Message Bearer (The Auran Chronicles Book 1)

by Dobing, M. S.

  ‘It’s not like we were doing anything, anyway, is it Mik?’ Don said, driving the car out onto the main road.

  ‘No, nothing. I’m sure the Prime Minister will find some other imbued bodyguard to take my place, as I’m sure the Vice-President will do for you.’

  ‘Seriously?’ Seb said, eyes darting between the two men.

  ‘They’re taking the piss,’ Cian growled.

  ‘Yeah, that’s right, sorry,’ Don said.

  ‘Me too,’ Mik said. ‘It’s just the Defence Secretary.’

  Both of the men laughed. Cian grimaced. Seb decided he liked both of them already.

  ***

  The journey took longer than Seb had anticipated. For some reason he thought that the Way would be somewhere nearby that they’d just trundle up to, but two hours in to the trip told him that wouldn’t be the case. He attempted small talk early on, but Cian was in a more obtuse mood than always and killed the atmosphere with just a glare.

  Although Don and Mik were lesser ranks than Cian, they didn’t share the need for silence. They talked infrequently, but it was obvious they were friends of many years. They spoke in hushed tones, discussing the common talk amongst all the Aware nowadays.

  ‘What’s it like out there?’ Seb said at one point, a lull in conversation allowing him to break in.

  Mikael looked at Don, seemingly for permission. Don gave a quick nod, and Mikael turned back.

  ‘Bad. More than bad. The Consensus seems to be breaking down all around us. At first, weeks ago, it was still there, although weaker. Now though it’s like it has just evaporated. The sheol roam free, possessing at will it seems.’

  ‘You think Marek is responsible for it?’ Seb said.

  Mikael frowned. ‘Who?’

  ‘Sorry, no one,’ he stammered.

  ‘It’s okay, I’m taking the piss. You don’t need to play dumb with us. Cian has briefed us. Part of the favours he called in required our discretion.

  ‘And yes, for what it’s worth, I’m sure it’s down to Marek. I never liked him from the beginning.’

  ‘Can you tell me about him?’ Seb said, suddenly realising that no one at the mansion has discussed it at all with him.

  ‘What’s to tell? He was an elite, like me, but better. He didn’t come from a Family, not one that existed anymore anyway. He had self-taught from an early age, using the books he took from his home before it was destroyed. The Magistry found him, took him in.’

  ‘Then what happened? Why did he turn?’

  ‘We’re here.’ Cian said, stopping Mik before he could respond.

  The car had turned off the A road minutes before, and had for the past few moments been trundling down a track that was almost an insult to the term. The trees began to thin now as they arrived at their destination.

  ‘Whoa.’

  Seb had never been this close to an aircraft before. Hell, he’d never been to an airport before. Now he stood at the end of a short runway, looking at a jet that looked like it had come straight from the factory.

  ‘Come on, get your stuff over to Jack, he’ll get it on board.’

  As they got out and stretched tired legs, a middle-aged man with little hair and a five day stubble-growth scurried over. He snatched the heavy bag from Seb, plucked up two more and vanished somewhere behind the craft.

  ‘Looks like our friends are here,’ Don said, glancing behind them.

  There were five Brothers in all, two that Seb recognised. One good, and one far from it. Cade nodded as he approached, Reuben simply glowered.

  ‘Reuben,’ Cian said, a taut nod all he would give by way of greeting. Reuben returned the gesture, eyes on Seb.

  ‘Ah my brother’s little charity case. How fares things little whelp, ran out of books to read yet?’

  ‘Plenty to go at, thanks. How about you, ran out of victims to turn into pulp?’

  Reuben’s eyes flared, more from the sheer audacity of the response than any genuine anger. Seb didn’t want to press the point though, he put his head down and hurried past, Don chuckling as he went.

  Chapter 38

  After the initial exhilaration of Seb’s first take off, where the jet rose rapidly into a reddening sky, attention quickly turned to the task at hand. There was a meeting area halfway down the craft where the team gathered. The magi, Seb included, took to the table, along with Cade and Reuben. The rest sat to one side watching a movie on a TV screen that was bigger than the entire wall in his room in the Drain.

  ‘As far as I know, only myself has been down this particular Way in living memory, and the world was a lot different then to what it is now,’ Cian said. He opened up the holdall and rolled out a large map onto the table. The sketch was yellowed with age, the lines faint, but the sprawling mass of tunnels stood out for all to see. Cade shook his head.

  ‘It’s a maze. How are we supposed to make it through to the other side?’

  ‘Follow me,’ Cian said.

  ‘Those neurons still there, old man, we don’t want you hitting a blank spot that leads us to our doom,’ Reuben said.

  Cian ignored the comment and continued, ‘Now, the Way is what’s called Pan-Dimensional, meaning that it exists this way in all Shards, not just here. Anyone who gets in, from anywhere, will experience anything that’s already there.’

  ‘Why does that not sound so good?’ Don said.

  ‘It means if the sheol are there, they will be in their native forms, not forced into a human. Their powers will be theirs, not watered down by the Consensus.’ Seb said, not really knowing he was talking until he noticed all eyes on him from around the table.

  ‘The boy’s right, but it also means that as their abilities are unhindered, neither are ours. Remember that should we encounter them.’

  Cian then pulled out a small item wrapped in a cloth the colour of damp stone. He pulled the material apart, revealing an irregular shaped gem inside. It was emerald in colour, but translucent, with faint white specs inside it. Runic Script was carved on the surface, but the scrawl was too small for Seb to even attempt to translate.

  ‘What is this sorcery?’ Reuben said, his yellow eyes wide as he reached a pale hand towards the gem.

  ‘Our escape, should we need it. This is a Home Stone, one of only three we have left at the mansion. It is bound to the Inner Sanctum. To use, smash it on the floor. The portal it produces will only last sixty seconds. Remember though, it’s not selective. Just as we can use it, so can anyone else.

  ‘So what’s the plan?’

  ‘Simple. We go in, find the Nexus, speak to Woden,’ Cian said, rolling up the map.

  ‘Sounds straight forward enough, what could go wrong?’ Don said, the tone of his voice not matching the smile on his face.

  Chapter 39

  They flew for another hour. Seb watched out of the window as the rugged mountains of the far north of England gave way to black seas, tufts of white dotting the endless night. The men sat in silence, lost in their own thoughts.

  The plane began to descend just past midnight, Seb feeling an uncomfortable popping in his ears as the ground grew nearer at an accelerated rate. He looked out of the window, one hand held over his forehead to shield out the light from the cabin.

  ‘Where are we?’ he asked, strapping himself in as the seatbelt light lit up.

  ‘Fourtha, an island somewhere between Scotland and Iceland,’ Mik said.

  ‘That’s a nice and specific location,’ he said with a smile.

  ‘What can I say, I’m all out of coordinates.’

  Seb grinned and stretched tired legs.

  Strong winds buffeted the plane as it descended. For a few heart stopping moments Seb was sure that the pilot had miscalculated. All he could see, aside from a few wispy clouds, was an endless expanse of ocean, only now he could see the giant waves, undulating to some unknown rhythm. The thought of dropping into that void filled his chest with ice, and he forced himself back into the seat.

  ‘First time in a plane, eh?’ Don sa
id.

  Seb managed a shaky nod. He gripped the seat arms, staring forward at the wall. It’s going to be fine, it’s going to be fine, he chanted to himself.

  His stomach lurched as the plane bounced on invisible bumps of air. He stifled a cry of panic, trying to draw solace from the relative calm of his comrades. He dared another look out of the window, and was about to cry out that they’d missed, that the sea was upon them, when the void was suddenly replaced by material of a different shade, land.

  The plane lowered, bouncing once on the landing strip. Something roared at the back of the plane, what the hell? But again, no one seemed to panic. He felt the resistance against his seatbelt as the plane slowed, eventually coming to a halt at the end of the runway. Moments later the seatbelt sign dimmed, and Seb managed a breath for what seemed the first time in ages.

  It was past 1 am as they descended the stairs that led out from the craft. The wind howled, a biting chill numbing his face. Iced rain lashed against them, bouncing off the plane’s hull like bullets.

  An unmarked van was situated at the base of the stairs. Where the hell were they? He looked around, but aside from one solitary building and a few feeble lights it felt like they’d landed at an airport in the middle of nowhere. Outside the range of the lights, darkness ruled, surrounding them like a wall of nothing.

  The others hurried into the waiting van, ducking as they stepped into the gloomy interior. Seb followed in a hurry, a sudden unease upon him that he couldn’t shake off. A man he didn’t recognise, and who wasn’t imbued, sat at the wheel.

  ‘This all of ye?’ he grunted as Don stepped in last.

  ‘Yep. You know where we’re going.’

  ‘Yup, Shaalds Stack, although if you don’t mind me saying, it’s probably not the best night to be doing a trip like this,’ the driver said.

  ‘You’re being paid aren’t you?’ Cian snapped. The driver nodded at him through the rear view mirror. ‘Then drive.’

  ‘Shaalds Stack?’ Seb said as Cian sat back.

  ‘Shut up. Sit back. This is the last rest you’ll get for hours. I suggest you make the most of it.’

  Fatigue won over curiosity. The magi were already dozing on their packs. The brothers were in a subdued silence at the back. Seb took the hint and closed his eyes.

  ***

  Seb woke with a start as the van came to an abrupt stop. He shook the lingering images from his mind and reached for the bag by his feet. His heart pounded from an unknown panic. His sense prickled, the echoes of those around him bouncing back.

  ‘You okay?’ Cade said as they got dressed in outdoor gear.

  ‘Sure. Why?’

  ‘You look, I don’t know, peaky.’

  ‘Peaky?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘What the hell’s peaky?’

  ‘Who knows? I heard it used once. I think it means sick as a dog.’

  ‘So you’re saying I look like shit?’

  ‘More so than normal, yeah.’

  ‘If you could save the flirting for later, I believe we need to focus on the task at hand,’ Cian said then, marching past them down a track that led between two mounds.

  They trekked down a narrow path that curved to one side, the mud slowly turning into sand as they emerged onto a narrow strip of beach. The tide was in, and water lapped not a few feet from where they stood.

  ‘There it is,’ Cian said.

  Seb didn’t need telling what he was looking at. It stood out like a sore thumb, a massive, natural arch of rock that lunged out of the sea. The stone was veined with glowing rivulets of purple energy. The outside edges pulsed in rhythmic bursts, illuminating the bay with every surge. A pillar of burning lightning, the same bright purple, lanced down from the sky, the clouds rotating round the bolt like water going down a plughole.

  ‘How has this not been discovered yet?’ Seb said, opened mouthed at the sight.

  ‘Think about it, lad. You don’t think this looks this way to every Joe that comes out here, do you?’ Don said. ‘To the unware it’s just a rock. A pretty rock, but a rock just the same.’

  ‘That’s the Crossing Way?’ Cade said, standing atop the mound to get a better view.

  ‘Aye, that’s the one. The only entrance we know of in Europe.’ Cian said. He trudged down the sand, his feet leaving deep imprints where he stepped. A few feet into the sea, with the water sloshing round his ankles, he turned back to them. ‘So, are we getting started or what?’

  ‘What do you need?’ Seb said.

  ‘Not you, Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dee over there. Get your arses down here so we can get this started.’

  Mik and Don hurried past, joining Cian in the water. ‘Reuben, get your guys to take point. We can’t afford this being seen. Seb, give us a wide sensing, just to be sure.’

  Reuben scowled, obviously not used to being the one receiving orders. Seb suppressed a smirk. Reuben reluctantly complied. He nodded to the brothers who vanished without a word. The feat itself was impressive, and if it wasn’t for the faint auras that Seb could detect he wouldn’t have known they were there. He turned back then, closed his eyes, and sensed.

  The burden was light here, the effort almost too easy. He scoured the area, his sense acting like the wide beam from a light house, illuminating the landscape with an invisible energy. Aside from the fluttering auras of the local wildlife, their initial thoughts were confirmed, and not one sentient, awake anyway, lurked nearby.

  ‘It’s clear.’ He shouted down to the magi in the water.

  Cian nodded, then did something that made Seb’s blood boil. He looked at Reuben, ‘You concur?’

  ‘No other idiot stupid enough to be out here at this time of night.’

  Seb scowled as he fell in beside the brothers as they descended onto the beach.

  ‘Right, we’re in the clear here, the Consensus is non-existent, so it should be straight forward enough,’ Cian said. ‘Step away, the bridge is already here, we just need to bring it back.’

  Seb edged round the side of the group. He wasn’t part of this ritual, as far as he could tell, but it didn’t stop him enhancing his hearing, the words of the magi drifting to him over the howling wind. Cian was stood between the two kneeling magi, his face turned towards the massive rock arch. He raised his staff about his head as the air began to crackle. Seb felt that familiar hum in his ears. Cian stepped further into the water, the staff rippling with energy across its length.

  ‘In the name of Woden the First, I command thee to reveal thyself!’

  A white fire burst into existence that covered Cian in his entirety. Seb could only watch, stunned as energy filled the air, Cian acting as a conduit for the Weave at a level he’d never conceived before. The world seemed awash with power, flashes of purple lightning forking down, striking the arch, the water, even Cian himself. The wind grew in intensity, the sand lashing them, the waves growing and crashing with a renewed vigour. It was as if the very world itself was reacting to this manipulation of its natural form and was far from pleased.

  ‘In the name of Woden the First, I command thee to reveal thyself!’ Cian cried again, his voice amplified by his Avatari, echoing around the bay. A bolt of lightning fired down, striking Cian. His aura bloomed then, the flames engorged, his very form a furnace of Weave-fire. With a final roar, Cian slammed the staff down into the water.

  Something cracked, like stone hitting stone. A zigzag of white light erupted from the staff, snaking towards the arch. The water bubbled and frothed as a narrow strip of black stone rose up from its depths. The ground rumbled, the earth growled, but it didn’t prevent what Cian was doing. The black stone, a path, that Seb could see, settled a good foot above sea level. The light faded, the lightning subsided. Cian dropped to his knees, Mik and Don rushing to help him.

  ‘Well, now I’ve seen everything,’ Cade said.

  ‘That was amazing,’ Seb said, as they re-joined the magi. Cian was rising now, covered in sweat or seawater Seb couldn’t tell. The mage’s f
ace was drawn, lined with fatigue, but his eyes blazed, the Weave still channelled inside him.

  ‘Right,’ Cian said, ‘This is the point of no return. Once we go in there, time and space as you know it won’t mean anything. Only a mage can navigate the Way without getting lost. It’s a vicious, treacherous place, not friendly to life in any form. If you get separated from us, do yourself a favour, and use those blades of yours on yourself. Trust me, there’s much worse out there than death.’

  ‘Save the talk, mage,’ Reuben said, his yellow eyes glinting in the moonlight. ‘Get us there, and we’ll do what we need to do. Just ensure you do what’s required, as it’s due to your kind failing in that very thing that we’re here in the first place.’

  Seb bristled, his muscles suddenly tense. He felt the Weave flare briefly in the magi, but none responded. Cian glowered at Reuben, but did not comment further. He turned away from them, walking towards the rippling surface of the Way.

  With one last look at the only world he had ever known, Seb took a deep breath, swallowed hard, and followed.

  Chapter 40

  The short walk across the narrow bridge was easily the most treacherous part of the journey so far. Although the stone was relatively flat, and its height a good foot higher than the sea itself, the bad weather sent waves crashing against the sides, sending spray and foam splashing across the rock, turning it into a smooth and slippery death-trap. On two occasions Seb felt his feet slip completely from under him, even with his Avatari channelled, and if it wasn’t for the preternatural reactions of one of the brothers he would have gone under without a thought. The second time he went, and another strong arm caught his upper arm like a vice, he turned to his rescuer.

  ‘How do you do that without slipping?’

  ‘Skill and practice, mage,’ grunted the brother, his eyes unblinking. ‘Believe it or not there’s more to this world than your precious Weave.’

  Seb shook his head and stepped past, taking his time, no way was he going to be helped by these miserable bastards if he could help it.