Immortopia, p.27
Immortopia, page 27
Lacy scrambled to her feet and looked over the side to see where Slim Pickings had landed. He’d crashed onto the floor, just by the water’s edge of the opening. He attempted an army roll but his dorsal fin prevented him from doing so. Struggling to his feet, he ran and took shelter at the bottom of the scaffolding. He watched as the other infected sharks shot out of the opening and simply fell back into the water with an almighty splash, the water hitting Slim Pickings in the face.
Wiping it off, he gingerly made his way out from his hiding place and looked up at the scaffolding above him to see if the others were ok.
“Hello?”
Both Lacy and Achilles looked over their respective edges; the voice sounded tired and familiar, but it was not Slim Pickings. All three followed the voice as it called out again.
“Is there anybody there?”
A huge grin appeared on Achilles’ face and Lacy squealed in delight and clapped her hands, wiping a tear away as well. Poxon appeared from around the corner, he was bloody and staggering heavily but it was definitely him.
“POXON!” Lacy shouted.
“IT’S YOU! IT’S REALLY YOU!”
A regular expression came across Poxon’s face, a huge smile.
“Yeah, it’s me.”
Achilles waved frantically from his station and Poxon returned the gesture. Poxon’s eyes widened when he saw Slim Pickings standing at the foot of the scaffolding, he wasn’t frightened at all, “Ok, a giant shark or humanoid Selachimorpha, most interesting.”
Slim Pickings stepped forward and Poxon stood still, “Dude, you aren’t scared of me? You do know I can talk, right?”
Poxon nodded, “Thanks for telling me sir, I’ve seen a whole load of things today, many of which I can’t and will never fathom, let’s just put you on that list shall we?”
Slim Pickings looked up to the scaffolding to the others, “Dudes, you know this guy?”
Lacy couldn’t contain her joy, “YES! HE’S OUR FRIEND, THE ONE WE TOLD YOU ABOUT, HE’S ALSO SOMEONE SLIGHTLY CLOSER TO ME!”
Slim Pickings looked back at Poxon in disbelief, “Ah, ok, I thought the dude Kane was your boyfriend?”
Lacy smiled, “It’s not like that at all, he’s my–”
Achilles leaned over his support, interrupting, “WHAT HAPPENED? WE’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU EVERYWHERE!”
Poxon smiled, but didn’t shout, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
Lacy’s magnificent smile soon disappeared when something at the corner of her eye caught her attention, “Oh my God.”
She screamed with all her might below, “POXON!”
Poxon looked up at Lacy and then followed her line of sight to what she was shouting at.
When he saw, he sighed and looked away.
Slim Pickings arched his head to see what the fuss was about and saw why Lacy was extremely agitated, “Dude, oh no, dude.”
A grey wolf silently entered the room, it sniffed around heavily and kept on walking.
“SHARK! DON’T MOVE!” Achilles shouted from his scaffold tower.
“Dude, thanks for that.”
“Don’t move,” Achilles whispered again.
Poxon removed his glasses and wiped the dirty lenses on his shirt, “Oh right,” he said as the massive wolf came further.
The wolf sniffed Poxon up and down as he calmly allowed it to do so.
“POXON!” Lacy screamed.
The wolf looked around the water and then made its way to Slim Pickings. It stopped right in front of the big shark, unafraid of its appearance and began to growl. It was so loud that it echoed around the walls of the room. Achilles and Lacy unsteadily began to make their way down from their towers, tears fell from her eyes. The wolf growled even louder and bared all its teeth to Slim Pickings, stepping closer.
“Dude, wait there.”
Lacy shook her head terrified as the wolf inspected Slim Pickings. The shark took a step backwards, breathed in and opened his mouth to the wolf, “Dude, this may sound strange, but can I ask you a stupid question?”
The wolf stopped growling and stepped back, licking its lips and then opened its mouth after a yawn and spoke, “I’m counting on it darling.”
CHAPTER TEN:
A Clear And Pleasant Danger
Earth 13
“Well kiddo, you took your time.”
Kitty beamed and ran to the cell where she heard that voice, “MY LADY!”
Kitty reached her hands through the tiny gaps in the door as Silo did the same. They held on, not wanting the other to let go. Immie was joined by Jane and they stood behind uneasily next to the guards.
“My heart sings to see you alive my lady, I feared the worst when they said you were being kept down here.”
“Took your time getting down here though,” Silo sounded tired and Kitty was genuinely hurt.
“My lady?”
Silo still held her hand but pointed with her fore finger, “Immie and Jane over there told me how long you’ve been awake.”
Immie shied away behind Jane as Kitty glared at them and then back through the prison door.
“They are quite a pair, aren’t they?” Kitty said coldly.
“Those two girls have been my eyes and ears in here, they are good girls,” Silo said as she picked out dirt from her own eye.
“So it seems, my lady,” said Kitty still staring at the two in the corner.
“You don’t get one without the other, where there is Immie you’ll always find Jane.”
Kitty grew bored of how great her new ladies-in-waiting were and tried again with Silo.
“The King was…”
Silo cut her off, “So you had to ask his permission to see me? It seems some people are being bullied into silence these days.”
“Why are you being like this? I haven’t been well and the King…”
“Enough with the King!” Silo snapped.
Kitty thought she would get a lovely greeting from her friend after being away for so long, this was not the response she had been expecting. She turned to her ladies-in-waiting, “Could you leave us please?”
Immie and Jane made a curtsy and left quickly. Kitty eyed up the guards suspiciously and released her hands from Silo, “What is wrong with you, my lady?”
Silo retreated into her cell, “Wrong with me? What’s wrong with you? Do you know how long I’ve been here in this prison?”
Kitty still kept her look on the guards, barely blinking, “Could you leave us as well?”
The guards didn’t move and Kitty tried again, her brow deepened as did her voice, “Do you want me to tell my future husband, your King, that you’ve disobeyed my command?”
A slow unease drifted along the prison walls and then the guards finally left. Kitty peeped her head around the corner until the guards were out of sight and then walked back to the cell. Her face reflected the disappointed look of Silo, who spoke first, “So Immie was right, you and the greatest man in the country are to be married.”
Pushing her tongue against closed teeth, Kitty rolled her eyes, “Should have known it was her, big mouth.”
“She’s a good girl and more importantly she does what she’s told.”
“Then maybe you should make her your apprentice!”
Silo watched Kitty pace up and down nervously, “Look kiddo, I don’t want to fight, I…” She paused, “I’ve missed you.”
Kitty ran back to the cell door and attempted to hold Silo’s hands again, “I’ve missed you too.”
She double-checked the guards had left again but still whispered, “Why don’t you teleport out of there my lady? You have the power.”
“I can’t, you know that.”
“Why?” Kitty asked quickly.
“I’ve told you before, you haven’t listened to me, kiddo, constant use of my power will upset the space time continuum and jolt this planet from its time. Even though I’m trained in these arts, I cannot take that chance. I must stay here and accept my fate, whatever that may be.”
“You can’t stay here! Those men are still after us.”
Silo’s eyes became alert, “Shit, forgot about those two.”
Kitty opened her hands in a pleading nature, “You see my lady? That’s why I need you, I can’t face them on my own.”
“I’ve taught you all that I know, you don’t need me, just remember to always defend never…”
“ATTACK!” Kitty spat, “I KNOW MY LADY! THAT’S ALL YOU’VE EVER SAID SINCE DAY ONE!”
Silo shook her head, “I just want the best for you.”
“WHY? ARE YOU MY MOTHER?!”
Silo hesitated and then sat back down on the straw, head in her hands. Kitty never gave her a chance to talk, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that.” Her expression didn’t change, “I wanted to tell you something my lady, the King does want to make me his bride, he is smitten with me and the only way he will release you is if I marry him.” Kitty wiped all of her face, “You know why I did that, my lady? The reason why I have given myself to a man I do not know?” Silo shrugged and that was too much for Kitty as she snapped her head back to the cell, “I DID IT FOR YOU! I HAVE KEPT MY HEAD UP AND TAMED MY WORDS TO MARRY THIS KING SO MY DEAREST FRIEND CAN BE RELEASED AND THIS IS HOW YOU TREAT ME? ALL I WANTED IS FOR YOU IS TO BE FREE!”
“No,” Silo said, a little shocked, “You do not have to marry the King on my account. I will stay here and I’m bound to be released soon and being that there is nothing more I can teach you, I’ll be on my way.”
Kitty’s anger increased, “I DON’T UNDERSTAND. WHY WON’T YOU FIGHT? WHY WON’T YOU HELP ME?”
“BECAUSE I CAN’T!”
“What do you mean?”
The bleakness in Kitty’s voice made Silo continue, “It seems Mason was a better shot than I expected.”
Silo pulled back her top and showed Kitty her wound caused by the gunshot, “Not looking good I’m afraid, kiddo.”
Kitty gulped as she saw the hole in Silo’s stomach.
“I’ve been keeping myself alive, just about with what power I have left, but it’s fading fast, I’m fading fast, I haven’t much time and I can’t teleport or use any of my powers. It hurts, everything hurts.”
Tears immediately streamed down Kitty’s face, “No, no, no, no, no! We have to do something.”
“There’s nothing you or I can do, it’s just my time.”
“NO!” Kitty yelled, “I won’t allow it.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated, her fists clenched and shaking. A small blue energy glow snaked around her wrists briefly and then was gone. Kitty tried again and this time nothing happened. Silo looked at Kitty’s quivering hands from behind her cell door.
“Even though I said not to teleport, you can’t anyway, you are not focused.
Kitty nodded vigorously, “Right my lady, I will try another way.”
“No!”
Silo clutched her stomach in pain, “You can’t and mustn’t do this.”
Her gaze wandered around the cell and back to her stomach, “There’s nothing you can do.”
Shuddering, Kitty let out a deep breath, “I’ll marry him then.”
“What?”
“I need to find Thomas my lady and get you both out of here. If the only way the King will let you go is if I marry him, then so be it.”
“No, just go, run away and hide, the hunters will be after you and you need to get away.”
Kitty was growing more agitated, “What if I try to reason with them my lady? If we meet at a time of my choosing, surely they would leave me alone if we could…”
Silo was tired of constantly cutting her off, “YOU CAN’T!” Silo went quiet again, “You can’t reason with them. They, Orion and Mason, will stop at nothing to get you to teleport our planet Rayash.”
Kitty’s eyes narrowed, “What did you say my lady?”
“Our planet, the planet of Rayash.”
“I don’t understand, this is my home, this rock is where I’m from, you called it Earth?”
“It’s one of many ‘Earths’ but you are not from any of them.”
Both women’s expressions had fallen.
“You are in frail health my lady, I think your words are unwell.”
Silo bowed her head, “No, I’m fine and you are not from this world.”
Kitty’s eyes flicked up and had meaning in them, “You lie my lady, you told me I had a gift, that I was a sorceress?”
“You do have a gift and you are a sorceress, but not one from this world, you aren’t human.”
Kitty started to shake with nerves, “I thought you had a tender heart, I thought you were my friend, but now I see you have layer and layer of deceit running through you.”
“That’s not true,” Silo said defensively.
“THEN WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME? WHY ARE YOU SAYING THIS?”
“I didn’t ask for any of this,” Silo huffed.
“So, tell me then, or are you too familiar with a life of lies!”
Kitty’s voice was full of venom, which was too much for Silo, “KITTY! I’M NOT MAKING THIS SHIT UP!” Silo was clear headed and direct, “You really want the truth? Shall I tell ya?”
Kitty was silent as Silo shifted on her straw bed, “In the beginning Rayash was a beautiful planet, lovely wildlife, fantastic people, a planet of sorcerers, living in peace, everything was fine.”
For once, Kitty butted in, “Until what?”
“Until our sun started to die. Solar storms ravished the planet, turning it into a wasteland which soon it would destroy everything. Your parents, your true parents, were scientists and powerful with magic. Your mum was a Vanisher of the strongest kind and when you were born it was written that when you reached adulthood, you would have the power to teleport the whole planet away from our dying sun.”
“Written? Written in the stars?” Kitty asked.
“No, written in some science journal. Anyway when the government found out that a child potentially had the power to save the planet, they got involved and came after your parents. It was passed as law that you had to give up your child for the greater good of the planet.”
“So why didn’t they let me?” Kitty said, strangely politely.
“Do you remember when we stopped off in a tavern after we sorted out those muggers in Pollard street?”
“Yes, we went there for a distasteful drink.”
“Well, in the back room they played a game, with a giant table with six pockets and balls, you had to hit the balls with a stick into the holes to win the game?”
“Yes, I remember, my lady.”
“Well, imagine if those balls were planets, you could teleport the white ball from safety but you would come crashing into other planets in a new solar system; the white ball would be safe, but the other planets would be destroyed due to your slip stream of teleportation.”
“Like a 147?”
“What’s that?”
“Doesn’t matter, my lady.”
“So that would mean you would save millions of lives on Rayash, but kill billions on other planets, plus the strain of teleporting a planet would kill you. So, your parents decided to send you away in a survival pod for a new life on another planet, the government found out and sent an army of soldiers to stop them.” Silo paused.
“Please continue, my lady.”
“The soldiers came into the science temple where your parents were, your mum was about to give birth and all she had for protection were the sorceress midwives, who fought hard and managed to keep the soldiers at bay whilst your parents sent you away with one midwife for protection in the pod.”
“What happened to my parents?”
“They died.”
“Couldn’t you save them?”
Silo gazed at Kitty and then her prison surroundings, “No.”
Kitty’s head was shaking and she wiped more tears from her eyes, “The army?”
“They followed the pod, with General Orion in tow, but it seems only he and his lieutenant, Mason, survived and are still chasing you.”
“My lady, if the planet is dead, why are they still after me to save it?”
“The state of travel through planets and solar systems can have an adverse effect on ageing and dramatically slow down the time process, so even though you are a teenager on this planet and grew up here? Rayash still lives, so what are years on this Earth are only hours on Rayash. Orion wants to take you back to Rayash and teleport it away.”
Kitty looked to the ground, “My lady, I’ve never seen this planet you speak of and you say it was a wasteland now? So surely if I was to teleport it away, wherever I ended up, wouldn’t it be still be ravaged by their sun and not fit to live on?”
“It’s what I just said,” Silo sighed.
“No, I did listen to what you said earlier, you said teleportation is a movement of objects between one place and another, whilst not disrupting time or the physical space between them, so how have I aged when I teleported? And what…”
“I DON’T KNOW!” Silo snapped.
“I don’t make the rules, I just carry them out and I help mothers give birth and that’s all I do, it’s all I ever wanted.”
Kitty stayed quiet, quickly thinking, “So you are not a true sorceress?”
“Nope.”
“You are merely a midwife?”
“I am a midwife, not merely, and a sorceress apprentice; midwives do more for us than you can possibly imagine.”
Kitty licked her lips slowly, “So you have already dishonoured me with your lies, and you are a foal teaching me to ride a horse.” She licked her lips again and spoke with grit, “My lady…”
“Take it easy,” Silo said, “Your powers manifested as a baby, you teleported away before we hit this Earth and I spent years trying to find you, walking around the country, tracing your energy signature and when I finally did find you, all I had to do was keep you safe and watch you grow. But then Orion and Mason came and I had to train you so you could protect yourself.” Silo shifted with pain and clutched her open wound, “All I ever wanted to do was protect you. When I found you, we became close, we bonded, you are my only friend, you are my sister.”
