Vega jane and the maze o.., p.21
Vega Jane and the Maze of Monsters, page 21
‘You OK?’ he said.
I didn’t look at him. ‘I’m fine, Delph.’
‘No, I think there’s more to it,’ he insisted. I scowled at him until he said, ‘Sit, Vega Jane, and talk to me.’
I plunked down next to him. ‘OK. Petra and you seem to have become good friends really, really fast.’
‘I feel sorry for her and Lack. They’ve had it rough. Lost everything.’
‘Yes, but she keeps . . . well, touching your arm and looking at you.’ I knew this sounded positively stupid, but they were the only words I could think of.
To his credit, Delph didn’t laugh or make me feel like I was being silly.
‘I saw you staring at me when I was looking at her once,’ said Delph. ‘But there was a point to it, see.’
‘What point?’
‘It was when Lack asked where we were headed.’
I looked at him curiously. ‘Right. And you said we were heading out of here, meaning the Quag. And he called you daft.’
‘Right. But see, I looked at Petra when he was saying that, and she didn’t look like she thought it was daft, gettin’ outta here, I mean.’
‘What did she look like?’
‘Like she wanted to leave this place.’
I snorted. ‘Well, who wouldn’t?’
‘No, ’twas more’n that. It was like she knew it was possible. It was like she knew there was another place to go to, see?’
This struck me like a hard slap. ‘You could read all that in her face?’
‘It was pretty obvious, Vega Jane. I may not talk much, but I don’t miss much neither.’
‘Then it seems there’s more to Petra than we thought,’ I commented.
I strode over to the others and lay down on my cot of leaves, my tuck as my pillow. Harry Two was next to me. I closed my eyes, but I quickly found that I could not fall asleep.
How could Petra know there was a place to go to?
I opened my eyes, reached in my cloak pocket and pulled out the wrinkled parchment pages. I pointed my wand and muttered, ‘Illumina.’ But mere light was not going to make the strange inkings understandable. In frustration I smacked the parchment with my wand and said, ‘Make sense.’
Next moment, I almost dropped the thing. The words on the first page started swirling around and around, like water going down a drain. But the words didn’t disappear. And yet they didn’t re-form into words that I could understand either. Instead, they came together and out of their midst a face materialized on the parchment. It was the aged, wrinkled, heavily bearded countenance of a male I had never seen before. He seemed to look directly at me.
‘Who holds the parchment?’ he asked.
With my voice quavering, I said, ‘I do.’
‘Your name?’
‘Vega Jane.’
He seemed to consider my response for a few moments. I took the opportunity to glance around. Lackland and Petra continued sleeping. Delph was far away, sitting on the rock, his back to me. Harry Two sat quietly next to me, staring at the face on the parchment.
‘I do not know you,’ said the male.
‘Well, I don’t know you either.’
‘How came you to have the parchment?’
‘Lackland Cyphers and Petra Sonnet. They’re Furinas. They had it. Or you, rather.’
He nodded, but said nothing.
‘The parchment was all gibberish before. They could never read it.’
‘Then you must possess a wand.’
‘I do.’
‘A sorceress, or a witch if you prefer. From where do you come?’
‘Wormwood. But I was trained up as a sorceress after I left there.’
‘For what purpose would you be trained up?’
This bloke was too nosy. ‘Why so many questions, eh?’
‘I have been part of this parchment for a very long time with no one with whom to converse. You would be inquisitive too in that position.’
That seemed reasonable enough. ‘Well, who are you? And how came you to be in the parchment in the first place?’
‘You would not know me, as I do not know you.’
‘Perhaps I know some of your descendants if you are so very old.’
‘I meant I am not a real, living thing.’
My eyes widened. ‘Then what are you?’
‘I am a remnant.’
‘A remnant? What is that?’
‘A collection of memories from an assortment of folks. A record, if you will, of their remembrances.’
‘So, you have recorded in you the information from the Furinas?’
‘Not them, no. I do not know how these Furinas came to possess me.’
‘Who else, then?’
‘I go far back. To the ones who created this place.’
I took a deep breath. This bloke could be of help. In a lot of ways.
‘OK. But why gibberish on parchment?’
‘That was for protection, in case the parchment fell into the wrong hands.’
‘I see. Smart, considering the Maladons can do magic too.’
Now the bloke settled his gaze on me and I knew he could see me as well as I could see him. ‘And how do you know about them?’
I said, ‘Astrea Prine. Do you know Astrea?’
‘I can know no one. I am a remnant. But I have heard the name. She is a powerful sorceress. The Keeper of the Quag in fact.’
I looked around again, but Lackland and Petra still slept and Delph still kept watch. I glanced down at Harry Two and found his gaze remained directly on the image.
‘You say you cannot speak unless someone has a wand. But what if the wand holder was a Maladon?’
‘I can tell.’
‘How?’
‘For me, the wand of a Maladon produces only darkness. Yours was, by comparison, a bright, shining light.’
‘We’re travelling across the Quag. Can you help us do so?’
He shook his head. ‘It is impossible.’
I said defiantly, ‘We reached Astrea’s cottage. We cleared the perfect maze back in the First Circle and defeated both a manticore and a wendigo in the process. And now we’re in the Second Circle, where I have killed two colossals.’
This seemed to give him pause. ‘Impressive,’ he said at last.
‘So, can you help me?’
‘I’m not sure how.’
‘You said you have remembrances from those who created the Quag.’
‘’Tis true.’
‘The Second Circle,’ I said. ‘It’s full of beasts that want to do us in. But are there creatures that can aid us?’
He said immediately, ‘Hyperbores live here. Befriend them.’
‘How?’
‘Hyperbores will respond to the same things that make friends everywhere. Respect and kindness. Now, I am tired. I haven’t spoken this much in, well, never.’
‘But I can call you back, right?’
‘If you desire. Just tap your wand as you did before.’
‘And you have no name?’
‘You may call me Silenus, Vega.’
And before I could utter a response, he was gone and the gibberish had returned to the paper. I got up and raced over to Delph and told him everything that had just happened.
His jaw dropped further and further as I recounted the story.
‘So, what do you think?’ I asked.
‘I think we need to find these hyperbores.’ He glanced at where Petra and Lackland lay sleeping. ‘And maybe they can help us, eh? They know about hyperbores. They nick from ’em.’
Despite the truth of his words, my spirits sank a bit for an obvious reason.
Petra.
36
HYPERBORES
I awoke to a sight that made me close my eyes and groan.
Delph had his shirt off and Petra was rubbing his blackened arm with some stuff in a small pail that she was applying with a wet cloth. They were chatting amiably and she laughed at something he said.
I glanced over at Lackland to find his gaze fixed on the pair. He looked like I imagined I did. I didn’t know if he had any particular feelings for Petra, but they had been together for a while. Or maybe he was only having a difficult time adjusting to our presence.
I scrambled to my feet and walked over to them.
‘Delph, aren’t you cold without your shirt?’
I expected him to look embarrassed. But he didn’t. He looked up at me and said, ‘Pet’s been cleaning up me arm with some stuff she fixed up. Feels right good, Vega.’
I felt myself do a double take. Never in all his life had Delph called me simply Vega. It was always Vega Jane. But not this light.
And there was something else. ‘Pet?’ I said.
‘That’s what my friends call me,’ she said.
I glanced at Delph before telling her, ‘You need to take us to the hyperbores.’
This statement caused Lackland to join the discussion. ‘The hyperbores? Why?’
‘We’ll need their help to make it through the Second Circle.’
‘But how can they help us?’ Petra asked.
‘I won’t know until we meet with them. You said they live in nests?’
‘Aye, way up in the trees,’ said Lackland.
‘And I can fly,’ I said. ‘Now let’s get on with it, shall we?’
We made our way through the denseness of the trees. Petra gripped her crossbow. Lackland was armed with his rough-hewn sword. Delph wielded an axe that Petra had given him. And I had my wand.
Lackland held up a hand and we all stopped.
We drew together in a little cluster behind some bent trees. In a whisper Lackland said, ‘The nest is up that way about fifty yards. And they’re up there.’
‘How can you be sure?’ I hissed back.
In answer he cupped his hand behind his ear. ‘Have a listen.’
I cupped my ear too and strained to hear. What reached me was a low buzzing sound. I looked at Lackland. He nodded and attempted a smile, which faded quickly.
‘How they talk,’ he said. ‘Like bees.’
I gripped his arm. ‘How do they defend themselves?’
Petra said in a low voice, ‘Amarocs were after some of them collecting water down by a stream. Came on ’em fast, no time to escape. Me and Lack were watching from a stand of trees a little way away. The amarocs were just about to reach their prey, when out of nowhere came a dozen fully grown hyperbores. They were on the amarocs before they knew what hit ’em.’
‘What did they do to them?’ I asked.
Petra said, ‘They beat them all to death with their wings and then ripped them apart with their claws. Then they carried the carcasses to their nests.’
‘Why?’ I asked.
‘To eat them,’ she said simply.
‘They . . . they eat meat?’ I asked breathlessly. Petra nodded. ‘But they’ve never attacked you?’
Lackland said, ‘Well, we were never stupid enough to try and attack them.’
‘But you take things from them,’ I pointed out.
Petra said quietly, ‘But just odds and bits. Nothing they would truly miss. And like I said before, I think they feel sorry for us.’
‘Do you think they know what the beasts did to your families?’ I asked.
Lackland shrugged, but Petra nodded. ‘I think you’ve hit the nail on the head, Vega. I think they do know.’
Delph looked at Petra. ‘Do you think the hyperbores care about you and Lackland?’
‘Why does that matter?’ Lackland asked as I glanced at Delph in surprise.
‘’Tis important. Do you?’
She said slowly, ‘Once when I was up there, one of them came back to the nest. I had just gotten hold of some provisions when it flew in. It was male and he was very large. He could have wrung my neck easily enough if he’d wanted.’
‘Pet, you never told me that,’ Lackland said sharply.
‘The thing is, he just looked at me. It seemed that there was sadness in his eyes. He saw the things I’d nicked and then reached down and handed me a few more odds and ends.’ She gazed earnestly at Delph. ‘So, yes, I’d say they do care.’
Delph turned to me. ‘Then we might have a chance.’
I nodded and said, ‘OK, but we need a plan.’
‘Oh, a plan, eh?’ said Lackland sarcastically, eyeing me severely. ‘You just thinking-a that now? What a leader you turned out to be!’
I bit my lip and with it my tongue. I was so hot-headed sometimes and Delph was calm. If I was going to be their leader, I wanted to be more like—
WHAM!
Delph had slammed Lackland against a tree. He put his face to within an inch of Lackland’s and snarled, ‘Was it my imagination or did you not beg Vega Jane to “lead” you out of this here place? And just so you know, she’s “led” me and Harry Two all the way through to this very spot. And case you forgot, Vega Jane saved you from those colossals. So, don’t talk that way to her again.’
Delph let Lackland drop to the dirt, but he quickly scrambled up, looking both angry and embarrassed. He scooped up his sword where he had dropped it, and for a moment, I thought he might be contemplating something very stupid. I stepped forward and said, ‘If you’re not with me and Delph, then just say so and we can go our separate ways. No hard feelings.’
I glanced at Petra to let her know she was definitely included in this ultimatum as well. She took a step closer to Delph as her answer.
Figured.
I turned back to Lackland. ‘And you?’
Rage and calm seemed to compete across his features. Finally, the latter won out. He lowered his weapon. ‘So, what’s the plan?’
Twenty slivers after Delph explained his plan, Petra had climbed sixty feet up the massive tree where the hyperbores had one of their nests. Then she stopped and looked down at me. We waited for a count of five. I could see in her eyes a wariness that I would have felt too if I was in her position.
She screamed. Another forty feet above her I saw three blue feathery heads poke out from the branches.
I gave Petra the signal. She drew a quick breath, closed her eyes and let herself fall. I pushed off the ground and shot upward.
Above, I saw two hyperbores fling themselves from their perch and fly downward. Their wings were surprisingly compact and did not spread very wide from their lean, muscled blue torsos.
They were fast.
I had the advantage that Petra was falling towards me. But I had paused for a moment too long. I saw fear in her eyes.
‘Vega!’ she screamed.
Somehow, I had let her pass right by me. I turned in mid-air, shot downward, swooped back underneath and caught her smoothly in my arms.
Fear receded and gratitude returned to Petra’s features.
For my part, I felt incredible guilt. Had I let her fall on purpose?
‘I’m . . . I’m sorry, Petra.’
As I carried her in my arms to the ground, the pair of hyperbores caught up with us and landed. I put Petra down and looked at them.
They were both males. Their skin was the blue of water when the sunlight hits it just so. Their heads were lightly feathered. Their wings, when not in use, retracted nimbly behind their shoulders. They wore tight leggings and no shirts. Their torsos were heavily muscled.
One of them looked at me. ‘You can fly? How?’ he asked.
I was both stunned and immeasurably relieved that he could speak Wugish.
I pointed to my chain. ‘This is how. My name is Vega Jane. This is Petra Sonnet.’ I pointed over at Delph, Lackland and Harry Two as they emerged from the trees, and introduced them too.
‘I am Troy. This is Ishmael,’ said the larger of the two. Troy looked at Petra. ‘Were you coming for food?’
She nodded. ‘And then I fell.’
Troy looked at me. ‘And you saved her.’
‘She’s my friend,’ I answered. ‘Friends have to help each other, especially here.’
Troy said, ‘You speak wisely for someone so young.’
Ishmael said, ‘We have not seen you before. From where do you come?’
‘A place called Wormwood.’
Troy said, ‘We do not know this place.’
‘Most don’t. We left Wormwood in order to travel through the Quag.’ I paused. ‘And beyond it.’
‘Beyond it,’ repeated Troy. ‘And what do you think lies beyond it?’
‘I want to find out. Can you help me do that?’
The hyperbores exchanged a glance. Then Troy pointed up. ‘Come with us.’
Without another word, they spread their wings, kicked off and soared straight upward.
I looked at Delph, my heart hammering in my chest. ‘If I’m not back in sixty slivers, just head on without me. I’ll find you.’
‘If you’re not back in sixty slivers, I’ll find you,’ he said.
I pushed off with my legs and rose quickly to join the two hyperbores aloft. We alighted on the edge of the largest nest I had ever seen. It was not made of bits and pieces of twigs as normal birds’ nests were. It was made of logs chinked with hardened clay and packed leaves. I looked around and saw dozens of small encampments where groups of hyperbores, young, old and in between, were working, playing, talking. They all stopped what they were doing and stared at me.
Troy pointed to the far end of the nest, where I could see a large canvas tent had been erected.
‘You will talk to Micha. He is the chieftain of our race.’
When we reached the tent, Troy called out, ‘Micha, we have one who seeks your counsel.’
‘Enter,’ said a powerful voice.
Troy pulled back the tent flap and motioned me in.
‘Aren’t you coming?’ I said.
Troy shook his head. ‘Micha will see you alone.’
The tent flap dropped, and I turned to find myself in a surprisingly large space. There was a sleeping mat on the floor. In one corner was a big wooden table with chairs around it. A huge tree trunk rose up in the middle of the space, and thick ropes tied to it supported the tent. Perched on a thick branch sticking out from the tree trunk was Micha. His feathery head was as white as his skin was blue. He peered imperiously down at me.
He said, ‘Your name?’
‘Vega Jane,’ I said, as firmly as I could.
With a leap and a short flap of his wings Micha descended smoothly to the floor and stood erect. His torso was still powerfully developed, but the muscles, I could tell, had passed their prime. Still, he was an imposing figure.
