Chapter Ten – A Detour to Destiny
The door of the Firefly slowly opened for the last time and revealed a ready crew - stood bravely and boldly - in the belly of the wrecked vessel as its ramp came to a gentle rest upon the patchy grass beneath it. The crew looked on with some delight as the sun-drenched landscape stretched endlessly out before them. Only the blissful sound of birdsong could be heard in the air whilst a delicate breeze blew into the ship and carried the fresh scent of the damp grass upon it. Hannah slowly led the way whilst William followed, with the rest of the crew behind him, as they gently ambled along the ramp and into the muddy pasture.
“Which way now?” Hannah asked as she stopped and turned to face the crew.
“We should head for those mountains,” gestured the pilot that spoke up the night before, as he pointed in the direction that the creatures had attacked from - passed the endless carpet of their corpses and over forests and wilderness - at a small group of mountains that peaked up high over the canopies of the forests around them.
“Well, come on then!” Roared Zaybian from behind the rest of the party.
Slowly but surely, the grounded crew - saddled with heavy backpacks and ready rifles - continued on toward the countless bodies that lay in the mud. Hannah and William continued to lead the way, whilst the two other Reapers ambled with Avarian and with Ivor - as he slowly followed up the rear of the party and led Arcadian and Heradex gently by their reigns. They all came to a gradual standstill, just yards from the cold corpses that littered the ground before them. The smell of the damp fur filled their senses and inflamed their nostrils as it dried slowly out in the sun. Hannah stared longingly at the small group of mountains - unrealistically far-off in the distance - before trudging through the furry mesh of tooth and claw. The rest of the crew watched, before slowly following her through.
The smell of dead, wet, beast became more and more concentrated - as the bulky backpacks and the cumbersome rifles became heavier - under the intensifying sun.
“This reek!” Spouted Zaybian disgustedly, “Will take weeks to come off!”
“Oh fiddlesticks!” Laughed Thysis, “The amount of times that you visit the bathtub, it’ll take months at least!”
Ivor smiled, but remained silent, as he kept a careful eye on the two nervous unix that were close behind him, “Nearly there,” he whispered as he looked lovingly at the two beautiful creatures, “nearly there.”
Before long, the entire crew had cleared the foul mesh of decay and had gradually joined Hannah as she stood at the edge of the clearing and gazed thoughtfully at the thick forest that lay before them.
“What is it?” Asked Zaybian as he stepped up behind her.
“What lives in those trees?” Hannah asked quietly without even altering her gaze.
“There’s only one way to find out!” Zaybian roared cheerfully as he marched vigorously passed her.
“Hey!” Hannah shouted as she ran to catch up before matching his enthusiasm. The rest of the party followed, as gradually, they all disappeared into the thick forest, leaving the Firefly and the muddy pasture to fall slowly behind them forever.
Valerie was a young Celestial. At nineteen years of age, she was one of the best scouts of the Celestial Empire. With a beautiful head of golden hair that flowed effortlessly to the small of her back and a dazzling pair of sky-blue eyes that twinkled brightly in the sun as it sparkled through the trees - she, along with her counterparts, would keep a close eye on the boarders of the Empire and ensure that they were never breached by the outside world. The Celestials were a magical race of beings that lived within the forests for as long as any of them could remember and had managed to turn self-concealment into a very fine art indeed. All of the trees of the forest were lush and green and full of life, whilst birds sang from their nests and flew all around. The forest floor was thick with grass and overgrowth - due to the large amount of intense sunlight that readily sliced through the canopy on a daily basis. Babbling brooks and fast flowing rivers - full of fish - cut wildly through the forests at various points. Life was good in the Celestial forests and it was the job of the scouts to keep it that way.
“Valerie!” Exclaimed an excited little girl as she ran quickly up to her.
“Oh! Hey Bell!” Replied Valerie as she swung her arms wide open in acceptance of the speeding comet that raced madly toward her. Bell ran as fast as she could and plunged deeply into her big sister as she wrapped her arms tightly around her and they both burst into laughter.
“You saw me just yesterday!” Valerie exclaimed with some confusion as she squeezed her little monster tightly in her arms.
Bell released her grip and looked up at her big sister with excitement in her eyes, “Raymond was asking for you again!” She announced proudly, “So we started to talk all about you! I bet you didn’t even know that he likes your hair!” She exclaimed, without even pausing for breath.
“Bell!” Exclaimed Valerie, “Raymond is only Thirteen!”
“But he really likes you Valerie!” Bell insisted.
“Tell him that I’ll see him later,” Valerie acknowledged, “go on now Bell,” she announced as she released her, “I’ve got work to do.”
“OK!” Bell shouted as she began to run away, “I’ll see you later then!”
Valerie smiled and waved profusely, as her little sister – along with all of her bounciness - ran quickly out of sight and disappeared into the dense trees. As Valerie stood silently in pleasant thoughts of her crazy little sister, she heard multiple voices and faint laughter far-off in the distance. Quickly and instantaneously, she made her way toward them, as slowly, they got louder and louder until she was almost upon them.
Now before her hidden gaze, an army of fully equipped soldiers marched quickly through the forest - laughing and joking amongst themselves as they went and blissfully unaware that they were being watched. Valerie easily picked out numerous other scouts - from the thick cover of the forest around them - that were also watching the invading army, before she instantly vanished.
The old Emperor sat quietly upon his stone throne - within his private chamber - being gently wafted by servants that were stood all around him. The chamber doors flew violently open and Valerie burst quickly in.
“My Emperor!” She shouted, catching her breath.
“What is it my child?” The emperor asked quietly as he lifted himself partially from his thrown.
“We are under attack sire! A whole army marches to the west of us!” She quickly panted in wait of her instruction.
“Call out the guard!” The emperor roared, “Can you show them the way?”
“Yes, my emperor!” She quickly replied before she ran back out of the doorway.
The tiring crew of the Firefly that was, marched gradually on and headed for a small river that raged loudly through a large clearing in the trees.
“We’ll rest beside the river for a while,” uttered Hannah, “the men can fill their canteens and the unix can drink their fill.”
“Aye!” Zaybian replied in his usual loud manner.
Instantly, Valerie appeared far before the party. Hannah quickly stopped as she gripped her sword and prompted the rest of the crew to stop behind her.
“You have invaded the Celestial Empire far enough!” Valerie shouted angrily as numerous guards materialized around them, “Now you will pay for it!” She announced as she raised her arms high above her head. Her hair immediately flew into a frenzy and her eyes began to cloud over, as instantly, Hannah’s sword shot out of its scabbard and out of her grip - along with her smaller dagger, Zaybian’s pistols and shotgun and all of the rifles from the rest of the party - as they all dangled uselessly, high above them in mid air.
Avarian quickly acted from the rear of the column and thrust his hand violently out before him, knocking Valerie yards from her feet and allowing the weapons to crash back to the ground. All of the guards around them quickly reacted as they each lifted their hands slightly before t
hem - which in turn, lifted the invaders high into the air and held them in place. The two unix galloped quickly away into the trees, as Valerie, the guards and their hostages vanished into nothing - leaving only the hoard of weapons that littered the ground behind them.
They all materialized inside a large chamber - still with the entire crew dangling high in the air – as the Emperor entered and quietly paced back and forth. He looked at the hostages - as they hung helplessly - and after a while, he noticed William.
“You are the one they call William, are you not?” The Emperor asked in a stern voice.
“I am,” William replied.
“The one that will save Aurora,” The Emperor continued, “tell me then, saviour,” he paused as he squinted slightly, “why did you think it prudent to invade my Empire?”
“We…” William began.
“We didn’t invade!” Hannah shouted quickly.
“Silence!” The Emperor quickly demanded as he lost his temper.
“We were just passing through,” William continued after a while, “we didn’t know we were trespassing.”
“Just passing through,” The Emperor sceptically repeated, “didn’t, know?”
“We were just trying to get to the village,” William insisted, “near the mountains.”
For a few moments, the Emperor fell silent as he stood on the spot and glared at William intensely. He gestured to the cold stone slabs of the chamber floor before William plummeted quickly toward them.
Valerie - as quick as a flash - flung her arms suddenly out before her with both hands spanned widely out as they trembled with strain. William, just as suddenly, resumed his hover - inches from the stone floor beneath him.
The Emperor smiled, as William gently floated down until his feet were firmly back on the ground, “It would seem,” he paused, “that our Valerie has taken a shine to you.” Subtly he nodded and the rest of the party began to slowly descend. He looked at Valerie with a gentle smile, “You will head an entourage,” he quickly asserted, “and you will take our new-found friends to the village.” Slowly, he turned and walked gently out of the chamber before the mighty doors closed quietly behind him.
Valerie smiled gently at William - who nervously smiled back, “Shall we then?” She asked cheerfully before she clapped her hands and they all, for a second time, vanished into nothingness.
Valerie, a few of the mighty Celestial guards and the former crew of the Firefly, materialised within a small clearing, surrounded by lush green trees with the small group of mountains now behind them, “Ravensnest is this way,” she uttered as she led the way, “though I am confused as to why you would want to go there,” she added after a short while.
“Oh,” Hannah replied with intrigue, “why is that?”
“Two days ago,” Valerie began, “the village was attacked,” she paused for a few moments as the sadness in her face became evident; “They say that everyone perished,” she quietly added. The party continued on in near silence after that, along Valerie’s selected route, until - what seemed like - a lifetime had passed.
As the sun began to fade, a quiet commotion took a hold of the party - as soldiers and Reapers alike - gazed in amazement at their Celestial escorts.
Hannah gazed at Valerie in astonishment as they walked side by side; “You’re,” she flustered, “glowing!”
Valerie laughed gently at Hannah’s reaction, “It’s a trait of our people,” she said quietly, “it has earned us our name … As I understand it,” Valerie smiled, “the ambiance is a biological reaction to the amount of light that enters through our eyes.”
Hannah said nothing in reply but kept her astounded gaze.
“We are nearly at Ravensnest,” Valerie announced.
As, eventually, the trees began to thin and they approached the edge of the now darkened forest, Valerie stopped, “There lays Ravensnest,” she whispered as the rest of the party behind them caught up, “we can go no further.”
“Then, we thank you,” replied Hannah with a smile as Valerie and the Celestial guards disappeared.
“So now what!” Bellowed Zaybian as the huge party stood aimlessly around.
“So now,” Avarian replied calmly, “we enter the village and construct a chime – should there be enough residual energy to manage it.”
William looked on with fear in his heart at the unwelcoming sight ahead, “How long does it take to build a chime?” He asked quickly.
“Assuming that I can link with the ancient magic,” Avarian paused, “we should be gone by morning.”
“OK!” Hannah announced, “We don’t know what’s in there so we do everything by the book,” she asserted as she looked at the tired soldiers around her, “I know it’s been hard and I know you’re all tired,” she paused, “but the sooner we do this, the sooner we can rest.”
“I shall light the way,” Avarian uttered as he began to walk slowly toward the complete darkness ahead. The rest of the party quickly surrounded him and as the mighty force inched slowly closer to the unknown, Avarian raised a gentle hand before him and instantly, his spirit companions glowed intensely and weaved furiously among themselves as they ascended high above the party. The resulting light that emanated from them; engulfed everyone and much of the clearing that they now marched through, as slowly, a plethora of wooden houses came gradually out of the darkness.
Soon after they had entered the village, Hannah raised a hand and the party instantly stopped around her. Deadly silence stood with them in the coldness of the green gloom as each held their nerve along with their weapons in turn. The huge wooden houses - that now stood all around them - glowed eerily in the devilish light as the frantic ghouls flew high above them. The party stood, in a tight-knit group, poised and ready to strike at anything that would come for them out of the darkness.
“OK,” whispered Hannah after a while, “we need to check these buildings,” her breath floated visibly on the air as she spoke.
“I’ll take ten men,” whispered Zaybian in response.
“As will I,” replied Hannah, “Thysis,” she whispered as she looked at him, “if you take another ten, we’ll have this done faster.”
“Not a problem,” Thysis accommodated.
“The rest of you stay on your toes!” Hannah asserted.
“And stay alert!” Added Zaybian before he quickly looked at William through the gloom, “You’re with me,” he insisted before he began to charge toward the closest building to the party. William ran quickly after him - as did ten of the soldiers with their loaded rifles in toe - whilst Hannah and Thysis ran toward different buildings with their own attachments behind them.
Zaybian waited for a few short moments beside the wooden door of his chosen building, as gradually, his eleven companions joined him, “Right!” He announced as soon as the last few soldiers had caught up, before he stormed into the great wooden door and kicked it wide open with a single attempt. The intense glow from the spirits high above them, now threw gloom - as far as they could, into the compromised building below, as Zaybian cautiously led his small unit through the doorway and into his own Pandora’s box.
The small unit of twelve stood just inside the doorway - still surrounded by the green gloominess that had poured in around them - as one of the soldiers felt along the wall beside him and flicked a small switch that his fingers had clumsily stumbled upon. The room flickered quickly with strobes of white light before the light remained constant and lit up the entire room. Before them, stood a lifeless space within which, drawn, dull curtains, draped over large windows and drab, wooden furniture, lounged lazily around.
A wooden staircase rose in silence from beside them, whilst a white, wooden door, stood nestled within its frame on the opposite side of the room. A large red settee and a single red armchair surrounded a solid oak table, upon which, rested a black, leather-bound book that William had instantly been drawn toward. As the party moved cautiously about the large room, William slowly picked up the book with wond
erment within him.
“What have you got there my boy?” Zaybian asked with curiosity as he quietly approached him.
William gazed in awe at the plain black book that he now held within his hand before slowly opening it to reveal the silky white pages within; “This is the journal of Thomas Swift,” he began to read.
Zaybian froze for an instant as the other soldiers stopped and stared at William in disbelief, “Let me see that!” Zaybian whispered with astonishment upon his face. William offered him the book with the same page still open, “Whoever would read through these pages,” Zaybian slowly read on after taking it gently from William, “would know the importance of Gwen,” his voice changed in amazement as he spoke, “our little gift from the Gods.” Zaybian quickly closed the book, “Do you know what this is?” He smiled brightly, “this is the fabled writings of Thomas Swift!” He laughed, completely amazed, “it’s his actual Journal!” He paused as he looked at the small book with a gaping smile, “Harrington!” He bellowed as he turned to one of the soldiers behind him, “Avarian will want to see this!” The soldier quietly nodded before he gently took the book and ran back through the open doorway.