Nyteria Rising (The Thirteenth Series Book 3) (9 page)

“Sorry, I haven’t seen so many fledglings together before. What did you say?”

“Sweating and smelly - ring any bells?” Val couldn’t believe she was asking this question about a bus driver, it sounded almost normal to her.

“No, why don’t you look on your Dellatrax?”

“Long story, short version: I don’t have one.” It was becoming very apparent to Val that they were now being streamed live, possibly onto the internet by about ten kids holding their shaking phones up in their direction. “Who’s down there with the driver? Teachers? Assistants?”

“Miss Thompson and four random lost souls that haven’t been on holiday for forever.” The girl with the glasses answered and sat back down.

“Ok guys, listen to me. Whatever happens now, keep your belts on ok? And anyone who puts my picture on Facebook, Twitter or any other social network will be hunted down by MI5, and imprisoned on an island for life, and you,” Val pointed at the girl with the glasses, “are extremely random, but thanks for the help.”

Val headed for the stairs, turning to place her finger against her lips and pointing at the kids. They followed instructions. She was grateful it wasn’t a bus full of pensioners; they would have been a lot less controllable.

“What’s your plan?”

“I’m going to stun the driver,”

“What? Then who will drive the vehicle?” The Hunter stared at her.

“Alright. I’ll stop the bus first.”

“How?”

Val surveyed her surroundings. “Hey, you.” She beckoned to a boy who had been watching her with astonishment. “Come here.” He looked away, then back at her. “Yes, you.” Val smiled at him. He undid his belt and moved over to the stairs where the Hunter and Val were crouched.

“Who are you? What do you want?” He looked suspiciously at them.

“We’re SAS soldiers.” Val pointed at her uniform, at last it was coming in handy. “We’ve just been dropped onto the top of the bus by helicopter and we need your help. What’s your name?”

“Elliot, and I’m not stupid. We’re a bunch of kids travelling to an adventure holiday! Why would the SAS be interested in us?” he looked at Val with disbelief.

“Ok Elliot. Truth is, the bus driver is not a good person. He’s what you call a little dodgy, and we need to get him off the bus to keep you guys safe. But to do that, we need to stop the bus. How do you feel about helping us?” Val batted her eye lashes, trying to look at least a little like Delta.

“Why should I?” He now looked even less worried and more like he was going to bargain for more pocket money.

“Because if you don’t, I will get him,” she pointed at the Hunter, “to suck your brains out through your ear. Now go and pretend you’re going to be sick, Elliot.” Val pushed him forward.

The Hunter looked confused. “This does not seem a feasible act. I have never removed anyone’s brains and who are the SAS?”

“Don’t worry,” Val replied.

Elliot hesitated in the walkway and looked back at them. Val made pulling signals at her ear. It was enough to get him moving again. They watched as a couple of adults at the front of the bus turned to look up at him. As agreed, he signalled that he was going to be ill. A short-haired woman sprang into action, obviously a veteran of schoolchild travel sickness. She moved towards the driver, shouting at him to stop and, as he turned towards the woman, Val got her first view of him.
He nodded in agreement and started to pull the bus over to the side of the road. “No one move. I’ll be back in a second,” the teacher called over the heads of the children on the ground floor of the bus. The door swung open and, pushing the boy in front of her, they got off.

Val waited for a few seconds for the kids to completely ignore the teacher and start standing up. She knew this might be their only opportunity, so they had to get it right. “Time to go!” She jumped to her feet, her new sword extending out in front of her, and ran to the front of the bus, accompanied by the screams of the overexcited kids who were not prepared for a young woman running around wielding a weapon. As she reached the front, it became very apparent that the bus driver was sweating profusely. The smell was almost over-powering and Val had to catch her breath to stop herself from gagging on the stench.

He looked round, “Oh, it’s you,” he spat.

She wasn’t even sure how to respond. “Yes, it’s me.”

“Then let’s fight.” He looked her up and down and started to rise out of his seat.

“Are you serious?” Val looked back; the Hunter was still making his way down the aisle, clearly trying to avoid physical contact with the kids, who were recording Val with their phones whilst screaming. “You know what, I don’t have time. I need to save my real Hunter.” She touched him with the tip of her sword, stunning him. He dropped instantly, slumping onto the steering wheel.

The Hunter arrived. “Prisoner 248185, you are hereby returned to the hands of the Prison. You will come with us into holding until such time as we can return you to Alchany. Do you understand?”

“Are you mad? He’s out cold.” Val felt bemused.

“Protocol.” He defended his actions.

“Crazy.” She shrugged. Now she needed to work out the best way to end this situation quickly and without too much damage. “You,” she pointed at one of the adults. “Do you have a rope or something?”

“I have a bungee.” The man nodded, reaching up nervously to his bag and pulling down a thick, elasticated rope.

“We need to get out of here. These kids are having a field day and we will be all over the news by tomorrow morning.” Val turned around holding both hands high in the air. “Listen to me. I must inform you all that this is a military exercise and we have all your addresses, so think seriously about the consequences if you use those pictures.” She tried to look as stern as possible, not sure it was working.

Val spoke to two women sitting in the second row who looked more petrified than the kids. “Take all of their phones and delete those images, or it will be on your heads.” The adults nodded nervously.

Val wrapped the bungee around the unconscious driver’s hands. Then she and the Hunter hauled him off the bus. They got out into the fresh night air. A genuine reprieve from the stench the driver had been letting off in such a confined space. She spotted the teacher over in the lay-by trying to help their new friend Elliot, who was still pretending to be ill. “Elliot it’s ok, were finished.” She called, retracted her sword as they moved the body into the bushes. “Now let’s go get Zac.”

Val knew that after their little meeting with the bus driver, the aliens were going to be a problem. There was no portal to take them back to the Prison, and now that Lailah was actively looking for her, she would have to move quickly. She held her wrist and prayed that she would get to her friend in time.

The landing was rougher than she expected. Being squashed against a rubbish bin by the body of the still unconscious bus driver was rather uncomfortable. Kicking him off her, she allowed him to drop to the ground as she surveyed her surroundings. It was a wooded area, trees high on each side of a simple mud and pebble track. It smelt clean and fresh after the Prison’s closed environment.

The Hunter landed perfectly. If the Judges from Strictly Come Dancing had been there, he would have received four straight tens. He pointed at his watch, frowning. “Your Hunter and my Guard have a serious problem.”

“What?”

“This code is for the Novelia.” He was rapidly losing the little colour he had in his face. “There are three of them here.”

“I’ve heard of them, but I thought they were in the Interspace. How can they be here?” This was bad, very bad.

The Hunter shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“Can you pick up Zac’s signal?”

“No.”

“Ok, so we need to find them fast and we don’t know how big an area this is.” Val and the Hunter dragged the bus driver behind a bush. “We can come back for him later.”

Everything looked the same, trees, trees and more trees. Her instinct told her she should call out Zac’s name, but after the grim description of the Novelia that Sam had given her, she was frightened that they would hear her first. She came to an opening in the bushes, and unexpectedly, a car park. It was empty, but this was clearly somewhere people visited, which raised another problem - random tourists. Luckily, to one side of the car park was something she knew could help, a phone box. She ran into it, pulling up the receiver and praying it wasn’t just there for decoration. There was a dial-tone! She thought hard. Her parents wouldn’t be home, so she needed to contact someone else who would help her: Shane. “Come on,” She tapped her fingers on her head, concentrating hard. “The code is 01675 then his number was something to do with the devil... Yes 666! But what came first? Come on Val.” She banged the phone with her hand. Remember the card... 849666! That was it ‘The House of Art’. Val dialled the numbers, then realised she had no money. The phone took cards, but she had no pockets in her stupid special suit. If she’d had her jeans on this wouldn’t have been a problem.

She searched the box for an answer to her dilemma, and found what she needed right in front of her eyes. Reverse charges call. She dialled the number given on
the sign. “Please enter the number you wish to contact.” She tapped away. “Say your name after the tone.” The machine droned “Val Saunders.” The Hunter looked at her with a quizzical expression. She pointed at the phone and smiled. “Please wait while we try to connect you.” Val could feel her chest constricting with the stress of waiting. “The person you are calling will now be connected, thank you for using 0800 Reverse.”

There was a silence. “Shane?” Val wanted nothing more than to hear his voice.

“Is that you mate?” It was Jason. Tears welled in her eyes. “Val, are you there?”

“Thank God. Where is everyone? Are my parents ok? How can I get to Zac? I’m in some woods and I can’t find him. Please tell me what to do.”

“Ok you just popped up on my screen, and in the same place as Zac. You’re in Willingham Woods in Lincolnshire. Can’t tell you how great it is to see you flashing at me again,” he responded brightly. “Everyone’s ok. We’re all at Sam’s. Never knew call divert would come in this handy.”

She rested her head on the glass. These people were her family and she was home. “Fine, so now we both officially love BT. Tell me where he is?”

“Looks like he’s about four hundred metres away. Can you see an opening and a small bridge?”

She rubbed one of the grubby panes. “Yes, I can.”

“Ok, if you follow that path you’ll find him on the left. Val, things haven’t gone to plan. I’m so glad you’ve come home, the other Guard is just weird.”

“Well, maybe you’ll treat me a little better now then, like less training. Bye for now, see you soon.” She hung up. “Come on Hunter, we have a job to do.”

She started to run in Zac’s direction. If nothing else, she was getting fitter. Luckily for her, the ground was soft and her approach was practically silent. She focused and her helmet came up over her head. She surveyed the area, looking for any signs of life. Over by a tree she spotted three heat sources. They looked very much like the outlines of dogs. She slowed down, holding her hand up for the Hunter to follow suit. Glancing over in the other direction she saw there were bushes, trees and two bodies, one flat on the floor the other one leaning over it. Someone was down. She raced towards them, bursting through the ferns. To her guilty relief she found that it was Zac leaning over the Guard.

His eye’s lifted, distress and relief showing on his face at the same time. “Welcome. Please be careful, there are three Novelia here. I can’t help you as I have to stay with my Guard, but your arrival is excellent timing.”

Val realised he hadn’t recognised her. “Helmet off.” It shot back. “So you’ve got a new Guard. Let’s see if we can keep him alive.”

Zac looked genuinely shocked to see her. He stood up, looking her uniform up and down. “You’re a Magrafe! Of all the people in the galaxy!”

Ignoring his words, Val grabbed him and held him close. She didn’t care if he liked it or not. She had missed him so much. His hands patted her back, and she let him go. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, now let’s sort out our friend here and yes, I missed you too.” She couldn’t believe how good it felt to see him again. “Don’t worry, you’re not going to lose another Guard. What’s been happening?” They both knelt down by the Guard’s body.

“We detected the Novelia taking form and came to investigate. Jason was helping us while Shane, Belinda
and your father were trying to make Sam’s house safe. When we arrived, they were here waiting. One bit Fourteen and I managed to drive the others away, but he’s gone.” Zac’s voice was full of guilt. Val looked up to see the Hunter, who had allowed his Guard to leave him and come to Earth getting closer.

“Have they taken him?” he asked.

“Yes, but he fought bravely.” Zac moved to one side to allow him some room to get close.

Val felt his pulse. “He’s alive, Zac. He has a pulse, so why can’t we save him?” she asked.

“Because no one can escape from the Interspace, they keep you…”

“…I know, suspended in eternal pain, but if he’s suspended then surely he’s still alive. He has a pulse!” she repeated, feeling annoyed with this Interspace.

“Say you could save him, and that’s not the issue, the problem is I don’t believe you can get his body back to the Prison. You can’t teleport him there as he will show up as dead. Remember when we tried to get Flo back?” Zac reminded her.

“Have you ever heard of someone getting attacked by a Novelia outside the Prison?”

“Well no. It’s rare to find them anywhere else.”

“Then let’s stay optimistic. We need to get him somewhere safe for now and work out how to reunite him with himself.”

Val suddenly felt a presence. She turned to see three dogs creeping forward. She had seen their silhouettes before through her helmet, but now they were only a few feet away. “Labradoodles!” she exclaimed. “For heaven’s sake, they’re like the cutest things ever.” She retreated into nervous silence when one snarled. Its saliva dripped
onto the ground and she was horrified when it sizzled the grass into ash. “Labradoodles with acid dribble. Nasty! Are you ready to teleport?” Zac nodded and she grabbed hold of the Guard on the ground. “I’ll take him, don’t worry.” They were all extremely still; no one else was going to the wretched Interspace today. “Now.” she said quietly and they teleported out.