CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The Gateway to Dramian
Sparkie and Tookar had organised the supplies. They’d filled the back of the van with numerous warm blankets and several large cardboard boxes of tinned food. A little gas cooker with an extra bottle of gas rested in the back next to Sparkie’s woolly mammoth coat. Other boxes were filled with weapons, which Sparkie had retrieved from the AAA, during the time Connor had been sleeping.
Sparkie placed another spare blanket in the back on the van. ‘Your aunt and uncle are now being cared for at the AAA. They were still unconscious when we arrived but don’t worry, they’ll be fine.’
Annoyed at the mention of the two people who made his life a misery, Connor changed the conversation. ‘How long are you planning to stay on Dramian?’
‘As little time as possible, but if we can’t get back before the gateway closes, we must survive and be prepared.’
Connor relaxed in the back of the van with his new friend, Kia. His chest rose as he tried to relax, but images of being pursued haunted him.
Talking quietly between themselves, Sparkie and Tookar were discussing the various options. The distinct sounds of buttons being pressed increased Connor’s anxiety. Why had he agreed to such a foolish idea? It wasn’t so bad in the hideout. But now, with the van positioned above the immense water at the Great Lake, Connor tightened his grip on the edge of the seat, looking despondent.
‘I can’t believe I’m doing this,’ he mumbled.
‘It’ll be okay.’ Kia sounded far too cheerful for Connor.
‘The secret gateway to Dramian lies below this massive lake,’ Sparkie indicated, eyes wide. ‘Who’d ever have guessed?’
The landscape appeared calm and the silvery water on the lake remained still. This area had never attracted campers; it appeared people knew to keep away from the place.
‘It’s a quiet place for sure,’ he remarked.
In the distance, an orange glow from a nearby village lit the sky to the north and hundreds of stars sparkled. The dark silhouette of the trees against the sky reflected in the lake.
Connor gasped. ‘It’s like the ocean.’
‘The area is approximately forty by fifty miles. We’ll enter it close to the edge and work our way beneath the water as not to miss the portal.’
The full moon watched them from above, showering the lake with a silvery light. Hovering inches above the surface, the van lowered.
‘Won’t someone see us?’ uttered Connor.
Sparkie smiled. ‘No, and if anyone does, we’ll be yet another statistic for an alien sighting. Ooh – someone’s happy.’
The fish in the van bustled with excitement: tails and fins were flipping wildly, creating masses of bubbles. Connor closed his eyes experiencing the gentle swaying of the van, comfortable at this stage. Then it fully submerged beneath the water, causing soft, noiseless ripples to spread wide across the lake. With a smooth motion, the van glided underwater like a submarine.
‘We’ll be wearing a bracelet on Dramian,’ indicated Sparkie.
‘Forget it!’ Connor eyes snapped open. ‘I’m not wearing a girlie bracelet!’
Sparkie smirked, as if predicting Connor’s reaction. ‘Thought you were sleeping.’
‘Resting my eyes. Why do you want us to wear bracelets anyway?’
‘The atmosphere on Dramian may kill us. We have no idea what the air is like and I’m not going to die finding out either. The bracelets will automatically shield us in an invisible force field when we exit the van, similar to huge bath bubbles.’
‘Doesn’t sound safe to me. Bath bubbles pop easily,’ Connor replied.
‘Which is why I was about to add, they are much tougher than bath bubbles,’ Sparkie continued. ‘I personally guarantee them not to burst.’
‘Are you trying to be reassuring?’ Tookar smirked.
Sparkie ignored him. ‘The invisible shield provides several days’ worth of oxygen and will stick tightly on to Dramian’s surface, allowing us to move in any direction. It’ll be fun, I assure you. You’ll love it.’
Connor made a face as he peered at the white screen on the dashboard, but it showed a black and white picture with various tones of grey with no fish and nothing of interest.
Sparkie switched the headlights on after passing a certain point beneath the water but they revealed little more. Still it was strangely peaceful in the depths of expansive space and Connor relaxed. He hadn’t experienced this before and stared as a solitary fish, twisted and danced in front of the van, reflecting the lights off its scales.
Connor hugged his knees to his chest, resting his chin on them, wishing to remain in the water forever where he felt safe - where no one would find him. It had to be better than going to Dramian. How many children would love to experience this? But it wasn’t a day trip though and his future would be in danger until Definastine was destroyed. With the possibility of his own death, he grew despondent.
‘Your planet is small,’ observed Kia.
‘It’s big enough,’ mumbled Connor.
‘Our planet is at least ten times the size of Earth. And your trees are so puny to our huge trees and our lush lands are occupied with large creatures roaming wild and free. Our lakes many times larger than this one.’
‘Sounds massive.’
‘It is.’
Tookar twisted in his seat, causing it to squeak. ‘Kia, why were you travelling so close to Dramian, when you were caught?’
‘I … I…’ she broke off. ‘I did something my father distinctively told me not to,’ she blurted, closing her eyes tight. ‘I had to. I didn’t have a choice.’
‘We all have choices,’ Tookar reminded her.
‘I didn’t. A star-spirit called the High Priestess Serena Iona shares our planet. Her people died after a terrible war with Definastine.’
‘How did she survive?’ Tookar rolled his shoulders to loosen them.
‘She’d been travelling at the time. My dad – the king – gave her sanctuary and she showered us with her gift of life, giving us bountiful crops, so we wouldn’t starve. Serena Iona is wonderful. She helped to make our planet more colourful than ever before. She’s part of our family now. But something awful is happening. Recently our crops have failed and Serena has become terribly ill. Her skin has peeled and her light has faded. It’s as if she is draining our own planet of life force. She secretly confessed one of her people must still be alive before I left. She believed Definastine had captured one of them and forced the person to the dark side with him. If this continues… Serena Iona will die as her people are closely connected in bodies and minds. What happens to one is experienced by the others,’ she explained. ‘I came close to Dramian to rescue the other Tria.’
‘Tria?’ questioned Tookar.
She faced Tookar. ‘It’s the name of her species. Serena Iona is a Tria, as you are a Tinxshian. Please forgive me, but I must locate my ship. It will make it easier for us once we get to Dramian.’
‘Huh?’ Connor made a face.
Tookar grinned at his confusion. ‘She’s going to astral travel to discover the whereabouts her spaceship for us, so we will know exactly where to go.’
Connor observed Kia and knew nothing about astral travelling. Sitting cross-legged on the seat, she’d closed her eyes. For a while her eyes appeared to be rolling beneath her eyelids, until they came to a rest. After a short while, Connor assumed Kia had fallen asleep.
‘Found it!’ she beamed, startling Connor. ‘When we enter the gateway my Hyas transporter is ten kalameres away from it.’
Connor made another face and had no idea how she retrieved this information. ‘Ten kalameres? What does it mean?’
Sparkie checked his appearance in his mirror and wiped his nose with a tissue. ‘It’s approximately three miles.’
Kia carried on. ‘A team of Armatripe are waiting close to the portal. We’ll be okay as long as we’re in this van. We can fly to safety.’
‘Now we know what to a
void, it won’t be so difficult.’ Sparkie amended his glasses and peered quizzically at Connor. ‘What happened to your glasses?’
‘I haven’t worn them for ages. I don’t need them anymore.’
‘Oh, Lucky you!’
‘I can’t believe this.’ Connor experienced a wave of panic. ‘I can’t believe what we’re going to do! We must be mad! I must be mad!’
‘But it’s what people do for one another. We risk our lives to help save others,’ said Tookar.
Connor agreed with Tookar and thought back to how he’d dreamt of being a superhero as a kid. It’s strange that his dream had come true to some extent – he’d already saved the lives of Tookar, Kia, his aunt and uncle.
Travelling deeper into the heart of the Great Lake, Sparkie decreased the van’s speed, as not to collide with any unexpected rocks. Situated at its lowest point, the depth of the lake measured three miles, which is where they’d find the gateway.
After a lengthy silence Connor spoke to Tookar. ‘Who created the AAA?’
‘Arbtu. He arrived from another galaxy and took the opportunity to create an organisation to bring different star-spirits together.’
‘I remember Deana mentioning him.’ A long fish sped in front of the van distracting Connor.
‘Arbtu sought humane people throughout the galaxy. He could read people’s minds, so no secrets were kept from him. If someone had foolish plans to betray him, he would know before they did,’ explained Tookar.
‘Does the government know of the AAA?’
‘They have their suspicions but nothing is concrete. Luckily for us, our secret hideouts haven’t been discovered.’
Sparkie became agitated at the mention of the word government. ‘We’re star-spirits and should treat each other, as we ourselves would like to be treated, with respect. While so many star-spirits are harmless, others are not. But what horrifies me most of all is to have one set of morals for humans and another different set for aliens. It’s a crime knowing government officials experiment on aliens in their eagerness to know how their insides work. It’s disgusting! They wouldn’t treat humans so despicably.’
‘Some do,’ Tookar reminded him.
Sparkie ignored his comment. ‘They’re immoral.’
‘Oh, I feel a bit queasy!’ mumbled Tookar.
‘We’re a fair way beneath the lake and you’re experiencing the effects of compression. But don’t worry. I’ll modify the settings in the van. You’ll feel better soon.’
The lights in the van dimmed. Connor shivered. He hated the dark – safe to say this wasn’t his favourite place right now and he breathed a sigh of relief as the van lights flickered.
‘Sorry! I pressed the wrong button!’
Sparkie reclined in his seat, placing his hands on his head, leaving the van on autopilot. As long as he looked for obstructions, they’d be fine.
‘I might as well give you your bracelets now.’ Sparkie retrieved some items from the glove compartment – some brightly coloured bracelets for them each. ‘Pull the clasp open and it’ll fit your wrists.’ He quickly demonstrated how to secure them.
‘It’s pretty,’ Kia murmured and stroked it before she handed it back. ‘I won’t be needing this. My body adapts to any planet’s atmosphere.’
‘Lucky you,’ remarked Connor.
Kia laughed at him. ‘Is it so bad for a boy on Earth to wear a bracelet?’
‘Yes! It’s what girls wear.’
‘Some boys wear them,’ said Tookar.
‘How strange. Boys wear bracelets on my planet!’ she giggled.
‘Why doesn’t it surprise me,’ Connor muttered.
It took a while for Connor to open the clasp on his blue bracelet and in the end Kia helped him. Her dainty fingers unlocked the clasp and, much to Connor’s delight, she helped secure it to his wrist. Being too large fit, it could easily fall off. Yet, as Kia secured the fastener, it immediately shrunk to fit his wrist perfectly.
‘Wow!’ he gasped, mesmerised by the glowing red stone in the centre. ‘Its magical?’
‘It is!’ laughed Sparkie.
Keeping the yellow one, Sparkie had given Tookar the green bracelet. Although they were different colours, each bracelet contained the same magical pulsating red stone.
‘When you want to move in any direction, touch the red gem and move it in the direction you want to go. It’s so simple,’ instructed Sparkie.
Connor touched the warm stone, which rolled beneath his touch.
‘Hang on! Prepare yourselves for a bumpy ride,’ cried Sparkie. ‘Land ahoy!’
The van decreased in speed and with a heavy thud, rebounded off the bottom of the lake, disturbing thick layers of mud. They held on tightly. Pulling back a lever, Sparkie eased the impact by helping the van to levitate off the ground slightly. The van continued disrupting the grimy layers below as it swept passed, while floating a few inches above the bed of the lake. Yet it made little difference to the already dark and murky view.
‘The gateway is further to the north.’ Eagerly, Kia pointed her finger ahead, almost poking Sparkie’s eye when he swung round. Luckily his glasses saved him. ‘Oh, sorry,’ she giggled nervously.
Wiping the mark off his glasses where Kia’s finger had made contact, Sparkie consulted his compass. He changed their direction slightly, whilst pressing his nose close to the screen. It reminded Connor of driving in thick fog.
A short while later, Kia cried, ‘Stop the van!’
Sparkie jumped and instantly pulled back a lever before touching his heart. The van shuddered to a halt.
‘Kia pointed in distress. ‘Over there!’
‘Huh?’ Connor scrunched his eyes but saw nothing.
Squinting, they stared at the white screen. As the murky water settled, hazy movements were seen and as their eyes adjusted to the dimness, large black creatures burst from what appeared to be another large lake at the bottom of the Great Lake.
‘It’s the gateway!’ cried Kia. ‘They’re coming from Dramian. What are they doing? Are they coming after us?’
Sparkie shook his head. ‘Those monstrous brutes! This is where those young children have been disappearing. Definastine is sending those creatures to go after them.’
‘What are they?’ Connor blinked hard.
‘Atropertries.’ Tookar’s expression darkened. ‘How many of them, Kia?’
‘At least fifty,’ she counted, watching the last one swim away.
‘Thanks to you. Have you x-ray vision or something?’ said Connor.
‘No, but it seems to be better than yours.’
Sparkie became frustrated. ‘I’m searching for a gateway, but I still can’t see anything.’
‘You won’t. The gateway is beneath the shimmering liquid,’ explained Kia.
Sparkie pushed a lever forward and the van lowered, passing through the thick green liquid. It emerged on the other side in a pocketful of clear colourless water with a whirlpool of light illuminating the surrounding area. Large and flat, it shimmered with three swirling tones of yellow mixing together, creating a brilliant pattern. Roughly fifteen feet wide, the van could enter it easily. The water sparkled like expensive champagne.
‘Isn’t it beautiful!’ Kia murmured.
‘Yes, indeed!’ chuckled Sparkie.
Spellbound, Connor gasped. ‘It’s amazing! So this is the gateway to Dramian. How can something this beautiful lead to a place so horrible?’
‘That, my lad, is what we’re going to discover. Strap yourselves in,’ ordered Sparkie, and the clinking of seatbelts immediately followed.
Connor passed Kia a nervous glance.
‘Don’t worry. You won’t feel sick for long.’
‘Huh?’ Connor’s eyes widened. ‘What did you say?’
Before she answered, Sparkie prepared for launch.
‘Let’s not waste any more time. Are we ready?’ he cried.
‘Yes,’ cheered Tookar and Kia in chorus.
‘No,
’ whispered Connor.
‘Let’s go!’ announced Sparkie. ‘Dramian, beware! Here we come!’
The van moved gradually, descending towards the swirling lights, when an uncontrollable force sucked them into the brilliant sphere. With a life of its own, the van tumbled with speed through the large dimensional avenue. Rocketing, it soared into the unknown. Streaks of blue and white light enveloped the van as it passed through the twisting tunnel. At this point, Connor realised what Kia had meant.
Several seconds later, they were spat from a large circular ring. Sparkie pressed a button and a huge rubber ring, filled with compressed air, appeared under the van, absorbing most of the impact, though the van still crashed heavily, scraping several feet across the ground before grinding to a halt. Squeals of terror were replaced with silence. Sparkie recovered quicker than anyone and spoke first.
‘Well – we’re here!’ he announced in a croaky voice, sounding like a tour guide.
The fish instantly vanished when Sparkie flipped a switch.
‘What have you done to them?’ cried Connor.
‘They’ve simply been miniaturised,’ Sparkie explained.
The van had become transparent, leaving them no place to hide in the middle of a terribly bleak landscape. The source of light on the gloomy planet came from a full moon, the twinkling stars and the headlights from the van. Sparkie switched them off.
‘Bit late,’ whispered Tookar. ‘They’ve spotted us!’
Connor shivered. Outside unfamiliar plants with skeletal branches grew wild in the hostile environment. The ground was strewn with hard rocks and stone. High in the sky were displays of shooting stars. Occasionally one exploded. The large full moon watched them peacefully, offering little comfort to the foreigners on foreign land.
Tookar looked grim. ‘We’d better move. It’s not safe.’
Sparkie attempted to pull a lever but it jammed. ‘I can’t budge it!’
Connor bit his fingers as smoke and jets of steam poured from the front of the van followed by a loud hissing.