by Terry Reid
“Why?”
“Because our heads work by sending electrical signals around the brain and after people die their minds continue to create a residue of electro-magnetic signals for a while. Sometimes those escape the person’s dying mind and take a bit of their personality with them. When someone says that they’ve seen a ghost, that’s what they’re really seeing. I think Phantoms are the same.”
Darius looked perplexed. “Are you saying that Phantoms are ghosts of other people?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know, it’s only a theory. No-one knows exactly how they evolved but that’s not my point. They aren’t like ghosts. Ghosts are just shadows of someone who has passed away. They follow the same routine and haunt the same places.” He shuffled about on his arms. “Phantoms are as real as you are, they are conscious, they had a culture and a society before they all disappeared. I meant that they’re like ghosts in the sense that they exist as an electro-magnetic force.”
The water elemental looked even more confused than before. “Right, I think I understand...but why can’t you just kill him the way you did the last time?”
It was Terry who answered. “Because we don’t know where he is at the moment.”
An ear-piercing squawk snatched their attention back to the giant predators that circled the sky.
“What are they doing?” Darius asked, unable to see.
“I don’t know.” Connor whispered, straining to see and hear.
One of the other birds squawked in response, its cry ringing across the grassy plains.
The three of them continued to stare upward, despite the brambles obscuring their view.
“There is something that I still don’t understand.” Connor whispered.
Terry cast him a sideways glance. “What?”
“Why hasn’t he just attacked us? He’s never hidden from us before.”
“I don’t know. In fact there are still lots of things we don’t know.” Terry admitted, more to herself than him. It frustrated her to think about it. “You know what? A few weeks ago I was thinking how boring life was these days.” She picked at the dry grass with her gauntleted hand. “You know, living in Edinburgh is fine, but having a job and paying electricity bills are not the way I thought I would live my life.”
Connor shrugged. “What’s your point?”
“Nothing, but I just...kind of missed the old days a bit.” Her lip curled up. “I know, it’s stupid, we nearly got killed how many times?”
This bought a smile to Connor’s face. “No, but I know what you mean. I miss the adventure as well.” He laughed. “But not all the parts where we nearly died.”
“My point is it’s strange that I was thinking about it a few weeks ago and now Edward reappears”
Connor smirked. “Sods law isn’t it?”
He flinched as a Manbur plopped to the ground with a heavy thud. It seemed to have appeared from nowhere. The giant bird stood amongst the tall grass a short distance beyond the other side of the tree, twitching its head in various directions. It knew they were there but it was just not quite sure where.
“Shit.” Connor swore, backing further under the bramble, enduring more jabs from the barbs.
The bird, still twitching its head in search for its missing quarry chirped, then began to move their way.
“It can’t reach us, can it? I was told they hated brambles, right?” Darius asked his tone brittle with fear. “Right?”
“Shh.” Terry hushed him. She quietly raised her arm, the unsheathing of metal the only sound to be heard in the desolate landscape. The curious Manbur continued to stroll toward them, its head swivelling this way and that in search of its elusive prey. There was a low whoosh and the bird fell to the ground with a heavy thump, a silver blade protruding from between its eyes; grass crunching beneath its weight.
Terry lowered her arm.
“Nice shot.” Darius whispered. The only things he could hear was the blood rushing through his ears and the pounding in his chest.
“And now the other two will notice something’s wrong and come over here looking for that one.” replied Connor, dreading Terry’s actions.
As if they heard him, the two remaining birds began squawking relentlessly
Now Darius was truly terrified. “They’re going to rip this bush apart aren’t they?” He shuffled back but the brambles held him.
“No they’re not, I have an idea.” Connor whispered. Before anyone could ask what it was, he began throwing fireballs at the overhanging foliage. Within a couple of minutes the tree was ablaze.
The two remaining Manburs seemed to grow even more frenzied as the flames climbed skyward; but after several minutes of panicky squawking and circling the birds fled. They took off on mighty wings to the east.
Darius cautiously emerged from the undergrowth, the thorns tugging as his clothes, desperate to keep him. “I can’t believe that worked.”
“I didn’t think it would.” Connor admitted, brushing bits of grass from his trousers.
“Why did you do it then?”
A smug smirk crept across his face. “I saw it on a documentary once. Apparently most animals are scared of fire.”
“Well done.” Terry said, watching the birds as they became nothing more than black specks on the horizon.
Connor looked around. “It’s nothing but flat grassland in every direction. We might not be so lucky next time.”
“Let me have something to eat and I’ll carry you.”
Connor’s eyes betrayed his doubt before he even gave them words. “You can’t walk four hundred miles.”
“You can walk any distance given enough time.” was her reply, as she headed over to where the dead bird lay.
******
By mid-afternoon the grasslands had given way to the Gyris – a mountain range that slithered almost horizontally across two thirds of the country. Once upon a time the mountains had acted like a natural barrier, cutting off passage to the warmer north. This restriction had led to the formation of two countries, both oblivious to the other for at least a century until travellers from the north finally ventured through.
While journeying on foot was treacherous at the best of times and cost nothing less than several days to complete, even for the most adept explorer, Terry traversed the great rocky mountain range with ease. She nimbly clambered up the featureless bare rock, her many large toes and claws helping pick her way up and over, what others would consider, impassable routes. She always seemed to know which ledge to move one of her many feet to next.
Darius clung to the spike in front of him for dear life. The ascent Terry was making was near vertical, up a narrow, rocky climb just below the top of the mountain. Darius glanced back. His fear warned him not too but something pulled him. He was unable to resist, like a child told to stop staring. He wished he hadn’t – the sight of the valley floor far below made his stomach lurch. He got a terrible fright when Terry sneezed, her entire form rippling under ferocity. She grumbled, letting go of one of the ledges, which held her above a fatal drop – to casually scratch her nose with a hand. She coughed. Satisfied, she carried on upwards.
Reaching the summit, which was no wider than a narrow goat path, Terry levelled her head and chest, using her hands once again to her advantage - eight beat six any day. She picked her away along the narrow ridge until it dropped away into a sharp, faceless cliff. There she came to a halt.
“Why have we stopped?” Darius asked, peering around the spike he clung too.
Connor looked back from her shoulder plate, which clung too. “Terry’s trying to find a way down. You may have to get off and meet us down there.”
“What? How am I supposed to get down?”
Connor rolled his eyes in disbelief. “You can turn into water can’t you? You wouldn’t feel the impact and you certainly wouldn’t die like if you tried jumping down just now.”
“It still hurts. Do you have any idea what it feels like to be separated into a million water drople
ts and then having to reassemble yourself?”
Connor smirked, his hair fluttering in the wind. “So you have done it before then?”
“Why can’t Terry carry us down?”
“Because if things don’t go to plan she might crush you.”
Darius’s eyes widened. “There has got to be another way down. I don’t like throwing myself over an edge, I’m always afraid I won’t change in time.”
“I’m going to have to do it as well.”
Terry growled. Connor nodded.
“What’s she saying?”
“She said if you don’t jump she’ll throw you.”
Darius remembered Micca. “Just...help me to the edge.” He muttered, shaking violently as he stood on the uneven surface of Terry’s back, fearing to let go of the spike. Connor carefully made his way down to the frightened youngster. He offered an arm, which Darius gratefully took hold of. Connor then led the nervous man back to Terry’s shoulder, letting him stand closest to the edge when they got there. Leaning against the curve of the plate, he peered out over the sudden drop which Terry perched on.
“That’s a long way down...” he muttered.
She growled impatiently.
“I find its best not to think about it and just jump.” Connor shouted, the wind howling behind him.
Darius felt it pushing him but he hung on tight. “It’s alright for you, you always know you’ll be able to fly!”
Connor shook his head. “That never makes it any easier to do no matter how many times I do it. I’m still scared of falling.”
The ground shook beneath them as Terry’s body began to shudder, forcing the two men to cling on tighter. A sprawl of tentacles writhed there way free from her underside, wrapping their way around and rocky outcrops.
“Terry wants to go so if you’re going to jump you’d best do so now.” Connor shouted, picking his way to where Darius stood.
“But...”
Before he could begin again, Connor had leapt onto Terry’s shoulder and flung himself off, lighting into a fireball that sped off down the mountain side. Terry glanced sideways at Darius again and growled in encouragement. But the boy stood there, frozen in terror. Growing impatiently, one of her tentacles whipped around and grabbed him by the arm. With a flick, she sent him sailing into the void. Darius’s screams echoed through the mountains as he fell.
Raising herself up, Terry dove down the cliff face, digging her claws into the rock to break her speed as she gathered momentum. Her tentacles whipped in all directions, grabbing rocky outcrops ahead and holding on as her body sped passed to cut her speed. The tentacles behind her would then let go and race on to continue the process. Other tentacles smashed through dangerous outcrops that lay in her path. She reached the bottom a few minutes later.
She found Connor sitting on top of a boulder some distance away. The Pyrovite had been smart enough to give her a wide berth in case she had miscued and tumbled down the mountain side. Any collision would have spelt instant death for him had it happened. He waved a lazy hand in greeting, which she acknowledged with a growl. She then turned her attention to one of her tentacles. It had been damaged in the descent and now laid, rather painfully, on the ground, its top third sporting a gushing wound. Concentrating on it, her dull copper skin began to knit itself back together, staunching the flow of dark blood. Her muscle itched as all the nerves and tissue sewed together. Seconds later the process had finished and her tentacle was like new. Not even a scar remained. She tested it by flicking it about. Satisfied, they all withdrew within her body.
A scream caused Connor to look behind him. Darius struggled to his feet, shaking violently.
“Are you okay?” Connor shouted, over the roar of the river that raced passed them.
“No! I told you it would hurt!” he shouted, shutting his eyes and winching. His skin flushed with colour and he drew in a sharp breath, completing the reassembling of his body.
“Sorry but I don’t think there any other way down.” Connor shouted as he clambered down from the boulder.
Darius looked at him, bereft of forgiveness. “The sooner we are out of these bloody mountains the better. I’m not climbing another one.”
“I don’t think we’ll need too. We only came over that one to get into this valley. There was no other way round as far as I could see. Now we just need to follow the river, it will take us to the other end.”
Darius’s shoulders slumped.
“What?”
“If you had told me that in the first place I would have aimed for the river. It would have been far less painful.”
Connor gave him a questionable look. “Why didn’t you just do that anyway?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why didn’t you just land in the river? It’s right there.”
Terry grumbled as she walked up to them.
Darius looked at Connor for a translation. “What did she say?”
“She said to climb on.”
“I can swim.”
Connor climbed up one of her legs. “The waters are moving really fast, you might get lost, no matter what shape you take.”
He sighed. “No matter what I do I can’t win...” he mumbled to himself as he made his way over to where Terry waited.
With them both safely onboard, Terry strode into the fast flowing, icy current.
Chapter 17
The Long Walk Home
The journey down river had been a long and freezing one. Terry had only emerged from the waters to end Connor’s ceaseless complaining. Fortunately for her, the fast flowing waters had eased as the river poured out into the foothills of the Gyris Mountains, making the swim for the banking easier than it had been earlier in the day.
Connor flicked the water from his soggy sleeves as he squelched up the gravel. Terry shook herself like a dog, sending spray everywhere. Darius had to cover his face to avoid getting showered.
The tips of Terry’s sharp armour fell back against her body. The metal glinted brilliantly where the setting sun caught the water. Terry growled, looking at Connor.
He glanced at his watch. “It’s just gone six.”
Darius hurried over to him. “Which way do we go now?”
“I didn’t think we were going any further tonight.” He looked at Terry who growled and shook her head; a very human expression.
Darius looked out over the tall grasses that lay beyond the top of the gravel banking. “How far do you think we’ve come?”
Connor looked at Terry for an answer as she plonked herself down. Her reply was little more than a low rumble.
“About sixty.” He shrugged. “I think that’s what she said anyway.”
Terry regarded them with her large, cunning amber slit eyes but said nothing.
Darius was crestfallen. “You mean after all that we’re still over three hundred miles away from Marrich?”
“Yeah.”
Darius sighed as he sat down. “It’s going to take us days to get back at this rate.”
“We’re not going back to Marrich. We’re going to find Terry’s father and uncle, remember?” Connor said as he started picking about the driftwood further up the banking. “They should be looking for us by now.”
Pushing himself up, Darius crunched through wet pebbles to where the Pyrovite was. “And then what?”
Picking up a stick, Connor turned back to him and shrugged. “I don’t know what you want to do but I’m going back with Terry. Then I’m going to find a way back to Earth and we’re going to stop Edward.” He turned back to his task, pulling another twisted stick free from amongst the smooth black pebbles that clutched it. “I should have been back days ago anyway. My wife will be worried sick.”
“And how will you stop Edward? Do you know anyone with temporal technology?” his eyes shined with desperation.
Connor raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean. How are you two alone going to stop Edward?”
Connor lo
oked at Terry, who had lifted her head at the remark. Her gaze met his for a moment before flitting back to the water elemental. She regarded him curiously.
“We won’t be alone. We have Lyle, we have Faye and we have the Alchemists.”
Darius looked unconvinced. “You’ve not exactly got a team anymore though, have you? Faye hates you and her father won’t let her go back.” He said, gesturing to Terry.
Terry’s antennae twitched slightly but otherwise she remained motionless.
Connor threw up his arms. “I still don’t know what you’re getting at.”
A smile crossed the young man’s face, but it was one of desperation, not humour. “What I’m getting at is you have no plan!” he exclaimed. “I grew up hearing the story of how you stopped Edward ten years ago! I thought you were both legends that is why I came to you when Faye went crazy!” He turned, gesturing all around him. “But here we are. We are in the middle of nowhere with no way to get back to Earth and no plan to stop Edward.” He laughed. “You’re not the people I was led to believe!”
Connor’s gaze narrowed. “What exactly did you expect?” He stepped closer to the water elemental so they were almost face-to-face. “Is that why you came with us to find Rilario? Did you think it was an adventure?”
“No, of course not.” He replied, shaking his head.
Connor looked down at him. “Then why did you say what you just did?”
His eyes widened and the familiar terrified boy returned. “I’m just...scared...ok? I’m sorry.”
Connor turned away, shaking his head. Terry watched him return to his task before returning her gaze to Darius. She stared at him for a long while, regarding him silently with ancient eyes. Finally he could stand it no longer and turned away.
Several minutes later Connor had managed to gather enough driftwood to create a small fire. Stepping back, the Pyrovite lit it with a fiery spark from a flick of the wrist. He went into his backpack and dug out two small pork pies. Without comment he threw one to Darius.