The Quest for the Lost Shards of Power

by F M Andrews

  It did not take long for the crowd to dissipate, trickling out into the night. Eva had said that she would meet him at the bottom of the stairs and in no time, he found himself sitting there alone. It was strangely quiet and cool without the press of bodies. Into this quietness, Eva made a joyful entrance, bursting through the door twirling and singing, her happiness radiating from her like the sun. She grasped his hand and sang into his mind, “Come on, come on, there’s a party going on. Come on, come on with me,” before she dragged him back through the doors to the space behind the stage.

  The party was unlike any other Myssan had ever been to. There was no formality to it, no protocol. Everyone was having fun, singing and, of course, dancing, all sharing in the happiness of their success.

  “Who’s this then, Eva?” an effeminate man asked as they walked in. “Darling, where have you been hiding him all this time?” Myssan got the uncomfortably distinct impression that he was being mentally undressed by the man. Eva introduced Myssan as a dear friend who was unable to talk and immediately he was accepted and a drink was placed in his hands.

  Eva held his hand most of the night so he could understand what was going on. It felt so good, so natural. Late in the evening, when everyone was a little drunk, including Myssan and Eva, someone put on some soul music for slow dancing. Eva dragged him up and showed him where to put his hands and the few basic steps required. In Feld all the dancing was very formal and at no time was there any intimate touching let alone full body contact like this. It took him a moment to relax, yet the drink helped and with a little encouragement from Eva he let himself enjoy it. She felt so soft, so perfect in his arms, the top of her head nestled just below his chin and her body melding into his. Her scent reminded him of alpine meadows, subtle but heady, and he had to work really hard to control his rebellious body.

  He had never been so tempted in all his life but this was neither the time nor the place. Eva, on the other hand, had different ideas. Dreamily she lifted her face to his, her dark eyes gently questioning. Tentatively she lifted a hand and threaded her fingers through his curls, stood on tiptoe and tantalizingly slowly closed the gap that separated them. He was at her mercy and there was now no force on this earth that could prevent him from kissing her. It was as if he had been waiting his whole life for this moment and when their lips touched every particle in his body rejoiced, his heart and mind raced, he lost his breath and his knees became weak. Her lips were soft, warm and intoxicating, he slipped from this world to enter into a state of bliss where only he and Eva existed.

  He pulled her close, not wanting there to be any space left between them and she sank into his embrace, murmuring quiet sounds of contented pleasure. He was lost and he did not care. The kiss grew more ardent until finally, he lost all control of his willpower.

  “Take it somewhere else, you two,” a gently mocking voice eventually pierced through to their awareness causing them to part reluctantly, both breathing heavily. Eva was the first to recover.

  “I suppose we should be leaving anyway. After all, I think it might be time for bed,” she laughed, eliciting answering smiles all-round. In no time, she had said her farewells, bundled herself into her coat, slipped an arm around Myssan’s waist and they were on their way home.

  In the cold night air, reason reasserted itself. Myssan’s mind was racing. What had he done? This kind of behaviour was totally unacceptable from someone in his position and Eva deserved better. Yet his heart cried out to be with her and he gave himself permission to hold her for just a little longer. He was amazed how quickly he had become accustomed to this world. The trip back to Eva’s home was becoming familiar, although this time there was a whole new dimension to it: Eva. He now knew where he was going, recognising familiar landmarks, but all this was peripheral stuff as his whole concentration was centred on the woman nestled under his protective arm. On the train she sat snuggled in close, every now and then lifting her face to smile up at him. He couldn’t resist her even if he wanted to. He would never have kissed a woman in public back in Feld but on this world it seemed to be acceptable judging by the other occupants of their carriage, and he bent to kiss her tenderly on the lips, his heart skipping a beat with the sheer joy of surrender.

  Through their mind link, he could tell that her feelings for him were genuine, taking away any doubt, any need to second guess, allowing him to just savour the moment. He had always been sceptical of any woman who had shown the slightest interest in him before. He could never be certain if they were actually interested in him or his title. The one woman with whom he’d had a real friendship with had been Surrin; however, the furtive glances she had given Dissan had quashed any idea of taking that friendship any further. It had always baffled him how Dissan had a way of attracting woman without even trying.

  Looking at their reflection in the window opposite, as they sped through the dark tunnels, deep beneath this wondrous city, Myssan felt free and unfettered for the first time in his life. His happiness was not to last. The day and her illness had taken their toll on Eva and by the time they finally reached her home station she was clearly suffering. He could feel her slipping in and out of consciousness, struggling just to keep her eyes open, pain overwhelming her every thought. Gently picking her up, he carried her home. She was as light as a child, a precious armful, bundled in oversized clothes against the cold. Fumbling for the key in her bag, he let them in, carried her to bed, made sure she took her medicine and pain relief, before climbing in beside her, enfolding her in his arms and falling asleep.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Myssan yawned.

  The grey light of dawn had woken him and it took a moment for him to locate himself and remember why he was in bed, fully dressed, curled protectively around Eva’s lithe body. When the memory of last night stirred deep within him, he found that once again that his body was going to betray him and he immediately moved away unless he wake her. Trying to think of cool swims and snow he stumbled to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. He shuddered to think how close he had come to dishonouring Eva the night before and vowed not to let it happen again. She deserved better. Lifting his head he stared at his reflection in the mirror, watching the water drip from his chin. He was surprised to see the same face, the same eyes that he always saw, staring back at him. The only thing marking the passage of time was the light covering of stubble. Being with Eva had had a profound effect on him and he had seen and experienced so many new and unbelievable things that he was sure he must have changed in some way.

  He finished washing in the basin, marvelling at the hot water that flowed from the tap, towelled himself dry and redressed. His clothes had a distinct whiff about them now of that well-travelled smell and he wondered if he could wash them somehow. He would have to ask Eva when she woke. The rest of the morning he spent poking around the house finding several items that completely baffled him as to their purpose yet Eva was never far from his thoughts.

  He could sense that she had resigned herself to death and had come to the conclusion that she might as well enjoy what time she had left, but Myssan was more optimistic. If he could bring her to Feld, to Errin, there was a very good chance that she would live and if she did, she might regret giving herself to Myssan. The last thing he wanted was for something like that to come between them. As long as there was a chance that she could survive he would behave honourably, no matter how difficult that would prove to be. It was the right thing to do if they were to have any chance of a future together.

  It wasn’t until late afternoon that Eva wandered into the living room, hair dishevelled, her pale face making the dark rings under her eyes stand out like bruises. She smiled sleepily at Myssan, shuffled up to him, slid her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest as if it were the most natural thing to do, as if it was where she belonged. He encircled her thin frame protectively in his arms and, in turn, rested his chin on the top of her head breathing in her scent. This small act of easy companionship
broke his heart for so many reasons, not the least being the realization that, sadly, he had never experienced anything like this before in his life. It was a two-edged sword, though, because now that he knew how precious it could be, he was terrified of losing it.

  “I would kill for a cup of tea and some toast,” Eva announced. “Would you like some too?” she asked as she began filling the kettle. Myssan nodded.

  Afterwards they sat on the couch snuggled into each other as Eva read the glowing reviews of the performance the night before on her phone. It was obviously a great success and Myssan could see that the comments meant a lot to her. They sat in easy silence for quite some time drinking their tea. “You know, we should bring a tea plant back to Feld with us. I think it would be very popular,” Myssan mused.

  Eva gave a little subdued chuckle. “I would have to look up what the plant is called, but I don’t think you can buy them in London,” she replied placing her finished cup on the ground and squirming back under his arm. “But why don’t you tell me about Feld. If I am to go there I need to know what to expect,” she said dreamily.

  Myssan thought for a moment, not sure how to start. “Well, it is quite a long tale and I am no bard,” he began hesitantly.

  “I just want to know what it is like there; you know, the day to day stuff,” she replied.

  It took Myssan most of the afternoon to tell her about his world as she kept falling asleep. It made him a little homesick thinking about home and the people he had left behind, and he was surprised that he had not thought of them at all since meeting Eva. The day of rest was good for her and by the evening she began to rally a bit, stating that it was time to make plans for tomorrow's adventure checking out the ley lines.

  Using her communicator, she ordered something called a pizza and in a surprisingly short time there was a knock at the door and a box containing a round flatbread with delicious toppings was delivered, piping hot. During their wait for the food, Eva had conjured up a map on another device called a computer and together they began to plot their journey to the closest ley line at Royston. In no time she pronounced that she ‘Had it all sorted.’ “Look at this,” she exclaimed excitedly, pointing to the screen. “It says that there is an ancient underground cave with strange carvings right in the middle of Royston. I bet that it is right on the line. I think that that should be the first place we try,” she finished, grinning up at him happily.

  They had decided to catch the train from Paddington Station early the next morning, change at Kings Cross, and they should get to Royston in about an hour and a half. Eva then booked them a room at ‘The Old Bull Inn’ right in the middle of town. Myssan was lost. None of this made any sense to him at all; however, the fact that she was confident that they would get to their destination was enough for him and he was happy just to go along with whatever she decided.

  Eva had been quite animated whilst she had been researching their trip yet it had been tiring for her and she only just managed to nibble one slice of pizza before declaring that she was exhausted. “Gosh! I am all in. Time for bed, I think,” she said, yawing. “You can come too if you want,” she added smiling shyly up at him. He suddenly felt short of breath. There was nothing he would like more at this moment but reason and upbringing combined to stall him.

  “I really don’t think that would be a good idea,” he sighed reluctantly. “We will probably have a big day ahead of us tomorrow and you need a proper rest. I will just sleep on the couch tonight,” he managed to say, hoping she could not see the turmoil his mind and body were experiencing at her words.

  “Oh!” She sounded disappointed, hurt even. “Well, okay. See you bright and early tomorrow morning, then,” she amended, throwing him a quizzical look that he found hard to interpret.

  As she closed the door, the room suddenly became quiet and empty. It was as if all its previous warmth and vibrancy had left with her. ‘Boy!’ he thought as he collapsed back into the couch, running his hands distractedly through his curls. He had it bad. He could hear Dissan laughing delightedly at his discomfort. To distract himself, he pulled his pack over and began to rummage through it. He had lost track of the days and it would be good to see just how many he had left. At a guess, he thought he had been in this world about three to four days and that he would have about nineteen days left before his return to Feld. He hoped fervently that Eva would be able to last that long.

  The parchment felt strange in his hands now. The texture was coarse and the written ink was a novelty in this world. Holding it up to the light, he was immediately struck by the fact that there appeared to be a lot fewer strokes than he thought there should be. His heart missed a beat and he sat bolt upright, Errin’s forgotten words resurfacing: “Time might pass at different rates on the world you are going to.” With a shaking finger he counted the remaining strokes. Fourteen. Holding his breath he recounted. The number did not change. He struggled to understand exactly what this meant. Forcing himself to be calm he mulled over all the ramifications of this discovery. It looked as if three days passed on Feld for every one day here and, if that were so, then he only had four days left here before he had to return. Was this good news? It would mean that Eva had a much better chance of surviving until he could get her to Errin, but on the other hand, it gave him much less time to be with her without the weight of the worlds on their shoulders. Everything was suddenly all the more immediate.

  He began to wonder if they should risk going up to the ley line at all. Surely it would be safer to wait until Errin could heal her, he reasoned. But what if Errin was unable to help Eva straight away? Didn’t she say that Zail might feel her presence when she brought them back to Feld? He tried to imagine the moment when all four shards returned, but it was impossible. There were too many unknowns. Could Errin use the shards’ powers straight away? Would all four return? If not, how could Errin hope to win against such powerful evil? It very quickly became clear to Myssan that he should not expect help from Errin. She would probably have her hands full. If he could cure Eva before returning to Feld they would all stand a much better chance of survival. Decision made, he tried to sleep but it proved elusive and the few moments he did snatch were full of dreams of Eva floating away from him, arms stretched out for help, eyes pleading.

  The journey to Royston was uneventful and incredible all at the same time. The stations were huge, full of people all intent on getting to their own destinations. The trains were smooth, fast and comfortable, racing through the densely built up areas near the city, jam-packed with grey buildings and grey roads all reflecting the grey sky. Gradually there were fewer and fewer large buildings and more and more houses interspersed with green spaces and tree-lined streets. Finally, Myssan found himself staring out the window at green pastures encapsulated with tidy hedgerows.

  They passed through several small towns, each flitting past quickly, none standing out until, at last, they pulled into Royston, full of red roofs and terrace houses. They disembarked at a little gloomy station, the icy wind quickly erasing the memory of the warm carriage. Eva had said that an unusually late season snowstorm had been predicted for later in the day and judging by the sky, it was not far off. Both of them huddled in their coats, Eva retrieving a long, red knitted scarf, which she wrapped around her neck with a flourish. According to Eva’s device, the pub and the cave were only a short walk away down the hill. Of necessity they had to be constantly touching to communicate and as a result it now felt like the most natural thing in the world to be holding hands as they walked.

  On a whim, Myssan reached for the power, desperately wanting to feel anything stronger than what he had felt in London. He was not expecting the powerful surge of Feld although he was hoping for a little more than the weak, intermittent pulse he could sense here. He sighed, not wanting to dash Eva’s hopes. Maybe things would be different when they found the cave?

  It didn’t take them long to stroll down the wide main street and very quickly they reached a small arched alley between two shop
s with a sign proclaiming ‘The Cave. Five pounds entrance fee.’ They turned down the narrow lane, paid and made their way down the steps. The cave itself was underwhelming. A bell-shaped space, carved into the stone with ancient carvings on the wall; however, Myssan could feel the history and the power bubbling just below his awareness, making the hairs on his arms stand up. This was more hopeful but the problem was that he needed quiet and space to try to heal Eva and unfortunately the only way to enter the cave was with the guide, a young woman in tight trousers and long brown hair held high in a ponytail.

  Myssan wasn’t sure how they could solve this problem, but Eva came to his rescue, thinking fast. Without warning she gasped and sank to the ground. The guide rushed over truly concerned.

  “Are you alright? Shall I fetch the doctor?” she shot quick-fired questions at them both all the while helping Eva to sit back against the wall.

  “I will be alright soon,” Eva replied looking quite apologetic as if she was being a nuisance. “I have these turns every now and again and I usually just need some time to stop the world spinning and then I will be fine,” she finished, her bottom lip trembling for effect. The guide still hovered uncertainly. “I will recover quicker if I can be left alone in peace and quiet,” Eva hinted boldly. “My boyfriend knows how to look after me, if you want to go back upstairs.” She paused, took a deep breath which she let out slowly, clutching Myssan’s hand dramatically. “These turns don’t usually last long.” The guide looked nervous, shifting from one foot to the other uncertain what to do. “Go. I will be fine,” Eva reassured her.