scared herself once already, imagining that the forest was getting warmer. She was probably doing it again.
Or not.
A shadow slid out from amongst the mushrooms. It registered in her peripheral vision and she stumbled backwards, falling over her mushroom.
The creature that had given her nightmares frequently since she’d last been here approached from the undergrowth. The tall, thin figure, human-shaped, head limp at its chest with narrow shoulders and shrouded in black cloth.
It stopped short.
“You … again?” the creature said in its icy monotonous voice. It sounded genuinely surprised to see her. “You’re different. Taller.”
Sammy remained on her back. She had to get up, run, but her body was drained. She should try and defend herself with stones, but she couldn’t concentrate on anything but the thin figure before her.
“You actually make it,” it said. “But where have you come from? And should I use this opportunity to kill you?”
The world around Sammy ground to a halt as her heart stalled. Her brain seized up and she found herself incapable of action.
“No,” the creature said after a pause. “You still need to fulfil your destiny.”
Sammy’s heart resumed beating, albeit in an uneven stuttering fashion, and she managed to catch her breath.
“There’s a river not far away. In that direction.” The creature held out a long-sleeved arm indicating the way. “Be quick. It would be a waste for you to die while there’s still much to be done.’ Then it slid backwards, blending into the shadows, and vanished.
Sammy remained on the floor, staring after the creature long after the temperature had resumed normal Fungi Forest levels. What were the chances of running into that same creature again upon returning to Perseopia? It had tried to kill her last time. Now it was letting her go? And what did it mean about fulfilling her destiny?
There was a chance it was sending her into a trap. But there’d been ample opportunity to attack her while she’d been floundering and it hadn’t. If there was any possibility of there being a river in the direction it had pointed, Sammy should take it. She had nothing to lose at this point. Trap or not, she’d die if she went much longer without water.
Sammy struggled to her feet and set off at a slow, shambling pace.
She still didn’t trust the thin figure, so made sure to stop and scan the area every so often with her super senses. Each time she did, the scan came back clear, and so each time she carried on a little further.
Eventually she found the river.
Sammy stopped behind a curtain of creepers just off the riverbank and waited. There was no one around. Certainly no one waiting for her.
The water was black and fast flowing. It would be treacherous to cross, so an attack from the far bank was unlikely. Yet an attack could come from beneath the surface. She recalled the black creature that had gone for Mehrak when he’d fetched water from the lake.
She waited, briefly, but her thirst was getting the better of her. She’d have to chance it. Sammy legged it out onto the riverbank and stopped halfway to the water.
Something disappeared under the surface by the opposite shore. She’d only seen it from the corner of her eye and couldn’t tell exactly what it was, but it hadn’t seemed big. Probably a rodent of some sort. She wasn’t going to risk it, though. If she used her brain – and her powers – she could bring the water to her.
Sammy concentrated on the water molecules on the surface, but couldn’t latch onto them. The flow of the river was too fast. No sooner had she visualised the molecules in her mind’s eye than she’d lost them again.
Sod it. She’d make a run for it. As long as she was quick, she’d be fine. She ran back to the forest edge, kicked over a small mushroom, scrapped out the glowing gills to create a makeshift bowl, and ran to the water’s edge.
Water exploded from the river and a wide, red mouth closed just short of her face. Sammy screamed, losing the mushroom as she scrambled back from the water. She sprinted back to the relative safety of the forest where she chanced a look.
A large, black, salamander-like creature with a yellow belly ungainly dragged itself back into the water.
Sammy waited and watched the water while she caught her breath.
She’d felt bad killing the rabbit. It had been an innocent. But this creature had made the first move. Murder had left a shadow over her heart, a blackened ulcer that was still raw and bothered her when she thought about it, and ordinarily it would’ve been her preference to leave any other living creature be, but she’d die if she didn’t get water soon. She’d make an exception for this oversized and inconsiderate newt.
In moments, she’d hovered up two bracelet clips worth of stones and begun rotating them around her wrists.
She fired several shots into the area of water the newt had returned to.
Nothing.
Playing hardball eh, slimy? Sammy sent one of the stones over to the water’s edge and dipped it in the water. Still nothing. She wiggled it side to side, gently.
The newt salamander thing launched as Sammy accelerated all her remaining stones into it.
The creature was dead before it hit the floor with a wet slop. Its head and chest hung in tatters. One moment it had been in the prime of its life, attacking its prey, the next, oblivion.
Sammy turned away from the disgusting mess. She was sickened at the sight, but not enough that she was going to miss getting a drink.
She grabbed another small mushroom, hollowed out the gills and made sure she walked upriver of the splattered newt. No way was she drinking amphibian slime and blood-flavoured water. She legged it to the river’s edge, scooped up a load of water and ran back to the forest. She sat on a mushroom and drank the icy water, giving herself a head freeze and a stomach cramp in the process.
The magenta clouds dimmed over the period it took for Sammy to make multiple trips to the river. It turned out that Mehrak had been right about the sky. It did get marginally darker at night. She once again wished he was there with her and not wherever else he was.
On a positive note, she’d survived another day. She could cook mushrooms, and even though they were disgusting, she hadn’t poisoned herself yet. She’d also defended herself against Perseopian wildlife twice. And found water. Actually, she hadn’t found water. The tall thin figure had shown her where it was. There was something wrong with that. What had changed since the last time she’d been here and that same creature had chased her across Perseopia? Was it because she’d been partially responsible for Ramaask’s defeat? Maybe she’d released the thin figure from a life of servitude. Or perhaps it’d sensed her powers and was too scared to fight. Unlikely. She didn’t actually believe any of those scenarios and a niggling doubt remained. What did it mean when it had told her there was still so much to achieve? And that she still had to fulfil her destiny?
The shadow over Sammy’s heart was spreading. Three deaths on her conscience so far. A hat trick. Four if you included the crabman she’d killed last time. Perhaps that was why she hadn’t been attacked by that evil creature. It could sense the evil in her. She’d become a kindred spirit, so it let her live to continue spreading death.
Sammy snorted mirthlessly. Now she was being ridiculous.
She needed to make it to a big town or city. There were other more dangerous inhabitants lurking in the Fungi Forest to worry about. With luck, she’d survive another day without having to meet or kill any of them.
–TEN–
OTHER MORE DANGEROUS INHABITANTS LURKING IN THE FUNGI FOREST
The fire was down to embers when Sammy woke. She rolled over and mentally scanned the vicinity. Nothing. One more night survived. Bonus.
She breathed a sigh of relief, dragged herself to her feet, stretched, then slumped. Still a little groggy, but her headache had gone. Life was so much better after food, water and sleep. She could
do with brushing her teeth, but if that was the extent of her problems then she was doing pretty alright. Sammy snapped a twig from a nearby bush and rubbed the torn, fibrous end over her teeth to remove the plaque that had built up overnight.
Dental hygiene taken care of, Sammy sent a stone over to the river and splashed it around to lure out any potential newt monsters. Nothing took the bait, which was something else to be positive about. She carried her scooped-out mushroom to the water, filled it and drank.
When she’d finished, she tossed the mushroom, washed her face and neck, and left her temporary campsite to follow the river. Rivers usually led somewhere, and as she’d almost died of thirst it was probably a good idea to remain close to a water supply.
She was beginning to feel better, physically. Her sleep grogginess was dissipating and even though she hadn’t eaten yet today, yesterday’s mushroom had given her energy levels a much-needed boost. She followed the riverbank all morning encountering nothing more ominous than a pack of naked hedgehogs with Stegosaurus plates on their backs.
At what Sammy guessed was around lunchtime, she stopped to get a fire going for some roast mushroom action. Fire sorted, she went foraging for the least disgusting mushroom she could find. She was rooting around under a dense cascade of creepers when she heard a distant chatter.
She stopped.
Sammy wasn’t entirely sure whether she’d imagined it or not. She hoped she had. The fire was crackling somewhat. Perhaps it was that. Please let it be that. The alternative would be too scary to comprehend. She took a few paces further into the forest, away from the fire. And held her breath.
Silence. But for the insects humming under the canopies. Sammy cleared her head and waited.
A chatter. Louder this time. The chatter that crickets make, but bigger. Her legs wobbled and she leant on a mushroom to support herself. She hadn’t heard that sound in over two years, yet she knew instinctively what it was. Crabmen.
Sammy dropped the mushroom and ran. Her nerves were singing, adrenaline levels surging. She may not have eaten yet, but the sound of approaching crabmen was enough to fuel her legs.