In the Shadow of Mountains: The Lost Girls

Chapter Forty-Five

  Anger and Loss

  As sadness threatened to overwhelm all those in the chamber, only Nan-Po was unaffected. As Jai-Soo stood next to Anne and the children and watched them cry, her head tilted to one side and a puzzled look on her face, Nan-Po walked straight towards Prince Harold and Kai-Tai. And as soon as she saw the red device still clutched in Soo-Kai’s hand she snatched for it.

  Soo-Kai refused to let go and a tug-of-war developed between her and Nan-Po. Kai-Tai tried to intervene, then Rolf quickly joined in, and soon they were all shouting at one another, with Kai-Tai and Nan-Po shouting in the Destroyer language. When Prince Harold joined in, Nan-Po finally backed off, but she immediately raised her sword. L’Barr rushed forward and stood between her and the others, his sword also raised. Other men quickly joined him.

  Prince Harold moved quickly to stop things getting any further out of control.

  “Enough!” he shouted, his voice so loud that even Anne and the children looked up, all of them startled. Nan-Po stepped back, and L’Barr and his men lowered their swords.

  “The treaty I have made is not yet broken!” Prince Harold continued. “Stop this squabbling! Give the device to me! Now!” He held out his hand to Soo-Kai, and without hesitation, she gave it to him.

  Prince Harold then turned to Nan-Po, holding up the red device. “I will give you this device only on condition that if the path you seek is open, you send word back to me here. And if these people should choose to follow your path, you will not stand in their way. Do you agree? Answer, for I know you understand me.”

  Nan-Po glanced briefly at Kai-Tai. In reply, Kai-Tai barked one word to Nan-Po, and to Rolf’s surprise, Nan-Po nodded.

  Prince Harold gave her the device. Without a further glance to anyone else, Nan-Po placed her sword in her back and headed for the alcove. There she paused at the top of the steps and spoke to El-Vin. El-Vin shook her head sadly, and Nan-Po quickly disappeared down the tunnel.

  Jai-Soo moved to follow her, but Paula broke free from Anne and the others and ran after her.

  “Don’t go!” she shouted, pulling on Jai-Soo’s tunic. “Please!”

  Jai-Soo stopped on the steps. She glanced at El-Vin and Kai-Tai, and then she looked directly at Paula, staring intently at her tear-stained face. For a few seconds Jai-Soo didn’t move. But then she took Paula’s hand from her tunic, holding it tightly in hers. And reaching out with her other hand she gently stroked Paula’s face.

  “Wait for me,” she said. “I will be the one to return if the way is clear. I will come for El-Vin and Kai-Tai, but if you should wish to escape with us, then I will guide you as Soo-Kai has guided you before. This I can pledge only until the dawn, then we must part.”

  And before Paula could reply, Jai-Soo had let go of her hand and disappeared out of view.

  Paula slumped on the side of the steps, staring down into the darkness.

  Jane turned angrily to Prince Harold. “Why did you give it to her? Now we’re stumped!”

  Prince Harold was unrepentant. “If our trust in one another is broken now, we will all be disadvantaged. They outnumber us, and you. And even if there is no fight between you, do you know the way below? Do you know the path and the dangers that they face? I think not. No, if you are to go, then you must follow in their wake. And to do this you need their alliance. Nan-Po has pledged that she and the others will not stand in your way, and you heard Jai-Soo promise to return. Now you must wait. Wait and decide.”

  Jane didn’t look impressed, and Prince Carl laughed.

  “I never realised you had such a knack for diplomacy, brother!” he said. “You should have left me to L’Roth and taken my place!”

  “Don’t jest, or I still might!” Prince Harold replied. “Because of you I had to give up a picnic with Gwendolyn on a pleasant day for this–” he held up his hands, “–this butchery! When will you ever learn to behave as the Crown Prince, and not as a wealthy buffoon?”

  Prince Carl was far from dismayed by his brother’s words. “You are right! And you are not the first to condemn me! But I swear to you that from this day forward the buffoon is no more! From now on my life is renewed and my intentions clear. I am the Crown Prince of the Realm of Halafalon, and I will henceforth behave as the title befits. And my first act is to convince our father that your title should be changed. No more shall you be just Prince Harold. Your actions tonight deserve a much more befitting title. You have slain the dragon, so now you will be forever known as Harold, the dragon slayer, the Dragon Prince of Halafalon!”

  L’Barr raised his sword and shouted. “Hail Prince Harold, hail the Dragon Prince!”

  Prince Harold was not impressed as the men cheered.

  “Hah!” he bellowed. “I’d swap any such grand title for the life of one man, woman, or child killed this day!”

  L’Barr lowered his sword and nodded more solemnly. “Aye, even Sir Morgan. He fought well today.”

  The sad mood had quickly returned. Prince Carl looked around at them all and took a deep breath. “Then we will honour them all. From this moment there was no treason and no attempt on the Crown. All who died did so fighting the beast. There will be no dishonour and no reprisals. Do we agree?”

  All shouted, “Aye!”

  “Then it is done!”

  As the men cheered once more, Vanessa twisted around in Anne’s arms and reached forward, smacking and pushing at Prince Carl.

  “That’s so easy for you!” she shouted, her face twisted in anger. “Just like that and you think it’s all fixed! Well it isn’t! My sister’s dead! What are you going to do about that? My sister’s dead! How can I go home and tell mum? How can I tell dad? What am I supposed to do?”

  Vanessa was crying as before, the tears rolling down her face as she shouted and screamed at the surprised Prince. But in her sadness and tears there was also a deep and powerful anger. And that anger wasn’t directed at Prince Carl.

  As Anne tried to hold onto Vanessa and pull her back from Prince Carl, Vanessa struggled and quickly broke free. But instead of continuing her attack on the Prince she ran at Kai-Tai. Kai-Tai and Prince Harold were both taken by surprise, and before Prince Harold could stop her, Vanessa had shoved Kai-Tai hard in the chest and knocked her to the floor.

  Prince Harold grabbed Vanessa around the waist and had to carry her as she kicked and lashed out furiously at Kai-Tai as she lay on the floor.

  “It’s your fault my sister is dead!” Vanessa screamed at her. “I ought to kill you, you cow!”

  In contrast to Vanessa’s angry shouts, Kai-Tai spoke weakly and painfully as she lay on the floor holding her wounded back. “I did not understand–”

  “You must have known she liked you!” Vanessa shouted back, not waiting for Kai-Tai to finish. “She kept following you about! She even followed you into the castle! You must have known!”

  “I had told her to stop.”

  “You killed Berni! It was your fault, you cow! You just stood there! Why didn’t you move? Why didn’t you do something? You useless, stupid cow!”

  “She was female, I did not realise the power of her attachment.”

  “You do now, though, don’t you? Now that it’s too fucking late!”

  Prince Harold pulled Vanessa away, dragging her back towards Anne who quickly grabbed her. Becky and Sophia rushed to help her, and the three of them forced Vanessa down on to the floor as Prince Harold let go of her and stepped back.

  Anne tried her best to calm Vanessa, but it was no use.

  “Stop this, Vanessa! If it’s anyone’s fault it’s mine! I was your teacher! I was responsible for all of you! It’s my fault!”

  Anne was crying too, filled with guilt and remorse at her failure to protect the children, children who had been in her care. But Vanessa wouldn’t listen. She had already decided who was to blame, and there was no chance of convincing her any differently.

  “Let go! I want to kill her, the stupid bitch!?
?? Vanessa shouted. “It’s her fault! Let go!”

  In response, Kai-Tai sat up and drew her sword from her back. “Then do it!” she called out with renewed strength. “End my life at last!” She held out her sword towards Vanessa, handle first. “Do it! Take the sword! Let your hatred be your guide! Let it give you purpose in life as my Purpose gives me!”

  Vanessa stared at the sword, her anger stopped in its tracks by her confusion. Kai-Tai crawled closer, holding out the sword between them as she spoke.

  “You speak the truth, Van-Es-A! I accept the guilt of your sister’s death! I knew of her fixation. I tried to dissuade her, but in truth I basked in her attention. I wanted her presence! It pleased and comforted me! But as always, the Purpose kills all! Especially the ones closest to you! The Purpose is death! Only within a bond is my mind free to see this! But I am old! Far too old! Old and tired! But with the Purpose to drive and guide me, I cannot give up! Only now, for this one night, while the Navak Prince holds my destiny in his hands can I choose to live or die! So I chose to die! I stood still and my inaction killed Bern-E as swiftly as would my sword! So take your vengeance! Kill me! End my memories of war and death, of fire and torment! But do it not for me, but to avenge the death of your sister! She gave her life for mine, so I offer you the chance to take mine for hers! Kill me! Kill me and take your sister’s place, become what she dreamed and yearned for!”

  As everyone stared as if transfixed, Prince Harold stepped forward and grabbed Kai-Tai’s sword.

  “We have had enough killing for today,” he said in a calm voice. And to Vanessa he said, “Another death will not bring your sister back to life, nor will it quell your grief.”

  Vanessa turned to him angrily. “You’re only saying that because you want to keep her!”

  Prince Harold shook his head. “It is the bargain that I will keep. With the dawn we will part, and I shall never see her again. But you have your whole life to live. And what you would do, you would soon regret.”

  Vanessa shook her head. “Never! I’ll get even! One day! You’ll see! I’ll get even!”

  Paula turned from her position at the top of the steps and stood up. She screamed at Vanessa at the top of her voice.

  “Shut up! Shut up you stupid, selfish cow! All we ever hear about is your bloody sister! What about Christine? What about Debbie and Samantha, and Linda and Jo? They’re all dead! All of them! So how can any of us go home? How can we sit in class or at home and be all safe when they’re all dead? Shut up, you daft cow! Shut up before I come over there and knock your fucking teeth in!”

  Vanessa stared at Paula’s twisted and angry expression, then she burst into tears and buried her head in Anne’s shoulder once more, and the chamber returned to silence and sadness.

  Prince Carl put his hand on Anne’s shoulder. “To go or to stay is your choice,” he said to her softly. “There is time to decide, and we will wait with you.”

  Anne nodded gratefully and Prince Carl sat down beside her.

  It was the moment when everything was finally over. Kai-Tai slowly replaced her sword and sat back. She wiped the drying blood on her tunic, feeling it between her finger and thumb.

  It is the Atlantian’s blood.

  She liked me and I killed her.

  The Outsider consumed her. But your statement is correct. You defied the Purpose. You offered yourself to the Outsider. Only the Atlantian saved you.

  Only in the bond did I realise that I liked her.

  To like the incorrect is not permitted by the Purpose. It is fitting that she died.

  I hate you!

  When the sun rises you will forget your hatred and accept what is true.

  I hate you.

  Vanessa sobbed quietly in Anne’s arms while the other children sat about and sniffled. Paula sat on her own, looking more embarrassed than angry. Time passed, and with its passing came a slow and gradual release. One by one, everyone seemed to relax.

  L’Barr organised for his injured man to be attended to, and even El-Vin and Kai-Tai were soon bandaged and made more comfortable. There was a lot of coming and going through the narrow gaps in the doorway, and people clambered and slithered up and down the debris to the chamber above. Prince Carl ordered one of the men to ride to Ellerkan to give word of what had happened to his father, and Sir Malcolm was told of their decision to wait in the chamber of the West Tower.

  The news that both Princes were alive filled Sir Malcolm with joy, but he declined to join them in the West Tower. He much preferred the comfort of the North Tower to the gloomy chamber they now rested in. But he ordered food and drink to be brought down to them from the kitchens by the surviving servants.

  Rolf and Soo-Kai sat near the crushed minibus, Gil-Yan’s frozen form towering above them, forgotten and ignored. They sat in each other’s arms and Rolf squeezed Soo-Kai gratefully, happy that they had both survived and were still together.

  “When you left to help the others in the corridor I thought it was the last I would see of you,” he said.

  “And I you,” she replied. “But we both still live. Fortune smiles on us.”

  “It does, at least for now. But tell me, my wife, now that all is over, can you explain to me what has happened? If the red device your mother kept around her neck was so vital to the opening of the Portal, how then did these children come to be here?”

  Soo-Kai sighed. “My mother and I had begun to suspect that the Outsider never really controlled the Portal, that instead she merely received what came through from the other side.”

  “But how, and why now?” Rolf asked, looking puzzled.

  It was Kai-Tai that answered him. She was sat nearby, waiting as they, and listening to their conversation.

  “If there is a fault in the command to open the Portal,” she said in a casual voice. “And if that fault lay in the data field that described the destination of those that were to be sent, then it is possible that the ship above would default to the homing beacon. If the fault persisted, then the error in transmission would be repeated again and again.”

  Her answer puzzled Rolf even more. “What homing beacon?”

  Soo-Kai pointed to the machine with the octagonal device sitting on top of it. The light inside it still flashed. “That is the homing beacon. Its presence here was unknown to us until now. It explains everything. They must have recovered it from the assault ship along with the power unit upon which it sits. The Outsider must have repaired and reactivated it. Everything else then followed.”

  Rolf gestured towards the vehicles in the chamber. “And all these came through the Portal because of that?”

  “Yes,” Soo-Kai replied. “Somewhere, someone opened the Portal and all fell in. Where and when that is, or by whom, we cannot say. Maybe another ancient relic lies exposed on some planet and those that have uncovered it meddle. Maybe they try to send things, to rediscover the Portal connections. But whatever the reason, it was the homing beacon that brought what was sent here.”

  Rolf sat up. “Does it still function?”

  “Yes.”

  “So, if the Portal was opened again somewhere, whatever passed through it would end up here, again?”

  “Yes,” Soo-Kai repeated.

  Rolf stood up. “Then we must stop it.”

  Rolf went to search among the debris and picked up a nice, large stone fragment. It was heavy, but just light enough to be lifted. Rolf held it in both hands and raised it high over his head. Then he hurled it at the homing beacon. It crashed down on the metal chassis and delicate electronics with a bang and a flash of blue sparks, knocking it to the floor where it smashed and pieces scattered.

  “There!” Rolf said in triumph.

  Prince Harold saw and heard the crash, and he quickly pulled Rolf aside. “Why did you do that? These things belong to us, now. They belong to the King. By whose authority do you break them?”

  “You would keep such devices?” Rolf asked him, surprised at the anger in the P
rince’s voice.

  “The weapon was powerful. If L’Roth had lived to use it, my father’s army would have been vanquished. Such devices should be studied and their uses realised.”

  “And what then?” Rolf retorted, angry himself now. “Would you blow everything up as our ancestors did in the past? We are lucky we only have swords and pikes! Think of the mayhem we could cause with anything more powerful!”

  Prince Harold would have argued the point but his brother spoke up on Rolf’s side.

  “The tailor is right. For the first time in more than a thousand years the technology of the past has returned, and look what we have reaped. No, what is buried is best left buried. But it should also be guarded. To you, my brother, this honour will fall. You and an army bearing the sign of the dragon shall dwell in this castle. It shall be rebuilt, and this chamber and access to all within shall be sealed. This I shall request of my father, and funds will be found. You know this decision to be wise, as who else could my father and I trust with such secrets but you?”

  Prince Harold sighed and shook his head sadly. “I hope Gwendolyn favours forest life.”