Worlds of the Never: A book with Dragons, Faeries and Elves, mixed with Science Fiction and Time Travel, for Young Adults and Teens. (Tales of the Neverwar 2)

by CJ Rutherford

  It was Katheryne’s turn to nod. “Yes. She’s bait. They intent to wait till they’re ready, until whatever trap they have planned for us is complete.”

  Toshi finished her thought. “Then they will wake her. She will have no idea how long she’s been a captive. One of the first things she will do is attempt to get here. That presents us with two possible hazards.”

  “Two? They must know that when we’re certain she’s alive we’ll make a rescue attempt. That’s one obstacle, certainly, but what’s the other?”

  Toshi smiled, but his lips were pressed tight together. “They may have found a way to come here, Katheryne, to your island. Did you never think of that?”

  Katheryne’s brows narrowed as she disengaged herself from Toshi. “Now that’s a scary thought, and no Toshi, I hadn’t thought of it.” A mischievous smile appeared on her face, and Toshi looked at her with a curious expression.

  “You do not seem to be alarmed at the prospect, Kat.”

  “I’m not, not really.” She giggled at his continued expression of confusion. “Toshi, this is my island. I made it. Ok, subconsciously at first, but if they want to try and take me on inside my own head…bring it on.”

  Comprehension dawned on his face, and he grinned widely for the first time in weeks. They walked back up the beach, and their appearance drew waves and greetings from the other inhabitants visiting the island.

  There was a community building here. There were never fewer than 50 of the other Powers from the alternate universes here at any one time, so Katheryne built a small group of shelters and areas for groups to relax and talk.

  “So where is Derren tonight?” asked Toshi. “This is the longest I have seen you apart in, well, forever.” He smirked in amusement.

  Katheryne returned the smile. “He’ll be along in a few minutes. I wanted to talk to you first.” She reached up and squeezed her friend’s arm. “And I’m glad I did.”

  “As am I, Katheryne,” said Toshi, but his expression turned quizzical. “Did you know I was here, on the island? I had no idea you could do that.” His expression was incredulous.

  Katheryne laughed. “I’ve been practicing. What I said about not being afraid of them attacking me here wasn’t just hot air. Watch that branch.”

  “What br...OW!” A tree appeared out of thin air and Toshi hit his head on a low hanging branch.

  “Ouch, now that was just mean.” Toshi clasped his head as blood ran out of a gash on his forehead. Katheryne giggled. “I fail to see what’s so funny, this is really sore...what? How?”

  The cut was gone, even the blood on his fingers had disappeared.

  “Like I said, I’ve been practicing,” she said, beaming.

  “So I can see. Katheryne, this is quite amazing. Your level of control here is frankly, staggering.”

  Katheryne knew he was speaking earnestly and she smiled her thanks, but something in his expression caused her to tilt her head in curiosity.

  “I know that look Toshi,” she said. “There’s something going on in that huge brain of yours. Come on spill it.”

  “Yes, Toshi, spill,” said Derren, as he walked up and took Katheryne’s hand. They exchanged an instant of closeness, before Derren turned to his oldest friend.

  “She’s right.” Derren looked Toshi straight in the face with his lopsided grin. “You have one of those big thoughts floating about in that enormous space between your big ears. So I say again...spill the peas.”

  Katheryne cringed. “Beans, Derren. It’s spill the beans. God I don’t know what’s worse, television or no television.”

  Toshi smiled, and winked at Derren. “Well if you’d let him watch a bit, his education about your planet’s vegetables might develop a little more.”

  Katheryne rounded on Toshi. “And maybe your education in my planet’s sports might develop a little as well, eh Toshi?” His face blushed. “You think I’m stupid? You two are incorrigible.”

  Derren stage whispered, “Tosh, what does incorrigible mean? I didn’t get to that part on their Discovery channel.”

  Katheryne threw her hands up in the air, “Enough! Ok you can have the TV back on. But no more Friends reruns ok? I’ve already seen every episode at least three times.”

  Toshi looked dismayed. “Kat, that’s not fair. It may be your forth time but it’s our first.”

  “And I want to see Rachel in the Princess Leia costume.” Derren instantly knew he’d said the wrong thing, as Katheryne’s eyes narrowed. “Purely for research, my love. The Star Wars movies are my favorites.”

  “Toshi, I think it’s time you left Derren and I to...discuss a few ground rules about what he watches.”

  Derren looked at him with a, don’t leave me alone with this monster look, but Toshi smiled as he bowed.

  “Thank you for earlier, Katheryne,” he said. “Derren, my old friend, I’m afraid some things need to be discussed behind closed doors. I will take my leave now.”

  As he turned to go Derren muttered, “Traitor,” with a smile. He turned to Katheryne who was standing with her arms crossed. “Now, my love. Why don’t we find a nice quiet corner...oof!” A root grasped his ankle and pulled his feet from under him. He landed on his back, but before he could rise, Katheryne was on top of him.

  “So, what do you think?”

  Derren opened his eyes to see Katheryne above him, wearing a diaphones white silk gown. Her golden hair was gathered in roundels against the sides of her head.

  “Wow”

  “Wow?”

  “Yeah, wow,” said Derren as he grabbed her and wrestled her giggling body to the sandy ground. “Now why don’t you take that silly outfit off?”

  “Silly? I thought you wanted to see Rachel in it,” Katheryne said, pouting theatrically.

  “Hmm, perhaps,” Derren replied, “but I’d rather see you out of it.”

  “You always say the right thing, don’t you?” Katheryne allowed Derren to remove the gown, instead of simply making it disappear. He’d earned that much, she thought, smiling. As she shook her hair free, she looked forward to a little payback.

  She had earned it as well, after all.

  Chapter Thirty Six

  Eggs in a Basket

  “Down there!” Jira pointed down and to her left, as the atmocraft shuddered its way through the roiling air of the broken planet below. The superheated air from the lava fields below made travel within the atmosphere almost impossible, but Zjokara had been a stick pilot ever since she’d been old enough to see over the lip of the console.

  This was a challenge even for her, as she banked aggressively to avoid an eruption of rock and ash only a few hundred meters to her right.

  “Couldn’t whoever hid these things have put them somewhere a little safer?” she asked.

  A snort of laughter came from the small navigation station behind them. Zlotta hit a button to project a display of the immediate area onto their screens. “Captain, I suspect whoever hid what we’re looking for chose his hiding place well. Look around.”

  Zjokara risked a glance away from the displays to the view outside. All she could see out the viewport was smoke, ash and fire as she tried to navigate through it, toward the general direction indicated by Jira. But now the display showed a wider view, and the level of destruction appalled her. All around for a hundred miles was nothing. The range of mountains, which had risen hundreds of thousands of feet above the sea, was now sinking into it, with steam flashing into the air. But straight ahead was a peak Zjokara knew well. She laughed.

  “Care to share the joke, Captain?” said Zlotta.

  Jira looked back over her shoulder. She was still a child but her perception was unparalleled. “I think your Captain is wondering why a dwarf mountain within this range of giants is still standing, while the others are molten rock.”

  Zlotta saw her Captain nod her agreement. “The peak standing before us, Zlotta. Don’t you recognize it?”

  The sub commander looked out the viewport, and through
the swirling smoke and ash saw a familiar sight. The ice at its tip was gone but the crags were unmistakable. “Mporat. Zjokara, this is the mountain we grew up at the base of. We have climbed those peaks dozens of times.”

  The craft shook as a blast of air caught it, but Zjokara compensated instantly. “I am relieved we don’t have to climb this day, my sister.” They were close now and Zjokara extended the landing gear.

  “Which way, Jira? No, it’s ok. I see it.”

  The smoke cleared, revealing a wide escarpment. The spurs on either side had been eroded by the lava but there was easily space to land the large shuttle. Zjokara made one pass, before sweeping in and expertly landing, with the rear doors facing the mouth of the cave.

  The three of them unbuckled their harnesses and walked out of the cockpit, down the stairs to join the troops below. A dozen soldiers in augwear stood waiting to assist with transporting whatever they found here back to the shuttle. Zlotta was still skeptical, but Zjokara trusted Jira implicitly. If she said there were a bunch of eggs in a cavern a mile below the mountain? Well then, they’d just have to go and get them.

  The doors opened, admitting a sulphurous stench as the smoke billowed in. All the augsuits had helmets, but Zjokara and the others couldn’t fit in the cockpit while wearing them, so they pulled masks over their faces to block it out.

  Inside thirty minutes, they stood in the cavern, and Zlotta gaped as she realized how mistaken she’d been. Jira’s dream was right on the button, and all of them walked around with wide eyes, taking in the sight of hundreds of dragon eggs, arrayed around the altar in the centre of the depression.

  The Captain signaled they should begin the extraction, and one of the soldiers bent down to pick up one of the four foot orbs.

  “Stop!” Jira stood with her mask in her hand, and even though she stood barely five feet tall, her voice carried across the chamber. The soldier stopped her motion and stood up, as did the others.

  Jira walked slowly down the slope towards the altar, stopping beside a large silver egg. Zjokara watched as she reached out to caress the rough surface. As her hand touched it, the egg began to glow, and a keening sound filled the cavern. The dozen soldiers, along with Zjokara and Zlotta watched in wonder as Jira walked into the blinding silver glow.

  A gasp of alarm came from Zlotta, but her Captain reached to grasp her hand in reassurance.

  “We are witnessing a birth, Zlotta,” she said, “a birth of a being unseen in this universe in uncounted centuries.” Tears welled in her eyes, as she watched the girl she thought of as a daughter, become something else. The glow subsided and silence fell.

  At the base of the dais stood a bright silver dragon, and as Zjokara watched, Jira tested her wings by stretching each one tentatively outwards to their full extent. She stood up slowly and turned beautiful sea blue eyes to look at her.

  ‘You have been my mother, Captain.’ Zjokara and Zlotta started, as both of them heard the voice in their heads. ‘And Zlotta, my dear, skeptical big sister. I’m sorry we can’t spend more time together now, but there is an urgent task I must complete first.’

  Zjokara sobbed as she understood what Jira meant. “Where will you go, Jira? And why? I have so many questions.”

  Sweet laughter sounded in their heads, and even though there were tears welling in everyone’s eyes, they all smiled.

  ‘I think you will be pleased when I return with my prize, mother.’ Jira took Zjokara’s hands in her large claws, and the Captain wondered at the gentleness the huge form was capable of. Her touch was warm and soft as she squeezed her fingers.

  ‘Please take care of the eggs and make sure they get to safety. I will join you shortly, but now I must fly.’ Her wings stretched out, and Jira leapt into the air. The chamber was huge and Jira was still but an infant, but even so there was no way she’d be able to fly up the narrow tunnel. There was no need for concern, as she flew upwards and disappeared into the rock wall as if it wasn’t there.

  There was a panicked communication from the guards stationed back at the shuttle, as a winged form flew out of and around the peak, to disappear like a bolt of silver lightning to the south. Zjokara and Zlotta exchanged a smile before the Captain addressed the group.

  “Hurry!” she said. “We don’t know how long we have, and there are hundreds of eggs to carry out. Let’s get to work.”

  *

  Jira flew south at over ten times the speed of sound. It was as fast as she could fly inside an atmosphere without risking igniting the volatile air surrounding her. Her errand was urgent, only having been revealed to her the moment she became this being.

  Her awareness stretched out and she found her target, under a mile of rock trapped in a rapidly shrinking bubble of air. She arrowed downward and plunged into a sea of magma, swimming deeper and deeper, until she saw the collection of statis pods anchored onto the floor of the remains of some sort of building. The whole thing was enveloped in a shimmering energy field which protected it from the devastating forces around it, but the field was rapidly losing power.

  Jira grasped it with her mind and flew toward the surface as fast as she could. The heat had no effect on her, but she sensed the power die on the shield generator. It wouldn’t last long enough. There was only one thing she could do. She had no idea if it would work, but it was her adopted race’s only hope for survival, so she put her mind to the task.

  *

  Two hours later, Zjokara sat in her chair on the main bridge, fidgeting nervously. They had barely put the last egg into the cushioned baskets in the main hold of the shuttle, when the escarpment began to slide into the red sea below. They loitered over the site for a few minutes and watched as Mporat disappeared forever. They were technologically advanced enough to eventually arrest the destruction of this world, but what would form again would be different than before.

  “Captain I have an unidentified object approaching from the surface.” Zlotta was concentrating on the plot so didn’t turn around. Her Captain was at her side in less than a second.

  “Is it her, Zlotta?” she asked, and the sub commander heard the undercurrent of tension in the enquiry.

  Zlotta narrowed the focus and expanded the visual display, projecting it onto the main screen. A huge silver form rocketed toward them at high velocity. Over 500 meters from wing tip to tip, the scales glinted with the sunlight reflecting off it.

  Zjokara breathed and smiled in pride. “It’s her. How long before we rendezvous?”

  Zlotta looked sideways at her. “Captain, are you sure it’s her? I mean that thing is huge, and look at the reading coming from it. Power levels are off the chart; and its speed. It’ll be here in thirty five seconds at current velocity.”

  Zjokara raised an eyebrow in surprise. That was over five times the speed her fastest ship could gain while under the influence of a planet’s gravity well. Jira was full of surprises. An icon illuminated at the top of the display, and a group of numbers began to rapidly decrease.

  “Captain, she’s slowing.” Zjokara nodded to acknowledge the report. “Well, at least we know she can see us.” The Captain returned Zlotta’s smile.

  ‘Zlotta, you would not believe what I can now see. It’s wonderful.’ Both Zjokara and Zlotta started at the voice sounding in their heads. This would take some getting used to. ‘But for now can you open the main hold doors? I have a delivery to drop off.’

  Both of them sensed the amusement behind the voice, but Zjokara reached over Zlotta’s shoulder to activate the control.

  “It’s opening now, Jira,” she said. She winked at Zlotta. “I must say you’ve grown in the hours we last saw you.”

  The laughter was clear in their heads this time. ‘I had to think on my feet back there. I’m afraid my true form would have been too small to carry the cargo I have inside me.’

  Zlotta turned to look up at her Captain and both knew that they wondered the same thing. What cargo, and what did Jira mean, inside her?

  Seconds later the mystery
was solved, as the huge silver dragon came alongside the flagship, and Jira halted above the cavernous opening to the main hold. For a few seconds it seemed like nothing would happen, but then gasps came from the staff on the bridge, as what could only be a ruined building, swam like a ghost from within the silver scales, and entered the ship. Metallic tubes could clearly be seen on the display, and the gasps became prayers of hope, as the crew recognized them as stasis pods.

  “Zlotta, with me!” The sub-commander jumped up, and quickly followed her Captain as she rushed off the bridge.

  Two minutes later, they watched from the hold viewing gallery as the tractors settled the wrecked structure onto a support derrick. Artificial gravity was disabled, and they strapped on propulsion packs, along with masks as a precaution against any hazardous gases loitering within the building. They entered the airlock at the end of the gallery, and cycled through to enter the huge hold. They both kicked off together, using the packs to correct their course.

  Zjokara’s pulse pounded in her ears, and there were hundreds of small winged creatures flying around in her stomach as they approached the pods. It was obvious some of them were damaged, with dead indicators on two of them, and the glass smashed on another. But nine white plexisteel canisters had life indicators, which blinked a healthy green, meaning the inhabitant was alive. But who were the inhabitants?

  Zjokara approached the nearest one, using the pack to settle herself on the floor relative to it as she activated the main display. The glass faceplate was frosted over, obscuring the form within, but it was clearly reptilian. A brilliant flash interrupted any further examination and she turned with Zlotta, as the glow subsided to reveal a six foot tall silver dragon.

  ‘My gift to you, Mother and Sister.’ Jira waved a taloned hand, and the nearest pod opened up. What should have taken a day to process, happened instantly as the form within opened his eyes.