The Friendly Ambassador: The Beginning of the End

Chapter Fifteen

  A Rush of Blood

  Tipi sat on his own in between Jeddra and Lupili. He felt very depressed, lonely and sad. He was thinking about Bibi and the other children and teachers from the College of Learning. Bibi had been in the truck with him just before it crashed, and Tipi hadn’t seen him since then. He was probably dead. They were all probably dead. Thinking about it made him cry quietly.

  Tipi wasn’t the only one to shed a tear. With the truck speeding north along the deserted road in the darkness, and all threat now fading, they all had time to dwell on what had happened that day, and to think of those who they might never see again.

  The decision to drive on toward Hilbrok was unanimous, despite the fact that there seemed to be no other trucks that had made it through with them. And that fact weighed heavily on them all.

  Only Bede seemed to fight the depression that began to set in. He seemed to be a lot happier now that they were on their way again. And it was Bede who finally broke the heavy silence.

  “There’s bound to be a few more trucks that got through,” he suddenly said to anyone who listened.

  Everyone looked up, but only Lupili answered him.

  “Then why haven’t we seen any?”

  “Because they’re probably all scattered about, and we were stopped on the road for awhile, too. They’ll all be up ahead of us somewhere, you’ll see.”

  It wasn’t very convincing. No one else in the back of the truck shared the soldier’s enthusiasm. Bede must have sensed it in the silence that continued.

  “Some of the trucks must have got through,” he stressed.

  With everyone else keeping quiet as before, it was left to Lupili to again play the Devil’s Advocate. “Yeah, sure. But we all saw what it was like back there. And we were damned lucky. We could be in the only truck that got through that.”

  “Maybe for those behind us,” Bede quickly replied. “But not for those in front! You forget, trucks have been setting off for Hilbrok nearly all day. Some of them must have got through before the Keruh cut the road.”

  It was a final thought that lifted their spirits. What Bede had said was true. They all remembered the long line of trucks ahead of them. It was almost as long as the line that had followed them. And if any of those at the front had got through, then there would be other survivors, possibly people they knew. It was a faint hope, but it eased the cloud that had descended over them.

  Tipi wiped the tears from his eyes. Maybe his mother and father were on one of those trucks that made it through. Maybe Breda was also somewhere up ahead on the road. He suddenly wanted the journey to be over. He wanted to get to Hilbrok so that he could find out if his parents and his sister were already there, waiting for him. He wasn’t the only one thinking like that.

  Jeddra sighed. “We’ll know for sure when we get to Hilbrok, I suppose.”

  Bede nodded. “That’s right. A reception point has been set up just south of the city. There’ll be medics and admin people there ready to help you. You’ll all be okay. They will get you some food, help you find any relatives, get you somewhere to sleep. Everything will get sorted out. And the Emergency Command Centre is nearby. Alpi, Vutu and I will all get reallocated and be given fresh orders.”

  Kelandra was sitting on the floor in between them all. Until then she had been content to keep silent and listen as she gently stroked Phoebe’s hair. The Klysanthian was lying stretched out on the floor before her with her head resting on Kelandra’s lap. She seemed to be sleeping. Now Kelandra looked up eagerly.

  “My father is the Captain of a ship, the ES Saladaz. Will they be able to contact him for me?”

  Bede smiled at her. “Yes, I’m sure they will.”

  Rualda looked down at Phoebe. “What about her?”

  “We can hand her over once we get there. The intelligence lot will know what to do with her.”

  Tipi wasn’t sure he liked the idea of that. It suggested some kind of interrogation. It conjured up an image of her lying on a table in a darkened room with bright lights being pointed at her. He could almost see the pained expression on her face. For some reason the idea that they might hurt her worried him.

  “They won’t torture her, will they?”

  Kelandra was quick to admonish him for having such an evil thought. “Oh, don’t be so squeamish! They aren’t going to hurt her anymore than you did when you squashed her!”

  Tipi felt his face grow warm, but Bede saved his embarrassment.

  “No one is going to torture her. They’ll just ask her a few questions, that’s all. And after that she’ll be taken care of just like the rest of you. Don’t worry, everyone will be okay once we get to Hilbrok.”

  Bede smiled and spoke convincingly, but Tipi was still doubtful. He couldn’t get the image of her being ‘questioned’ out of his head. He looked down at her sleeping so peacefully and thought about what Kelandra had said.

  Kelandra was right. She might have put it more tactfully, but she was right. It was his fault that the Klysanthian was hurt. He should have left her alone. When he had picked her up she had been all right, she had been awake and struggling hard. Now her bones were broken and all she did was sleep. He hadn’t meant to hurt her, but she was so tiny, so delicate, that it was easy to hurt her, especially if you wanted to, like when she didn’t answer the questions you asked her...

  In the cab up front, Alpi was the first to notice the lights in his rear view mirror as he drove along. He quickly prodded Vutu next to him.

  “Vutu! There’s another truck behind us!”

  Vutu quickly opened the window and leaned out. “Yeah! I can see it! Slow down!”

  Alpi did as he asked and the truck began to slow.

  The unexpected deceleration caused everyone in the back of the truck to look at one another with sudden concern. As usual, Bede moved to the back and lifted the canvass flap. He instantly smiled when he saw the headlights behind them.

  “It’s another truck! That’s why Alpi is stopping!”

  Lupili, Jeddra and Rualda all moved closer and peered out at the darkness. And even Kelandra moved Phoebe gently aside and crawled forward to join them at the tailgate. The twin headlights were clear for all to see.

  Lupili raised his eyebrows in surprise. “It is another truck.”

  Bede slapped him on the shoulder. “I told you there’d be other trucks! Well, there you are!”

  Rualda began to cry. “It’s another truck, with more people!”

  As Alpi brought their truck to a halt in the middle of the road, they all began to talk excitedly, slapping and hugging one another. They weren’t the only survivors after all. There were others only a short distance away who would soon be crying in their arms. And for Bede there would be men from his unit, men whom he would probably know.

  Bede jumped out of the truck as soon as it came to rest. Lupili, Rualda and Jeddra also got out. Even Kelandra began climbing over the tailgate. Soon they were all standing on the road watching as the other truck drove straight at them, the lights getting brighter and brighter.

  Tipi seized his opportunity to go and kneel next to Phoebe once more. He took the place Kelandra had abandoned, laying Phoebe’s head in his lap. She felt so fragile, so delicate. She murmured weakly as he moved her, but she remained asleep. He was somehow content to be holding her like this. There was something about her that attracted him, but he still couldn’t understand why.

  He should have left her alone. He shouldn’t have brought her along. But what would have happened to her if he had left her behind? He should have been more careful with her, that was it. But she had struggled so much that he had been frightened. He just wanted to keep her quiet. He hadn’t meant to hurt her, but he had, and now she was his responsibility.

  He looked up, staring over the tailgate into the darkness. He could see Kelandra and the others standing on the road, their silhouettes picked out by the bright headlights of the oncoming truck. The lights blinded him
.

  Something came over him. It was a sudden rush of blood. He wasn’t sure why he did it, but he did. It just felt right.

  Alpi and Vutu joined Bede and the others at the back of the truck. The soldiers slapped one another in their joy while Kelandra jumped up and down in excitement. Rualda just cried. They all stood on the road together watching as the other truck came straight at them.

  The driver of the other truck must have seen them at the last moment, because he applied the brakes far too late and too hard and the truck skidded forward, the lights weaving from side to side. Finally it came to halt.

  Bede ran toward the truck straight away. For a while the lights blinded him, preventing him from seeing much detail. Then, almost as he reached the cab, they went out.

  Bede stopped in the road with a big smile on his face. But then the cab door opened and the smile faded from his lips...

  It had taken Breda a full hour to get almost dry. In contrast, none of the Klysanthians seemed to be wet at all. It was very peaceful and restful by the reservoir, and the Klysanthians were so tired all they wanted to do was sleep. Two of them, Deianeira and Thermodosa, actually fell asleep on the water. They just never came out after washing and now lay face down on the surface with their arms and legs straight out. Breda almost thought they had drowned, but Clyemne explained that it was a natural way of sleeping for Klysanthians.

  “We have always slept like this, on water. Some say we actually came from the water, and so this is why we have such a close affinity for it. I have never heard of one of us drowning. In fact, there is no Klysanthian word for ‘drowning.’”

  “But didn’t you say that soap would make you sink?”

  “It would break the surface tension, yes. But we never sleep with soap in our beds. Do you?”

  Breda smiled, and the brief exchange helped her to relax even further as she sat among these strange aliens. Clyemne was sat beside her, her long legs curled beneath her. She was so tall and yet slim that she appeared almost fragile. And even in the darkness her face was a picture of child-like beauty, and the starlight turned her fair hair silver.

  The Klysanthians increasingly fascinated Breda. It was thinking about them that kept her mind from dwelling on what had happened to her. And their Captain, Anaxilea, fascinated her the most. She seemed different from the rest. She had darker skin and she was stronger somehow, even her voice was stronger. And her expression was haughty and her manner almost arrogant. It was obvious that she was their leader. But she was also far too young looking to have had a daughter aboard her ship. Phoebe must have been nearly as old as the rest of them. How could that be? It was one of many questions that had been gathering in Breda’s mind, questions that Clyemne encouraged.

  Clyemne was totally different to Anaxilea. She was very approachable, her manner very open. She was also calm and attentive, and she seemed genuinely interested in Breda’s questions, in her fears, and in her state of mind. And right at the beginning she had laid the foundations for the discussions that followed.

  “Keep your mind from the horror and think instead of the new,” she had told Breda in that delicate, musical voice that all the Klysanthians shared. “We are new. Ask me anything and I will answer.”

  Breda did ask many questions, and Clyemne answered them all, the Klysanthian also asking many of her own. And soon all the names of the Klysanthians were known to Breda, and Clyemne knew many things about her, too.

  At first, telling the difference between each of the Klysanthians had been difficult for Breda. Their features were so tiny, their faces all childlike and angelic, that they almost looked identical. But looking at them more closely she could see that they weren’t the same. Each of them was slightly different. Most of them had blue eyes. Only Aello and Thermodosa had green eyes. Most had very long and fine fair hair that was the colour of silver, but Philippis kept her hair short almost like a boy’s. And Celaneo and Deianeira both had very light brown hair. But among them all, Anaxilea stood out. Her rich and thick brown hair, brown eyes and darker complexion were strikingly different.

  Even while she and Clyemne talked, Breda often found her eyes wandering to where Anaxilea and Cassiopea lay on the grass together. They seemed to touch one another in an intimate way. She finally spoke to Clyemne about it, whispering her question.

  “Why are they like that, so touchy-feely?”

  “We have no males to comfort us or to ease our tension. So it is common for us to develop relationships with others of our own sex.”

  “You mean they’re an item?” Breda replied in surprise.

  Clyemne nodded. “Everyone should have someone to love. Do you have someone?”

  Breda thought of Kiki and smiled sadly. “Yes.” She looked back across the reservoir, her eyes staring at some distant point. “He was at Jutlam City. We were speaking on the phone when it happened. I don’t even know if he’s still alive.”

  Clyemne saw the tears welling up in Breda’s eyes and reached out with her hand to stroke Breda’s arm, her long fingers moving delicately over her skin.

  “In your heart he still lives, and maybe in reality he lives too. Somewhere he may be thinking of you, his heart aching as yours does. And while you think of one another, you both live in each other’s minds. Hold onto this, and think of him often. Talk to him in your mind; keep him alive until you are forced to think otherwise. To do less is to give up, to lie down and wait to die.”

  Breda stared at Clyemne. She felt a great warmth from her, a heart-warming glow that matched the sincere expression on her face. It both aroused and relaxed her, and it caused her to realise that there was so much more that she wanted to know.

  “Why is Anaxilea so different from the rest of you?” she whispered.

  Clyemne withdrew her tiny hand. “Because her father was a Centaurian.”

  “A Centaurian?” Breda’s eyes widened. “Don’t they have six arms?”

  Clyemne smiled. “They have four arms and two legs. They are very tall and strong.”

  “Isn’t that a funny combination?”

  “The pairing of arms and legs?”

  “No, I mean one of you and one of them.”

  “It may seem so, but no. It is not uncommon for us to seek solace from the males of other races. Our sexual drive is quite strong. It is us that must pursue the male, and our allure is very powerful. And for this reason we have gained a reputation for promiscuity that is widely known.”

  That was one aspect about the Klysanthians Breda did know about. “You mean you aren’t very faithful.”

  Clyemne shook her head rather sheepishly.

  Breda could have pursued the promiscuity line, but Anaxilea’s mixed parentage was too interesting.

  “How come Anaxilea isn’t more like her father then?”

  “She is female, and the extra chromosome means that our genealogy is dominant. But her brothers were all Centaurian.”

  “She has brothers?”

  “Yes. Three. But they are all dead now, killed in the war.”

  The sudden hint at tragedy dispelled Breda’s surprise, and the next question she asked with foreboding.

  “What happened to Anaxilea’s parents?”

  “They remained together until death. For them, the differences in their race meant little. And so it should be. Mere lust is between bodies, and rarely lasts. But true love is between minds, and lasts forever. That kind of love happens very rarely for us, but once we commit ourselves to it, it cannot be broken. Despite our reputation, many of us live long and monogamous lives, and it matters little if the partners are of the same gender or opposite, or even if they are from different races. Love transcends all barriers. Anaxilea’s parents shared this kind of love. They both chose to stay and die together on Centaurous.”

  Clyemne had a way of saying the most profound things in the most casual way. What had happened to Anaxilea’s parents was sad, but somehow romantic. It made Breda pause and think for a while. But he
r silence didn’t last.

  “Why are you all women?” she asked Clyemne in a subdued voice.

  “Because our males are like children. They are very much smaller than us in physique and their mental abilities are poor. As I said, we have to pursue them and persuade them, they have little sense or understanding for the need to procreate, or for the necessities of life. They take no active part in our society.”

  “So how do they live?”

  “We look after them. They live all together in our homelands in what you would call a nursery or school.”

  The description brought a strange image to Breda’s mind, an image of small boys all together being managed by tall nursemaids. It probably wasn’t like that.

  “Your homelands, are they like a ranch, or plantation?”

  “Yes, similar, but larger. Each family line has its own homeland. Or at least they had.”

  Clyemne never faltered, but it was clear that some of the questions brought back equally bad memories for her, too. Breda had sense enough to change tack. She was going to ask the question that was uppermost in her mind, but another one suddenly popped right in and she asked that one instead.

  “Did you enjoy washing me?”

  Clyemne smiled again. “Washing one another is alternately stimulating and relaxing. Yes, I enjoyed washing you.”

  Breda felt her face flush, but she also smiled. For some reason she didn’t feel threatened or repulsed by the idea that Clyemne had gained some joy from the feel of her body. She had also enjoyed the experience herself. It had made her feel more alive, more human again. It had been nice being pampered. There was nothing wrong with that was there?

  Breda now tried the question that most interested her.

  “Are any others of you related?”

  “All of us are related,” Clyemne replied evasively. “We are cousins born from the same family line. Several generations in the past there were only sisters, and before that, one mother.”

  “Were any others more closely related?” Breda pried.

  Clyemne knew what she really wanted to know, but she answered the lesser question.

  “Aello had a sister, but we left her behind on the Charity.”

  Clyemne’s answer wasn’t a deliberate attempt to throw a tangent into Breda’s mind, but it had the same effect.

  “I’m sorry.” she said sadly, but then she quickly asked, “The Charity, that was your ship? Why was it called that?”

  “It is our family motto. It is the code that we live by. To give charity to all we find.”

  “Like you’re giving to me?”

  Clyemne smiled and nodded. “Yes. For us, no one we find in distress should be left ignored, all should be helped if possible.”

  Breda would have continued with her questions, as there was one answer that still eluded her. But Anaxilea now climbed to her feet with Cassiopea and shouted at them all.

  “Everybody, on your feet! We’ve rested long enough! Now get moving! All of you! We have to reach the Gate of Heaven before first light!”

  With loud groans they all began to respond, and even Deianeira and Thermodosa rose from the water rubbing their eyes. Cassiopea walked among them all, clapping her hands and urging everyone to get their boots back on, but it was Anaxilea who was the driving force. She was hard and unforgiving, her voice an angry growl and her beautiful face often distorted in her anger as she barked orders at them.

  “Celaneo, take point on the right! Philippis, you take the left! Clyemne, stick with our Edenite! All of you, keep your eyes peeled and your noses keen! Now move out!”

  Breda couldn’t understand anything that Anaxilea said, but the look in her eyes and the forcefulness of her voice made even her spring to her feet. And even when they were all finally up and running, Anaxilea still shouted commands or chastised those who fell behind.

  “Deianeira! Keep up! Aello! That’s a rifle, not a walking stick!”

  They ran to the north, their route almost parallel with the distant road, and they soon left the peace of the reservoir behind them.

  Breda ran beside Clyemne, the Klysanthian’s tiny hand buried in hers. Breda wasn’t sure which one of them had instigated the gesture, but it felt comfortable. She looked across at Clyemne. She ran fluidly, her long limbs seeming to fly above the grass. But the image was deceptive. They had hardly been running for long and yet Breda could see from the pained expression on Clyemne’s face that she was already tiring. Breda looked around and saw that all the Klysanthians were having difficulty running, and they were all soon gasping and panting. In contrast Breda didn’t feel tired at all. To her the run was just a gentle jog, and it did nothing to stem her curiosity. But there was no way Clyemne would be able to answer her questions now, she hardly had enough breath to run with. Even Anaxilea stopped shouting orders at them.

  They ran across the undulating land, only the rapid gasps from the Klysanthians breaking the silence. How Anaxilea knew the direction they took Breda could only guess at, but then she realised that she and Clyemne were at the front. There was a brief stab of panic that quickly faded when she remembered the topography of the land and she knew it was the right direction: North.

  As they ran along in the darkness, with the silver clouds billowing high in the night sky, Breda found her mind wandering. She thought about the Klysanthian space ship, wondering what it would look like, and about the decisions she would face when they got there. Should she go with them? Would they take her to Hilbrok? Would they give her the choice? They were just more questions she didn’t know the answers to.

  It wasn’t long before Anaxilea had to stop them to rest. By then Clyemne looked so exhausted that Breda felt ashamed of the idea of questioning her any further, despite the fact that her curiosity was killing her.

  Clyemne bent over when they stopped, leaning her hands on her aching thighs. She was breathing heavily and Breda rubbed her back.

  Breda bit her lip. She could stand it no longer, and she just came right out with it.

  “How come you all look about the same age, and yet two of you are mother and daughter?”

  Clyemne was too tired to evade the truth. And she didn’t want to break her promise by keeping quiet, even if Anaxilea overheard her.

  “Our life cycle is very different...to yours...” she panted. “We live faster...and shorter lives...In your years...Anaxilea is only thirteen...Phoebe was seven...and I am only ten.”

  “You’re only ten?” Breda exclaimed in shock, leaning closer to Clyemne. “But you’re only a baby!”

  Clyemne shook her head as she remained bent over. “No...Phoebe...was the baby...”

  Almost as soon as Clyemne had spoken, Anaxilea cut short their rest.

  “That’s enough!” she suddenly bellowed. “Get moving! We haven’t got all night!”

  With several moans they all started running again. Clyemne straightened up and ran with Breda’s help, now leaning on her shoulder as well as holding hands. She wasn’t the only one. Thermodosa also moved closer to them and leaned on Breda’s other shoulder. Breda didn’t mind, she hardly felt their weight at all.

  Anaxilea turned her head to glare in the direction of the trio as they ran along together. It was obvious which one of them her eyes were fixed on even before she spoke.

  “Clyemne! Run...don’t talk!”

  General Orbanta was sitting at his desk. He was reading one of the many reports that constantly landed in his in tray. Even now they were piled high. None of them gave him any encouragement or respite.

  There was a knock on the door and Air Marshal Joventa instantly opened it. He was carrying a rolled up map, and as he paused in the doorway, a captain hovered behind him, his cap under his arm.

  “General, I’ve got Captain Limeno here to see you.”

  Orbanta waved them both forward and then got up and came around his desk to greet them. He shook hands with Captain Limeno while Joventa closed the door.

  “I’m s
orry we have to meet in these circumstances, Captain, but Addi here tells me that you volunteered for this mission?”

  Limeno nodded. “Yes, General. I think it’s the only answer, and my crew are all agreed.”

  Orbanta was surprised. “You’ve discussed it with them?”

  “Of course, sir. Many of my crew live in the area, they have family there.”

  “And they understand what this will mean?”

  “Oh, yes, General, they understand very well.” The Captain’s expression became grim. “We’ve seen what’s been happening down there, sir. We’ve seen what the Keruh are doing. We kept firing all through the day, but it didn’t stop them, it didn’t stop the slaughter. And now that it’s dark, we’re virtually useless. My men and I are under no illusions, General. If we are to stop the Keruh, then this is the only way.”

  Orbanta nodded and sighed. “Alright, Captain. But you know that this won’t be easy. To be absolutely sure of stopping them all, you have to deploy the device directly over the portal at Elengrad.”

  “I understand, sir. The Air Marshal has already shown me the map. The spread of the Host is a pretty regular circle, and if the portal is at ground zero the blast should still overtake them all.”

  Joventa unrolled the map over Orbanta’s desk as Limeno spoke. It was marked up with the spread of the Host centred at Elengrad and the last known positions of the Keruh at other locations. He quickly jabbed at the map in three places.

  “That still leaves the Keruh in Jutlam City, Nemen and Kalahar.”

  Orbanta pointed to the highway. “The second device has to be deployed over the highway between Nemen and Jutlam City. Just here.”

  Limeno leaned over the map. “About halfway.”

  “Yes. The blast will catch all three centres. It won’t obliterate them, but it will do enough.”

  “I understand, sir.”

  “Good. Two other ships will be going with you as escort. You’ll form up with them soon after you take off. They will engage any ships the Keruh launch against you.”

  Joventa rolled up the map as Orbanta and Limeno shook hands for the last time.

  “My final advice to you, Captain,” Orbanta went on. “The Keruh are always moving, so speed is of the essence. Come in as high as you can, but avoid the Defence Net. Remember that we need you to hit both targets, so don’t get caught in the blast over Elengrad. Stick close to your escorts, let them do any aerial fighting. And, finally, don’t get shot down.”

  Limeno smiled weakly and took the map Joventa handed to him. “I can do this, sir. You can depend on me.”

  “We are, Captain. We are.”

  The College of Learning was deserted. All the buildings were in darkness and the doors were wide open. Bags and briefcases were scattered around, apparently abandoned by the children as they had left. Now the buildings were like every other building in the city, dark, silent and empty.

  There was a gentle whine as a single deck city bus drove up outside. Didi and Gusta were pressed against the windows in anticipation, but the scene told its own story even before the Corporal spoke up.

  “I told you they’d be gone.”

  Gusta felt horribly deflated, but Didi was more upbeat.

  “But at least now we know he’s safe!” he pointed out in satisfaction. “Tipi is with all the other children, probably on the road ahead of us somewhere, or even at Hilbrok already.”

  Gusta quickly turned to him. “Oh, I hope he’s there already! I hope they’re both there!”

  Didi squeezed her hand and smiled at her. “Maybe they are, my sweet! Maybe they are!”

  At the back of the bus, laid out across the bench seat, Pedomoner raised his head and said, “We better get there fast, then, or them kids are going to eat all the food.”

  Eastomoner echoed his thoughts. “Yeah! And all them survivors from Jutto will be there, too! The place will be ate clean!”

  The Corporal smiled. It was the first time. “Okay, Ganatus, step on it! Get us back in the grove.”

  “Yes, Corp!”

  The bus pulled away with a whine. The Corporal was sat just behind Ganatus at the front. He had his map laid out on one of the seats.

  “Turn right at the next intersection. That should bring us back onto the highway.”

  Didi and Gusta sat together on one of the seats. They hugged one another, content in their belief and hope. Kiki sat behind them. He watched them hug and smile. He felt awfully lonely and he couldn’t share their hope.

  “Do you really think Breda could be in Hilbrok?” he asked them.

  They both twisted around in their seat and Gusta reached out to him.

  “Of course we do, Kiki. She has to be ahead of us somewhere. We have to believe that.”

  “I hope so.” He paused a moment and then added, “We should have married last year. We talked about it, argued about it, but didn’t do anything. It was past summer, and Breda wanted it to be in the sunshine. ‘Leave it ’til next year,’ she said. ‘What’s the hurry?’”

  Kiki suddenly buried his head in his hands and wept. Didi didn’t know what to do or say, but Gusta got up and went to sit next to him. She took him in her arms and mothered him.

  “It’s alright, Kiki! It’s not your fault! Didi and I often talked to Breda about you, about when you would marry. You know Didi, he was always for putting it off, anxious that his little girl might fly the coop. But none of us could have foreseen what was going to happen. I work at the Tun-Sho-Lok Embassy, and even I didn’t know!”

  “I just want us to be together again...” Kiki wailed.

  Gusta patted his back. “I know, we all do. But we have to be strong. This is a hard time for all of us. We all have to be strong.”

  Kiki raised his head. He stopped crying and began to wipe his face. Klemunus suddenly sat down on the seat behind them and handed a surprised Kiki a bottle of water.

  “Here, mate, take a drink. We’re all in the same boat, you know. Altus over there has family in Nemen, Eastomoner comes from Elengrad, and me, I come from Jutto. I had a wife and two kids there. I have to hope they’re at Hilbrok too. We all do. It’s all any of us have left.”

  Kiki took the bottle of water and drank from it. He kept his head down, shaking it slowly. “I’m sorry,” he said. “All I keep seeing is the rubble that was left of her office building. I must have spent hours there. I didn’t really want to leave the place. I kept thinking that she was underneath somewhere, that all I had to do was turn over a few bricks and lumps of stone and there she would be, crying and safe in my arms again. But I never found her. There were just more bricks and more rubble. And I just became exhausted.”

  Gusta hugged him tighter. “She wasn’t there,” she said tearfully but with purpose. “She’s on the road to Hilbrok, she could even be at Hilbrok now. That’s what you have to believe, that’s what we all have to believe.”

  Kiki raised his head at last. He looked at Klemunus behind him and at Gusta next to him. And all he saw was the sadness that was mirrored in his own eyes.

  “I know. But it’s hard.”

  The sound of a horn rent the air and bright lights flashed at them through the windows of the bus. Gusta screamed, and at the front, Ganatus swerved to avoid a truck that suddenly rushed toward them. It shot by with a roar. The bus mounted the pavement and came to a slithering halt, shaking them all, and Pedomoner tumbled from the back seat with a cry.

  Several more trucks rushed by as they all stared. Ganatus watched them and exclaimed, “What the hell’s going on, Corp?”

  Altus pointed down the road. “It’s a jam!”

  Everyone followed his gaze, staring down the road to the next intersection. He was right.

  The diversion they had taken to the College of Learning had caused them to leave the main road to Hilbrok early. They were now on the outskirts of the city and there were only scattered houses with large gardens lining each side of the road. As they came down a short hill
to rejoin the main road it was clearly visible in both directions. Even in the darkness the turmoil was clear. The road to Hilbrok was grid locked. Trucks were nose to tail along both carriageways. Half the drivers must have been leaving the city when they suddenly found trucks coming back toward them. Now those leaving the city were trying to turn around in the face of the oncoming traffic. The attempt snarled everything up. Trucks were pointing north and south, some were sideways, and others were reversing. Trucks were also leaving the road at every available opportunity. They poured down each junction and intersection, even the smallest road filled with trucks heading back into the city, and everywhere headlights swept across the night sky, engines roared, tyres squealed and horns blared. It was a panic. And it was a panic that was coming toward them at top speed.

  Trucks began to rush by one after another, and Gusta stared at each one, her mind in a whirl.

  The Corporal ran to the side door. “Pedomoner! Do those field glasses of yours have night vision?”

  Pedomoner sat up on the floor and thrust a hand into his jacket. “Yes, Corp!” He pulled out the small pair of binoculars and tossed them at the Corporal who quickly caught them.

  “Stay inside!” he told them all, and then climbed onto the roof.

  Didi stared at the trucks that roared by. “What’s going on?” he asked Altus.

  “That’s what the Corp’s going to find out.”

  The Corporal stood on the top of the bus and raised the binoculars to his eyes. He altered the power of the light magnification and the trucks on the road to Hilbrok came into stark monochrome view. Their headlights were now incredibly bright shafts of white. The Corporal followed the trail of trucks northwards. There was truck after truck on the road, they seemed to go on forever, until finally, they became a distant blur and then the lights vanished.

  There was something wrong about that blur. The Corporal adjusted the focus on the binoculars, moving them away from the road and onto the land on either side of it. Even with the light intensified the view was still strange. He adjusted the focus some more, and suddenly the blur became distinct shapes. There were thousands of them, millions of them. They poured across the land and over the road in a huge arc, moving in ungainly fashion, engulfing the trucks along with everything else in their path.

  The Corporal was shouting even as he jumped down from the roof and got back aboard the bus.

  “Ganatus! Turn this bus around! Now!”

  Ganatus did as he was asked, without pausing to question why. There was another horn blast as the bus narrowly missed being hit by a truck as it turned across the road. They were heading back toward the College of Learning before Didi could repeat his question.

  “What’s going on? Why are we turning back?”

  “Because the Keruh have blocked the frigging road, that’s why!” the Corporal snarled back at him. “There are millions of them out there, about half a mile down the road! And they’re coming this way!”