Alchemist (The Four Corners of Santerria)

  “Yeah, it was me.” He admitted, seeing no point in lying. There was nothing to gain from it. “I’ve opened a few in the last couple of months...but nothing near where you live. You are still in Scotland right?”

  Terry didn’t answer. Instead she asked, “And why have you been opening portals?”

  “For money...it’s getting harder and harder to get by these days. Not all of us were given so much wealth when we were exiled here you know.” He said, bitterly.

  Terry ignored the comment. “From who exactly?” she asked quickly, more interested in why he had been ripping open the wall between realms.

  “Everyone...a lot of them are refugees, others are escaped convicts looking for somewhere to run.”

  “Refugees and escaped convicts don’t exactly have much cash and I seriously doubt you’d be charging them so little for such a service. Who else have you let through who has the money?” She asked, peering at him suspiciously through the grate. She balled her metal hand, as if to hit him.

  “Alright! Alright!” he shouted, waving his hands about in surrender. “Most of them were members of the same family and people who worked for them. Rilario had his lands and property confiscated when the other ministers in the Southlands learned that he was involved in having one of the royal family assassinated. He was worried that there would be reprisals against his family. Most of them were just his children and servants. That’s all I know, I swear!”

  Terry lowered her fist. “Lord Rilario? Really? Who did he assassinate?” she asked, surprised. She knew of Lord Rilario, he was a very influential, well, had been, a very influential politician in the senate of the Southlands – where the fire and water elementals largely abided. She had never met the man but she had always heard positive things about him.

  The fire elemental shook his head. “I don’t know, someone told me the name but I’ve forgotten it, they were a very minor member of the royal family, a distant cousin or something to the King. I never even knew they had existed until I heard about their death.”

  “Why would he have someone killed? I always heard he was a nice man.”

  He shook his head again at a loss. “I don’t know. I’ve never met him, all my business with him I have done through a middleman.”

  Terry leaned closer to the grate, fixing him with her deadly gaze. “And where do you meet this middleman?”

  “He came here, once, to Earth. He had portal devices to open rifts to this world. But he gave them to me and asked to make sure that Rilario’s family had somewhere to go after they came through, that was part of my payment. He was one of Rilario’s closest servants. He was being hunted himself and afraid to stay with them in case he led the Kindaris right to their door.”

  The Kindaris were the Southlands equivalent to police officers. They were an honourable, law abiding organisation. They would have come to arrest Lord Rilario, but not his family or servants unless they expected foul play. But it was not hard for Terry to imagine that there would be some, not just among the Kindaris, who would seek vengeance on the lord’s family for the death of a royal.

  Terry thought for a few moments, taking it all in. “Someone told me that the Southlands and the Alchemists had gone to war. Is it true?”

  The main blinked at her with wide eyes. “What? Who told you that?”

  “Then it’s not true?”

  “No.” He shook his head. “Why would anyone say that?”

  She looked away, seething. “Nevermind.” Looking back at him she said, “Tell me about these convicts you’ve let through.”

  “No, because you’ll kill me...” he muttered, suddenly losing his voice. He stared at her like a rabbit caught in headlights.

  “That depends if we’re talking murderers or shoplifters.” She replied flatly.

  “None of them were killers...except one...” He said, his voice beginning to quiver.

  Terry’s arm darted through the hole, her fingers closing tightly around his throat. “Who?” she demanded, her patience wearing thin.

  “I didn’t let him through! I didn’t let him through!” he shouted.

  The blade slid up to his throat again and Terry narrowed her eyes. “You either did or you didn’t.”

  “I didn’t! I didn’t!” He gasped. “He killed two of my friends and used the machine himself. He tried to kill me too but I managed to get a way!”

  “Who?”

  “I don’t know! But it was a Phantom.”

  Terry’s eyes widened with shock. But all the Phantoms are gone. Her eyes narrowed and her anger flared. She sensed a trick. “Don’t lie to me.” She warned, lowering her voice, allowing the blade to dig into his flesh once more. “If you lie again I will kill you.” It was not a lie.

  “I’m not...” he panted, heaving desperately for breath.

  “There are no Phantoms left, they’re all dead.”

  “I swear what I’m telling you is true. Please!”

  Terry gritted her teeth, the rage growing inside her. The ancient part of her mind had awoken now and it was pissed. Glaring back at him, she asked, “How long ago was this?”

  “Eight days ago...” he gagged.

  Terry let go of him then but she threw him hard into his seat.

  She glared at him through the grate, eyes ablaze as he gasped for breath. “If you tell anyone that you saw me I will kill you. If you tell anyone else what you have told me I’ll kill you and if you open any more portals, I’ll kill you, Ladre.” She warned, calling him by his true name to drive the point home.

  Without further word she left, slamming the wooden door behind her. Many sins had been confessed inside its four walls this day but Ladre feared if such sins would be forgiven by a God that was not his.

  ******

  “That’s impossible.” Were the first words to come from Connor’s mouth when Terry broke the news.

  “That’s what I thought but I don’t think Ladre was lying.”

  Her uncle furrowed his brow, sceptical. “I’m not so sure. I don’t think we can trust the word of a traitor and thieve anymore than we can trust a stranger and a crazed water elemental.” He observed from where he sat at the end of the long oaken table. They were in a meeting room, fashioned from one of the many caves that ran below Lyle’s mansion.

  Terry shook her head. “I don’t think so he knew I was going to kill him.”

  Lyle nodded grimly. “That is a fair point.” He conceded.

  Terry leant against the table, folding her arms. “If one thing rings true then it is what he said about this supposed war between our people and the Southlands. He said it wasn’t true, like Darius.”

  Lyle appeared concerned at this, his face setting into a hard cast. “And one of my old friends has been proven a liar.” He muttered bitterly.

  Terry glanced across the table at Connor, who had furrowed his brow. “What are you thinking?” she asked.

  He looked up at her. “That maybe this Phantom is the one who sent those people to kill you.”

  Terry sighed, her gaze dropping to the table for a moment. “I wouldn’t dismiss it.” She looked to Lyle for his thoughts.

  “I do not understand why this Phantom would not just come after you if that was the case. Why send humans when he would have known that they stood no chance?” The old warrior mused.

  “That I can’t answer.” Connor agreed. “It was just an idea. It all just seems far too coincidental considering what else has been happening lately.”

  “There’s something else about Ladre’s story that doesn’t quite add up.” Terry said. “It is weird if it is true, why would a man of such high profile do such a thing?”

  “And to what end?” Lyle agreed, forming a temple with his fingers.

  “I think he’s been framed.” Terry suggested.

  Lyle looked at her thoughtfully. “It is possible but I fear we are speculating too much. There are a lot of things that we still don’t know.”

  “We could phone Rufus.” She replied. Her idea was met
only with silence. Lyle glared at her, his features as hard as stone. “Look, I know you’ve fallen out with him, but if there’s a Phantom here we’re going to need his help to capture it. It was him who stopped Edward last time.”

  Lyle continued to glare at his niece, visibly trembling with rage. “I will not ask that traitor for help.”

  “Lyle...”

  The Alchemist stood, slamming a fist into the table, shattering it. Connor jumped back.

  “Lyle, calm down!” Terry shouted, also standing. But it was too late. He was already beginning to change.

  “Run Connor, run!” Terry shouted, bolting. Connor did not have to be told twice. The fear a man gained when pursued by a Primeval Alchemist leant him wings.

  Lyle’s eyes flashed with the large yellow pupils of his Primeval form. Snarling, rows of sharp teeth and mandibles emerged from his mouth. His form then began to warp. The table was flung aside as if it were a twig as Lyle took on the appearance of a twelve foot tall, nine foot long insect. Similar to an ant, but able to stand straight up, the Primeval Alchemist was decked in the same dark, metal armour as their human-shaped counterparts. They had six legs and two arms, each clawed with black talons and the strength of a small army. They had long necks and large heads, which possessed large, oval, amber eyes, akin to a cat. Lyle rose, growling angrily as his antennae fell flat against the back of his head. Throwing back his head he roared and gave chase, bolting from the cave as fast as a bolt of lightning.

  Chapter 9

  Stay or Go

  “Uncle?” called Terry, peering around the corner of the hallway. Seeing no-one she cautiously made her way down it. It had been twenty four hours since Lyle had had his outburst. She had been surprised to find the entire mansion intact. On one occasion in the past when he’d lost his temper Lyle had demolished almost half of it. It had cost over two million pound and eight months to fix.

  Terry trod lightly – which was difficult to do when she was suited and booted weighing in at over four hundred pounds. Reaching the next corner, she peered round – no-one in sight.

  “You can stop tip toeing around.” A voice said from behind her.

  Terry jumped. “Jesus.” She swore, getting the fright of her life. She had not heard nor smelled Lyle’s approach.

  He made no apology for startling her. He simply stared at her with those hard, cold eyes of his.

  The expression reminded Terry of her father. “Have you calmed down?” There was no point being tactful when the person you were stalking catches you red handed.

  “Not really...but I supposed I was calmer than I was.” He replied flatly.

  “Are Faye and Darius ok?” she asked. She was not here to apologise either for what she had said.

  “Yes, they are both still safely locked inside their cells.” A devious smile touched his lips. “Though that Darius sure got a fright when he saw me.”

  Terry sighed, shifting her weight between feet. “I would not have mentioned Rufus if I did not think we needed his help. If we are going to chase a Phantom we will need that gun of his.”

  Lyle regarded her for a long moment, his thoughts concealed behind an unreadable mask. Finally though, much to her surprise, he nodded in agreement but Terry could see reluctance in his eyes. “I will do as you ask as you are the king’s daughter and will one day be my queen and my liege lord but nothing else. I will not speak in polite tones to a man who has accused me of a crime I have not committed.”

  Terry nodded. She would have not commanded such a thing from him, nor expected it. “While we are here there is something else that I need to tell you. A couple of weeks ago I went to Rufus’s old address, just to see him but he was not there. To be honest it looked like he had not been there for some time.”

  A flash of anger played across his face and then it vanished, but Lyle, the king’s brother, did not give words to his disappointment. Coolly he said, “Then it will make our task of finding him and getting him to assist us a bit more difficult.”

  “And it will definitely be harder finding out who this Phantom is without his help.” Terry added, feeling grim.

  Lyle regarded her for a long time but said nothing.

  Finally she shrugged, uncomfortable under his steely gaze. “What?”

  “I think we need to speak to this Lord Rilario. He might be able to shed some light onto this mystery ghost.”

  Terry frowned, confused. “But it was Ladre he attacked. Lord Rilario wasn’t there.”

  “I know but temporal devices have been outlawed. I don’t think Ladre or Lord Rilario or this so called middle man would have spread the information around much. The Phantom must have found out about it from someone. If Ladre does not know then maybe this politician will.”

  Terry nodded in agreement. “That’s a good idea but we have the same problem we face with Rufus. How do we find him?”

  Lyle drew a deep breath. “We must return home. I know a lot of people in a lot of places, I am certain I could find him but they are no use to me here if I have no way of speaking to them.”

  Terry stared at him for the longest time. “You do know what you’re saying right? If we go home and the Southlands find out we’re there, there could be war.” That was the very reason why Terry accepted her exile nine long years before. The thought of millions dying over her for not facing the punishment of killing Edward, the last Phantom and thus bringing a race of their world to extinction, had terrified the teenager. But it was not the thought of her people dying that scared her. It was the Southlands. The fire elementals had their weapons and their technology and their threats, but the Alchemists had slaughtered entire countries of their race in eras past.

  Lyle sighed, suddenly looking tired. “I know but we have to take the chance if this Phantom is who I think it is.”

  “Who?” The name was already in her head but she dared not say it. She had no reason, no evidence to believe it was him.

  Lyle gave her a long look. “Who do you think?”

  She shook her head dismissively. “Come on, we have no reasons to believe that.”

  But he stared right through her, passed her denial. “But you have the exact same feeling that I do, don’t you?”

  Terry looked away, ashamed to admit it.

  “Because we do not know for sure is not a reason not to find out. It is a risk you know that we cannot afford to take. We have to be certain it is not him. You know the damage he reaped last time on both worlds.”

  Terry met his gaze. “If we go home we can’t go to dad. He would rip Earth to pieces trying to find Edward.”

  A heavy reluctance took a hold of Lyle then and for a moment she thought he would not agree, until finally he said: “Agreed but I do not like this plan of action. I only agree to it once again because it is what you wish to do. We will need to tread lightly and return home within a few days less we raise suspicion.”

  “I understand. I think as long as we can get Ladre to drop us off in the Southlands we should be ok.”

  “I could not agree more.”

  “What about Faye and Darius though? We can’t leave them here in the cells.”

  “Connor could watch them.” Lyle suggested, scratching the stubble on his chin.

  Terry shook her head. “He wouldn’t stay here if he knew what we were doing. Besides, it would look suspicious having us two running around the Southlands. Things would go a lot easier if we had him asking most of the questions.”

  “Okay.” Lyle gestured that they should head to his study.

  Terry fell in beside him. “So what are we going to do about Darius and Faye?”

  “We’ll just have to take them with us.”

  ******

  Ladre screamed as he hit the wall. Lyle had pinned him in place between his large toes. Drawing in closer, his antennae flattened and he hissed, like an enraged snake poising to strike.

  “Easy.” Terry warned, walking up to his side.

  Lyle’s antennae twitched as he turned his large head in her
direction. He spoke to her in a series of clicks.

  Terry rolled her eyes. “No you can’t eat him once we’re finished.”

  He growled at that, turning his large, angry amber eyes back to Ladre. The young man had turned white in terror.

  “Don’t listen to him, he’s only trying to scare you.” Said Terry, drawing close.

  “I’ve already told you everything I know!” Ladre screamed.

  “I know. But we need you and your machine to get us home.”

  Ladre’s eyes widened further. Anymore and Terry was adamant that they’d pop from their sockets. “If you’re caught...”