Nyteria Rising (The Thirteenth Series Book 3) (12 page)

Her uncle surveyed his surroundings, clearly unsure whether to run or just faint. Val was most impressed that he hadn’t been sick after his first teleport.

“Julian, please help me.” Susan looked up, her hands covered in blood, sweat running down her face.

“I...just...Star Trek…”

“Honestly! Star Trek? Is that the best you can do? Now get down here and help me.”

Seeing the wounded on the floor his medical training took over and he knelt at Shane’s side. Completely focused on his patient, he inspected Shane’s wound and took his pulse. “We need to get him somewhere more comfortable. What about the boy?” He crossed over to Daniel. “He has a nasty trauma to the head. Both of them need to be off the floor. Do you have any beds?”

Mike nodded. “Upstairs. Jason, help me.”

Jason still hadn’t moved.

“Jason we need you,” Mike insisted.

He shook his head.

“Listen son, I know you’re scared, but we still have a chance. Don’t give up.”

Zac moved to help Mike and Jason slowly shuffled forwards. He touched his dad’s arm and tears filled his eyes as they lifted his limp body. Val thought her heart couldn’t hurt anymore and, yet watching her friend’s pain made it break into a million painful pieces.

“Val,” Fran spoke, “I know we don’t have the Dellatrax, but what about Sam? He saved you before. Can’t you get him now? Maybe he could help Shane.”

She was right, Sam had healed her. She needed to get him without being spotted, but that would be almost impossible and she couldn’t risk losing the Warden’s bracelet. She needed Wendy and Sam here right now to help her. “Do you know how Shane contacts him?” Fran shook her head. Then the only way to get close to them was through the Space. She needed to get back to Enoch.
“I’m going to go get him.” She gave Fran a hug and made her way up the stairs two at a time. She felt that there was still hope. She made it to Sam’s weapons room. She would stand a better chance of focusing here; teleporting so far away from home wasn’t easy. All she could do now was pray that she would arrive in the Space. She closed her eyes, holding her bracelets. “God, if you really like my Mum as much as she thinks you do, then I’m calling in a favour. Get me to the Space.”

Val was relieved to find herself standing on the rocks of the Space. Glancing up she made a little thank you gesture to the unseen sky. “Think - was it left at the grey rock or right?” she quizzed herself as she turned around. This wasn’t exactly what she had wanted. She had expected to arrive at the big metal door, but now she was totally disoriented. Looking from one cave wall to the other she suddenly remembered that they had cameras. Sam had shown her one, but how many did they have? And where? Were they working? If she could get spotted by Enoch and his friends, hopefully they would come and find her.

She searched for signs of technology, but everything was still, grey rock. There was no point in moving if she was heading in the wrong direction; that’s what her dad always said. So she stood and waved, turning in slow circles. Ashamedly, this was the best idea she had.

She had been waving for three or four minutes when she heard a whizzing noise, like sparks flying off a knife sharpener. Then she spotted a figure getting closer. Wheels spinning full speed, she recognised Alsom’s blond hair floating in the air behind him as he glided up and down the rock walls.

“Hey Val,” he called “good to see you.” The boy spun in mid-air clearly showing her what he was capable of and came to standstill a few inches away. Val smiled, relieved. “So what brings you here?” he asked.

“Big problems and time is running out. Could you please take me to Enoch? By the way, where’s the camera?”

“There.” Alsom pointed to the floor under Val. She had been standing over it all the time. She would have been embarrassed if her life wasn’t falling apart.

Alsom moved with ease over the surface, Val not so gracefully. Taran was waiting by the door to greet her, his arms wrapping around her waist. She returned the embrace. “I need to go, but I promise when I can, I will come back and see you, ok.” Taran nodded, releasing her. She ran up the grey hill towards Enoch’s. “Alsom, tell him I’m coming,” she called out as the boy spun away from her.

By the time she had reached the top, Enoch was heading towards her. “Val, what’s wrong? Why are you here?”

“Shane’s - dying.” The words came out between gasps for breath.

Enoch grabbed her arm, helping her to stand on his level. “How can we help you?”

“I need Sam and Wendy. They are on the Prison and I can’t go back there at the minute. Sam can cure him; he did it for me before.”

“Val, the only way I can get Sam is if I go onto the surface, and they are under attack.”

“I know I’m asking you to take a huge risk, but I really need them,” Val pleaded.

Enoch nodded. “Of course I will. Shane and Elizabeth have given us so much in the past. I can’t tell you how
long it will take, I can only hope for success. Go and be with your friend, I will do my best.” They said their goodbyes and Val followed Alsom back to the door.

“Good to see you again,” he said and was about to close the door when Taran appeared. There was something about this boy that Val couldn’t resist. He was so innocent.

“Please give a message to Shane for me,” he called. “I need new crayons, my red has all gone.” He waved as the door slowly shut and Val crumbled inside. She grabbed her bracelet ready to return to the others and to wait for Sam and Wendy.

The landing was too quiet for her liking. There was no noise. If people were screaming or talking it meant they were still alive. She walked towards one of the bedrooms not knowing exactly where Shane was. Opening the door she found Daniel lying on the bed. There was no one in the room with him, but a bowl with steaming water and a towel showed someone had been there recently. He lay motionless, his head in a bandage, yet she could just make out his chest rising and falling. She made her way over to the side of the bed. “I hate you,” she whispered fighting back the tears of loathing she felt for him. “Why did you come here? Why couldn’t you just stay in the past?” She knelt down at the side of his bed, “I didn’t lie to you. Wendy IS alive and she’s coming here to help Shane.”

“Val,” Daniel rasped.

She stumbled backwards.

“Val,” he spoke again.

She had no choice but to respond. “What?”

“Wendy,” he coughed.

“Yes, she’s coming here, to help Shane.” She needed him to know that.

He laboured to open his eyes; the sheer effort was clearly draining. “Can the Dellatrax heal Shane?”

“Yes, but we don’t have it.”

“I do.” His voice was getting weaker.

Val just looked at him. Was he seriously going to do this to her? “What’s wrong with you? Aren’t you happy enough with almost killing my friend that you now want to taunt me with something that could cure him?” She stood up.

“It’s at your parent’s house…” His eyes shut, scrunching with the pain he was suffering.

“Nice try, along with an ambush.”

Daniel took a huge breath as if it was possibly the last he was going to take. “Look in your room. It’s with the gold shoes. I just wanted to see Wendy…” The words faded and his body seemed to slump deeper into the bed.

Val knew exactly what he was talking about. She had a hideous pair of gold shoes her Mum had brought her. They were in her ‘don’t go there’ box. Surely he wasn’t telling the truth. But could she take the risk? She had made that mistake before when Wendy had told her she was her guardian. She quickly left him, making her way down the landing pushing each door open until she found them all. Jason was sitting on the floor as close to the bed as possible, without actually being on it, holding Shane’s hand. Fran was grasping onto his arm and her uncle Julian was monitoring his patient. Zac was standing with Mike in the corner. It was as if they were frozen in time, like a painting.

Fran spoke breaking the grave picture. “Any news?”

“I’m working on it; just keep him alive.” She signalled to Zac to follow her.

“Yes?” he asked, joining her on the landing and closing the door behind him.

“We need to go somewhere.” This time she took his arm and they left.

Trouble seemed like a bland word compared to what she would be in when she went back to the Prison; with all this teleporting and rule breaking she knew she was going to be extracted, but she was past caring. They arrived in her hallway. She saw her jacket hanging on its usual peg. It was like stepping into a bubble, everything was familiar, but she felt like a stranger in her own home. Sadly it no longer felt like the place she had grown up in.

“Why are we here?” Zac asked.

“Daniel said he left the Dellatrax in my room.”

Zac sucked in air. “Clever move.”

She shrugged her shoulders. They moved quickly, but cautiously. The front door was closed, but still had marks where Lailah and the others had attacked. A pile of post lay on the floor, unopened. It didn’t seem important right now. She made her way up the stairs towards her room, pausing to extend her sword outside the door. If this was a trap, whoever was waiting for them would come off worst.

Zac grabbed her by the arm. “Do you trust him?”

Pushing the door gently she looked through the crack. “Bit late for that question.” Unless there were invisible aliens in her room they were clear to go. They move in to the room, and she switched on the light. Her bed was still made, everything how she had left it. Her poor mum and
dad must have wondered why they had a teenage girl’s bedroom, but no teenager. Edging towards the wardrobe she saw her reflection for the first time in her new gear. “Heck! I do look like cat-woman,” she exclaimed. Opening the wardrobe door she knelt down next to the box her dad had made her. This was it. If this was a trap they would soon find out. She placed her fingers around the lip of the lid. Lifting it gently, she peeked inside. To her shock, filling the box were her Dellatrax, all of them. She sat back. Daniel had been telling the truth, but why? Why in her room?

Zac began pulling the volumes out. “You need the healing book, the one Wendy used on you. We can come back for the others later.”

“But they all look the same.”

“But they don’t feel the same.” He handed her one of the volumes.

Val placed her hand on the top. She wasn’t the best at this, and the person who was, wasn’t with them. However, it was only a few moments before she felt the book, like a tingling sensation under her fingers. Like it was talking to her in waves of energy. “This isn’t it. Hand me another.” Zac pulled out another one. “No, another.” She had sensed at least five when she hit on the right one. She knew it was the book. A feeling of wellbeing washed over her. “This is it, now what?” But she wasn’t going to have to wait. A noise from outside the door told her that someone was about to join them.

“They must have cast some spell on the house. They know we’re here,” Zac said, grabbing at the books. Val followed suit.

An explosion rocked the bedroom, the door disintegrated, sending shards and splinters all over her
bed. In the still smoking doorway stood Lailah, her hands glowing a deep purple, which spread half way up her arms. She looked crazy with anger. “How long did you think you could hide them from me!” she yelled at Val.

“Odd that. I didn’t. It was Daniel.” Val clutched her books, knowing Lailah was getting her power back. She had to get the Dellatrax back to Shane. Now was the wrong time to fight, but Delta entered behind Lailah and Val needed to make her feelings known. “By the way, Delta, the whereabouts of the Dellatrax were Daniels dying words…,” she added and was about to embellish his painful passing, when Zac, who was holding as many copies as he physically could, took her arm and they were gone.