Alliance

by Andrew Stride

  “That’s better,” said Miar. “Oh, my voice is back.”

  The pressure inside the protective shield had normalised the atmosphere around them.

  “What do we do now?” asked Lim.

  “We have to find a way to survive, while we try and uncover more about the Formless Ones.”

  “I don’t see how we’re meant to do that now we don’t have Huey,” said Lim.

  “I know nothing about this RDU you’ve got yourselves mixed up with, but it worries me,” said Miar.

  “He’s the only reason we survived Vulsumar,” said Lim. “Clom shares a special link with him; he’s been implanted with a communication device.”

  “What!” said Miar.

  “As unbelievable as it sounds, this RDU is our direct link with the Harmonic Ones,” said Laja.

  “Do you have any idea where we are?”

  “Not entirely, although I have a feeling it must be outside the Harmonic Ones jurisdiction. Otherwise, why send us when they could have come themselves.”

  “Such places actually exist?” asked Joeum.

  “They are rare, but they do exist.”

  Quite suddenly, Clom started jumping up and down and everyone imagined he was trying to generate some heat, even though it was considerably warmer inside the protective shield.

  No, Clom was jumping with excitement. “It’s Huey. He’s talking to me.”

  “What’s he saying?” asked Lim.

  “He’s here. Oh, hold on a minute. He’s on another island. But he’s not too far away and believes he can reach us. Since I have this implant, he’ll be able to find us, no problem.”

  While they had been standing there, the cloudscape around them had changed and more floating islands had become visible.

  “He’s on that one,” said Clom, pointing to a lump of ice that had just risen above their horizon line. “He’s going to fly across to us. Come on, we should go and meet him.”

  “Clom’s right,” said Laja. “It’s about a quarter of a mile to the edge.”

  Laja was about to lower the protective shield when Joeum remembered that they were still carrying Frank’s hand-me-downs. These extra layers would help with the cold, so it was plaid shirts and baggy trousers all-round.

  Seeing everyone dressed up in Frank’s clothes, brought back some fond memories for Miar.

  It was a bonus they had these warmer clothes, but it was still damn cold when the protective shield was lowered. The only way they would keep the blood circulating was a good marching pace and Laja was happy to oblige and he led them off across the frozen landscape.

  Having emerged from the protective shield, they were back on mute, but this only lasted for a short time, since the island had moved into a layer where sound was possible again. They would continue to experience fluctuations, but it was a strange phenomenon to get used to and it still came as a bit of a surprise to suddenly hear the sound of the wind and their boots on the ice.

  Losing sound on occasion was one thing, but luckily the air continued to remain breathable. The only side-effects so far were comparable to mild altitude sickness.

  It was obvious right from the word go that this place was going to be a test and it began with a bit of a climb. The conditions underfoot were pretty treacherous and a slip now could be fatal, so there was no rushing this. Gaining a bit of height did have its advantages, as they had an uninterrupted view and were able to see the well-defined edge of this gravity-defying iceberg.

  They could also clearly see the island that Huey had been sent to. It was hard to say how far apart the two islands were from each other and Laja guessed about three miles.

  “Let’s hope he makes it,” said Lim.

  “He has to, otherwise we’re doomed,” said Clom.

  While they were making their way to the edge, a storm was developing high above them and it was a worrying thought that this lump of ice could be struck by lightning. Evidence that strikes were possible could be seen across the jumbled landscape of broken and refrozen ice, where deep chasms awaited the unsuspecting. Laja knew well to avoid these areas, turning a straightforward journey to the edge into something of a mission.

  Laja was keeping a close eye on the changing weather conditions and his attention was drawn to the red sun, which was showing a little more of itself through a gap in the clouds. The star was a red dwarf, so that might explain why they weren’t feeling much warmth from it. What wasn’t so easy to explain was its brilliant white halo.

  After a few moments, Laja realised what he was seeing. This was two suns eclipsing one another and the cooler red dwarf was acting like a shield against the heat of a far hotter, white star. These two suns had been in eclipse long enough for islands of ice to form, but things would change dramatically, should they drift apart.

  Laja was familiar with binary systems, but being stranded on a floating ice cube in the high atmosphere of an unknown planet was an all-new experience and he hoped Huey had an answer to their predicament.

  Clom communicated to Huey that they were on their way and within half an hour they had made it to the edge of the island and were busy scanning the sky for any sign of him. There really were quite a lot of lumps of ice out there and while they waited, Laja tried to imagine what the life form within the ice might look like and how it had come to be there.

  Lim suddenly caught sight of something. “What’s that?”

  This focused everyone’s attention. Something metallic glinted in the sunlight and although it was too distant to make out what it was, they had all convinced themselves it was Huey.

  They tracked his progress and during this time they witnessed a few flashes of lightning, but Laja was the only one who was paying any attention to this. It was only when an electrical discharge occurred in the clouds above them that they took their eyes off Huey.

  The electrical disturbance broke up Huey’s transmission and Clom was tapping his chest in the hope this might restore it.

  All eyes focused back on Huey, only to see him get shot out of the sky by a bolt of lightning. There were audible gasps, but they could only watch helplessly as he lost control and disappeared into a thick band of cloud.

  “Holy crap,” remarked Clom.

  “He’s gone,” said Lim, in disbelief.

  “We’re done for,” said Joeum. An uncharacteristic comment for him.

  Clom gripped his chest and couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed. None of them could.

  “What did Huey say before you lost connection?” asked Laja.

  “It was garbled, but it sounded like, get off the island.”

  “How are we supposed to do that?” asked Miar.

  She ended up having to repeat the question, because they lost most of it due to a mute pocket, as Clom had taken to calling them.

  They were all looking at Laja, but before he answered they noticed something, the ice underfoot was turning mushy.

  Laja looked up at the hazy red sun and they followed his gaze. They could all see the second sun, a far brighter, hotter star beginning to emerge and it didn’t take a genius to predict what would happen once it did.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Fading Light

  Standing outside the temple in the glorious sunshine, it was hard to believe this place had been at the centre of so much turmoil. The focus had shifted to the north globe, at least here on Shalasing it had, but Qwamma was still waiting on more news from off-world, specifically Vulsumar, where the Formless Ones grip was the strongest.

  Qwamma returned to the temple and the sound crystal was very active, the most active he had ever seen it and this was hardly surprising. He could see that the situation on the north globe was getting desperate, with David recaptured and the human outposts being taken daily.

  An army of Squalvolvans to flush out the humans was a development he hadn’t expected.

  Thanks to Huey and his link with the Harmonic Ones, there was finally some news from Vulsumar. The Formless Ones were using the Femesummas’ telep
ort technology to hide a dimensional portal, which meant their reign of terror was not confined to this dimension.

  This was disturbing news, but thankfully all was not lost, as Huey had taken control of a telepoint, enabling the group led by Laja to travel this dimensional portal in the hope of learning more.

  What they discovered would help the messenger in this battle to correct an imbalance that threatened them all.

  Robin woke to the sound of the battered door flexing in its frame. Its bent and dented appearance, a stark reminder of their ordeal.

  Another sandstorm had blown in and there was no way to be sure if the Squalvolvan they’d encountered yesterday wasn’t still out there somewhere. The storm and the Squalvolvan were two good reasons to stay put, but that wasn’t going to find David.

  Robin knew from his conversation with Qwamma that the humans were close. If they could find them, he was confident he could talk them into releasing Boroc and then they would stand a better chance of getting David back from the Squalvolvans.

  Despite his eagerness to find these humans, Robin couldn’t help but notice that they weren’t in the best of shape. Shou looked as battered as the door, Sie was still complaining of headaches and memory loss and they were nearly out of water.

  They chatted quietly about their options and then Robin mentioned Boroc and the conversation went downhill very quickly.

  “You are joking, Robin!” said Shou.

  “I’m being serious, Shou. Boroc is here and regardless of what he is guilty of, he might be our only hope.”

  “We’ve got this far without his help and I thought we agreed that he was dead.”

  “Qwamma confirmed to me that he’s alive, but has been captured by the humans.”

  Shou laughed. “He’s as good as dead then.”

  “No. They will see his worth and release him.”

  “I’d rather take my chances in the desert.”

  “It’s not about you, Shou. I need your word that you will stop generating hate towards Boroc. The only person it is damaging is you.”

  “You want me to stop or what?! You’re going to leave me out here?”

  “Of course not, but when we come across an outpost, I’ll give you the choice.”

  “You’d choose Boroc over me?”

  “Listen to yourself. Without Boroc, Sie wouldn’t be sitting here with us. That last encounter with the Squalvolvans could have been our last; we’re no match for them. One or two, maybe, but remember the numbers we saw back in the cavern. We need Boroc if we’re going to survive this and he will improve our chances of helping David reach the Hidden Ones.”

  “I get it. I just wish there was another way.”

  “We’ve got to find him first,” said Mica.

  Robin pushed the door ajar and seeing that the weather had improved marginally, he suggested they step outside.

  “He could be anywhere,” said Shou.

  “Let’s take a look through those things.” Robin pointed to the scope slung over Shou’s shoulder.

  “You’re not going to see much through these in this sort of weather,” said Shou, flicking on the power button before handing them to Robin.

  Once in his hands, Robin held them up to his eyes and turned on the satellite facility, which activated the map and there it was, the glowing green dot he’d been expecting and they were practically on top of it.

  Robin came clean on his discovery, explaining what the glowing green dot represented and he immediately felt bad for having held this truth from them.

  Shou held his temper and was more concerned about the idea of going back underground. Robin had no intention of going back into the mine and suggested they look around the other structures and if this didn’t turn up anything, then he would go and explore in his spirit form.

  Shou’s face hurt like hell and it was doing nothing for his disposition. Boroc was partly to blame for his foul mood, but it was also this place and the idea of having to endure another day of being sandblasted. Sie put her arm around his shoulder and gave him a squeeze. He had nothing to complain about, but plenty to be thankful for.

  They moved off, away from the building that had given them shelter and protection and since visibility was still bad, they were relying on Robin to guide them. Locating Boroc should be pretty straight forward; it was getting everyone to cooperate that was going to be the biggest hurdle.

  They hadn’t gone far when Sie thought she saw something moving at speed. This focused everyone’s attention, but they couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary and the weather certainly wasn’t helping.

  Robin was noticeably worried and now having second thoughts, they began retracing their steps back to the building.

  Sie was still doubting what she’d seen, blaming her current state of health having an effect on her vision and then they all saw it. An animal of some kind and its rapid changes of direction might have suggested that it was being pursued. Either that or it was just plain crazy. Whatever the case, it had seen them and was coming in fast.

  Jimbo in hand, Mica was poised, but at the last minute, the beast changed direction and tore around them like it was possessed. They could hear its panting breath and snapping jaws over the wind. It was a Squalvolvan, the likes of which they had not seen before, because it ran on all fours, like a hound.

  In the confusion, no one noticed a group of Squalvolvans emerge from out of the desert and they were quickly surrounded. Even Mica couldn’t get them out of this one and it was pretty obvious that no one was going to be hurt unless they put up a fight, so Mica dropped her weapon. Perhaps the outcome would have been different had their leader not been with them, a tall Squalvolvan with a distinctive scar. All of the Squalvolvans appeared to be waiting on his signal, all except the crazy one, which was still circling them, baring its teeth.

  They were coerced into moving and it was soon apparent that they were heading back into the mine.

  Robin knew they could learn something from this encounter as long as they survived it and that was only going to happen if they didn’t show any resistance. This was easier said than done, since the crazy looking Squalvolvan hadn’t stopped with its threatening behaviour and kept lunging at them and snapping its jaws.

  Robin could feel the tension in the group as a result and it was turning Sie into a nervous wreck. Shou had come close to kicking it, but he’d landed them in enough trouble the last time he intervened.

  Thanks to Robin’s support, they were getting through it and in the end, the beast ran off, probably on the lookout for something easier to intimidate.

  They made it back to the intersection and none of them had banked on coming back here in a hurry.

  Robin must have been distracted by something and felt a shove from behind, for him to get a move on. He could feel Mica eyeing up the Jimbo stick, which was still looped onto the side of his backpack. Speaking directly into her mind, he told her not to even think about it because these things were just looking for an excuse.

  It was dark and disorientating, but they hadn’t bothered lighting a crystal, as the Squalvolvans knew where they were going and continued guiding them with frequent physical prompts.

  They had been walking now for almost two hours and up ahead they saw a flickering glow and Robin had an inkling that it was one of those fire portals.

  Quite suddenly, the energy around them changed, which confirmed his suspicions and the Squalvolvans seemed switched on by this.

  The crazy looking beast that had been badgering them, could contain itself no longer and ran excitedly towards the flickering light, as if it was coming home after a long time away.

  As they got nearer they could see the flames of a large fire and the silhouette of a man. At first, they guessed this might be a captured human from the outpost, but no, this individual stood with purpose and at his feet was the crazed Squalvolvan. A clear devotee.

  “Damn it,” said Shou. “It’s Shemo and there was me thinking I couldn’t hate anyone more than Boroc.”<
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  They walked steadily towards the figure and the huge fire that raged behind him made it look like he’d stepped straight out of hell. They could also see a line of mine cars and Robin guessed this was going to be their ride.

  “We meet again,” said Shemo, with a chuckle.

  “Shemo,” said Sie. “You bastard,” her memory was still sketchy, but somehow she’d remembered him.

  “Nice to see you too. I’m impressed. Never would have expected you to make it this far.”

  “So what now, Shemo? What promises have the Formless Ones made you this time?” asked Shou.

  “We have reached an understanding and unlike you, I have accepted what I am.”

  “We are just cattle to them, can’t you see that?”

  Shemo ignored Sie’s question and continued. “Despite being double-crossed by the Shamozolts, here I am. I’d introduce my army, but I know you’ve already met. In a couple of days, there won’t be a single human on the north globe and then we’ll focus our effort on the islands. Won’t that be fun?”

  “You’re sick,” said Sie.

  “Where are you taking us?” asked Robin.

  “Haven’t you figured that out yet, Ammarla?”

  “You sold us out for a second time,” said Shou.

  “Our agenda hasn’t changed; we just needed to step up. After all, the Shamozolts had made such a mess of things and as you can see, we now have a more compliant ally.”

  “These things are nothing more than animals,” said Sie.

  “They have feelings, Sie,” said Shemo with a smile and he ran his fingers through the fur of the beast at his feet.

  The tunnel was crammed with Squalvolvans, itching for a chance to tear them apart, so they had little choice but to go quietly. They were escorted to where the battered mine cars waited and there they got their first glimpse of the humans of the north. It was clear they hadn’t come quietly, by their physical appearance. Like casualties limping home from a war zone, only these poor souls weren’t heading home, they had a date with a fate worse than death.