The Lighter That Shone Like A Star (Story of The South) (25 page)

Matthew and Luc had both been fatalities in the chaotic mess that Max was trying so hard to clean up. Although as time progressed and everything continued to go spectacularly wrong, Max realised that there was no end to his disaster that he did not begin.

Jill had helped, slightly. She was a straight-talker, preferring to take a blunt approach to discussion unlike her son and husband. Eimaj had not wanted to find
Freddie, she’d been waiting for Max to find him. Anne-Alicia aided her in this mission. She had revealed the news of Matthew’s death, urging Max along in his search for his friends.

And she had been largely truthful when she spoke to Max, Jill decided, in order to maintain his trust. Then, when Max had finally managed to reach his friends, she whizzed back to her new master and confirmed their arrival. Eimaj was free to attack and kill Max and Freddie, knowing that eventually she would be the only one left and thus able to take the throne of Naegis for herself. After all, who could stop her?

Not only this, but Eimaj had ensured that each of Max’s friends struggled since the concert in an attempt to break them. Freddie was never able to disguise himself as Lynk and Sofia and Russell were forced out of Pipton. Lornea did not matter, as she was always going to leave the group. What happened to Matthew was beyond terrible, the unforeseen nature of his death simply tragic.

ScribblePads had been Eimaj’s main form of attack, allowing her to keep track of everyone’s movements. Eimaj had known that ScribblePads were integral to Max’s plan (even if he did not yet know it himself) and she made sure Anne-Alicia dropped a hint. She would tell him outright if need be. As it happened, Max needed only hear the word to bring back the memory of what he had previously had seen.

The most remarkable thing to which Jill enlightened Max was that Joz had managed to save everyone, apart from his own son. Eimaj had expected to break down the castle’s doors, force her way into the castle. But Joz had made her mission impossible, and that was the reason his death became so imminent.

The magic that it had taken to make the castle impregnable was enormous, creating almost a forcefield around the walls to keep out unwanted guests. He used the remainder of his power, giving his life to save others. Thwarted by the Old Clemari was surely maddening to Eimaj.

There was only one reason his magic had failed, in the end. He made an exception. Of course, he did. If his wife ever needed to return, then how could he possibly create a forcefield strong enough to keep out the woman he had loved for centuries?

Jill had returned and the invisible barrier dissolved. Anne-Alicia struck and her catastrophic spell found Luc. It could have been any of them but it was poor, defenceless Luc.

Max was sitting opposite Jill in the council’s meeting hall, the triangular table suspended mid-air between them alongside the all too fresh scent of Luc’s death.

“I miss him,” Max said.

“Me too,” Jill replied.

“He was my best friend. A brother. I spent every minute of every day with him and now… now he’s gone.”

“He thought the same of you, you know. He cared very much about you.”

Max shook his head, Jill’s words cutting through his very core. “No, he didn’t. I was only ever his Clemari,” Max said, bitterness stinging his words.

Jill sighed, staring deeply at Max. He gazed back. Both pairs of eyes contained so much pain and hurt, it was a miracle that they could see at all.

“You’re favourite colour is blue,” said Jill. “And you hate orange. For just over a week, you hair has been flashing red when you’re angry and blue when you’re upset. You miss your parents more than you’ve missed anyone else, even Sofia, and you can’t even bring yourself to think of what might have happened to them.

“The Garden of the Restless is your least favourite place, yet you have to restrain yourself from going back there. You blame yourself for everything. You still think of yourself as a child, and the word Clemari reminds you that you have an impossibly huge responsibility that you feel you are unable to burden. You find it easy to become attached to people, which is a good thing. But it means you cannot cope when you lose somebody.”

Max was stunned. Where had this come from? Everything that Jill had described was undoubtedly, impossibly, entirely accurate.

“I spoke to Luc every day and you were the main topic of each of our conversations.
By his choice. You were the first and only friend he had ever had, and he did not want to hurt you when his inevitable death came about. That was why he never used your name or showed any emotion towards you,” explained Jill.

“Until…” Max choked back a sob.

“Until he knew he would never again get the opportunity to show how much you meant to him.”

***

Max allowed himself the following day to grieve for Luc and Matthew. He had too much responsibility now, too much to think about, too much to do. Not enough time to mourn. So the day after, two days after Eimaj tore his world apart, he met with his council for the second time since he arrived.

He warned them of the danger that they were in. Eimaj would return. Not yet, but when she was more powerful and had a stronger army. They would be ready. Freddie was to take on Luc’s role, which would also be part of the council as it was not before. Max was unsure of Luc’s real job title but he supposed ‘confidant’ would suffice.

Dorot was asked to train others, to find people in Naegis that could heal others. In the war that waited at their doorstep, one would not be enough to cure the injured.

Giorgie was appointed chief councillor. While that was technically under Max’s job description, he laughed off his inadequacy for the role.

The rest of the council would help run Naegis and The South – taking care of law enforcement, ensuring that the Naegean folk had the means to live more comfortably (something that Max feared Joz had not considered a priority), in an attempt to lift the spirits of a nation divided and a world in trouble.

When the war came, Max would have to make sure that his people fought for the right thing. He knew that his priority was building an army; an army of Naegeans, Hurburtans, Terexians, the Salmontaïc, and the people of Rysked. Five separate forces that, eventually, would come together and either defeat Eimaj or bow down to her ruthless rule.

But before that, he had just one thing that he needed to do.

“Come with me,” Max said, buzzing with excitement. Sofia smiled. It was the first time Max had seemed happy in days.

“Where are we going?” she asked, jogging a few paces behind her boyfriend.

“You’ll see.” Max was being purposefully enigmatic, which Sofia supposed was something to be excited about.

When they reached what was apparently their destination, Max pushed open a heavy wooden door and the fresh air filled their lungs, the scent of grass and flowers blossoming through their sinuses.

“The Garden of the Restless,” Max announced.

Sofia thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. There was just so much colour.
An imperceptible number of shades and hues. Fluorescent roses, pastel daisies, flaming fuchsias, sparkling sunflowers, and dazzling dandelions. Her jaw was dropped, her mind blown.

“It’s so beautiful,” she whispered. Max was staring at her, anticipating what she would see.

“Is everything bright and colourful?” he asked.

“Yes, it is incredible. Thank you so much for showing me this!” Sofia exclaimed, happiness buzzing through her.

“So, you don’t see any black or white?” he asked, cautiously. Sofia noticed that Max sounded anxious. She looked more closely around the garden, walking through the slight path amongst the petals and leaves. Then she found it – the thing Max must have wanted her to see.

“Oh, I see it there,” she said, pointing down at a lily. Its stem and leaves were a pitch black, while its petals were the cleanest of whites. She looked up at Max, who seemed confused.

And he
was
confused. Because how was it possible that he saw so much black and white, even more this time than when he had seen it with Luc, while she saw ninety-nine percent colour? And once again he found himself wondering what it all meant.

There was an explanation of why each person saw varying degrees of colour and shade, there had to be, but still he had not fathomed what it was. He had to shake himself, physically, to bring himself back to the reason he had brought Sofia with him to this magnificent and terrifying garden.

He looked at Sofia, who was bent down looking closer at the black and white lily. She buried her face in the petals and sniffed, but the flower had no scent. Sofia stood up straight, ready to ask Max the meaning behind the colourless, odourless flower but as she turned around, her jaw dropped for the second time that sunny afternoon.

Max was balanced on one knee, a ring in his outstretched hand, the diamond reflecting the amazing colours around them.

“Marry me,” he began. “While we were apart, I missed you every second of every day. I couldn’t bear the thought of not knowing if you were okay. When I saw you again, I was so happy. Despite everything that had happened and that was happening, I was overjoyed. And I felt safe. I felt like I wasn’t about to face the impossible. Having you beside me made me feel strong, it gave me a reason to win. When Eimaj came and I saw you three alongside me, I was so scared. I was terrified that I would lose one of you. And I did. I will never forgive myself for that. But you’re still here and I am so grateful for that.

“Without you, I am nothing. I am not a king, a Clemari. But I could do it with you beside me.
Be my Vraxen, my queen and I will be your king. I will look after you and protect you and love you for ever. I can’t fight this war. I can’t save Naegis. I can’t look after The South. But I can look after you. That is the only thing of which I am certain.

“Everything I have heard over the last few weeks has either been a complicated explanation, an impossible request, or a downright lie. There is only one thing I am certain of, and that is my undeniable love for you. So, Sofia Vassallo, will you marry me?”

There was a pause, Max’s speech lingering in the humid atmosphere.

Sofia knelt down so she was at the same level as the boy who had just poured his heart out, and pressed their foreheads together.

“Max Myers. Maxxie,” she giggled. “Never have I heard something so ridiculous. We’ve known each other for what, two months, and half of that we spent apart. And you’re here asking me to marry you! Well, for the record, I think you’re completely mad. Utterly insane. Categorically bonkers. But yes, I will marry you, my crazy king, and I will love you from now until the very end.”

As Max looked into the shimmering eyes of his new fiancée, everything became clear. The fragmented memories and words that Joz struggled to convey on his deathbed suddenly made sense.

He knew why, in his dying moments, Joz had spoken of Light on the Landing and a secret weapon. He knew why he had asked Max to protect Luc and Jill, and that he had not yet failed. The prisoner Joz spoke of was long gone, Anne-Alicia had seen to that, but Max understood what Joz had meant. And then he had one final realisation.

It was not looking into Sofia’s eyes that helped Max to comprehend the thoughts of the dying Clemari, it was the Garden.
The place where Joz was laid to rest. Finally, after weeks of hypothesising, wondering, obsessing, Max knew the meaning of the Garden of the Restless. And he sighed. Luc had known that he was going to die, but now Max knew that Sofia had a long life ahead of her.

And that was enough to make him happy, for now, while she wore the ring and he wore the crown.

Alcohol had wiped away the guilt that swamped Haze when he had seen Jimmie storm out of the concert hall. The awards ceremony had been heaps of fun, especially as they had scooped two of the prestigious gongs, and Haze did not want the fun to end.

Rumours of Jimaze had reached his ears during the evening, even though he was among other famous people. He had simply, and wrongly, assumed that other ‘celebrities’ would be more immune to the rumour mill. One celebrated singer from Salmont had asked the young man outright if he and Jimmie were dating. Haze laughed, pretending to find her joke funny. Only, it was not meant as a joke. It was a serious question.

Journalists interviewed the band after they had accepted each of their awards. It was fun, being alongside his best friends and bathing in this glorious success together. But then the words tumbled from one reporter’s lips: “Tell us about Jimaze.”

“Basically, some of our fans think Haze and I are together. Just because, you know, we’re really good friends. But it’s just, like, you
know, a bromance. It’s just a joke gone a bit too far,” Jimmie answered, faultlessly. Rehearsed to perfection, even the hesitations and fillers. Haze admired his best friend’s ability to handle the situation so nonchalantly.

But Haze worried. He could not even say what it was he was worried about, exactly. But maybe it was best that the two were not seen in public so much. Quashing the rumours now would be much better than allowing them to continue. That’s what Graham kept telling him, anyway.

So when he told Jimmie that they should probably not attend the same after party, he had not considered what he was implying.

Watching his friend leave had caused his heart to sink into his gut. And so he decided that only one thing could make him feel better – alcohol. As always, that had turned out to be a complete error of judgement.

While the first drink or two took the edge off the overwhelming guilt in his chest, the twelfth had exaggerated his regret and his need to apologise. He left the party without saying goodbye and jumped in a taxi.

But w
hen he returned to the hotel, he quickly sobered up. As the lift halted in their hallway and he staggered through the open doors, he soon realised that something was not right. Jimmie and Freddie were both nowhere to be seen, their hotel room doors wide open.

He
patted his pockets, his hand eventually landing on his ScribblePad, and called Jimmie, Freddie, and Lynk. No reply. He called the other members of the band, but they probably could not hear the ringing over the noise at their own parties. The lady at reception had not seen the two boys. Haze was being far too loud this late at night, but the need to find his friends engulfed him.

Eventually, Graham came down to the lobby in a white dressing gown.

“Tommy, what are you doing? Do you know how late it is? Get to bed. Now,” he demanded.

“Graham…
it’s Jimmie. He’s–“

“Safe and sound,” Jimmie said from behind him. “Thanks for getting a taxi without me, I had to walk,”
he said, feigning annoyance.

“Both of you, bed. Now,” Graham hissed, storming back up the stairs.

Haze slid back into the lift, Jimmie by his side, awkwardness surrounding them.

“I’m sorry,” said Haze, his voice still slurring slightly.

“Good,” Jimmie spat.

“Where were you?”

“I’ll tell you tomorrow when the others are here.” Their lift stopped on floor three.

“Night,” said Jimmie.

“Night,” Haze replied, Jimmie’s reaction making him feel even worse about what had happened earlier. He twisted his key in the lock of room 317 and slumped, fully clothed, on his bed.

The next morning, Jimmie did explain what had happened to him. Haze struggled to believe his friend, but it was too ridiculous to be made up. Zaak, Jayke, and Naithain were also stunned, all asking question after question about Naegis and Max.

Then Jimmie recounted his conversation with Jill.

She told him the reason why Light on the Landing had been asked to help Max, the reason they had decided to save Freddie, and the reason that they were a band in the first place. Because it was no accident that their old school teacher, Mrs Pittaway, had put the five boys together.

It was no coincidence that the band had won the talent show, or had decided to continue to make music together. Their success was manufactured.

Joz Domen, the king of Naegis, needed to have influence over The South. But it was impossible. His land was hidden, as was he. A new arrival was coming, and Joz had to be prepared. A few years before Max Myers was expected to be conceived and born, five parcels had arrived in Pipton. 

First, a new-born baby was left on a doorstep. The couple that lived there had always wanted a son but due to complications during the birth of their first-born daughter, they could not conceive again.

Four more times a new-born was delivered. Gifts or miracles, it did not matter. Five couples who longed for children but were unable to conceive themselves were given their hopes and dreams in a cliché wicker basket. A child.

Adopted, these five children would never know that their mothers and fathers were not their birth-parents. And it never mattered because they were all cared for so lovingly. Then, when the time was right, these five boys would meet. 

Light on the Landing was made up of five adopted boys, each from a different land. Zaak, with his pale skin, was born in Rysked. Haze was from Terexe, Naithain from Salmont, Jayke from Hurburt. And Jimmie? Jimmie was from Naegis. Separately, they represented one of the five lands. Together, they represented The South united.

Haze, along with his bandmates, was in complete shock. Everything they had known had been a lie. Their families were not their own, their success was not due to their hard-work or talents… their entire identities had been forged and founded on lies.

Jimmie smiled, sadly. Tears swam in his eyes, his lips trembled, his fingers tapped nervously on the table in front of him.

“She said that despite everything, it still was all down to us. Because we still needed to be able to have hearts full of love in order to accept our families and each other. We still had to be talented in order for our band to succeed, and work hard too. We can’t let all this get to us, boys. We have a job to do,” Jimmie said.

And Jill’s request of the band was, in the end, simple. They must continue together, touring the lands and creating new music. The South was in danger and war had begun. People were already joining the wrong side, misguided and scared.

It would be Light on the Landing’s job to influence their fans and followers. Spread the word that Naegis is real, through music and through Scribbles, interviews and public appearances. They had to inform people that war was returning. Gradually introduce the
idea of a mythical land really existing, ease people into a world that was changing, and warn everyone against Eimaj.

Because war was coming, that was the unbearable truth. And Eimaj was building her army, while Max was yet to begin.

Light on the Landing were just five boys from Pipton who enjoyed making music. Their rise to fame was unprecedented. Their influence over millions of young people was immeasurable. But there was no such thing as destiny.

Light on the Landing had saved Max and they had saved Freddie. Now it was time to save the world.