I dreamed of mother. She looked much older than I had remembered. She was standing in front of two large doors, her eyes closed and muttering in a language I could not understand. Another man, a gypsy probably, stood beside her. I tried to probe them both, but mother's shield was up, and the gypsy had a natural mind block. I wasn't in the mood to make any further attempts. A sudden wind whipped around us and mother opened her moss green eyes. That was the thing I remembered most about her: the eyes. She seemed to look straight at me, but I knew she couldn't see me...
I woke from the dream and looked around me. Eight consecutive nights I had dreamed of mother. The powerful Guildmistress of the Farseekers. One day she was here, the next she was gone. Vanished. No one had seen it coming; it was so unexpected. The horse and the cat had disappeared too. I pushed these thoughts from my mind. Mother wasn't a part of our lives anymore. She had left us, she didn't even say a word and father had been heartbroken. I possessed empath ability, and it had hurt to feel what father was feeling. He'd had a block up then, and the betrayal that had leaked under that shield had been heart wrenching. Although he had latent misfit powers, mother had managed to teach him to shield.
He should've shielded his heart instead.
I sighed and stared out my window. The sun loomed behind the mountains, a bright beacon of light. No one would be awake yet; it was still quite early. Maybe I could go for a ride before firstmeal. I dressed and quietly left the room, being careful not to wake Lynna. The air was chilly and I tightened my cloak around me, thoughts circling my mind. What language had she been speaking? Who was that gypsy? Diarmid had told me about the gypsies. Mother had known one of them in particular, perhaps that was the one I dreamed of. And what of the mad cat Maruman? I only had a few memories of him, but the gibberish that flowed from his mind haunted me a little. I shook my head and decided to farsend some of the animals as I drew closer to the farms. I let my mind soar around the fields, greeting the animals a good morning. Sometimes I prefered their company to that of humans, for they possessed wisdom that far surpassed ours. I entered the stables, allowing my probe to preceed me. To my surprise, someone else was already there. He became aware of my prescence and groaned. I walked by the stalls and found Gavyn sprawled on a bale of hay.
"Sorry" I said "I didn't mean to wake you."
He waved off the apology and rubbed his eyes "No. It's ok Calliope. I should be getting up anyway."
I sat on the bale next to him "What were you doing down here anyway?"
"Beastmerge," he replied with a yawn. I smiled. The animals insisted on holding their meetings in the middle of the night. It was a wonder Alad was able to wake up on time to work on the farms.
"So what are you doing here?" Gavyn asked. I shrugged.
"I woke early and decided that the mountains were beckoning," I answered. "I was wondering if I could go for a ride..."
"I'm sure Fortius would be willing to take you," he suggested, "they say he has the same longing for the mountains as his da did." I frowned at that.
"Gahltha you mean?"
"Yes. The animals were also acting strange in Beastmerge, talking of things from legends and free running. So he'll probably agree."
This intrigued me. "What legends were the animals talking of?"
He hesitated, before replying softly. "They were talking about the Innle."
I froze. The animals had called my mother Innle. I'd heard of the beast legends. They believed that the Innle would free the animals from humans, though I didn't know what my mother had to do with any of it.
"Calliope?"
"Yes?" I said, snapping out of my thoughts. There was no use pondering anyway. Mother was gone and that was that. I couldn't care less if she returned or not.
"I said you better get going," he repeated, "if you want to ride before first meal." I nodded and sought out Fortius. He was like his dad, people had said. The beastspeakers had told me that Gahltha had been bitter and hated humans, but then something happened and he became close to my mother.
"It is hard to deal with the loss of a parent" Fortius sent. I guess he had lost someone too, his da. Another strange thing. Why had Gahltha gone with mother anyway?
"Do not be angry/mad with Innle" he sent again. "She did not want/desire to leave you."
"How do you know?" I asked with a touch of bitterness. I immediately shook my head "I am sorry..."
"Innle nears the end of her quest," he said cryptically.
"What quest?" I questioned, but he would not divulge any further information. Like Gavyn said, Fortius was willing to let me ride into the mountains on him. As we set off, I felt the cold air whispering around me. We gathered speed and were soon riding at a gallop. I relished riding, for I could forget my troubles and enjoy myself at the same time. Fortius slowed to a canter and I admired the view. We were so high up, the trees and valleys were beautiful, I sometimes felt like jumping off and plummeting down. I sighed and examined the scenery longer, averting my gaze from the blacklands. I always tried to ignore the darkness of the blacklands. I guessed it wasn't as bad as from before I was born, for Jak's project with his poison eating beetles was already starting to show effect. I released a probe and soared around the mountains, stretching my limit. A few people were waking up now, thoughts of activity buzzed around. Zarak, the farseeker guilden, had once said that no Misfit was allowed to probe further than the mountains. I had found this quite impossible, for who could resist? When I told him that, he smiled and said that he hadn't, and that had gotten him in trouble with mother.
"We shall return to the barud," Fortius sent. I nodded and we cantered back to the building. Firstmeal would begin soon and my stomach was grumbling. As I passed the Teknoguilder caves, I met Diarmid.
"Good morning sister," he greeted. "Riding off into the mountains again?"
I smiled. "How did you ever guess?"
"Lynna farsent me." He explained. "She said that as she was waking, she felt some confusion and irritation on your part. Is there something wrong?" I scowled. A disadvantage of sharing a room with an empath sister. I made a mental note to keep my shield up at all times.
"A little to late for that," Diarmid grinned, catching my last thought. "So there is something wrong?" I kept my eyes in front of me and debated whether or not I should tell my brother of the dreams. He was a Teknoguilder and Futureteller; a strange combination. He would probably advise me to tell Maryon about it. Then again, he was my brother, so he might tell me a little more of mother. I looked up at him and saw that his grey eyes were staring off into the distance, as always. You could never be sure if he was reminiscing in the past or dreaming about the future.
"I've been dreaming of mother," I said at last.
"What's there to worry about then?"
"Diarmid, I've been dreaming of her for the past two weeks."
He kept his eyes forward, though I could tell his curiousity was piqued. "Really? What sort of dreams?"
I thought about it. "Usually memories and things I guess... some dreams have us in them, some don't. Like when I dreamt about mother arguing with father about us going to the Lowlands. And there were some other things too, like mother riding through the mountains."
"You must be walking the dreamtrails," he murmmured.
"I also dreamt that she was with a gypsy in front of two large doors. Somewhere hot and dry. Do you think that was a true dream?"
"Unless it recurs, then no," he answered. "But you don't have to worry about her..."
"Oh I'm not worried," I replied dryly.
"Look Calliope," he sighed. "I know you don't like mother very much, but she had her reasons."
"So it was all right to leave without a word? Without warning? Without a goodbye?" I asked him.
He opened his mouth to reply, but then he abruptly stopped. We were just on the path to the farms. "I'm going down to the Library under Tor. I'll be gone a few days; there's something Fian wants me to investigate, tell father." he said. "We'll talk more when I come back, but you might want to see the first and older dreamscapes..." He saluted me then gallopped off. I frowned. What relevance had the dreamscapes?
"Funaga do not always see/know what is in front of them," Fortius sent. "Perhaps Diarmidmind wishes for you to see something."
"Probably," I replied distractedly. We headed to the stables, then I went into Obernewtyn. I'd missed firstmeal already, so I decided to find father and pass on Diarmid's message. My probe found him in his rooms, along with Chames. I could tell they were talking about the running of Obernewtyn; Chames was going to be the next master of Obernewtyn, so it was logical. Diarmid and Chames were twins, and I remembered when mother and father were deciding which was to lead Obernewtyn. In the end it was decided that Diarmid should be left to his dreaming, and since Chames was a coercer beastspeaker, it would suit him better.
"Where were you at firstmeal?" he sent as I approached.
"I went for a ride, then I bumped into Diarmid at the Teknoguilder caves."
"You've been down there a lot recently, planning to choose it for your guild?" he joked. "You should tell father which guild you plan to go to for the next choosing ceremony. Lud knows you've put it off long enough." I pushed his probe from my mind and opened the door.
"Morning," I said, shutting the door behind me. Chames gestured to a chair and I sat down. I didn't have much to do today anyway, so I might as well stay a while and hear the plans, if father permitted me. "Diarmid will be at the Library for a few days." I told father. He frowned, but nodded. He was known for his dislike of historical puzzles, thinking them a waste of time and useless to the present. I disagreed with that, but never said so to him.
"Have we got a report on the situation in the lowlands?" father asked. Chames shook his head and they immediately fell into discussion. There was an incident in the Lowlands where some Misfits were targeted. Although we had gained safety through the alliance with the rebels, it did not mean that the people liked us. Old habits are hard to abandon, and the normal view of Misfits is one of monsters. How long would it take to gain acceptance? It has been years since the revolution, though the west coast was claimed only a year or two after that; the year I'd been born. Then there'd been a civil war. I'd heard many stories of the rebellion, and the Futuretellers had made a taperstry depicting it. The work had been wonderful and frightening, for it was an accurate portrayal, and reminded us that seven misfits had died in that rebellion, nine had died in the civil war. Both were caused by the hand of a rebel leader, Malik. I was glad the old sod was dead now.
"Calliope!" Chames jabbed mentally. I was pulled away from my thoughts again and wondered at how they changed so rapidly.
"Calliope..." Father said slowly. I banished my thoughts and focussed.
"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" I asked. Father shook his head, and I caught his thought about mother.
"Are you going to choose a guild this year?" he repeated "Moon Fair is coming up soon."
I bit my lip. "Do I really have to choose father? Can't I just attend guilds when I feel like them?... I cannot be restricted to just one guild...it would be so hard." Chames sighed but father laughed, to my surprise.
"I guess there is no harm in that," he said. I caught the thought that I was exactly like mother, and scowled. Why was she popping up all of a sudden? Or was it just me thinking it. I stood from the seat and headed for the door.
"Where are you going?" Chames called. I turned around.
"I'm a little tired from the ride," I replied. "I'll be going to my room to sleep for a bit. Wake me up in time for midmeal please." He nodded and I headed to my rooms. Sleep did indeed beckon, though I wondered at my fatigue. I wasn't usually tired from a ride to the mountains, it usually woke me up. I sighed and after a few moments I slept.
I saw mother again. I was used to these dreams by now, so instead of trying to wake, I merely observed. She was walking around a settlement, leading Gahltha. All around her were people working, most of them were in shackles and chains. I saw the sadness in her eyes as she looked around her.
"I cannot believe the cruelty of humans," she said softly. I opened up my senses and found that her sheild was down for once. I caught a memory of a dark cell, stinking and the people inside were gruesomely tortured. I shuddered. There was also an image of a slave, getting his teeth checked, and for some reason she was hoping. I hadn't had a clue whatever for though.
"Most funaga are monsters," Gahltha sent. She sighed and they continued walking, earning strange looks from other people. Her mind was wandering, but then she froze. I sensed that she had registered a mind pattern, one she knew well. She began to pick up her pace then, almost running to whatever she found. Gahltha had no trouble keeping up with her. She stopped suddenly in front of a group of slaves, being led by a man holding a whip.
"Matthew?" she sent strongly. One of the slaves turned to mother and his eyes widened in shock.
"Elspethelf?" he sent back hesitantly. "I mun be dreamin, it couldna be ye."
"It's me Matthew, it's me," she said, struggling to compose herself. I felt anxiety and sadness from Matthew, and it showed up clearly on his face.
"What is it Matthew? What's wrong?" Mother asked, sensing his discomfort. The stab of crushed hope Matthew felt almost brought me close to tears.
"They're taking us to the Pit..."
The dream abruptly faded and I felt a little annoyed. I opened my eyes and saw Lynna standing over me, looking confused and worried. For the second time that day, I felt annoyed at her empath ability.
"Chames sent me to wake you for midmeal," she said slowly. "Is something wrong sister?"
"I've just been having a few bad dreams, that's all," I lied. She didn't look convinced, but nodded anyway.
"Maybe you should write it down," she suggested before leaving. I had to do something about the dreams, I felt that they were trying to tell me something. As I left my room and headed for the eating hall, I went over the dream again and again. Matthew... he had been the farseeker ward, taken by slavers. I'd never seen him before in my life, but the image that I had always had of him was quite close to the real thing. What was the Pit? Why had she been so relieved? I decided to visit the Teknoguilder caves after midmeal. Perhaps they would have some answers for me there.
I ate some bread and butter and headed for the caves straight after I'd finished, leaving a confused Gavyn in my wake as I rushed off. I glanced around wildly for Fian and found him making some translations from the Jerman code.
"Fian, do you know anything about The Pit?" I asked hurriedly.
He raised an eyebrow. "The Pit?"
"Yes. The Pit. The Arena. Somewhere in the Land of the Red Queen." I stopped. Where had that information come from? It probably came unknowingly from mother's mind when I was probing earlier. I shook my head. Fian was giving me an odd look, then he shrugged.
"I do nowt know of any pit," he said, "but th' Land of th' Red Queen. Th' gypsies had stories about her and Kasanda. I've managed to link it together with my research in Sador..."
"What has Sador or this Kasanda to do with any of it?" I asked.
"Kasanda came from th' Land of th' Red Queen to Sador," he explained, "or that's what my research has lead me to believe. Maybe you'd like to see some of th' Dreamscapes. I remember that a distant land had been mentioned... maybe it was the one ye're looking for." He shrugged and looked down at his work. "So much to discover and so little time. Do you want to do a few translations?" I accepted, as there was nothing better for me to do at present. I was fluent in some of the ancient languages. I sat beside Fian and questioned him some more about Sador and Kasanda. They were irrelevant to what I was looking for, but it never hurt to keep some information just in case. He put aside the notes and searched through his chest for more. After a few moments of rustling paper, he produced a piece of parchment with rushed scrawl on it. I couldn't recognise the characters.
"What language is that?" I queried.
He grinned at me and flattened out the paper. "It's Gadfian. I had Diarmid scribe this out when Jakoby, a Sadorian leader, had visited. You might remember her from your trip to the Lowlands, but perhaps you were too young. Gavyn said she was there. Anyway, Sadorians speak the language in their chants, but do not write it. It took me a few years to learn the written language."
"If Jakoby visited here before I was born, how come you never translated that parchment after all this time?"
"There was the business with the rebellion, and we'd just discovered Jacob Obernewtyn's coffin. I guess I forgot about it," he joked, for Teknoguilders were known to be obsessive and forgetting something interesting would be rare indeed. "Then there was Jak's idea about clearing th' blacklands, and we found that diagram and th' like of the Zebkrahn and other machines like it. And after that there was the discovery that Jacob Obernewtyn's coffin didn't contain a body..."
"Fian," I interrupted. "I understand that and all, but I wouldn't have thought that you'd been so swift with translating your first Sadorian-"
"First Sadorian translation? Now where'd you get that idea?" he smiled. "Your mother was the one who gave me the first thing to translate."
"Mother?" I echoed. He nodded.
"It was so long ago, before you were born. I was quite surprised and wondered where she'd seen the symbols. She said she'd dreamt of them," he frowned. "I forgot what it said though. Maybe it's still up with some of her things."
My mind was reeling now. How had mother known of the Pit and the Gadfian characters? I looked outside and saw that it was getting late, it was time for me to head back. I said goodbye to Fian and left. Perhaps I would go to the Futureteller ward and ask for the dreamscapes like Fian and Diarmid had suggested. But after nightmeal, I felt tired again and decided to sleep. I brushed away Lynna's worries and fell asleep before my head hit the pillow.
The dream continued where it had left off, for once. I saw Mother's eyes widen as she registered the fact that the farseeker ward would be heading to his death. I saw her mind formulate a plan as she tried to confirm it with Matthew.
"You cannot get us out of here," Matthew sent, interrupting her thoughts.
"I won't let you be taken away a second time," she sent back. He gave a mental sigh but said nothing more. I saw a memory in his mind of a time when he was taken away on the slaver boat, mother riding away with tears streaming down her face. An idea came into mother's head, and for once she acted impulsively. I saw Matthew look at her in shock as she went direct into the path of the man with the whip.
"I wish to buy these slaves," she said with much bravado. The slave master looked at her incredulously.
"They are to be taken to the Pit by orders and you cannot do anything to stop it," he said. I felt a coercive probe on mother's part enter the man's mind with ease.
"I will give you more than they are worth," she said. She took a pouch from inside her gown and spilled its contents onto the ground. "There will be more for your silence"
"How are we supposed to entertain the crowds with only two batches of prisoners?" he muttered. She drove the thought deeper into his mind and at last he relented. "I don't know what you'd want with the filthy rascals," he said last. He undid the shackles and chains of the prisoners and all was still for a moment. I could feel her coercive probe erasing the previous few memories. The slavemaster and the prisoners left, until only two remained.
The dream then moved on to a different setting.
They were in some sort of hut, it was a very small one by the looks of it. Mother, Matthew and the other slave from earlier were sitting around a table. A pretty girl with golden curls soon joined them, and she passed around some cups of mead.
"There is so much to tell all of you," mother said with a smile. "Where should I begin?"
"Tell me everything from after I was kidnapped" Matthew suggested. She smiled and made a comment that he had not changed at all. She began a lengthy tale of the rebellion and its aftermath. I listened intently, with all my senses. She left a lot out, and her shield was back in place. I caught a few thoughts from her audience and smiled. Matthew had very romantic views on everything. Then there were a few questions about certain people, Dameon and Dragon among them. I frowned when I heard of the latter. She'd disappeared after mother.
"Daffyd has been looking for you," she said to Gilaine. The girl was mute, so she had to farsend.
"How was he?" she asked, eager for news. The other slave became alert and once, and I did a quick probe. I found his name was Jow and Daffyd had been his younger brother.
"I've not seen him for years... he just vanished," mother said sadly. A hush fell on the group and I wondered for a moment. How long ago had the events in this dream occurred? I saw mother shake her head and she continued.
"I had thought you would have been taken to the Arena already," she saw Matthew's look of confusion and added. "The Pit. I had a dream of it... So very long ago. You were with a woman named Bila and you had said that it was only a matter of time..."
"That had only happened a few days ago," Gilaine sent. "Perhaps it was a futuretelling when you had this dream. How long ago exactly was it?" Mother was about to answer, but then there was a knock on the door. I started, for I had not been paying attention to anything but the people inside the room. Mother stood without preamble and opened the door, revealing a slim figure with a cloak on. I wondered how they could be wearing such clothing in this heat, but then they removed the hood and I gasped when I recognised who it was. No one could ever mistake, nor forget, those beautiful blue eyes and copper red curls.
"I was a little worried when I received your probe," Dragon said out loud to mother. "I thought you might be in trouble-" she suddenly stopped speaking and her eyes came to rest on Matthew, who was just as startled as she was. There was silence for the second time. I felt some surprise and guilt from Matthew, and astonishment from Gilaine and Jow.
"You're the Red Queen." Jow said softly, and I saw an image in his mind of a large carving. It bore startling similarities to Dragon's countenance, there was no mistake.
"Does this mean that the rebels will rise?" Gilaine sent. Matthew was still silent and so was Dragon.
"Hello..." he said akwardly to her. Dragon's face was expressionless, but I felt a bombardment of different emotions, too quick for me to register. Mother pulled out another chair for Dragon and she sat.
"Is that why you have come here?" Matthew asked mother. She nodded. I tried to probe her, but her shield was up. Regardless of that, I could feel that she had another purpose entirely. Dragon nodded and looked Matthew straight in the eye.
"As you can see, I can remember everything now," she said. She glanced at mother, who nodded. I wondered what the empath coercer was thinking, so I probed her mind. I saw a memory of water, so much water with red. Blood. There was also an image of mother, probably from before I was born. The memory was playing in her mind as she continued "I remember everything," she repeated. "The death of my mother. The man who murdered her and how I came to the Land. I am no Queen, but it is my destiny and I have to do it. For my mother and..." she stopped midsentence.
"Ye nowt returning to Obernewtyn?" Matthew asked.
"I have not yet said goodbye, I want to go back at least once before I begin my reign here. I will need help for that though," she replied. There were so many emotions in the room. I tried to feel mother's emotions and found that she was folorn. Her shield slipped for a moment and I saw an image of father, me and my siblings, and some of the other Misfits. The others caught this quick thought as well.
"Who are they?" Mattew enquired, referring to the image of my family. "I recognise Rushton, but who are those children?" Mother gave him a faint, sad smile.
"They are my children..."
I woke up and stretched. Lynna wasn't in her bed, which meant that I'd woken up a little late. Everyone would probably be in the middle of or finishing Firstmeal, so I chose to skip it for the second time. I decided to go to the Futureteller wing, to collect the dreamscapes and diaries. I entered and caught sight of Crista, the Futureteller ward. She immediately came over to me and led me to Maryon's room.
"Guildmistress had seen that she'd get a visit from you," the ward informed me as we neared the doors. She told Maryon of my arrival and closed the door behind her. Maryon was sitting by a window, looking out to the green fields.
"I was wondering if I might see some of the dream diaries," I said quietly. Something about futuretellers always made me use a quieter voice than my normal one. The Guildmistress stood wordlessly and headed over to her table, where a book lay untouched it seemed, as there was a lot of dust on it. She brushed it off and handed it to me.
"That would be th' only one ye need to look a,t" she said "Off ye go now." She ushered me from the room and sent me outside. Crista led me out of the hall and I began to walk back to my room. I turned the book over in my hands and dusted it off a bit more. Why this particular one? As soon as I reached my room, I opened the book to its first page and frowned.
It was mother's dream diary.
The dreams were all about a particular place, or so it seemed. They were mostly dreams about Matthew, some of them were about an unknown person named Ariel. I wondered if anyone else had read it as I flicked through the pages. The words on paper seemed inadequete to the thoughts and emotions that she was feeling when she wrote it. I was only using a little of my talent, and yet I was getting a strong effect already. I sensed that she had left a world of detail out, but I could not link the thoughts together. Only those about Matthew and the Dragon beast made sense. I knew the story about how Dragon had invaded dreams and tried to attack mother on countless occassions. The thoughts began to clamour and I yawned. It would be best to decipher it more carefully when I had woken up a bit more. I set the book down and headed for the Empath guild. I felt obliged to tell Dameon of my dream, for it was clear that he and Matthew were close, and I could maybe find out a bit more of what mother was like. I startled myself. I didn't hate mother so much now, but why? Was it just because of the dreams? I had a feeling that they were trying to tell me something. My thoughts were going round and round and it was a little confusing. I turned a corner and almost bumped into two people.
"We sensed a lot of confused emotions from round the corner," Dameon commented, amused.
"You've missed midmeal. There is something bothering you, " Lynna sent on a shielded probe. "What's wrong?" she said aloud for Dameon's benefit. I deliberately transmitted emotions that I wished to speak to Dameon alone. Lynna would not be able to sense them, because her emotional shield was up whenever Dameon was around, and that made her receiving talent a little off.
"How were Freya and the babe when you checked on them this morning?" Dameon asked Lynna.
"She was fine," Lynna replied. "I imposed a light sleepseal. It was a long labour. Poor Ceriwan had to keep Aisling under control for some time. They went to visit Freya this morning. Maybe I should go check on them," she said muttering to herself, her healing instinct taking over. She left us and I took Dameon's arm.
"Now what is bothering you?" he asked in his gentle voice. I had no talent with subtlety whatsoever so I went straight to the point.
"Matthew. Do you remember him?" I queried. I felt a few different emotions then: hope, a little sadness and curiousity.
"Of course," he replied. "What would make you speak of him? He had been long gone before you were born."
"I had a true dream," I said softly. "I... I thought I should tell you. He was with mother."
"Is she all right?" I scowled. Did the whole world revolve around my mother? Why did everyone ask of her. It was quite logical actually, nevertheless it still annoyed me.
"Oh she's all right. Why wouldn't she be?" I answered hotly. I immediately felt guilty, because I knew that Dameon had once loved my mother. It was quite sad really. Sometimes I wondered what would've happened if he'd told mother of his feelings before father had. I could tell that now my sister was in love with the Guildmaster, and I was sure he knew it. He sighed and I'm sure he felt my emotions towards my mother.
"Sometimes we have to act without reasons and sometimes we must sacrifice the things we love. Perhaps the choice to leave you was not hers," Dameon stated.
"You sound like Fortius now. He told me the same thing. What's it supposed to mean?" I asked in confusion. He smiled.
"Exactly what I said," he replied. "The choice probably was not hers. Besides, you are not the only one who true dreams of your mother." His blind eyes seemed to look past my shoulder, and I sensed Lynna behind me. "Ah Lynna. Well, let us go then." She went to his side and flashed me a look filled with question.
"I hope you'll be at Nightmeal," was all she said. I nodded and they departed. I returned to my room and picked up mother's dream journal again. I flicked lazily through the pages and read over a few lines. My fingers froze as I reached a page and felt one of mother's clamouring thoughts push forward in my mind. An image of a yellowed paper came into focus. I flipped to the inside jacket of the book and pulled out a piece of parchment. It had many fold lines, so it had been read more than once. I smoothed out the slip of paper and gasped. It mentioned the seeker, Kasanda and the fifth sign.
What did it mean? I felt a strange sensation come over me, and I felt myself being pulled to the dreamtails. I was either slipping into a trance or a futuretelling.
It was in the dead of night, there was no Beastmerge. A rather ugly and deformed looking dog came limping up to the farms. It had horrible burns and looked rather pitiful. I watched on as a cloaked figure approached the creature. The person lifted off their hood and I saw their face. Mother. She bent down to the dog and sighed. She didn't say anything, but I could see flashing images of a young boy singing.
"I'm sorry about Jik, Darga," she whispered finally. The dog let out a mental sigh.
"It was not your fault, but I grieve/am saddened for him to this day," Darga sent. They were silent for a few more minutes, then Darga sent another thought.
"It is time," he sent simply. Mother's head snapped up.
"Now?" she murmured incredulously. "But... you are injured. You cannot go like that. Let us go back to the Healer Hall..."
"No." Darga sent firmly. "Innle must begin the quest tonight. Did not the FireBirds send for you?"
"I didn't realise it would be so soon," she said quietly. I sensed a few conflicting thoughts and finally she nodded. "I will go. Just let me find Maruman and Gahltha." She farsent the two and they came to her immediately.
"We are ready." Maruman sent. She looked to the castle and I couldn't see her face.
"Will I be allowed to say goodbye?" she asked. The dog replied in the negative.
"Much time has already passed, the glarsh have been asleep/dormant," Maruman said. "You still have much time and things to do before the quest is ended/finished."
"The Hryaka moves too," Darga added. Mother nodded.
"Then let us go," she said. I couldn't read her thoughts, and her voice was free from emotion. Hesitantly, I used my empath ability and sensed an endless void of emotions. Sadness, inevitability, fear, worry. There was also a feeling of purpose and motivation. The moment seemed to last an eternity as the four figures moved silently through the night...
The scene changed abruptly and I came to a different setting. The event only occurred a few days after mother's disappearance.
I saw my five year old self, head leaning out Magi cart window and frowning slightly. There was a strong flow of sadness and a little betrayal being emitted from the wagon troupe. Father was riding one of the horses, the greatest of feeling was coming from him. I felt a sting as I remembered how I'd hated mother, and just a few moments ago she'd been radiating such swell of emotions. Father and mother had both been fighting battles with their feelings then. I saw the friendly giant, Brydda Llewlyn draw his horse alongside of Father's.
"I appreciate you still coming to this meeting after... what happened," he said. Father nodded and kept his eyes forward.
"We'll find Elspeth," Brydda told him fiercely.
Father shook his head. "Not if she does not want to be found."
"What do you mean?" Brydda asked, taken aback.
"Diarmid came to me... a few hours after she left," father murmured quietly. "He said not to look for her... she had something to do and she didn't want me looking for her."
"But the boy is a child!" Brydda exclaimed incredulously. "He does not know what he's saying."
"He had a futuretelling. I trust him and I trust Elspeth," father replied simply. He fell silent and stared into the distance. His eyes burned with pain and the sorrow he was feeling made me want to cry. Sometimes I caught that look in his eye, even now. Sometimes after he looked at me, sometimes after he spoke to Chames. How could he bear us when we reminded him so much of her? We neared Sutrium, and I followed the progress eagerly. I slipped into my child self whilst father told me to stay with the magi. He then went into a rather nice house. I could hear the conversation between my father and the host.
"Greetings Dardelan," father said, shaking the other man's hand.
"We're sorry about Elspeth," Dardelan said earnestly. "I'd hoped she'd be here to give evidence against Malik. Kella and Domick are here." Father nodded and followed him inside. I felt a tug on my shoulder. Gavyn and Chames stood behind me.
"Come on Calliope," Gavyn said. "The magi are performing."
"Okay," I replied, following them to the town square. The Magi were rather famous around the Lowlands. The coercers always put on a fantastic performance. I let myself enjoy the show, trying to figure out why I didn't remember this particular moment. Suddenly, I sensed a distinct mind pattern, along with a flow of gibberish.
Mother.
The gibberish was probably the cat. I slipped out of my child form, watching myself perk up and move away from my brother. Green eyes flashing with excitment and curiosity, I watched myself put on a coercive shield and enter the Sutrium council. It was a good shield for a child, for no one saw me enter the building. Father and some people I guessed were rebel leaders were seated, a grey eyed man glaring at them all furiously. It was clear he was on trial. It must've been for the death of those Misfits, all that time ago. I'd almost made it to father without being discovered, when I felt a coercive probe hit my shield. I watched myself deflect it, but being a five year old child, it did not occur to me to maintain the shield while deflecting. A few people gasped as I came into view, and father looked rather angry at me.
"Domick!" my younger self exclaimed in exasperation. Chames came running in after me looking slightly baffled. Father looked like he was about to yell. I felt myself empathise some calm and curiosity to him and he calmed down a little. The grey eyed man took one look at me and I caught his thought.
Looks just like that Misfit bitch.
Chames and my younger self both flinched, then my brother rounded on the man on trial.
"What did you say about my sister!" he yelled loudly. The whole room seemed a little surprised at that.
"I didn't say anything boy." The man, who I guessed was Malik, replied steadily. I glared.
Yes you did I sent to the man. It was his turn to flinch. I could hear myself taunting him, getting mad at him. He stood up and began yelling.
"All right! So I orchestrated that little 'accident' with those mutated monsters. They deserved to die! You deserve to die! You filthy Misfit!" he turned to my father "Get that little wench of yours to get out of my head!"
"But the demon band..." Kella started. Domick shook his head.
"The new generation are building resistance to tainted water and natural mind blocks," he whispered. "Jak told me that." Father came up to me and Chames and pushed us outside. He scolded both of us and sent us back to the Magi. Chames obediently went back, but I stayed. I watched five year old Calliope tug on father's pants.
"Father! Please listen," she begged. "I-" she stopped mid sentence, and Father's head snapped up. I looked around as well. We could all sense her. Father went running off in the direction leading out the city and near to the beach. I followed myself and father. When my younger form caught up, mother and father were in a tight embrace. She was crying and pulling away.
"Please Rushton," she said, furiously brushing away at her eyes and stepping back. "I have to go..."
He grabbed her by the shoulders made her look at him. "Why? Diarmid said to let you go but I want to know why." She gave a sad sort of smile and kissed him.
"I cannot tell you," she replied sadly. "I love you. Tell everyone back at Obernewtyn I love them too. Now let me go." She noticed my prescence and kneeled down. She called me to her and I ran.
"I'm sorry," she said. I felt the coercive probe, erasing the memory from my mind. My younger self fell asleep in her arms. She gave me to father and hugged him again.
"Don't come after me. I love you," she said. She kissed him one last time and ran off before he could catch her again.
Now I knew why I never remembered. I felt Lynna's mind trying to tear me away from the dreamtails, but I didn't want to leave. I went deeper into the depths of my mind and found myself in another place yet again.
I saw Misfits being burned, tortured because they were different. I saw mass murder, mutilated bodies crawling on the ground and gasping for air. I saw clouds of purple mushrooms blossoming in the air and people dying. I saw animals being treated cruelly, large white towers replacing the trees of the forest. I could feel poison engulf me. The images I saw were horrible, I knew a few of them were of the beforetime. Some of them were from now; from my own time and world. Theyd bombarded me and they didn't make any sense at all. They were just all so horrific.
Then I realised. This was reality. This is what happened, and what would happen.
And suddenly, the images stopped rushing towards me.
I was surrounded by rotting, barren land. The air itself was poisoned, as was the water and the ground. The trees were mutated, everything was dark. It was like the place was in a constant storm. There was no life here.
This was the is what would happen if what I just saw did not stop.
I looked around me and sensed another mind. It wasn't normal though. It didn't seem to be real. I walked a little further and found myself facing a large, circular tower with a strange symbol on it. This is what the beasts had called the Glarsh. It emitted a beautiful, terrible power and I felt it overwhelming me. Cruel laughter rang out behind me and I turned swiftly. A handsome man, as old as my mother perhaps, stood behind me. He grinned at me savagely. I don't know how, but I knew him. I stared at him in horror.
"Ariel" I whispered. He laughed.
"Ah yes! But it was not you I was looking for," he said seductively. "Do not worry, you aren't the one whom I'll destroy. Although you too, will be gone in a matter of days."
Mother.
"You want mother?" I asked, fearful. He smiled.
"Sharp little girl, aren't you?" he replied. He began to laugh sickeningly again and I felt my head throbbing.
"Calliope?"
I turned around again and this time I saw my mother. She looked a little older than when I had seen her in the vision with Matthew. I heard Ariel's insane laughter stop abruptly.
"Hello Elspeth," he greeted, flashing another smile. I jumped into a defensive position in front of mother.
"Get away from her!" I screamed. I burst into tears and sank to the floor. The throbbing in my head grew louder and louder, the darkness and poison began swirling and my vision faded. I felt a hand come down on my shoulder.
"Calliope?" mother asked again. I looked around me. We were no longer in the Blacklands, but high in the mountains. I threw my arms around mother and the tears just kept on coming.
"Why did you leave? Come back please please please." I begged. Her arms came around me and she began rocking me back and forth.
"I can't come back," she whispered into my hair. "I won't come back. You know that. I left for a reason that's more important than me, more important than you, more important than any of us."
"What reason?"
She smiled. "I can't tell you exactly. You'll realise. You're a smart girl. I never wanted to leave."
I sniffed and held on tighter. "Why have I been dreaming of you?"
"I was trying to reach you all for some time," she replied. "You've been receiving some of my memories on the dreamtails." I stared at her for a moment, and the force of what she said finally hit me.
"You said you weren't coming back. Why aren't you coming back?" I asked, wiping away my tears.
"I won't be here to come back," she answered. I was about to speak, but she turned me to face the view. Overlooking the world. "I would die to save this world than to live and see it destroyed.".
"I don't understand..." I started.
"You will in good time," she assured me. "Matthew and Dragon should be coming in a few days." She looked off into the distance "I probably shouldn't call her that anymore. Tell Dameon and your father they're coming." I held onto her for a few moments more.
"How do I know this isn't just a dream?" I asked.
"Anything can happen on the Dreamtails darling," she said softly "I'll go now. Be a good girl. Take care and fight for a better world. Remember I love you all." She hugged me tightly, kissed me on the forehead then suddenly, my vision began to blur and I felt myself rising to consciousness.
"I love you mama. Goodbye."
Her voice replied like an echo. "I love you too. Remember that darling..."
I woke up and found that my father, brothers and sister were all crowded round me. I touched a finger to my eyes and felt that they were wet. I was still crying. Lynna was looking at me worriedly, Diarmid was looking at me with understanding. Chames was looking a little confused and father was looking shocked. He suddenly put his arms around me and I found I needed to cry some more.
"Are you all right? You were crying for your mother," he said. "And you were screaming for Ariel. How do you know Ariel?"
"She said she loved us and she wants us all to remember that," I replied quietly. The tears just kept streaming down my face. "She's not coming back daddy. I think she's going to die..." He looked stricken for a moment, and I just couldn't stop crying.
"She loves us... she said she loves us," I kept repeating. I felt Chames and Diarmid hug me, and Lynna patted me on the head.
"She came to me once or twice before," Diarmid said. "She told me she wasn't coming back..."
"She told me to look after Diarmid, Lynna and you." Chames added
"She told me to look after Father," Lynna said, putting a hand on father's shoulder. I empathised what I'd felt from mother, and at once we all understood. We were family after all. At that moment, I felt I understood her. Everything. I can't exactly explain, but I knew that everything wouldl be fine. We'd all feel a little sorrow, but we'd survive with each other. I felt mother had trusted me to do something. Fight for a better world. That image I'd gotten of the Blacklands had made an impact. It was the result of what the Beforetimers did and also a glimpse into the future. I didn't want our world to come to that. She'd shown me the times when Misfits had been treated badly. That was for a reason too.
I'd fight for a better world. I wouldn't fail her.