The Last Portal (7 page)

Batarr beckoned
them to sit down around the table. Sasli chirped away to Batarr for
some time, while Susie and Batarr nodded agreement. Finally, Batarr
reached into his pocket and pulled out a small knife in a leather
sheath, and placed it in front of Chris. ‘I believe this is
Zelnoff’s knife. The only thing we have of his. You must use this
to focus your thoughts.’

Chris picked up
the knife and examined it in detail. The handle was bone, embedded
with blue and red crystals and carved with strange symbols.

‘Remember all
that I have taught you,’ Batarr instructed. ‘When you start
receiving impressions don’t focus all your energy at once, no
matter how tempting. Build up your concentration slowly, and
withdraw if you feel he is beginning to detect you. Concentrate on
the surrounding country, so we can get a fix on his location.’

Chris nodded.
He had rehearsed the whole procedure continually over the last two
hours and a focused, determined calm had descended on him. He held
the knife loosely in his hands, closed his eyes and began clearing
his mind as Batarr had instructed. The images came almost
immediately, but he didn’t focus his thoughts on the images,
instead he let them diffuse into his mind.

He saw
mountains, massive and ice-capped, with mist streaming off their
peaks. Lodged between two of these peaks was an L-shaped lake.
Along one side of the lake was a sandy beach where there was a lot
of activity. Strange squat-looking creatures, with long torsos and
short thick legs, were gathering water in large buckets. Other
creatures, much larger, with long arms and completely covered in
thick brown hair, were swimming in the lake, periodically pulling
up large shells and placing them in to cane baskets.

Amongst all
this activity stood a tall, bald man, who appeared to be directing
proceedings. Chris was immediately drawn to his strong vibrations.
He looked about fifty and had a long, angular face with bushy
eyebrows that crowned almost black, deep-set eyes. Chris moved
closer. This man was relaying instructions to the soldiers around
him, his black orbs darting around as he rapidly issued orders.
Chris swallowed involuntarily. He was looking at Zelnoff. Any
mistake now could cost him his life. He tried to tune into
Zelnoff’s vibrations to detect any stray thoughts. This was a
food-gathering party and he was in a hurry. Chris read apprehension
and an enormously powerful will to succeed.

Carefully, he
moved a little closer, trying gently to absorb his thoughts. The
flow of information suddenly stopped. Zelnoff’s expression changed
and he looked around, frowning deeply. Chris immediately withdrew
himself to a safe distance. Zelnoff turned back to his task,
directing his men to a number of large carts, already overflowing
with supplies. All around the carts were groups of soldiers,
heavily armed with short swords and other weapons Chris had never
seen before.

Chris looked
around further; one of the peaks was a volcano. A large plume of
smoke was pouring from one side of the mountain. Zelnoff was now
moving off with the supplies. Chris decided he would have one last
try. He focused on the back of Zelnoff as he moved up the beach.
Zelnoff immediately turned round and stared directly at him, his
eyes narrowing. Chris felt a build-up of power around him. Zelnoff
had sensed him. Chris let go. The images swirled for an instant,
then he was back, the expectant faces of his friends staring at
him.

‘Are you
alright?’ Batarr asked.

Chris nodded,
an enormous sense of relief flooding through him. ‘He almost
discovered me. Another moment and he’d have had me.’

‘Zelnoff?’

‘Yeah, but I
managed to pull back before he could do anything.’

‘What did he
look like?’ Batarr asked eagerly.

Chris described
what had happened and Zelnoff’s appearance. When he mentioned the
volcano, Batarr’s eyes lit up. He pulled out a large map,
meticulously drawn in the finest detail, and laid it on the
table.

‘There are only
two volcanoes that are currently active on this planet,’ he
announced. ‘And only one of them is near a portal.’ He pointed to a
large mountainous plateau pitted with snow-capped mountains. ‘This
is Mount Caporel. It has been smoking for about ten years now, and
on the east side is a lake.’

Chris looked at
where Batarr was pointing. The lake was L-shaped.

‘It says Lake
Kipi,’ Susie interjected.

‘That’s
correct.’ Batarr raised an eyebrow. ‘You can read alien languages
too, very impressive.’

Susie beamed
back at him.

‘Lake Kipi is a
beautiful place,’ Batarr continued. ‘It’s a shame Zelnoff has
chosen to gather his forces there. I doubt there will be much left,
when he’s through.’ He began pacing the floor in his now all too
familiar manner. This time, however, there was quickness and sense
of urgency to his step. ‘It’s some distance, so it will take us a
little time to reach it,’ he said quickly, flicking back some hair
from his face.

Chris didn’t
like the sound of the word ‘us.’ ‘You mean it will take a while to
find enough soldiers to attack Zelnoff?’

Batarr stopped
pacing and looked at Chris’s hopeful face. ‘We have a bit of a
problem.’

Joe groaned
loudly.

‘You can’t
expect us to fight in your war,’ Chris said, ‘we’re just kids.’

‘You are
Mytar!’ Batarr was suddenly flushed with anger. ‘It’s your destiny
to help both this world and yours. After all that you have seen and
experienced, do you still care so little?’

His words bit
hard, but Chris didn’t care. ‘We don’t know how to fight. None of
us even know how to handle weapons.’

‘I don’t expect
you to fight Zelnoff single-handed,’ Batarr snapped, his usual grey
features flushing red. ‘Chris must have found Zelnoff when he was
collecting supplies. We still don’t know where his actual base
is.’

‘You want me to
try again?’ Chris said, starting to feel sick again.

‘No, no, he
will surely discover you if you try again. That’s not what I meant.
As I’m sure you remember, the key becomes warm when it’s near the
portal.’

‘So you just
want the key?’ Chris eagerly pulled the key out of his pocket and
offered it to Batarr.

Batarr pursed
his lips and shook his head slowly. ‘The key is no good to me. I’m
not a Mytar.’

Everyone
groaned, seeing for the first time where all this was leading.

‘You, my
friends, are the only ones the key will work for. We need you to
find the portal because that’s where Zelnoff’s base will be. I’ll
do my very best to protect you,’ he added, after surveying their
gloomy faces.

‘But don’t you
know where the portals are already?’ Susie asked.

‘I used to
know,’ Batarr said, ‘but they have been moved since they were
captured. We need to find them again.’

‘And how many
soldiers will come with us?’ Chris asked.

‘We should be
able to spare at least eighty soldiers, and more will join us on
the journey to Mount Caporel.’

Chris had read
some of the thoughts of the elite group of soldiers that protected
Batarr. He knew of their enormous dedication and fighting
abilities, and drew some comfort from this.

Batarr showed
them the route they would take. The lake they had seen when they
first arrived was called Lake Sekpa. They would have to cross this
lake and head through the Pasein Mountains beyond. There were
several routes through these mountains to Mount Caporel, but they
were likely to be watched. Batarr knew of another, more difficult
route, which would take them through country that was rarely
travelled. If they took this path, Batarr estimated, the trip would
take around two weeks.

Chris listened
to the increasingly enthusiastic tones of Batarr and watched the
increasing dejection of his friends. ‘When do we start?’ he asked,
when Batarr had finished outlining his plan.

‘The
preparations will be complete by tonight,’ Batarr replied, rolling
up the map. ‘Tomorrow you will all experience first-hand the beauty
of this planet.’

Into the Storm

As the first rays of
sun filtered through the tree canopy, Batarr’s forces assembled on
the planet’s surface. They had emerged from a narrow, moss-lined
tunnel had been chiselled between two sandstone rock outcrops.
Compared to the underground complex, the surface was a cold and
windy place. A light dusting of frost clung to the ground and the
wind whistled and tore at the gathering company. To ward off the
cold, the Mytar had been fitted with garments that had been soaked
in oil derived from the boiled skins of warm-blooded fish. This oil
was renowned for its unique properties. In the cold weather it
solidified, sealing in the body’s warmth, while in hot weather it
softened, allowing the skin to breathe.

Chris flexed
his arms, twisted and crouched down into a squat. His clothes
seemed to flex and mould themselves to fit the changing shape of
his body. He pulled the hood of his jacket over his head and
sniffed at the strange oily smell of the fabric.

‘They’re made
from the finest material in the land.’ A deep, resonating voice
jerked Chris out of his preoccupation with his clothes.

Chris looked up
at a man over twice his size with dark, intense eyes buried above
high cheek-bones and a long tapering jaw.

‘I’m Altac,
Leader of the Guard,’ the man said.

Altac smiled,
and Chris noticed a pink scar running from the side of his mouth to
the corner of his jaw.

‘I’m Chris,’ he
replied, feeling rather small and insignificant.

Altac brushed
back some of the long curls of black hair that trailed down to his
shoulder and bowed in what Chris assumed was this world’s version
of a handshake.

‘I believe you
need no introduction,’ he replied. ‘After all, aren’t you the
reason we are embarking on this little errand?’

Chris smiled
uncertainly, trying with his new found talents to catch something
of Altac’s thoughts. He read admiration, mixed in with surprise at
how young and small the Mytar were. Like so many of Batarr’s
soldiers, Altac thought that the Mytar had volunteered to come and
save Cathora from Zelnoff. Chris swallowed back some of his guilt,
thankful that Altac hadn’t witnessed their behaviour when they
first arrived.

Altac’s smile
slid away. ‘I suggest yourself and your fellow Mytar travel in the
centre of the company, where you will be best protected at all
times,’ he said, in a more solemn tone.

Chris nodded.
Mingled with Altac’s admiration, he picked up the concern for their
vulnerability.

By this time
Susie and Joe had appeared. Chris noticed that both their eyes
widened at the sight of this man. He wore what appeared to be a
chest plate made of thick hide and metal, and a long dagger was
strapped to his hip. Slung over his shoulder was the same weapon
Chris had seen Zelnoff’s soldiers wearing in his vision. It looked
a bit like a rifle, Chris thought, except it was shorter and
bulkier. Altac greeted Susie and Joe with the same politeness he
had shown Chris, bowing respectfully at each of them.

Like a toddler
drawn to a cardboard box, Joe inspected the weapon that hung by
Altac’s side.

Altac, after
seeing Joe’s interest, unslung his weapon and held it out for Joe
to examine.

‘What does this
crystal do?’ Joe asked, pointing to a blue-coloured crystal that
was embedded in the butt of the weapon.

‘It is the
power source of the weapon,’ Altac responded. ‘These crystals store
vast amounts of energy which can be focused into a narrow beam by a
series of lenses.’ Altac pointed to a series of concave lenses
along the barrel of the weapon that lead from the apex of the
crystal.

‘Cool,’ Joe
gasped, his eyes wide with excitement.

Altac pointed a
weapon at a nearby rock. When he pressed the trigger, a blue light
shot out and the rock exploded.

‘Can I try?’
Joe asked.

This drew some
subdued chuckles and smiles from some of the surrounding
soldiers.

‘These weapons
are extremely powerful,’ Altac said, smiling patiently. ‘A soldier
has to undergo an intensive course of instruction before he is
allowed to use one.’

‘So I guess
that’s a no.’

‘You will all
be well protected.’ Altac said, smiling mildly at the
disappointment on Joe’s face. ‘There’ll be no need to carry such
weapons.’

Joe nodded
slowly, but Chris didn't need to read Joe's thoughts to sense his
disappointment.

Altac said his
good-byes and strode off to direct his command. The last of the
company had now reached the surface, and Chris counted well over
eighty soldiers, with additional porters and servants carrying food
and supplies. There appeared to be equal numbers of male and female
soldiers, representing three distinct kinds of species. Many, like
Altac, looked almost human, but the other two types were more
alien. Many of the servants were no taller than Chris or Joe. Their
large jagged ears and hazel eyes appeared to be in constant motion
as they ran around organising food and supplies.

The third, and
most frightening type, stood a short distance from the rest of the
company, completely motionless, as though someone had temporarily
switched them off. Some stood well over two metres high and they
had broad flattened faces, protruding eyes ridges and no hair on
their bodies at all, which only emphasised their huge muscles.
Chris found it very hard to distinguish male from female, since
both were the same size and shape. But the most unnerving thing
about them was their eyes - large, pale yellow with a red centre.
And there was something else. It took a moment for Chris to work it
out. Their eyes were further apart than humans, suggesting they
could see more to the side. They would be hard to sneak up on, he
concluded. He tried to pick up their thoughts, but received
nothing. Their minds seemed to be operating in a manner he couldn’t
interpret.