Lost Lands (CHANGING TIMES Book 2)

by Shaun L Griffiths

  Dray nodded his agreement.

  ‘Tomorrow, we begin preparations to move West. We are going downriver.’

  There was a visible intake of breath from Dray.

  ‘I accept your decision, Lucinda...’

  ‘Call me Lulu, or just plain Lu. Everyone else does.’

  Dray raised his eyes in surprise at how informally the Clan addressed each other.

  ‘Lulu, may I ask what’s behind your decision?’

  ‘I’d like you to stand at the meeting place and ask me that tonight, for all to hear. And tomorrow, I’d like you to find Sonny and send him to me. It’s time we spoke.’

  ‘Kerri, I need you to take Sonny along the river this evening. Walk with him, talk about the weather, about fishing, anything, but don’t let him hear about our plan to leave.’

  ‘Casey, tomorrow, I want you to take Sonny on an expedition to find moss. Keep him away for the day, tell him it’s a bonding thing or something similar.’

  ‘Why don’t you trust him?’ Kerri asked in concern.

  ‘I don’t know what to think at the moment. He’s not his usual arrogant self and I’m concerned with how he’s taking all this. There are forces at work outside of our control, things we don’t yet understand. I just want to be sure before I make any more decisions. Right now, let’s take it one step at a time. We’ve a ceremony to complete.’

  They all stood, with Casey and Dray looking in awe, watching Lulu confidently taking leadership. Sam and Salli looked on with pride at their daughter.

  * * *

  By early evening, everyone had gathered at the meeting. There’d been rumours for some days that Sam had been thinking of passing over the crown. Since the death of Grandfather, King Willard Southernland, people were ready for a leader to step forward.

  The Clan and the lost people sat around the fire, sharing their evening meal. The toasted breads, cheeses, and fish seemed a little dry because of the expectation and uncertainty of the coming events.

  Through the flickering shadows spun by the dancing flames, people noticed that Sam was getting up. The conversations quickly stopped as they all became aware of him standing in the flickering light. When there was silence, Sam’s voice rang out around the meeting place.

  ‘I have decided to pass on the inheritance of the crown of our Clan, as is my right. I give the crown to my daughter Lucinda Southernland. I ask that you give her your full allegiance and support in all her decisions, for the benefit of our people and our unity. It’s only together that we are strong.’

  Casey rose and stood beside Sam. He lifted his staff in the air.

  ‘Strength Through Unity!’ he shouted in his deep, booming voice.

  The Clan stood, echoing Casey’s call, feeling pride in their hearts as their voices echoed through the stillness of the night, reverberating off the forest wall back to them.

  When they’d seated themselves, Gerath stepped forward. As an elder of the Clan, he’d been given the title of “Keeper of the Crown.” With great reverence, he stepped forward, taking the crown from a polished wooden box filled with a velvet padding covering a bed of goose feathers. The deep purple colour was made from a dye of crushed berries, to give it the beautiful hue that the Clan loved.

  Gerath took the crown, made of turned and polished wood, holding it high in the air for all to see. The wood sheen glistening in the firelight. Stones had been inlaid into the four tines, one of polished gold, to represent the golden wheat that fed them, one of cut emerald, to represent the summer grass that sustained their animals, a shaped stone of turquoise blue, to represent the flowing river that gave them their fish throughout the year, and one of a deepest black, to represent the night that brought them rest. It was only now, while Sam watched the crown being brought forward, that he realised the black stone was a Gateway stone that had once fallen to earth in a fiery streak from the heavens.

  With great ceremony, he placed the crown upon Lulu’s head. All those seated around the fire, including the lost people, stood to pay respects to the new Queen of the Clan. The Keeper of the Crown called out, for all to hear, ‘Queen Lucinda Southernland, fifteenth monarch of the River Plains.’

  A great cheer rose from the assembled families. Lulu tried hard to maintain a regal look and not start giggling. She knew her coming speech would be a difficult one.

  * * *

  When everyone had sat down to continue their meal, a feeling of gaiety settled over the families. With the ceremony completed, they could carry on their lives happily knowing that the monarchy had been maintained. People lay back and relaxed enjoying each other’s company and the warm evening.

  Lulu eventually stood and walked towards the centre of the meeting place. Returning the crown to Gerath, she turned towards the people seated around the fire. All eyes turned expectantly towards her.

  ‘Tomorrow, we begin preparations to move West. We are going down river.’

  There was an audible gasp from some, understanding nods from others, but all sat in silence.

  Dray stood up, now in his human form, to pay respects to the new queen. He cleared his throat, nervous of so many assembled families gathered around.

  ‘Queen Lucinda,’ he began, ‘In respect for your position as head of your Clan and leader of our hosts, I ask permission to call you Lulu, as a sign of friendship between our peoples.’

  ‘I’ll be happy that you look on us as friends. We stand on no formality, and I would like you and your people to call me Lulu.’

  Dray bowed to her position as queen. ‘May I ask, what has led you to make this decision?’

  Lulu went to get a drink, to give herself time to collect her thoughts.

  ‘There is no way back for your people. Your land is lost to the apes and will not be returned to you until the apes have been defeated. Your people are dying quickly. Those without the ability to change into Mountain Lions will not survive much longer this side of your own border. I believe that our river runs to an ocean to the west, where our lands will join without a border. There, we will both be free to live our own lives without the fear of growing old very quickly, and without having to change our form to survive.’

  There were murmurs of agreement around the assembled people.

  ‘Our own land is under threat,’ Lu continued. ‘Though it looks calm and peaceful since the rains extinguished the forest fire, we’re all aware of the rising threat that we see each day on the forest’s edges. The apes know we are here now, and they’re only waiting for their chance, for another fire, to invade. I want our people far away from this threat. I’ve made my decision, and because this affects both our Clan and our visitors, I will answer all questions tonight until you are satisfied this is the only option. After tonight, I will expect your acceptance of my decisions without consultation. Our own lands and our safety are under threat.’

  * * *

  Mothers involuntarily pulled their children towards them for protection. They understood immediately the threat they were under. Lulu looked toward Dray, seated with his people, the only survivors of a once-thriving community that looked upon the high alps as their homelands.

  ‘The apes that attacked your town now roam through the forest behind us. It’s the border, that mysterious, invisible force running through the forest, that’s keeping them out. These apes are not mindless creatures. They are being directed.’ Lulu waited for the full implications of this to sink in.

  ‘The apes are enslaved and directed to one aim alone... to recover the Crystal. All the murder, destruction and rampage is their revenge at having the Crystal withheld from them. Now, I believe the Snow Bears have lost the Crystal again.’

  There was shock at the news. Men urgently discussed among themselves what could happen if this were true.

  Casey stood and called, ‘Queen Lucinda is speaking!’ There was suddenly quiet as Casey’s voice boomed out over the meeting place. Lulu smiled her thanks to him.

  ‘There are forces at work which we do not yet understand. But
we will, and when we do, we’ll have the means to stop it for good. We’ll have the chance to recover our lands and live again in peace.’

  From the darkness, someone asked ‘If we leave, how do you know there’s land to be found to the west?’

  ‘Our legends tell of a river opening to the horizon. There’s not enough water there to stretch to the horizon,’ she said pointing to the river. ‘Even at flood time, there’s never much. Why are they legends? Because the journeys have never been repeated, and the stories remain that, only stories. But the Snow Bears also know of an ocean. It was Naz who told us that he’s seen it. With waves taller than a house, crashing onto a beach. Their land is to the north of you and they have an ocean. Our land is to the south of you and legends tell of an ocean. The Book of Histories tells of the Snow Bears’ ancestors coming from across the ocean, when we were all one people. But on finding land, the Clans dispersed, so as not to over-cultivate the land. We must be those people, and not only will there be land for us at the ocean, but there is also land across the ocean, where our ancestors first came from.’

  The people sat silently, trying to understand how their histories were all intertwined.

  Someone called from the Clan. ‘What about our supplies? What about our crops?’

  ‘There’s nothing that we cannot take with us. We have three year’s stock of smoked fish and grain. We have seed and preserved food. It will be hard, but we can do it. This is our chance to live as one people, united, with a mountain range protecting us from any further invasion. No ape could survive crossing the high alps, not even in summer. This is our chance of freedom.’

  The questions went on late into the night, with Lulu answering everyone about the plan that she’d prepared. Finally, with no more objections, people left for their beds with hope in their hearts for the first time in many days.

  * * *

  The morning sun streamed through the open window where Lulu worked with her mother in the kitchen. Nothing had changed since Queen Lucinda had been crowned. There were still vegetables to prepare for lunch. Sam and Casey sat talking at the other end of table, discussing the logistics of moving both the Clan and the lost people into a flotilla of boats downriver to who knew where. They heard voices from the garden where Kerri was practising with her staff against a dummy especially made for the task.

  ‘Hi, Kerri,’ Sonny called. ‘May I come in?’

  ‘Hello, you’re always welcome, you know that,’ Kerri called back.

  He stood for a moment, looking at her, playing with the edge of his tunic as if he felt uncomfortable to be wearing clothes for this meeting. His slender fingers showed that he was not used to work. The look in his eyes alerted Kerri that things were not right. There was something going on in his mind that she was unsure of, making her feel a little uncomfortable.

  ‘Um... Kerri, can I talk with you later, after I’ve seen Lulu?’ Sonny asked.

  Kerri sensed a nervousness in him, which didn’t help the distance that had grown between them since he’d crossed the border.

  ‘Sure, I’m always around. I’ll wait for you here,’ she said with a lightness she didn’t quite feel. She went back to practising with her staff, taking the head off the dummy with a lethal swing strike to the neck, using enough force to clear her pent-up anxiety.

  ‘Now, that wasn’t supposed to happen!’ she said, going to fix it.

  * * *

  ‘Come in, Sonny,’ Salli called, before he’d had time to knock on the door.

  Sonny put his head nervously into the room. ‘Hello, I was told you wanted to talk to me.’

  ‘Oh, don’t say it like that, Sonny. I was hoping we could have a chat, that’s all,’ Lulu said, trying to put him at ease. ‘Come through to the other room. It’ll be quieter.’

  The room at the front of the house looked out over the rolling Northern plains. The comfortable wooden seats had stuffed pillows to sit on, each seat spread around the fireplace. After they’d settled themselves, Lulu watched him closely as she asked, ‘Will you tell me about the Crystal, Sonny?’

  There was the slightest shift as his eyes broke contact to look down.

  He’s seen it, she thought.

  ‘What do you mean?’ he asked, still unable to hold her gaze. ‘I can tell you what I’ve been told.’

  ‘No,’ said Lulu, ‘I was hoping you could tell me what it actually feels like, seeing it for real, or even holding it.’

  ‘I’ve never held it,’ he blurted, much too quickly.

  It’s like questioning a child, she thought in exasperation. She took a deep breath.

  ‘Sonny, it’s important that I know as much as I can about the Crystal. It may save all our lives at some point. I need you to help me understand the powers that are at work here. Tell me what happened. I promise you, I’ll not judge you for it.’

  Sonny stared off through the window, watching the wind pass over the tall grass, moving like waves over water, swaying to and fro.

  Lulu waited patiently, knowing she couldn’t force him to tell what he knew.

  ‘It’s the second most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,’ he said, laughing to himself.

  Lulu was confused, but decided to say nothing. She sat smiling with him, encouraging him to continue.

  ‘It’s like looking into an empty space, a hole that goes on forever. You are drawn into its very depth. Have you ever stood on a very high cliff and felt dizzy, like you are going to fall, even though your feet are steady?’

  Lulu smiled and nodded, encouraging him to continue.

  ‘It’s the same feeling you get when you look into it. You feel you are falling into a tunnel of the most beautiful warmth and colour. It’s hypnotic, and it makes you want to go back again and again to make sure it was real, that you weren’t mistaken in what you saw and the pleasure it gave you from simply being close to it.’

  ‘When did you see it, Sonny?’ Lulu asked gently.

  ‘I came downstairs one night. It was shortly after my father returned from crossing the northern border. There were raised voices. My father, Duma, and my uncle, Dray, were arguing about giving something back. I couldn’t understand what they were talking about at the time. I could see through the open doorway that they were sitting at the table. There was a small golden box in front of them that my father held close to him. A light was coming from the box, which lit up my father’s face in a warm glow. He looked so happy, but there was also something else, a look I’d never seen before.’

  Lulu sat without saying a word, hoping he would continue. He stared out of the window, as though reliving the scene.

  ‘Well, I needed to know what it was. What was it that made my father look so... mean... so greedy? The next night, I crept downstairs when everyone was asleep. I knew where he kept the box hidden, because he was always looking at a place on the wall where there was a loose brick. He’d removed the brick and put the box in the space behind, then replaced the brick. But he couldn’t take his eyes off it, as if checking to make sure it hadn’t moved.

  ‘I took the box out and opened it. I had the strangest feeling that I had to take it for myself, but I was too afraid my father would catch me. I was reaching to pick it up when I heard footsteps on the stairs. Well, I panicked. I put the box back and returned the stone and then hid under that table. The next day, my father moved it to a different place. He must have suspected someone had moved the stone.’

  ‘And you resisted the urge to ever go and look for it again?’

  ‘I think the fear of my father was stronger than the urge to see it again, but I often think about it.’

  ‘Do you hear the voice, Sonny?’

  Sonny looked at her sharply. ‘How do you know about the voice?’

  ‘I’ve heard it too.’

  ‘You have?’ Sonny said in surprise.

  ‘Do you answer him?’

  ‘Well, I thought it was just my own voice, my own conscience talking to me at first. So I used to debate with myself. But then it got a lot mor
e serious, and vicious.’

  ‘In what way?’ Lulu asked.

  ‘Saying that it was because of my father that all this mess started. If it wasn’t for him, Holly would still be alive. It was all the fault of my family and I’ve started to believe it.’

  ‘Sonny, you can’t take the guilt of your father on your own head.’

  ‘The voice said to go back and save my father. But I didn’t want to leave here. I was too scared to go, now that the apes were there. He promised me the Crystal if I did.’ Sonny looked at the floor, unable to raise his eyes. ‘Then the voice said to go and find Holly. I was so happy to hear that Carter went to find her. It meant I didn’t have to go.’

  They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a while. Lulu finally stood, as a sign that the meeting was over.

  ‘Why didn’t you want to leave here? This is not your home,’ she asked.

  ‘I was torn between searching for a father I was afraid of, or staying close to someone I love.’

  He must want to be close to his mother, Lulu thought, but decided it was not her place to go down that road.

  ‘Sonny, promise me something. If the voice comes again and tries to talk to you, inside your head, please tell me what he says.’

  He looked at the floor and nodded without making eye contact.

  ‘Will you help Casey with the moss gathering today? I know he’s short of help at the moment,’ Lulu asked, guiding him towards the door. ‘By the way, what was the first most beautiful thing you’ve seen?’ she asked, smiling to lighten the tense atmosphere.

  ‘Kerri,’ was all he said.

  * * *

  Leaving by the garden, he found Kerri still practising with her staff. She had two destroyed dummies at her feet.

  ‘Don’t you ever stop?’ he asked.

  ‘Practice makes perfect. Besides, I enjoy it. You should come and join me. What you can learn may help you one day.’

  ‘I’d like to join you, Kerri. I’d like it if we could spend time together, like we did last night, like we did in the mountains, lying together in the cave looking at the stars. Do you remember?’