Nyteria Rising (The Thirteenth Series Book 3) Page 7

  “I’ve heard of them, but I thought they were in the Interspace. How can they be here?” This was bad, very bad.

  The Hunter shook his head. “I don’t know.”

  “Can you pick up Zac’s signal?”

  “No.”

  “Ok, so we need to find them fast and we don’t know how big an area this is.” Val and the Hunter dragged the bus driver behind a bush. “We can come back for him later.”

  Everything looked the same, trees, trees and more trees. Her instinct told her she should call out Zac’s name, but after the grim description of the Novelia that Sam had given her, she was frightened that they would hear her first. She came to an opening in the bushes, and unexpectedly, a car park. It was empty, but this was clearly somewhere people visited, which raised another problem - random tourists. Luckily, to one side of the car park was something she knew could help, a phone box. She ran into it, pulling up the receiver and praying it wasn’t just there for decoration. There was a dial-tone! She thought hard. Her parents wouldn’t be home, so she needed to contact someone else who would help her: Shane. “Come on,” She tapped her fingers on her head, concentrating hard. “The code is 01675 then his number was something to do with the devil... Yes 666! But what came first? Come on Val.” She banged the phone with her hand. Remember the card... 849666! That was it ‘The House of Art’. Val dialled the numbers, then realised she had no money. The phone took cards, but she had no pockets in her stupid special suit. If she’d had her jeans on this wouldn’t have been a problem.

  She searched the box for an answer to her dilemma, and found what she needed right in front of her eyes. Reverse charges call. She dialled the number given on the sign. “Please enter the number you wish to contact.” She tapped away. “Say your name after the tone.” The machine droned “Val Saunders.” The Hunter looked at her with a quizzical expression. She pointed at the phone and smiled. “Please wait while we try to connect you.” Val could feel her chest constricting with the stress of waiting. “The person you are calling will now be connected, thank you for using 0800 Reverse.”

  There was a silence. “Shane?” Val wanted nothing more than to hear his voice.

  “Is that you mate?” It was Jason. Tears welled in her eyes. “Val, are you there?”

  “Thank God. Where is everyone? Are my parents ok? How can I get to Zac? I’m in some woods and I can’t find him. Please tell me what to do.”

  “Ok you just popped up on my screen, and in the same place as Zac. You’re in Willingham Woods in Lincolnshire. Can’t tell you how great it is to see you flashing at me again,” he responded brightly. “Everyone’s ok. We’re all at Sam’s. Never knew call divert would come in this handy.”

  She rested her head on the glass. These people were her family and she was home. “Fine, so now we both officially love BT. Tell me where he is?”

  “Looks like he’s about four hundred metres away. Can you see an opening and a small bridge?”

  She rubbed one of the grubby panes. “Yes, I can.”

  “Ok, if you follow that path you’ll find him on the left. Val, things haven’t gone to plan. I’m so glad you’ve come home, the other Guard is just weird.”

  “Well, maybe you’ll treat me a little better now then, like less training. Bye for now, see you soon.” She hung up. “Come on Hunter, we have a job to do.”

  She started to run in Zac’s direction. If nothing else, she was getting fitter. Luckily for her, the ground was soft and her approach was practically silent. She focused and her helmet came up over her head. She surveyed the area, looking for any signs of life. Over by a tree she spotted three heat sources. They looked very much like the outlines of dogs. She slowed down, holding her hand up for the Hunter to follow suit. Glancing over in the other direction she saw there were bushes, trees and two bodies, one flat on the floor the other one leaning over it. Someone was down. She raced towards them, bursting through the ferns. To her guilty relief she found that it was Zac leaning over the Guard.

  His eye’s lifted, distress and relief showing on his face at the same time. “Welcome. Please be careful, there are three Novelia here. I can’t help you as I have to stay with my Guard, but your arrival is excellent timing.”

  Val realised he hadn’t recognised her. “Helmet off.” It shot back. “So you’ve got a new Guard. Let’s see if we can keep him alive.”

  Zac looked genuinely shocked to see her. He stood up, looking her uniform up and down. “You’re a Magrafe! Of all the people in the galaxy!”

  Ignoring his words, Val grabbed him and held him close. She didn’t care if he liked it or not. She had missed him so much. His hands patted her back, and she let him go. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, now let’s sort out our friend here and yes, I missed you too.” She couldn’t believe how good it felt to see him again. “Don’t worry, you’re not going to lose another Guard. What’s been happening?” They both knelt down by the Guard’s body.

  “We detected the Novelia taking form and came to investigate. Jason was helping us while Shane, Belinda and your father were trying to make Sam’s house safe. When we arrived, they were here waiting. One bit Fourteen and I managed to drive the others away, but he’s gone.” Zac’s voice was full of guilt. Val looked up to see the Hunter, who had allowed his Guard to leave him and come to Earth getting closer.

  “Have they taken him?” he asked.

  “Yes, but he fought bravely.” Zac moved to one side to allow him some room to get close.

  Val felt his pulse. “He’s alive, Zac. He has a pulse, so why can’t we save him?” she asked.

  “Because no one can escape from the Interspace, they keep you…”

  “…I know, suspended in eternal pain, but if he’s suspended then surely he’s still alive. He has a pulse!” she repeated, feeling annoyed with this Interspace.

  “Say you could save him, and that’s not the issue, the problem is I don’t believe you can get his body back to the Prison. You can’t teleport him there as he will show up as dead. Remember when we tried to get Flo back?” Zac reminded her.

  “Have you ever heard of someone getting attacked by a Novelia outside the Prison?”

  “Well no. It’s rare to find them anywhere else.”

  “Then let’s stay optimistic. We need to get him somewhere safe for now and work out how to reunite him with himself.”

  Val suddenly felt a presence. She turned to see three dogs creeping forward. She had seen their silhouettes before through her helmet, but now they were only a few feet away. “Labradoodles!” she exclaimed. “For heaven’s sake, they’re like the cutest things ever.” She retreated into nervous silence when one snarled. Its saliva dripped onto the ground and she was horrified when it sizzled the grass into ash. “Labradoodles with acid dribble. Nasty! Are you ready to teleport?” Zac nodded and she grabbed hold of the Guard on the ground. “I’ll take him, don’t worry.” They were all extremely still; no one else was going to the wretched Interspace today. “Now.” she said quietly and they teleported out.

  Val was relieved to see that at last they had arrived in Sam’s office. She had hoped this would be the case. They had all come to this house seeking refuge after Lailah had destroyed the bookshop and challenged her at her parents’ house. On arrival, she had found a letter that Sam had left for her, explaining how he had tricked her into programming her fingerprint into the door of this special weapons room. To her delight, she and Jason had managed to replace all their equipment that had been destroyed in the bookshop fire, from her sword that Daniel - Delta’s little lackey had destroyed, to several new laptops, some slim-line phones and a new necklace.

  It was a sleek looking room, everything in chrome; clean and precise. Sitting at the desk looking extremely pleased to see her, was Jason.

  “Mate,” he jumped up, rushing over to grab her in a bear-like hug, lifting her off the floor and planting a kiss on her cheek. “Where were you? And what are you wearing?” He released her, lowering her to the ground, a
nd only then spotted the body next to her. “What’s wrong with David?” He knelt next to the Guard.

  “He was attacked by the Novelia,” Zac answered.

  “Looks bad and who’s this guy?” Jason smiled at the Hunter.

  “He’s David’s Hunter. This is Jason, he’s like our Mechanic on Earth,” the Hunter returned the smile, “We need to get David’s body somewhere more comfortable,” Val instructed. “Jason, where are my Mum and Dad?”

  “Are you seriously asking me where your Mum is? She’s in the kitchen, of course. Does that woman do anything but cook? I swear my jeans aren’t going to fit if she keeps trying to feed me, and your Dad’s in the garage. Heads up. I didn’t tell them you were back; just in case your Mum got all stressed out and you didn’t survive.”

  “Thanks for that, Mr Positive.”

  “Shall I come with you?” Zac asked

  “That would be nice. Jason, can you guys move the Guard on your own?”

  “Sure, see you in a few minutes.”

  Val walked down the landing with Zac at her side, she wanted to see everyone, but she needed some honest information before her emotions got the better of her. “Ok, tell me what’s been going on?”

  “Well, after you left, I was the first person your parents informed. I tried to explain to Susan that we had no way of communicating with the Prison. May I add at this point, that she has a very loud voice, for someone so small. Luckily for me, it was literally minutes before David arrived to replace you. He told us about the lock-down on the Prison and that was all he was prepared to say, which is normal procedure. However, it didn’t go down well with your mother. She also has quite a temper.”

  Val smiled. “She doesn’t mean it; it’s the mother lion thing she’s got going on.”

  “I see. Then we sat down with the others to work out how best to carry on and I was just so pleased David had a Dellatrax.” His shoulders dropped. “Val, I picked up a signal within an hour of you leaving and didn’t think about the consequences. We went flying off after a Prisoner and when we arrived, there was nothing. David was as confused as I was. That happened three times, but now I see it was a trap. Lailah must have been testing us. She knows we have a Dellatrax and I can only guess she thinks it’s you that’s been teleporting with me. It’s my fault that David’s now in the Interspace.”

  “How were you supposed to know what she was doing? Don’t forget she has Eva -a witch- and a powerful one at that. Then let’s not go there with my nemesis, Daniel, son of Excariot. Mix that with Delta’s natural evil streak and a very dead Flo and, I’m sorry, but you pretty much have an army.”

  “It was my job! David knew little of the happenings at the bookshop or of Lailah and her threats. I should have informed him that things had gone wrong, that the Dellatrax was lost, and that we were hiding in the house of a Judge. It just seemed easier to tell him less, rather than more. I didn’t want him to know we had failed. Then when he was bitten, I had no other option than to use his Dellatrax to send a message to the Collector to tell you what was happening. I was blinded by the fact that he was so professional and he knew the rules.”

  “Thanks for the indirect insults.” She nudged him. “And I’m glad you did send that message. You did what you thought was best and, let’s be honest, when have you come across the Novelia on your travels? I’m sorry about David, but we have to focus on the future and stopping Lailah. If she thinks I have our Dellatrax that may work in our favour. We’ll deal with the Interspace later.”

  “Well, I know your friends will be very pleased you have returned safely, and look at you, a Magrafe.” Val noticed how he seemed sad.

  “So, do you have a problem with me in this delicious suit?” she asked.

  He avoided eye contact. “Magrafe don’t need Hunters.”

  Now she understood. “You listen to me Zac Efron, I need you more than you will ever know. There’s a good chance I’ll get extracted in the next few days just for coming here, so let’s do what a new friend of mine suggested and leave the rule book on the shelf for now.”

  “What…?”

  “No questions, ok. Let’s just get this situation under control.” He nodded in agreement as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

  “I will leave Shane to tell you about the maps,” he said.

  “What maps?” She asked as they went into the kitchen.

  “Val!” Susan spotted her first. She ran round the marble topped central island, apron covered in flour, which was also sprinkled liberally into her black hair, making her white streak look less alone. Val reached out her arms grabbing her just as Mike came into the kitchen from the garage door. “Dad!” Val couldn’t control her emotions. Tears started to fall down her cheeks as they both pulled her in tight. Mike’s moustache tickled her forehead.

  “Don’t you do that again!” Susan ordered through matching tears, wiping her eyes and spreading the flour.

  She felt someone grab her hand and looked up to see a tearful Fran holding onto her, looking as beautiful as always with her thick auburn hair and deep green eyes. This must be so hard for her, knowing her twin sister, Yassmin, was still controlled by Lailah. Susan and Mike released her and she greeted Belinda with a very witchy welcome and then Shane with a heartfelt embrace. Shane’s huge arms wrapped around her and Val just loved how massive and imposing he was. Yet she knew he was the kindest, gentlest person she had ever had the good fortune to meet. This was what she wanted. The Prison wasn’t her home. These people were what counted; now she was going to keep them safe, even if the cost was her life.

  “I’ve only been gone a day and look at us. Honestly!” she laughed.

  “Take this.” Her mum handed her a tissue. Val wiped the tears from her face and just stood for a second, breathing in the familiarity.

  “Well, I see you’ve decided to dress up as cat woman now. Given up on the good guys?” Shane pointed at her uniform.

  “No. Get this: I’m a Magrafe - that’s like the SAS of the Prison.” Val flipped her helmet to her mum’s astonished gasp. “Helmet off. It’s so cool.”

  “I’m impressed,” Shane agreed.

  “Are you hungry?” Susan asked.

  Val hadn’t even thought about food, her brain had switched off to anything normal, but as she said the words, her stomach jumped for joy, rumbling for everyone to hear. “I think starving just about covers that,” she said to Susan’s delight.

  “Tell us what’s going on Hunny?” Mike pulled out a stool for her to sit on.

  As she sat, Val spotted that the kitchen table was covered in what looked like astrological charts. “Well, there’s this blue guy called Nathan Akar who has just become the leader of a planet called Nyteria. He wants to take over the Prison because they have an endless supply of clean energy, which in some ways I can understand. Trouble is, he kidnapped the Warden - he’s the one I told you about who looks like Father Christmas, my boss. Then Wendy had a vision.”

  Belinda’s eyes lit up at the mention of her daughter’s name.

  “Don’t worry, she’s fine,” Val reassured her. “She saw that I would save the Warden, and that’s why they took me away and you got the other Guard.”

  “Where is David?” asked Shane.

  “He’s upstairs and not well. He was attacked by a very dangerous alien. Problem is, we can’t fix him here. I need to get him back to the Prison. Just out of interest, why’s he called David?”

  “I named him after David Beckham, didn’t you see the resemblance?” Jason answered as he walked in wrapping his arm around Fran’s neck.

  “Not really.” Val frowned.

  “Same resemblance as our friend here to his namesake?” He patted Zac on the shoulder. “Anyway he liked it.” He grabbed a sandwich from the side and winked at Susan.

  “Point taken. Now back to my story. In the beginning I didn’t want to help the Prison and was on my way home when Sam took me to a place called the Space.” Val shot Shane a glance.

  “You’ve been
to the Space?” Shane perked up, eager for news.

  “Yes and Taran is fine. Why didn’t you tell us about them?”

  “It was safer not to, Val. Sometimes you have to keep these things to yourself; that’s what the army taught me. If what you have to say isn’t relevant or necessary to keep you alive, then don’t say it. Anyway, it reminded me of Beth too much.”

  “Mum?” Jason interrupted.

  “You know my history with Sam spans a very long time son, and talking about your mum always hurts. It wasn’t safe to tell you about our work when you were little, children tend to repeat everything they hear. When Beth died I bought the tattoo parlour here to be closer to Val. I told Sam I would help this girl he said was so important, but no more moving as I had you to bring up alone. Yes, I have visited the Space with Sam and taken gifts for the children. Son, you’d love it there. They‘re a unique bunch of people who have so much to offer, yet they’re prisoners in their own planet. I promise, now you’re old enough, I’ll tell you all about my past, but right now we’ve more urgent matters to deal with.”

  “Anything you can tell us that you think could help would be good Shane, because they’re in trouble and far from being out of the woods – no-one is. Even though we managed to save the Warden, Nathan is still planning an assault. So really I should be there now, but my Collector told me you guys were in trouble. So, does someone want to tell me about the maps?” she pointed at the table.

  Mike moved over and turned one of the star charts towards Val. “Shane, you’re the man with the knowledge.”

  Susan landed a sandwich in front of her with fresh bread that made the word ‘doorstop’ sound like ‘wafer thin’. Val grabbed it and tucked in.

  Shane picked up one of the maps and placed it on the counter. “See this?”

  She nodded, whilst masticating.

  “My wife drew it in 1645.” Val’s chewing slowed. “She was there the day you were born; she travelled a lot with Sam in the beginning.”