The Omega Children - The Return of the Marauders (A young adult fiction best seller): An Action Adventure Mystery (5 page)

Melaleuca walked back to her.

‘What is it now?’

‘None of this makes sense?’

‘It will all make sense.’

‘Look.’ Lexington pointed to their valley. ‘You can see our trees. They stand out from the other ones. Once we cross over this hill I think we may never see our home again.’ Sadness tinged her words.

‘Let’s just get over the hill.’

Melaleuca took her arm and gently pulled her and Lexington’s face drooped.

‘Our parents are gone,’ Lexington said. ‘You know it, I know it.’

‘Lexington. Let’s go.’

‘Why won’t you tell me what was said to you?’

Ire rose in Melaleuca.
I hate that self pity tone of hers.

She knew that they needed to get going. The time for talking would be later.

‘We are being chased,’ Melaleuca said.

‘Did you touch the men? Are they real? It could be a trick. Light and mirrors can make one man look like many. I have not seen it but have read about it.’

‘Okay then! Mum said, “
Go as far as you can see and then you will be able to see further.’’

Melaleuca let Lexington’s arm go with a forceful flick. ‘Okay. There. I have told you. Let’s go.’

Lexington looked at their valley once more - the largeness of it stilling her over-active mind. The gentle haze of distance called to her and like a chorus of blues they mixed with the sky making her feel a small part of something greater. She wondered if this was the earth-spirit Ari had so often spoken of.

‘Let’s go Lex,’ Melaleuca said.

‘I think if Ari stood here he would say our valley does not want us to go.’

‘They are just hills Lexington, that’s all. The world is full of them.’

‘But you said you felt ─ ’

‘Hills, Lexington. Hills.’

Argus screamed at them to get moving and his voice carried far enough to echo back.

Lexington faced uphill and started to walk. She needed time to think. All this action made it hard for her to sort things out in her mind. A feeling of needing to return dogged her.

***

High overhead a giant eagle-like bird, a Kockoroc circled. From its skyward vaunting view it focused its crisp eyes and spied the small party of people weaving, like disjointed dots, up to the low pass of the Giant’s Arm Chair.

***

Melaleuca grabbed Lexington’s hand, squeezed it and shot her an awkward smile. She could feel Lexington’s resistance but they had to move. Up ahead she watched Argus stumble and disappear over the low pass.

Half pulling Lexington behind her she soon crested the pass. A howling wind smacked into her with a startling suddenness. She fought for her footing, released Lexington’s hand and Lexington tumbled backwards.

Ari and Quixote stood a few feet below her and leant into the wind, arms outstretched, laughing and pretending to fly.

Dry barren hills dropped away from Melaleuca, sloping down in rough ridges and gullies to the valley floor a great distance below. A giant marshy swamp spread along the entire valley, and mushy pools and reeds stretched as far as she could see.

Argus struggled back up to the pass and shouted over the wind, ‘MOVE! WHERE THE HELL IS THE OTHER ONE?’

Melaleuca turned back. Lexington lay amongst the tussock and stared back at the tree line mesmerised.

What is she analysing now?

A lone attacker moved amongst the trees and appeared to stare up at them. Melaleuca dropped between the tussock bushes leaving Argus confused. She pointed to the trees and he dived to the ground as well, though he stood out as a strange bump against the skyline.

‘Lex. Crawl back and get the others.’

Lexington held the attacker in her gaze and said, ‘Is this what you saw? Did he kill ─ ’

‘Lex! After. Go and get the boys.’

She turned to go but before she could leave Ari and Quixote tumbled down the hill, and upon seeing Lexington’s confused appearance, Ari said, ‘We saw Argus drop and figured something was up.’

‘Well done,’ Melaleuca said. ‘Listen, here’s what we are going to do.’

They huddled as she explained the plan.

Argus’s body almost refused to stand up. Pain seemed to shoot everywhere. He didn’t care about the cousins, but he had never failed a mission. A strength of pride surged through his arms and he pushed his body part way up and blinked the sweat and gunk from his eyes.

Oh no! What are they...

Argus watched Quixote leap up and run to the right, and Melaleuca and Ari slide forward as the attacker spotted Quixote. Instead of running toward Quixote the attacker slipped into the woods and disappeared from sight.

Argus stood up and dashed down towards Melaleuca.
Bloody fools.

Melaleuca peered through the tussock ready to attack but the attacker had gone. Before she could speak to Ari, Argus appeared above her and gripped her clothing, hauling her to her feet. Lexington appeared behind him.

‘What the hell are you doing?’ Argus yelled.

Ari launched himself into Argus and shouted, ‘Unhand her.’

Argus stumbled backwards and then slapped his own forehead in frustration.

‘That was a scout! A scout get it! Now he has gone back to tell the others. And guess what will happen then?’

Melaleuca brushed her clothes off where Argus had grabbed her.

‘You understand little of how we work.’

Argus threw his hands up. ‘Now the whole bloody army will descend upon us.’

‘Then we have to stop him,’ Ari said.

‘Stop him! How? Right now he is ripping through that forest, the same one we took our time coming up, back to his men. You want to run into them as well. Sheeessshh!’

‘Enough,’ Melaleuca said. ‘Let’s just go then, away, the other direction. Quixote, Ari. Let’s go.’

Lexington tapped her head as they walked back uphill toward her.

‘Perhaps someone made a wrong decision?’

Everything Lexington wanted to say to Melaleuca, Melaleuca could see written on Lexington’s face, and the words, “take counsel” from Lexington came back to her. She ignored her want to put Lexington in her place, choosing instead to head back up to the pass.

Over the pass Melaleuca stopped and waited for Argus to lead the way, though he only trotted a few feet past her, halted and dropped his jaw open. He stared out over the naked hills below, worry evident on his dirt stained face and shook his head.

‘It’s gone. But that is impossible….Unless, but no, I could never.’

He threw his pack off and rummaged in it and produced a compass and a map.

‘Wait here.’ He dashed back up the slope into the wind. ‘And don’t move.’

‘Sit. Rest,’ Melaleuca said and sidled along the hillside to try and see what Argus was up to.

Quixote and Lexington flopped down and Ari joined Melaleuca.

‘I don’t often see you unsure,’ Ari said.

‘I have never had to re-check my decisions either.’

Much had changed in such a short time. Melaleuca looked out on the swamp land, emotionless and lost in thought.

‘That’s unlike you,’ Ari said.

‘This is new.’ Her hawk eyes moistened. ‘It feels like I have to learn to trust, again. I can’t...just...can’t explain it.’

The time had arrived for their playing to stop and now a realness not experienced by them before, lay ahead. Yet playing, as her mother had explained to her away from the others, was one of their best strengths.

Got to trust.

‘I know what your mum said,’ Ari said, placing his hand on her shoulder. ‘You have to unite us don’t you, especially those two.’ He pointed to Quixote and Lexington.

‘Unite...yes. Those two? Yes. And me and Lexington. She is upset that my instincts disagree with her conclusions.’

‘She thinks too much. We all know that. We all need a clearing, especially her. Too many changes too fast and she cannot think straight.’

‘She is right to suspect. Our parents have hidden a lot from us. I have known this for a number of years but told no one. I knew our parents would tell us when...’ She stopped mid sentence realising she never knew. ‘Well…they would have told us.’

A disconsolate Argus returned and sat down.

‘Something ill natured is at hand here.’

‘What is it?’ Melaleuca asked.

His steely jaw underlined his pursed lips and she could tell he was unsure about telling them.

‘Tell us if we are to trust you.’

Argus flicked his head down hill. ‘Last night there was a forest covering this entire hill. Now it’s gone.’

‘Forests don’t disappear overnight,’ Lexington said.

‘Really! This...’ He held up the compass and map. ‘...says otherwise.’

A large shadow moved over the land toward Melaleuca and then crossed over them.

‘Look,’ Ari said and jabbed his finger skyward.

The Kockoroc dived toward the ground in a beeline though spread its wings wide, breaking its dive, and brought itself to a mid-air halt, gliding down in a gentle motion. Its massive feathered body loomed above Melaleuca and her cousins, with Argus’s head barely coming up to its underbelly. Power radiated off it and a haughty arrogance swam about it. It opened and shut its beak as it clicked and cackled.

Melaleuca struggled for a feeling on it and then Quixote flashed into her mind, though too late.

He leapt forward and cried out, ‘A giant’s pet bird. Let’s ride it.’

The Kockoroc swivelled its head fast. The feathers on its neck rose and its glassy brown eyes demanded to know who dared to approach. Ari tackled Quixote to the ground and they both rolled forward, halting at its feet. Melaleuca felt Lexington huddle behind her.

‘I just know Quixote will get us killed one day,’ Lexington said.

‘Don’t move,’ Ari said to Quixote.

‘It’s not going to hurt us,’ said Melaleuca and before Lexington could hassle her she added, ‘Yes I felt it and decided it to be true.’

Argus rushed forward to protect the boys.

‘Wait Argus,’ Melaleuca said.

The Kockoroc spread it wings and arched its neck, squawking and pecking at Argus.  Argus ducked like a boxer avoiding a punch and moved away.

‘Bloody menace.’

The Kockoroc clicked and bent its head down, nudging Quixote playfully, even allowing him to tousle its feathers.

‘Only to you it seems,’ Melaleuca said.

Melaleuca approached it with Lexington walking a ginger pace behind with her pen scrawling in her notebook.

‘It’s friendly Argus,’ Melaleuca said. ‘Come toward it slowly.’

He tried again, saying with a threat in his voice, ‘You don’t know where it is from. Eagles this size died out millions of years ago.’

Once again the Kockoroc spread its wings and threatened Argus. For some strange reason this pleased Melaleuca.

‘Dumb eagle,’ Argus said.

Lexington flipped through her notebook and read from it.

‘Hmm. The eagle likes us. It doesn’t like you. We are from here and the eagle must be as well and you are not. Animals are known to grasp character better. Seems maybe you are not who you say you are.’

‘Whatever.’

‘Your actions and tone threaten him,’ Melaleuca said.

‘Look I don’t know what big bird wants. It could be a trick from the enemy.’

‘My feelings say otherwise.’

‘The facts agree with her feelings,’ Lexington said.

‘Finally,’ Quixote said in a low voice, earning stares from both the girls.

Anger and weariness mixed in Argus’s face.

‘You know nothing about it. It could have come from those men, who, right now, as we speak are trekking up this hill or have we forgotten.’

Melaleuca searched Argus’s gnarled old face for the truth of his words. Thick skin like an elephant’s trunk covered his face and his eyebrows bushed out large, and deep lines crawled away from the corner of his eyes curving down the side of his cheeks.
He speaks sincerely.

‘Equally our parents could have sent it.’

‘Fine. Suit yourself. Way too old for this. No gold is worth this.’

He walked away from them and headed down hill.

‘Maybe we could fly on it,’ Quixote yelled after him.

Argus held up two fingers to Quixote in a gesture none of them understood.

‘Two what?’ Lexington asked.

The Kockoroc beat its great wings and launched itself into the air, creating a powerful down draught, knocking them over. It flew higher and higher and higher until it appeared like a normal sized bird. It circled a few times and then let out a loud cry that sounded like the roar of thundering bulls, almost as if ancient memories were coming to life after being dormant for eons.