The Omega Children - The Return of the Marauders (A young adult fiction best seller): An Action Adventure Mystery (8 page)

‘Well I have a secret as well.’

‘Oh,’ Melaleuca said, surprised.

Lexington so wanted to tell but the feel of the medallion reminded her it was a secret. Lexington moved her head in a slight glib nod and made a little “humph” noise, turned and walked away. What other choice lay before them? Stuck out in the middle of nowhere - even more nowhere than their home - she knew that they had to stick together. She really wanted to talk to her inner voice but she could not. Not yet anyway. Not in front of the others.

Lexington marched back to Melaleuca, standing resolute before her.

‘I will move forward but I will keep on asking questions. I will not stop until all of this makes sense.’ She cocked her head at Antavahni, moisture from the air making her long hair hang limp, and causing her skull and forehead to look larger than normal. ‘Why have you bought us here?’

‘Oh Lexington,’ Melaleuca said. ‘Isn’t it obvious? So we would have no other choice other than to follow him.’

Antavahni nodded at Argus and Argus threw back a tarpaulin, producing the cousin’s packs. He gathered four hooded cloaks and handed them to the cousins as well. The material felt rough and though it looked thin and hung light, it contained considerable loft.

‘We must move. Follow,’ said Antavahni.

He pushed himself off with his walking stick and headed toward the gentle slope.

They picked their way across the plain toward the mountains and by late afternoon the ground started sloping upwards, though higher up it became steeper and steeper and steeper until all the sparse vegetation gave way to dull gray rocks. Above this at a neck-craning height, the mountaintops could just be seen. Sharp, blue snow-covered rocks poked out through the swirling clouds.

With the vast plain behind them Melaleuca felt like an infinitesimal speck. She did a quick check of the others, noting how ragged Lexington looked. She was not the hardiest of them when it came to physical exertion.

‘It will be night soon. Shall we find some cover?’ Ari said.

‘Press on,’ Antavahni said in a weak voice. ‘It will be dark where we are going.’

Out in the lead Argus spied something off to his left and he wandered over to inspect it. Half buried and half sticking out lay a weather-worn sign, the words on it barely visible. Squinting he read it.

‘None return that venture these mountains. Turn back or leave a will……’

The rest of the words he could not make out.

‘What is it?’ Ari called.

Argus looked up to tell him but caught sight of Antavahni glaring at him unimpressed.

‘Nothing,’ Argus replied and returned to leading the way, although Melaleuca could tell Argus did not like what he saw.

As the light faded to grey they had only climbed half way up the slope. The cloud wrapped mountain loomed large and its immenseness overshadowed them like a menacing bulk. High up through the clouds, flashes of lightening hurled back and forth and thunder boomed. It sounded miles off though its foreboding bass rent an unwelcome sensation.

Ari pointed to the angry looking clouds.

‘Are we going into a storm?’ he said raising his voice.

Lexington pulled out her notebook and after scanning it said, ‘This mountain must have a route through it.’

Bedraggled scarecrow hair falling around his impish face, Quixote made scary ghost noises and then giggled.

‘A secret tunnel, but to where?’

Melaleuca patted Quixote on the back.
He’s the nuttiest of us all, yet...

‘...little dampens you. Even in hell you’d make the devil laugh.’

Lexington scoffed at this. ‘No such place exists except in myth and legend. It’s a people invention. I would hardly call this the time for joking. I mean look where...where...where we are.’

‘Lexington. Easy. You know Quixote means well,’ Ari said. ‘Even you use your imagination to work things out.’

‘Yes. But for things that matter, not silly games,’ she said in great frustration. ‘Look at us! I’m freezing. We’ve never wandered this far from home before. Every game we played, no matter what the outcome we could still go home. There is no home now. It’s gone and so have our parents! And we still have no clue what is going on.’

Where Ari and Quixote seemed ready to accept, she grew frustrated. With every step and each passing moment questions nipped at her mind.

‘Where are we? Where are we going?’ Lexington said bending down to untangle her leg from a bush. ‘Does this place even have a name?’

‘In my tongue it is
Arawac
- the Long White Cloud Mountains,’ Antavahni said, staring up at them, his eyes filling with longing.

‘I think they’re beautiful,’ Ari said. ‘It's like the earth is not afraid to show how it feels. In fact...’ He paused, puzzled and then nodded with certainty. ‘It hides a secret.’

Antavahni smiled pleased with Ari. ‘You are an earth-son. That was my role as well.’ He paused as if to say more, but instead carried on forward. ‘Keep moving. Nearly there.’

‘Urrggghhh,’ Lexington said in protest.

The ground got coarser and muddier and the temperature dropped, slowing down their rate of climb. Melaleuca let her mind go blank and concentrated on moving forward and listening to her instincts. They churned in the cold, and out of the encroaching night nagging fingers of doubt prodded her, threatening to swamp her. She squeezed her eyes shut and forced her feelings to sink deep into her mind, past all the images and feelings of fear and doubt. Like Ari she sensed this land had a deep feeling imbued into it though its evocative emptiness made her feel hollow inside. Deep in her inner vision she found the comforting sight of her parents and in an instant, she knew this was a sign they headed in the right direction. Confident once more she opened her eyes and checked on her cousins again.

Ari trudged on and a cheerful Quixote bounced alongside him. Despite the rugged terrain he still managed to defy gravity and dodge most of the bushes and holes.

Lexington struggled forward, her patience wearing thinner and thinner. ‘Is there another way?’ she said exhausted. ‘At this rate.....’ she puffed and sat down, ‘...I...won’t make it. And look!’ She wiped the perspiration off her forehead. ‘I’m sweating but I’m cold!’

Antavahni reached inside his plant cloak and produced a handful of leaves. ‘Here eat,’ he said offering it to them.

They each bit into it and warmth flooded their mouth and spread through their bodies.

‘Ari. Quixote. Walk on ahead,’ Antavahni said to them, his voice sounding thinner than before. ‘It should not be far. Follow your feelings Ari.’

Ari and Quixote nodded.

‘Hurry,’ Antavahni said. ‘The effects will only last a short time.’

The boys sprinted off like a fire had been lit under them and charged up-hill with Ari in the lead. They negotiated their way past the grabby plants and over runnels and slippery mud. Boulders wedged deep in the earth almost stopped them, so they started to edge around them.

Ari tried to sense what Antavahni had told him to feel for, though before he could feel anything he heard low guttural voices coming from up ahead. He ducked down, pulling Quixote with him.

‘Who else could be up here?’ Ari said.

‘Giants?’

Ari cuffed him around the head in jest.

In the faint light he could see large footsteps in the mud.

‘Oh. Maybe you are right,’ Ari said and flicked his red torch on.

Spread out footprints started from behind them and then converged into a single file and trailed forward between two large rocks.

‘Let’s see,’ Quixote said and clambered onto one of the rocks.

Ari went to yell ‘stop,’ but dared not lest whoever made the footprints hear him. Instead he followed Quixote.

They crawled on their bellies to the edge of the rock and peered over. About forty men gathered in a small hollow in front of a low cave, forming a single file.

‘Those are the same men that attacked us,’ Quixote said.

He grabbed a small stone and hurled it at them with all his might. It sailed over the single file and smacked the man waiting next to crouch down. Ari grabbed Quixote’s arm and held him down, wanting to yell at him.

The man could not see the boys so he turned and pushed the person behind him and a scuffle broke out. They fought amongst themselves like wild dogs, and Quixote held up another rock to throw, though Ari latched onto his arm.

‘Look,’ he said.

Two men broke away from the rear and headed back downhill between the rocks.

‘We have to warn the others. Come on.’

Quixote stood to attention and placed one hand on his hip, puffing his chest out. ‘Or stop them.’

The two men emerged from between the rocks and Quixote hurled the rock in his hand at them with all his might. Ari traced the rock’s arc in the low light and his heart sunk.

***

The Kockoroc cruised high in the sky and once again stared down to the small party. High winds buffeted it, making flying difficult.

***

‘Something does not feel right,’ Melaleuca said wrapping her arms around herself to stop the gnawing cold.

Lexington shivered beside her and Melaleuca knew she wanted to question why she felt that, though luckily the cold held her tongue at bay.

‘Go Argus,’ Antavahni said. ‘Look for them.’

Argus hauled both pistols out and started up hill.

Antavahni moaned as if forgetting something. ‘Oh dear. Powers weakening. How could I have missed it?’

‘Missed what?’ Melaleuca asked.

‘The Ori are close by. We must hide you,’ he said in a panic. His hand twitched and his fingers jingled about in a rhythm as if sending a semaphore message.

‘W...w...who are the Ori?’ Lexington asked.

Out of the darkening sky Melaleuca heard the Kockoroc’s great wing beat slowing down and then saw the faint outline of it swoop over them and head uphill. Argus cried out in pain and within seconds he tumbled back down the hill and sprawled in front of the girls. The Kockoroc stood over him squawking and jabbing its beak closer and closer to his face. Argus kicked out and hit it in the head. It pulled back and uttered a whimpering sound.

‘You hurt it,’ Lexington said, rushing to the Kockoroc to check its feathered head.

‘That bloody thing could have killed me.’

Lexington inspected the Kockoroc closer. ‘There is no blood on it. What a strange thing to say. It’s not bleeding.’

Argus threw his eyes back in disgust.

The wind rippled across the Kockoroc’s feathers and Lexington nestled herself into them to warm up.

Argus hauled himself to his feet, and trying to sneak back uphill, ran into the encroaching darkness. The Kockoroc reared up, emitting a raucous cry. It spun around, spread its wings and flew up hill. Argus cried out and then cursed the Kockoroc and yelled for it to put him down. His voice trailed up into the air, along with the sound of flapping wings. He let out a cry as he fell to the ground with a splodge.

‘It’s a bloody menace,’ Argus said and fired a shot at it.

The Kockoroc swooped overhead again and soared uphill.

‘Don’t ask me how I know,’ Melaleuca said, earning an eye roll from Lexington. ‘But it has gone to get Ari and Quixote.’

Blood curdling screams like a man being torn to pieces, echoed down the slope, and apart from the distant rumbling of thunder silence followed.

Far off, Quixote’s voice yelped and whooped like he was swinging from tree to tree, and even Ari shouted with excitement. Their voices got louder and louder until out of the charcoal grey the Kockoroc swooped down with the boys clutched in its talons. With a great flapping of wings it gently placed them on the ground.

‘You should have seen it,’ Quixote said waving his arms around. ‘The eagle knocked the men over flat and then just pecked them like crazy. What a noise they made.’

Ari shoved him.

‘Yeah. Because you threw stones at them.’

‘Quixote, again,’ Lexington said.

‘So! They’re the ones that attacked our house.’

‘What? Are you sure?’ Lexington said.

‘Yes,’ Ari replied. ‘They were squeezing into a cave of some sort. Judging from the footprints I would say there were at least a hundred of them.’

Melaleuca turned on Antavahni. ‘You nearly walked us into them.’

‘They didn’t know of us,’ Ari said. ‘Except the two Quixote threw stones at. And they are now dead.’

Antavahni took in the information.

‘Must hurry. Am growing weaker. Must get you across the border. Go now, downhill. Make for the coast. Stay silent.’

Antavahni flicked his hand toward the Kockoroc. It squawked and then flew off into the night.

‘Why not get the eagle to fly us out of here?’ Quixote asked.

‘You might be spotted,’ Antavahni said.

‘By who? It’s nearly dark.’

Antavahni ignored him.

Melaleuca shivered though felt her anger rise. She needed answers. ‘Who are the Ori? Are those the men that attacked us?’

Antavahni leant in closer to her and his wide brimmed eyes gave off a dull luminescent glow. ‘Move. You will work it out in time.’

Melaleuca dug her heels in. ‘I want to know. Now!’

Lexington shook with cold and even the boys having cooled down, now felt the icy wind bite into them.

Argus shook his head. ‘It’s bloody freezing! Argue later! Let’s move!’

‘I AM IN COMMAND,’ Melaleuca shouted.

‘L..let’s move, M..M..M..Mel,’ Lexington said, ‘please.’

Antavahni spoke in a quiet voice - his tone though weak was as commanding as hers. ‘What will you do if they are the men who attacked?’

‘I will...I will...’ Her words petered out and she cursed him in her mind.

‘Exactly,’ Antavahni said. ‘Cannot pursue them, cannot capture them. What will you do? Commander?’

‘Move downhill then,’ Melaleuca said relenting on her refusal to move.

Lexington smirked though Melaleuca pretended not to see.

They descended in half the time and under the night sky walked in line with the mountains on flat land again. The thunder grew quieter and quieter and then became silent, though the rolling clouds on the mountain lay as a permanent fixture and occasional unseen lightening lit the clouds silently from the inside.

After the empty tedium of walking all night, the smell of the coast hit them at dawn - bracing salty air filling their lungs. Seagulls flew overhead and they could hear waves crashing, and a washing feeling of restlessness passed over them.

‘We are going to see the sea,’ Quixote said excited. ‘Buried treasure, pirates, adventures to faraway lands.’

If he had been a wave he would have swirled and crashed all over the place. Melaleuca knew she would eventually have to find a way to control him.

‘We are already going to a faraway place,’ Lexington said. ‘I imagine that should be enough. Though,’ she sniffed the air, ‘I do agree. There is a certain feel in the atmosphere.’

‘It’s better than the land we woke up on,’ Ari said. ‘It felt like nothing.’

‘You liked the mountains,’ Melaleuca said.

‘Yeah, but this is...is...is stirring in a different way.’ He cocked his head to the right to stare at the mountains again. The mountain range, complete with its cotton-wrap of clouds ran all the way to the coast, where they formed an almost sheer drop of thousands of metres into the sea.

Antavahni prodded them.

‘Move.’

They headed into some large sand dunes.

‘Wait here,’ Antavahni said. ‘Argus, come with me.’

No sooner had they planted their bottoms on the sand and got comfortable when Antavahni returned.

‘Listen carefully. There are two speedboats. One is on the beach and the other is moored at a disused wharf. Argus will...ah...commandeer one for our purposes. When he gives the signal we need to run to the speedboat. The coast has given me enough strength for this one last thing I must do.’

Antavahni propelled himself up with a startling suddenness and a charge of lightening flew out of him, throwing the cousins backwards. It crackled and soared high into the sky, and swollen clouds gathered around it, boiling like mad.

Antavahni let out a wild cry and his body trembled. Unintelligible words poured out of him and he carried on uttering them until it felt like the earth and the sky would split in two. The clouds exploded and a bolt of energy hurtled down hitting Antavahni with full force. A blinding flash of light erupted and the soil around him exploded into tiny fragments, coating them with dirt.

A burnt tang hung in the air, smelling like something sweet had been crisped. In the middle of a large splayed out burn mark Antavahni hunched his body over and wheezed as he made gurgling noises while blood oozed from underneath his robe.

‘Antavahni?’ Melaleuca said.
What do we do now?

‘He’s hurt,’ Ari said.

Melaleuca shook the dirt off her and knelt before Antavahni.

‘What do we do to help you?’

He said nothing and Melaleuca searched the faces of her cousins. Quixote smiled wryly and she could tell he wanted to make a joke though an unknown emotion stopped him.

‘Lex?’

‘None of us have ever been this hurt. Maybe stop the bleeding, though what if his anatomy is different?’

‘Antavahni,’ Ari said louder.

‘Quixote. Go find Argus,’ Melaleuca said.

Antavahni thrust his arm out and though wincing yelled, ‘NO WAIT,’ and then said, ‘Wait, just wait.’

Under his body a weak blue glow pulsated. It grew stronger and stronger until it glowed as strong as a neon light. He pushed himself upright and his eyes seemed to spin in his sockets and blood dripped out of his mouth. In his hands he held an iridescent blue gloop. Round in shape, it looked like it had a bright light inside.

‘What is it?’ Lexington said no longer concerned for his injuries.

‘Silverquick,’ Antavahni said exhausted. ‘Help me up, help me to Argus. We are close.’

This is madness.
Melaleuca lifted his head up so she could see eye to eye with him.

‘If you know us you will know I hate being left in the dark. We could have been hurt.’

A weak smiled beamed at Melaleuca. ‘Trust,’ he said and his body started to become transparent.

‘That should not be happening,’ Lexington said. ‘Bodies decompose not fade.’

From behind the sand dune Argus’s head shot up.

‘What happened to him?’

‘We don’t really know,’ Ari said.

Quixote jumped up and threw his body into the air. ‘The sky exploded and made that.’

The silverquick still lay in Antavahni’s weak grip.

Lexington growled at Quixote’s excesses and then said, ‘My guess is he caught lightening and made that or released it from something he had it stored in.’

Argus cursed. ‘That’s all we need. A body to carry.’

Melaleuca stepped forward putting her cousins behind her. ‘He is hurt and needs our help.’

Argus screwed his face up at her, though she could tell he would comply.

‘Once you’re a gonner, you’re a gonner,’ he said. ‘You Ari. Come.’

At the top of the dune Argus pointed to a dilapidated wharf.

‘See that?’

Churning in a gentle breeze, the wide-open sea spread out before Ari. Waves caressed the beach and to his right at the southern end larger waves smashed in to the cliffs. Like a vortex, the magic of the sea sucked on Ari’s soul and his mind peered across the ocean’s width to the horizon, a thousand adventures crying out to him.

‘Oi!’ Argus said. ‘Sight-see later. Can you see that really obvious wharf? You know, wharf? Do you know what a wharf is? The one made out of wood, falling down, sticking out to sea. The large jutting out thing?’

‘Yes. I see it,’ Ari said unsure what Argus’s tone meant.

‘Gather the others and wait here. I am going to get us one of those speedboats. From what pale face tells me this is one of the first wharves the British used when they settled in these parts, not much used these days. Rarely is there one speedboat let alone two. So wait here with the others. When I signal, run to the speedboat like crazy. Got it?’

‘Yes. What about Antavahni?’

‘Try waking him, carry him, whatever.’ With that Argus hopped over the top of the dune and Ari rolled back down to his cousins.

Melaleuca helped Antavahni stand. He coughed and swayed - woozy and trembling. Disoriented he said, ‘Where are we?’

‘By the sea,’ Ari replied.

‘Good. Good. Ah yes. I can smell it. For my people this was hallowed ground. Every morning the departed souls of those that died left from here.’

Antavahni toppled onto Melaleuca and her cousins pitched in to help carry him to the top of the sand dune.

Melaleuca poked her head over the top and her cousins did likewise, and although Argus sauntered onto the wharf and made his way to the speedboat, the expansive sea drew their attention away from him. The deep-green mesmerized them and its hypnotic churn swelled inside them. Quixote shouted and yelled like a wild man strapped high on a crow’s nest, and Melaleuca felt his want to dive in and feel the ocean all over him.