Once he had reached the woman, The young space warrior stood over her for a while, watching her intently. Where had he seen this woman before? She looked familiar somehow. Those curves, that costume, that long dark hair…? James placed his hands on the woman’s shoulders, and turned her over. Oh my god, Crystaline! The princess!
“Crystaline, wake up!” James tried to shuffle the beautiful young princess awake. His actions were to no avail, the princess was dead.
“JAMES! HELP ME!”
There was that scream again - Lottie’s!
James immediately left the motionless princess, running as fast as his legs could carry him towards the cries of his best friend. As the young space warrior ran, he could hear Lottie’s screams getting more and more louder, more and more frequent, until eventually, he saw her. Lottie stood before several orange flames, and she was surrounded by creatures. Frail, wicked looking, black winged beings. They looked like demons.
As James continued to run towards Lottie, he watched as the creatures began to slash at his best friend, tearing away chunks of her flesh, and sending it flying into the fireballs behind her. Lottie’s cries were filled with such a ferocious agony, and before James could reach her, he was forced to watch his best friend being dragged into the flames once again.
Chapter 6
James shot up from his bed, throwing off the sweat ridden bedsheets. As he sat there, his bare moist chest heaved inwards and outwards. It was that dream again…that nightmare. How had it happened twice? On two consecutive nights?
James’ heart stopped as another horrifying thought hit him. How had Crystaline been in both of the nightmares? The young space warrior hadn’t even met the Urashan princess this time yesterday.
James decided, he could no longer keep this to himself. This nightmare was starting to get too weird, and so the young space warrior decided that he had to confide in the one person he could talk to on this whole darn planet - Lottie.
James burst out of his room, knocking frantically on Lottie’s door.
To the young space warrior’s relief, Lottie opened the door, looking completely dumbfounded.
“James? What are you doing?”
“Can I come in?” He panted in return.
Lottie stared at her best friend’s half naked body, and the sweat smothering it. She had to admit it, James looked so good topless. And the way that his brown bottoms just hung from his hips, even Lottie wanted to pounce on her best friend. This was no time to start feeling sexually attracted to James, however. For something was clearly wrong with her best friend. Lottie let James into the room, and closed the door behind him.
“James, what on Earth is going on with you?”
James sat on Lottie’s large round bed, seemingly unaware of the fact that she had just spoken to him.
“It happened again, Lotts. I had that nightmare again.”
Lottie sat down beside her best friend, her expression concerned.
“The one that you and Phil argued about yesterday?”
“Yeah,” James panted, “normally I wouldn’t give a shit, but this dream… it’s strange…it’s horrible!”
“What happens in it?”
James’ heart winced, as he realised that he hadn’t entirely thought this through. The last thing that the young space warrior wanted was to scare Lottie. Nonetheless, James had made his bed. He had barged into Lottie’s room like some crazy maniac. He owed her an explanation.
As James explained the nightmare to his best friend, she listened very carefully and attentively. Lottie looked a little troubled that she were one of the main subject matters of this dream. And the female space warrior looked even more alarmed once James got round to explaining the significance of Crystaline.
“You see, that’s what’s so strange about this dream, Lotts. Crystaline was in both dreams, yet yesterday, or the night before yesterday. I had never even met her. I had never even seen her.”
Lottie considered her best friend’s words for a moment, and then her face calmed.
“You know, when you had that first dream you probably just saw someone completely random who may have looked a little like Crystaline. Then, as you dreamt last night, you put a face to that person, making you believe that it was Crystaline, when in actual fact, it wasn’t. Believe me, James, I’ve read about this sorta stuff, it happens all the time.”
“It wasn’t just that though…there was something else. The dream was too vivid, I was too aware. Like, when I was there, I knew I’d been there before.”
“That can also happen in dreams,” Lottie assured her best friend. “Ever heard of lucid dreams? Maybe you were sort of lucid dreaming a little?”
James felt somewhat calmed for the very first time today. For the first time, rationality returned to the young space warrior. Lottie was probably right.
“You’re right.” James buried his head in his hands, feeling ashamed. “I’m being a dick, I’m sorry. The whole thing just kinda freaked me out, that’s all.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Lottie reassured her best friend. “It’s no wonder you’re so stressed anyways. We’re stuck in this place, and that horrible man is making you risk your life out there in the wilderness.”
“What makes you think that the king is so horrible, Lotts? He had his people save us, didn't he? He’s fixing our ship?”
Lottie began to look exasperated.
“Yeah, but at what price? Phil’s life? Zach’s life? Your life?”
“I’ll be fine. I didn’t come here stay inside the Earthship, or to be safe. I came here on a mission. We all did.”
“So you’re telling me that if it were the other way around, and I was the one going off into the wilderness, you wouldn’t give a shit about me?”
James sighed, as his expression softened.
“Of course I would. I’d hate it.”
“Well then can’t you at least see how I feel?”
“Of course I do. But I have no choice, Lotts. I’m the one who’s gotta go, and I’m relieved about that.” James watched as Lottie’s expression grew even more annoyed. “Remember what mum said before we left?”
Lottie looked at James, she looked defeated.
“We can’t bicker.”
“That’s right.” James grinned. It was that grin that Lottie always loved.
“We’re on the same team, Lotts. Not only that, we’re best friends. You can’t get rid of me that easily, you know. I’ll go off out there into the wilderness, and I’ll be back here before you even have the chance to get any kind of breather away from me.”
Lottie couldn’t help but smile. James had a way of being the most irritating person in the whole entire Universe. But at the same time, he could be the most calming person, and just…the best person in the entire Universe to even be around!
***
Once ready for the day, James met up with all his comrades, still sporting his favourite light grey t-shirt, and his black trousers. Although only himself, Phil and Zach needed to attend today’s training, the whole team had risen early to support their friends.
Upon meeting Crystanaphy in the palace restaurant, the Urashan woman had expressed her disapproval of Phil’s time keeping skills, and the fact that he had allowed unnecessary team members to accompany himself and his two fittest comrades to today’s sworsha training.
As Crystanaphy silently led the group through the many palace corridors, and then the outside of the majestic building, James was reminded of Crystaline and yesterday’s experiences of following her through the various corridors. He wondered if the princess would make an appearance during today’s training. This very thought made the young space warrior apprehensive. Had Crystaline heard him last night? Did she know that he had seen her? What would that entail if she had? James couldn’t afford to dwell over such questions. The fact was, Crystaline would be joining him on the hunt for the stone anyway. It was inevitable that he would see her again, and that he’d spend a lot of time with her. James hoped that thi
s wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
After several more minutes of walking through the pretty purple grass, James noticed the shape of four black walls joining together to form the shape of a diamond. Furthermore, Crystanaphy was leading the group right to it. This was obviously where today’s training would take place.
As Crystanaphy led James and the others through a reasonably sized entrance, James immediately spotted the king, sat with three others on a rectangular, calved purple boulder. As James scanned the inside perimeter of the courtyard, he noticed that these Urashan-made seats were scattered unevenly all around the shortly, trimmed purple grass which laid at the centre of the courtyard. At least Lottie and the others would have seats to sit on and watch. James couldn’t yet work out if this was a good thing, or a bad thing. He had a feeling that today’s training session was going to be rather humiliating.
The king raised to greet his relative and her human followers. The other three men remained seated. James only recognised Crystos. The man was sat as close to the edge of the boulder as possible, giving a clear indication that he didn’t want to be sat too close to the other two men next to him.
“Captain Harper!” The king over-enthusiastically begun, “I gather you have all rested well?”
“Yes, thank you. The beds you provided us with were hugely appreciated.”
“Very good,” the king beamed, clasping his hands together excitedly, eyeing those who needn’t be there. “I can see that you have brought a bit of moral support with you?”
“I didn’t think it would be a problem?”
“No, no, no! Of course not, Captain, of course not. Your friends are more than welcome to observe today’s action, just as I will. My son, Crystos shall be leading the session.”
For some reason that James wasn’t quite able to comprehend, the thought of Crystos leading the session gave the young space warrior a little flutter of excitement. Crystos was yet to utter out a single word to anyone. His actions during last night’s discussion had been interesting to say the least. If Crystos led today’s training session then surely he would have to talk, and that was something James found himself highly anticipating.
“Last night, I mentioned to you that my son and my daughter shall be accompanying you on the hunt for the stone.” The king went on, “I failed to mention that two more shall also be accompanying you, Morcees and Borcees.”
James studied the two seated silver eyed men. Neither of them looked particularly friendly, and neither of them looked ridiculously good looking either. One appeared a little older than the other, reaching the younger end of his thirties perhaps. The other, slightly younger looking one, Borcees, was a little more figured than his slenderly athletic friend. Both men had dark hair, with Morcees’ hair shorter, and combed back into a much more neater style. Both men wore dark, tight fitting outfits, just like every other Urashan on this planet.
“It is only right that Morcees and Borcees participate in today’s training. Plus you’ll need their numbers,” The king concluded, looking over to his now standing son. “I think it is time that I left you in the capable hands of my son. Crystos is a very skilled young man. There is no man better than him to teach you the ways of the sworsha.”
After inviting Lottie, Lisa and Karl to choose an appropriate boulder to view today’s training, the king and Crystanaphy made their way to their very own viewing seat. The king had chosen a smaller boulder than Lottie’s and the other's, with his and Crystanaphy’s viewing spot resting at quite a distance from the human’s.
James felt a pang of nervousness as he turned to face a rather serious looking Crystos. Sworsha training? This could certainly be very interesting. What were sworshas? Weapons, yes, but how would they be used? What would they look like? James was about to find out. He waited eagerly for Crystos’ first movements of his lips. He noticed that the prince appeared hesitant. Nervous even, to be talking to a whole group of people.
“First of all I’d like to thank you all for agreeing to my father’s request. Morcees, Borcees, I will not need you to participate in the first half of this training, so you may both sit down on that boulder over there.”
Like a pair of bad tempered teenagers, Morcees and Borcees walked over to the boulder, leaving just the three humans and Crystos.
James watched as the Urashan prince opened the long silver case in his hands to reveal three, thin, shiny silver cylinders. They each looked about twenty centimetres in length.
Crystos handed each of the three humans a weapon. As James held his weapon, he felt its coolness touching his hand. The weapon wasn’t heavy, but it wasn’t light either. The sworsha’s silver was smoothed down to a perfect shine, and James noticed a soft purple button on its side.
The Urashan prince explained that the sworsha served two purposes: It had a long sharp blade which extended out from it, upon its user’s instruction. The sworsha also had three electrical currents, which beamed out from it like an electrical sword blade. Red was too dangerous to use. Blue may be needed out there in the wilderness, and could cause damage. Purple was safe, and used mainly for training purposes.
The prince took out a sworsha from his own pocket, and instantly, the thing lit up bright purple!
“Okay,” the prince nervously began, “it is of vital importance that you all listen very carefully to my instructions. Otherwise...otherwise things might get a little ugly. Now each of you may notice a purple button on the sworsha. This button has two main functions; number one, it will activate your sworsha, enabling all of its weaponry to be used. And number two, the button will also lock the sworsha onto a chosen mode. Now, on the count of three, I will need each of you to gently activate your weapon. Are you ready? One...two...three!”
James plunged his thumb into the soft purple button, expecting the sworsha to light up like Crystos’. To the young space warrior’s surprise, his and Phil’s sworshas both stayed unactivated. Zach’s on the other hand, for some reason, his had activated, extending itself into a long blue beam of electricity. The man looked shocked, and Crystos, he looked deeply concerned, frantically yelling at Zach to simply imagine the sworsha in its unactivated form.
A few more seconds of panic passed, until eventually, and to the relief of everyone, Zach managed to mimic Phil’s and James’ sworshas.
Crystos sighed, relieved.
“Each of you must be careful with your thoughts. Otherwise this could get really dangerous. You see, by holding the sworsha in your hand, you are establishing a link with the weapon. A link which connects your brain, to the sworsha. If you imagine blades and electricity, then that’s what you’ll get. It is why the sworsha has a safety lock.”
James studied his weapon, opening his mouth to ask his first question to the prince.
“So er...what you’re saying, is that this weapon can be anything I want it to be? Anything I imagine it to be?”
A little wash of amusement broke out across the prince’s face. This was a first, certainly.
“No,” The Royal Urashan answered, “unfortunately, that is not what I am saying at all. This weapon has its capabilities. It is not capable of anywhere near as much as you dream of. As I explained to you earlier, the weapon has three voltages, and a blade.”
James remembered, and felt silly for even asking such a stupid question.
The prince continued,
“Now, in a moment, I will need each of you to think purple. No blade, no blue, and certainly no red. Just purple. Imagine your sworsha like mine.”
Think purple! James willed himself, focusing deeply on the prince’s weapon. To his delight. He managed to replicate Crystos’ weapon, as did Phil and Zach.
“Very good,” the prince continued, “now, I will need each of you to press the purple button once again. This will lock the weapon into this safe mode. To deactivate the weapon, you either mentally instruct it to do so once unlocked, or you let go of the weapon. We will not be deactivating just yet, however. We have a day’s training to get through first. Mo
rcees, Borcees, we will need you to participate now.”
Morcees and Borcees raised from their boulder. As Morcees caught James’ gaze, the young space warrior felt his body shuddering. There was something about Morcees, something about that Urashan man which wasn’t quite right. James had to fight through this unpleasantly distracting thought so that he could continue to listen to Crystos’ instructions.
“Now, we will each be paired up today. As you can see, there are six of us here, and so, the best way for us to train is to be allocated a sparring partner. I shall partner up with the captain. Morcees, you shall partner up with James, and Borcees, you shall partner up with Zach. Morcees, Borcees, I need you to help James and Zach. Show them the way of the sworsha. There will be no funny business today.”
Great! James’ mind moaned. Of all the people to be partnered up with, he had to be partnered up with Morcees, a man who looked sly, cruel, keen to abuse his position of ‘sworsha trainer’. To make matters even worse, Crystos had only confirmed James’ suspicions of the grisly twosome, basically asking them both to ‘play nice’ for the day.
The training area at the centre of the courtyard was very spacious, easily allowing the three pairs plenty of space to train. Morcees had a wicked little grin on his face as he replicated James’ weapon.
“I’d better remember to switch the safety lock on,” he sneered.
James said nothing, too intent on keeping a wary eye on the partner he had so unfortunately been lumbered with. At the corner of his eye, James noticed Zach crashing down to the ground several metres beside him. Borcees was not going easy on his friend, and Morcees, James knew that he wouldn’t play fair either. The man was ravenous, eyeing James up as if he were a piece meat that he was about to guzzle up and destroy.
Before James had the time to register Morcees’ first attack, the young space warrior was sent flying into the air, crashing onto the grass with a painful whip of electricity. James groaned, he thought that purple was meant to be safe, harmless? Okay, perhaps it was safe, but the electricity bloody stung. James forced himself back up onto his feet, only to find himself falling victim to another one of Morcees’ painful attacks. The man cackled like a witch as he watched James backing away from him, clutching his side in pain.
Diversion To Urasha (Space Era Book 1) Page 7