Crystal Guardian

25

'I'll deal with this,' growled Floyd. 'Everyone, stay here.' He met with The Elder halfway. As soon as Floyd made an appearance, members of the LendoZiya army started to pour from the ship.

'They'll arrest him,' cried Aldric.

'No they won't,' said Raiden. 'Come on.'

Aldric, Raiden, Evie and K stepped off the ship to give Floyd back up.

'Ah,' said The Eldest Elder. 'I'm glad you're here.'

'Have you come to your senses sir?' said Raiden.

'Not by your definition,' was the reply, 'but I am willing to be fair.'

'Please won't you help us,' said Evie.

'In time,' The Eldest Elder lifted his hand.

'We don't have time,' said Floyd.

The Eldest Elder pretended not to hear him but Aldric saw his eye twitch nervously and knew he had heard very well.

'The Etchagons are now on their way,' he said. 'They tell me that they have a plan to get rid of the Jagophites in a humane manner. If you will just come back to LendoZiya with us, I promise that you will all be let off with a warning but only if you co-operate.'

'The Etchagons can't be trusted,' snarled Floyd. 'What do they plan to do?'

'They will not say,' said The Elder.

'You know very well what they tried to do last time,' said Floyd. There followed a silence in which both parties had nothing left to say to each other. Aldric looked to the others and saw that K was smiling oddly but she suppressed herself.

'We'll go with you,' she said.

Aldric, Raiden and Evie all looked at her as if she had just declared war but she gave them a knowing look and Aldric knew she had a plan.

'You what?' said The Eldest Elder, evidently confused. He cleared his throat. 'Yes, we'll get ready to tow you back.'

'What are you thinking?' said Aldric once they had returned to the ship but when he turned he could see that K was still outside. He saw her climb underneath the other ship but she reappeared moments later with a sheepish smile on her face.

'They won't be going anywhere soon,' she told them.

'You can get into trouble for sabotaging a ship,' hushed Evie.

'The way I did it,' K smiled. 'They couldn't prove it was me.'

Raiden laughed. 'I must be a bad influence,' he said. 'I never thought you'd stoop so low.'

'It's the right thing to do,' K insisted.

'I don't know why you're all so happy,' scowled Haydon as she burst into the room. 'They've trashed our systems. We can't fly.'

Raiden's face dropped. Aldric looked out of the window and saw a group of people huddled around the other ship puzzling over why they couldn't fly.

'Stale mate,' whispered K.

'We'll think of something,' Aldric told her though he didn't feel like he was as capable as reassuring people as she was.

'We've got company,' said Floyd who looked like he had just heard something. Aldric strained his ears and heard a familiar sounding rumble.

'I know who that is,' said Raiden, leaping up. Aldric, Evie and K followed him to the door and ignored Haydon and Floyd moaning because of the cold. The Pod hovered downwards through the clouds and landed between the two ships. Tal climbed out first.

'It's them,' she said. 'Just like you thought.'

Milo climbed out of the other side and grinned at them.

'Having any bother,' he said. 'Your ship looked unsteady as it landed.'

'Come aboard,' said Raiden. 'We'll explain everything. Well not everything, we'd be here for an entire star cycle, but I can give you the basics.'

'Who are they?' asked Floyd, folding his arms.

'It's okay,' said Aldric. 'They're friends.'

After Raiden explained their plan to go to Atarikka, Tal and Milo looked very concerned.

'We thought you'd already gone,' said Tal. 'Milo's been watching the skies, hoping you'd come back safe.'

'You don't have to help us,' said Aldric. 'We understand. It's too dangerous.'

'It sure is,' cried Tal. 'You should all just stay here. If you go back there you'll be killed for sure.'

'I'll go,' said Milo. 'We could use The Pod as a stabiliser.'

Tal looked at him, stricken. 'No way. I'm not going there. It's suicide. Why are you even considering it?'

'We'll be okay if we stay on the ship,' said Milo who was struggling for excuses. 'Please Tal.'

Tal hesitated. 'There's no stopping you is there?' she sighed. Milo shook his head.

'We'll be okay,' he said.

The only thing that comforted Aldric when they finally took off was the annoyed expression on The Eldest Elder's face as they soared out of reach.

***

Aldric felt a fear in his heart as they approached ever so closer to the surface of Atarikka, but it was a fear not due to the battle that was due to unfold. He did not want to see what had become of his old home, the place where there had been so many happy times: camping under the stars with his father, hanging around the woods with K, having adventures at December's Place, telling stories and playing adventures, picnics and horse riding. He even longed to go back to the school at which he had learnt so much. Sure he was a victim and an outcast and a loner but at least he was normal and relatively safe compared to the disaster of the present day.

Aldric refused to look out of the door when they landed. It was dark, but the clouded up sun proved that it was daytime. He didn't want to look but he had to. He couldn't possibly fight Jagophites with his eyes shut.

Reluctantly, Aldric stood up and stared ahead of him. Floyd and Raiden were marching out. Aldric followed and felt a wave of unwelcome feelings push over him though he held his head high and told himself that he was not to let anyone know how he truly felt.

Aldric could see the familiar shape of December's Place although the cottage was no longer there. He could see the openings of the corridors as they buried deep into the side of the mountain. It was bizarre: like seeing a house slashed in half down the middle. It reminded Aldric of a dolls house only this particular one was life sized, abandoned and empty, just like everything else he could see. In the distance, he saw the hill over which his house and father's farm had been situated. The hill itself looked like it was rotting away into a stump. No longer was it fresh and green. It was blackened with the odd tiny slit of dry yellowing grass.

It was maddening. Aldric felt hopeless. Was this what they were saving? He knew they had to protect the other worlds from the Jagophites too, but to him, Atarikka was the most important. He knew he was being selfish but all he had on his mind was revenge. He tried to shake the cruel feeling away but it was no use and Aldric felt himself bowing his head in shame as if everyone else could read his mind like a sign post. As he was pondering this, a terrible shriek burst from the ship.