Freek (part 3)
He smiled sadly. "Hey Elf."
The tears were still running down my face. "How... I thought you were dead."
"I know."
I looked at him surprised.
He smiled. "I coerced Rosamunde to believe that I died." He explained.
"Why?" I asked startled.
"I... I need to do some things." He said hesitantly. "I had to disappear."
"You couldn't even let me know?" I asked bitterly. "I'm your sister, for Lud's sake!"
"No, I couldn't. I'm sorry Elf." He said sadly.
I didn't speak for a while, then said coldly. "So why are we here? What needs to happen?"
"You'll find out soon enough. I don't even know fully what needs to happen." He said.
I stood thinking, then suddenly said. "Have you met Eowen?"
He nodded. "I was the one who sent her to Obernewtyn, to find you."
"How did you know I was still there? Still alive?" I asked.
"I heard a lot of reports about you." He replied shrugging.
"Reports?" I asked anxiously. "By who?"
He smiled slightly. "Good you're wary." He said. "Reports by the rebel council." He explained.
"You're a rebel?" I asked amazed.
He shook his head. "Yes, and no. I... I'm the" he paused. "I'm only telling you this because you need to know. I'm the councils spy within the rebels." He turned away.
I felt my anger rise. "The spy?" I asked angrily. "After all the filthy council has done to you, you still work for them?"
"I do what I have to do!" he replied irritably "don't start getting damn moral on me now!"
"Well what do you want me to do?" I asked. "You just told me you're working for the council!"
He was silent. We both sat in silence for a couple of minutes until I finally said. "Who is Eowen?"
He turned back to face me. "I suppose Rosamunde told you about the misfits I met and joined?" he paused, waiting for an answer.
I nodded.
"She's one of them" he finished.
I paused. "So, why are you working for the council?" I asked calmly.
"I had to. We need security and information." He replied.
"Information about what?" I asked.
He looked at me, as if trying to work out whether to tell me. Finally he said. "How much they knew about misfits. About our kind."
"You make it sound as if we are another species" I said accusingly.
"Well, what do you think we are? The next step in evolution?" he asked sarcastically.
"no." I said bitterly. "We're just mutants, freaks. Just like you always thought!"
"We're not mutants." He replied. "We're..." the door opened. We both turned towards it annoyed.
Eowen stood in the doorway, nervous.
"Jes" she started. "We need to go."
"Can't it wait?" he asked after a second.
She shook her head. He sighed then turned to me. "You're about to find out why you're here." He said
I answered calmly. "Well, let's go then."
Jes followed Eowen out of the room. I trailed along after him. We came to a barricaded door. Jes turned to me and said.
"Have you seen a beforetimers machine?"
I nodded. "Why?" I asked.
"We have one here." He replied.
"Is that what you're taking me to see?" I asked.
He nodded.
"Why is it important?" I questioned.
"As a machine it's not important" He replied. "But the information on it is."
"What's the information?" I asked.
"You" He said simply.
"What?" I asked surprised and confused.
"The information's about you. About who you are." He explained.
I raised an eyebrow at him.
"ElspethInnle" he whispered softly.
I froze.
"Don't worry, Elf. No one else knows, and you trust me right?" he said.
I stood appraising him. "Can I trust him?" I asked myself.
He saw my expression. "Come on Elspeth!" he exclaimed.
I looked at him, not saying anything.
"You don't trust me?" he asked.
"Why did Eowen bring me here?" I asked, not answering the question.
"So you could see the information." He told me. "There's something that you have to know, something that's on the machine."
"What are we waiting for then?" I asked impatiently.
He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it and turned around to open the doors to the barricaded room.
"It's in here" he said.
Eowen walked into the room, over to a table in the middle. I followed her and saw the beforetimers machine. She pulled a lever, and some writing popped up on a screen. "Read it" she said.
I started reading.
"For the one who must find the signs I have left, and has found the first sign in a place where she has never been before. With Dragon, the Moonwatcher, and the Daywatcher by her side, she must now search for the second sign in a place never before entered by anybody. Beware the trigger that will destroy the (blank) (blank)."
I looked up. Eowen looked questioningly at me.
"Did you understand any of that?" she asked.
"A little" I said vaguely. Thinking about what it said. "I'm going to send my mind into the machine." I told her.
"Elspeth, NO!" Jes exclaimed, overhearing our conversation.
"I have to." I said earnestly. Before he could start an argument with me, I sent a probe out carefully towards the machine. I slowly penetrated the surface, and delved deeper. I saw flashes of images of the Great White, then of Darga and Maruman. I caught a vision of woodwork like the old doors of Obernewtyn, when my probe brushed against an object.
I saw a flash of light and heard a voice in the distance. "Elspeth, get out of there!" it was Eowen. I quickly pulled my mind out.
"What happened?" I sent to Eowen.
She didn't answer. I sent a probe out to Eowen and she clasped tightly onto it with her mind, and meshed with mine.
"What are you doing?" I mentally shouted.
I vaguely felt a tingling in my body, then blacked out.
I woke up. I felt disoriented.
"What happened?" I asked myself mentally.
"The beforetimers machine exploded." Eowen sent.
I tried to stand, but seemed to have no control over my body. I looked over to my right and saw Jes kneeling beside a body. It was mine. I looked down at the body I was in.
Eowen sent mentally. "When the machine exploded, your body died. But because your mind was meshed with mine, it fled to my body." She explained.
"That's not possible." I sent to her.
"But it happened." She sent back.
I/Eowen stood up and walked over to Jes.
Jes spoke. "I can't believe she's dead. Eowen's dead." He said. I/Eowen started from shock. "He thinks I'm you." Eowen sent.
"I kind of got that!" I sent back snappishly. "Let me handle this."
"I'm so sorry about this." I/Eowen spoke.
"You don't understand, Elspeth!" Jes said unhappily. "She was my bondmate!"
I gasped. "You never told me that." I sent accusingly to Eowen.
Jes started crying. Eowen took control and pulled Jes into a hug. "I'm sorry Jes." She said tearfully with my voice.
He tried to calm himself. "You'll probably have to leave now, wont you?" he asked.
I/Eowen nodded. "I have people waiting outside." I/Eowen said.
"Go then." He told me calmly.
"Are you sure you're going to be alright?" I/Eowen asked.
He nodded. "Go do what you have to."
I/Eowen turned around and started walking out of the room. Near the door, I/Eowen turned round to look at him, then sighed and left.
I/Eowen walked down the hall, then down the stairs and out the door. Rushton and Swallow were standing just outside the door. They turned when they heard my/Eowen's footsteps.
I/Eowen stopped. Swallow stared at me/Eowen.
"So which one are you? Elspeth or Eowen?" he asked confused.
"We have to be you." Eowen sent to me.
"Elspeth." I/Eowen croaked out.
"What happened?" Rushton asked.
I/Eowen swallowed nervously. "Eowen died." I/Eowen told them
"Why? What happened? Who was in there?" Rushton questioned.
"me" Came a voice from behind. I/Eowen spun round. It was Jes.
"I've changed my mind Elf. I want to go to Obernewtyn with you." He said.
"Who are you?" Rushton asked, annoyed.
"I'm Jes." Jes said. "Elspeth's brother. And who are you?"
"I'm Rushton." Rushton replied.
"He's my bondmate, Jes." I/Eowen said. "Can we go now?" I/Eowen asked hesitantly.
Rushton nodded.
THE END!