by Paul Kelly
In the distance, the Island of Tommen lurked. Even this far away, Sybil could tell that there was something wrong. As she came closer she realised what it was: it was barren. Sybil’s hands began to shake. Every single skyscraper was gone. They had vanished. For miles, the only building she could see was the Drum. It stood alone, its white plastered walls defiant. Xanthius landed and Sybil dismounted. Bits of broken Orock littered the barren land. Beneath her feet, the ground was stained with blood.
Suddenly, Xanthius let out a sharp warning cry. Sybil turned towards him and swiftly figured out why. A dragon was bearing down on them. Sybil half thought of getting back on to Xanthius’ back, but dismissed the idea instantly. It was bigger, faster and breathed fire. Without the power of Prophecy she didn’t stand a chance. The dragon breathed out and flames erupted from its mouth. Sybil seized the Pulse and used it to gather the debris scattered around them. The flames scorched the rudimentary shield of Orock, but they did not penetrate it. Orock could withstand heats hotter than any furnace, Sybil knew. Beside her, Xanthius flew away. She didn’t stay still either. The most basic of tactics taught that you only stayed in one place when you were in a position of power and cowering behind a pile of rocks was hardly powerful. She kept moving, twisting and running amongst the rubble, keeping low to the ground. Flames erupted before her and she twisted the beat of the Pulse, forming a rudimentary shield. It was not as strong as the Orock, but it kept her face from being blown off. It was amazing how much easier it was to use it up here. It was amazing how much easier it was to think. In her pocket, she stroked the power shard Elijah had given her. Her plan would work, she knew it. All she had to do was get away from the dragon.
“Sybil, over here!”
Sybil’s head twisted leftwards and she saw Sam. He was alive! That was something. He gestured wildly at her. Sybil released her shield and dived towards him, rounding a heap of hastily piled rubble. As soon as she reached him, Sam grabbed her, pushing her towards the far corner. She landed heavily, knocking her head against the Orock’s squidgy surface. Flames engulfed where she had been standing.
“We can’t stay here long!” shouted Sam. Sybil noticed he was bleeding from several cuts in his side. Sword cuts. And his left hand… she breathed in sharply: it was gone. It was cut off at the elbow. Nothing hung there but a stump.
Sam noticed Sybil eying his wounds and he stopped for a second, staring at her. “You’ve been gone for a long time,” he muttered. He reached out his sole remaining hand and pulled her up. “This way!” he shouted, jumping atop a mound of rubble and making his way onto the roof of their rough shelter. Sybil was hesitant to go out into the open, but she trusted Sam. Quickly, she followed him. They weren’t there long. As soon as they reached the roof, Sam jumped down into the street, running quickly between mounds of rubble.
He talked as he ran. “The Guardians will be wondering why the dragon attacked,” he shouted breathlessly. “They’ll be here any minute.”
“The Guardians? What do you mean the Guardians? You’re a Guardian!” spluttered Sybil.
Sam looked at her sideways. “Where have you been all this time?” he asked.
Sybil didn’t even know how to answer that question. She kept following Sam until they reached another mound of rubble. This one had a rough roof laid over it. He pulled her inside and they sat back against one of the Orock walls, breathing heavily.
Sam threw a sword across to her and Sybil caught it by the scabbard. “Here, take this, you’ll need it in case the Guardian’s show up. I have two and it’s reassuring if nothing else.”
“What’s going on Sam?” Sybil asked in a low whisper, belting on the sword unconsciously.
“Svan has labelled all in the Drum traitors,” he answered, between breaths. “They’re hunting us Sybil. Tommen has managed to keep them at bay with the dragons, but he can’t quite control them.”
“What? You know about Tommen?” asked Sybil, unable to believe what she was hearing.
Sam nodded. “Yes, he’s been here the whole time Sybil, kept captive right underneath our noses. But it’s OK now, he’s free. Right in time too, because Svan is after our blood. It was a trap Sybil, the skyscrapers, everything. They killed almost everybody by finding a way to manipulate the Orock, it explains why they never used it for their barracks. They’ve started a coup.”
“What? What happened to your arm?” asked Sybil confused, unable to get her head around the situation.
Sam stared at her incredulously. “Where have you been Sybil?”
Sybil put her hands on Sam’s shoulders, pulling him close. “What is going on Sam?” she asked. “Where did the dragons come from? Where are the skyscrapers?”
Sam stopped and stared. “They’re still there, Sybil,” he said at last, his voice sounding sick. “The skyscrapers are the dragons. I don’t know how they did it Sybil, not even the Pulse-Masters do, but they changed all of the buildings into those beasts. And now everyone’s dead. Only those who were in the Drum survived. They’re after us Sybil and they’re not going to stop until we’re all dead.”
Sybil let go of his shoulders, pushing him back against the Orock harder than she’d intended. None of this made sense.
“You’re wrong,” she spluttered. Everyone was dead. She could barely comprehend it. Her two Raisers, the children she’d grown up with – they were all gone.
“I saw it happen Sybil,” Sam answered. “I heard the screams. The only reason I survived was because I was on guard duty…”
Sybil’s face turned white. “What has Tommen done?” she whispered.
“What has Tommen done?” asked Sam, suddenly angry. “He’s kept the rest of us alive! Svan’s been attacking the Drum ever since, trying to kill the rest of us. It’s only been because of Tommen and his control of the dragons that we’ve survived.”
“No, you’re wrong,” spluttered Sybil. “Tommen’s evil. He’s the one who murdered everyone, not Svan. Why do you think he can control the dragons? It’s because he created them!”
Sam’s eyes narrowed. “You’d better start talking quickly Sybil,” he said. “Tommen said that you’d sided with them. He said that you might try to mislead us.”
“Us? Who’s us?” asked Sybil.
“The Island of Tommen,” replied Sam. “The Drum. All of us. It’s us against Svan and their Wyvern horde.” He spat to the side. “We’re the only ones left to keep order Sybil. The Earthlands have declared war and Svan has staged a mutiny. We need to stay together.”
Sybil fell back against the Orock, her head spinning. There went her sense of equilibrium. But no, she wasn’t going to be tricked like this. She wasn’t so weak. She had seen Tommen, he had tried to kill her. She knew the truth about him, a truth that was even more important now.
She decided to start at the beginning. “Sam,” she said hesitantly. “Tommen is not what he seems. He’s been lying to us. All of us. I don’t know what’s going on with Svan and I don’t want to. Things are bad enough as it is without adding them into the mix, but I know that Tommen is a liar. The Wyverns aren’t on the side of Svan. They’re not on anyone’s side. They’re Seers Sam, they’re the creators of the Skylands,” she stopped for a second, waiting for Sam’s reaction, but he didn’t say anything. His face was stone cold. She continued talking, trying to think of the right words. “When they created the Skylands, they overused the timeline, it’s what turned them into Wyverns and created the Pulse. They’re trapped in those bodies. That’s why they’re attacking the Skylands. They want to take the Pulse back, they think if they can take it back that it’ll make them human again. That’s why they attack. It’s nothing to do with Svan. They’re on no one’s side, but their own.”
“Sybil that means that using the Pulse is the same thing as being a Seer,” replied Sam, shaking his head in disbelief. “It means we need to Silence you. We need to Silence the whole Drum. It’s madness.”
“I know,” moaned Sybil, the reality of it cr
ashing down on her again. Suddenly, she sat up. She had dealt with this already. It was behind her. She lifted her head up and stared at Sam intensely. “None of that matters now,” she said at last. “Svan, the Drum… I see what he’s doing now. He’s just trying to play us off against one another. He wants to keep us divided and weak so we don’t realise the truth. So we don’t destroy the real threat.”
Sam seemed to understand what she was saying, but he shook his head resolutely. “No, Sybil, you’re wrong,” he said. “Tommen would never do that to us. He’s the only one who’s kept us together, the only reason we’ve survived this long-”
“He’s lying to you Sam!” Sybil exploded. “Do you think those idiots over on Svan would be able to manipulate Orock like this? He’s the only one who can do it! He’s the one who made those dragons, he’s the reason almost everyone on this island is dead!”
Suddenly, Sam drew his sword. He retreated from her, waving it aggressively. “Tommen said Svan would send you!” he shouted. “He said they would try to break us! Well I won’t be broken, Sybil. Even by you.”
“Oh, put the sword down, Sam,” Sybil muttered disparagingly.
“Get back!” shouted Sam. With a flick of the Pulse, Sybil sent the sword clattering to the ground.
“Sit down, Sam,” she commanded. “You look ridiculous.”
Sam stared at her, his eyes wide. “You used it…” he gasped. “You used that hateful, dirty power on me!”
Sybil met Sam’s gaze. “The Seers are not what we think Sam,” she said. “You want to know where I’ve been all this time? I haven’t been on Svan, I’ve been in the Earthlands! That’s where I found out the truth about the Pulse and the Wyverns and Tommen! I might not know a lot about what’s going on here, but I know more than I ever wanted to know about my own power!”
Sam stayed standing, his eyes wide. “You have to know how crazy you sound,” he said, holding up his stump and staring at her intensely. “It wasn’t Tommen who did this to me, it wasn’t even Svan, it was one of those damn Seers that you seem to know so much about!”
“Forget about the Seers!” snapped Sybil. “Just think for a minute! Why would Svan randomly attack us? Why would they do that? In all of our history, have they ever done such a thing?”
“I don’t know why Sybil, I really don’t. All I know is that for the last two weeks I’ve had to fight tooth and nail with them just to survive.”
Sybil shook her head in exasperation. “Tell me, what else has Tommen told you?” she asked. “Did he say the other Islands are against us too? That they’re doing nothing?”
“He said that they’re scared, that they’re not interfering…” answered Sam, unsure of himself.
“Well that’s a lie too!” shouted Sybil. “Because they are attacking the Earthlands with the help of Tommen’s dragons! Open your eyes Sam, Tommen is controlling everything! He owns the Orock and with it he owns every Island! The only reason Svan isn’t on his side is because their barracks aren’t made of it. They’re not trying to kill you Sam, they’re just trying to stop Tommen!”
“How could you possibly know all this Sybil?” asked Sam.
“Because I’ve fought Tommen before, Sam,” replied Sybil. “And I know exactly what he’s capable of.”
Chapter 24 – Tommen the Great
Sybil and Sam wound their way through the barren landscape, running from shelter to shelter, their eyes constantly on the sky. It made sense of course, Sybil had guessed it weeks ago but she hadn’t wanted to believe it. The way Tommen had controlled the Pulse even when she was using it… it made sense that he could control the Orock too. Being trapped in the Drum was probably the only thing that had ever kept him from creating the dragons. How long had he been preparing for this moment? Construction had peaked in recent years. He must have been using the Probe to manipulate the Hall, to push his own agenda, just as he had almost tricked Sybil into setting him free. Maybe that’s why the Arrival had become so important… he’d wanted to wipe out the only source of resistance to his dragons.
No. That wasn’t right, there was only such blame that could be apportioned to one man. They had all supported the Arrival, they had all supported the silencing of the Seers. It had seemed so right at the time.
As they came closer and closer to the Drum, the sounds of war filled the air: the clash of swords, the surge of flames and the twang of a thousand bow strings all competing desperately to reach her ears. They crept closer to the battlefield, moving slowly. The ground was hard and rocky and scratched Sybil’s legs even through her grey uniform. Here and there, tufts of grass had begun to sprout where Orock skyscrapers had once stood. The stench of burning flesh and smoke consumed the air, crawling across her tongue. Steadily, they crested a small hill, a natural incline where a Boards stop had once been. Below them, the battle raged. It forced her eyes into place, as if pulling them with invisible strings. The army was massive, thousands and thousands of men and women sprawled across the landscape. Some rode Wyverns and loosed bows, hopelessly trying to kill the dragons. Others were scaling cracked walls. Almost everywhere Sybil looked, ladders and ropes leaned against the walls of the Drum. Some were pushed back by the Pulse-Masters, others whipped away by the long tail of a dragon. The scene was chaotic. It was obvious that Svan’s army vastly outnumbered the Drum’s bare defenders but those bare defenders wielded the Pulse far better than any Guardian and had dragons on their side. For every defender Svan struck down, they would lose ten Guardians, if they were lucky.
“How do we get in?” asked Sybil.
“We wait for night, that’s when the dragons have the advantage. The army will retreat and we can switch out with the next search party,” answered Sam.
Sybil nodded. Slowly, the two of them moved away from the fighting and found another neat pile of rubble to hide in. Sybil was getting rather tired of hiding. Sam shared his rations with her and they ate in silence. Then Sam slept and she took the first watch.
Sybil watched him sleep, her thoughts muddied and confused. She’d always thought of herself as a Skylander, even when she’d thought she could never go back, a Skylander was what she had always been. But what was left of the Skylands now? Could she ever call it home again? Irrationally, she felt a sharp pang of longing to be back with Elijah. She had belonged with him, she realised. They had been outcasts together. She stared out at the darkness, contemplating the thin pricks of torchlight that dared to fight the cloak of night. She felt unspeakably lonely. Even when Sam awoke to take his shift, she felt no less alone. He had always been a friend to her, but now it felt like he belonged in a past life. One which she could never return to.
Hours later, Sybil woke to the low sound of Sam’s voice in her ear. “It’s time,” he said. Sybil sat up, her head aching. She shook it and the muggy, uncertainty of sleep disappeared from her. She was ready. Together, they stepped outside of their rough shelter. The battlefield was now deserted, Svan’s army having long since retreated on the backs of Wyverns. They crept across its muddy surface, eyes on the one dragon that patrolled the skies above them. The rest were out terrorising Svan’s army, no doubt. As they neared the Drum, a sentry shouted out at them.
“Stop and identify!” the voice yelled.
“It’s me,” shouted back Sam.
“Sam?” asked the sentry, his voice tinged with scepticism. “We hadn’t heard from your party in days. We thought you were all dead.”
“Almost were,” answered Sam. “The dragons thought we were with Svan and…”
The sentry seemed to understand because he nodded ruefully, his face lit up by a lightbulb hammered into the Drum’s plaster wall. “Who have you got with you?” he asked.
“A survivor,” answered Sam.
Together, the two of them stepped closer to the sentry. His eyes widened on seeing Sybil.
“That’s the one Tommen’s had us out looking for,” he breathed.
“Well, now he can finally see her,” grunted S
am. “Are you going to let us in or what?”
The sentry nodded and called inside. “Open the gates!” he yelled. There was the sound of heaving and grunting and muffled complaints as what seemed to be a barricade of some sort was heaved away. Steadily, the gates opened. Light flooded the entrance as dozens of bulbs shone on them. Without using the Orock as a conduit, they had to be using a power shard each.
‘What a waste’, Sybil thought. The light was too bright and Sybil blinked rapidly, trying to let her eyes adjust after the darkness. Furtive whispers crowded around her as she stepped into the light. Sybil tried to keep calm, there was no sense in running in and attacking. She had no idea what Tommen had told them. She wished she’d grilled Sam a bit better now.
“Hush now,” a familiar voice said. Suddenly, Master Sooth stepped out into the light, wearing a long, pink dress. She smiled at Sybil familiarly and then winked. “I’m sure if she’d done anything wrong, she’d already be dead,” she smiled.
That was really comforting.
“Come Sybil,” she continued. “Tommen would like a word with you.” She took her by the arm and began leading her away, back down the Drum’s long hallway. Sam made as if to follow them, but Master Sooth stuck out one bony finger, stopping him short.
“I just want Sybil, Sam,” she sang, altogether too cheerfully. “If you were to come you would have been told.” There was a hint of a threat in that last statement, but Sam ignored it.
“I found her, I will bring her to him,” he answered, his voice determined.