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As he was being told this tale the old woman, whom he now realised was in fact the Temple Seer Anagastru the Crone had led him through the large doors and into a maze of corridors that took then through the bowels of the castle. Any staff they had encountered enroute had backed into doorways with heads bowed and eyes closed or turned and fled. Rol had a feeling that his small guide was a considerable political power within these walls.
At the bottom of a tightly spiralled stairway she bundled Rol into a small bathroom and told him to wash quickly, he was away to be presented to the Queen.
Rol hurriedly splashed steaming hot water on his face, then drew of his raiments and splashed the hot water over his chest and under his arms. There was no soap or cologne for him to disguise the smell of his days travels but at least the smell wasn't quite as robust a few minutes later when he rejoined Anagastru.
The stairwell led them up several flights before she led him through a long well lit corridor and stodd before an ornately carved door. Squaring her shoulders Anagastru knocked on the door with her staff. They waited thirty seconds before the doors opened without a sound.
Inside was a library. A library that contained leather bound books - real books. Printed and complete, neatly in row upon row upon row from floor to ceiling, stretching all the way around the large room. Rol was in awe! He felt his jaw drop as his gaze took in the sight before him. It took nearly twenty seconds for him to realise that in a corner there was a woman sat at a desk watching him with mild amusement on her face as she waited for him to see her.
"Please come in Rol Purtha, former Legionnaire and current Amazer. Make yourself comfortable." She indicated a high backed chairopposite where she sat and waited for him to sit before continuing.
Rol felt awkward and clumsy, thrown off balance by the treasure trove of paper that surrounded him.
"you are dismissed Anagastru, though your son may join us shortly, tell him to bring a fresh pot of tea. Thank you." The woman at the desk looked tired as she spoke to the old seer, but the genuine affection in her eyes was evident. Anagastru bowed her head and left the library quietly, the carved doors closing quietly behind her.
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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"Don't worry Rol, we know who you are and how you have travelled for the last two weeks. You may relax here, this room is where we have come since our earliest childhood to find peace. It is a magical sight, no?" Her arm swept round the room indicating the many inviting volumes of knowledge bound within leather and paper upon the shelved walls.
"You have still to learn the ways of the peoples here on Xanthu, something only a true native could know so, I guess it's best we forgive you for not bowing before sovereignty, eh?" The mischievious glint in her eyes gave her tease away though Rol still blushed.
"Forgive me your... umm majesty, I have never been in the prescence of royalty before so... ummm." Again Rol's awkwardness shows.
"Of course, the Tamaran Quantum Queen, Typhoon of the Ancient and most Imperial House of Hemmil-Gotha-Rex-in-Exile and Princess Projectra have never excercised their royal priviledges before you have they?" Again the teasing look, making Rol feel almost as if he was a ball of string for a bored cat to lazily swipe at.
"You seem to know a lot about me my Lady but unfortunately I'm rather in the dark about... all this." Rol echoes her sweeping arm movement.
"Of course, forgive our presumptions. You are addressing Queen Sheyneyna of the House of Afar. We are happy to name you royal guest in our... meagre home." Her smile is a quick warm flash. "You arrive at a rather difficult time as our daughter has vanished under worrying circumstances. We hope you understand that there are things that are difficult for us to fully explain to an... outsider. Our good friend and advisor Anagastru believes that we should not inform the planetary Science Police and instead put our faith in the Princesses return fully in you. You do understand that puts us... me... in a rather difficult position." For the first time he sees the sadness and worry upon the queen's face. A hint of anger in her voice alerts Rol to the steel within her character. Her royal bearing may be polished and urbane but Rol realises that here in front of him is a woman of extraordinary strength and character.
The queen meets his eye and continues, "Our daughter has always been... willful is perhaps the best word. She left us five days ago for a jaunt out to visit some of our outlying villages in the company of dear Elizabori. They have been friends since earliest childhood. They took three guards and had enough resources to evade or even fight their way from a small army. We may be a provincial people Rol but we are not niave. When they're signals were lost we assumd they had foolishly set up camp within the Great Caves of the Oranthrax. My late husbands brother, Prince Orik led a team to return them here but only found the... the remains of two of our daughter's guards. We were immediately on alert, but for Anagastru, our most trusted advisor we would have called in the aid of the Central Continent's police. She persuaded us to await your arrival. So tell me, why areyou so special Rol, your career so far has been interesting but far from exemplorary. So, why you Rol? What makes you so special?"
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Outside the castle Anagastru had spoken to her son, the driver of the vehicle that had brought Rol to this small town.
"You remember what I told you, yes? You must do it even though you might not want to. Your place in Xanthu history will be assured!"
The thin man looked crestfallen as he agreed with his mother.
"Go now, take the brew to our Queen and the outworlder prophet. Don't let them talk between themselves for too long."
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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In walked the old womans' son. Rol wasn't exactly surprised that it was the driver that had brought him here.
"You majesty, honoured guest, here are refreshments." With bowed head he laid the plain wooden tray on the small table beside the Queen and started to pour two fine china cups with a steaming amber brew.
The Queen motioned for him to pull up a chair and join them at the table.
"Your majesty, please allow me to introduce myself to our guest." He turned to Rol and put his hand out to shake. "My apologies if we seemed... eager for you to join us earlier but we need your help."
"No problems Tre, that's fine, your gracious Queen has just explained."
"How did you know my name is Tre?" His eyes wide in shock. Rol was not about to say that he had had a brief precognitive flash of the young man saying exactly that, instead he smiled cheekily and gave a quick shrug of his shoulders. Queen Sheyneyna gave a throaty laugh before turning a stern face to the shocked young man and said "Are you going to join us?" her head nodding towards the nearest chair.
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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"So, your daughter, Princess Rabecka, needs found and returned. I'm sure with the help of this young man I can give that a go." Rol had indicated the silent Tre who now suppressed a splutter of tea as he realised that he would be be travelling with Dream Boy. He started to answer but was cut off by the Queen, "You are very confident for one so young Rol Purtha. We have our own Seers here, your people were not the only mystics to leave Earth, and not even Mama Anagastru is so certain. What guarantees can you give?"
"None your majesty, only the certainty that I have foreseen my own future and it does not involve failure." Rol spoke with casual confidence, though his own doubts were buried just out od sight of the Queen's probing look.
"If I can have two hours in private to prepare we can leave just before dusk sets in and be at the last place you knew your daughter was before midnight. No time like the present eh?" Rol gave a small laugh at the Naltorian disdain for that saying.
"Do you need anything, any weapons or...." Tre asked before quickly falling silent before his Queen.
"Thank you, a warm shower and a place to meditate for an hour please. I'd like to think we won't need any weapons though. If worst comes to the worst we can call for back up I'm sure."
"Make it so Tre, show Rol to the Old Alchemist suite on the North Wall please. After you finish your tea of course." There is warm gratitude in the Queens voice, the implicit peaceful resolution in Rol's dismissal of taking weapons obviously reassred her.
"Thank you your Majesty, I'll go now and freshen up before I meditate on our journey. Thank you." Rol has just enough knowledge of Royal protocol to wait for the Queen to rise before standing up himself. She offered her hand and wished them both success.
She may not have been quite so comforted had she known that as Rol walked out of the room he was thinking "Bloody grife! Why do I always get myself into these impossible situations?"
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Naltor was seen by the greater United Planets populace as a highly advanced scientific planet.
And it's true to say that in the large part that assumption was true. But it wasn't the whole picture. Originally settled by mystics from Old Earth who were part of a radical sect that believed it would one day produce a scientific solution to their home planet Earths problems. These original settlers were later joined by refugees from the Gemworld and even later by Xeroxans. The initial problems of taming the lifeless, tectonically unstable world were resolved through high magicks and low-tech solutions. The three continents were evenly populated with traditional clans of magical users being fairly evenly split, the idea being that too much of a concentration of a single field of mystical study would take away from the prophesied scientific growth that they had set out to achieve.
Over centuries Naltoran mystics battled with the previously alien logic of science, and with a judicious use of precognitive magicks had learned and then excelled in these disciplines. By the 28th century they had established the scientific community that the original settlers had foreseen. Not that all magicks was overlooked or dismissed. Despite the lack of formal mystical training many families had kept the oral training alive through the generations and Sapphire City in the Great Northern Sea had a galaxy famous museum of magical paraphernalia. As a child Rol had visited the museum with his mother and been strongly attracted to many of the bizarre exhibits on display. His mother had mentioned that her great grandmother was said to have known several spells herself though as she only had male children would not pass the knowledge onto her family before she had died. Rol, with a childs natural openmindedness towards the supernatural had immediately understood this logic.
Two years later at the age of 11, when he had passed the initial tests for Pre-Commando training, he requested that one of the courses from the optional lists he was required to choose from was 'understanding basic magickal theory.' There had been only five of them in the class: himself, NIeru Mkaan - a stubborn, rude girl with amazing pigtails and a love of turning every conversation around until it focussed firmly on herself, Shabeesa Ding- a narcoleptic with shifty habits who was thrown out of the class, and later the Pre-Commandos for her habit of acquiring objects in a thoroughly unlawful manner, Professor Nijedulla their tutor, and Simeon the grey lazy cat who barely contributed a yawn, let alone a full throated meow for the entire course. For a 12 week term during Rol's first year of training, every Third- and Fifthday he had spent a literally magical couple of hours learning about the history of his own race, the various fields of mystical research and the strange logics in manipulating the very unscientific energies that these fields involved. After the academic term had ended, and much to considerable teasing by his peers, he had been awarded the college's Purple Nebulae award for his skill in this subject. Not that he had cast a single spell in this time, but at least he was the first student in living memory who had firstly attended every class in this section, and secondly never once fallen asleep in Professor Nijedulla's presence.
Despite the teasing Rol felt proud.
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Rol was shown into a low ceilinged room. Stark stone walls with several hanging banners depicting alchemetic symbols hung over windows gave it a gloomy feel. Apart from these there were only three large wooden benches and an open fireplace that looked as if it had not been tended in decades. Rol walked over to one of the banners and examined it. Tre stood at the door, unsure if he should follow Rol into the room or not.
"Do you know about the Alchemists dream of transmuting lead into gold Tre? It was not, as many assumed, driven by greed or materialism. Each element had an associated state of existence given it. Lead was seen as the most mundane- it was associated with a humdrum, dull life, one filled with drudgery and hardship, while gold was almost angelic, it was the element of saints and royalty. So to transmute one to the other was as much to change ones life to the better, an aspirational transformation. It was only later, during the First Terran Reinaissance and the rise of Italian families like the despotic Medici's that these desires were altered to become so much about greed and gross materialism was encouraged. Alchemy, despite it's reputation was originally a very spiritual art."
Tre stood at the door, still unsure. Rol turned, smiled at the young man and asked that he be left undisturbed for two hours.
After the guide had gone Rol locked the door and opened up his back pack, took out a silver tube and teased a small cone of incense from it. The lid of the tube gave a small spark and a sweet smoke slowly rose to fill his senses.
Reaching into his pack Rol pulled out his Amazer Belt and flipped the magnetic sensor button. A hologram materialised before him. James!
"Hi James, hows things?" Rols weary smile ached with real happiness as he spoke to James Cullen.
"Missing you Dreamy Boyo, when are you going to come back home? Or do you want me to join you? We've got a full compliment of members at the Spire so if you want...?" There is something close to guilt in his voice as he makes the offer.
"Give me two days then if you haven't heard anything come looking for me, I've been kind of roped into helping..."
"The missing Afar Princess?" James smiles as he interupts.
"You spying on me?" Rol laughs before continuing, "Yes, I'm helping out here but should be done in a day or two. We're going to the Caves of Oranthrax tonight, do you know anything about them James?"
"They're supposedly haunted or have some nasty gene-spliced beasty living there, whatever it is they have a bad rep so be careful okay?"
"Of course, you don't doubt me do you? See you in two days okay?"
"Believe it boyfriend!"
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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After they had spoken Rol felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. For all their teasing Rol knew that James was one of the most reliable people he had ever met. If he said he'd be here in two days then he would be.
Rol went back over to the table and blew into the coiled plumes of smoke from the incense he'd lit before taking a deep breath of the sweet smoke. He used his flight ring to float above the smoking cone and slowly relaxed himself into a lotus position and meditated.
Rol dreamed.
A cavemouth surrounded by bulbous red berries. A stench like he could never have thought existed, even in his dreaming state his body started to retch.... Smears of red across his cheek, his clothing, Tre covered in red, red, red... Blind rats the size of horses.... A cave, dark and mysterious, twisting back upon itself in mobius patterns, a wooden cage, a dual, a ecstatic flight... the images were overlaid by phrases and sounds, screams of rage and the clash of battle. James! James is there, fighting and barely holding his own...
He was awoken by a polite rap at the door.
"I'll be out to you soon Tre, we'd best get going if we are to be at the Caves of Oranthrax by first light tomorrow."
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Carrying his pack Rol followed Tre down to the old Vikken vehicle. The didn't try to see the Queen before they left, she'd let Tre know that she sent her best wishes and would pray for their safe return. At the vehicle though stood a small party of locals headed by Anagastru. She held onto her staff as if seasick Rol thought and her eyes looked feirce, bright and fragile, like distant galaxies. Her knowledge and use of Blood Magic had weakened the woman he realised. He remembered his lessons from his first year at the Pre-Commando Academy about the cost of magicks and silently wished the older woman as much strength as she needed.
Without a word she hugged her son and turned to Rol, "You will bring them back safe, you might even be the Prophet we need. Tre has an imaging implant so can send for help if you need it, remember that young man and go with all our wishes for your successful return." Without thinking Rol suprised himself and also hugged the woman. He was shocked at how thin she felt beneath her volumous robes.
"Keep a light on in the northern tower so we can find our way back."
With that he lept into their transport and called for Tre.
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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The journey towards the Caves was suprisingly unremarkable.
Tre activated the auto- control and they both sat in silence in the darkened cab watching the land as they sped past. Out on the plains Rol could see trees and the darkened humps of the larger animals as they rested for the night. He missed the scents he'd revelled in for the past few days, the aircon silently providing cool, sterile air.
Rol could feel Tre's unspoken tension in the air between them but didn't want to say anything. He knew that non-Naltorians could misinterpret the glimpses of future and act out of character because of misunderstood foreseen results. Rol knew Tre would survive, he had seen his whoop for joy as they flew back to the castle with James, the handmaiden and the Princess but he wanted the young man to be sharp, complaisancies would damage their mission. After about three quarters of an hour Tre started to snore quietly. Rol was mildly amused as he turned away from Tre and closed his eyes to join him in sleep. The next few days would be rather energetic.
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Once the first settlers had terraformed the uninhabitable parts of the planet that would one day be called Xanthu and arranged and divided the continents and seas into their agreed political-economic states the initial focus on establishing the colony gave way to the search for a role for the people who had braved this new world.
As the planets' star had a remarkably thin Oort cloud and was quite literally on the edge of the Galactic Arm the unblemished views from the planet towards distant galaxies was immediately apparent. In the heart of the continent called East, a huge continent almost as large as the Euro-asian landmass on Old Earth that the settlers had given over almost entirely to establishing a ecological paradise ripe with transposed livestock from their homeworld, the four ruling councils decided that they would join forces and build an observatory that any Xanthu citizen could visit if they so desired. For almost a century this incredible feat of engineering was one of the greatest tourist attractions within fifty light years. The clear air and feeling of remoteness that this structure gave to visitors upon the huge central massif in the centre of this wilderness continent became a must see tourist attraction for all manner of sentients from throughout the fledgling United Planets.
The twelve day massacre later referred to as the Transposed Tribal Wars of 2803 very nearly destroyed the great observatory and certainly destroyed Xanthu's tourist trade, and almost had the remote world cut from the fledgling United Planets. Two things stopped the worlds govenments from an embargo on all goods from out of their system. The first was widely reported - this world had incredibly large deposits of silver, an element that early transmatter systems needed in vast amounts and an incredibly diverse ecosystem transposed from Old earth that replicatedalmost exactly conditions that the mother world had not seen in seven centuries.
The other factor that was not reported throughout the United Planets was that much like Old Earth, planet Xanthu's strange mixture of background radiation and strong magnetic fields was increasingly causing the rise of mutations within the local populaces genestructure. Planet Xanthu generated conditions that couls give rise to a meta-human class people. A dozen or so at first when the planet's population was two or three million, but still enough that if this quirk could be exploited then the risk of a rogue state exporting Meta class beings into the United Planets was simply too grave to risk. On the other hand, a planet with a large Meta potential would be a great ally to have. The UP diplomatic Corps had no choice but to broker a ceasefire and established a ruling Tribune to manage the four traditional governing councils. This, along with quite a lot of political arm twisting and backroom skullduggery ensured that the planet Xanthu was brought back into the United Planets fold.
The traditional four ruling councils are often referred to as the Great Divided Tribe. There are legends that one day the Great Divided Tribe would be reunited by a single Prophet, a man who would lead the peoples of Xanthu back on a righteous and peaceful path.
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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Just as Xanthu's small savage star threw it's morning light across the dusty land the Vikken drew to a halt and the auto-control gently woke the two young men by announcing it was approaching their destination. Rol was relieved that he had had no further visions in his dreams. Tre initialised a scan of their surroundings and apart from a family of hippopotami and several wart hogs in a nearby watering hole and some dozen and a half feeding giraffes there was no sign of life larger than a house cat for a quarter of a click around their vehicle.
They broke their fast with basic rations; tasteless, chewy and filling, though well short of satisfying Rol thought.
"Tell me about the security Tre, what would the Princesses guards have been carrying to protect her?"
"Probably wearing standard impact armour, a couple of mid-range blasters, maybe a couple of disruptors and definitely an image inducer and flight pack for any hasty retreats. Their vehicle was a Star One Grade so nothing short of nuke would have been able to get into it.The royal guards are pretty tough Rol, they train like it's the only reason for living. A Science Police officer and some UP diplomatic adviser came to us last year giving a talk on royal security protocols and such-like, you know the sort of thing. The guards made sure they left knowing that they knew what they were doing. They've have never been back. They see us as a wild bunch I think." Tre chuckled as he told Rol his story, his pride in his people was very evident. Rol didn't laugh. If the guards were that well trained and that well armed then what the hell could have gotten past them to take the Princess?
"And Tre, this time be honest with me but what was a royal Princess doing out here so far from anywhere? I checked the scanner while you made breakfast and there are no settlements for hundreds of clicks near here for them to visit. Would you like to tell me what the furry dickens is really going on?"
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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quote:Originally posted by Stealth: Wonderful as always, with vivid characterizations.
Waiting on pins and needles for the next installments.
Thanks Stealth. That's me set the scene now- in my draft it only took six parts, yet somehow they multiplied into about twenty - we'll soon be getting into the action I promise!
Coming soon - more, more, more!
Cx
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
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