“Really? Then how do you light it?”
“You grab the handle and say ‘No More Darkness’, and it will light. Try it.”
I took the lamp by the handle and held it high in the air.
“No More Darkness.”
Instantly the room was filled with a clear bright light. There was no colour to it.
“The light is clear.”
“Yes, it would be hard to find your way with coloured light.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t worry; the lamp is sensitive. I’m sure you will see the coloured light eventually.” She smiled at me.
“Sensitive lamps?” I shook my head. “Crazy. How do you turn it off?”
“’Darkness Required’”
“Darkness Required.” The lamp went out. “Thank you, Noiryn.”
My bag was getting full. I went through it and tossed out the old food and made room for the lamp. Since I was going to a jungle, I packed the fur coat in there too. The bag was heavy, but across my body, the weight would be fine. I slung the bag over my shoulder and made sure the handle of the bat was in a good grabbing position. When I was satisfied, I turned to Noiryn.
“So. How do we get out of here?” She smiled.
“Follow me.”
She turned and headed towards the wall of the cave she’d entered through the night before. As she walked, an opening emerged in the rock. I followed her through into a narrow passageway. The passage was cool and damp, and the rock on either side was worn smooth, Noiryn must have lived here a long time. At first, it was dark but soon small lights set into the rock started to glow. The light refracted off the minerals in the rock, creating an elegant shimmer. It was soft but adequate. Watching Noiryn’s delicate frame move and flex as we went I became aware of a small flow of energy swirling around my heart. I was becoming less uneasy about these flares, and it became a pleasant constant as we moved.
The passage climbed steadily higher as we walked and soon the unmistakable glare of sunlight could be seen at the end of the tunnel. Noiryn stepped out into the light, and I followed. For a moment I was blinded by the brightness, but quickly my vision returned. The view took my breath away.
We were standing on a small ledge on the side of a high cliff. The ocean waved and surged below us, birds flew in the open sky, and the sun was warm on my skin.
“Noiryn, it’s beautiful.”
“Perhaps you’ll get to see it again.” She smiled at me and held out her hand.
“Awesome.”
I took her hand and fainted.
15
I came to my senses on my feet. The sudden consciousness was disorientating, and I swayed but remained standing. The sound of rushing water filled my ears, and the air was hot and close. Thick, leafy trees stretched overhead. I could smell the jungle: green, growing, living, all around me.
“Are you alright?” Noiryn called, raising her voice.
“Yeah,” I shouted. “Where’s that noise coming from?”
She smiled and pointed to something behind me. I turned around and discovered we were at the base of a waterfall. A big waterfall. It rose from the canopy to be absorbed by another at its peak. Vines stretched across it at varying heights, crisscrossing the blue-white of the water with a vivid green. It felt so alive and vibrant.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Noiryn came to stand beside me. We stood in silence for a few moments. “Well, you’d better get going.” She pointed to a clump of vegetation downstream of the waterfall. “The forest elephants have made a wide path just through those trees. Follow the path to the right and continue along it.” She stopped talking.
“Until what?”
“Until Benyst finds you.”
That didn’t sound good.
“How long will that be?”
“I don’t know.”
That really didn’t sound good.
“What if someone sees me?”
“Don’t worry, there is no one here to see you.”
A howl broke through the trees.
“Okay.” I shuddered. “What about that?” Her words quickened.
“Just keep walking, and Benyst will come along. He will feel your presence.” Noiryn looked uneasy. Another howl. “I don’t think the animals will see you. You have a wing with you. That should give you some protection.”
“‘Should’ is not comforting.” Then, remembering my last journey, I added. “What about other Travellers. Last time there were those Riders.” She put a hand on my shoulder. I was too scared to feel any power surges.
“Don’t worry, nobody likes Benyst. Sid is the only one who can deal with him. Benyst will not have told anyone of your coming.”
Apparently, she thought that was the end of the discussion. She wrapped her arms around me, one across my shoulders and the other around my waist. Holding her face inches from mine, she breathed her words across my cheek.
“I will see you again.” Although it felt like she was speaking more to herself than me, I wanted to reassure her. I turned my head towards her. Before I could speak, she pressed her lips to mine and then disappeared. I stood there stunned as a cry soared through the air.
“Phoenix!”
I spun round to see Noiryn standing at the top of the falls. She waved gracefully at me and then drew her arms above her head. She leapt from the rocks in a beautiful dive, the sun shimmering on her scales. Just when I thought she would crash into the rocks, she disappeared.
As I stood there contemplating her departure, a rustle on the opposite bank caught my attention. Emerging from the underbrush was a group of chimpanzees. I had only seen chimps in zoos, to see them like this was amazing. I was struck by how much happier their faces looked. As I watched, another howl ripped through the jungle. Two more followed on its heels; each seemed closer than the last. The chimps on the bank all froze. There was a moment of eerie silence then a chorus of howls bellowed through the air, triumphing over the sounds of the falls. The chimps on the bank began to scramble amongst themselves in fear and confusion. Then the pounding started, like many hands beating on the trees. It was quickly getting closer. I made for the path. A scream broke into the clearing. Fear moving me, I turned around to see the source of the sound.
Another group of chimps were rampaging across the clearing. Swinging on the vines, they moved back and forth across the water, screaming all the while. The other chimps had regrouped and made for the safety of trees, the new group on their heels. I kept moving towards the path. In my haste, I tripped and landed sprawled out on my stomach. As I lay there panting a large mass hit the ground a few feet from me. Trusting that they couldn’t see me, I got to my knees, slowly. To my right, a large chimp sat on his haunches, a clump of wet fur in his hand. The battle raged on, the howling heartbreaking. The chimp beside me began to scent the air, sniffing as he moved forward. I got to my feet as smoothly as I could. He started to go past me, towards the bank, so I made my move. I ran full out. I don’t know whether it was the sound of my steps or that he could see me, but the moment I ran the chimp screamed. His cry brought two more. I really didn’t want to hurt a chimp, but I did want to get out of the jungle in one piece, so I drew the bat.
I had just reached the underbrush when a chimp dropped from the canopy in front of me. I swung the bat at the trunk of his body, hoping it would cause the least damage. I used the force of the swing, and a quick side step, to move me around the chimp and throw him into the one at my back. Luck was with me, and the move worked. Refusing to look back, I pounded through the underbrush. I could see the path in front of me and hear the chimps gathering behind. I had no idea what I would do when I reached the open space. How do you outrun a chimp? You definitely can’t climb a tree. Short of digging a hole, I was screwed. With a fresh howl came tiny hands grabbing at my legs as I, screaming as well, threw myself onto the path.
I hit the ground screaming and shielded my head. It took a few moments for me to realise I was no longer being attacked. Not only was I not being attacked,
but the path was also silent. Absolutely silent. So I stopped screaming.
I sat up and looked left and right down the path. It was empty and quiet. It felt like a wall of energy, much like the one in Noiryn’s cave, contained it on both sides. “Interesting,” I said to no one in particular. I got to my feet, brushed myself off, took a couple big swigs of water, shook off the chimp fight, marvelled at how strange my life had become and headed down the path.
The path was pale and sandy and housed the odd elephant footprint. It was completely clear of leaves and debris much like the wooded path I’d taken with Sid and Yeren. I mulled over why all these paths had to be so creepy while I walked. And walked. And walked. And walked. The path seemed to go on forever. Time doesn’t matter to Travellers and I didn’t have a watch but it I felt like I’d been walking for hours. Sweat was streaming down my back, and my face glistened in the moist heat of the jungle. My hair clung to me in damp locks, and it was at this point I realised, to my horror, I hadn’t packed a hair tie. Just when I thought it couldn’t get worse, I came to a fork in the road.
Literally. Two paths stretched before me. One angled sharply to the right and became dark and misty. The other passage sloped gently to the left and was bright and sunny. It was fooling nobody, they both looked pretty sinister.
Taking off my bag, I sat down at the mouth of the fork and pulled out a snack. I munched slowly on an apple Noiryn had given me and some mixed nuts I’d brought from home. Home. Looking at this rock and a hard place my desire for the simplicity of my bed was overwhelming.
“At least when this is over I can Travel right back to my bed.” If it’s ever over, I finished silently.
I didn’t know what to do next. Noiryn had said to head right down the path, but I don’t think she knew about the two paths in front of me. She would have mentioned it. I could keep heading to the right, but that path had a whole horror film thing going on. I could not in good conscience walk down a dark path by myself in the middle of the jungle. The other one didn’t look any better. Although it was bright and clear something about it didn’t seem right. I was feeling pretty desperate when something fell out of my bag.
I don’t know how it did it because it was at the bottom of my tote, which wasn’t exactly open, but there beside me was the sac with the wing. It lay there on the ground, a tight ball of burlap. It didn’t move again once I saw it but I could feel it. It pulsated. Waves of energy from the wing were hitting me, calling me.
“Okay…” I said out loud, needing to break the tension. “You can come out.”
Forcing a laugh at my own dismal joke, I picked up the bag. I felt calmer the moment my hands touched the rough cotton. I gently shook the bag open and then carefully eased the wing onto the jungle floor in front of me. Its beauty hit me again. It was unreal to think that something this gorgeous used to be attached to my back, that at one time I had two and, once upon a time, I could fly. “You are so beautiful,” I whispered to it, running my hands down the length of the wing, just inches above its surface. It felt so alive. “So you have something else to tell me.” I glanced up the path to confirm I was alone. “Alright. Let’s hear it.” I placed my hands on the wing.
Suddenly there was pain all over me. And noise, so much noise. Yelling, laughing, breathing, and words, words I couldn’t make out. Hands and many things that resembled them grabbed at me. I fought and kicked; twisting in their grip but there was too many. They had me. Searing pain drew my attention to my right wrist. I looked down to see Ganaraj sinking in his cruel teeth. He pulled back to show me his blood covered mouth. My blood. The wound healed as quickly as it was made so that with every bite he tore fresh skin. I tried desperately to hold him back with my free hand, but my attackers caught it and pulled it away. Soon he had had enough of my flesh and fell back laughing, drunk on my power. Another Minion tried to lick his face, and he shoved them roughly to the ground. A woman’s voice shouted above the din. I looked to see Cosima standing back from the crowd, satisfaction painted on her face. I made out one word.
“Wings!”
The word scared me; it could mean only one thing. They dragged me down, belly first, to the ground. Many bodies pinning my legs and arms. Fur, scales and skin intermingling. I could barely breathe under their weight. I flapped my wings fiercely to try to stop them from finding purchase. They jumped into the air to grab them, cracking the delicate bones. More pain. They caught hold of the right wing, and together they pulled. I could feel my shoulder begging to leave its socket. The pain brought bile to my mouth. More hands. More effort. It pulled me off the ground. Pain stealing my sound, my back bowed as I felt the tendons snap, the flesh pull, blood spurt and my precious wing was taken from me.
A shower of feathers fell to the ground as a cry went up through the crowd. Wet tongues licked my back, the wound oozing. I could hear the voices of Cosima and Ganaraj but could not make out their words. Weak with pain, I did not fight the crowd when they pulled me to my feet. They threw me against a tree. The branches quaked as my body struck it. I feverishly flapped my remaining wing as I pushed away from the trunk. The action of my wing made my attackers retreat slightly. Agony blazed through me as my single wing raised me just high enough to grab a lower branch. With my hands wrapped around it, I stilled my wing, and the weight of my body tore the branch free.
I fell clumsily to the ground but in a moment was on my feet swinging the branch. I managed to hold the mob at bay for a moment, seriously injuring a few of their number. Finally, Ganaraj’s voice sounded above the din, and as a unit, they rushed me. I swung the branch one last time and watched its splintered end lodge in the flesh of the mob.
They grabbed my limbs and attempted to hold me still as I thrashed. Ganaraj appeared before me, my blood drying on his chin. The sight of his bloody rage stilled me. “It must hurt so terribly to live in such a place. To hate so much,” I thought as forgiveness filled my face. The crowd continued their chaos, but Ganaraj felt my pity. Fear flitted across his face. He saw me register it and was consumed by a new rage. He shouted to the crowd.
“Finish her!”
I knew then that there was no hope. I had to flee if I hoped to survive. Even if they didn’t kill me, I would be a slave, little more than carrion. But without my wings, I could never return to The Void. I would never see my home again. This last Travel would be just that. My last. Wherever I landed, I would be reborn with no memory of this place. My choice was obvious. I would not become their slave. As they began the tug of war with my body, I prepared to Travel. I could not choose a place without my wings. I would have just enough energy to break my Binding and leave.
I felt the wing rip from me and screamed. It was blood curdling and long, a scream filled with pain and grief they would never comprehend. Everyone froze. As they did their hands loosened. In the silence, a sound drew my gaze over my shoulder. I saw The Archer grappling with Siddhartha for my right wing. Not even my scream had stopped their combat. With that final image, I willed myself to Travel.
For the first time, it felt like fainting.
My hands sprang back from the wing. I was back in the closeness of the jungle. A memory of pain ripped through me, arching my back and wrenching a cry from my mouth. I began to sob. Once I started, it was like a seal had been broken. I sat in the middle of the path and cried. I looked down at my wrist, surprised to find it whole, Ganaraj’s teeth no longer imprinted there. My shoulders ached with need. My wings. Those beautiful objects that were a part of me of which I had no memory. I wept for those horrible creatures living with such rage that they had sought to destroy me. It hurt so much to be the recipient of all that hatred. Through the mist of my tears, my jungle path seemed more impossible than ever.
“Why am I stuck here?!” I screamed to the sky.
Despair took me, and I fell to my side, sprawled across the path. I lay there, head heavy on my arm, my chest convulsing around my sobs, with the wing in front of me. As I gazed across the wing into the bit of jungle between the two p
aths, tiny globules of colour started to float up from the wing. At first, it was just a few small drops of blue, green, purple and pink, then more and more flew off. I sat up and stared at the clump of them hovering above the wing. They began to fly around my head and torso, wrapping me in colour like a swarm of Technicolor aphids. They gathered above my head then flew forward into the jungle. As they glided and swelled the trees began to move. At first, it was a slight swaying, but soon they appeared to be straining away from what was rapidly becoming a path.
As quickly as I could, I shimmied the wing back into the sac and got it back in my bag. Slinging my tote over my shoulder, I approached the growing opening. The trees had now bent back on either side to create an oval. I could see a path just through the trees. The coloured lights flew through the air and gathered behind me. They gently pulsed at my back, ushering me through. Once I was on the other side, the trees began to close. The lights danced around me.
“Thank you. Thank you so much!” I turned on the spot trying to speak to all of them, tears drying on my face. They gave me a short pulse of light in response and then faded away.
“Wow. That was so cool.”
And it was. After what the wing had shown me I needed something to pick me up, and the light show had definitely done the trick. Now that they were gone it was nearly pitch black on the path. I rummaged in my bag and pulled out the lamp Noiryn gave me.
“No More Darkness.” And the lamp lit up.
It provided a clean white light that easily showed the way. The path was narrow and bounded by trees bent as they had at the opening. I held the lamp high and set off, down the path.
It was time to see Benyst.
16
It was a relatively short walk down the path. Soon I was looking at a thatched hut in the middle of a vast clearing. The roof was made from large palm leaves, and smoke was rising from a small chimney. The walls were composed of twigs intertwined with vines and packed with mud to keep them in place. There was no natural light in the clearing. The canopy was completely solid overhead. Flaming torches were placed at wide intervals around the perimeter of the clearing, giving the place an eerie, flickering glow. The hut had a man-sized opening at the front that was covered with a dark blanket, and there was windows either side covered in the same.
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