The Tessellation Saga. Book Two. 'The One' (45 page)

Gath was wrong,
Thaddrick’s training, ever meticulous ensured his magic’s were kept
hidden, until that is Sonal had returned his lost book and in his
excitement, Thaddrick for once had forgotten to conceal his
gateway’s residue and the thought did not occur to him even after
he had seen Gath’s encampment far below the cliff top.

Thaddrick is
still trying to keep his pathetic people safe.
Gath thought as
he realised why the gateway was outside the barrier, to keep
followers from getting in.

‘It didn’t stop
this child from following her own will though, did it Thaddrick?’
Gath said aloud, looking once more at the girl asleep and
defenceless under the tree. Gently kneeling and taking a braided
lock of her flaming chestnut hair, he cut it swiftly with a knife,
the slight jarring making her stir in her sleep but she did not
awaken. Gath instantly ran his hand swiftly through the air above
her body mumbling in a monotone way and sending the girl into a
deeper slumber, instantly a patch of dead grass appeared around and
beneath her as the balance of the magic took its hold. Pricking his
fingertip with the point of his knife, he watched as blood pooled
like a bright red bead, gently he smeared his blood over the braid
and with his bloody finger; he traced the outside pattern of the
gateway’s frame. He paused now and again to squeeze more blood to
the surface of his skin to finish the frame then holding the
braided hair to his lips and speaking softly he left his message
for his son and for Thaddrick. Lastly, he spoke a word to his knife
and the sharp blade shrank, Gath gently hid it between the thick
strands of chestnut red hair. He smiled as he laid the bright braid
on the grass before the portal; the dried blood looked black,
staining the tresses badly. Carefully he picked up the sleeping
girl and walked back toward the oily surface of the gateway and
with one last look through the barrier at the low white stone
buildings and the fledgling forest; he walked on through,
this
time I am taking a prize with me
, he thought. As the fluid
substance closed over and behind him, he felt the first searching
probe toward him through the dome. His echoing laughter abruptly
shut off as the surface of the gateway stilled once more and slowly
began to fade, becoming invisible.

Thaddrick felt
the rush of power from outside the protective dome and woke
immediately. Something had happened he was sure of it, he sent out
a searching probe beyond his valleys wall. Gath would never have
been so bold as to show himself, not unless he thought he had the
upper hand, he mused, remembering the man’s vanity from all those
years ago, when he had believed that Théoden would just hand Arotia
to him in a ceremony to mark a surrender. That simple plan had been
more effective than they had ever realised it would be...

He shook
himself to clear his head of his memories and quickly got out of
bed, throwing water over his face and dressing before walking to
the great hall. It seemed everyone else had felt something too as
the whole community appeared to be in the meeting rooms. The
travellers were waiting as usual beside the table but unusually
there was no food available. Perhaps Mayan has overslept, Thaddrick
thought knowing Mayan herself had been the person taking sole care
of the groups needs for over a month now. Thaddrick saw Gideon and
the others and made his way through the bewildered valley peoples
trying not to answer questions about the power surge. He hated to
be rude but until he knew for sure himself, he would say
nothing.

‘Is Mayan still
sleeping my boy?’ He asked as Gideon shook his hand in
greeting.

‘No sir, she’s
been up for hours.’ Gideon answered, feeling a little guilty that
he had not actually had a thought for her since he fell into bed
exhausted last night. A young man and woman crossed the room to the
group at the table with a tray of steaming mugs and sweet bread,
Gideon had seen them before but not spoken to them.

‘To break your
fast Thaddrick, you and our guests,’ the young man said, and nodded
quietly as the room around them hushed. Gideon felt the gift of the
tray was a sign or a signal as the silence in the hall became
almost threatening.

‘There was a
change in the roots, we all felt it, even Gideon’s father and his
ancient blood is rather weak,’ began the young girl smiling at Jed
who winked back, the young girl flushed readily. ‘My father and
Jacob are out of the dome at the site of the gateway, my father
asks that you join him there.’ She added as she turned quickly to
Gideon and whispered. ‘Mayan is missing.’ In the silence, the
whisper could have been a shout as the whole room heard. Gideon
dropped the cup he was holding and it crashed to the floor,
steaming broth going everywhere. Thaddrick went white, he was sure
he had closed and sealed the gateway the last time he had used it
but with the valley council behind him, he left the room and walked
as swiftly as he could through the saplings toward the protective
barrier and the large tree on the hill. As he walked, he explained
again to the travellers that the site of the gateway was outside
the domed barrier that protected the valley, chosen to be outside
deliberately for protection, protection for the inhabitants of the
valley from outside forces.

Neither Gideon
nor Jed, Mayan’s twin felt the need for explanations, they hurried
ahead of the rest toward the old tree high on the rise before them.
Gideon felt sick; a feeling of dread was growing in his belly as
the company made their way between the small growing trees,
destined one day to be the most diverse arboretum on earth.

‘So it begins
again here Thaddrick,’ stated Jacob, as they arrived at the top of
the small hill. Gideon watched the old man who had been so rude to
the company when they had first met; he ignored the small party of
travellers, his eyes only on Thaddrick as he pointed down at the
burnt and dead ground behind him. Moving out of the sun, he
revealed a patch of dead grass in the exact shape of a young woman.
Somehow, Gideon knew that this dead patch of ground, this perfect
silhouette of death had something to do with his Mayan.

‘What is it
Thaddrick?’ He asked, as he knelt down beside the shape burnt so
carefully into the once living grass.

‘Well, it ain’t
natural boy, is it?’ Said his father as he too knelt to touch the
crisp dead grass, he stopped as his eyes caught sight of something
a little further off lying atop the still lush and verdant growth.
‘Well what be that then…’ he whispered as he moved toward the flash
of chestnut standing out startlingly clear amidst the dark green
grass.

The old man,
his eyes fixed on Thaddrick pulled at the mages arm as he too began
to kneel whilst feeling tentatively through the ether for the
author of the spell. Stopping abruptly and pulling himself upright
once more Thaddrick looked toward the obviously stressed Jacob.

‘Jacob, this
means nothing…,’ Thaddrick began as the old man broke down and
began to sob.

‘Don’t you see,
when, when he destroys this wall, we will all die, will die as they
died.’ The old man looked hatefully at Gideon and the small party
of travellers. ‘They brought him here, you brought them here… they
are not welcome, make them go...’ his sobs continued painfully,
when Roidan as always, supporting her husband smiled kindly and led
him away. Thaddrick watched him go, a sad expression etched into
his face. The second man, the father of the young girl who had
whispered of Mayan to Gideon, also watched as his companion walked
away with Roidan and soon the pair became lost in the crowds of
people still climbing the hill to find the cause of the
disturbance.

‘Thaddrick,’
the young girl’s father said as he moved toward the rest of the
council. ‘That the Gatherer has returned we know, most of us
remember how our world, our friends and our families, how Jacob’s
family died. That boy…’ he said pointing at Gideon. ‘That boy has
brought us back to his attention; we do not want to go through it
again.’ Gideon was still kneeling before the patch of death, lost
in his own thoughts and oblivious to the drama unfolding behind
him. Thaddrick looked around him at the nodding heads all in silent
agreement.

‘The visitors
must leave Thaddrick, they must go, now, before the Gatherer comes
to get him,’ he added, lowering his hand once more.

‘If he is the
one Thaddrick, if he really is the one he can stop the Gatherer and
make us free,’ said another voice calling across from the back of
the gathering crowd.

Whilst the men
and women of the council debated, the people continued to gather
atop the hill. Rhoàld watched, until now he had not realised just
how many of the Arotian colonists were living within the
valley.

‘Do you think I
could help Lem?’ He asked the equally silent silver haired girl
beside him. ‘I mean perhaps my skills as a mediator could be of
use,’ he said, turning to her as Thaddrick continued to talk
quietly to the growing crowd. Lemba smiled up at Rhoàld sadly, her
fingers flashing fast.

‘Oh Lemba…no,’
began Rhoàld realising her tongue was gone once more and thick
tears sadly fell from her eyes but equally quickly were wiped away.
Jonus, as always close to Lemba, also looked on silently.

As the
conversation between Thaddrick and the people of the valley
continued, Gideon stood and walked toward his father. Jed was
standing near the brow of the hill holding a lock of chestnut hair
in his hand.

‘It’s May’s
Gid,’ he said. ‘I’d stake me life on it.’ Gideon reached out for
the length of blood soaked hair and as his father dropped the
chestnut braid into his hand the air behind him wavered, instantly
the gateway became visible. Jed, feeling something behind him
hastily stood away as the hairs on the back of his neck began to
prick, Gideon watched as the surface of the gateway shimmered with
fire and just like the portal he had seen born whilst in the
forest, black dots turned to hexagons briefly before they
tessellated. Its gold frame gleamed and twinkled with a million
lights, despite being in the shade of the huge tree. A sense of
foreboding came over him once more as he clutched the length of
hair tightly in his fist, immediately he felt a stab through his
skin as the tiny blade left the confines of the braid and nicked
his palm. The blood welled once more from his old scar, adding to
the already blood soaked hair. Young Jed who had been watching the
proceedings between Thaddrick and the tense, angry crowd felt the
sting in his palm and lifting his hand looked in amazement at the
small cut on his own palm scar and the tiny drops of blood that had
appeared there. He turned back toward Gideon and his father as the
gateway began to change.

The solid black
of the tessellation broke up once more, leaving rivers of light
running around the multitude of hexagons; somehow, it was hard and
painful to look upon, not at all like the beauty of the gateway
Thaddrick had created. The shapes moved and swam changing position
and colour as the group behind him became silent, witnesses to the
changing face of the gateway. Thaddrick recovered fast, berating
himself again for not noticing the change in the magic’s roots
,
a change a novice would have felt,
he thought.

‘Gideon, Jed,’
called Thaddrick to the father and son beside the portal as the
texture of the hexagons continued to change. ‘Move away…now,’ he
shouted as the hexagons tessellated once more with a loud bang.
Gideon fell to the floor with his father beside him; young Jed
moved quietly to help his friend to his feet and remained there
standing protectively in front of him. All was silent, as the
gateway became a mirror showing them a reflection of themselves.
Gideon stood shakily with the lock of hair in his hand and his
father Jed, despite young Jed’s arm, stumbled backwards once more,
falling to sit beside the patch of girl shaped death in the
grass.

‘It’s a time
mirror,’ said Thaddrick quietly to the suddenly silent audience,
‘it will show time as it has been, covering events that it has been
spelled to recollect... something has triggered it,’ he added,
unaware of the blood still oozing from the wound’s on both Jed’s
and Gideon’s palms. The company watched as the time mirror showed
Gath glancing over his shoulder before walking backwards out of the
mirror with Mayan in his arms, bending down and none to gently
depositing her on the grass. Then it showed the king picking her up
and again walking toward the mirror, over and over it played until
Gideon sobbed aloud. He reached out to touch the image of his
fiancée as she swung lifelessly in the king’s arms, the early sun
glinting off the ring on her finger as her hand dangled freely.

The mirror
began to change again as the tiny hexagon pieces jostled for
position moving speedily once more. Colours ran across their
surfaces, dancing and swirling, the dark ribbons of fire played
like rivers of feeding silver fish between the straight sides of
the perfect shapes before slowing and settling finally. Suddenly
Gath’s image appeared, standing tall and straight with Mayan prone
at his feet, in his hand, he held the chestnut coloured braid and
as he put it to his lips, Gideon suddenly burned with rage and fear
as he recognised himself in the king.

‘Gideon, my
son…,’ said Gath, speaking aloud and seeming to look directly into
Gideon’s soul. Gideon could hear the whispered voices of the people
standing behind him all full of query.

‘Gid, lad, what
do ‘e’ be saying, can yer make it out?’ He heard his father whisper
behind him.

‘He is calling
to me Da,’ Gideon answered as he continued to watch the scene
before him unfold.

The inhabitants
of the valley looked on, troubled, as Thaddrick moved away from
them to join the small group gathered around the portal. Lemba
slipped her hand into Jed’s who squeezed it reassuringly as she
recognised Gath, the man who had forcibly removed her tongue, the
small box forever held in a secret pocket seemed suddenly heavier
than it had ever been. She continued to stare, suddenly reminded of
the tapestries hanging in the long room. The warp and weft of those
colourful fabrics was not unlike the surface of the scene before
her and like this picture, she often thought the scenes depicted in
the tapestries would come to life if she looked long enough.
Unconsciously she placed her hand over the box feeling as if Gath
could reach out of the picture in the mirror and steal it away.