by T M Caruana
I hurried into the bathroom and closed the door in case he came back and realised I had overheard.
The bath was relaxing and eased the soreness in my joints. He had been right again. Was there really a part of me that I had forgotten? Who was I and why couldn’t I remember anything?
After the bath, I dressed in Tarus’s black t-shirt. It was way too big reached my knees. I brushed my teeth thoroughly and combed my fingers through my hair as I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked tired and I freed my hair from my ears in an effort to appear more attractive. Soon I would be on the other side of the door, my body near his. I was surprised by my desire towards this stranger. I wanted nothing more than to feel his hot skin against mine. I must pull myself together - I had already been stupid enough to ask about our relationship and got an embarrassing answer. He had confirmed that we didn’t share a romantic relationship.
As I came out of the bathroom, I found Tarus rummaging through my bag.
“What on earth are you doing?” I spat.
In a rage he showed me Vic’s poem and quickly placed it on the desktop so that it wouldn’t catch fire. My heart started beating faster as I remembered my dear cousin, but I was still furious that Tarus had taken the liberty of going through my belongings.
“What is this?” he fumed, obviously frustrated that I had discovered him. “You have one of the three parts to the map. It has been missing ever since you were brought to Earth. Have you possessed it all this time without saying anything?” he continued furiously, and he hadn’t finished. “You have a power stone as well, don’t you? I know because I can feel it!”
He was yelling now. My despair at his sudden aggression almost destroyed my confidence and my breathing grew quicker until I almost burst into tears.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, that’s a poem I’ve been giv…”
I had to stop myself. Firstly, I hadn’t really been given the poem, it was stolen from Vic’s desk drawer, and secondly, I felt my tears starting. I was dizzy with misery and had to sit down on the bed. This time, with my back to Tarus, staring at the beige wall. I focused all my strength, but the tears trickled like a river down my cheeks. It had been too much to take in one day and I had to cover my hands over my face to hide my ugly cry. Tarus said nothing more and sat down quietly on the opposite side of the bed. I wished I could hear his thoughts, or have eyes in the back of my head to see if he would come up with further attacks. Instead, I felt that he threw something small and soft behind my back. His footsteps approached, but he passed straight by, exiting the room.
“You shouldn’t sit in the moonlight,” he commented briefly and they were the last words I heard before he was out of sight.
The moonlight had found its way through the window and shone on my skin like a rainbow, reflected on a calm lake. Why would it be dangerous for me? It was the only thing about me that was beautiful. I wriggled and turned my hands to see how the colours played over my arms, the indigo more dominant than the others this time. I was angry with Tarus too and didn’t want to take his advice.
Then I remembered that he had thrown something behind me and I turned around to see what it was. It would have been too light to be my bag, but too heavy to be the poem. The sight of what it was made my tears return more than ever. It was Novus, my dear purple teddy bear. It was the best consolation I could imagine. It was my beloved friend with the torn left foot and the same black eyes. I knew it should have made me annoyed that I couldn’t remember who had given it to me, but right now it didn’t matter. How Tarus had got hold of it was a mystery as I had left it on my bed. But like everything else, it didn’t matter. I just wanted to hug it and feel the soft fabric on my cheeks.
As I hugged my old friend, I tried to make sense of my feelings for the erratic mister Tarus. He had a hard façade, however he was still caring for me in a peculiar way. Since I had met him I had felt much stronger and I could think more clearly now than ever. I held the bear’s stomach tightly whilst I stroked the fabric. He must have punched a hole through the window to my room in order to retrieve the teddy bear. It could have been the reason that his right hand had bloody scratches, but why? Had he really been looking for something else? I couldn’t bring myself to think about the possibilities. If only I could remember. What had happened all those years ago? What was the reason behind this unexplained rescue?
6
SILENT AGREEMENT
Another knock pierced Samuel’s consciousness and the blood rushed through his veins as he imagined the worst. Someone on the other side of the door was eager to get in. He got out of bed and pulled on his white djellabah. He buttoned it up over his chest and cautiously went to the door. There was no other way out of the room, no balcony. The room was on the fifth floor; jumping out of the window wasn’t an option. Another three knocks. It was clear that the visitor wasn’t going to give up.
“Who’s there?” he called.
“An old friend, here on auspicious negotiations,” a female voice replied teasingly.
Samuel recognised the voice as if it were his own mother’s, but there was no voice that put as much fear into a living being as this visitor’s. Although she was the most powerful witch of the seven worlds, she had the softest, most seductive voice of them all. It was the cheese in a mousetrap, which attracts its prey and then whacks you dead. Samuel didn’t procrastinate thinking about her refined beauty, but began to speculate on how she could have travelled between the portals from her world Vati to Earth. The only possibility was that she had a power stone, or worse, had found a black hole, as even her magic couldn’t open the portals. Either way she would have the same problem as them trying to open the portal to return home. Earth, or Teli as Susy had named it, was unlike the other six worlds because the moon’s effect on gravity interfered with the power of the stones. There was no need for computations to travel through the other portals, but from Teli the transporting method needed more precision.
“Where are your manners? Allowing a woman to wait?” whispered the witch from behind the door.
With the magic she possessed, it wasn’t difficult to speculate what events would develop in the next few hours. She was capable of casting an infinite variety of spells to get her way. Samuel was confident she already knew what she would accomplish during her stay and how she would make him achieve her desired outcome. He needed to think and had to try and stall her.
“Just want to make myself decent for such an extraordinary visit,” he said charmingly.
It was no use trying to be tough and intimidating, his powers couldn’t in the slightest measure up to hers. He was already caught in the mousetrap. It was just a question of whether she wanted to play with the food first before she finished the job or let him free. Suddenly, it occurred to him why she was there - the map. All the calculations and locations to the portals were on it and if she expected to return to Vati she needed it, as much as the Order did, to get to Pixi. He had one of the three parts of the map. It had been divided that way twenty-nine years ago when Susy was kidnapped. His part was also the piece that explained one of the few magic spells she didn’t already know. The poem taught one how to transport symmetry energy. Samuel had been afraid she would find him since he had found the map. It would now be easy for the witch to steal it and dispose of him. His careful strategy of staying hidden had been for nothing and he could see the goal of finally returning home, falling at the finish line. She had waited for the news of him finding the map, allowing her a quick visit from Vati to retrieve it and return home without having to stay on Earth for long, as its gravity weakened her powers. If it would have been as lengthy for her as it had been for them, it would have risked causing her powers to diminish to the extent that she wouldn’t be able to withstand the Order. She must have become aware of how close they were to collecting all the components that would send them back home. Without interruptions they would find themselves back by no later than the next night. They had Susy, enough power stones and the m
ap.
Samuel snatched the map, opened the door to the wardrobe and put it on the top shelf, as far back as he could. He took all his clothes, an extra pillow and anything else he could find and stowed it in front. Samuel couldn’t stall any longer and went to open the door.
“Eutychia, to what pleasure do I owe your visit and may I say you look great,” the murmur came out with an effort, not because she wasn’t beautiful, but for how evil she was. For she was really beautiful, not a Botoxed model of twenty, but a woman on the verge of fifty Earth years; smooth skinned with dark blonde hair to her waist, big blue eyes and apricot lips. Her elegant black dress sat well on her long slender body. Crystal stones dressed her collar and her arms were covered with a translucent fabric. She looked nothing like the stereotypical witch. The few times Samuel had seen her, she had appeared in this bodily form, though no one could really know whether this was her true appearance.
“You’re too polite Samuel. Allow me to return your flattery. You look more…experienced than the last time we met,” she replied courteously as was done between old acquaintances on Teli and which further enhanced the excitement of her game.
Her eyes took in his ponytail, which left his face easily visible and his white djellabah extending to his bare feet. She had tactfully used the word ‘experience’, really intending to suggest, ‘older’, apparently not wanting to cause a conflict. The bitter thought of aging still remained in Samuel’s mind. Teli’s aging process was different from that of the other worlds, including his world, Sabi. The sourness in his stomach from being homesick flowed his concentration. The power from the stones was too weak on Teli for him to be able to maintain the same aging process and only worked if within a short distance from them. The seven stones each possessed one colour from the rainbow, each representing its own world. After Susy had been kidnapped, they had been scattered and four of them lost. Six of the seven members of the Order had been chosen and sent to Teli on Susy’s rescue mission. The limit of six people was determined by the fact that they only possessed three of the stones; one person had been selected from each world to ensure a varied contribution of power skills. The limitation was due to the conditions in the portals where a traveller’s strength could only uphold its life with the effect from one stone and another traveller. If a third person participated, one of the travellers would be lucky to remain alive on arrival at the other side of the portal. The pressure of the forces and the atomic changes in the portal were dense enough to crush every bone in one’s body and make one’s blood circulate faster than the heart could cope with. Samuel had long felt cross that Tarus had custody of the orange amber stone that really represented the angelic world, Angi. His own green nebula stone was one of those that had disappeared. But Tarus had insisted that it was necessary for his mission, which was to locate Susy in Switzerland. Leo had the red ruby stone that represented Teli and was instructed to look for the map, the same mission as he had. Michael and Kora had shared the indigo ocean jasper stone; Sabi’s stone, Samuel’s stone and were commissioned to search for the missing stones. Hunter was the organiser who collected all the intelligence from the group and the additional clues that the Chameleon had provided them, in an attempt to figure out the location at which the portals could be opened. Not possessing a power stone, Hunter and Samuel were left to grow old and lose their energies faster than the others.
“Are you not going to invite me in?” Eutychia nodded towards the room.
“Yes, of course, my apologies, where are my manners?” affirmed Samuel quickly, with a waving invitation of his hand.
He peered out into the hallway to see if there was anything that could help his situation. Even if there had been people in the hallway it wouldn’t be enough to help him escape. The witch could manipulate time, which would make his sprint slower than a snail’s pace and people’s memories weren’t difficult for her to erase. She wouldn’t hesitate to use the spells even though manipulating time and altering people’s minds were two of the seven forbidden spells, along with the transporting of symmetry energy. The only one who could help him now was Leo. Samuel would guess that Leo’s magic could be about as strong as Eutychia’s, if it hadn’t weakened significantly by having to use up his power reserves for his mission. However, the probability that Leo would happen to be passing his hotel room was next to none.
“Can I get you a drink?”
He continued their cat and mouse game impatiently, as he walked across to the room’s minibar.
“How is the wine here?”
The playfulness had gone over to a role-play comparable to a first date. She placed her black satin bag on the desk and sat down in one of the two chairs to show that she wasn’t only to drop by. She stroked her fingers sensually over the fabric and looked up at Samuel, waiting for a response.
“I…I have a Rioja…Tempranillo,” he stammered awkwardly after reviewing the contents of the refrigerator.
“Oh…” she replied in glee. “It will do just fine.”
The wine is bound to have an extortionate price, but what does it matter to me when I am dead? he thought hopelessly as he poured the wine into two glasses. He passed one to Eutychia with an exaggerated smile and held his hand up in a toast.
“To experienced friendship,” he said sarcastically, emphasising that she didn’t look much younger than him.
He could see a smile on her lips that seemed genuine.
“To experienced friendship,” she asserted before she sipped it delicately and then placed it on the small coffee table. “As to the negotiations. You have something I want and I can give you something you want. I propose that we swap,” she said bluntly and beckoned him to come and sit down beside her.
Samuel obeyed and sat listening attentively; he already knew what she wanted in return. He didn’t think for an instant that she would leave the room without the map in her possession. As a precaution, he had already memorised every detail of the map so he could re-create a copy if he ever lost the original. The question was whether he would survive long enough to do so. Samuel believed, but wasn’t sure, that Hunter knew most of the details already. The only thing he couldn’t be aware of was that the digits in the text ‘Captain Lalo’ were co-ordinates. He had discovered that piece of information only recently.
“I’m listening.”
He tried to sound interested.
“As you presumed correctly, I already know where you have hidden the map and with a flick of my finger I would be able to break your neck. But that’s not why I’m here. My knowledge extends far beyond the scribble on your part of the map; Shakespeare’s poem from Hamlet and the coordinates to the portals have been in my possession for centuries.”
She paused for dramatic effect and took another sip of wine before continuing.
“Here comes my dilemma. I have dedicated my whole existence to resolving the hidden message in Hamlet’s poem and I have deciphered it for the most part, but not fully. I want you to investigate and report to me what ingredients are needed to create the potion. I can’t wait to see Triton’s face when I am the most powerful ruler of the seven worlds,” she concluded with a dreamy expression, probably picturing Atlantis’ King Triton’s grimace at her feet.
Samuel tried not to drop his jaw upon hearing her plans. It was all becoming obvious; she needed the potion to transfer Susy’s energies to herself to become the ultimate ruler, enabling her to move freely between worlds. The compositions of these worlds were designed so that their inhabitants had unique characteristics that restricted them from mixing. This was a protective energy to avoid war between cultures. The only two worlds anyone could move between were Pixi, the centre world, and Teli, the world he was in now. Currently the witch couldn’t travel to Pixi, as Leo had cast a protective spell against her, which she hadn’t been able to seep through yet. Medi’s world had air that was too thin for her to breathe and Sabi was difficult for all beings to reside in, since the world changed its image to reflect what you wanted to see, challenging your
mental psyche. Hallucinations would bring to life your worst fears and fantasies. Sea creatures from Vati, like Eutychia, could overheat with their use of magic and probably explode into pieces if they travelled there. In addition, they required just a touch of dry land in order to transform their fins into legs, which was also impossible on Sabi’s ice world. Bomi, the world of fire, on the contrary, had no water, which the witch needed to survive. The people from Vati had to hydrate in water at least once every twelve hours so as not to dry out. Last, but not least, was Angi. A possible destination, however low in gravity, which allowed the angels to fly, but meant that the Witch’s magic wouldn’t function.
“Oh, one more thing,” she added seconds before Samuel was going to start his demands. “It has come to my attention that these seven ingredients exist in each of the worlds and we know very well that I’m not able to travel to them all. The two ingredients that I have collected so far are golden hair from a person from Pixi and sap from the oak tree on Vati. The ingredient from your world, Sabi, is a feather from a raven. That can be your first assignment to work on next time you are home, and are strong enough to transform yourself,” she ordered.
She knew that Samuel had to either help her or die. What would it be? Samuel reviewed the information of the poem in his head. How would he be able to get all the information he needed to unravel the hidden messages? Maybe he could ask innocently if someone in the Order had figured out where the ingredients for the drink could be? Maybe he could talk to Leo when they were alone?
He smiled to himself as he thought of the last lines of the poem: ‘Tame the unicorn’. Trying to tame a unicorn was an impossible challenge. It chose its only lifelong rider who must be noble and pure in nature. The unicorns he had seen impressed him with their stateliness and gave a sense of peace and innocence. They were white apart from hooves of purple amethyst. The unicorns’ magical powers to mentally heal had always made them a coveted prey. After Susy had been kidnapped and created concern amongst worlds, the unicorns had disappeared. Only one unicorn appeared at times, one that, according to legend, had lost its rider. It galloped without its rider throughout Angi’s forest waiting for the day his innocent virgin would again take her place on his back. There were several rumours as to why the unicorn had chosen Angi’s forest after its first year on Sabi’s winter mountain slopes. Sabi’s leader; the Oracle, had for some reason, ordered people from Sabi to steal it back. However, Angi’s inhabitants were very skilful amongst the forest trees and always managed to keep it safe. For this reason, the two cultures were in constant conflict, and this was why Samuel didn’t see eye to eye with Kora.