Curse Of Wexkia (22 page)

The three men and Cay-reace watched her through terrified eyes. They appeared frozen in their expressions of horror. She hoped they wouldn’t do anything that might make her lose her tentative grasp on self-control. She had to keep them scared of her but she didn’t want to hurt them in any way. She rounded on the young wintar who stood, as if glued to the floor, at the middle console and demanded, ‘Where are we?’

He looked at the console. ‘We will be approaching the landing bay of the Pole outpost shortly,’ he sputtered.

So, Nadar was telling the truth. He really was taking her to the Pole. Where else would have ice walls. Nell waved the other two wintars to their consoles.

‘What about Cay-meka? There is no restoration at the pole,’ Cay-reace said urgently.

Her hands covered her eyes as Nell slumped into the chair that Nadar had occupied. She was so close she could almost feel the book in her hands. An image of Cay-meka, pale and weak, popped into her mind. Nadar would have to wait.

The same wintar announced, ‘Descending to the landing bay.’

Only ice and snow could be seen through the windows. ‘Wait,’ Nell said. ‘Don’t land. Take us to the nearest restoration.’

The dark-haired man stared at her blankly and Cay-reace said a quick thank you before rushing from the bridge.

‘Now!’ She was surprised by the authority in her voice.

Fear flitted over his face as he turned and punched some buttons. As the ship rose and turned, she bit her
cheek at his reaction. Walking to his side, she asked, ‘What’s your name?’

‘Dainar,’ he said, openly contemptuous.

Nell spoke to all three wintars. ‘Look, I don’t want to hurt any of you. Just do what I say and you’ll be fine.’

All three returned to their duties.

After speaking with Cay-reace via an intercom, Nell was convinced Cay-meka was safe, at least for the time being. Slumping back in the chair, her hands covered her face again as she thought about her father. Would he stop her from going after the book? She sighed. She couldn’t let him stop her. No one would stop her. They’ll just have to understand. Finding Nadar wouldn’t be a problem but she wasn’t sure if he would have the book with him. He threatened to destroy it but she didn’t believe he would. It wouldn’t make sense. Her heart fluttered and her hand moved to her chest. She had to control her abilities. If she injured him, she would never find it.

A
voice came from behind. ‘Feeling sorry for yourself again?’

Nell jumped out of the captain’s chair and swung around. ‘Sam!’ She ran to him and threw her arms around his neck. ‘How did you get here?’

‘Kandar.’ Sam jutted out his chin over Nell’s shoulder. ‘How else?’

She turned her head and Kandar, watching with amusement, said, ‘Is there one for me?’

‘Of course.’ Nell let go of Sam and hugged Kandar. ‘But, how did you find us?’

Kandar replied, ‘Actually, Orenda led the way.’

When she let go, she saw they had a companion: the fairy-like being she’d seen and almost met a couple of times. Nell thought its rat-like ears and face were cute. Remembering Cay-meka’s warning, she stepped back.

‘You’ve heard of us,’ Orenda said in a squeaky voice.

Nell replied, ‘A bit.’

Orenda twitched her nose.

‘This is Orenda,’ Sam said, and a look of awe crossed his face. ‘She’s an enchantress.’

‘As all grarls are,’ Orenda said in a matter-of-fact tone. ‘That is, we females. The males are spellbinders.’

Nell smiled at the little being. Cay-meka was wrong.
Orenda wasn’t at all dangerous. She said to Kandar, ‘I thought you could only take one person with you at a time.’

‘I don’t need a corl’s help to travel,’ Orenda said in an affronted tone. ‘Grarls can go anywhere we please, at any time.’

‘Don’t worry, they’re not evil,’ Sam said, and searched the room with a cheeky grin. ‘Speaking of evil, where’s Cay-meka?’

‘She’s still not well. I’m taking her to a restoration.’

Sam’s expression became worried. ‘I knew she was hurt, but Nadar said he had a physician.’

‘He couldn’t help her,’ Nell said. ‘Kandar, can you take Cay-meka? I need to go back to the pole.’

‘I will, but first, Orenda, could you assess Cay-meka’s condition?’

Orenda disappeared in an instant just like corls did with their bracelets, and Kandar continued, ‘Nell, tell me what happened at Nadar’s house.’

Nell told him how Cay-meka came to be hurt. ‘It was my fault,’ she said. ‘If I hadn’t startled her, she wouldn’t have jumped back onto the knife.’

‘If Nadar didn’t have the knife in the first place,’ Sam said. ‘She wouldn’t have been injured.’

‘That is true,’ Kandar said.

Orenda reappeared between Kandar and Nell. ‘The girl is stable,’ she said in her squeaky voice. ‘Her wound is healed but she lost a great deal of blood. The physician thought she may need a transfusion but it appears she is recovering herself.’

‘Really?’ Nell asked.

‘Yes,’ Orenda said, and sat on the chair Nadar had sat in.

‘Tanat is with Nadar,’ Nell said.

Orenda sighed, ‘Ooh, handsome Tanat.’

‘He might be handsome but he’s a traitor,’ Nell snapped.

‘Now, now,’ said Kandar, eyeing the backs of the men at the console. ‘We’ll leave Tanat out of this. Sam told me my brother has a book similar to the one you spoke of.’

‘It is the one I spoke of, and if I can get it, I can prove everything I said was true.’

‘Nell, do you know the language of the book?’ Kandar asked.

‘Wexkian.’

Kandar’s eyes widened in alarm at Nell’s answer.

‘I can read it. I can do a lot of things,’ she said. Her eyes clouded. ‘I can hurt people.’

‘Who have you hurt?’ asked Sam, as if he didn’t believe her.

‘I don’t know his name. He was working for Nadar, um, a sergeant, I think someone said.’

Kandar spoke urgently. ‘Orenda, go see what you can do for this man.’ He took Nell’s hand. ‘You come with me. Sam, stay here and watch them.’ At the last, he waved his arm over the wintars.

Once in the passageway, he opened a door that led into a dining room. A long metal table bolted to the floor, with chairs either side, stood in the middle of the rectangular room. Three square openings, like serving hatches, were spaced evenly in each of the longer walls and the back wall.

Kandar stood in front of the nearest opening and turned to Nell. ‘Juice?’ he asked.

Nell nodded. ‘Yes, please,’ she said, and a glass of orange juice appeared in the opening. ‘Wow, how did you do that?’

‘It is a replicator.’ Kandar gave Nell the cup. ‘Our scientists explore the universe, and they often return with delicacies from many cultures.’

‘They’ve been to Earth?’

‘Many times.’ Kandar’s pointy green nail scratched his chin as he sat and indicated for Nell to do the same. ‘There is a corl story about the wexkian race,’ he said.

Nell put the glass down and sat forward on her seat. ‘You know about Wexkia?’

He frowned. ‘Nell, sweet child, it is not a pleasant story.’

‘Why?’ Her shoulders slumped.

‘Our story is one of a cruel race. Centuries ago, the wexkians travelled from planet to planet. They took what they wanted and killed any who obstructed them. Whole planets were decimated.’

A hand flew to cover Nell’s mouth. ‘That can’t be the same race that wrote the
Book of Wexkia
,’ she said. ‘It’s not the race I belong to.’

Kandar’s eyes bulged. ‘The race you belong to? You are phib and wintar.’

‘No, I’m not. Well, yes, I am, but I’m more. I am wexkian.’

Nell could almost hear his brain struggle with what she said.

‘I can prove it, Kandar. I can show you the book.’

‘You know where it is?’

‘Not exactly, but I know Nadar has it.’

‘I apologise for my brother.’ Kandar lowered his eyes to his lap. ‘He was distraught when our mother died and I’m afraid he hasn’t been quite the same since. While that is no excuse for what he has done, it is a reason.’ He stood up and strolled to the far wall and back, deep in thought. ‘Tell me, Nell. Can Nadar read the book?’

‘Yes, I saw him reading it in my vision.’

‘I need you to tell me everything from the beginning.’

‘Okay,’ Nell said. ‘When Nadar brought us here, I—’

‘No. Start before then.’

‘I could read the names on the doors—’

‘Before then.’ A look of irritation passed over his face.

‘Well, where do you want me to start?’ Nell asked, dropping her bottom lip.

His face softened. ‘I apologise, sweet child, and my annoyance is not at you. Please start when you first acquired feelings of change.’

Nell thought hard before recounting the ride with Sam and her nightmares. Everything she could think of up until that moment. When she had finished, she waited for Kandar’s reaction. He turned his back to her and clasped his hands behind. One long finger rhythmically tapped his other hand.

He was silent, and Nell sat still, waiting and hoping she hadn’t made a terrible mistake by telling him everything.

When he faced Nell, his eyes appeared to have tears in them. ‘There has been a child akin to you before,’ he said sadly.

‘I know, Cay-meka told me. So did Tanat, but I’m not like her.’

‘Her mind could not deal with the changes. She had killed twice before her eighteenth year.’ He inspected the ceiling for several seconds. ‘She killed our mother,’ he sighed.

Nell gasped more loudly than she meant to. ‘Yours and Nadar’s?’ So that’s why Nadar hated Nell and wanted her put away like the other girl. Tears pricked Nell’s eyes. ‘Who was the other person?’

‘A physician at the Kafir restoration.’ He lifted her so her legs dangled in the air as he held her to him. ‘Do not be afraid. We are here for you.’ He held her out so he could see her face. ‘Nell, you must not use any of your abilities.’ He put her down again. ‘Not until we know more of where those abilities are coming from.’

Although she understood why he said it, she couldn’t promise such a thing. ‘I’ll try not to,’ she whispered.

Kandar put her down. ‘You cannot. We believe that is what initiated Shahs’ breakdown.’ He tightened his mouth. ‘Do I have your word?’

‘I’m sorry, Kandar, but I will use anything I can to get the book.’ He stiffened. She said, ‘I mean, I can only promise I will try my hardest not to.’

He looked hard at her for several seconds. ‘We will take the book from Nadar after we see your father.’

A knock on the door sounded as he spoke and Orenda walked straight through the shut door as if it wasn’t even there.

‘Wow,’ Nell breathed.

The rat-fairy twitched her nose so her whiskers jiggled, and squeaked, ‘The wintar will be fine. You didn’t hurt him as much as you feared but you did scare the wits out of him. He said something about his mind being on fire.’

Nell was relieved.

Kandar took Nell’s hands. ‘I need you to use one of your talents.’

‘But you said …’

‘I know.’ He smiled. ‘It is a phib ability I need you to use. I’m unsure where your father is. Can you locate him?’

Nell closed her eyes and searched her feelings. It was several seconds before she spoke. ‘Yes. I think he’s with Dar-seldra.’

‘Good,’ said Kandar.

She opened her mouth to ask Orenda about her home world but the ship lurched and she was thrown into the back of a chair, then onto the floor. Kandar and Orenda immediately disappeared. Nell used the table to pull her body up and ran to the bridge. She stopped on the platform abruptly and stared at Kandar frantically pushing buttons. He kept glancing up through the window in front of him where a snow-covered mountain rapidly increased in size as they sped towards it. There was no sign of the three wintars or Sam.

‘Orenda,’ Kandar called.

The enchantress stood on Nadar’s chair and seemed to be struggling. ‘It’s too heavy,’ she groaned. ‘I can’t.’

Hurrying down was like walking through black tar. ‘Nadar’s been here,’ Nell announced. The mountain appeared so close she could almost touch it. ‘He set the ship up to crash.’

Kandar abandoned the ship’s console and faced Nell. ‘Help Orenda,’ he urged.

She stared blankly at him.

‘It’s a risk, I know. But you must try.’

Nell wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do and it crossed her mind, since he had told her not to use her abilities, that was the second time he had told her to use them.

The mountain was increasing in size by the second. Nell stood beside the grarl, placed her hand on her shoulder and closed her eyes tight. She struggled to connect with Orenda’s mind at first but once she made contact, she knew what to do. She had to help the enchantress lift the ship and move it away from the mountain, with only their minds.

‘Lift,’ Orenda grunted.

‘I’m trying,’ Nell grunted back.

‘Try harder.’

Nell squeezed her eyes shut and her body tensed so hard she thought it would break. Her shoulders dipped and she groaned with the weight of the ship. Scared it would drop on her any moment she mustered all the strength she had within her. Long, torturous seconds passed before the ship tipped and Nell thought it was about to slip like a toy from a child’s hands. Although she knew she was still inside, it was as if she stood in mid-air beside the ship. Long tendrils of mist sprang from her mind and wound around the ship, pulling it away from the mountain. Together, Orenda and Nell managed to turn the ship around. A crashing sound echoed in Nell’s brain as the ship scraped against the snowy mountain. It rolled and rocked, but Nell’s tendrils tightened and soon calmed the ship. She thought her insides would be yanked out from her body.

Orenda’s voice was confident at last. ‘Go. I have it.’

Relief flooded through Nell and she collapsed to the floor. Emptiness filled her as blackness consumed her and she hoped the tendrils made it back into her mind. The voices in the distance were vague and jumbled. If a mummy could feel, that was how it would exist, an undetected occupied body wrapped in bandages for all time.

Strong arms pushed under her and she had the sensation of rising. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t open her eyes. With horror, she realised they were already open, staring, unseeing. She was paralysed. She had no choice but to let the arms take her.