The Dragon Queens (The Mystique Trilogy) (32 page)

Up through the leaf-littered ground shot the roots of the great oak, latching themselves around the reptilians to bind them and keep them from my path.

Did you forget about our outer defence system?
Mathu taunted.

‘If it lives, we can kill it, Fairy!’ Taejax let go of me to activate the deadly spike that extended from the gadget on his right wrist. I scampered beyond his reach but was unable to tear my attention from discovering his intent. The reptilian inserted the sharp metal spike into the thickest of the roots restraining him.

NO!
Mathu cried, but was not fast enough to prevent Taejax administering a fatal dose of ORME to the ancient tree. The poison had a petrifying effect on the root and spread like wildfire through its system. Mathu materialised, a large axe in his hand, and amputated the infected root before the poison could spread into the rest of the tree. Taejax broke free from his now-dead restraint to come after me. I turned to run.

Ahead of me, the root-bound reptilians were following Taejax’s example and activating their death spikes. A ball of energy welled in the centre of the tree hollow, spitting forth a dozen streaks of light energy that manifested into male and female Anu warriors who promptly set about with axes to combat the threat to the timeworn guardian of this passage to the otherworld.

My fourth-dimensional brothers and sisters did their best to remove the Dracon from my path as they urged me towards the illuminated tree hollow. The Anu did not fight the reptilians directly, but rather summoned the elements, using fire, whirlwinds, quicksand and any other natural force of the physical world to distract their opponents without permanently harming them.

I was lashed at and struck down by my floundering attackers yet I continued to propel my aging body forward, numbing myself to the physical pain and focusing solely on reaching the light ahead. I knew Taejax was right on my heels as I made it to the hollow, and when I felt myself lifted off the ground I feared he had caught me. Then I heard his growling voice behind me—‘She’s escaping!’—and the distance between us sounded wider.

I dared to look aside and saw it was Mathu who had snatched me from the horror. He launched me headlong into the swirling interdimensional light passage. ‘Welcome home, Solarian.’ His smiling face vanished in a blur of light so intense it forced my eyes to close.

Every atom in my body was excited beyond any physical thrill I had ever felt. I lost nearly all sense of myself during the passage, as if I had been broken down into tiny particles and merged with the light
filling the passage, yet I felt my half-brother’s arm about me for the duration. I placed my complete trust in his guidance as we were propelled at lightning speed through the inter-time gateway.

I gradually became aware of the many wounds to my body that now throbbed and smarted with a vengeance. ‘Am I alive?’

‘Just.’ Mathu sounded perturbed.

I parted my eyes to behold him staring down at me, clearly concerned for my wellbeing. ‘We will move swiftly,’ he advised, ‘for you will need this body in the future.’

I moaned, wearied and battered. ‘Can I not have a new one?’

Mathu laughed. ‘A hundred years under the blue flame and this body will be better than new.’

The way I felt at present I found this hard to believe, but a hundred years’ repose did sound inviting. ‘I think I see where the legend of Sleeping Beauty was derived from. Will my Prince Charming be there when I awake?’

‘That’s how the story goes.’ Mathu was noncommittal. ‘And hopefully we shall have a happy-ever-after ending.’

As I looked around me I recognised the dim chamber. Large stone stairs ascended in long, curved levels to a platform and an altar block. The light-filled liquid portholes behind us fell in a constant downward stream, which illuminated the entire chamber with its vibrancy.

‘I bade my son’s body farewell in this place. We are beneath Giza,’ I said.

‘The way to Amenti is found here,’ Mathu replied, and flew in one great bound up the stairs
with me in his arms. For once, I was thankful to be carried, as I had sustained quite a battering during the panic of the escape.

Mathu set me down on the top stair and retrieved a large metal ankh from amongst his robes. He held the tool up before the stone altar and a blue beam of energy shot from its centre and into the ancient stone block. The wall directly behind the altar vanished to expose a tunnel.

‘This is the last port of call in the physical world for all Amenti’s staff,’ Mathu told me.

‘One of those would certainly make the life of an archaeologist a lot easier,’ I commented, as Mathu swirled his hand around like a magician to produce an orb of light. It floated up to guide and illuminate our passage.

‘Due to the Dracon’s theft and misuse of ankhs in the past, such interdimensional tools are now banned from surface Earth use,’ Mathu explained, and took me up in his arms once more to continue our passage down the exposed tunnel, which was constructed from huge red granite blocks.

‘So why do you still get to wield an ankh in the physical world?’ I inquired, amused to note that Mathu was not walking but rather gliding along with me.

‘As a guardian of humanity, I am an authorised ankh-wielder,’ he bantered.

The tunnel entrance reconstituted behind us. This was the last path Levi had walked in this world. Being here, I could not help but wonder what had become of him.

‘Have you seen my son since the last time we were here?’

‘In the past or the future?’ Mathu asked in all
seriousness. ‘In this dimension or the next? He is everywhere.’

Our light orb slowed to a hover as we approached a rather unusual set of doors: in the shape of a triangle cropped at the top. They were constructed from an ORME-based metal—both doorway and doors had that telltale eerie glow. There were no handles or locks to be seen.

‘Touch it.’ Mathu urged me to satisfy my curiosity about the substance, and as I reached out my fingers and made contact with the doors, they abruptly opened.

‘Dear Goddess,’ I uttered, astonished by the interior of the tunnel ahead. It was completely round and constructed from a dark metal. Silver metallic ORME strips ran along both sides and the ceiling, lighting the long passage. Mathu dismissed his orb with a thought and proceeded into the tunnel with me.

‘Who built this place?’ I asked, stifling a yawn. The alien environment was astonishing yet I was struggling to keep my eyes open.

Mathu noticed my tiredness and willingly launched into a lecture in the hope of keeping my mind engaged and awake. ‘The Amenti complex was constructed on Sirius B,’ he explained. ‘But the schematics were supplied by the Ceres Council, who oversee the Amenti Project from Tara’s plane of demonstration. The Amenti complex is fully mobile—hence the confusion that Amenti is still located beneath Atlantis. It was in fact relocated to Giza thousands of years before the great deluge, as the build-up of low-grade energy in the Earth grid centres beneath Atlantis threatened to destroy the Sphere if it wasn’t removed.’

‘And how was the complex relocated?’ Just asking the question exhausted me, and I closed my eyes to rest.

‘It flew.’ Mathu gave me a shake as he increased the speed of our passage. ‘Stay with me, Solarian, you are so close to home.’

Home?
With my consciousness fading, I was at a loss to recall where that was. A vision of the young and vibrant smiling face of my dear husband served to remind me where home was to be found.

You are my home and I am yours,
he said, looking more splendid than ever I had seen him.
You return home, Solarian,
he said sweetly.
We can do this.

Polaris.
The name sprang forth from my subconscious, igniting my will to live as I fell into a fitful slumber.

I put down my pen and stretched. I had been writing my mother’s experiences into her journal for half the night and the better part of the morning. Albray, my mother’s ghostly knight, looked relieved.

I promised your mother I would watch over you,
he said,
and I cannot, in good conscience, say I’ve done that by allowing you to go on without food, drink and rest for so long.

‘Mama lost consciousness a little while ago,’ I informed him, ‘I can afford to take a break.’ I stood and shook out the stiffness in my joints, then approached the breakfast tray that had been left for me many hours before.

What has happened to cause Lady Suffolk to lose consciousness?
I could tell from Albray’s concerned tone that he held my mother in considerable affection.

My curiosity got the better of me. ‘Were you lovers?’

Albray looked stunned and mildly amused by the question.
Such as I am, that is rather impossible.

‘Not really,’ I pointed out frankly. ‘She could have astrally projected herself into your realm to join with you.’

Really?
Albray looked fascinated to learn this.

‘Oh yes,’ I assured him. ‘Or you might have had a lustful encounter during an episode of possession.’

I never thought of that,
he answered dryly, but I suspected it was a lie.
And how is it that you have such a broad knowledge of interdimensional sexual relations, Miss Charlotte?

I merely smiled in response. ‘You haven’t answered my question.’

I have had the honour of being your mother’s protector for a good part of her life,
he said,
and I can tell you surely that your father was her only lover.

I have a talent for detecting lies, and the knight’s sincerity warmed my heart and stirred my romantic streak. ‘You love her nevertheless.’

It seems it is my fate to be attracted to women I cannot have.
He shrugged.
Although, considering what I have learned from the lustful acts you have accused me of this day, the future is looking brighter.

I had to smile; it was easy to see why my mother never left home without him. ‘Mama is in good hands,’ I assured him as I picked at my food. ‘I do not fear for her safety.’

That is well.
Albray appeared satisfied and relieved.
That leaves only the question of your wellbeing.

‘You have no need to worry on my account,’ I said. ‘I thrive on experiences that most would consider extreme. A trait we share, I suspect.’

Albray saw the humour and a chance to make a point.
Could it be my
deceased
status that gave away my extreme tendencies?

There was a knock on the door and our head maidservant entered with a fresh tea tray.

‘Perfect timing, Mrs Mills.’ I was grateful for her excellent service. As she placed the tea tray beside me I noticed two cups.

‘Lady Oxford has arrived, Miss Charlotte,’ Mrs Mills explained.

‘Please show her in,’ I instructed. ‘See,’ I said to Albray when the maid had left, ‘you can stop worrying. I now have someone to share the burden.’

Indeed, Lady Susan is as valorous, committed and capable as any of her ilk,
Albray agreed, and I detected a hint of intimacy in his voice again.

‘You do get around,’ I commented. His cheeky grin did nothing to disperse my suspicions. ‘How much does Lady Susan know about you?’

We merged to fight our way through a few rounds of swordplay with a Melchi warrior once.
Then Albray wiped the cheeky grin from his face.
But we have never been formally acquainted, as Lady Susan has not developed her psychic skills in this incarnation and so remains unaware of me.

‘I shall bear that in mind,’ I said, and wondered how on Earth I was going to manage to explain everything I needed to in order to recruit my Aunt Susan to the cause. Still, as she had gone to great lengths in the past for the sake of her friendship with my mother, I held no doubt of securing her aid.

‘This is just like one of your mother’s stories, only far more immediate,’ Lady Susan commented as we took tea by the fire in the library and she absorbed
all I had told her. ‘So our last farewell was truly our last,’ she added, and shed a single sentimental tear.

‘We shall all meet again in Amenti,’ I consoled her, although in truth it probably confused her further. All I could hope was that we would all understand and confirm this claim before our task was done.

‘I am honoured that you would call on my aid in this affair,’ my aunt ventured. ‘I’ve never had much psychic aptitude, but your mother incited in me a keen interest in the spirit world and a yearning to become more adept.’

Anybody else would have laughed in my face after such a wild tale, or called the asylum, but not my aunt. ‘You are a godsend,’ I told her. I removed the thought-conductor ring from my finger and placed it in her hand. ‘You’ll find everything else you need on the desk.’

‘Of course.’ My aunt put her cup aside. ‘Go and rest, child, you must be exhausted. I shall read through the journal before I begin—I feel sure it will answer any queries I might have. My only hope is that I can do the account justice.’ She slipped the ring onto the ring finger of her right hand.

‘Just record what you see,’ I advised.

‘And if I do not perceive anything?’ Lady Susan voiced her worst fear.

‘I have no idea how long Mama will remain unconscious,’ I said, ‘so if you perceive nothing, I dare say it is because there is nothing to perceive. I shall be back to relieve you as soon as I have slept.’

‘Take all the time you need,’ my aunt insisted. ‘I am well rested and ready to begin.’

She moved to the writing desk and started to read all that had unfolded so far in my mother’s
quest to find Amenti, Levi and the court of the Dragon Queens.

I passed the next few hours reading of Ashlee’s adventure in Persia ten years ago, and was fascinated by all her discoveries there. Then my conscious perception was distracted from my reading by a hazy vision that was forming in my mind. It took a moment for me to realise that this was the telepathic transfer I had been waiting for: Ashlee was waking from her slumber. Feeling inspired and excited that I was indeed able to perceive her, I quickly found my place in the journal, dipped my pen in ink and prepared to record my observations. I need not have worried about my journalising prowess, as Ashlee’s stream of consciousness was as concise as a dictation.