The Kuthun (21 page)

‘Wow, Ellie, that was so great,’ Phoebe whispers, while rubbing my back.

Uncle Jo and Magi run up to us. I stand back up, having regained my balance, and give Phoebe a hug.

‘Phew, I’m really glad that worked,’ I say relieved.

‘Me too. I wasn’t sure if I was going to end up in Switzerland, so I’m pretty happy about just getting to here in one piece.’

I smile.

We spend the next few hours practising, with a few breaks in between for food and water. The more I teleport, the stronger I become. I convince Uncle Jo that I would like to try teleporting to Phoebe’s house. He could see that my energy was still up and agreed to let me try, on the condition that I immediately come back.

I envision the greenhouse that sits at the back of Phoebe’s yard, which is sheltered from prying eyes. We’ve clocked up many hours sitting in there amongst the plants, sharing secrets and talking about life. We have a permanent picnic blanket snuggled up in one corner of the greenhouse, underneath the plum tree. At least twice a month we hang out there, light candles, and eat amongst the twinkling stars that hover overhead.

The image is clear in my mind and I shut my eyes.

The tomato plants and passionfruit vines are surrounding me on my arrival and I reflect on how utterly amazing this ability to teleport really is. My adrenalin is buzzing and I take a few moments to just breathe before I head back.

I return to the barn in one piece and am greeted with hugs. I keep teleporting back and forth, my magic intensifies with each trip, and by the end I’m able to take Magi and Uncle Jo as well. I finish off feeling pretty satisfied that I could achieve something so remarkable.

I know I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the kuthun though.

Uncle Jo looks down at his watch. ‘I think it’s time we called it a day,’ he says. ‘I have a few errands to run in town, so how about you girls come with me and help out?’

‘I could use some time away from here so I’m in,’ I say.

‘Yep, me too,’ Phoebe answers.

We plan to wash up and meet back at the truck.

Driving into town I see thunder clouds off in the
distance. ‘Rain’s coming,’ I say.

‘Do you have the power to predict the weather too?’ Phoebe asks.

I laugh. ‘No. You can see the clouds over there.’ I point to where the dark clouds are gathering behind the mountains.

‘Oh. Right,’ she says. ‘I knew that.’

We drive into Maine Street, passing Holden’s Mechanical, where Uncle Jo has spent a mini fortune on tractor and car parts over the years. He is such a valued member that they even had a card made up for him with VIP discount access. He was a happy man that day.

We pass the local Post Office—its red exterior resembling a fire hydrant, and Sally’s Pizzeria, where on a Friday night her restaurant is teeming with teenagers all wanting a taste of her gourmet pizza range at the cheap price of two dollars a slice.

We pull into the car park of the market warehouse. Magi stays in the back of the pickup while we venture inside. We are following Uncle Jo up and down the aisles, filling the trolley up as we go, when we bump into Phil Walden—the owner of Walden’s restaurant.

‘Hey, Phil. How are you?’ Uncle Jo shakes his hand warmly.

‘I’m good, Jo. Girls.’ He nods his head in our direction. We smile and say hello back.

‘How’s business going?’ Uncle Jo asks, even though he knows from our dining experience there the other night that business is booming for Walden’s.

‘Busy. We can’t seem to keep up with the numbers at the moment, and with my new kitchen hand injured I’m in need of someone else to help out.’

My ears prick up. The image of the muscle bound hottie carrying the bucket of dishes flashes through my mind. Phoebe nudges me in the ribs, reminding me of it also.

‘Oh, what happened to him?’ Uncle Jo asks curiously.

‘Apparently he had a skateboarding accident, but from what Maisy Dodge says it looked much worse than just a skateboard that did that to him. She saw him the other day from across the street and he looked pretty banged up. His arm was in a sling and there were cuts covering his face. I’m not sure what
really
happened, but either way I am one man down and I need someone to hunt me down another kitchen hand soon before those dishes stack up any higher.’

An ill feeling settles over me and all of a sudden I don’t like where this conversation is going.
Hunt me down
. Those words take on a menacing form and I remember why he looked so familiar from the other night.

In my mind I see him walking back towards the kitchen, carrying the heavy bucket. He was wearing a white shirt that was rolled up at the sleeves, where I caught a flash of black inked into his forearm, revealing the letters:
guinem
.
His height and bulk were probably enough to give him away but the real clincher, the part of him that should have stood out clearly, was his forearm and where I remember having seen those letters before.

I knew he looked familiar! I knew it!
I feel disgusted at myself for not picking up on it sooner.

‘Hey, are you feeling okay?’ Phoebe whispers to me.

I make myself nod and try calming my nerves before my emotions take over. I can’t believe I missed it. No wonder I could feel someone watching me from within the restaurant the other night. It was
him
all along.

Uncle Jo wishes Mr. Walden the best of luck and turns to find me in a state of agitation. ‘What is it?’

‘Mr. Walden’s kitchen hand wasn’t in a skateboarding accident.’ I see him frown. ‘He was in a car accident.’ I wait for him to catch my meaning.

He clenches his fists. ‘The Venator?’ he asks.

I nod.

‘Whoa, wait a minute. Are you saying that the cute kitchen hand
is
the Venator?’ Phoebe says aghast.

‘That’s exactly what I’m saying. I can’t believe I missed it. I knew he looked familiar.’ I could kick myself.

‘But aren’t you supposed to feel these things?’ she asks.

Her words hurt. ‘Yes. I am. Maybe the atmosphere being so busy the other night dulled my senses or something, I don’t know, but it won’t happen again.’

‘Or maybe it was because there was chemistry between you two?’ She leaves this last statement hanging in the air.

I start to feel nauseous.

Uncle Jo’s face darkens. ‘We need to finish up here and get home, so I can track this guy down.’ He looks off down the aisle.

I touch his arm softly. ‘You can’t go after him.’ He glowers at me as if I’ve lost my mind. ‘I know you want to, but we have to find the light. That is the only thing that will stop this for good. If we kill him now they’ll just send another one eventually. I want to end this curse once and for all and I can’t do it without you. Please?’

I don’t want to beg but I know he is desperate. So am I. I feel like time is running out and if we don’t find the light we may not know the truth. And I have to know. Nothing is more important than the truth right now. With it, I may be able to find out what happened to Mum.

He pinches the bridge of his nose. ‘Alright, Ellie. But we need to move fast, otherwise I cannot guarantee that my resolve won’t be tested.’ He gives me one last glower before he storms off, pushing the trolley with a vengeance.

Phoebe and I rush to catch up, looking at each other nervously.

We get everything we need in town and drive home in silence. Phoebe and I hold our breath just in case any unusual air currents set off Uncle Jo’s temper. He lets us off at the front door, and without saying a word he continues driving up to the barn.

Magi is watching me from the back of the truck, telling me she’ll watch over him. As we walk inside I hear the truck door slam harder than usual.

We walk into the kitchen and make ourselves an afternoon snack. Aunt Lily hears us come home and comes out of her bedroom looking sleepy-eyed. She yawns.

‘Are you feeling alright, Aunt Lily? You look tired,’ I say, taking in the extra lines around her eyes.

‘Just a little worn out that’s all. I haven’t been sleeping very well lately.’ She gives me a knowing look and sits across from me at the table. ‘Where’s your uncle?’

‘Oh, ah…he’s in the shed,’ I respond hesitantly.

She slumps her shoulders, knowing that he’s obviously upset. She looks over at Phoebe, who is madly raiding the fridge in search of anything and everything edible. It’s been two hours since she ate, which in her world is nothing short of third world starvation.

‘Has something else happened while you were in town?’ she asks quietly.

I nod. Keeping my voice low I say, ‘We figured out who the Venator is.’

Her head shoots up. ‘What?!’ she whispers shocked.

I then tell her about running into Mr. Walden and his new kitchen hand having been in a recent accident. I also tell her how I could feel someone watching me at dinner the other night and that I noticed the tattoo on his inner arm.

She shakes her head in dismay. ‘Jo will want to kill him.’

‘I know. I had to convince him otherwise. I don’t know how long that will last, so I better get my teleporting to Egypt right, and quickly.’ I feel the pressure mounting.

‘That reminds me.’ She stands up and walks down the hall. She comes back carrying a magazine and hands it to me, I see the word
Egypt
written in bold on the front cover.

‘What’s this?’

‘I went to the shop and walked past the travel agents. I thought you would need a picture of Philae temple so you could land accurately, or whatever it is you do.’ She flicks her hand and shrugs. ‘In this one there is a double page spread of the temple, so I was thinking that you could use it as your focal point.’ She smiles at me and puts her hands in her lap.

Aunt Lily has this wonderful innocence about her that is so endearing. She won’t interfere unless she knows that she can contribute positively in some way. I love that about her.

I smile. ‘Thank you. This is so great.’

She pats my knee and stands back up. ‘Phoebe, do you want me to help you there?’ she says, as she walks over to the bench, taking the knife from Phoebe’s hand before she can do any damage. She finishes making the sandwiches which Phoebe was attempting to create without much luck. Now I know how the rat in science class must have felt.

‘Good idea, Mrs. O. I’ll just let you do it.’ Phoebe sits down next to me.

While looking through the pages I am amazed at how ancient and mystical Egypt is—the people; the pharaohs; their spiritual beliefs; and their amazing ability to be able to create astounding monuments, all in the name of preserving the dead and worshipping the living. Each turn of the page brings me to the conclusion that these people lived in a time where they possessed a much greater awareness of the world around them.

Isis enters my mind. I picture her standing as Mother to Egypt, her arms spread out to her people, welcoming them into her bosom.

‘Ellie, can you hear me?’

‘Huh…what?’ I say, distracted by my thoughts.

‘I said, is this the temple?’ Phoebe is pointing repeatedly to the page in front of her.

I refocus my attention on the page and the picture of a glorious temple stares back at me—Philae Temple. This is the place that we need to go. This is where we will find the answers we seek.

‘Yep. That looks like it.’

‘Wow, it’s impressive. It says here that it took fifteen years to build. They did this by hand?’ she asks.

‘From what I know, yeah. Pretty amazing really. I mean how many buildings these days would be built by hand with such adoration and detailed precision.’ My eyes take in its beauty.

She cocks an eyebrow at me. ‘What are you? An architect now?’

I blush. ‘No. I just seem to have a new found respect for it all I suppose.’ I shrug, realising that I have in fact changed, or am still changing, with all these new experiences.
I feel different
.

Phoebe is looking at me suspiciously. ‘Uh huh.’

‘Anyway, this is where I need to get to and I don’t have much time.’ I think of Uncle Jo, knowing it is torturing him to have to stay put when he knows who the Venator is now.

‘Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get started then.’ Phoebe gets up and grabs the book off the table. ‘Come on.’ She takes her sandwich, thanks Aunt Lily, and walks outside.

‘Where are we going?’ I ask, noticing that she is walking a little quick for someone who hates exercise.

‘We need to find Magi and start practising.’

I follow her out towards the barn and hear the sound of Uncle Jo’s hammer ringing against metal. The sharp sound reverberates through my skull, causing me to wince.

Magi sees me and trots towards us. ‘Hey, Mags.’ I ruffle her fur. Uncle Jo hasn’t heard us over the din and I don’t want to interrupt him with whatever it is he is building.

‘Good. Let’s begin,’ Phoebe says in an authoritarian voice.

‘Who made you Queen Phoebs?’ I say amused.

She turns to face me and points to the picture of the temple. ‘You need to get here, and you need to get here now. I can’t come with you and this is the only way I can help you. So let me at least boss you around for a while so I feel like I’m helping in some small way, okay?’ Her voice cracks slightly.

I soften. ‘Okay, Phoebs, boss me around, I’m listening,’ I say, knowing that her bravado is wavering.

She nods. ‘Good. Follow me then.’ She walks to the back of the barn and we take up our positions near the woodpile.

I make sure the area around us is clear, searching the terrain for any sign that seems unusual.

‘What about Uncle Jo?’ I ask a little uncertain.

She sighs. ‘Jo shmo. Listen! We don’t have time to muck around and you have the only weapon that can get you from one place to another. If you get into any trouble then use the kuthun. Not that you need to by the way.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean, you have this power now, E. You don’t need to rely on anything else. You have it all within you.’

Her words ring true.
Omnipotence
.

‘You’re right. Thanks.’ I feel stronger at the thought that I can do this, no matter what. ‘Am I taking Mags with me?’ Magi’s tail wags at the prospect.