Ice Phoenix

Her words could not have been more dramatic. Everyone in the room suffered varying degrees of facial deformity from the shock. Raimus led the pack by putting on an impressive display of puffing his cheeks out to engulf his face and flapping his ears fast enough to generate a light breeze.

“While I was expecting something bad, I certainly wasn’t expecting this,” murmured the grandmaster to the queen.

“Your Highness, when you say demons, you are speaking metaphorically?” said Talinuk Ferro. “Demons don’t exist.”

The queen drew in a slow breath, her gaze travelling over Talinuk Ferro. He turned slightly blue, and her eyes lit up in amusement.

“Demons have always existed, Master Ferro. There are many accounts of them in the myths, legends, and tales passed down through families. This alone may not be enough to convince us of their existence, but chronicles that lie scattered across the ten sectors note their arrival in our part of the world. These chronicles recorded, if only in passing, that they appeared in different sectors of UWIB around the same time. This happened over three thousand years ago, and because our ancestors were initially terrified by their appearance, they were given the name demon.

“They turned out to be a bloodthirsty, warmongering race that terrorised our ancestors. From what I could gather, after going through all the records I could possibly find, they came through a gate and nearly wiped out entire civilisations before vanishing suddenly. No one ever heard or saw them again.”

Talinuk Ferro shook his head. “I still think it’s speculation, Your Highness. The ten sectors didn’t create a unified historical archive until much later — two centuries after UWIB was formed, to be precise. Historical accounts of the past were sketchy at best. It’s highly likely that these demons were nothing more than a troublesome race going around scaring people.”

“Your reasoning has merit, Master Ferro,” replied the queen, “and I would lend it more weight had I not seen one myself.”

Talinuk Ferro paled. “You saw one? How is that possible?”

“Allow me to explain.”

Everyone fell silent.

“As the grandmaster has informed you, an attempt was made on my life. During my encounter with the assassin, I was able to slip into his mind and I caught a glimpse of the planet Kiranta, in Sector Seven. Unfortunately, in my poisoned state, I failed to keep the assassin alive. The fight was ... unusual.”

The queen’s voice hardened. “The qi that flowed within the veins of the assassin was unlike anything I had encountered before. It was powerful and volatile, and the assassin required considerably less effort to control it than we need to control ours. He was more in tune with his abilities than anyone I’ve ever seen. It is even possible that he was harnessing completely different properties of qi altogether.”

“That would make sense,” said the grandmaster thoughtfully. “Or in any case, explain what could have happened to Master Jingo. We had already surmised that he had encountered something he could not or did not understand, and as a result, he failed to protect himself. He was unable to overpower his assassin simply because his own qi attacks were ineffective.”

“I felt the same as the queen,” said Baneyon. “I had no idea that I had been compromised because I failed to detect the foreign qi entering my body. Even after I had blocked off my qi points, the attacker was able to command my qi, even to the extent of knowing its abilities and creating the air-blades in the sky. Whoever he was, he was more than just a formidable opponent.”

“We also mustn’t forget the unmapped planet that Baneyon discovered in the assassin’s mind,” added Kuldor. “We couldn’t locate it in any of the thirteen sectors.”

Murmurs filled the room as the Imeldors tried to make sense of what the queen, Baneyon, and Kuldor had said. The air was thick with apprehension as they realised the queen was convinced the demons existed.

“Forgive us for the interruption, Your Highness,” said the grandmaster. “Please continue with your story. You were about to confirm the existence of the demon.”

The queen nodded graciously. “With Master Morix and Lady Anrath, we travelled to the planet Kiranta in Sector Seven. It is a primitive planet, where its inhabitants still worship gods, and fire is their greatest invention. So we were surprised when we discovered a void-ship — a ship especially designed to enter one area of Dartkala — docked in the planet’s atmosphere.”

“Where would that be?” asked Baneyon.

“Olden Kartath.”

Stunned silence. Even the grandmaster appeared astounded.

“No one travels to Olden Kartath and survives, Your Highness,” said Raimus, visibly shaken. “The time fluctuation belts surrounding the planet would destroy anything in their path. We aren’t even certain if its inhabitants are still alive.”

“I’m sorry to prove you wrong on both counts, Master Jigahart,” replied the queen. “It is possible to survive the time belts because Master Morix, Lady Anrath, and I have just returned from Olden Kartath. What is more, its inhabitants were very much alive and not happy to see us.”

Raimus fell back in his seat. Everyone else just gaped, including the grandmaster.

“Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t easy coming out of there alive,” the queen said wryly. “But right now I cannot afford to tell you how we escaped. I must move on with the story for we do not have much time if my assumptions are correct.”

No one dared to interrupt her.

“Once again, we were forced to dig out more scraps of history — particularly concerning Olden Kartath. Like you, we wondered why there was a void-ship docked in Kiranta, ready to fly into Olden Kartath. What could possibly be there, that someone was willing to risk their life for? I believed we could find the answer in our past. At this point, I am forced to provide you with a history lesson.”

Her gaze made everyone feel uncomfortable. “How did the ten worlds discover one another before coming together to create the United Worlds of the In-Between?”

“That’s a no brainer,” answered Raimus. “Before they lost their minds and shunned the world, the Ancients of Olden Kartath left a map to the inhabitants of Sector One. It was a map of all the sectors and the gateways leading into and out of them. The Ancients were the earliest explorers of Dartkala and were responsible for making first contact with many of our worlds. Because of that map, all ten worlds entered their exploration phase around the same time.”

“And did we explore everything in that map?” the queen asked.

“I believe so,” answered Raimus. “We can’t go beyond the boundaries of the map because of the Voron Cloud.”

The Voron Cloud he was referring to was the great stretch of purple matter that cut off Sector One at one point and destroyed every living or mechanical object that entered it. The thirteen sectors led down and away from Sector One and had been systematically explored. Cosmologists, astrophysicists, and astronomers believed, however, that there could be more worlds waiting to be discovered beyond the Voron Cloud.

Raimus didn’t like the way the queen looked at him, and he shrunk back in his seat like a naughty child hoping not to be noticed.

“But there was a time, Master Jigahart, when our ancestors did go through the Voron Cloud. A time, for some reason or another, that was never properly recorded in history.”

“What has this got to do with the demons and Olden Kartath?” asked Talinuk Ferro.

“It’s kind of obvious,” said Baneyon. “Especially since we’ve just learned that our ancestors went through the Voron Cloud. The demons want something from the people of Olden Kartath and, whatever it is, it has something to do with the Cloud.”

“Very astute, Baneyon,” said Master Drummik, shaking his head. “Now could the both of you please shut up and let Her Highness speak?” He ignored the evil looks sent his way.

“Please bear with me,” said the queen, “because everything I say from this point on is based on hypothesis, put together by scraps of information that Master Morix and Lady Anrath were able to gather for me.

“As Master Ferro had pointed out earlier, UWIB did not create an historical archive until two centuries after the ten sectors formed a union. Any information before that time was sketchy and inaccurate, most of it scattered between the ten sectors. That being said, we also assumed that UWIB came into being out of everyone’s desire to maintain peace in the universe.

“However, based on the information we’ve been able to piece together, there may have been another reason, possibly a much darker one, behind the creation of UWIB. That reason could have been a war that crossed over ten sectors and resulted in entire civilisations being eradicated. The chronicles say nothing of how long it lasted, but throughout the texts, one name is mentioned frequently. The Dream Walker. He appeared out of nowhere, and wherever he went, destruction followed. Curiously enough, the demons appeared around the same time he did.”

“So there is a possibility that this Dream Walker was aligned with the demons? Or was he also a demon?” Master Drummik asked, looking thoughtful.

“It is logical to think that,” said the queen. “I was fortunate to have come across a journal written by an early historian called Flimus Flamus, who recorded some events of that war. It is mainly through his written accounts that I was able to gather he surmised that the ten sectors united in what was considered to be their final act of desperation against the Dream Walker. They did this because they were close to annihilation. A total of ten lacers and weavers were sent to Sector One to defeat the Dream Walker, and leading this group was a powerful weaver called Namasar. Namasar was rumoured to possess a pendant that could transport him and the other nine people through the Voron Cloud.”

“Dartkala, this is unbelievable,” muttered Talinuk Ferro. The queen ignored him and continued.

“By Namasar’s side was a woman called Skra. She, too, possessed a pendant. Namasar and Skra were lovers, and Namasar was never seen without her. Skra was not part of the ten who were selected to go through the Cloud, but records indicate she went anyway. The ten people who were chosen to fight the Dream Walker were unable to defeat him. They died, including Namasar, but not before they banished the Dream Walker to a place far beyond our sectors.”

“Dartkala’s breath! They banished him beyond the Voron Cloud!” cried out Raimus.

“That’s impossible!” snarled Talinuk Ferro. “Utter rubbish! No one can pierce the Voron Cloud. We, the most supreme of all the sectors with our machines and science, have failed to find a way through — how is it possible that people from over three thousand years ago could achieve it? It makes no sense!”

“It does when you consider that the people who had given Namasar and Skra the pendants were the Ancients of Olden Kartath,” the queen said sharply.

“And you know this, how?” snapped Talinuk Ferro.

“I am hypothesising,” replied the queen, “based on what I discovered later from my time in Olden Kartath. Allow me to finish and it will become clearer.” Her harsh tone hinted at her impatience.

“Flimus wrote that only Skra returned. Namasar’s pendant had been completely destroyed, but he and the others had at least succeeded in sealing their enemy away. With the danger gone, many people lusted after Skra’s pendant, but she realised this and vanished soon after. She was never seen again despite many attempts to locate her.”

The queen paused to make herself a drink. Ice appeared above her and she shaped it into a glass, filling it with water. She plucked it midair, took several sips, and then consumed the entire glass. With her thirst quenched, she continued.

“I believed that someone was still searching for Skra’s pendant, and the answer to its whereabouts lay in Olden Kartath. We tailed the void-ship into Olden Kartath, initially believing its citizens were hiding the pendant. In the craziness that ensued, we saw one of the demons for the first time.

“You need to understand, Olden Kartath is a frightening planet. Your mind is not your own and everything that lies within is openly splayed for everyone to see. The people are telepathically linked and they know the moment someone has entered their domain.”

“So what you are saying, Your Highness, is that you cannot hide your thoughts?” asked Grandmaster Deitrux.

“Correct, Grandmaster. And more importantly, you can hear what everyone else is thinking. Although we saw only one demon, we could hear the others’ thoughts. To our surprise, we discovered they had not entered Olden Kartath to steal the pendant. They had gone in to steal something else just as valuable.”

“What would that be?” asked Baneyon.

“A map,” replied the queen.

“A map?” said Raimus in surprise, his ears waggling quickly.

“A very special map. It is called the tonien and it is a living map of Dartkala. When it is activated, it shows every living thing in Dartkala. It is a piece of the In-Between, and whatever exists in the In-Between, exists in the tonien.”

“Dear Dartkala, that’s incredible!” Raimus cried. “The Kartathians actually possess such technology?”

“But why would the demons have wanted it? Is it capable of revealing the pendant’s location? If I understood you correctly, you said it was a map of living things. The pendant is not living, surely?” said Baneyon.

The queen smiled sadly. “You are ever so perceptive, Baneyon. The pendant is not a living entity, and it wouldn’t be on the map. But there is something else that I think could appear on the tonien and, even now, I pray that I am wrong.”

A glass crashed to the floor and the others looked at Master Morix in surprise. His hands were shaking, his complexion pale. “Don’t mind me,” he said, his voice terse. “I’m just suffering the after effects of returning from Olden Kartath.”

“The tonien,” continued the queen, “contains the Dream Walker’s coordinates.”

Talinuk Ferro snorted. “Fat help that is! It’s been more than three thousand years since that ‘supposed’ war. The Dream Walker’s dead, if he ever existed.”

The queen shook her head. “He’s not dead, Master Ferro.”

“What? That’s just plain nonsense! No matter how powerful he was, there is no way the Dream Walker could have lived for three thousand years!”

The queen sighed heavily. “Did you ever pause to wonder why the people of Olden Kartath withdrew into their world, Master Ferro? Or why they hallucinate and infect every traveller who crosses their Space with terrible visions? The existence of the Dream Walker and the Kartathians’ hallucinations are linked. The Dream Walker is not dead. ”

Talinuk Ferro said nothing. Neither did anyone else.

“Even before this came to light, we all believed that something catastrophic happened to the people of Olden Kartath. That belief is founded because those hallucinations are their memories. Those images of death and destruction that were reported — they were only but a glimpse of what happened to them. Only when the Dream Walker is dead, will the people of Olden Kartath stop hallucinating.

“During my attempt to stop the demons, the people willingly linked with me. That act nearly cost my life, but I was able to glean this much — should the demons succeed in activating the tonien, it will spell doom for every sector. Just before my link with the people was broken, they told me one last thing, ‘the Dream Walker still lives’. It is at this point I deliver the worst news ... the demons stole the tonien."

There was a long silence, and an unspoken fear grabbed at everyone’s hearts as they struggled to make sense of the queen’s words.

“This does not bode well,” said the grandmaster gravely. “For the citizens to have reached out to you, the situation must have been dire. I trust you knew the difference between the thoughts of the demons and the citizens?”

The queen nodded. “There was no doubt it was the citizens who linked with me. The transmission time was short but they told me enough.”

“Whatever the demons’ reasons for wanting the tonien, we mustn’t allow them to reach the Dream Walker,” said the grandmaster. “And it seems we have also uncovered the reason behind the Imeldors’ and L-Masters’ recent deaths. The demons must have known that it was the united efforts from the lacers and weavers that banished the Dream Walker. The demons will not allow this to happen a second time. They have been eliminating us systematically, from the very top ranks. We must send a group to Olden Kartath to learn more. Your Highness, do you think they will be open to more visitors?”

The queen shook her head. “I do not know, Grandmaster Deitrux.”

“Is it too late to stop the demons?” asked Baneyon.

“No. Even with the tonien, the demons cannot cross through the Voron Cloud. They require Skra’s pendant.”

“Do we know where that is?”

The queen nodded. “I learned it from one of the demons in Olden Kartath. I don’t think he realised I had heard his thoughts. Skra’s pendant is somewhere on Si Ren Da, a planet in Sector Five.”

Raimus turned pale upon hearing the name.

“Si Ren Da?” he repeated hoarsely.

“What’s wrong, Raimus?” asked Master Drummik.

Raimus gulped. “You’ve never been there before, have you?”

“No.”

“Dogs. Mad dogs! Your Highness, there is no way the pendant could be there!”

“That doesn’t matter, Master Jigahart,” replied the queen. “What matters is that the demons believe it to be there; therefore, we must assume the same. If the pendant is there we’ll take it. It will also allow you to observe the demons and learn more about their abilities.

“Time is of the essence. We need to assemble a team to head to Si Ren Da immediately. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you how many demons you will meet, but in Olden Kartath, there were five.”

“Will you be leading the team, Your Highness?” asked Lady Fless.

“No, there is too much else to organise. We require joint cooperation from the L-Council and the UWIB Government to retrieve any information about this poorly chronicled war. We also need to determine why the demons are here, who they really are, and why they are reappearing at this particular time. We have a lot of questions and not enough answers.”

“Agreed,” said Grandmaster Deitrux. “Quempa, you are in charge of organising a team to Si Ren Da. You do not have much time because you must leave by dawn. During that time, Her Highness, Kuldor, and I will meet with both councils to brief them on the recent events. We will continue to update you on any new developments.”

The grandmaster, the queen, and Kuldor rose from their seats and began walking out of the room.