by S. K. Holder
Luke staggered, taking Connor’s weight. He set him down and gave him a crushing hug. ‘I thought I’d lost you all over again.’
‘We found him in the caves,’ said Osaphar. ‘The Sighraith Band were after him. Isn’t that right Connor?’
Connor stared back at Osaphar. Only he knew the whole truth.
There are those who would give all of Odisiris to have your gift for themselves.
He pushed his hand into his pocket. His fingers found his Worral stone. He had seen the change in Yate, once he had learned about his Gift. How would Osaphar react if he knew? What if the Citizen already knew and he was going to take him to Odisiris. Separate him from Luke. He wasn’t sure if he should mention his Gift or the Shard.
Luke frowned at him, waiting for an answer. Osaphar’s eyes were as cold as ever. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.
Connor stumbled up, shrugging off his brother’s attempts to help him to his feet. ‘Wolth and Yate saved me from the fire-pit.’
‘For a reason,’ said Osaphar. ‘They used a Summoning spell to extract you from the tower. They were going to recruit you to their rebellion.’
So his sleep-dreams had not carried him underground, Yate had. He curbed his disappointment. ‘They just want some land.’
‘Do you know why Yate was exiled here?’ said Osaphar.
Connor shook his head.
‘He doesn’t need to know does he?’ said Luke, resting his hand on Connor’s shoulder and glowering at Osaphar. ‘He’s been through enough.’
‘He murdered someone,’ said Osaphar, his eyes on Connor, ‘in cold blood.’
Connor swallowed. ‘I didn’t think Odisiris had any crime.’
‘Oh there’s crime,’ said Osaphar. ‘The government doesn’t publicise it. The culprits are swiftly caught and brought to justice.’
‘Yeah sure they are,’ said Luke, nodding at the big cat.
‘What’s going to happen to them?’ Connor stared at the forlorn-looking big cat with its eyes half-open and the Hunter with his head bowed in defeat.
‘They can help rebuild the dungeons,’ said Osaphar. ‘The Plowmen will be their shadow, the sunlight a dream.’
Connor wrestled the Shard out of his tunic and gave it to Osaphar. ‘I found this in my bag.’ It was better that he hand it over. It was no good to him. No good to anyone now.
Osaphar took it from him. He rolled it between his finger and thumb. His forehead creased. ‘I’ll have the Shardner Council look at. Let us proceed to the cockpit. I don’t want to delay your departure any further.’
Luke and Connor followed Osaphar into another grand arena. Soft spotlights lit up the space.
Connor’s senses were not dead. He heard a faint noise coming from beyond the walls, but he could not make them out. And the air was surgically clean. Odourless. The space was darker and more sinister and filled with an array of cubic and circular metal-cast structures.
A cylindrical structure spurted up from the floor. A huge glass chamber jutted out from the wall. It housed three holographic control panels some twenty feet high. The central panel projected a holographic image of a circuit board with blue and white transmission lines. At the base of the screen was a wide shelf and a row of metal stools.
Connor saw a man, with a head of dark hair, dressed in black, standing inside the glass chamber, mopping up the sweat pouring from his brow. The man held his hand up to an access control panel set in the glass door. The door made a popping noise and slid open.
Osaphar went into the chamber first, followed by Connor, then Luke and a guard, holding Connor’s charred bag. The door slid shut after them.
Connor heard a familiar chirp and was surprised when the Kherrin Mawk emerged from between two metal stools. It stared up at Connor, flapping its useless wings. Connor scooped the creature up in his arms. ‘Did you miss me?’
‘You know that thing bit me twice,’ said the dark-haired man, licking the sweat off his top lip. He met Osaphar’s steely gaze with an uneasy twitter. ‘No harm done, though. I’m Thorn by the way.’ He held out his hand to Connor.
Connor positioned the Kherrin Mawk in the crook of his arm so he could shake Thorn’s hand. ‘Connor.’
‘Your brother’s stubborn, isn’t he?’ said Thorn.
Connor looked over at Luke leaning on the wall. He didn’t know if Thorn was paying his brother a compliment or an insult. Either way, he wasn’t going to answer with Luke there in the same room. He shrugged, stroking the creature in his arms. He had something else on his mind. If the government in Odisiris had exiled Yate for committing a crime, then they must have exiled Skelos Dorm for the same reason. He had to say something. He couldn’t just leave it. The Shardner would know Skelos was missing. It wasn’t as if he had killed the Citizen. It was an accident.
He blurted it out before he lost his nerve. ‘I saw another Citizen when I was out there. Skelos Dorm. He wanted that glass rod I gave you. He tried to grab it off me and fell into one of the fire-pits.’
Osaphar staggered briefly, dropping his helmet and his gloves.
The guard tossed Connor’s charred bag on the floor and gathered up Osaphar’s belongings. He placed them on one of the stools. ‘What would you have me do?’ he asked Osaphar.
Luke peeled himself from the wall, looking anxiously from Thorn to Osaphar. ‘Do you know him?’ His eyes finally rested on Connor.
Connor couldn’t believe it. His brother was giving him the Look of Awe.
‘He was expelled from Narrigh,’ said Osaphar hoarsely, ‘for carrying out unlawful experiments on Citizens.’ He turned to the guard. ‘Return to the place where you found Connor and search all the pits. Take five more with you. Leave behind all Odisirian weapons and devices. You will stay in Narrigh until you find him. Do you understand?’
The guard gave a short bow and left the room.
‘You think he’s still alive?’ said Luke.
‘There’s a slight possibility,’ said Osaphar. ‘But let me worry about it. Thorn, prepare for transportation will you.’ He collected his gloves and helmet from the stool and walked to the door. He lingered there, his focus on Connor. ‘You can’t take the creature with you.’
‘Why not?’ said Connor. He was already planning to smuggle the Kherrin Mawk through, in his bag, once Osaphar had left.
‘When you go back out there,’ said the Citizen pointing to the grid. ‘You will be stripped of your Citizen Status and every reminder that you were ever here, and that includes the Kherrin Mawk.’
Connor gazed at his brother, willing him to say it wasn’t true.
Luke stayed silent.
‘I don’t want my memory erased,’ said Connor. He hugged the Kherrin Mawk tightly to him. He had finally learned what it meant to be a Citizen. He hadn’t fully mastered his Gift. Now it was all going to be taken from him. He wanted to go home a Citizen - a hero that had fought in battles and had a cool pet, not some kid who everyone thought ran away because his mum had told him off.
‘We’re not going to erase your memory, unless you want us to,’ said Thorn. He smiled with his lips tucked inside his mouth.
‘You probably erased it when I got here,’ said Connor. He went to pick up his bag. The strap snapped. He tied a loose knot in it and hung it from his arm.
‘It was a joke,’ said Thorn. ‘You don’t need to get tetchy.’ He cocked his head at Luke and raised one eyebrow. ‘I see you’ve a similar temperament.’
‘I hardly think they’re in the mood for jokes,’ said Osaphar, shooting Thorn a look. ‘I suggest you get back to the task at hand. Return them to Earth.’ He opened the chamber door. His face was grim. ‘I wish you well.’ He exited the chamber.
Connor and Luke stared after him.
‘Right,’ said Thorn, he led Connor by one arm and Luke by the other to the centre of the chamber, right in the midst of the grid. ‘If you want to stand side by side for me.’
Connor felt as if Thorn was assembling them for a family photo.
Luke slipped his arm around Connor’s shoulder. His hand was trembling. ‘It’s okay buddy.’
It didn’t feel okay. ‘I thought we were going through the rift.’
‘You didn’t arrive in Narrigh through a rift,’ said Thorn. ‘To be honest, we’ve no idea how you got here, but we do know a way to send you back. Luke’s given me the approximate time you disappeared from your home in London, which means I can return you to the exact location you were in, moments before you landed in Narrigh.’
He used one finger to move around the holographic grid-lines. He dragged a section of one of the control panels towards him. He dropped it into a space within the grid. ‘I’m going to sync the coordinates so you’ll both return at the same point in time. You may want to shut your eyes for this.’ He tapped the transparent keys hovering in front of him. The section of the panel zoomed away, returning to its former position.
Grids rocketed from the control panel. One by one, they surrounded Connor and Luke. The grids flashed off and on. Connor heard a weird pulsating sound in his ears. He watched in wonder as the Citizen clothes he wore, his bag and the Kherrin Mawk were diced to minute pixel squares. Thorn and the glass chamber disappeared.
The lights were blinding. This was it. Connor squeezed Luke’s hand. They were going home.
FORTY-FIVE
Connor’s arrival home was less dignified than his departure. When he opened his eyes he found his brother sprawled across his lap, crushing his thighs. Riley was standing over them yelling his lungs out. Luke scrambled to his feet, leaving Connor to gain control of the spinning swivel chair. He grabbed the edge of Luke’s desk and slammed his feet on the floor.
Luke’s laptop sat open on his desk. Connor slammed it shut and took a breath. He felt hot and clammy all over. He was wearing his tracksuit bottoms and a vest - the same clothes he had been wearing when he had been playing the game.
‘Will you shut up!’ said Luke, seizing Riley by the shoulders. ‘You’re going to wak-’
Too late.
Their mum burst through the door with a red face. Her upper lip was hitched in a snarl. Her mascara was smeared across her eyes and there were lipstick smudges on her chin.
‘What’s with all the noise?’ she screamed, yanking down her nightshirt. ‘I’m trying to sleep! I thought you were out Luke. And Riley, I thought you went home.’
Connor wanted to run and hug her, but not in front of Riley and never in front of his brother. So he said the only thing there was left to say. ‘Sorry mum.’
‘Yeah, sorry mum,’ said Luke, releasing Riley and giving him a hard slap on the shoulder. We were just messing about. I’ll walk Riley home in a minute.’
Riley had stopped yelling and started wheezing. He raised his finger, pointing at the laptop on Luke’s desk. Luke smacked Riley’s finger with the back of his hand. ‘Okay, that’s enough joke’s over.’
Connor stared at the laptop. The screen-saver had appeared. It was a photo of him and Luke taken on a beach over a year ago. He examined his hands. His palms were red. His Status Mark was gone. So Osaphar was right. He had lost his bag, his Citizen clothes, and the Kherrin Mawk. He was no longer a Citizen.
His mum glanced suspiciously around the room, at its pale blue walls, made-up bed, and double wardrobe. She stared at the large bookshelf laden with Luke’s collection of books, comics, and DVDs, at his football boots hanging from a hook on the door, and at his beloved football rammed under his bed.
Satisfied with her inspection she said, ‘I’m going back to bed. And if I hear any more noise coming from this room, I’ll give you hell. Understand?’ She glared at them.
Connor swallowed. ‘Yes, mum.’
‘Yes Ms Brailey,’ said Riley. ‘Sorry.’
Their mum gave a satisfied grunt and stomped out of the room.
Riley collapsed on Luke’s bed. ‘Whoa. I can’t believe that just happened. Where’d you go?’
‘Narrigh,’ said Connor.
‘No way,’ said Riley. He sat up, clutching the sides of his head. ‘I saw this purple light, and then bam’, he slammed his left fist into the palm of his right, ‘you were gone and then I started freaking out, and then bam you were back again with Luke. What are you like aliens or something? I mean you could have told me, I’ve only known you for, like, five years.’
‘We’re not aliens,’ said Connor. ‘It’s the game. We got sucked into the game. And I was gone for weeks, and then Luke got sucked in and came to find me.’
‘How come?’ said Riley. ‘You’ve only been gone seconds.’ His brow furrowed. ‘And I saw Luke go out.’
‘We got sent back in time,’ said Connor. ‘If we’d have got here a few seconds earlier, you wouldn’t have remembered a thing.’
‘Time travel? No way,’ said Riley, he looked from Connor to Luke enthralled. ‘I wanna go.’
‘It’s not like a ride at the funfair,’ said Luke, wheeling Connor away from his desk, and grabbing the laptop. ‘It was dangerous. Real. Not the kind of thing that happens every day, not the kind of thing that happens ever, so don’t go bleating about it to the next person you see. And while you’re at it, you had both better say goodbye to my bedroom because it’ll be the last time you set foot in it. Riley get your stuff together, I’m taking you home.’
‘That’s a bit harsh,’ said Riley, pouting. ‘You haven’t even told me what happened yet. Can’t I sleep here?’
‘No,’ said Luke. He slipped his laptop into a filing cabinet and locked it. Connor watched him slip the key into his pocket.
‘It’s a long story. I’ll tell you about it tomorrow.’ Connor had the good sense not to argue with Luke. He deserved what he had coming to him. He was lucky his brother hadn’t given him a clout round the ear.
‘Okay, see ya,’ said Riley. He gave Connor a stiff wave goodbye as Luke ushered him out.
‘Connor?’ Luke paused by the door, a stern look on his face.
‘Oh right,’ said Connor, he rose to leave and said a silent goodbye to the room. He followed Luke out. Riley was at the bottom of the stairs, fishing out his trainers from the stacked shoe rack.
‘Luke, can I ask you something?’
‘Is it about Narrigh?’
‘No.’
‘What then?’
‘Did you think I ran away again?’
Luke grinned at him. ‘Course not. You hadn’t packed a bag and I know you wouldn’t have broken your promise. At one point, mum thought you went looking for dad again and that we’d find you in the place you went missing the last time.’
‘I couldn’t remember his name?’
‘Whose name?’
‘Dad’s - do you?’
‘It was Eron. Why?’
Connor shrugged. ‘No reason.’ How could he tell Luke about the man he has seen in his Past-Telling, lying dead on the slab of granite? It was now no more real than the Status Mark he had once had embedded in his hand and the Indigo blood that had pumped through his veins. Forgotten.
‘I’m not done with you,’ said Luke. ‘Now wait in your room until I get back. It looks like we’re going to need to set some new ground rules.’
Connor gave a shaky sigh. Maybe he would get that clout round the ear after all.
He dug his hands into his pockets. His fingers closed around a stone. He took it out. His Worral stone. He stared at it. So Osaphar was wrong. Something had come through: his Gift.
‘The game hasn’t ended,’ he whispered. ‘It’s only just begun.’
Something told him that his destiny lay in the hands of the Maker and one day he would become a Citizen again.
FORTY-SIX
Before the sun has risen, he believes he owns the day, that the day is his to command and that he will overcome every obstacle laid before him. For he does not know that he lies in the palm of his Maker, and with each twist and turn of his Maker’s hand he is moulded, and as he sleeps, time rises up to steal another day.
Skelos tore at the rope with his fingers until the fray
ed ends slipped to the ground. The doors gave a gentle creak. One of them was near coming off its hinges. He struck a piece of flint on his Worral stone. It flared, producing a tiny flame, which he used to light his slow-burner. He then jostled the doors open and went inside, drawing them shut after him.
He walked along the mill’s perimeter twice. The first time, he glanced at the ceiling, the second time at the floor. At least I am safe here.
He had returned to Undren. The Shardner had long since vacated the village. The villagers themselves had settled back into their old routine, the fear of a northern invasion firmly behind them. Every last mine had been packed with craybine and there was no more talk of mysterious strangers appearing like puffs of smoke on the horizon. Even when talk arose of thick black clouds seen racing, like a band of horses, across the Northern skyline, the people of Undren did not dwell on it. The summer harvest was plentiful and the Northern sky was not ‘their sky’.
Skelos had no such contentment. The Traceless had saved him from the fiery pit. They thought he owned them a debt for saving his life, so they had taken the Avu’lore as payment. They had then come to him shortly after to complain the Avu’lore had failed them. Skelos had almost collapsed with relief. The idea of them controlling his every move was enough to make him want to end it all. He had six weeks to find a way to rid himself of the Traceless being dwelling inside him - if not more. He was not going to fret over it. The Traceless were easily persuaded and he was skilled at using his tongue as a bargaining tool.
He spotted a small object sitting under a broken ladder, glowing like polished silver. He snatched it up without thinking and held it up to the light of the slow-burner. A rock that shines in the dark. Rainbows Rock. It was the size of a small potato, harder and not half as smooth. He set the rock down beside him and positioned the slow-burner in a cog he found propped against the wall. He went down on his knees, dragged the canvas from his rucksack and laid it on the ground, poppy side up. This had been his daily ritual since leaving Baruch. Travelling at night to a new location, attempting to find a map within the only painting he possessed. He was a wanted Citizen who was down to his last gold coin. He had paid for shelter, paid for silence. He had even brought a Divulging Potion on the black market, in hopes it would reveal the secret map. It hadn’t worked. Nothing had worked thus far.