Nyteria Rising (The Thirteenth Series Book 3)
Nyteria Rising
Three planets, two wars, one union...
THE THIRD BOOK
IN
THE THIRTEENTH
SERIES
by
G.L.Twynham
All rights reserved
Copyright © G.L.Twynham, 2012
G.L.Twynham is hereby identified as author of this work in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.
Cover design by: J.Davey/G.L.Twynham.
Valerie Saunders illustration by: Matt Timson
This book is published by
Grosvenor House Publishing Ltd
28-30 High Street, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 3EL.
www.grosvenorhousepublishing.co.uk
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of G.L.Twynham, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
This book is sold subject to the conditions that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the author's or publisher's prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-1-78148-761-7
Dedication
In loving memory
of
Jamie R - forever a teenager.
Deeply loved & missed.
And in recognition
of
Variety, the children’s charity - improving
young lives every day.
Thank You
Visit: www.variety.org.uk
The Thirteenth Series in order:
The Thirteenth
The Turncoats
Nyteria Rising
Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes they will encounter. The statesman who yields to war fever must realise that once the signal is given, they are no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events.
Sir Winston Churchill
Contents
Chapter 1 The Prison Calls
Chapter 2 The Space
Chapter 3 The Magrafe
Chapter 4 Primary Portal
Chapter 5 Trapped
Chapter 6 Home Again
Chapter 7 The Novelia
Chapter 8 Unwanted Guests
Chapter 9 Shane Walker
Chapter 10 Coffee Then Revenge
Chapter 11 Manningtree
Chapter 12 The Gathering Crowd
Chapter 13 On the Move
Chapter 14 The Battle
Chapter 15 What Happened Next
Chapter 16 Breakfast TV
Chapter 17 The Surface
Chapter 18 What Alien?
Chapter 19 Natural Resources
Chapter 20 The Union
Chapter 21 Rule Breaker
Chapter 22 All Hung Over
Chapter 23 The Beginning of the End
Chapter 24 Information Download
Chapter 25 Home Sweet?
CHAPTER 1
The Prison Calls
The horrible grate and clunk of grinding gears sent shockwaves of noise over the otherwise peaceful roadway. Seconds later, Wendy’s Morris traveller swerved erratically around the corner, arriving at far too swift a pace onto Sam’s driveway. It jerked violently to a halt and then stalled, shuddering as if grateful to have survived.
In the driver’s seat, Val Saunders grasped the steering wheel, her knuckles blue from the lack of circulation and gulped in oxygen, sweat droplets clinging for dear life on her forehead. “I can’t do this!”
Her dad calmly undid his seatbelt. “Hunny, take a deep breath. You know it’s fine, we just have to keep trying.” Mike proceeded to peel his daughter’s fingers off the wheel. “Val it’s over now, please let go. Look at the positive side: you didn’t set yourself on fire today.” He chuckled quietly and took the keys from the ignition.
“Why can’t I do this, Dad? I can catch a prisoner from another galaxy, but I can’t reverse a car!” She slumped her head onto the wheel. They had been doing this for days and she felt no further advanced in skills or confidence.
“Sometimes we’re better at some things than others, it doesn’t mean you get to give up. Come on, your Mum’s waiting for us.”
It was so frustrating! She didn’t want to drive; she had no interest in driving, but Zac had insisted that she learned after her little run-in with the Warden over her illegal teleports. He had pointed out that, on Earth, driving was a good way to travel. Plus, three trips in Sandy, the TVR with Jason had gone to his head. She climbed out of the car, flicking the L-plate next to the dent as she passed. “I’m not telling her about the bump, you can do that. It was your idea to go down that narrow street.”
“It could have been worse,” he replied, a hint of angst in his tone.
“In what way?” she groaned.
Mike shrugged his shoulders as he opened the door. “Susan we’re back.”
“How did it go?” she called from the kitchen.
“Better,” Mike replied, placing his finger to his lips as Val rolled her eyes.
“Lovely. Lunch will be ready in fifteen.”
“What are we hav...” Val grimaced as a shooting pain suddenly shot through her arm, sending all thoughts of food out of her head. She pulled her t-shirt sleeve up to reveal the tattoo on her arm; it was glowing and throbbing. That was odd; this tattoo had never given her any trouble before.
“Dad,” she said. As she turned to him, her dad, who was standing next to her, changed rapidly from a solid form to a translucent ripple and then completely faded from sight. Screaming she reached out, “DAD!” But he was gone. What was happening to her? Her body felt like it was breaking into a million pieces. The pain was so intense. Then everything went dark.
Val’s head was pounding as her vision started to return. Instinct warned her to protect herself. Was this Lailah attacking? Her stomach was churning and her legs were unstable. It was the most intense teleport she had ever experienced. She tried to stand, but found herself involuntarily dropping to her knees. Then she felt someone grabbing her arms. Glancing up she was met with an expression of intense annoyance.
“Stand up.” The young Guard hauled her onto her feet. He released her quickly and stepped away, clearly uncomfortable.
“Thanks,” she mumbled. As she regained her balance and control of her intestines, she took a moment to survey her surroundings. She recognised the corridors instantly. She was on Alchany. But it felt different: quiet and solemn Guards. She realised that the Guards were walking at a quickened pace, their heads hung low as if all in deep concentration. “How and why have you brought me here?” she demanded, straightening her t-shirt and reaching into her back pocket to check her sword was there.
“I didn’t!” he grunted at her. “However...” he made a point of inspecting the tattoo which was still glowing on her arm. “Looks like a single journey loop extraction. It’s used in emergencies to get specific Guards out of extreme situations quickly. And why? Because ther
e’s been a lock-down.” he nudged her to start moving as she was causing congestion.
“What do you mean lock-down?”
“It means there’s a serious problem and we need specific Guards to return, then they lock-down the portals, letting no-one on or off the Prison.”
Suddenly a loud siren rang out, making Val physically jump and for a moment she couldn’t hear what he was saying. “Why me? What’s specific about me?” she bellowed as the siren stopped. She felt foolish as several Guards turned to glare at her.
“I really can’t imagine,” he replied, looking her up and down. “However, it may have something to do with the fact that the Warden has been taken.”
Val’s mouth gaped. “The Warden! What do you mean taken? Did someone come here and kidnap him?” She now understood why the others looked the way they did. The Warden was, apart from the Judges, the most important person on the Prison.
“Kidnap?” The Guard was clearly unfamiliar with the meaning of the word.
“Yeah - you know someone sneaked onto the planet whilst he was sleeping...” She stopped realising from the way his head was tilting to one side like a dog that he had no idea what she was talking about. “Forget it. I just can’t imagine why they would need me.” Surely they could see she still had enough to deal with back on Earth. Although Lailah hadn’t made any significant moves since she’d arrived, that was probably only because she had no portal and no Dellatrax. In some ways Val wished she had attacked; waiting for something that never seemed to happen was worse. “So what exactly happened?” Val sympathised.
“He was off the Prison at the time of the attack. We believe this was the first phase of a full-scale assault. He relayed information warning us that we were to be attacked in the coming weeks and the next thing we heard, he had gone,” the Guard told her as he pushed her along in front of him. “Why would the Warden have to go on an assault? Surely there are enough of you to do things like that?”
Val saw a visible penny dropping as he looked at her with even more distaste. “I recognise you now! You’re the reject Guard. You clearly have no idea of the power that the Warden holds, or the battles we must fight here day-to-day. It shames me to say you are one of us. As a Guard, you stand shoulder to shoulder in an assault, irrelevant of rank.”
Val came to a standstill, placing her hand onto his chest. “Stop right there. I think shame is a little over the top. And just so you know the facts, I’m not one of you; I’m half witch, so a little less of the reject.”
“I find it hard to believe you are the one who arrested Excariot.”
“Well I did, with help from my friends.” She plumped her invisible feathers. Who did this Guard think he was?
“A lot of help I imagine. Now move!” he snapped.
“Where should I go?” she asked. The Guard wasn’t going to help her and seeing a gap, he pushed past her. “You know, you could be nicer. I haven’t been a Guard for very long.” Val was starting to feel uneasy. “And my day’s not going so well either. I just crashed my best friend’s very old and crazily slow car into a wall,” she called out to the back of the Guard’s head as he mingled into the crowd.
“Did you just say you crashed my car!” a familiar voice chirped up.
“Wendy!” Val spun around to find a smiling face greeting her. “I’ve missed you so much.”
They embraced. “Tell me my Mum’s ok,” Wendy whispered in Val’s ear, a tremor of emotion in her voice.
“She’s great, don’t worry.” Val stepped back and looked her up and down. Wendy was dressed all in dark green, in a military-style roll neck top and trousers. “Nice uniform, matches your eyes,” she joked.
“Thanks. Have you heard about the Warden?” she asked.
“Yes, but I still don’t know why I’m here? Is there somewhere I should go to check in or passport control?”
Wendy linked arms with Val to keep her moving. “Not just yet. We need to talk first.”
“Why don’t I like the sound of that?”
Wendy pulled her in close and whispered into her ear. “We’re in trouble. I’ve had a vision,” she continued in a hushed voice, her eyes darting as if she was being observed in the centre of organised chaos.
“That’s good isn’t it? You’re the best at what you do; you’ve got everything right so far. I can give them a reference.”
Wendy squeezed her arm affectionately. “The Judges want to see if my vision is correct.”
“And what was this amazing vision? Did you see me going home in time for lunch? Or maybe I was going home full-stop?” She followed her friend down the corridor, pleased to have a face she recognised with her.
“No, sorry. I saw that you would save the Warden.” Val stopped walking, but Wendy dug her heels in to keep her moving.
A new emotion started to fill Val’s body now – panic. “I take the reference offer back. You’re as insane as that obnoxious Guard I just met.”
“Like it or not, it’s what I saw and I believe it’s true. My training has been so intense. There are things I’ve seen since I’ve been here that have scared the life out of me, Val, and made me want to go home. But in the midst of the confusion there you were, leading the Magrafe to glory. You were the Prison’s saviour, just like Joan of Arc.”
Val choked. “Please forgive me if I forget the ins-and-outs of our history test, but didn’t she get burnt at the stake as a witch? And what’s the Magrafe?”
“Yes, she did, but that’s in the past. I just wanted to remind you that an eighteen year old girl saved her country in battle. The Magrafe are the Prison’s secret bodyguards, they are the chosen elite. No one really knows who’s a member. After the vision I told the High Judges and they were interested, but didn’t see a need to take any action. Then the next day the Warden gets kidnapped. So all of a sudden it went from pretty vision to prophecy.”
“I take back missing you. Honestly, Wendy.” Val pulled her arm free as a Guard bumped into her. “Sorry,” he called.
Wendy’s expression became soulful, “Val, if I could turn back time I would, but I can’t. Did I tell you Sam’s here?”
Val objected, “No, you can’t use Sam against me. Look, just tell them you got it wrong, that it was a dream and that it was a mistake.” They had no choice but to start moving again, standing still while everyone else was moving so quickly was a mistake. She was getting knocked from every angle. Yet annoyingly, no one seemed to even come close to Wendy.
“I can’t, they trust me and I’m not wrong, you’ll see.”
Another siren rang out. Wendy moved Val along even quicker. “Just let me get you to your quarters. I promise it’s not as bad as you think.”
As Val walked the corridors with Wendy the gravity of the Prison’s situation was visibly growing. More sirens rang and they could sense the pressure rising. They arrived shortly at a doorway. Guards were moving in and out all around, so Val could only guess that this area was the general quarters. Wendy walked through a door and Val followed, silently hoping Sam would be there. But instead there was just some young Hunter. Val could tell by his bracelet.
“Welcome Twenty-three thirteen. I am Thirty-three twenty-nine. It is my duty to be your Hunter whilst you are here.” His gentle yet formal speech was so different to Zac’s bark.
“Well, that won’t be necessary.” She circled him gradually pushing him towards the exit. “I’m not stopping and I have a Hunter on Earth. We’re connected.” She flashed him her bracelet.
“Yes, I have heard of Zac. I will wait outside until you are ready for me, and if you wish to give me a name then that would be acceptable.”
“I really don’t think I can think of anything, thanks. You can wait outside.” Closing the door she glared at Wendy. “What’s going on?” she demanded, her annoyance oozing out. The door began opening, “GO AWAY!” she shouted.
Sam popped his head around the door. “Nice welcome. I see you’ve managed to get yourself into trouble again.”
“Serio
usly,” she threw her arms into the air, “I went for my driving lesson and came back to this. How can it be my fault?”
“You could find trouble in an empty cardboard box.” His voice was smooth and rich - just the way Val remembered.
“Sam.” Wendy lowered her head in respect as he entered.
Val didn’t follow her example. “Yes, it’s nice to see you, now get me home please,” she requested.
“Not just yet.” He walked across the room and placed his hand on the wall. To Val’s surprise the wall started to glow and palpitate. It was as if it were feeding off his touch, the intensity growing with every beat of his heart. “See this Val?” She nodded, mesmerised by its glow. “This is the problem we have.”
“Sorry, you’ve lost me. Your lighting’s not working?”
“We have an endless resource of power on Alchany. We never need what you call fuel. We could power several planets without any trouble.”
“Still lost.” Val shook her head.
“Imagine if you could supply power to Earth forever and it wouldn’t cost anything and would have no negative repercussion on the planet. A clean source of energy. What would it be worth?”
“Priceless I guess. So how do you do it?”
“Prisoners. You see we’re all energy in different states of vibration. When the Judges extracted the very first prisoner, they discovered that they were left with pure energy. With the help of a friendly planet called Nyteria, we managed to harness the power and use it. The more prisoners we got, the more power we had.”
“So where’s the problem?”
“We suspect Nyteria wants it back.”
“But if they showed you how to create the energy, surely they can do the same thing?”
“They have the technology that’s true; they just don’t have the prisoners or the ability to capture and hold that many people quickly enough.”