The Tessellation Saga. Book Two. 'The One'

by D. J. Ridgway

  ‘Jed,’ he cried, real tears this time as the pain caused from movement in his leg was excruciating. ‘Jed, I found Mayan afore she died, she give me this ter give ter yer, so’s yer know I be tellin’ the truth. She said fer yer ter avenge ‘em all.’

  Toby pushed his hand into his pocket and slowly withdrew it, opening his clenched fist, he held out the shiny blue stone, still as vibrant and alive now as it had been on the night Gideon had tied it around Mayan’s neck, the night Jed himself and Gideon had become blood brothers.

  ‘I tried ter stop ‘im Jed but ‘e were too strong, an’ ‘e busted me leg an’ left me ter die. I crawled ‘ere ter find someone ter ‘elp.’

  The blue stone twinkled in the pre dawn light, it looked grey now but Jed knew it was blue. He instinctively felt for Mayan using the ‘twin thing’ his mother had always said they had. There was nothing, usually, he could get a sense of her at least. He tried again, desperate to feel something of his sister. Still there was nothing, he knew how much his sister loved Gideon, how all her life she had followed him around only waiting for him to notice her. When Gideon had given her the stone, she had been the happiest girl in the world and he knew she would not have passed on the stone for any reason other than death. He thought of the tale Lemba and Rhoàld had told him, mostly the same as Toby’s but for a few minor differences. A King’s son is a King’s son… he thought.

  Toby sobbed with real pain as his broken bone grated, protesting as the leg moved. Jed saw the pain on his friends face and read it as agony in finally losing Mayan and he was convinced.

  ‘Me ma an’ Da were visitin’ with Jed’s folks, me ma was gonna ‘elp May with shopping fer the wedding. That’s when Gid found out about ‘is Da, that’s when ‘e killed ‘er. They buried ‘er, buried ‘er, right there at Gid’s granda’s ‘ouse… E’s a mighty fine prince now, don’t need no village girl.’

  Toby stopped then, he looked at Jed under his lashes once more, hoping he had not gone too far, even he could see his story was more than a bit disjointed and everybody in the village knew the story of Gideon’s father Jed and his wife. How Tom, Toby’s father had been too scared of the wood to walk the drunken man all the way home and the house had burned down, killing Mayan, Jed’s wife and their newborn son. Everybody knew Tom and Jed hardly spoke anymore, so it would be highly unlikely for his parents to be visiting Gideon’s grandparents, let alone helping with preparations for the wedding. Toby cursed himself for lying too easily and he prayed Jed would not notice the anomalies. He was glad he had been opening Jed’s mail though, in the time Jed had been AWOL he had received three letters all telling of the impending visit to Jed’s parents at Branton, silently he wished he had checked the dates of the visit more carefully.

  Jed moved off to sit alone, Gid, ‘ow could yer do such a thing? He thought as he reached out once more to find his sister. He still felt nothing, Mayan was just not there, all their lives he and Mayan had been able to ‘know’ how the other was feeling or if they were near or in pain, once, as a child, Jed had broken his ankle falling from a tree, he had not felt any pain at all but Mayan had screamed in agony. Apple had explained it to them then as their being, two parts of the same whole, a natural ability known by most twins.

  Again, he tried and again there was nothing, choked and full of grief with tears of pain and guilt racking his body he looked down the road he had travelled the previous evening, where he knew his parents were chained up like animals and ready to be sold into slavery. His heart grew cold as he realised that Toby was speaking the truth, his twin sister was dead.

  Toby sat watching him intently from the base of the tree, he saw Jed stuff the stone in the pocket of his leather jerkin and come to stand before him.

  ‘Gideon will die fer this,’ he said. ‘Iffen it’s the last thing I do, I’ll kill ‘im fer what ‘e’s done.’ Again, Jed walked away not wanting Toby to witness his grief and as Toby watched him go and despite the pain in his leg, a smile hovered around his mouth.

  Slowly the sun began to rise and Jed noticed the column of men and horses moving inevitably toward them, he knew his parents and the villagers were on their way. Many of the villagers had small children and if they had spent as cold a night as he had, they would be lucky to have survived. Hate filled Jed’s heart as he thought of the pain in his mother’s face, the abuse Sámia had suffered and the beating his brother had obviously taken, his hate turned cold and angry as he realised it was all Gideon’s fault. Tears would no longer flow and he swore to himself then, Gid would not, could not, be allowed to live.

  ‘I’m goin’ Tobe, yer’ll be ok now the soldiers ‘r’ ‘ere …’ he said, turning to face Toby, he smiled weakly, the smile not quite reaching his eyes. ‘I’ve got sommat I need ter do, thank you… fer being ‘er friend.’ He said as he took off running swiftly toward the trees and Green Cottage, the home of Gideon’s grandparents.

  Chapter 15

  Young Jed Grieves

  The inhabitants of the cottage slept as Jed crept closer and closer and the sun hovered on the edge of the world ready to lighten up the day with a soft golden glow.

  As Jed passed the newly dug soldier’s grave beside the barn, he mistakenly took it for Mayan’s final resting place and kneeling on the cold hard ground, he touched the frozen earth reverently, his heart cracked, as he thought of his beautiful chestnut haired sister lying cold and alone, deep within the bowels of the earth.

  Strangely, his own stone, his gift from Gideon, still offered him comfort and support as it hung on the green leather thong around his neck; he held it tightly in his palm as he watched the house. He knew Gideon was inside, he could feel it. In his grief, it did not occur to him to wonder, that if what Toby had said was true, then why was Gideon here in Branton, instead of in Devilly with his real father. Still kneeling reverently, he placed his palm on the frozen earth of the grave.

  ‘Mayan love,’ he whispered, ‘Gideon will answer fer this…,’ he pulled his cloak around him and sat to wait for the true morning to light up the world. Then, he knew Gideon would die, but for now, he would sit here, sit here with his sister and wait.

  Chapter 16

  Mayan Awakens

  Deep within her safe place, Mayan felt protected and loved. She did not want to leave it and come out but somehow knew she must, she thought she felt her brother searching for her but her barriers had stopped her responding so sighing, she turned away from her brother and returned to her vision of Gideon and the silver blue river. As she looked at Gideon, he began to change and suddenly Jed was before her sitting on the cold hard ground his head bent toward the earth. She smiled as he pulled his cloak about his shoulders and then he looked up.

  Her heart almost stopped, Jed’s face screamed death at her, such a look of hatred and contempt. She had never seen him look this way before and as if he felt her looking he smiled, his eyes cold and flat, he was talking to her, telling her how he would make Gideon pay before he died. Pay fer what? Mayan thought, still deep within her dream, why would Jed want to kill Gideon. She shuddered in fear, only it was not the imagined fear of the nightmare, it was real fear, a solid tangible thing and it was fear for Gideon. Frantically she began to claw at the walls she had built to hold her safe. Slowly they began to break down, slowly, so slowly they crumbled as she fought her way back from sleep until at last she could feel Jed was nearby, her safety walls finally disappeared and she opened her eyes.

  She shook her head to clear her jumbled thoughts and her nightmare evaporated with the last vestiges of sleep. It was all right, it had all been a dream, a bad dream, a nightmare, she knew this room and knew today she was going to go shopping with Gideon’s grandmother, today I am gonna choose me trousseau, me wedding things, she thought, smiling.

  She climbed stiffly off the bed wondering why she was aching and splashed clean cold water on her face and neck before dressing quickly as she attempted to shake off her sombre mood. Nerves! She laughed at herself, as she walked quietly down the stairs
.

  As Mayan entered the kitchen all eyes turned to look at her, the kitchen had felt quite large before but now with so many bodies crowded around it was positively tiny, most of the faces she knew but some she did not, one thing was the same on them all though, they all looked …concerned.

  ‘Mayan love, ‘ow yer feelin’?’ Gideon’s father asked as he came forward and threw his arms around her.

  ‘Jed, leave the girl be son, let ‘er settle,’ chided Jed’s mother gently. Mayan felt the centre of attention as she moved to sit at the table. She brushed her hand over her hair to pull it off her face and touched a tender part of her skull; she winced at the pain and suddenly understood.

  ‘Oh…Toby,’ she vaguely remembered turning a corner and seeing Sonal falling down a slope, Gideon, with soldiers holding his arms as he was being sick, Toby leering at her and Gideon shouting run, then something dropped over her, and she had fallen. She remembered the way her arms and legs seemed locked in place and then Toby’s rancid breath washing over her face, again she remembered the sharp piercing pain deep inside and felt cold and alone until Gideon was there, sitting beside her in a sunlit meadow beside a stream. A meadow she had built in her head.

  ‘Toby raped me…’ she whispered aloud, remembering everything clearly and realising why all eyes had been on her and now suddenly were anywhere but with her. The striking green eyes of a small impossibly beautiful silver haired girl were the only ones that seemed to empathise.

  ‘It will be all right,’ they seemed to say, ‘It will be all right.’

  Mayan let her mind wander again over what she remembered, she sat quietly, her hands protectively holding the teacup Gideon’s gran, her gran, placed before her and she made a conscious effort to test out her body as the other members of the party tried to talk normally around her. Apart from feeling tender an’ bruised an’ that could ‘ave ‘appened as I fell an’ hit me ‘ead, she thought, nothin’ seems to be wrong anywhere else. I’ll deal with the ovver stuff anovver time, I’m fine, her thoughts continued. Toby had done his worst and she was fine, the absurdity of the situation bubbled up inside her she began to giggle as the other occupants of the room stopped talking and stared at her, her laughter stopped abruptly.

  Suddenly, everyone was again talking at once; voices filled the room attempting to fill the awkward silence. Mayan stood as the pragmatist in her realised everyone here, whether she knew them or not, knew what had happened to her, from Toby’s last attempt inside his father’s barn and the subsequent hours spent with her loved ones tiptoeing on egg shells around her she knew she had to stop this now. All eyes were on her as she cleared her throat, whatever they were expecting the tension and anxiety around the room dissolved as she spoke.

  ‘I don’t seem to know everyone, me name’s Mayan an’ I’m gonna marry Gideon,’ she said in a rush. The green eyes of the silver haired girl seemed to laugh with delight as smiles of relief beamed at her from around the room.

  ‘That’s me girl,’ called Gideon’s father.

  ‘How do you do, young lady,’ from someone who looked remarkably like Sonal.

  ‘My brother Varan,’ said Sonal, answering Mayan’s unspoken query. Mayan’s eyes opened wide as she remembered Sonal’s tale of his family back at Green Home but before she could comment Gideon’s father spoke again.

  ‘This be Lemba, an’ this…’ introductions and explanations carried on as Mayan smiled acknowledging each and every person. She was interested to see how Gideon’s father blushed from the neck clear up to his roots as he introduced the other unknown woman in the room, Lemba’s sister, Dotty.

  ‘I think I remember you ‘elping me, mam,’ she said, smiling at Dotty, ‘when I was brought ‘ome I mean an’ thank you,’ she added. Dotty reached across and took her hand.

  ‘You are a strong young woman, an’ you’re very welcome.’ She said.

  ‘Where’s Gid?’ Mayan asked, as she realised his face was the only one she really wanted to see and could not.

  ‘Well Sonal,’ said Jed, his gaze turning serious once more, adding ‘where is ‘e? My boy ‘ad best be all right out there…’

  ‘Don’t worry so much, he will be fine, Jayse is with him.’ Sonal answered.

  ‘Less than one day ago Jayse would ‘ave rammed ‘im with a knife ‘isel.’ Jed grumbled, ‘why could I not ‘ave gone on this s’periment, after all ‘e be me own son.’ Sonal looked at his friend compassionately, although he had answered this and several other questions along a similar vein a dozen times.

  ‘Jed, you are too close to the boy, he has to be allowed to travel as far as he can, you know you would have held him back if had so much as stubbed his toe.’ Jed grumbled into the teacup his mother perpetually filled from a fresh pot.

  ‘Yes, but Jayse…,’ he began to say as his mother stepped in.

  ‘Jedadiah, you know yer Da and I love yer, now you listen ter me, Jayse ain’t the same boy as rode in with them soldiers, he… he’s kind an’ thoughtful, the kind o’ boy me an’ yer Da would be proud to call our son, an’ iffen ‘e was our son ‘e’d be yer brother an’ Gid’s uncle. So stop bein’ ser jealous and trust ‘im.’ Jed looked at his mother as she fussed and fretted, ensuring everyone had everything they needed and he could not remember the last time his parents had entertained this way. Yesterday they had both been badly assaulted, his father Gideon, still bore a fat lip and a beautiful shiner not yet even trying to heal, the black and swollen flesh keeping the old man’s eye firmly closed, this, a gift from Toby that Jed would someday repay. Dotty and the twins had both offered to heal the obviously painful wound but the old man had refused.

  ‘Mrs Green don’t care much fer magic an’ such,’ he had said stoically.

  Jed himself had to agree the young soldier, Jayse, did seem to like his parents and had even tried to help him. Ruefully he admitted to himself what his mother had accused him of, he was jealous. He had not been here when his parents were being hurt and he had not been here to help them pull the pieces together after the dead body of the soldier was discovered in the house. Jayson had been a calming influence over all the chaos and grudgingly, Jed gave him credit for behaving exactly as a son would have done, as he himself would have done if he had been here. For the moment, he knew the young man was sleeping in the barn but his mother had already said when the family left again after the visit, Jayse was going to stay on and help around the cottage.

  ‘Hhruuump,’ Jed said aloud as his thoughts continued in a more amenable manner, they do need someone ‘ere now they be older, an’ they do seem ter like ‘im, he stood and crossed the room. ‘I be sorry ma, yer right, I gave the lad no credit an’ I were jealous…’ she squeezed her son tightly, a tear in her eye.

  ‘It’s all gonna be fine boy,’ she said, ‘now don’t yer worry so.’ Jed smiled and turned away from her before returning to his chair and anxiously looking out of the window, unconsciously resuming the position he had taken before Mayan had walked into the room.

  Mayan crossed to Jed the inevitable teacup in one hand and a plate of toast in the other.

  ‘Jed, where’s Gideon, what’s goin’ on outside?’ She inquired, as she sat beside him and she too peered through the misty glass.

  The day outside appeared cold and crisp once more, though there seemed a little more sun around than there had been. She could see the barn from the window and the ivy thriving in the cold looking like a living wall as it grew completely over one side of the huge building.

  ‘S’periment,’ muttered Jed with a growl, adding, ‘ter see iffen Gid’s illness is because ‘e’s away from the Forest, or Green ‘ome wood anyways.’ Jed answered her, his gaze still fixed on the other side of the glass. ‘Sonal can explain it better ‘en me,’ he added as Sonal came to join the two at the window. Sonal touched his friends shoulder in an effort to comfort him.

  ‘We think,’ Sonal began, ‘it’s the house here and the Forest at home that has stopped Gideon from being ill before this,’ he looked at Mayan
closely her confusion apparent. ‘It’s like this,’ he began again, the whole room seemed to still, each person listening intently, for some, they had heard the explanation a hundred times but still they listened. Jed turned briefly to look at his friend. ‘We think we know who Gideon’s actual birth parents were,’ he said, laying his hand across Jed’s shoulder once more. Jed turned back to the window, his face unreadable. Sonal stopped his love and concern for Jed preventing him from continuing their theory. He turned to his brother with a pleading look, Varan as intuitive as ever continued.

  ‘Well, we know King Gath and his forebears were able to do magic, we also know how Gideon was born, apparently those of us who were here saw it the other evening.’ Heads nodded and smiled sadly, remembering the vivid dreams of the young pregnant girl running through the woods, as he spoke he used his fingers to emphasize his speech exactly the same way Sonal had done the day before.

  ‘We know Gideon was ill, that something happened to kill the soldiers in the woods… and that something was generated from Gideon. Dotty, Rhoàld and I are all able to feel magic in varying degrees. We could feel that Gideon was the source of the magic and it was powerful, have no doubts upon that, dangerously unstable in fact. We know that Gideon has spent most of his life in and around Green Home Forest. We also know he never had so much as a cold before leaving the forest area and here, Gideon’s grandfather has spent years building this house out of wood and stone all brought in from Green Home. We’ve looked at the way Jayson has changed from being here in this house, at how Gideon has seemed to recover quickly once he is here within the confines of the house and gardens.’ Mayan listened to Varan, unsure of what it had to do with any experiment.