by Paul Kelly
“Merely a helpful suggestion,” replied Solomon innocently.
Ash looked away and called out over the crowd of Seers and soldiers.
“Aoife, Jonathon, Tumbleweed, David to me!” she called. “It’s time to ready the Tunnel!”
Elijah spared only a moment’s thought to how stupid a name Tumbleweed was as the four Seers ran up towards her. They didn’t speak, just saluted and began concentrating. Abruptly, they started talking, their words so fast they were incoherent and, suddenly, the timeline seemed to burst into the air, a thousand strands weaving together and pulling at each other all at once. The air shuddered, squirming against the intrusion. All was silent for a second and then the air split apart, forming a shuddering square of utter darkness.
“Alright, everyone in now!” Ash shouted. “Come on, quick hurry up, everyone in!” Seers and soldiers started running inside, as if their lives depended on it.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” muttered Sybil in revulsion.
“I have seen safer looking things,” agreed Elijah. “Wasn’t this Tunnel one of those things that you said were likely to cause a… what do you call it again?”
“They’re called Breaches my slow-witted pupil!” shouted Solomon, who was already running for it. “You’re welcome to stay here if you like, but this thing doesn’t stay open forever and whoever doesn’t get in gets left behind!”
Elijah and Sybil exchanged glances. The idea of being left alone in the desert with those Wyverns so close by didn’t appeal to either one of them. Taking a deep breath, they charged towards the opening.
Inside the Tunnel the air was cold and clammy. There was no wind and the dull clink of chainmail seemed deafeningly loud in the strange silence. The ground beneath them was dark and seemed to melt underfoot as they walked. Elijah felt like he was squelching through mud, but the strange, black ooze made no sound.Elijah decided that he didn’t like it. Not one bit.
“What is this place?” Sybil whispered.
“Gap in the timeline,” replied Solomon cheerfully. “Well gap isn’t the correct word, it’s more of a wedge-like thing, I guess. Like a pie slice. Damn, I miss pie.”
“You know, using this thing to go straight from Prazna to Ekriam would have been a lot easier than all that walking through the desert,” grumbled Elijah, trying to shake off the feeling that something was horribly wrong.
“Sure, if you’d wanted to destroy all of Prazna.”
Elijah swallowed hard. “So what’s to stop us destroying all of Ekriam?”
“The Obelisk,” replied Solomon, in that tone of voice people use when they’re expecting you to reply with a question. Elijah took the bait.
“What’s an Obelisk?”
“I’m glad you asked!” replied Solomon. “Think a giant ring of stone, beautiful things they were, carved all over and usually inlaid with gold. They were built during the height of Ekriam’s power to help with this kind of thing. Buried under about a hundred feet of sand now though, but still powerful enough to stabilise a small Tunnel.”
Elijah gazed around the Tunnel. Everything was dark except for the walls which flickered and writhed with the colours of the timeline. Every so often, Elijah would see something he understood, a face, a sword, a bird, but the vast majority was an incomprehensible spinning blur. You would think having access to all of time itself would be slightly more useful.
“Keep to the path!” Ash shouted back as they walked. “Don’t stray towards the timeline!”
“What happens if you stray towards the timeline?” asked Sybil.
“You’re trapped in it,” answered Solomon. “Although in your case that may not be a bad thing, so please help yourself.”
“You’re really beginning to get on my nerves,” growled Sybil.
“No really take as much time as you need,” replied Solomon. “Get it take as much time? Because you can literally touch it which would lead to your timely death and joy and celebration all across the land?”
Sybil grabbed Solomon’s shoulder roughly. “If you want me dead all man, I’m right here. I’d only love to see how your precious timeline does in a fight against my Pulse.”
“Oh I wouldn’t do that if I were you!” replied Solomon, still eerily happy. “No one’s ever used the Pulse in the Tunnel before – you never know what could happen.”
“I don’t need to use the Pulse to kill you,” growled Sybil.
“Could we please save the fights to the death until we’re out of the crazy fluctuating Tunnel of random time travel?” asked Elijah sweetly.
“We wouldn’t even need to do this if those Skylander dogs hadn’t captured Ekriam,” grumbled Solomon.
“What did you call me?” asked Sybil, a dangerous glint in her eyes.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I got the gender confused. The appropriate term would be bi-“
And that’s when Sybil’s fist had a close encounter with Solomon’s face. The old Seer staggered back, clutching his eye.
“I’ll get you for that!” he shouted, diving at her. The only problem with that strategy, however, was that Elijah was in the way. Elijah fell backwards, losing his balance.
“My rapt pupil!” he heard Solomon gasp. Then he felt an arm grab him, he flailed madly, trying to restore his balance and then his other arm brushed the far wall. There was a flash of light and the Tunnel was gone.
He was on a beach. Light sea winds played across its landscape and in front of him he could see three individuals in strange, white cloaks talking to a group of bald, painted warriors. In the distance, he could see a huge ship with two masts and giant sails covered in angry looking birds. He had never seen the like before. He had never even known ships so big could be made. He looked closer at the group of bearded warriors. They wore strange, leather clothes and were covered in twisting paint which almost covered their faces. Two of them held long black chains. Elijah’s gaze followed the chains and flinched in revulsion. At the end of them were long, sharp metal hooks which were stabbed through the noses of two exhausted, defeated men. They looked down at the ground and their bodies were covered in ugly looking bruises.
“The Sea of Passing is dangerous,” one of the warriors said, leering down at the three white robed figures. “I cannot promise you more than one thousand.” His voice was harsh and guttural and he seemed to spit out the words, as if he was unused to how they sounded in his mouth.
“Then you send your men to die!” one of the white robed figures answered, his voice somehow familiar. “We are being slaughtered. One thousand will not change the tide of this war!”
“Then you die,” growled one of the other warriors. “Your existence does not concern us.”
“And what of our gold?” asked the white robed figure.
“We take our payment first or you get nothing!” commanded one of the warriors.
“Then we will take nothing,” answered the white robed figure.
The warrior leered down at the three, using his height to appear more threatening. “You do not want us for enemies, Seer,” he growled. “We can make life difficult for you.”
The robed figure just sniffed, glancing nervously at the two slaves.
“You could not imagine the lengths we would go to, to stop you,” he replied.
“Elijah!”
“What are you doing?”
Elijah heard the voices distantly, as if in a dream. He turned towards them. It wasn’t safe for him to be there, he knew.
“Wake up Elijah!” they shouted. “Come back to us!”
Elijah knew he should listen to the voices, but he had to know more about the painted men. What were they talking about? What did the Seers need a thousand of? But the figures seemed to be moving away, exiting the beach. He tried to follow them but found that his feet were rooted to the ground. He couldn’t move an inch. Abruptly, the timeline shattered in front of him and Elijah fell back, watching a thousand multi-coloured strands dissipate before h
im. His whole body seemed to shiver in revulsion as he fell back on the black ooze and he sat up instantly, shaking his head.
“What happened?” he groaned.
Then he felt a slap hit his face. The blow stung and Elijah shook his head, instantly enraged. But then he looked into the cold fury of Ash’s eyes and his anger ran away and hid like a scared kitten.
“What part of keep to the path are you failing to grasp?” she screeched. Elijah stumbled to his feet, afraid that she would crush him underneath her feet. Her angry, really very scary feet.
“It was an accident,” he muttered, rubbing his cheek. It still stung.
“You are mind-blowingly lucky that you’re even still alive!” shouted Ash. “I’ve seen much better men than you turn into nothing more than so many sacks of meat after touching the wall of this Tunnel!”
“If I may, Ash,” Solomon interjected. “My rapt pupil’s mistake may have been partly due to an error on my part.”
Elijah glanced at the old Seer sideways. Partly? Try wholly.
“I was teaching this Skylander dog a lesson in manners,” he explained. “And I fear Elijah may have become caught up in our struggle.”
Sybil glared at Solomon balefully, but said nothing.
“I alone am administering punishment to the Student, Solomon,” Ash whispered maliciously. “See that it does not happen again.”
“Of course, commander,” replied Solomon, nodding his head in acquiescence.
Ash gave them all a final glare and turned her back on them.
“Alright, everybody, we’re almost out!” she shouted as she moved back up to the head of the group. “Let’s pick up the pace!”
Chapter 17 – Yvonne
Elijah tripped and fell flat as he landed in the cellar in Ekriam. Stupid Future Storm not being able to make the Tunnel end at floor level. He sat up, rubbing his chin in pain. Solomon had been unable to explain his vision in the Tunnel, or how he had escaped it. It was nice to know he didn’t know everything. Either that or it was terrifying.
His eyes flicked around the dark cellar. All around him, Seers and soldiers were still piling out of the Tunnel. They didn’t stop walking after leaving the portal, but kept going towards the nearest exit. That was helpful, given that the room was too small to accommodate more than ten of them. He joined the steady stream, following them out. The corridor they entered was small and claustrophobic and it wound chaotically, splitting into three several times. Could these guys do anything that wasn’t confusing? Each of the soldiers took the turns mechanically, never even pausing at any of the intersections. At the eighth such turn, Elijah felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Solomon who had already turned left and was beckoning him to follow. Elijah shrugged and did as he was bid. Behind him, he heard Sybil join them.
They walked alone for what seemed like an age through the twisting, red brick corridors. The air was dim and smoky, making Elijah’s eyes water. They walked in single file, edging along the narrow corridors in an effort to avoid the burning torches that hung in randomly placed brackets. By the time they eventually came to a small room, Elijah’s feet felt like they were going to fall off and then slap him in the face for putting them through such torture. The room had one bed in it and no door. An old woman sat at a small wooden table, writing. On several walls hung ancient, withered maps. A couple of candles were scattered randomly around the room to provide some bare illumination.
“Yvonne, I’d like you to meet someone,” Solomon announced as they crossed the threshold. The old woman looked up from her desk. Settling an old pair of spectacles on the end of her nose, she stared at the three of them.
“Solomon, is that you?” she asked.
“It is,” smiled Solomon. “And this is Elijah. He’s the one I’ve been searching for all this time.”
Yvonne shuffled towards them until she was standing uncomfortably close to Elijah. She peered at him, her long, thin nose touching his as she stared intently into his eyes.
“He doesn’t exactly look terrifying,” she muttered. “And he should be taller.”
“And hello to you too,” grumbled Elijah.
“And who’s the girl?” Yvonne asked.
“Skylander,” growled Solomon, spitting out the word. “Elijah seems to have taken some sort of liking to her.”
“Watch your tongue, old man,” Sybil hissed through clenched teeth.
Yvonne looked at them, seeming to be mulling something over. “Yes. Yes, this is good,” she said at last.
“So glad we could be of assistance,” replied Sybil acidly.
“Why are we here Solomon?” asked Elijah, getting tired of the conversation.
“Yvonne will look after us while we are in Ekriam,” answered Solomon, giving the old woman a flourishing bow.
“What about Truth?” asked Elijah. “You said that when we got to Ekriam the Future Storm would attack the Skylands again. I thought we could rescue her! I thought that was the whole point of walking all the way from Prazna to Ekriam through the bloody desert!”
Solomon and Yvonne exchanged glances. “Has it happened yet?” Solomon asked.
“Just an hour ago,” answered Yvonne. “Just as the prophecies predicted.”
“Wonderful, more mysterious prophecies,” replied Elijah, in a voice so deadpan it would make a ghoul shudder.
“What’s happened?” asked Sybil, her voice oddly panicked.
“War has been declared,” Yvonne answered gravely. “Allen, Lostheo, Aubrey, Coral, Prazna and Babel are now at war with the Skylands.”
“Well that’s the best news I’ve heard since this whole thing started!” replied Elijah, hope filling him. “We can use this to rescue Truth. Heck, with every city in the Earthlands on our side, we can rescue everyone in the mines!”
“I don’t think you really understand this war, Elijah,” replied Yvonne, shaking her head sadly.
“What do you mean?”
“The Earthland cities are not with the Future Storm,” she answered. “They still do not trust us, they still fear us, just like the girl’s people. They are in no hurry to rescue Seers, or anyone associated with Seers, from the mines.”
“But… but they’re Earthlanders,” spluttered Elijah. “Most of them aren’t even Seers.”
Solomon shrugged. “Sympathy for them has always been low. They’re associated with the Future Storm and no one trusts us. I blame a certain flying Island’s propaganda.” He looked meaningfully at Sybil.
“But why have they even declared war then?” exploded Elijah. “What’s the point?”
“The Arrival has been coming daily to every city since our attack on the Skylands,” replied Yvonne. “The cities of the Earthlands could tolerate it no longer.”
“But what about, you know, the enemy of my enemy and all that…” asked Elijah, grasping at straws.
“That is why we are in Ekriam,” replied Solomon. “This city is the birthplace of all Seers. If the Future Storm are to have a chance of beating the Skylands anywhere, it’s here. Most people here still pine for the glory days of old, when Ekriam and her Seers dominated the Earthlands.”
“So the Future Storm conquer Ekriam. Fine, then what? How does this get me closer to Truth?” Elijah could feel frustration building up inside him and he took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. It didn’t work.
“If the Future Storm conquer Ekriam, the other cities will have to accept us as a separate nation; it’s what we’ve been working towards for years. And with the Earthlands united, we can force the Skylands to free every single prisoner. We will bring freedom to the people of the Earthlands - whether they want it or not.”
Sybil sat in a corner of the small, brick room, watching as Elijah paced back and forth, like a caged animal. Guilt settled on her like a lead blanket. She tried not to catch his eye. She had to tell him. She knew that. She couldn’t keep this up forever, some secrets weighed too heavily on the soul. But she had
been lying to him for so long now. And she needed allies if she was ever to stop Tommen. Besides it would only hurt him and fuel a futile quest to exact vengeance on her people which would only end with his death. She sighed heavily. Even in her own head, her excuses felt empty. It was amazing how many convoluted reasons her mind could create for what she was doing to him. It was the only way she could survive. No it was the only way she could beat Tommen. No, really, it was for his own good. He should be thanking her. She shuddered as her lead blanket of guilt was joined by an anvil of self-loathing. She couldn’t keep this up forever. In front of her, Yvonne and Solomon had set up a variety of objects for Elijah to practice with. There was a rock, an orange, a plank of wood and a chainmail vest. Every so often, Solomon and Yvonne would coax him out of his pacing and into some training. He was actually getting very good at prophesying. His visions of the past were becoming less and less frequent which seemed to make using his power less draining. There was an energy and a focus to him now, as if he could rescue his sister through sheer force of will. It was strange to watch him practice, his eyes would go so distant and he would shout gibberish at the fruit. Sometimes, he would mention the Voice and Yvonne’s eyes would light up. Other times he would speak about the fall of the Skylands, which always perked up Solomon. But most of all he would talk about a bridge opening. The last time he had talked like that he had almost killed Tommen. Sybil wished she knew what it meant. It felt important. Too important to be locked in the cryptic babblings of a Seer.
As the days passed, news would trickle in about the war. It was mostly bad. Very, very bad. Hundreds had died already. Lostheo had been razed to the ground. Sybil didn’t know why she was surprised. No one was a match for the Skylander armies, not while they controlled the Wyverns. Ekriam was the only city which hadn’t declared war on the Skylands and for that reason they alone had been spared. It wasn’t like anyone in Ekriam even had the authority to declare war anyway. The city hadn’t had a real leader in decades, lest the Seers try to return to power. Sybil wondered about those she had left behind. Was Sam fighting in the war right now? What would she do, if she was forced to choose a side? Would she abandon her own nation for a band of terrorists? Or would she prop up a dictator? They weren’t great choices. But then again, that was life at the moment, just a series of terrible choices, one after another. Even eating had become a difficult decision. The only food on offer came from a jar that Yvonne kept. It was a strange, fine grain that never seemed to run out, no matter how much they ate. Yvonne made bread and porridge out of it. Sybil wasn’t sure about how she felt about eating grain that came from a Seer. And she hated not knowing how it worked. Everyone knew that using a Seer’s power on food spoiled it. Even Elijah, who seemed to know as much about his powers as he did about the Pulse, avoided eating the food he trained on. But there was never anything wrong with the grain. It may have tasted as bland as a heavily sanitised piece of paper, but it was perfectly edible. So while Elijah trained and paced, Sybil spent her time staring into the jar, emptying its contents on to the only table in the room and examining every grain. A week passed and she steadily accumulated a mountain of grain in one corner of the room while Yvonne always had enough to feed them all. It was infuriating.