The Toby the Trilby Trilogy Boxed Set

by Angela Castillo

  Every eye was fixed on Leader. Toby could have crept into the group and warmed his hands at the fire without being noticed.

  Garlo shuffled his feet in the dirt. “Leader, we followed the tracks up to the rocks, but then lost the trail. We don't have trackers, the other beasts lost the scent. The aliens just disappeared. I think the mother ship called them back.”

  “Mother ship? Who said anything about a mother ship?” Leader’s eyes were hidden by shaded glasses that the flames. “What you're really saying is Tempsy couldn't follow the trail. Isn’t that right, Tempsy?”

  The girl pushed her hood back, and her short, cropped curls quivered. “Y—yes, Leader, I lost the tracks. But one of the aliens couldn’t walk right. He might have been injured. They can't have gone far, and in the morning light we might…”

  “Might? Might’s not good enough for me.” Leader grabbed Tempsy’s gray hood and yanked her to her feet. “You will find them tomorrow, or die.”

  Toby melted back in the shadows. Time had run out. Hurry up, Zareena.

  An explosion of lights blasted over the trees. One flare, then another, and another. Bright spurts left smoky shapes behind them. The group stood as one to look for the source of the lights.

  “More ships are landing!” shouted Leader. “Hurry!”

  Toby shimmied up a tree while the crowd of people stampeded beneath him.

  He sniffed the air. No humans. Would they all leave, without posting a guard?

  The wind shifted when he jumped. Later, when he thought back to this night, he would wonder how he missed the scent, the slight clinking of chains...

  A growl, a sharp bark, then a searing pain tore through his leg. His gloves were off in an instant. A loud yelp sounded as his claws raked across fur and into skin.

  Another beast joined its companion, black and hulking in the night.

  Toby had never encountered dogs before. The animal’s heads were level with his own, black slobbering faces with tan markings. He backed up to the spaceship. Blood trickled down his leg and into his shoe.

  Deep growls rumbled from the furry throats as the beasts edged closer. Even with thick chains running through their collars and wrapped around a tree, they had plenty of room to reach him. Toby had such little time, perhaps only moments before the Moddies would realize the trick and return.

  The biggest dog’s snout, now bloody, wrinkled back in a snarl.

  Toby held up his claws. “You want another taste?”

  Both creatures lunged at once. Toby whirled, fighting and tearing wherever he could reach. A huge paw pinned him to the ground, a stench of rotten meat flowed from the gaping jaws.

  The other dog had Toby’s ear in its teeth. Toby screamed when his skin tore. He reached up and slashed at the creature’s eyes.

  The animal howled and rolled away, pawing at the scratches.

  Toby kicked out with all his strength, and the beast over him reeled back. Toby’s head throbbed as he pulled the orator from inside his shirt and staggered to the ship.

  There, the slot! The door fell open. He threw himself inside. “Close!” he shouted to the door. The large panel slammed on the growling beasts. They scratched and whined outside.

  Again he was in the small room, surrounded by lighted panels and strange shapes. The quiet hum of the ship seemed surreal after the last few moments.

  Where was that hidden door? Oh, beside the chair. He moved through the shimmering wall, one hand pressed to his bleeding ear. Then past the bunks and into the third room, the one damaged in the wreck.

  Twisted pieces of metal jabbed out towards him, and severed cords snaked down from the ceiling.

  A section of wall had caved in and blocked most of the room. Thick mesh from the ship’s hull had fallen over everything in an impossible tangle.

  Toby began to pick his way through the mesh. It ripped easily beneath his claws, and he soon reached the fallen wall. Hurry.

  A bright yellow corner peeked from under the wall. The roamer! Toby cleared away small pieces of rubble. The part he could see didn’t appear to be damaged. He just had to get inside somehow...

  A normal fourteen-year-old boy would never have been able to squeeze through the space between the wall and the craft’s hull, but Toby just fit. The roamer appeared to be cube-shaped, with perfectly flat sides. Where was the opening?

  WHAM! Something pounded on the outer wall of the ship.

  That wasn't a dog. Hurry..

  He smacked the wall with his palm. “Open.”

  One side of the cube slid up, and he jumped through the opening.

  The inside of the roamer was tiny, with only enough room for four people at the most. Toby hopped into the pilot's seat.

  Meaningless patterns and designs lazily floated before him on a flat screen above the chair. Toby hesitated. The only moving device he had operated was the service elevator, any vehicles the grambles used in the cavern had stopped working before he was even born. So much depended on this moment!

  The roamer shuddered and began to tip. Toby guessed the whole ship surrounding it must be tipping as well. How could the Moddies have the manpower to move the ship?

  Toby reached for his safety harness and shook his head. Buckled in, he would be too short to reach the panel. He stood on the chair and stretched up to press his palm against a glowing symbol.

  THUD! The back wall rushed to meet him as he tumbled from his chair. Toby’s vision blurred and his ear began to bleed again. He pushed himself up and hung onto the back of the chair as the ship rocked back into place. I have one more chance. I can do this.

  Scrambling back to the chair, he dug his claws into the sides. Lights glowed and new symbols flashed across the screen. A violet light, a melodic tone... the vehicle powered up.

  “Green cover,” he scanned the machinery surrounding him. “Look for the... oh, there it is.”

  He yanked the top off the arm of the chair. A thick liquid, similar to the orator, oozed inside a hollow container..

  “Our people connect by hands and touch,” Zareena said. “Our ships operate the

  same way.”

  A light mist curled from the hollow. The cool, dry air surrounded his hand, reminding him of the gramble’s cavern. He dipped his arm inside, wrist-deep. He clenched his hand, then released his fingers slowly until they stretched out, palm up.

  The roamer trembled again, this time from deep inside.

  Patterns settled over Toby’s shoulders, rings of gold and blue. The designs floating on the screen wavered and were replaced by the angry face of... Dread?

  “Burn the ship!” A torch in Dread's hand lit up his face. Teens beside him used long sticks for levers to rock the craft.

  Didn’t Dread understand he was outnumbered? Who knew what kind of advanced weapons the Moddies had amassed? “Get away!” Toby shouted, but Dread’s expression didn’t change.

  I am speaking to a flat screen. They can’t hear me. I can’t help them.

  Three people approached now with flaming sticks, and the rest of the group dropped their levers to gather more fire. This situation was about to get very bad, especially if those kids found some sort of fuel source.

  Toby clenched his fist again, and then created the shape of an ‘o’ with his thumb and forefinger. Surprise replaced the anger on Dread’s face as the ship disappeared under his hands.

  The roamer must have re-powered the whole ship's cloaking device.

  “Where—where’d it go?” He heard Dread's shout of disbelief as the blond boy stepped back. The other teens threw their torches down and stared.

  “Find it!” Marabella stepped into the screen. Her eyes were wide and desperate. Someone moved behind her.

  “What did you do to my spaceship?” Leader grabbed her arm and yanked her back to face him.

  Flames spurted from the brush where torches dropped. Parts of the ship could be seen when flames lapped at the sides.

  Could the ship burn? Toby didn’t want to find out. He tapped the side of
the control box in a gentle rhythm.

  The vehicle pushed through the wall of the spaceship and into the crowd of people. Just like Zareena said, it made no impression, and no one saw it. Toby turned his head, the screen followed his movement. People still patted the air like angry mimes. Marabella had crumpled to the ground. Dread and Leader glared at each other from either side of the campfire.

  Nothing he could do now. Toby sighed and tapped the edge of the container faster. The ship sped through the trees, melting through them like butter.

  “Anti-matter,” the professor had explained. “When the shield is in place, nothing can stop you, and you won’t harm anything.”

  Toby sped through the trees, colors and shapes blurring into one solid ribbon. Toby's brain could hardly comprehend the impossibility and he fought the urge to shield his face. He rode the wind for only a moment, until the roamer reached the cave.

  He pressed his open palm to the bottom of the box and the craft settled to the ground. His legs shook as he climbed out.

  Zareena ran to him, hands clasped before her. “Stars be praised! You made it!”

  “The stars had nothing to do with it,” Toby rubbed his ear. “Father God kept me safe. Is the professor ready for transport?”

  The woman’s eyes narrowed. “You are hurt.”

  Toby glanced down at his leg. “I’ll get fixed up when we get home. Right now, we need to move. They're trying to burn the ship and it might explode.”

  They rushed to load supplies and help the professor into the craft.

  Toby pressed against the wall so Zareena could enter. To his surprise, she chose a passenger seat.

  “I don’t know where we are going.” She waved him back to the pilot’s chair. “We trust you, Toby. You’ve made it this far.”

  Toby settled in and guided the craft back into the air. The grambles would have fun with all this new technology to examine. Hundreds of mealtime discussions would be sparked by the piloting method alone.

  “The roamer cube’s fuel source is regenerated by starlight.” Zareena pointed to a crescent light beside the screen. “It will run for days after one starry night.”

  Finally, a safe way to search for supplies! Joy filled Toby and he flew the craft faster, through thick trees and even rocky outcroppings. Then Dread and Leader’s angry faces rose up in his mind. So much hate. Who would survive the coming war?

  9

  A MATTER OF TIME

  Gramble Lenora stared up at the rough wooden underside ofToby’s star observatory. She missed him more than she would admit.

  She reached down into her basket and pulled out another handful of beans. This year’s crop had been exceptional, probably because these plants grew in the fresh air instead of the cavern’s greenhouses. Though food could be processed through the replicators, fresh tasted better.

  A slight hum broke through the afternoon's silence. What could it be? She stood and brushed leaves and sticks from her billowing skirts.

  A solid cube shimmered out of the air and snapped her clothesline in two. Clothes fell to the ground in multi-colored piles as the craft settled on the lawn.

  “Glory be!” she exclaimed, not knowing whether to call for help or investigate.

  The side of the cube slid open. A small figure stepped out, blinking in the light.

  “Toby!” She ran toward him. “You’re home at last!”

  Toby peered up at her. “Yes, I am.”

  “What happened to your head? Poor baby! You need to get inside!”

  “Oh, I forgot about that.” He touched his ear gingerly. “I ran into a couple of dogs.”

  “Dogs? Where did you find dogs? And what in the world is that thing?” She pointed to the cube.

  “I’ll tell you in a moment.” Toby turned back to the strange craft. “Will you come out, Zareena?”

  A tall woman in strange clothes swept out of the cube and into the thick grass. She reached down and picked up a pair of Gramble Lenora’s polka-dotted bloomers. “What are these?”

  “Those are mine.” Gramble Lenora snatched them out of the woman's thin fingers. “Who are you?”

  “This is Zareena, from the stars.” Toby flung out his arms. “Her father, Professor Azereen, is still in the ship. I’m too tired to tell everything more than once, so we need to hold a family council.”

  ###

  Gramble Horace straightened his bowtie. “Toby, you are saying one man, this person from outer space, was responsible for the death of almost everyone on the planet? It just seems impossible by every right.” His face reddened another shade with every sentence.

  Toby turned to Gramble Lenora. “Tell them about the roamer.”

  “It’s fancier than anything we’ve ever seen.” Lenora tapped her polished nails on the tabletop. “And full of blinking lights and sophisticated doo-dads. I saw the inside for myself. I can’t think of any other explanation, unless they developed this technology in some other country on Earth and then flew here.”

  “Very possible.” Gramble Gregory pushed back his thin tufts of cotton hair. “But why, after this long, would someone come forth to take responsibility for such a horrific crime? Surely they would be afraid of those who were left, the ones of us who still remembered and might want revenge!"

  Revenge! Toby’s head snapped up and sharp pangs of worry crept into his heart.

  Maybe he shouldn't have brought the Professor and his daughter here. He never thought to be afraid for their safety among his gentle grambles. Though the massive loss of life was a sad part of history, it happened long before his creation and involved souls he never came into contact with, and therefore could not mourn the same way the grambles did.

  Tears coursed down Gramble Colleen’s wrinkled cheeks. The oldest of the group, she was generally the most composed. She closed her eyes. “All those people... the children...”

  “The professor came here to help.” Toby stood up in his chair. “He wanted to make amends and say he was sorry...”

  “Sometimes sorry isn’t good enough.” Gramble Edward’s normally kind face was clouded, his eyes severe.

  Mia looked up from her paper, where she had been doodling little flowers with her pen like she always did during family meetings. “Doesn’t Father want us to forgive? Isn’t that what we have studied and learned for the last two years?”

  “Honey, this is an awfully big thing to forgive.” Gramble Lenora dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.

  Toby snuck a look at Gramble Shana, who hadn’t said a word since the beginning of the discussion. Most of the time, she would be the first to jump to his side of the argument. Now she stared at the papers scattered across the table. Her cheek twitched.

  Mia stood up and beckoned to Toby. “Let’s check on our guests.” She dropped a paper in front of Gramble Shana before she left.

  Gramble Shana stared at it in silence.

  As he followed Mia out, Toby craned his neck. Mia had given Gramble Shana a drawing of a skeleton key.

  Wonder what that’s all about?

  Toby stepped with Mia into the hallway and closed the heavy door behind them. “I can’t believe it! Can it be that hard to forgive an accident? Something that happened over forty years ago?” Toby kicked the wall. “Professor Azareen left his entire world and everyone he knew to come say he was sorry!”

  The huge bandage Mia had insisted on wrapping around his ear made Toby’s head hot. His leg throbbed and his arm still stung from where Gramble Edward had given him a shot to protect from any diseases in the dog's saliva.

  Mia gave him a quick hug. “Calm down, Little Brother. We are all learning here, and remember, some of the grambles have not chosen to follow God. They still lean on their own understanding. Without His grace, they will have a hard time letting go.”

  “I know.” Toby’s tail drooped.

  “Even with Father’s help, it’s hard. I didn’t even realize how much I hated and feared Madrid until I saw her out in the forest. But God used me anyway, and I forgave her
at the same time. We need to give them awhile, Toby. The grambles are in shock about this. The world was lost because of the professor.”

  “Do you think... sometimes we can’t forgive on our own?” Every time Dread’s sneer crept into Toby’s thoughts, anger gripped his heart.

  “With Father, all things are possible,” said Mia. “We must place this matter in His hands.”

  Toby drug his feet behind her. Father, how can I make them see?

  The answer came quickly into his heart. "Toby, you cannot change their hearts. Leave that to me. You are needed at a different battle now."

  Somehow, he would have to find out what happened to Dread and his gang and try to help them.

  Toby and Mia reached the outer living quarters where a room had been prepared for Zareena and Azareen. Violet, shimmering blankets already covered the beds and containers of ladish were opened on the table.

  “I came to look at your eyes.” Mia set a medical bag on the table. “Mind if I peel back the bandages?”

  “Most of the pain is gone.” The professor turned toward her. “Perhaps they are healing.”

  Mia pulled off the strips of cloth to reveal the professor’s clear amber eyes. “These burns are light.” She patted the swollen skin. “You were fortunate not to lose your sight, Sir.”

  “It’s more than I deserve.” Azareen looked around the room, taking in the new surroundings. “But I am grateful.”

  “I’m going to run through a few tests to make sure your vision wasn’t permanently affected.” Mia pulled out a small, square device with blinking lights and began passing it over the professor's eyes.

  Toby turned to Zareena. “How are you?”

  “These quarters are comfortable, and I’m glad Father is better.” The woman dropped an empty container into the small incinerator by the sink, where it disappeared in a cloud of smoke. “Of course, we are anxious to know if your family will accept us here. If not, I don’t know where we will go.”

  “They’ll come around; they just need time.” Toby hoped he sounded convincing.