Chapter 44
Brian’s point of view
A month had passed, and winter had set in.
Snow blanketed the landscape like a vast, pure sheet – it was beautiful,
breathtaking…
However, my mind was drawn to other things.
Now, more than ever, I was convinced that the significance of that mental voice
was far deeper than I could imagine. I believed it, and now both Howie and AJ did
– we had told Nick and our total belief in it was beginning to sway his opinion
greatly. Yet, if it wasn’t Kevin behind
all of this, who was? What did they want, and why were they hounding me? Were
they some kind of wraith or demon, and if there was some conspiracy, how deep
did the plot go?
One thing was for sure – the voice was real,
and not my troubled mind.
In the night sky, a bright blue glow fell from
the heavens, curving downwards in a gracious arc. The shooting star flickered
and died, leaving the white stars to remain fixedly it place in the dark sky. I
closed my eyes, breathing the cold air.
“I wish for strength. For the strength to
endure this trial… whatever it is…”
Flyer’s point of view
Surrounded by trees, I flew around the canopy
to look for signs of life. It was dark, so anyone living there must have been
where it was warm and safe. Convinced of the safety, I flew back to the
freighter craft, led by the blue glow of the engine. It seemed surreal to me, to
be honest. The engines usually glowed green, yet a wisp of the blue energy
darted out into the clearing, and the rest followed like a hazy mist. It looked
eerie – a spectral ribbon of icy hues fluttering from the back of the ship
until the engines glowed green once more. I was not afraid – the blue mist
hovered, and abruptly sparked into a physical being: Solin.
“No one is out there,” I whispered.
She nodded, leading the way back inside the
ship. She had been right – the journey had only taken a week. I was surprised
when she explained how it was done: she dived into the engine of the ship,
empowering it vastly.
Once inside, the anxious faces of Dommur and
Monsoon met us. Once they had got wind of Solin’s idea, they pleaded with us to
let them come too. I could hardly deny them – Kevin had helped them too. It had
taken a few weeks to make the arrangements and hire a freighter, but we’d made
it in one piece.
“So, what’s the plan?” Monsoon shifted
nervously.
“We find Zakkar, o’ course!” Dommur stated
surely.
Solin twitched her ears in caution: “We must
tread carefully – humans have never come across our race before, and have a
reputation for being paranoid. Do not let them see any of you.”
“We’ll be careful, Solin,” I reassured. “But
where do we start? Earth is a big planet.”
“He’ll be on this continent – this was his
homeland, America.” Solin peered out into the night from the cargo door, before
shutting it firmly. “I remember some place names he mentioned – we should look
around these first; I‘ll be able to sense his Aversion since it is stronger
than a human Aversion.”
“What if ya can’t sense ‘im there?” Dommur
quizzed curiously.
“We worry about that later,” I interrupted.
“Solin, what are these places called.”
Solin scratched her head for a moment before
replying: “Hmm… Kentucky, Florida, L.A., Atlanta…”
“Anything else?”
“Those are the only ones he mentioned.”
Monsoon flapped his wings and floated to the
ship’s computer, “If he’s out there, we’ll find him.”
“Zakkar trained us when-”
I cut Dommur off sharply, “I think we should
just call him ‘Kevin’.”
Solin looked curiously at me. “Oh?”
“He never did like that name,” I explained.
“So where should we look first?”
“He told me that L.A. was where-”
Solin stopped abruptly for no apparent reason.
She looked upwards, her face contorting in confusion. Anxiousness clouded her
features, and she remained silent.
“What’s wrong wid ya, Solin?” Dommur asked
nervously.
Solin’s eyes stayed fixed looking upwards as
she gave her flat reply: “The Soul Creatures are calling me back to Karnak… I
have to leave.”
I looked to the equally nervous mortals in the
ship’s cabin.
“We need you to help us find Kevin!” Monsoon
exclaimed. “Only you can sense his Aversion!”
“I can’t abandon my race,” Solin retorted
harshly. “I’m going. Remember to hide this ship from the humans.”
She turned and reopened the cargo door. I flew
after her and hovered in front of her shadowy face. She frowned at me in
annoyance.
“Flyer, don’t try to stop me!”
“We need a starting point,” I claimed
defiantly. “If we can’t find Kevin without you, then maybe we can find a friend
of his. That would give us some clue!”
Solin’s expression softened. She rubbed her
feline eyes, thinking swiftly. Her ears perked up in sudden realisation. Looking
back at us, she answered cryptically.
“Look for the Rok of Ages,” she instructed
firmly. “Find the Rok of Ages, and you should find some answers.”
No warning was given when she placed her paw
on my head, and a bright glow lit up the cabin. My mind spun wildly, and I
nearly toppled out of the air.
“I’ve given you the knowledge of Kevin’s
original language – this should help you. Yet, now I must leave.”
Without further hesitation, she dissolved into
her spectral mist and darted into the heavens. Monsoon, Dommur and I all looked
at each other blankly.
“Rok of Ages?”
***
