by Sulin Young
Sulin Young
Ice Phoenix
Text copyright © Sulin Young 2013
Cover design copyright © Sulin Young 2013
Cover art by Paris Galanis
The moral rights of the author have been asserted.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.
EbookISBN: 978-80-260-4741-4
This is dedicated to my grandmother,
whom I love dearly.
Table of Contents
1 The Rogue Child
2 Terrana and Puddy
3 The dream that started it all
4 When the dream becomes a nightmare
5 Goodbye, old friend
6 The first meal
7 Grief
8 A new school
9 Unfurl the sails!
10 Dartkala’s breath
11 The fight
12 Olden Kartath
13 The prince of Swiva
14 Imeldor murdered!
15 A day at school
16 The art of Kampu
17 Target, Baneyon
18 The boy in the stable
19 The darkness within
20 The Gathering
21 The history behind UWIB
22 The problem of Terrana
23 Reconciliation
24 Si Ren Da
25 Demons and Imeldors
26 Rescue Team
27 Battle
28 Disobeying orders
29 Deep trouble
30 The queen’s wrath
31 Garok’s Return
32 The silent one
33 Aftermath
34 Whispers of Madness
35 Revelations
36 The Love of a Witch
37 Missing Time
38 A glimpse into the past
39 Identity
40 Nashim’s purpose
41 The hunger
42 The wrails attack
43 Niku’s sacrifice
44 Pa Gumpina’s fall
45 The Voron Cloud
46 Nashim’s true purpose
47 Survival of the fittest
48 The aftermath
Epilogue What came out of the rock
1
The Rogue Child
The deputy head teacher of Minda Yerra tapped his fingers impatiently against his wooden desk, staring out the window. His intense blue eyes took in the brilliant azure sky outside while his dark, slightly unkempt hair swished against his forehead in the breeze that filtered into his office. A tall, athletic man, he commanded an aura of intensity that often intimidated people and kept his students at bay.
Right now he was waiting for the rogue child to appear. Someone had been sent to fetch her. However, judging from the child’s past behaviour, it was likely she would show up on the school perimeter, slipping past security once more and sneaking into the school.
The window of his office overlooked the school grounds; outside, students were lazing about in the sun, playing ball games, chatting happily or doing their homework. Recess. Happy hour for both students and teachers. He itched for a whiskey, recalling the headmistress’s words.
“You need to take care of this, Drummik,” she had said. “It is in the child’s best interests to enrol in this school. Send someone to fetch her.”
How on earth was he supposed to explain this to her parents? The child was happily enrolled in another, much smaller school and — this was the baffling part — far away from their own. But, it was already done. He had contacted the ideal person to collect her. He sensed movement outside his door and a presentiment told him that the child was coming. He swivelled his chair and waited.
His door guard was sidling up and down the corridor, aware of the intruder. With exams looming, students tended to get very creative. Moments later, Master Drummik heard him speaking. His voice was raised but, strangely enough, no other voice could be heard. Suddenly, the guard shouted. There was the sound of feet running, followed by a loud thud as the guard ran into the wall — not on purpose, of course. A child stumbled into the office. The guard howled in frustration as he realised that he could not enter.
Master Drummik sighed and pressed a button under his desk to inform the guard he had everything under control. Then he proceeded to observe the child; she had yet to notice his presence. It was the first time he had seen her up close. She was probably no more than twelve, boasting a thick head of dark, tousled hair that framed her tanned, exotic features. Upswept brown eyes seemed to absorb everything around her. They were complemented by a pert and slightly upturned nose and a narrow yet determined jaw. A black, tear-shaped pearl hung around her neck from a leather thong. Her shoulders were surprisingly broad, her limbs toned. Her skin was smooth and sun kissed — a sign that she lived by the sea. She was, Master Drummik thought, a truly beautiful child.
He watched her walk around his office, first away from him as she peered into his bookshelves, then moving to the fireplace. She also did an extraordinary job of ignoring his screaming guard outside the door.
The crystal globe above the fireplace commanded her attention, fascinating her with the flickering images it contained. It was only when she returned it to the mantelpiece that she first noticed his presence. She stiffened and spun around. A look of complete bafflement washed over her when she did not see anyone else in the room.
A large mirror hung on the wall next to the fireplace. It was a lavish fixture, approximately two metres in length on all sides, with a delicately wrought silver frame featuring ships and cars. It was in this mirror that she had first spotted him sitting at his desk. Master Drummik smiled and wondered whether she’d be able to solve the particular mystery of where his desk was positioned. He had deliberately created an illusory wall in the office to hide his desk from people, and the only clue he offered was the one in the mirror.
She did the obvious thing and tried to put her hand through the mirror, only to feel solid glass. She examined it carefully, looking at both of their reflections before turning around again. She walked up to the illusory wall behind which he was hidden and walked right through it to stand in front of him. Curious eyes stared at him while uncertainty lingered on the rest of her face.
“Hello,” he said, in a friendly manner. “I was expecting you. What is your name?” He did not get up for fear of scaring her away.
“Terrana. How’d you know I’d be here?”
“We have monitors in this school. We know when someone else other than students and staff is here.”
She carefully digested this bit of information. Her long, dark lashes fluttered briefly while she puzzled over something else. Then she looked up at him once more, her wide eyes brimming with curiosity. “Are you a teacher here?”
He smiled, not quite revealing his teeth, but nevertheless it was a glad smile. “Yes.”
She smiled back and he could have sworn that the sun had risen in his heart, so dazzling and warm it was.
“This is a really cool school. I like it here!”
He laughed. That was one problem out of the way.
“Well, if you like it so much, why don’t you become a student here?”
She laughed back. “You’re funny. You know I can’t.”
“Oh? Why is that?” He hid the edge in his voice but this child apparently knew something that he didn’t, and he needed to know what it was exactly.
“Well, first of all, you’re a dream.”
Master Drummik tried not to let his shock or amazement show on his face. “A dream? Are you trying to tell me that you don’t think this school is real? Or that I am real? That you are dreaming about us right n
ow?”
Terrana nodded enthusiastically, oblivious to his bafflement. She pursed her lips in the manner of someone who knew exactly what she was talking about.
“Yeah. You are a dream. Every night when I go to bed, I dream about this place. I see the lake, the students and this school. The dream doesn’t last very long so I’ve never been able to come in until now.”
For once he was glad he was sitting down. This was extraordinary! And very dangerous. The headmistress was right in insisting that this child be brought to the school immediately.
“Terrana,” he said seriously. Her expression changed, sensing the switch in his mood. “What if I wasn’t really a dream and this school wasn’t some figment of your imagination? Would you like to be here? To be among different people and learn new things that no other school can teach?”
“Like create things out of thin air and move things without touching them?” she asked eagerly.
He nodded.
Scepticism quickly crossed her face. She shook her head vigorously. “No. That’s not possible! No one can do that — I really must be dreaming.” She looked around the office.
“Why is it so hot in here?”
“What do you mean?” At a pleasant temperature of nineteen degrees Celsius, the office was quite cool, and a breeze filtered in through the window. However, as he looked closely at Terrana, he noticed beads of sweat on her skin. They had appeared quite suddenly and alarm bells rang in his head.
“I’m really hot!” She wiped the sweat off her neck and forehead. It was clear that she was becoming agitated.
“The air is so hot!” she complained. “It’s getting hard to breathe. Please open your window!”
Master Drummik rose to his feet so suddenly that his chair fell backwards onto the floor. Terrana looked at him in alarm.
“Don’t be scared,” he told her as he walked over. When he reached her, he leaned forwards and took her arm. Her skin was hot and slick with perspiration. A single bead of sweat trickled down the middle of her forehead onto the bridge of her nose. Master Drummik watched as it flickered for the briefest of moments before falling apart.
“Terrana, listen to me closely. You are in great danger and you need to wake up right now! Do you understand me? You need to leave this office, this school, this place, and wake up right now. Go! Leave immediately!”
She tried to shake her arm free but he held on.
“You’re hurting me! Let go!”
“Wake up, Terrana!” He was almost shouting. “Get away from here! Wake up!” This time he squeezed her arm and she grunted in pain. Tears filled her eyes as she stared at him, but there was no anger or fear on her face — just hurt. Master Drummik stared back, ignoring his own feelings of guilt, and squeezed her arm even harder. This time it worked. His fingers passed through nothing, and he watched her slowly fade from sight. She was leaving.
He prayed she would wake up alive.
2
Terrana and Puddy
It was a sweltering, humid thirty-four degrees and the cool sea breeze did nothing to deter the mosquitoes from buzzing around Terrana. One of them was even brave enough to land on her forearm, but before it could even stick its pointy appendage into that delicious skin, lightning fingers swatted it flat and reduced it to a bloody mess that was quickly flicked into the wind. Its comrades also met with the same fate as super fast hands pulverised them in the air.
Terrana grinned, extremely satisfied with her display. “That makes ten! Two more and I’ll overtake Archie!”
Archie was her older brother and she was referring to his feat of killing twelve mosquitoes in under ten seconds. Right now she was alone, walking along the beach with a destination in mind. She had just passed a small section of mangroves with their large, mangled roots sticking out of the water, and it was here that she had ambushed the mosquitoes. Now, as they gradually faded into the background, the beach became whiter and sandier as gentle waves rolled up and splashed around her bare feet. Pretty sea shells dotted the wet sand while bright yellow and red fiddler crabs scurried across her path, eager to get to the next hole. She let out a contented sigh.
She couldn’t help it. She was happy. The school holidays had arrived and she had eight glorious weeks to enjoy. Most of her friends had taken the ferry to Suva, which was the main city in Fiji, where they would no doubt marvel at all the tall buildings, buses, shops, cinemas and other wonderful things they had so often heard about. They had asked her to join them but she had declined, much preferring to remain on the island, where she could swim, climb trees, fish and perhaps practise the tamure dance on her own, without anyone to watch her.
“Okay, whatever,” they had said. “We always knew you were weird!”
Terrana was twelve, soon approaching her thirteenth birthday. She was a skinny child despite possessing a healthy appetite, and her skin was tanned from frequent swimming. Her hair, which fell just below her shoulders, was naturally black but had been bleached brown by the sun. Almond eyes graced her complexion and were an indication of her mixed heritage. They reflected maturity and empathy, combined with a fresh innocence that many people found endearing.
The sweet scent of frangipani flowers drifted her way and she inhaled it appreciatively. On her right, farther up the sand bank, was a green stretch of grass, coconut palms and frangipani trees. The sound of an engine made her look up — a plane was zooming in the distance, a mere speck in the vast blue sky. No doubt it was heading to Nadi International Airport. She could imagine the excited tourists emerging from the airplane and being greeted by smiling locals singing in their beautiful voices. Later, they would head outside to the arrival area where they would be driven or flown off again to their resort destinations.
“Oi, Terrana! Where you going? Mai ike and break nuts with me!”
Terrana stopped and looked towards the coconut trees. She spotted a dark boy high up in one of them, waving. Epeli was a few years older than she was, with short, frizzy hair and the lean, muscular body typical of boys his age. He had a cane knife in one hand, which he used to lob off the coconuts before dropping them with precision into the palm frond baskets below.
Climbing coconut trees was a feat she excelled at; she had long before mastered the skill of pushing her feet together and loping up the trees like a monkey. Now, she could out-climb any boy on the island. Ironically, Epeli had been the one to teach her.
“Sorry, Epeli, but I’m going swimming now! Mum wants me back by lunch so I don’t have much time!”
“Osoo!” Epeli replied in the typical slang of locals. “You always swimming. How come you didn’t go to the city like the others?”
“I didn’t want to!” Terrana shouted. “There’s nothing for me to do there! Okay, I’m going now. Moce!”
Epeli waved her goodbye and watched as she continued her walk along the beach. “Beach bum,” he said before returning to his coconut lobbing.
Her hand fiddled about in the right pocket of her raggedy shorts, clutching at her goggles. Not far ahead was where she intended to enter the water. It was a special spot for her, a place where both stone and coral beds led out to sea. Cutting through these beds was a narrow passage, wide enough to allow two people to swim through side by side. It started off shallow but after twenty metres or so, it dropped to a depth of around three metres for a short distance before giving way to the deep ocean.
A gateway to paradise was how Terrana liked to think of it. A wondrous world filled with myriads of brightly coloured fish of all shapes and sizes. They ranged from the cute puffer fish with their brown-spotted or striped coats, little anemone fish with their characteristic white stripes and angelfish in blue, yellow and orange.
There were also the larger fish like the groupers. Terrana quite liked these spotted cods — they were delicious. Finally, there was Eddie, the blue ribbon eel who was forever gaping as if he was trying to talk, and Charlie, the octopus she occasionally saw lugging a live lobster to his hole.
She finally rea
ched the little fringed reef and stripped down to an old swimming suit. Donning her goggles, she waded into the water. When she was about waist-deep, she inhaled deeply and dove in. A whole new world enveloped her. Gliding gracefully, she passed over giant clams, fascinating brain corals, sea fans and sea slugs. Scores of fish rushed past her and she dove deeper to avoid them. She even saw Eddie and Charlie. Despite all the wondrous creatures in the sea, they were not why she was here.
No. Instead, she had come to meet her best friend — a beautiful creature she had known since she was two days’ old.
Her parents had been walking along the beach on their way home from the maternity hospital when her mother pointed to the water and cried out, “Mason, look!”
Her father, who had Terrana cradled in his arms, stared at the sea and saw a lonely dolphin calmly observing them. Realising it had gained their attention, it rose from the water and danced on its tail before falling back in.
“Maybe it wants to meet Terrana,” her father had said. Against all her mother’s wishes, he carried his daughter into the water. In a flash, the dolphin was by their side, nudging the baby ever so gently. According to her father, that was the first time she smiled.
When she was about fifteen months, the dolphin taught her to swim. She glided through the water dolphin style, her body an undulating ribbon propelling her forwards at a speed that no one on the island could match. No one could match her record for staying under water, either. She could stay submerged for eight minutes.
She thought about her friend as she propelled herself deeper under water and through the passage that led into a shallow lagoon. A bright silver form sped past, easily gaining at least fifty metres on her. It turned abruptly and rushed towards her. Terrana swam harder, striking for the surface.
She felt its smooth, rubber-like skin beneath her feet and allowed herself to be propelled upwards. At the very last moment, she tensed and broke through the water, like a bird with outstretched wings. She took in the dazzling blue sea and the clear sky, felt the wind on her wet skin before arching her back into a dive. Just before she re-entered the water, she caught a fleeting glimpse of the beach.