Nyteria Rising (The Thirteenth Series Book 3) Read online

  A large smash broke the door and soldiers flooded into the room. But Val’s energy flashed into life, forcing them to shield their eyes with their hands. Sam and the others had their helmets on and Val just stood in the middle glowing like a sun. “Take us home Val,” Sam said into her ear and they were gone.

  Nathan stormed into the room moving his men out of his way with blows of anger. “What happened?” he yelled at a soldier cowering on the ground. “We gave them a false map. They should never have escaped! They should have been stuck here, but the girl... she was glowing like nothing I have ever seen, like she was pure energy. She took them out.”

  “Then get me that girl, NOW!”

  Her eyes felt as if they were burning. It felt like sand grating against her lids. If what she thought had happened really had happened, then she had teleported seven people, including the Warden, from a distant planet to… where?

  “Val.” Sam’s voice was gentle. “Can you hear me?”

  She forced her voice into a response though her throat was sandpaper dry “Yes, but my eyes are killing me.” He pulled her into a sitting position as she attempted to open them. The light hurt, but it was bearable. “Hello,” she greeted his smiling face. “Where are we?”

  “Here.” He sat back allowing her to see that she had managed to bring them back into the main portal room at the Prison. They were surrounded by Guards, Collectors and a vast array of aliens. “You did a great job.” He helped her to her feet. The Warden was being cared for by two Mechanics and the other Magrafe, who had their helmets on. All seemed well.

  None of the bystanders said anything, but just watched as the seven collected themselves and moved out into the main Prison. They made their way into the corridor which was still seething with Guards. Gradually, the realisation that the Warden was back spread and the mass movement, driven by quiet panic, gradually came to a standstill. Then the sirens stopped. As realisation started to dawn on the Guards, a cheer went up, one Guard after another started to call out and applaud. Val was shocked at their reaction and tried to hurry on, but Sam and the others lifted her off the ground and onto their shoulders. The cheering reached a joyous crescendo. Val smiled. She had done it! The vision had come true and the Warden was free.

  The Warden, who was being supported by the Mechanics, grabbed her hand. “You have taken the first step in saving this Prison. Now let’s finish this battle.” Turning to the Mechanics he ordered, “Take me to my office.”

  “Warden, you need more time to rest,” one said nervously.

  “TAKE ME TO MY OFFICE!” he bellowed. Val knew he was going to be ok.

  Wendy was the next person Val saw running through the sea of Guards towards them. “I knew you would do it,” she called up to Val over the heads of a group of Collectors.

  “Did you know about Sam?” she called. Wendy nodded. “Thanks for telling me!” she smiled.

  In the distance she could see a very familiar face – her Collector. But there was no smile, no cheers for the Magrafe and their success from her. “Sam, let me down,” Val called. As soon as the band of Guards had lowered her to the ground, she ran towards the Collector. Guards who had previously mocked her were now patting her on the back as she passed.

  “Hello, Val,” the Collector greeted her.

  She knew something was wrong. “What’s up?”

  “We must move away from where we can be seen.” She walked quickly and Val followed, slipping through a doorway as the rejoicing continued behind them. The Collector, clearly on edge, made her way down another corridor and Val followed until they arrived at the glass door that led to the High Collector. Val was confused. Surely they weren’t going to send her on another mission this soon? They waited as before and the door whooshed open. Val’s Collector greeted her superior respectfully and moved Val into position.

  “I’m sorry to see you again so soon, but you have a problem.” She opened up a screen in mid-air in front of Val.

  There were lines, dots and blurry images, but nothing she recognised. “I don’t understand. It makes no sense.”

  “Look harder.”

  Val looked again, and then she spotted it. It was Zac. He was in a wooded area and clearly in trouble. “You will have to break the law again. I’m so sorry. Your Collector brought this to my attention, knowing you would want to help, but there is a lock down and you can’t leave through the normal route. She asked me as a personal favour to help you and, considering what you have just achieved, I feel we owe you this. However Val, we will deny any knowledge if asked.”

  “I understand.”

  “To get home you must do what you did on Nyteria.” The High Collector took Val’s hand then touched her bracelets. “You still have the power.”

  She looked at her wrist and realised she was wearing a second bracelet. “What’s this?”

  “It’s the Warden’s. Seems you had a little power boost back on Nyteria. It could take you home, Val, but I must warn you, if you do, the punishment on your return will be severe.”

  “I don’t care. I’m going home.”

  “If you’re sure.”

  “I’m sure. What now?” She looked to her Collector for advice.

  “Focus Val, you need to go as fast as you can. The messages I have been receiving have all been bad. It seems that as soon as the new Guard arrived and used his Dellatrax, Lailah had something to lock onto and attacked. Zac explained the situation to me only minutes ago and you need to get home now or you will have nothing to go back to.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Just try and focus on getting home.”

  Val pulled her bracelet out and made sure it was as close as possible to the Warden’s. “Here we go.” She closed her eyes and her helmet covered her face. She was going home and no one was going to stand in her way. If she could escape Nathan Akar, then Lailah was in for a surprise.

  CHAPTER 6

  Home Again

  Val’s landing sent tremors running through her legs. Her body lurched uncontrollably to one side and she opened her eyes to find herself confronted by a petite, dark haired teenage girl. Why couldn’t she control her legs? And why hadn’t she landed at Sam’s house? Someone grabbed her from behind. She spun to find her new Hunter from Alchany holding onto her.

  “Why am I here?” he shook his head, waving his watch about.

  “Seems like you finally have something to do. Wherever a Guard goes, her Hunter must follow.” She removed his hands from her waist. At a glance she could see that they were on a moving vehicle; the top floor of a double-decker bus to be exact. And then the reality that two people had just appeared out of thin air started to dawn on their fellow passengers.

  “OMG, it’s a ghost!” a young girl screamed.

  Val managed to grab her mouth.

  “Let her go!” another girl struck at Val.

  Chaos rapidly spread as more and more kids realised that something very strange had just happened. Kids shrieked and screamed and clambered over each other in their efforts to get a better view.

  “This is not going very well,” her new companion pointed out.

  “Helmet off.”

  The helmet retracted, causing even more excitement in the watching crowd.

  “Everyone listen!” Val shouted above the clamour, lifting her free hand into the air. “We don’t want to hurt you. We’re here by mistake.” She looked down at the girl who now had tears welling in her nervous eyes. “I’m going to let you go and it isn’t ok to scream, alright?”

  The girl nodded, her eyes wide, and Val removed her hand from the girl’s lips. There was an exaggerated gasp for air, as the girl looked up at Val. “I know you,” she whispered.

  Val’s Hunter was tapping urgently on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, but we seem to have a problem. Prisoner 248185 is here.”

  “Then that’s probably why we’re here.” She turned back to the girl. “Ok, I need to know what your name is, and how do you know me?” Val didn’t remember the girl’s face.r />
  “I’m Sam Brutton and I saw you fall off a roller coaster on Youtube. Do you remember, Ellie?” she turned to the girl that had tried to clobber Val, who was now once again seated. As she slowly calmed down, Val could tell by the expression on her face that she was starting to recognise her as well.

  “Yeah, I remember you now. What’re you doing here?”

  Val couldn’t believe what she was hearing. These girls recognised her from the internet, it didn’t make sense. They had protected her from this back in 1645; Wyetta had made sure that no-one would remember her. Had the spell been broken when the bookshop had burnt down? That would explain her parent’s miraculous memory restoral. She would need to tread carefully.

  “Look guys, it seems we have a situation. Me and my friend here are military projects. We’re here because there is an escaped robot on your bus. It’s like a simulation that’s gone a little wrong. So, I don’t want you to panic. I need to know if anything odd has happened?”

  “You mean like the driver?” A girl wearing neon blue sunglasses popped her head over the top of the seat directly in front of her.

  “Could be. Who are you?” Val asked kindly. She needed everyone to stay calm.

  “I’m Amber spelt with two r’s and an h. What’s your name?” She seemed overly confident for someone so young, but Val was just glad that she wasn’t screaming.

  Gradually everyone returned to their seats, though all eyes were still firmly on her and the Hunter. “I’m Val. Now tell me more about the driver.”

  “Well, me and Astacia were going to sit on the bottom floor, but he was staring at everyone. He freaked me out with his sweating, and he stank. Gross.” She pulled a face of physical disgust whilst forcing her fingers down her throat as her friend nodded in agreement.

  “Does smelly and sweaty help?” Val turned to look at the Hunter who was standing in the middle of the aisle frozen to the spot looking around at the kids. “Hello, they won’t bite you.”

  “Sorry, I haven’t seen so many fledglings together before. What did you say?”

  “Sweating and smelly - ring any bells?” Val couldn’t believe she was asking this question about a bus driver, it sounded almost normal to her.

  “No, why don’t you look on your Dellatrax?”

  “Long story, short version: I don’t have one.” It was becoming very apparent to Val that they were now being streamed live, possibly onto the internet by about ten kids holding their shaking phones up in their direction. “Who’s down there with the driver? Teachers? Assistants?”

  “Miss Thompson and four random lost souls that haven’t been on holiday for forever.” The girl with the glasses answered and sat back down.

  “Ok guys, listen to me. Whatever happens now, keep your belts on ok? And anyone who puts my picture on Facebook, Twitter or any other social network will be hunted down by MI5, and imprisoned on an island for life, and you,” Val pointed at the girl with the glasses, “are extremely random, but thanks for the help.”

  Val headed for the stairs, turning to place her finger against her lips and pointing at the kids. They followed instructions. She was grateful it wasn’t a bus full of pensioners; they would have been a lot less controllable.

  “What’s your plan?”

  “I’m going to stun the driver,”

  “What? Then who will drive the vehicle?” The Hunter stared at her.

  “Alright. I’ll stop the bus first.”

  “How?”

  Val surveyed her surroundings. “Hey, you.” She beckoned to a boy who had been watching her with astonishment. “Come here.” He looked away, then back at her. “Yes, you.” Val smiled at him. He undid his belt and moved over to the stairs where the Hunter and Val were crouched.

  “Who are you? What do you want?” He looked suspiciously at them.

  “We’re SAS soldiers.” Val pointed at her uniform, at last it was coming in handy. “We’ve just been dropped onto the top of the bus by helicopter and we need your help. What’s your name?”

  “Elliot, and I’m not stupid. We’re a bunch of kids travelling to an adventure holiday! Why would the SAS be interested in us?” he looked at Val with disbelief.

  “Ok Elliot. Truth is, the bus driver is not a good person. He’s what you call a little dodgy, and we need to get him off the bus to keep you guys safe. But to do that, we need to stop the bus. How do you feel about helping us?” Val batted her eye lashes, trying to look at least a little like Delta.

  “Why should I?” He now looked even less worried and more like he was going to bargain for more pocket money.

  “Because if you don’t, I will get him,” she pointed at the Hunter, “to suck your brains out through your ear. Now go and pretend you’re going to be sick, Elliot.” Val pushed him forward.

  The Hunter looked confused. “This does not seem a feasible act. I have never removed anyone’s brains and who are the SAS?”

  “Don’t worry,” Val replied.

  Elliot hesitated in the walkway and looked back at them. Val made pulling signals at her ear. It was enough to get him moving again. They watched as a couple of adults at the front of the bus turned to look up at him. As agreed, he signalled that he was going to be ill. A short-haired woman sprang into action, obviously a veteran of schoolchild travel sickness. She moved towards the driver, shouting at him to stop and, as he turned towards the woman, Val got her first view of him. He nodded in agreement and started to pull the bus over to the side of the road. “No one move. I’ll be back in a second,” the teacher called over the heads of the children on the ground floor of the bus. The door swung open and, pushing the boy in front of her, they got off.

  Val waited for a few seconds for the kids to completely ignore the teacher and start standing up. She knew this might be their only opportunity, so they had to get it right. “Time to go!” She jumped to her feet, her new sword extending out in front of her, and ran to the front of the bus, accompanied by the screams of the overexcited kids who were not prepared for a young woman running around wielding a weapon. As she reached the front, it became very apparent that the bus driver was sweating profusely. The smell was almost over-powering and Val had to catch her breath to stop herself from gagging on the stench.

  He looked round, “Oh, it’s you,” he spat.

  She wasn’t even sure how to respond. “Yes, it’s me.”

  “Then let’s fight.” He looked her up and down and started to rise out of his seat.

  “Are you serious?” Val looked back; the Hunter was still making his way down the aisle, clearly trying to avoid physical contact with the kids, who were recording Val with their phones whilst screaming. “You know what, I don’t have time. I need to save my real Hunter.” She touched him with the tip of her sword, stunning him. He dropped instantly, slumping onto the steering wheel.

  The Hunter arrived. “Prisoner 248185, you are hereby returned to the hands of the Prison. You will come with us into holding until such time as we can return you to Alchany. Do you understand?”

  “Are you mad? He’s out cold.” Val felt bemused.

  “Protocol.” He defended his actions.

  “Crazy.” She shrugged. Now she needed to work out the best way to end this situation quickly and without too much damage. “You,” she pointed at one of the adults. “Do you have a rope or something?”

  “I have a bungee.” The man nodded, reaching up nervously to his bag and pulling down a thick, elasticated rope.

  “We need to get out of here. These kids are having a field day and we will be all over the news by tomorrow morning.” Val turned around holding both hands high in the air. “Listen to me. I must inform you all that this is a military exercise and we have all your addresses, so think seriously about the consequences if you use those pictures.” She tried to look as stern as possible, not sure it was working.

  Val spoke to two women sitting in the second row who looked more petrified than the kids. “Take all of their phones and delete those images, or it will be
on your heads.” The adults nodded nervously.

  Val wrapped the bungee around the unconscious driver’s hands. Then she and the Hunter hauled him off the bus. They got out into the fresh night air. A genuine reprieve from the stench the driver had been letting off in such a confined space. She spotted the teacher over in the lay-by trying to help their new friend Elliot, who was still pretending to be ill. “Elliot it’s ok, were finished.” She called, retracted her sword as they moved the body into the bushes. “Now let’s go get Zac.”

  CHAPTER 7

  The Novelia

  Val knew that after their little meeting with the bus driver, the aliens were going to be a problem. There was no portal to take them back to the Prison, and now that Lailah was actively looking for her, she would have to move quickly. She held her wrist and prayed that she would get to her friend in time.

  The landing was rougher than she expected. Being squashed against a rubbish bin by the body of the still unconscious bus driver was rather uncomfortable. Kicking him off her, she allowed him to drop to the ground as she surveyed her surroundings. It was a wooded area, trees high on each side of a simple mud and pebble track. It smelt clean and fresh after the Prison’s closed environment.

  The Hunter landed perfectly. If the Judges from Strictly Come Dancing had been there, he would have received four straight tens. He pointed at his watch, frowning. “Your Hunter and my Guard have a serious problem.”

  “What?”

  “This code is for the Novelia.” He was rapidly losing the little colour he had in his face. “There are three of them here.”