The Estian Alliance

CHAPTER 29

Dead of Night - 3rd September - The City of Te’oull - Siatol

Inside the very same dwelling that Tien had earlier used to restore the box of stones, all was quiet. The celebrations and partying in Te’oull had lasted well into the dying hours of the glorious night. But, for two weary souls anxious to make up for so much lost time, the effects of their exploits and the rollercoaster ride of emotions they had experienced, meant that the festivities were merely an unwanted distraction, and one of which they wanted no part. Melissa and her mother, Jean, were blissfully content just to be in one another’s company. They had therefore made their excuses quite early on and left the bustling square in order to find somewhere quiet to talk. Jean had remembered the empty house and suggested it as a good place to hold their remarkable reunion, and then to gain the much needed sleep their bodies ached for. Inside the relatively quiet solitude of the four walls, behind a makeshift door made from an upturned table, mother and daughter talked happily for hours. They conversed safe in the knowledge that the battle and war had finally been won, that they had all the time in the world to renew their relationship, to get to know one another, confident that they would not be disturbed.

“The future can wait and the past be damned,” Jean had said to begin the discussion. “I only want to deal with the present tonight. I will listen to the stories of your life gladly, however much you would like to tell… Or not? Whatever has happened before today means nothing. The only thing that truly matters to me is right here and now. I have found you at last, and I do not want to ever let you go.”

In the early hours of the morning, both sets of eyes began to inform their hosts that their shattered bodies desperately needed to sleep. Melissa offered Jean the only bed in the back room. She settled down under a blanket she had found, her head resting on the pillow from the bed, which Jean had insisted she took. The Sebantan Princess lay down on the cold, hard floor and closed her eyes, as contented as she could ever be. Sleep came quickly despite her excitement, for she possessed at last an untroubled mind.

Sometime later, when all was deathly quiet and it seemed that the whole of Te’oull had joined them in slumber, the air near to the sleeping Melissa suddenly began to part. A tiny tear in its fabric widened slowly and silently. Before long, it was large enough for a person to step through and out from the hole appeared King Vantrax.

He looked around the room to ensure he had not been seen and then quietly approached the sleeping warrior to stand over her with a knife in his hand. For a second or two he just stood there, as if he was deciding on his method of attack, the best way to assassinate the Sebantan Princess in her sleep, without being discovered and before making good his escape.

But then, the evil wizard put away his dagger and bent down to shake her shoulders gently. “Melissa!” he hissed, as quietly as he could. He glanced once more around him to ensure his presence has not been detected. “Melissa! Wake up!”

Melissa stirred slowly and opened her extremely heavy eyelids. She blinked several times and then rubbed them hard, having been awoken from the depths of a deep and blissfully happy sleep. The experienced warrior had never before slept so soundly. She would normally have heard such an approach and responded to it like the trained soldier she was, so she was in uncharted territory now, confused and somewhat dazed.

“King Vantrax!” she stated, shocked and amazed to see her former master alive and standing before her. “…But I thought you were dead?!”

“Shh!” Vantrax replied instantly, placing a solitary finger up to his lips. “Be quiet, they might hear you. Come with me, we have to go now.”

“Go? Go where? Why are you here, and where have you been?”

“I escaped to Mynae, to the only place I could think of that was safe. I have been in a cave, not far from Herashtuk,” said the wizard.

“What? How?” asked Melissa.

“It is not important. I had to leave Estia before that boy could use his powers. It has afforded me some time to think. Listen to me, I know of a way we can take back all we have lost! I sensed your survival. The bond we share is strong, and I have returned for you now.”

Melissa slowly sat upright as she tried to take in all that was happening. “You… You came back for me?”

“Yes. Now let us go, before the guards outside hear us talking!” Vantrax urged.

Melissa’s mind was still not working correctly in her confused state. Perhaps it was tiredness, or the effects of the battle and everything that had happened, but she was not herself and she knew it. She did however pick up on the fact that the King obviously believed that she was being held captive, against her will, that she was a prisoner of the Estians. She looked him in the eyes for a brief moment and the memory of her conversations with Jean and the rest of her family came flooding back. All of a sudden she felt a rising and intense anger swell in her breast, though she tried her hardest not to let it show.

‘This is the true enemy, the one who ruined all of our lives,’ she thought. Still, he had come back for her in the most dangerous of circumstances, and that fact played on her mind. She did not know what to make of it. She had to know why.

“Do not worry, the guards will not come. The walls are thick and we will not be disturbed. Answer my question. Why have you come for me? And what happens now?” she asked.

“Raar! I do not understand why you hesitate? We must be going!” rasped Vantrax, in a much stronger tone. “…I have had to use my very last piece of reolite to save you, is that not enough?!”

Melissa once again looked him squarely in the eye. She replied in a cool, calm voice, all the time working her hand slowly under her pillow, without it being noticed. “It would have been, once. But, I am not the same as I was before this fight. I have grown a little since we parted. Tell me, why have you come for me? The truth!”

King Vantrax was growing more and more impatient. He became more furious with every single second they delayed their escape, but he knew that he had no choice but to answer honestly, for Melissa seemed intent on staying where she was unless he revealed why he was there. It was a reaction he had not planned for. It was totally unexpected, and he just could not believe what he was hearing.

“Aghrast! Very well. Reolite! It is all about the reolite. Do you not see? It always has been. I need more stones, more shards. And you will help me get them.”

“So, there we have it. You are using me once again? Just as you have used me all of my life!” Melissa cried, her voice raised now to a very strong and forceful whisper.

King Vantrax was stunned by her insolent tone and her impudence. He could not understand where it came from, and he definitely did not like being spoken to in such a fashion. “What has happened to you, Melissa? Why do you speak to me so, after all I have done for you? You ungrateful…!”

”Ungrateful?!” interrupted Melissa, angrily. “Tell me then, what do I have to be grateful for? You return here only because you need me. Tell me I am wrong? You mean to raid the mines of Eratur, to take from the Thargws that which is rightfully theirs, to steal what few stones they have. I am no fool, Vantrax. To take on the Thargws you will need an army, one capable of such a feat. There are few better than my Sebantans. Yes, your true motives are revealed; you came back solely because you know that they will only follow me!”

King Vantrax smiled a wicked smile, aware that he had just been rumbled. “Kah… I always said you had a keen mind to match your beauty. You are right, Melissa. But what of it? What choice do you have but to leave with me now? Come quickly, before my powers wane and I am able to keep the hole open no longer, before this opportunity is gone. You are their prisoner. I offer you freedom, and a chance to lead your beloved warriors in battle once more. So, why are you not moving? Why do you delay? Think of it. With more reolite, I will raise a much greater army, one full of Mynaen warriors, taken from the dead and the living. We will return very soon to this land, before these Estians can recover, to crush their armies and take their stones. I offer you a chance for glory and adventure. Here, you will be nothing but a slave!”

“No!” Melissa responded, forcefully. “You are mistaken. I am no slave. I am no captive.”

“What?” said the wizard, confused.

“Look outside the window. You will see no guards at my door. I am as free as anyone here.”

King Vantrax could see in her eyes that she spoke the truth. His blood was boiling now and his face was red with rage. He wanted to kill her where she sat, on the floor. But, he knew that he needed her. “Yagh! Enough of this! We must go now. I will take you by force if I have to!”

“If those words were said by anyone else…?! Use your magic all you like. You have taken from me for the last time. Yes… I know! I know what you did.”

Vantrax’ mouth dropped open for a second, as he realised with astonishment that she was telling the truth. “Srr… You know what, exactly?”

“Everything. I have been told everything,” replied Melissa.

“I do not believe you. By who?”

“By my mother! She is alive, Vantrax. You failed to cover your tracks. But then, you are no warrior, are you? It scares me to think how much we are alike, of the things I did in your name… What kind of beast takes away a child from its mother? How could you look me in the eye all these years, knowing what you did? And now that I know, how can you seriously expect me to go with you, to help you? No, I will not. Do your worst! Cast your spell and strike me down. I will never serve you again!”

King Vantrax raised his arms to launch his attack. However, at exactly the same time, Melissa’s fingers tightened around the handle to the knife she always kept under her pillow, and…

“Melissa? Who are you talking to out there?”

Jean suddenly appeared in the doorway to the back room, having been awoken by the sound of an unknown conversation. She was wiping the sleep from her eyes in an attempt to clear her blurred vision. Despite his shock and surprise at being interrupted, Vantrax realised immediately who it was and he reacted swiftly, turning his body in Jean’s direction. He began saying the two words which would end her life and his fingers extended to aim the blow.

“Ferrein heeuss…!”

A split second before he uttered the final part of the last word, Melissa jumped up from the ground with phenomenal speed and plunged her knife deep into his heart. King Vantrax stumbled backwards, the blade still embedded fully within in his body. His face wore a look of deepest horror as he watched the hole in the air disappear immediately. Everything began to go dark for him and, as he took his final breath, his eyes turned towards Melissa.

“That is for my family!” the warrior stated, her eyes brimming with hatred. “Take on them, and you take on me!”

Melissa and Jean watched as King Vantrax’ lifeless body dropped to the floor. Then, Jean rushed over to her daughter and flung her arms around her. “Oh Lissa, thank you! You saved my life. You saved all of us.”

Melissa pushed her mother away gently so that she could look her in the eye. “No, mother, thank you. It is you who has saved mine. Now, help me move him outside. He has gone now and he can hurt us no more. It is over!”

* * *

Four weeks later, Jake West was sitting in his usual seat at the rear of a rather boring history lesson. Everything had returned to almost normal as far as the two young boys were concerned. The excitement of their adventures on Estia had died down somewhat and they had settled back into their everyday routine. School life had its highs and lows, but no more than that of any youngster. The Police had finally given up asking questions about their whereabouts and were concentrating now on the fate of Harry. Everyone had reluctantly accepted the boy’s version of events surrounding Jake’s grandfather’s sudden disappearance. In the absence of further evidence or proof, they really had no choice. The story they had told that he had decided to discharge himself from hospital and chosen to visit an old army buddy in Australia, was a little far-fetched perhaps, but however unlikely it seemed to the Police, their efforts in trying to track him down had met with no success, meaning that it was the only plausible explanation they had… and it certainly succeeded in diverting any unwanted attention away from the boys. Jake and Ben had been left pretty much alone for a week or so now and they were extremely grateful that the seemingly endless questions had stopped. In fact, life had actually become quite tedious for them both, almost as boring as Mrs Binley’s class on the Industrial Revolution, which they now had to endure. Almost!

There were one or two changes however. Frightened to death by his son’s disappearance and the fact that he had almost lost his only boy for good, Ben’s father had finally decided to quit drinking. The ex-soldier was now fighting a very different battle of his own, and he was winning. He was making a real and determined effort to turn his life around, working hard to remain sober, and trying to make up for lost time with Ben. He was attending lots of support meetings and because of this, he had moved to his parent’s house in Birmingham temporarily whilst he was undergoing treatment. That meant that for the past month or so Ben had lived with Jake at the West’s house. There, he was treated as one of the family, but he was due to move back home this coming weekend, when his father was due to return. Finally, after several turbulent years of pain and heartache, they could actually start to rebuild their lives together. Having been changed a little by his experiences on Estia and having come to realise just how precious life and family are, Ben was looking forward immensely to trying. There was a definite spring in his step now which had been missing for some time, before he had entered that attic and found that box.

For Jake, the return to the relative monotony of everyday life had come as a major disappointment, given all he had done and accomplished since learning of his incredible destiny. He had expected to be whisked away to lands far and wide at a moment’s notice. He was excited by the prospect of further exploits in different worlds, and he had been frustrated when nothing happened. Just like Ben, he was no longer the same boy who had entered that attic. Despite the uncertainties and peril associated with being a Keeper, he actually longed for action, for mystery, for danger. His Keeper’s instincts and feelings were now fully awoken and they fuelled this desire. He needed more in his life than just school and sports, more to focus on, more to believe in. He felt incomplete, as if he was cut in two somehow. It was as if he didn’t really belong in Lichfield anymore, and he was just passing time until he was needed, until somebody summoned him, or called out to him for help. More than anything else, Jake absolutely hated the waiting!

Mrs Binley gazed at her class over the golden rims of her spectacles, checking as she always did that her pupils were still paying attention to what she was saying. She was in the middle of explaining all about the ‘wonders’ of the Industrial Revolution, and what a massive turning point it was in history, trying hard to fill her students with enthusiasm. As she paused and stared at them, every pupil tried their hardest to look as though they were paying her their undivided attention, including Jake. But, just as her eyes met his, he became distracted, as he suddenly heard a very faint voice inside his head.

He was shocked by it at first, but he tried his hardest not to show his feelings. He waited for Mrs Binley to continue, before closing his eyes to concentrate harder upon what it was saying. The voice grew steadily louder and louder until at last he could hear it clearly. There seemed to be real urgency in the tone and it was clear that the caller was desperately trying to reach him. The problem was, the language being spoken made no sense to him at all.

‘Arrggh! They might as well be speaking Swahili!’ he thought.

Jake opened his eyes in exasperation and threw his rubber at Ben to gain his attention. His best friend was busily daydreaming at the next desk. The eraser hit Ben on his shoulder but he did not stir. For a while, he remained completely oblivious to his friend’s numerous and ever more frantic, but silent, attempts to gain his attention. Then, Jake realised suddenly why. Ben’s eyes were fixed firmly on Louise Underhill’s legs. The petite beauty was sitting at a desk several rows ahead of him. Ben had fancied her since the first year of secondary school and his infatuation had not waned. She was for him the best part of Mrs Binley’s class. In fact, she was the only reason for his so far one hundred per cent attendance record.

Jake’s frustration grew and he tried again. This time, he lobbed his open pencil case at his best mate so hard, that it hit him on the head and the contents fell onto the floor, resulting in a loud crash that made everyone jump.

A furious Mrs Binley immediately scoured the room looking for the culprit. When she could not identify the offender, her eyes followed the direction of the noise and they fell upon Ben. The innocent teenager was rubbing his head and staring with confusion at the pencil case on the floor.

“Ah yes… I might have known… Ben Brooker, the usual suspect. Pick up your things and stay behind to see me after class, Ben. We can have another little chat together, and you can explain to me what that was all about? Now, settle down and let’s move on! Where was I?”

Mrs Binley quickly regained her train of thought and she launched once again into her tutorial, ever the consummate professional. For a second, Ben was about to voice an objection to her unwarranted command and accusation, but he thought better of it. The words stuck in his throat as he realised that if he did, suspicion would immediately fall upon Jake. He said and did nothing.

Once he felt it safe to do so, he looked over at his friend and whispered to him. “Thanks! What the hell was that all about?”

Jake replied in a voice kept as low as he could manage, all the while trying to conceal his actions from the rest of the class, and his eagle-eyed teacher. “It’s happening again. The voices, they’re back!” he hissed.

“What?!”

Ben didn’t know what to think. His automatic reaction was to place his head in his hands and give it a shake. Almost immediately however, he lifted it back up again. “Well? Go on then, spill the beans. Who is it? What do they say?”

“I dunno. I can’t make them out,” answered Jake, shaking his head slowly. “…Hang on a minute! There they go again,” he added, as the same message replayed once more in his mind.

“Brettsalp inkaroth preeenett ddrreea alph,

Menneeett saak wroophajj treelp me… I seek the Keeper!”

Jake caught the final part of the last sentence. His heart began racing and his complexion turned white all of a sudden. He had a familiar dry sensation in his throat, and his fingers began trembling with excitement. He did not recognise the voice or the language, but it was definitely a female and she sounded scared. She sounded petrified in fact.

“What’s a matter?” asked Ben. “You look as though you’ve seen a ghost?”

Jake looked over at Mrs Binley to make sure she wasn’t watching. Then, he turned his attention back to his friend. His face lost all expression as he whispered to him in a deadly serious tone. “I’ve got to go. I’m needed.”

Ben was absolutely stunned. However, he replied in typical fashion. “Go? Go where? Don’t talk wet, Jake! You’re in school. You can’t just get up and walk out, can ya?”

Despite the irresistible urge he felt to race to the box of stones and use his powers, Jake knew that his friend was right. However, he also knew that this was something he could not ignore. It was something he had longed for, been waiting for. He made up his mind quickly and tried to stand up. But, Ben reached over and put his hand on his arm, stopping him before he was fully upright.

Mrs Binley couldn’t fail to notice what was going on and she halted her lesson. “You two boys! Sit back down and be quiet!” she instructed, in a harsh, unyielding voice.

“Let go of me!” cried Jake, pulling his arm away from Ben. He tried to keep his voice as low as possible, even though the whole class had turned around by now and were watching him. “…I haven’t a clue what it means, but someone out there is in trouble, so I guess I’m about to find out.”

Ben’s eyes shifted to the rest of the class, telling Jake in no uncertain terms that they were being watched. Jake reacted without thinking, suddenly knowing exactly what he had to do. He realised all of a sudden that somehow he possessed a new power, a power he had not been able to call upon before this point. He responded quickly to the abrupt and unexpected realisation and he shouted out a solitary word.

“Ecrravisstte!”

The entire classroom was instantly suspended in time. Everyone was frozen on the spot and the immediate silence was deafening. Jake did not know it yet, but the whole planet was frozen. At Jake’s instinctive command, time on Earth now stood still. It was a spell of unbelievable power, one which had never before been attempted by a mortal, and one which up until now had been the sole preserve of those who ruled the afterlife, the ones considered to be Gods.

Even the spirits and wizards had not been powerful enough to stop time. Jake’s mouth fell open in astonishment. He could not believe it had worked, and he was genuinely amazed by his own extraordinary feat of wizardry. But, he was too concerned for the welfare of the sender of the message, too eager to contact them and help, to dwell on it. He shook his head a little and whispered one more command.

“Likkraash!”

Ben immediately awoke. He took a deep breath and gazed in shock and bewilderment at the seemingly lifeless figures around him. He very quickly accepted however, that it was just another of Jake’s surprises, something else he had to accept and get used to. He replied to his friend’s last remarks, though he could hardly believe what he was about to say.

“Alright, alright… Hold your horses, cowboy. If you’re determined to do this thing, if there’s no way I can talk you out of it, I’m coming with ya! No arguments, okay? I know I said I wouldn’t, but I have to. You’re my brother and I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you. After all, someone has to watch your back?”