“Wisely done David, share your plan only with those who you know and trust. It is as I thought, and by the time you walk down to the valley floor, there should be someone waiting for you.”
“But what does it mean Druk? You said that the danger has not yet passed,” said David, getting a little anxious. It began to dawn on him just how exhausted he was.
“You must work out what the message means, all of you together. My interpretation of it may not be the one you need. So, I will say no more. But know this, I will always be available if you are in danger.”
Druk said to David, “Place you hand on my cheek, in fact, all of you, please copy David.”
They did as instructed. Skye was wondering about the shimmering scales on the side of her head when she looked deeply into Druk’s sapphire eye. She was struck by the depth and beauty of this soul, this amazing Dragon known as Druk, the Thunder Dragon. Their minds connected, and an incredible peace came over them both. It was as if they now knew everything about each other, without having ever spoken. Skye could feel an incredible warmth flowing up her arm and into her body. Just as suddenly, the connection broke.
“I have given you all some extra energy that will help you make it until the next opportunity you get for sleep.” Druk explained. “And something a little extra for Skye.”
Skye’s comm implant fell out and hit the ground. “You won’t be needing that silly thing any more,” Druk said quietly to Skye. “Trust your power to communicate without such devices. You and David can practice together.”
Skye noticed that her visual display had changed and that Druk was now in her contact list.
Druk spoke telepathically with David and Skye, “Only you two will be able to contact me directly. I have included Skye in case something happens to you David. If that happens, you Skye, will have to attempt to complete the missions. I can help you when you are in extreme danger, but I can’t explain your path to success in each mission. This you must work out for yourselves as a group.”
With that she bid them all goodbye and turned, being careful not to wipe them all off the knoll with her massive tail.
Druk launched herself into the gorge once again, She floated gracefully this time, looking downwards like an eagle scanning for prey. She must have spotted what she was looking for, as suddenly, she folded he wings and entered a dive towards the valley floor.
Chapter 33
“What do you mean ‘You were there?’”
Jack, Sonam and Pema strolled along the valley floor, trying to catch a glimpse of anything going on up around the Takstang Monastery. It was dangerous, it was only just light, and it was hard to watch where they were walking while they were so distracted by the need to look above them. They had all fallen over several times already, not a good thing if they were expecting to walk into the mountains for the next week or so. An injury now would end that trip.
“Jack,” Sonam said, “We can’t afford to injure ourselves now. How about we ease up a bit until we know what’s going on, then we can concentrate on going forward safely.”
Jack sighed with frustration. “I’m not frustrated with you Sonam, it’s just so hard for me. Let’s agree that we concentrate on just walking until we get to the clearing at the base of the Takstang climb. It’s only a few more minutes through the forest.
Just as Jack said that, a dark shadow passed silently overhead. It looked like Druk was heading to the clearing and indicating that she would meet them there. They hurried on.
***
As they watched Druk disappear into the valley below, David spoke to all of them.
“I have decided that the only way to move forward with this is to be completely open with everyone. We must keep moving, so listen up while we walk.”
As they began the long walk down, toward the valley floor, he explained in detail, everything that had happened since he left the previous afternoon. Not much was said by anyone, but they absorbed every word that David spoke.
David thought it strange that Lurch was walking backwards in front of them as he spoke.
David came to the last part where he received the message, “You Must Visit The Princess.” He explained his and Druk’s escape from the collapsing cavern and then their discussion on the freezing mountain top.
Skye interrupted him, “So let’s see if I understand this right. We have to visit this Princess. She will give us a series of tasks to complete which if we succeed, the environment will be re-set in some way for the benefit of all. If we fail, all of humanity will be wiped from the face of the planet?”
The group stopped and looked at each other silently.
David spoke up. “I have to say that I considered walking away from this and allow that to happen, for the benefit of the planet. But then I thought of you guys, and Grandpa Jack, and the monks, and Lauren and Raj, and all the good people in the world. We have no choice, we have to try. I have no idea what these tasks will be, but now that this bloody device is activated, there is no going back.” He walked on ahead, escaping from Skye’s protective bubble. She moved it over him as he walked, looking sullen.
As they all caught up to him again, he continued speaking. “You know what? The funny thing is, that we should be safe now. If we fail, everyone is stuffed, even the bad guys. They just became our allies, like it or not. Maybe I can understand now, why they wanted to stop us. Would you trust a bunch of kids with a series of dangerous tasks whose success or failure meant the life or death of you and your family? I think not. It’s time to forgive them.”
They arrived at the knoll that marked the half way point. The same man from yesterday beckoned them to come to his teahouse for refreshment.
You could hear everyone’s stomach growl, and David said, “Thank you for your kind offer sir, we would love some tea and biscuits.” They walked in and sat down enjoying the magnificent view, feeling like adventure tourists for the first time.
Two young waitresses came out with cups and a large copper kettle, steaming from the spout. As one passed out the cups, the other followed, pouring dark, sweet and rich steaming tea into their cups. Nothing had ever smelled so good to this young group of twelve. The waitresses disappeared to the kitchen and then brought plates of food, there was fried rice, sweet biscuits and oh, oh, Emma Datshi.
Wayne made a hex sign at the Emma Datshi, as if to ward off evil spirits, and everyone including the monks just cracked up laughing. The monks first choice was the spicy local chilli dish and no-one else begrudged them, tucking into the rice and sweet biscuits like they hadn’t eaten for days.
David suddenly felt awful, realising that they had no means to pay for this wonderful meal. He leaped up from his seat and asked everyone to stop eating and drinking while he ran to the kitchen looking for the owner.
He pulled the curtain in the doorway to the kitchen aside and walked in, looking around the sparse and very simple kitchen. A yak dung fire was smoking away with the copper tea kettle on it. The owner was squatting near it trying to keep warm. David felt terrible, these lovely people couldn’t afford to feed all of them for nothing.
The owner noticed David and quickly stood up, dusting himself off. He looked nervous, as though he thought that David was angry.
David noticed this and immediately set about putting him at ease. He walked up to shake his hand and introduced himself as “David, David Matson.”
The owner took his hand, but didn’t quite meet his eyes. “Pardon me sir,” the owner said, “but that is no longer your name, Outer Space Nature Boy,” he said with a smile.
David wanted to laugh and ask how he knew his Tibettan name, but he realised that he didn’t need to know.
“I am very ashamed to say sir,” David replied, that we have accepted your hospitality, failing to realise that we have no means of paying you. Can you wait until I return with payment later today, I feel awful.”
“There is more than one way to repay one’s hospitality young man. And perhaps I need to repay a debt, a debt of the sacr
ifice your family has already made in order to save mine. Please eat, and drink as much tea as you need to continue your journey, and know that it is my family, who owes yours, whatever happens from this day on. But I do have a question. My son, Norbu and his wife Tashi are crew aboard your father’s mission to Gamma Cygnus Three. Do you have any news? We haven’t heard from them in so long. Do you know if my son lives?”
David was floored, in all this excitement he had completely put the Gamma Cygnus Three mission out of his mind.
“We had contact from my parents a few days ago and all was going well. They were still travelling and should have arrived yesterday. I am sure we will hear from them soon. And it seems as though your family has also made great sacrifices.”
David noticed the two young waitresses hanging around the door listening to their conversation. Realising that they must be his daughters, he beckoned them over to be included in the conversation.
“May I have your names, so that when we hear from them, I can pass on a message to your son and daughter in law that I have met you.”
The girls squealed with delight and then burst into tears while all three of them knelt at his feet, touching them with their hands. David had no idea how to react to this, but understood how momentous it is to receive news of family that you haven’t heard from for many years. He asked them to stand and once again asked them for their names.
The girls appeared to be very alike, perhaps twins. The owner spoke first, “I am also Dorji, and my twin daughters names are ‘Jack’ and ‘Matson’, named after the ship that their brother sails on. He has never met them. Their mother became pregnant with them just before they left orbit. She died in child birth, and now there is just the three of us, working here in the mountains, knowing that we are just that little bit closer to them up here.”
“Dorji, my friend, please be assured that the first time I am in contact with my parents, I will pass on your news. Thank you for the tea and biscuits, but we must go now. We have a long way to go I believe.”
Jack and Matson packed up the left over biscuits into a small bag and poured fresh tea into a large silver thermos and passed them over to David to take with them.
They all bowed gratefully and made their way back onto the ever downwards trail. Wayne said, “Now I understand why Grandpa Jack loves this land and her people. He strode on down the path with renewed confidence,” a tear, straining to be released form the corner of his eye.
Skye spoke quietly with David. “You know how you said that our enemies must now be our friends?”
“I know where you’re going with that Skye,” David said, “What if they don’t know that they’re our friends now? We need to let them know somehow that they are, what the new situation is.”
“Exactly,” said Skye. “I have an idea. Have you noticed Lurch behaving weirdly?”
“Yeah, now that you mention it. What’s that weird walking all about?”
“He’s filming everything David. He’s a walking talking cinematographer, he’s recorded everything since we left home. Apparently they hid a small camera on you while you were gone.”
“Wow,” said David, more than a little shocked. “But, I think we can use that somehow.”
Skye called for Lurch and Flynn to come closer. “Guys? Do you have an uplink to the internet?”
Flynn looked at her a little bit sideways, but Lurch answered. “Not now that we are down lower in the valley, but we did when we were up the top.”
“Oh well, there goes that idea then,” said David a little disappointedly.
Flynn held up his finger, about to speak, but they could see that his mental gears were working. “What if we could make contact with Priscilla and get her overhead. They could set up an uplink for us, surely.”
David added, “But if we have no connection, how can we contact Priscilla.”
“Well you two are the ones with ‘Connections’,” said Flynn sarcastically.
Skye and David looked at each other and agreed, David scrolled through his contact list and pressed ‘Druk’.
***
Druk was sitting in the clearing with Jack, Sonam and Pema, filling them in on what had happened, including that half of the Gamma Cygnus Three fleet had successfully landed when she was there.
Jack was about to ask how in the hell she ‘was there’ when she disappeared suddenly with a loud crack.
***
David and Skye nearly jumped out of their skins when Druk suddenly appeared with a loud crack before them. She didn’t look impressed.
Druk spoke quite coldly, “Well, I suppose I should have explained how that works.”
Skye was flabbergasted, “I’m so sorry Druk, I thought that I would just be making a telepathic connection with you. I had no idea that it would ‘force’ you to appear before us.”
A little exasperated, Druk spoke again, “Each time I feed, I can teleport four times, and unfortunately to feed, I must teleport to where my food now lives. I will tell you, that my only source of food is on Gamma Cygnus Three. What that means is, that if you force me to teleport to you when I only have one jump left, you could strand me here on Earth with no food.”
David and Skye looked at each other a little guiltily. David went to speak but Druk cut him off. “Obviously, you two are way more powerful than I thought. And to be fair, I didn’t take the time to explain how to contact me Skye, I do not blame you. I suppose I am just frightened that I could have effectively been imprisoned again. Next time you need to speak with me, just close your eyes and think of me, and we should connect. If you use that contact list again, it looks like you will force me to jump.”
Druk was thinking for a moment. “Perhaps you can use that as a tool of last resort only. If, in the future, you are in the direst of situations. And by that I mean, all hope is lost, you may call me in that manner. I would rather help you and die myself, than have you fail in this mission.”
“What is it that I can help you with now?”
“We need to contact Raj or Lauren onboard the Priscilla, we have an idea about how to remove the danger from the people who would see us fail,” David continued. “We have worked out that they now need us to be successful or they themselves will be removed from existence, but they don’t know that yet, we need to inform them.”
David and Skye spent several minutes explaining their plan to Druk.
“My biggest concern with that plan, is that it may cause world wide panic,” said Druk.
“I hadn’t thought of that,” mused David out loud. “But on the other hand, maybe it will cause world wide action.”
Skye added her thoughts. “I think I know where David is going with this Druk. The future is open communication on a population wide basis. One of the things we will have to begin to change right now, is the control of population through mis-information. If people are informed, with the truth, we can engage them. Somehow, I think we are going to need that with our future missions. We will use total transparency about what we are trying to achieve as our greatest ally.”
Druk nodded thoughtfully, “You are all so much more advanced in your thinking than I could have possibly hoped. This is why I must not advise you of what I think a mission means. You are way more capable of formulating a plan with a modern twist than I am.”
“OK, but you know,” Druk continued, “You could have called them yourselves. You two don’t need access to the internet to contact anyone.”
With that, Druk launched herself into the air.
As they watched her fly lazily up the valley before disappearing with a clap of thunder, Skye looked at David and Flynn and said, “Was she laughing as she flew off?”
Chapter 34
“The Director”
“My name,” David said, as he looked deeply into Lurch’s eyes, “was David Matson.”
Flynn looked at Lurch, who was standing dead still, a small red light was on, on the side of his head, where his temple would be if he had been human. Flynn couldn’t remember ever
having installed a LED there. But then he realised that he had programmed Lurch to be able to change his skin colour at will. Assuming that the blinking red light meant that he was recording, Flynn had a little chuckle to himself. “He’s taking this cinematography thing way too seriously,” he said to no-one in particular.
“But now, my name has changed to something unusual,” David continued. “It has changed because over eighty years ago, my Great Grandfather was given a mission. A mission to save the environment of this planet and perhaps, humanity itself. A mission that resulted in my Great Grandfather’s death at the hands of those who resisted this transformation. Eighty years ago, this mission failed, and well, you all know the results.”
Land Of The Thunder Dragon Page 18